Last month the Rays let go the lady that played the part of the mascot, Raymond. Do you think you can fill his enormous shoes? Here is your chance. The Rays have released an official announcement seeking a new “Raymond”. Some of the key requirements…

• Play a pivotal role in pumping up the crowd, while helping create a positive and energetic experience for all fans.
• Must be able to take on the brand and personality of Raymond, including but not limited to the signature “belly-wiggle”
• Must be able to cause little children to have nightmares*
• Be able to kick Wall E. Monster’s ass**

*Or is that just us?
**We might have made that up

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Yankees are also interested in Rocco Baldelli, joining the Rays, Red Sox and Phillies. The Phillies still seem like a long shot considering Rocco would receive more playing time with a team that uses a DH. [Fox Sports]
• Peter Gammons says the Rays are in a “great position” with the current market. There is a glut of RF/DH types and nobody is spending any money. And the money that will be spent will primarily go to pitching. That could lead to a player that would normally not fit in the Rays’ budget to suddenly be on their radar. We still think a Ken Griffey Jr at $3-4 million makes more sense than a Bobby Abreu or Jason Giambi at $8-10 million even if it is considered a “bargain”. Of course the other advantage not being spoken yet is that some of these players may be willing to sign a one-year deal and hope the market rebounds next season. This is why teams chose not to offer arbitration to a number of players even though those teams will not receive the draft pick compensation that normally comes from losing a good free agent. [ESPN]
• A Pinellas County official met with a community advisory group about sites that could potentially be a future home of the Rays. The community group hopes to have a recommendation for the city and county by late 2009 or early 2010. Aaron Sharockman of the St. Pete Times reports that a new stadium likely would not open until 2014 and maybe not until 2016. [St. Pete Times]
• Troy Percival’s surgery “went well.” [The Heater]
• Trever Miller finally inked a deal with the Cardinals, however it was only for one year, rather than the originally stated two year deal. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• The Examiner looks at 6 potential replacements for Trever Miller in the Rays’ bullpen. The top choice is Arthur Rhodes, although Brian Shouse offers similar numbers against lefties and might come a little cheaper. [The Examiner]
• Rise of the Rays argues for trading Carl Crawford and his 2009 salary of $8.25 million. [Rise of the Rays]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks continues his countdown of the 25 greatest Devil Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Each member of the Rays’ postseason roster took home a $223K bonus for reaching the World Series. In all, 43 coaches, players and staff got a full-share, while the team also awarded partial shares to players that spent time with the Rays during the regular season…A $223K bonus is quite a haul for players making at or near the major league minimum of $400K. [St. Pete Times]
• While some feel the Rays should only be targeting the top-tier free agents, Marc Lancaster takes a more logical approach to projecting the Rays’ off-season, listing a number of players that the Rays may target. [Tampa Tribune]
• Mike DiFelice is interested in the opening in the Rays TV booth left by the departure of Joe Magrane. DiFelice first wants to see if he can catch on with another ball club in spring training. [USA Today]
• Here is a short video clip of an interview with David Price from when he was selected as one of ESPN the Magazine’s “Next”. [Bob Croslin]
• Trever Miller’s deal with the Cardinals may not have been finalized because he may have failed a physical after questions were raised concerning his shoulder. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon one of the top 10 worst dressed coaches? C’mon that seems a little unfair since he is the only one that was judged based on how he dressed away from the job. [No Guts, No Glory]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Despite earlier reports that Trever Miller had signed with the Cardinals, the deal is not yet finalized but is expected to get done eventually. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• U.S.S. Mariner takes a look at some of the better players left available for the Rule 5 draft including Eddie Morlan. [U.S.S. Mariner]
  
