The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: Left-Handed Lineup. The Rays were 55-54 against lefties in 2008 and 2009 combined. And they started this season 1-3 against southpaws. Since then the Rays are 5-1 in their last 6 games versus a left-handed starter…Big Innings. The Rays continue to score their runs in bunches, with two more big innings (3+ runs) last night…Dioner Navarro. The Fat Catcher gets a lot of grief, but it is only fair to point out that his hustling double led to the first run when Gabe Kapler singled him home. For all his faults, Navi has always been a very smart baserunner. Last season, Navi stole 5 bases. All 5 came with 2 outs as Navi put himself into scoring position…Matt Garza. Gonzo worked 8 innings for the 4th time this season. The 2 runs given up on the home run in the 4th inning marked just the second time this season Garza gave up more than 1 run. He finished with 5 Ks and 1 walk. He is now 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA…Grant Balfour. He may not throw 96 anymore, but he has better control this season. He walked one batter last night. That was just his second walk this season to go with 13 strikeouts. And the walk ended a stretch of 31 straight batters faced without a walk.

THE BAD: Rough Schedule For ‘Los. Carlos Pena went 0-5 with 2 Ks and is now hitting .200 on the season with 29 strikeouts in 26 games. He is hitless in the last 5 games and is 0 for his last 22 with 11 strikeouts. And with all the lefties on this roadtrip, there is little hope for Pena to break out of his funk anytime soon.

THE TELLING: John Jaso will start today against a lefty.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 20-7, one game ahead of the Yankees and 4 games ahead of the Blue Jays and Tigers in the Wild Card race. After 27 games in 2008, the Rays were 15-12.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays released Virgil Vasquez, who was acquired prior to the season from the Pirates. He recently broke both of his wrists in a scooter accident.
• Joe Maddon now admits JP Howell might not be back until June. Also, since the start of the 2007 season, Carlos Pena has the fourth most walks in baseball. [St. Pete Times]
• Joe Maddon says he will continue to get John Jaso playing time, even if that means starts versus lefties. [Tampa Tribune]
• Carlos Pena says there have been no negotiations for a new contract but that he “would love to play here forever.” [St. Pete Times]
• Milton Bradley left the team and threatened to quit during the 6th of the first game of this series. Now he says he needs help for “emotional stress.” [ESPN]
• Rob Neyer says the Mariners “probably should release Milton Bradley“…Think Andrew Friedman still wants to go down that road? [ESPN]
• Brett Gardner is off to a hot start for the Yankees. Josh Levitt calls Gardner a younger and cheaper version of Carl Crawford and now wonders if the Yankees need Crawford next year. [The Hardball Times]
• “The Rays’ run differential is plus-70. For a bit of perspective, only three AL teams had a greater run differential than that for the entire 2009 season.” [Fanhouse]
• Desmond Jennings talks about the pressures of being a top prospect. [Burlington Times-News]
• Evan Longoria is Steve Gardner’s early-season pick for AL MVP and he picked Wade Davis and Matt Garza second in the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young respectively. [USA Today]
• Jeff Niemann spends a minute with Roger Mooney (video). [Tampa Tribune]
• Gary Shelton writes about the arrival of the next generation of sports stars in the Bay Area. [St. Pete Times]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: (no game scheduled)
• MONTGOMERY: Jake McGee made his first start since suffering a sore knee. He only allowed 1 run, but was pulled after 2.1 innings with 61 pitches. He struck out 4 and walked 1…Alex Cobb made his 2010 debut in relief of McGee, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings. He struck out 4 and walked 2.
• CHARLOTTE: Matt Moore struck out 9 in 5 innings, but allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. He has now allowed 18 runs in 26.1 innings this season…Tim Beckham missed his 3rd straight game due to a medical issue in his family.
• BOWLING GREEN: Alex Colome pitched 6 shutout innings despite 6 walks. He struck out 3. He had walked only 5 batters in 27.2 innings prior to this start.

Ahh Milton Bradley.

This image comes to us via Lookout Landing, and we first saw this story at Big League Stew.

What we love is that Bradley doesn’t even do the “pretend to scratch my head” routine. Nope. He is not even going to pretend that he is not an ass.

Let’s see…there was the story where he didn’t dismiss the idea that the Cubs were purposefully giving him racist mail. There was the “loafing” after a flyball in the first game of spring training. And there were the two ejections during spring training and the assertion that he was “not going to change.” Who the hell gets ejected during spring training…Twice?!?

That’s a hell of a first two months with the Mariners.

