Sorry guys...just the links today...Pulling double-duty over at MLB Trade Rumors.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• In case you missed it, the Rays have signed Scott Kazmir 3-year contract with $28.5 million, with a 4th year team option for $11 million. This deal buys out the remaining two arbitration seasons and the first two free agency years. [St. Pete Times]
• Al Reyes was activated from the DL and appeared in last night's game. To make room on the roster, Scott Dohmann was DFA'd. We assume that Dohamnn will clear waivers, but with Grant Balfour pitching well in Durham, he may decline the assignment to Durham and choose to become a free agent. [Rays Report]
• Marc Lancaster is reporting that the Rays and Pirates reached an agreement on a deal so that the Pirates can keep Evan Meek in their system. Meek was a Rule 5 selection by the Pirates, but was recently dropped from their 25-man roster. Without the deal, the Pirates would have had to return Meek to the Rays. No word yet on the particulars of the deal. [Rays Report]
  
• Big League Stew takes a look at the early season success of the Marlins and Rays and puts together a fairly solid all-star team from just those two rosters. [Big League Stew]
  
• Edwin Jackson is not worried about losing 2 W's to Troy Percival blown saves...We always think people make too big a deal about this paticular scenario. For every 8 shutout innings that are not a Win, there are 2 or 3 starts in which the team rallies and saves the pitcher a loss or gives the pitcher a Win with tons of run support despite a poor outing. [Bradenton Herald]
  
• Jordi from The Serious Tip made a guest appearance at Bus Leagues Baseball and wrote about his recent experiences at a Rays game and a subsequent trip to Brevard Co. Manatees game. [Bus Leagues Baseball]
• A Mets blog laments the fact that the Mets won't be able to play the Rays this year. Not because they are easy wins, but because they are fun to watch. [Mets Walkoffs]
• A Cubs fan jumps on the Rays bandwagon and we welcome them with open arms and a beer. [Cobra Brigade]
  

THE GOOD: We know the numbers and we know there are other players that need playing time, but we hope that it kills Papa Joe Maddon to keep Jonny Gomes on the bench when he does. The first run of the game was all-Gomes. Started with a single, after which he stole second off of a lefty and then scored on a 2-out single by Dioner Navarro. He would later steal third base just before scoring on Jason Bartlett's triple and moved to third in the 7th inning on a pitch in the dirt that barely got away from the catcher. He would score during that at bat on a ground out...Speaking of Jason Bartlett's triple, how often are you happy when a player can't get a bunt down? Bartlett appeared to be attempting a safety-squeeze in the 4th, fouling off one attempt and pulling back on the second pitch. He would then hit a triple to left-center that would score 2....A solid game from Evan Longoria. The opposite field double off the top of the wall in the 4th was a good sign as it was only his 3rd hit this season off a lefty. He also started a huge double play in the top of the 6th to quell a Yankees rally that had 2 runners on with only 1 out. Dirtbag gets rid of the ball faster than any third baseman we ever remember and his throws to second base are pinpoint.

THE BAD: Knowing that Jonny Gomes has to sit against righties. We understand. But we don't like it.

THE TELLING: Cliff Floyd sat against the lefty while Jonny Gomes got the start at DH and Eric Hinske got the start in right...The Rays will have to earn tonight's victory. Edwin Jackson takes the mound for the Rays while the Yankees will counter with their Ace, Chien-Ming Wang...The Rays remain 1 game up in the loss column over the Angels in the Wild Card standings. The Rays are 3 games up on the next teams, Baltimore and Cleveland.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! For those that haven't done it yet, once you have voted for the first time, it takes a matter of seconds to vote a second time. The ballot stores all your info. So you have ZERO excuses. C'mon, let's make sure C.C. is in NYC in '08. VOTE OR DIE! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• We will have the Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo on Wednesday night for game 3 of the Yankees series, with James Shields going against Mike Mussina. The Live Blog-A-Baloo will be held right here.
  
• Anybody want to take bets on what substances Her Rays was under the influence of when writing their post-game recap? Not that there is anything wrong with that. Much of the best writing in history was done "under the influence". Just ask fans of the Beatles or Hunter Thompson. [Her Rays]
• Jonny Damon said that the scoreboard gun that had Matt Garza at 92-93 last night, must have been low. [New York Times]

Before we knew it, he was jamming us and making us pop out. That’s what happens when you’re late on the fastball, and it seemed like we were late all day. It just seemed like we couldn’t catch up to it.