• Bleeding Blue and Teal looks at Eddie Morlan as one player the Mariners may target in the Rule 5 draft. [Bleeding Blue and Teal]
• John Harper of the New York Daily News wonders if the Mets might have to offer Ryan Church and a prospect in order to acquire Edwin Jackson. [Daily News]
• Bay News 9 is reporting that Albert Whitted Airport is once again being considered as a location for the Rays proposed stadium. However, as the article points out, there are still a number of obstacles that would need to be addressed. [Bay News 9]
• Evan Longoria was named to the Topps All-Rookie Team. [MLB]
• Rays Prospects have the winter league stats for Rays prospects, updated through last Thursday. [Rays Prospects]
• Tyler’s Articles interviewed Jonah Keri from Baseball Between the Numbers about the Rays off-season plans. [Tyler's Articles]
• Rays Prospects takes a look at some of the Rays top hitting prospects. [Rays Prospects]
  
• Tom Jones has a Q&A with Joe Magrane who is leaving the Rays TV booth for a position with the new MLB network. [St. Pete Times]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks is back with their latest “Your Sportsmen Ain’t S#!t” compared to Joe Maddon. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Really? [MLB Shop]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks takes exception to who Brian Knobbs has chosen to hang out with during the off-season. [Bugs and Cranks]

Today is the deadline for teams to add minor leaguers to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from being eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Wade Davis will be added, as will Jake McGee. Eddie Morlan is also likely to be added.

Other players that will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft, but are unlikely to be added, include Chris Mason, Ryan Royster and Mike Wlodarczyk.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Trever Miller has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  
• Rocco Baldelli’s name continues to swirl around the Red Sox. Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe says there is an even bigger need for Baldelli now that the Sox have traded Coco Crisp. [Boston Globe]
• Here is Marc Topkin’s AL MVP ballot. [The Heater]
• Thanksgiving came early to some in St. Pete as the Rays served a Thanksgiving dinner to about 300 people. [MLB]
• David Chalk is back with his “Ain’t S#!t” series. This time he compares the nominees for Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” award to Joe Maddon. [Bugs and Cranks]
• The Harvard Crimson profiles alum Matt Silverman, class of ’98. [Harvard Crimson]

In one somewhat surprising move and one not-so-surprising move, the Rays have declined the 2009 options on both Cliff Floyd and Trever Miller.

The Floyd move is not surprising as we recently learned that he could be headed for retirement. Even if Floyd chooses to play again in 2009, $2.75 million is a stiff price for a player that is a part-time DH and a part-time DL player. In 2008, Floyd appeared in only 80 games (72 starts), hitting .268/.349/.455 with 11 home runs.

Declining Miller’s option was a bit more surprising as $2 million is a fair price for a lefty specialist. The loss of Miller leaves the Rays with JP Howell as the only left-hander in the bullpen.

The Rays do project to have more pitchers than spots in 2009 with the potential additions of David Price and Jeff Niemann. Niemann will be out of minor league options next season. If Price moves to the rotation, Niemann can expect to compete with Edwin Jackson for one of the final bullpen spots unless one or both are traded.

Floyd’s buyout cost the Rays $250K while Miller’s was $400K.

Rays Decline Options On Floyd, Miller [MLB Trade Rumors]

THE GOOD: It was a perfect game for the Phillies. They had their best pitcher on the mound against the Rays #3 starter. They got a number of breaks during the game, including a safe-call on a pickoff attempt in the 2nd inning that showed the runner was out. In the 5th inning Pat Burrell was safe at first on an error when it appeared that he was clearly inside the base line. The Phillies had several excuse-me swings and bloop basehits. With the bases loaded and only 1 out in the 3rd, BJ Upton hit a ball about as hard as it could be hit, but the ball went right to Pedro Feliz at third base, who turned a double-play. And the biggest break may have been a non-balk call in which Cole Hammels picked Carlos Pena off first base with no outs in the 6th of a 1-run game. All of those breaks, with their ace on the mound and the Rays still only lost 3-2 and had several opportunities to win the game. If there is such a thing as a “good” loss in the World Series. This was it. With pitching matchup advantages in the next 3 games, the Rays are far from out of this…The DH is a big advantage for the Rays. Chris Coste was the Phillies DH and he didn’t even look like a major league hitter…The Rays “double” lead-off combination of Jason Bartlett and Akinori Iwamura reached base each of their first 5 plate appearances…Lefties in the lineup went 4 for their first 7 with a home run and 2 RBI against Cole Hamels.