Pat Burrell may not be able to OPS like Bradley, but at least he keeps his middle finger in his pants.

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: Power Surge. Kelly Shoppach and Evan Longoria hit 2 home runs apiece and the Rays hit 7 wind-aided home runs total. That is a team record in any type of game…Hank Blalock. If Matt Joyce starts the season on the DL, it increases the chance for Blalock to make the opening day roster. Blalock homered yesterday.

THE BAD: Bullpen Battle. With JP Howell on the DL, another spot in the bullpen may be up for grabs. Two that could be in contention, Carlos Hernandez and Winston Abreu combined to allow 8 runs (6 earned) in 2.2 innings.

THE TELLING: Pat Burrell will be in left field today while Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac will be at SS and 2B respectively. Matt Joyce will DH…BJ Upton went 3-4 with a HR and Matt Joyce was 2-5 with a HR in a minor league game

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Matt Joyce won’t be able to play the outfield until at least next week…It is beginning to sound suspiciously like Joyce will start the season on the DL. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon now says he may drop Carlos Pena to the 5th spot in the rotation. Also, the Rays are still hoping Dioner Navarro will be back before the regular season and Gabe Kapler is expected back tomorrow. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Topkin looks at what Joe Mauer’s new contract means for Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria and the hope for a new stadium. [St. Pete Times]
• Joe Maddon says he is not concerned about Wade Davis’ struggles. [Rays Report]
• David Feaster, the CEO of Cornerstone Community Bank wrote a piece for the Tampa Tribune basically saying the Rays have done everything they can and now it is the fans responsibility to support the team. [Tampa Tribune]
• Milton Bradley (after being ejected in two straight games): “I’m not going to change.” Oh yeah, Stuart Sternberg would have loved this. [Seattle Times]
• 5 questions for Carlos Pena. [Tampa Tribune]
• A rival executive on the Yankees: “The Yankees absolutely love [Carl] Crawford.” Jon Heyman adds “what the Yankees love, they usually get,” speculating that CC is a $15 million per year player on the open market. Andrew Friedman said the Rays worked hard to lock up Crawford this off-season, but one source says the two sides “never got close.” [SI.com]
• Jayson Stark says this is the most important season in franchise history both on the field and off. [ESPN]
• The Tampa Bay Rays were listed as the 5th best midsize employer by the St. Pete Times. [St. Pete Times]
• Former Rays prospects Chris Mason and Jim Magrane are now playing in Taiwan. [Biscuit Crumbs]
• Buster Olney (behind the Insider wall) writes that Bud Selig needs to do something to help the A’s and Rays. For the Rays, Olney says Selig needs to get them out of the AL East. [ESPN]
• 13 “fun facts” about the Rays, many of which most Rays fans already know. [New York Times]
• The Rays and the Tampa Bay History Center have partnered together to celebrate a traveling art exhibit inspired by the Negro Leagues (thanks Jordi). [Tampa Bay History Center]

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: Offense. 5 different players had 2 hits yesterday including Jason Bartlett, BJ Upton and Kelly Shoppach…David Price. Price was solid prior to being removed even though he ended up being charged with 2 runs (both scored after he left). He retired the side in the first. And Adrian Beltre’s single was just bad luck as the pitch shattered his bat.

THE BAD: Maple Bats. Adrian Beltre’s bat broke at the handle sending the barrel flying through the air where it hit David Price in the chin and the right hand. Price was cut on his hand, but was otherwise OK…Joaquin Benoit. Benoit gave up another home run. Not a good start in battle for final bullpen spot.