• Ben Zobrist has been activated from the DL with Andy Cannizaro being DFA'd...Ahh Andy Whatever-your-name-is. We hardly knew ya. [Rays Report]
• Alex Rodriguez will not play in this series...Also, Marc Topkin says that Al Reyes could be activated as soon as today, although there is no clear indication who will be let go. Scott Dohmann and Gary Glover seem like the only options to be removed from the roster. Both are out of options, meaning they would have to be DFA'd. Of course, we could see another "Willy Aybar" injury by tomorrow afternoon. That is Dohmann or Glover could come down with a mystery ailment that would normally keep a player out for a week or so, but still need to go on the DL, just in time for a needed roster move and 2 months later, they are still MIA...Just sayin'. [The Heater]
• Gary Shelton says the Rays are not "fluky" and are here to stay. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Yet another positive piece on the Rays in the New York Times...That is 2 this season and 2 more than the Yankees have had. [New York Times]
  
• Here is a neat graph that compares payrolls to performance. [Benfry.com]
• Always in love with the underdog, Joe Maddon said that if he were to name MVPs for the first month and a half, it would be JP Howell and Jason Bartlett. [MLB]
  
• An early proposal for a ballpark in St. Pete circa 1983, looks an awful lot like the new proposed waterfront stadium. [Ballpark Frankness]
• Seriously, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Yahoo! Sports has the Rays ranked 5th in their power rankings. [Yahoo! Sports]

Supposed to be that the Rays would do well generally, but struggle against the AL East powers. They’re now 15-11 against their own division.

• The Rays will make public their financing plan for the proposed waterfront stadium on Thursday. [Ballpark Frankness]
  

DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

• The Good: To quote a commenter from last night: Akinori Iwamura... you beautiful, beautiful small little Japanese man. Although I might worry a little for Aki's safety today. He did a nice little bat flip and walked the first few steps down the line to admire the blast. Don't get me wrong. I loved it. And in reality the Sawx are the last team in the world that could ever complain about something like that as long as Manny Ramirez wears the Scarlett Hose. But still. Aki might get a little buzz this afternoon if a pitcher gets an opportunity...Oh yeah and the bullpen, Again. 2 runs in the last 30 innings pitched from the bullpen. That's right. 2 runs in the last 30 innings pitched from the Tampa Bay Rays relief corps.
  
• The Bad: Jello Shots. Seriously? Who the hell thought Jello Shots was a good idea?
  
• The Telling: This worked yesterday, so I will try going to the well one more time. The last time the Rays won 6 in a row was August 3, 2005. The winning pitchers during that streak were Scott Kazmir, Casey Fossum, Doug Waechter, Mark Hendrickson, Seth McClung and Travis Harper. No shit...Also if the Rays win today they will be 3 games over .500 after 25 games. It looks like that would be the latest in a season that the Rays have ever been 3 games over .500. In 2004 they were 40-38 but never got to 3-over. The latest they have ever been 3-over was way back in 1999 when the Rays were 11-8 after 19 games.
• Today: Huge matchup of Aces as the Rays go for the sweep. It is Josh Beckett versus James Shields.
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Only surprise here is that Andrew Friedman didn't make this move sooner. Elliot Johnson has been sent to Durham and Andy Cannizaro has been called up to take his place. With Jason Bartlett's shoulder problems, Joe Maddon undoubtedly would prefer to have a natural shortstop on the bench to back him up. [Rays Report]
  
• There is speculation around the Rangers that new team President Nolan Ryan may ask Gerry Hunsicker to come on board as the new GM. [ESPN via Lone Star Ball]
• Marc Topkin takes a look at the Rays surplus of starting pitching and comes to the same conclusion that many including The Professor have been saying for a while, Andy Sonnanstine is likely the odd-man out and could be headed to the bullpen with Scott Dohmann being DFA'd. Even with the 3-hit shutout, Duke is just the better option in the bullpen. [St. Pete Times]
• Red Sox skipper Terry Francona is impressed with what he sees in the Rays. [MLB]
  
• What a difference a year makes for the Rays bullpen, where Gary Glover is the only reliever that was with the Rays at this time last year. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• The Rays rank first in affordability in the major leagues. [MLB]
• I am amazed at how many stories have been written that say giving Evan Longoria a long term deal so early is very risky. All these stories make the same argument: Prospects flame out all the time. They will then go on to list all the top prospects that never panned out. Only they only list pitchers. The only top hitting prospect that anybody ever mentions is Rocco Baldelli and he has what appears to be a rare genetic disorder. His had nothing to do with miscalculated scouting. Top hitting prospects *never* fail. They may not turn out to be all-stars, but they never fail. There is basically ZERO risk in the Longoria deal. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
  

The Rays made a couple of moves today, one surprise, one not so much, in an effort to finalize their 25-man roster for opening day on Monday in Baltimore.