THE BAD: Scott Kazmir once again couldn’t get out of his own way in the first inning giving up a 2-run home run. And even though Kazmir was a bit unlucky with some bloop hits after the first inning, he still allowed 11 base runners in the first 6 innings. If the Phillies didn’t go 0-9 with runners in scoring position in those 6 innings, the game wouldn’t have been so close…Phillies lead-off hitters were on base 4 times…With 2 outs in the 5th and a runner on second, BJ Upton fouled out to Ryan Howard who reached into the stands for the grab. Absolutely awful job by the crowd in that section. We have no idea how they can let an opposing player make that play…The Rays 2-4 batters went a combined 0-12 with 5 Ks….Why the hell is the “free taco” such a big story? Did people think there was a chance nobody would steal a base in the entire World Series? Taco Bell is giving away free Tacos. Good for them. We understand Fox TV making a big deal. It is a corporate sponsorship. But why are there so many news stories on the topic?

THE TELLING: Joe Maddon chose to start Ben Zobrist in right field with Gabe Gross struggling and preferring to keep Fernando Perez on the bench as a late-inning weapon. It was Zobrist’s second start in right field in his career…10 of the last 11 World Series winners won game 1. Then again 5 of those were sweeps and another 2 were 4-1. Anybody think the Rays are getting swept? Didn’t think so…There is about an 80% chance of rain in St. Pete tonight. Too bad the Rays don’t play in a dome. Oh. Wait. Never mind…According to CoolStandings.com the chances of the Rays winning the World Series is now only 36.1%.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• In a strange story, Daisuke Matsuzaka apparently accused (in the Japanese media) the Rays of moving the pitching rubber to benefit James Shields. MLB checked the mound and found nothing wrong. [St. Pete Times]
• Big League Stew debates the non-balk call. [Big League Stew]
• In a classic case of “hindsight is 20-20″, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says the Rays were “too cool” in game 1 and didn’t play the game with urgency…Of course in game 1 of the ALCS everybody was saying the Rays played too uptight. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Gerry Fraley of Fox Sports says the game 1 win cannot hide the problems the Phillies have. [Fox Sports]
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN says Joe Maddon gives his players 30 minutes after every game to either celebrate the win or stew about the loss. After 30 minutes, that game is done and it is time to focus on the next game. [ESPN]
• We always wonder what makes one team in a championship contest a “team of destiny” and the other is not. The Press of Atlantic City thinks the Phillies are destiny’s darlings this year. [Press of Atlantic City]
• Philly, we’ll make you a deal. We’ll stop ringing the cowbells if you promise that the Phillies fans in games 3,4,5 will not yell any ignorant insults. Deal? Didn’t think so. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• Peter Mucha of the Philadelphia Inquirer says a rainout on Saturday would move Cole Hamels up from game 5 to game 4. This will not change Hamel’s availability for game 7. If game 4 is moved to Monday, game 7 will not change. There just won’t be an off-day between games 5 and 6. Which means game 7 will be next Thursday regardless of when game 4 is played. So unless Hamels comes back on 2 days rest, Hamels is not pitching game 7. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• Scott Kazmir just wishes he could get the one pitch back from the first inning. [MLB]
• Mark Newman gives us “Ten things to love about The Trop.” [MLB]
• Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald says that the emergence of the Rays changes the landscape in the AL East and the Yankees and Red Sox should get used to it. [Boston Herald]
• BJ Upton’s bat from the ALDS and ALCS was sent to the Hall of Fame. [Baseball Prospectus]
• Bud Selig sure doesn’t seem upset about the Rays in the World Series when he says, “I just can’t tell you how important this is…I’m really lucky I was able to see this.” [USA Today]
• Troy Percival is still at home with his family in California…Joe Maddon says he would be with the team if he was on the roster. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Tigers new pitching coach has ties to Matt Garza. [Detroit Free-Press]
• Todd Kalas joined his dad in the radio booth during the 4th inning. [MLB]
• While the Rays were celebrating after game 7 of the ALCS, Trever Miller’s 4-year old daughter nearly died in the stands. It does sound as if Miller’s wife had the situation under control, as this is a condition that is not new. [MLB]