THE TELLING: Ben Zobrist started in RF for the first time this spring and Reid Brignac made his first start at 3B as a pro with Sean Rodriguez at 2B…Willy Aybar will DH today…The Rays have now won 7 straight since losing the opener.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Joe Maddon says the maple bat is “turning into the Claymore mine of baseball”…That is fine, but does anybody know how many, if any, Rays use maple bats? Because if any Rays are using the bat, his statements are a bit hypocritical. [Tampa Tribune]
• Another injury for Desmond Jennings, his second this spring and 432nd of his career. This time it is a sprained wrist he suffered sliding earlier this week. He will have to wear a splint for 5-7 days. His spring training is probably over but he should be back in time for the start of Durham’s season. [Rays Report]
• Even though Hank Blalock is on a minor league deal, Elliot Johnson was forced to give up his number and Blalock didn’t even pay for it…The Rays don’t even know if Blalock will ever play for the team. Meanwhile, Johnson has put 8 years into this organization. Way to take care of your own Rays. [Tampa Tribune]
• Joe Maddon says Ben Zobrist will likely open the season playing both RF and 2B…Not at the same time. Because that would be weird, even for Joe Maddon. [St. Pete Times]
• A video report by Jill Arrington and Dave Wills (lucky bastard) on BJ Upton. [FSFlorida]
• Baseball Musings projects the Rays offense using the Lineup Analysis Tool and notes that BJ Upton should probably be leading off and Carl Crawford should not be batting second. [Baseball Musings]
• Rise of the Rays wonders if the Rays will look to trade Willy Aybar now that Hank Blalock is on board. [Rise of the Rays]
• Tampa Bay Rays Fan looks at all the injuries the Rays have suffered this spring. [Tampa Bay Rays Fan]
• Dock of the Rays says it is time for Pat Burrell and Hank Blalock to stop whining and start playing. [Dock of the Rays]
• Another day, another Milton Bradley story. In this interview, he blames the Chicago Cubs for the racist mail he received and doesn’t dismiss the idea that some of the mail came from people inside the organization. [ESPN]

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: To Hell With Winter: Baseball is baaaacccckkkk!…Sean Rodriguez. In his first plate appearance with the Rays, Rodriguez hit a home run. Of course the wind was blowing out about 200mph, so lets temper the excitement a little.

THE BAD: Rich Herrera: Rich was a little rusty yesterday. On several occasions, Herrera was unable to identify Rays players that had entered the game as substitutes. In one incident, it was 5 batters into the inning and he referred to Elliot Johnson as a “Mr. Left Fielder” on a single. It’s not like Johnson is some free agent minor leaguer. Meanwhile, we can’t even see the game, but we are able to look at the MLB.com boxscore and see who is in the game. Later Rich needed an intern to identify Richard de los Santos who had entered as a relief pitcher…Acts of God: How bad was the wind yesterday? Former Rays prospect Rhyne Hughes, hit two home runs. Before 2009, dude never hit more than 12 home runs. Then again, last year he hit 25 combined with three different teams…The Bullpen. Usually the pitchers are ahead of the hitters this time of year, but apparently the Rays relievers didn’t get the memo. Dale Thayer, Heath Phillips, Jason Cromer and Richard de los Santos combined to give up 11 runs in 5 innings, including 5 home runs…Matt Joyce looks slow. Matt Joyce attempted to steal second base and was thrown out by about 6 feet…

THE TELLING: Dioner Navarro. You can already tell that Joe Maddon is going to get Navi as many ABs as possible this spring to try and get his bat going. Yesterday Navi batted second. File that under things you only see in March. Actually, Navi batted 2nd twice in 2008, but was never higher than 6th last season…Joe Dillon. The Dillionaire got his first action behind the plate yesterday, coming in to the game in the 8th inning.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Desmond Jennings was hit by a pitch and removed from the game. There was some swelling after the game, but he is expected to be OK. [St. Pete Times]
• Gary Shelton wonders if the Rays have a dominant Ace and wonders if they even need one. [St. Pete Times]
• From Keith Law: “Milton Bradley just loafed after a flyball and let it drop for a two-run “double”…The first day? Boy, we have no idea how much OPS would have made this worth it. [Twitter]
• Tony Fabrizio has 5 questions for Ryan Shealy. [Tampa Tribune]

59 days until pitchers and catchers report.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Joe Dillionaire is back! The Rays have re-signed Joe Dillon to a minor league deal. They have also added Ryan Shealy, a first baseman. Shealy has played 164 games with the Rockies and Royals in parts of 4 seasons. His last appearance was in 2008 with the Royals when he hit .301/.354/.603 in 20 games with 7 home runs.
• We can finally stop with the “They will!” and “The won’t!” posts concerning the Rays and Milton Bradley. The Cubs have traded Bradley to the Mariners. [The Heater]
• Marc Topkin says the “Player to be Named Later” in the Kelly Shoppach trade will be named today. Topkin says evidence indicates it could be Mitch Talbot, who is out of minor league options. [The Heater]
• Marc Topkin looks at how some recent moves by other teams will affect the Rays…In the same piece, we learn that Gary Sheffield wants to play 2 more years and (of course) finish his career with the Rays… We could see the Rays making a run at Sheffield if they can find a taker for Burrell. Or they could wait until next year. The problem is, the Rays like players at below market value, but Sheffield is a player a team doesn’t want to underpay. There is always the fear that Sheff will play to his level of pay. That is, if he feels he is underpaid, he will underperform. [St. Pete Times]
• Carl Crawford (91) is the only member of the Rays to make Rob Neyer’s list of the top 100 players of the past 10 years. [ESPN]
• Ken Davidoff thinks the Rays and Johnny Damon would be a “marriage” with “real potential,” if the Rays can unload Pat Burrell. [Newsday]

[4:08pm] And of course now we get Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports saying (via Twitter) that if a Milton Bradley deal is close, it is not to the Rays.