The not surprising move was Grant Balfour will be Designated For Assignment, giving the last bullpen spot to Scott Dohmann.

The surprising move is that the Rays have acquired Nathan Haynes off of waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. The move was announced during today's televised broadcast of the Rays' matchup with the Reds. Haynes figures to be the Rays 4th outfielder come opening day suggesting that Eric Hinske will not be on the opening day roster.

Haynes, 28, was originally a first round selection of the A's in 1997. After 10 years in the minors, he made his major league debut last year for the Angels, appearing in 40 games, hitting .267/.313/.311 in only 45 at bats. In his 11 pro seasons, Haynes has only appeared in 100 games three times. He does appear to have some speed with 254 career steals in the minors.

Balfour cut; Dohmann takes last bullpen spot [Rays Report]

Tampa Bay Rays (28 days until Opening Day)

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 9, Indians 7.

The Good: Scott Dohmann retired all 4 batters he faced, including the final out of the 6th inning with the bases loaded...Another errorless game for the Rays who have 21 in the spring. Only 6 teams have committed fewer...

The Bad: Rays pitchers had their streak of 21 innings without a walk end in the 3rd and then proceeded to walk 7 on the day including one with the bases loaded by Grant Balfour and hit a batter by Andy Sonnanstine....

The Telling: Elliot Johnson got the start at third base over Joel Guzman as Willy Aybar continues to nurse a sore hamstring. Either Johnson or Guzman will get the opening day assignment if Aybar is not ready to go.

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.
• Want a good indication that Scott Dohmann will be named to the roster over Grant Balfour? Try this quote from Balfour: "It's tough to go out there and pitch every time knowing that you're either on the team or off the team...It's tough, having that pressure on you, I must admit." Excuse me? You know what else is pressure? Coming in to the game with a 1-run lead and runners on 2nd and 3rd. Funny...We thought pressure was something a relief pitcher needs to be able to handle. The whole point of this battle for the final spot in the bullpen is to send you guys out there every time knowing a job is on the line and seeing how you handle it. [St. Pete Times]
• The Rays are tied with the Cubs and White Sox for most hit batters in spring training with 17. James Shields has 4 all by himself, which is the second most in the spring. As per a discussion in the comments section a few days ago, on the surface it appears like Joe Maddon and Jim Hickey are emphasizing the importance of pitching inside with the benefit outweighing the occasional hit batter. Now we see that this is also being implemented at the minor league level as Durham pitching coach Xavier Hernandez is preaching the same method to the minor leaguers, in particular Chris Mason who was the AA pitcher of the year last year. Mason has hit 5 batters in camp this spring. [Montgomery Advertiser]

"I've always emphasized it," Hernandez said. "Being at the Triple-A level and going to the major leagues at the end of last year, I realized that it's not only important, it's imperative."

• Acording to Outs Per Swing Evan Longoria already has more AAA experience than all of the following third basemen combined: Albert Pujols, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Miguel Cabrera and Kevin Kouzmanoff. He also has the same experience as David Wright and is only 3 games short of Ryan Braun. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• Rays of Light picked up a nice not-very-surprising tidbit about Elijah Dukes. Apparently he went MIA from the Nats for "non-baseball matters"...We've said it before, we will say it again. We don't care if Glenn Gibson never throws another pitch, the Rays made a great trade to get rid of that ticking time bomb. [Rays of Light]
  
• The Sports Illustrated Baseball Preview issue is out and here is a link to the Rays preview. [ESPN]
• David Pinto goes to PECOTA to show that the Rays have the best rotation in the AL East, and that takes into consideration that starting pitchers will miss time and uses Jason Hammel in place of Edwin Jackson. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Here is another projection for the Rays pitching staff. [Baseball Musings]
  
• RJ Anderson answers 5 questions about the Tampa Bay Rays at The Hardball Times. [The Hardball Times]

Tampa Bay Rays (7 days until Opening Day)

We have a busy, busy day planned here at RI, so be sure to check back early and often...

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 10, Reds 9.

The Good: The two players that the Rays will rely on to be power sources in 2008, Jonny Gomes and Carlos Pena, each hit their third home run of the spring...Elliot Johnson continues to secure his spot as the opening day utility player, assuming Ben Zobrist is on the DL, with 2 more hits while playing center. He is now 19-41 (.463) on the spring with a 1.145 OPS...Aki Iwamura started 2 double plays with his new partner-in-crime, Jason Bartlett...Al Reyes struck out all three batters he faced.