THE BAD: The offense for the first 6 innings. Prior to the 7th inning, the Rays only hit was an infield single by Evan Longoria in which he beat out a routine ground ball to third. Prior to BJ Upton’s grond-rule double to lead off the 7th, Fernando Galarraga had retired 14 in a row…

THE TELLING: After Jason Bartlett was removed from the game and Shawn Riggans was used as a pinch-hitter and was the Rays’ last player off the bench, meaning he would have stayed in the game had Rays not won the game in the bottom of the 10th. The question then becomes: What would the defense have looked like had the Rays taken the field in the top of the 11th (We were on the Detroit feed, so not sure if Dwayne and Joe discussed this) [Ed. note: See second bullet below]? Our guess is Riggans would have been in right field, with Willy Aybar coming in to play third and Evan Longoria shifting over to play short. Riggans has never played a position other than catcher in his major or minor league career…The Rays are 16-1 at the Trop this season when the crowd is more than 30,000. Bodes well for any potential playoff hopes.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Jason Bartlett will need a couple of days off after taking a pitch off the index finger of his throwing hand, but there is no break and he will not need a trip to the DL. This likely means that Evan Longoria will be the starting shortstop for the next few days, unless the Rays recall Ben Zobrist and demote Jonny Gomes…Also, Shawn Riggans has a significant bruise on his chest, but is otherwise OK, after taking a 97mph fastball to the middle of his chest. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Topkin says that Shawn Riggans would have come out of the game, with Jonny Gomes moving from DH to right field had the Rays needed to play the 11th inning. That would have elimnated the DH spot forcing the pitcher to bat in Riggans’ spot (#9). Therefore, whoever pitched the top of the 11th, would have been the 4th batter in the bottom of the 11th. We are not sure if this is Topkin’s speculation or if this came from Joe Maddon, but we are not sure that scenario is better than Riggans playing right field. How much worse than Gomes could he be? [The Heater]
• Rocco Baldelli is back with the Rays and is set to meet with Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman today to discuss the next step in his return…That next step is likely to be activation from the DL, and we are hearing that could be as soon as today. Of course that could be altered if the Rays need to recall Ben Zobrist and demote Jonny Gomes. [MLB]
• If and when Rocco Baldelli returns, the Rays are asking that he not give 100% all the time. [St. Pete Times]
• Brant James does a Q&A with Rocco Baldelli. The biggest revelation is that Rocco does not sound optimistic that he will ever be able to be an everyday player again. [The Heater]

“It’s a weird thing to say to an athlete. Rocco would sprint after balls 110 percent, no matter what the scoreboard (said),” Friedman said. “That’s how he played the game, or plays the game. We’re trying to get him to pick situations and understand situations on the scoreboard, different things to conserve his bullets, for lack of a better word.”

• Trever Miller got the win, ending his record streak of 121 straight apearances without a decision. [Bradenton Herald]
• In Ted Flemming’s blog, he ponders Eric Hinske and Dioner Navarro for Comeback Player of the Year…Hinske, sure. But Navi? Not sure where he came back from. [Speaking of Sports]
• The Rays are up to 3rd in the latest Chicago Tribune power rankings, behind only the Angels and the Cubs (of course). [Chicago Tribune]

THE GOOD: James Shields showed us that he is a winner last night. He struggled early without his best stuff and with shoddy defense behind him, but fought through it and still managed to give Joe Maddon 7 innings. For all the changes to the bullpen, the biggest reason the relief corps is better this year is because the starters are working deeper. Any bullpen will be better if it only needs to throw 2 innings instead of 3-4…And last night wasn’t any different. Shields handed the ball off in the 8th to Dan Wheeler (a role we expect he will keep once Al Reyes comes off DL) and then Troy Percival in the 9th. The two combined for 2 perfect innings…Eric Hinske continues to swing a hot bat, only this time it was against his former team and went to the tune of a double, triple and home run…Dioner Navarro added 3 hits in his return. We still can’t get over Navi. Nobody hits more line drives. And nobody hits the ball softer than Navi…Jason Bartlett finally did something productive with the bat, executing a perfect hit-and-run with Dioner Navarro running from second base.