[3:02pm] Now that the deal for Soriano looks finalized, we can get back to the endless rumormongering about Milton Bradley. And Bob Nightengale doesn’t waste any time, saying (via Twitter) the Cubs “are close to trading” Bradley. Nightengale says that “all indications” are that he will be traded to the Rays. We are pretty sure we have heard this report everyday this week.

[12:53pm] There was a report that Soriano’s deal is non-guaranteed. That is not correct. It is guaranteed. Had Soriano gone to arbitration the contract would have been non-guaranteed as are all contracts for free agents that accept (and go to) arbitration.

[12:09pm] Ken Rosenthal says (via Twitter) the Rays and Rafael Soriano have agreed to a one-year deal for about $7 million. Teams now have to review players’ medical records before signing off on the deal.

[11:22am] And here comes the news that we were expecting. Ken Rosenthal says (via Twitter) the Rays and Rafael Soriano are negotiating a 1-year deal and that the trade is not official until a new deal is agreed upon. Also, we would not be surprised if the Rays insist that Soriano agree in the contract to decline arbitration next winter if it is offered.

[9:50am] Marc Topkin reports that the Rays have traded Armando Zerpa to the Dodgers for cash. The Rays did lose Mike Wlodarczyk in the triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, but did not lose Aneury Rodriguez. An update to Topkin’s post shows that the Rays also lost Douglas Salinas to the Reds in the double-A phase but picked up RHP Miguel Sierra from the White Sox in the triple-A phase.

[9:25am] The Rays have selected Armando Zerpa a left-handed pitcher from the Red Sox in the Rule 5 draft. Zerpa, 22, made 38 appearances between single-A and high single-A with a 2.68 ERA. He had 78 strikeouts and 35 walks in 74 innings.

[9:14am] Carrie Muskat says (via Twitter) the Cubs are desparate to trade Milton Bradley, but the Rays feel no obligation to take him. One Rays employee said the team actually prefers one year of Pat Burrell over two years of Milton Bradley. This is actually one of several non-attitude reasons we have always leaned against this deal.

[8:00am] Yesterday was a wild one for Rays rumors. At one point, within minutes of each other, we read a report that there were no “mystery teams” trying to trade for Milton Bradley, and that the Rays were still the favorite, while a second report said there were two mystery teams and that neither was the Rays. We also finally heard of a team expressing interest in Dioner Navarro (the Rangers).

But the biggest news of course was that the Rays are close to a deal for closer Rafael Soriano. We heard that the Rays were one of two teams interested, the frontrunner, not the frontrunner and only one of six teams interested and balking at the price. We heard that Andrew Friedman and Frank Wren (Braves GM) rode an elevator together and walked to dinner together, before we finally heard the good news from Marc Topkin late last night.

Now let’s look at what came through late last night and this morning so far. We will update this post throughout the day with the latest buzz, so check back early and often. And if you really want the fresh scoops, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

• Today is the Rule 5 draft at 9am eastern time. The Rays have the 16th pick.
• Jayson Stark says the Rays are one of two teams on Roy Halladay’s “maybe” list of teams for whom he would approve a trade (there are 4 teams on the “yes” list). Stark adds that the Rays are “off-the-charts long shots,” and that they are on the list only because of geography…Well at least the Rays have geography going for them.
• John Manuel of Baseball America lists Aneury Rodriguez, a Rays prospect, as one of the names that “have popped up,” in connection to the Rule 5 draft. Manuel calls Rodriguez a starter that could be stashed as a reliever on somebody’s roster.
• Richard Durrett of ESPN.com says he “keeps hearing” Dioner Navarro’s name in connection with the Rangers.
• The Red Sox waiver claim on Ramon Ramirez became official yesterday.

[7:35pm] Mark Bowman says that the Braves spoke with “at least six clubs” today about Rafael Soriano, and that they don’t consider the Rays the frontrunners.

[6:20pm] Marc Topkin reports that Rafael Soriano has yet to approve a trade to the Rays. And then there is this from Topkin’s Twitter: “Friedman, Braves GM Wren get off elevator together, walk toward press conf room …. then turn down hall to go to Scout of Year dinner.” So the Braves and Rays are definitely talking. They might be talking about whether to get the steak or salmon (always go steak), but they are talking.

[5:30pm] David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke with Braves GM Frank Wren who said “several teams” are talking to the Braves about Rafael Soriano and there have been “no discussions on money.”

[5:11pm] Tracy Ringolsby of Fox Sports says (scroll down to 4:07) the Rays are “looking like fruntrunner” for closer Rafael Soriano. This could be because the Astros (the other team in pursuit of Soriano) are close to a deal for Matt Lindstrom (a player the Rays were said to have “mild” interest in). Meanwhile, Jayson Stark says (via Twitter) that a deal for Soriano could be finalized tonight but that the Rays are “balking” at the money and “player(s).”

[4:09pm] And we finally have a team that has “expressed some interest” in Dioner Navarro. It is the Rangers…On a side note, you can also be sure the Rays are trying to trade Gabe Gross, another non-tender candidate, but we don’t expect there to be much demand for a corner outfielder.

[3:01pm] Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter) that the Rays are one of two teams trying to trade for relief pitcher Rafael Soriano. Soriano was a free agent that accepted arbitration from the Braves. His status as a Type A free agent may have made it unlikely that he would get as much in free agency as he would in arbitration. He made $6.1 million last season, and would almost certainly make $7-7.5 million in arbitration. So this would be a pricey acquisition for the Rays. This move also adds irony to Stuart Sternberg’s recent quote: “”The bank is full…There is no $7 million closer showing up.”

[11:51am] Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that there is no mystery team involved in the Milton Bradley trade talks and that the Rays remain the “most likely trade partner.” But at the same time Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs are close to a deal that involves two other teams and neither is the Rays…Our heads are spinning.

[10:55am] Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the Rule 5 draft. The Rays do have an open spot on the 40-man roster if they want to make a selection. The Rays’ Aneury Rodriguez could be one of the top pitchers available in the draft.

[10:52am] Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune thinks the Rays are still in contention for Milton Bradley with one source telling him that Bradley would go to a team rumored to be in the mix on “Day One.” Marc Topkin weighs in this morning on Bradley noting that the Cubs and Rays have tried involving other teams and even explored deferring some of Bradley’s contract.

[10:51am] The Mets have reportedly offered Benjie Molina a two-year deal. This is important as they are one team that is looking for catching help and could have been a fit for Dioner Navarro. So far we are yet to hear of any team expressing interest in Navarro despite a report that the Rays are trying to trade the catcher. Navi could be non-tendered if he is not traded by Saturday.

Yesterday we learned that the Rays talked to the White Sox about a Carl Crawford-for-Carlos Quentin swap and they asked the White Sox about Bobby Jenks, but didn’t like the price. Both deals appear to have been DOA. We also heard that the Cubs were close to trading Milton Bradley, but not to the Rays. And of course the big news was former Rays pitcher Edwin Jackson being traded during the winter meetings for the second year in a row. This time to the Diamondbacks with the Yankees getting Curtis Granderson.

Now let’s look at what came through late last night and this morning so far. We will update this post throughout the day with the latest buzz, so check back early and often. And if you really want the fresh scoops, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

• Gordon Wittenmyer says the Cubs are ready to pull the trigger on a Milton Bradley deal and that it does not involve the Rangers or Rays. Jordan Bastian says it is not the Jays. And Wittenmyer earlier reported that it is not the Mariners.
• The Rays are one of several teams taking a look at LaTroy Hawkins, however the Astros are “intent on bringing [Hawkins] back.”
• Andrew Friedman referred to the free agent market for relief pitchers as “strong to quite strong.” We are not sure what the difference is between a “strong” market and a “quite strong” market, but we are pretty sure it has nothing to do with the availability of Troy Percival and Jason Isringhausen.
• The Royals are in hot pursuit of catchers with names likes Jason Kendall, Jose Molina and Rod Barajas. Which leaves us wondering why they are not interested in Dioner Navarro.
• And the Red Sox have claimed Ramon Ramirez off waivers from the Rays, but there is still time for other teams to submit claims.

[Update 5:30pm] Sources cofirm to Jayson Stark (via Twitter) that new teams in mix for Milton Bradley but that “nothing is close.” And Marc Topkin says that if deal happens tonight it won’t be to the Rays.