THE BAD: James Shields walking the first two batters of the second inning, followed by the play that led to the Jays first run. On the play the Rays were only charged with 2 errors, but there should have been three plus a couple of mental errors. A ground ball to Eric Hinske’s right was bobbled after the runner on first distracted Hinske. Hinske then tried to backhand the ball to Shields covering first and missed him by 10 feet with the ball rolling towards the plate. For some reason, with a runner now on 3rd, Dioner Navarro left home to retrieve the ball. Shields sprints home to cover the plate. Throw from Navi was in time, but Shields dropped it.

THE TELLING: The Rays are now 4-0 all-time in Orlando…The Rays are 2-1 this season during our Live Blog-A-Baloos and 7-10 in all other games. Just Sayin’…The Rays need to sweep the Jays to get out of the cellar of the AL East and reach .500.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• We commented on this last night during the Blog-A-Baloo, but the Rays traded for Gabe Gross from the Brewers, giving up single-A pitcher Josh Butler. Butler was the Rays 2nd round pick in the 2006 draft. Gross is a left-swinging outfielder that can play all three outfield spots…While Justin Ruggiano will likely be the first player to go, this move probably marks the end of the Nathan Haynes-era. Andrew Friedman announced during the game last night that the Rays had been talking to the Brewers about Gross since Spring Training. [Tampa Tribune]
• Outs Per Swing sees the Rays crowded outfield and wonders if the Rays should trade Eric Hinske while the value is at its peak…We say yes. [Outs Per Swing]
• Through 19 games the Rays have the best bullpen in baseball. Trever Miller says that the biggest reason is they are not walking anybody. [Bradenton Herald]
• New Ray Dan Johnson suffered from an infection in the spring that caused him to lose 30 pounds. He has since gained most of it back. [Bradenton Herald]
• Marc Lancaster notes that Dan Johnson’s injury history is quite extensive. [San Francisco Chronicle via Rays Report]
• While the Orlando Magic playoff game may have affected attendance, the Rays could not have been happy with the non-sellout or that a large portion of the crowd was not Orlando residents. [Orlando Sentinel]
• Brittany Ghiroli takes a look at the “Green” practices of the Tampa Bay Rays and notes the team will continue to make a commitment to environmental sustainablity after Earth Day. [MLB]
• The Serious Tip thinks they have figured out why Andy Sonnanstine has struggled at times this season…He’s is jinxed. [The Serious Tip]
• A couple of new renderings of the proposed waterfront stadium, with one that apparently gives a reference to how big the new stadium will be compared to existing structures. [The Heater]
• Matt Silverman and Joe Maddon were set to attend the Bruce Springsteen concert in Tampa on Monday but missed it after the show was postponed until Tuesday. [Orlando Sentinel]

Tampa Bay Rays (5 days until Opening Day)

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 10, Jays 0.

The Good: Rays pitchers combined on a shutout without walking a batter and striking out 8. Jason Hammel was limited to 4 innings in the game so that the relievers could catch up on their work (Hammel continued to work in bullpen after his 4 innings), but was very effective. He did not allow a run and gave up only 3 hits and did not walk a batter. He struck out 2…Five relievers, that will all be on the opening day roster, combined for 5 shutout innings, with only 2 hits and no walks with 6 strikeouts…Another errorless game…Jonny Gomes was 3-4 with his 4th home run of the spring…Eric Hinske had a double and a RBI.