[Update 5:17pm] Now the Chicago Sun-Times repeats (via Twitter) that a Milton Bradley deal could happen tonight and that it would be with a “surprise AL team.”

[Update 4:57pm] Bruce Levine of ESPN.com is reporting that the Cubs could move Milton Bradley as soon as tonight and that “others teams besides the usual suspects (Tampa bay Rays, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels) have been brought into the Bradley discussions over the past 24 hours.”…Whether you were for or against Bradley on the Rays, we just never thought this deal was close to happening and now we wouldn’t be surprised if the Rays are out of it.

[Update] As far as rumors go, this one is 100% believable: “Lou Piniella and Joe Maddon are the two most visible managers at these meetings. Every time I turn around, I see one of them in the lobby.” Are there two managers in baseball that welcome attention more than Mad Lou and JoeMa?

[Update] Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Rays talked to the White Sox about a Carl Crawford-for-Carlos Quentin trade. Apparently the White Sox were worrieed about how much Crawford will make in 2010. The Rays also asked about the availablity of closer Bobby Jenks but didn’t like what the Sox were asking. Both deals are said to be “flat-lined.”

Yesterday we heard that Pat Burrell had been traded in a report that has since been deleted from the interwebs, Milton Bradley’s agents were trying to convince people that their client is just misunderstood, and that the Cubs may have talked to the Royals about Bradley…or not. We also heard that the Rays are interested in Kevin Gregg, but that they are only mildly interested in Matt Lindstrom. Meanwhile, Andrew Friedman says nothing is imminent.

Now let’s look at what came through late last night and this morning so far. We will update this post throughout the day with the latest buzz, so check back early and often. And if you really want the fresh scoops, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

• Tracy Ringolsby confirms (scroll down to 9:23pm) what most of us suspected, that the Rays are trying to trade Dioner Navarro. He adds that “indications are” that the Rays will non-tender Navi if they can’t trade him.
• Brian Shouse rejected salary arbitration from the Rays. If he signs with another team that will give the Rays 6 picks prior to the third round.
• The craziest report of the day said the Rays had inquired about Roy Halladay (no surprise), but that Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi speculated (scroll down to 6:01pm) that the Rays “might be willing to offer” Wade Davis and BJ Upton. That rumor got a lot of play even though Rosenthal and Morosi also added that an executive said there was no way the Rays would do that deal.
• Marc Topkin responded by calling the report “wrong” and “preposterous.” He added that the Rays did inquire about Halladay (“as they do for just about every available player”) but that the two sides didn’t even talk on Monday. Topkin doesn’t credit any team sources, but he usually doesn’t use such definitive language, so we are assuming that this was indeed shot down by somebody with the Rays off the record.
• Lou Piniella says Milton Bradley would be super-duper awesome for the Rays (we’re paraphrasing)…Of course, we don’t know what else we expect Piniella to say. He doesn’t want Bradley and right now, the Rays are the only team showing strong interest.
• Former Rays pitcher Edwin Jackson could be on the way to the Diamondbacks in part of a three-way deal with the Yankees.
• We have added a quick commentary to the comments section on how all these rumors can be useful even though most never come to fruition.

[Update] Marc Topkin reports Andrew Friedman is saying nothing is imminent with trades or free agents.

[Update] Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald says that the Rays interest in Matt Lindstrom is “mild at best.”

[Update] The Chicago Sun-Times reports (via Twitter) that the Cubs deny having talked to the Royals about Milton Bradley…And there are the winter meetings in a nutshell. Reports that contradict each other completely.

If you want all the breaking news from the winter meetings, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the early rumblings regarding the Rays at in Indianapolis…

• There was an early report that claimed Pat Burrell had been traded to the Cubs and then the Mets…We were told about 5 minutes later that the report was “bogus.”
• David Lennon then reported that the Mets have no interest in Pat Burrell. It surprised us that a three-way deal was even being mentioned. There was a report two weeks ago that the Mets had no interest in Burrell which makes sense since the outfield at CitiField needs about 3 center fielders.
• Paul Sullivan reported that Milton Bradley’s agents are now involved in trade negotiations as they are apparently trying to convince other teams that Milt has a good heart.
• ESPN.com is reporting that the Cubs spoke with the Royals about a Milton Bradley-Gil Meche deal and that the money matches up much better than it does with the Rays.
• Finally, Tim Brown is reporting that the Rays are one of five teams interested in free agent relief pitcher Kevin Gregg. Which of course would fill the void left by Gregg Zaun for players named Gregg with 3-Gs.
• We will update this post if any other news breaks today about the Rays.