The Bad: Guess we could put Cliff Floyd here for going 0-3 and lowering his spring average to just north of the Mendoza Line (.205), but that is a stretch as spring numbers don’t mean much, but they mean even less for veterans.

The Telling: Elliot Johnson started at short and played the first 8 innings. Right off the bat in the first he successfully turned a double play and later handled a ground ball cleanly. Johnson needed to show he could handle short if he is going to be a utility player off the bench while Ben Zobrist is on the DL.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Obligatory Public Service Announcement: We will be hosting the 2nd Annual Opening Day Tampa Bay Rays Live Blog here at RI. So feel free to stop by and join in on the shenanigans as participation is certainly welcome.
• In case you missed it late yesterday, we have a poll going to gauge the reaction of RAYSHEADS to the demotion of Evan Longoria and see what you think the Rays should have done. [Rays Index]
• Several Rays are not happy about the demotion of Evan Longoria including Jonny Gomes…They must not have asked Willy Aybar and Joel Guzman their thoughts. [St. Pete Times]
  

If I say I commit to winning, he’s on my team for sure. I think everybody wearing a Tampa Bay hat and uniform wants that guy here. I don’t think it’s a good day on the players’ end and for everybody in a uniform.

• Joe Maddon is taking a very a conservative approach with Scott Kazmir. Kid K will play catch the next few days and may throw from a mound some time next week. And yes, he was officially placed on the DL. [The Heater]
• Gary Shelton shows that the Rays will improve in 2008 and the biggest reason is the bullpen, especially considering the Rays in essence traded Shawn Camp, Ruddy Lugo and Brian Stokes for Troy Percival, Dan Wheeler and Trever Miller. [St. Pete Times]
• This is the extreme example of the uninformed bashing that some people are tossing at the Rays since the Evan Longoria demotion…And for the record, the Rays do not have the worst winning percentage in baseball history. There are 20 franchises in history with lower winning percentages. [Mike Responts]
• Drays Bay found a stat that shows that Dioner Navarro is one of the better catchers in baseball at blocking pitches in the dirt and preventing runs. [DRays Bay]
• Most previews should have this title. At least this blog is honest enough to admit it, and that earns points in our book. [The Ballclub]
• Willy Aybar is trying to put his troubled past behind and is relishing his fresh start. [St. Pete Times]
• Brian Anderson, who attempted a comeback from Tommy John surgery this spring with the Rays, has accepted a position with the team in which he will assist pitching coach Jim Hickey and the front office with scouting. [Rays Report]

Tampa Bay Rays (10 days until Opening Day)

Night game tonight. No BJ Upton or Akinori Iwamura until Sunday. Andy Sonnanstine gets the start. A solid outing would probably secure his spot in the rotation if there is still any doubt. Evan Longoria will start at third base. If the Rays have decided already to send The Dirtbag to the minors, they will wait until Willy Aybar is ready to play again before making an announcement.

Rays-Yanks: Upton, Aki likely back Sunday [The Heater]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Buster Olney compares BJ Upton’s apparoach at the plate to that of Derek Jeter. However, he does note that Upton should hit for more power and post better OBPs. [ESPN]
• It sure sounds like Andy Sonnanstine and JP Howell have both already made the roster. No surprise that Howell is headed to the ‘pen, but Hickey’s comments on Sonnanstine as an ideal relief pitcher is a little surprising. [Tampa Tribune]

According to Hickey, it’s rare that either reports soreness in his arm the day after starting, neither takes particularly long to get warmed up, and both can be relied upon to come in and throw strikes even if they haven’t pitched in a few days…”You kind of target those guys,” Hickey said. “You don’t just take anybody and say ‘This guy’s capable of being a relief pitcher.’”

• Outs Per Swing breaks down the Final Four for the Rays’ rotation, predicting Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine and Jason Hammel to fill out the empty slots. [Outs Per Swing]
• Troy Percival is not the only pitcher that has accepted the role of mentor in the Rays’ clubhouse. Dan Wheeler and Trever Miller have both used their experience to help the younglings on the Rays’ pitching staff. [St. Pete Times]