The Bad: Matt Garza needed over 90 pitches to get through 5.1 innings walking 2 and hitting 2 more batters...Troy Percival gave up 7 runs in 1 inning of work on 6 hits and a walk.

The Telling: Andy Cannizaro who figures to be the only person that could beat out Elliot Johnson for utility player, saw time at both second and third.


DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• It is never a good day when we read the sentence "David Price left a Minor League start Thursday after feeling some discomfort in his left elbow." Andrew Friedman says that it is not serious. We hope World B. Friedman will forgive us if we hold our breath until Price makes another appearance on a mound. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  
• Tom Singer names the Rays as one of two team in the AL that are "worth watching for early signs of a miracle". [MLB]

In already setting a club record for Grapefruit League wins, Tampa Bay also has lost only twice in 13 games against other AL clubs, is 6-1-1 vs. the AL East and is 5-1 against Detroit and Philadelphia...Yet it's almost as if the Rays are being humored. That could be a mistake, even if the weight of the AL East does have to curb their optimism.

• Bill Chastain notes that several roster decisions are still up in the air and the team met again last night to discuss some of those decisions. According to Chastain Ben Zobrist is likely to start the season on the DL, but will be available as early as April 5...Our best guess is that Elliot Johnson will now join Eric Hinske, Joel Guzman and Shawn Riggans on the bench. Not bad for a guy that had the 5th worst OPS in AAA last year. We are rooting hard for Johnson. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Joe Smith also looks at the remaining roster questions...On a side note, does anybody else remember a couple of weeks ago when Joe Maddon was talking about how nice it was that most of the roster was already in place. [St. Pete Times]
• Joe Maddon all but confirms that JP Howell will be on the Rays opening day roster as a long reliever by saying that the last bullpen spot will go to either Scott Dohmann, who was better last year and Grant Balfour, who has had the better spring. Both players are out of options. One will make the team. The other must be traded or will need to clear waivers in order to be optioned to the minors. [Tampa Tribune]

"That is a tough one," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Both have really good arms, both are very competitive. They're making it tough. This is going to be quite a discussion in regard to that spot, because I have a lot of respect for both of these young men - they're both great workers, they're great teammates. It's tough."

• It sucks to be a hitter during an intrasquad game when the opposing pitcher is working on pitching inside. Yesterday, Chris Mason hit two batters in one game at minor league camp...Chuck Tiffany who missed all of 2007 also participated. [Riverwalk Talk]
• Delmon Young has a new commercial promoting the 2008 Twins in which he seeks the advice of Twinkies legends. They tell him to "See the ball, hit the ball". Might just be us, but isn't Young's problem that he swings at too many pitches? [Chinese Evil Dead]
• New and Old Rays gear is being spotted with alarming regularity as far north as Tallahassee. [FSView]
  

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (8 days until opening day)

DRG here again to get you through the weekend...

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays. Rained out.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Jeremy Guthrie will be the Orioles opening day starter against the Rays on March 31. The O's are yet to reveal the remaining rotation. [Baltimore Sun]
• Jeff Niemann was not happy about his demotion. Joe Maddon sounds as if a major league debut in the near future is no guarantee for Niemann. [Tampa Tribune]

If he can get a little consistent roll in Triple-A and there's a need, he could be very interesting."

• Rays of Light laments the decision to include Jason Hammel in the rotation, and wonders if the decision was based in part of the fear of seeing Hammel become a better pitcher somewhere else. [Rays of Light]
  
• Joe Maddon hinted that Grant Balfour might have overtaken Scott Dohmann for the final bullpen slot, although he won't make a decision until the end of the week. [Tampa Bay Rays]

"The location of the pitches have been much better," Maddon said. "[Balfour's] throwing a strike when he needs to, and he's been down [in the strike zone], and it's really nice to see."

• DRays Bay interviews Keith Law. [DRays Bay]
  
• Joe Maddon does not see any correlation between success in the spring and the regular season, although Carl Crawford says building a winning atmosphere has to start someplace. [Tampa Tribune]
  

"I'm just so cognizant of the regular season, how different it is from spring training," he said. "And then you also have to guard against this sense of 'We're so much better because we've had a good spring training.'

"It depends on who you ask," left fielder Carl Crawford said. "If you ask a team on the other side, they might say, 'It's just spring training, it don't mean nothing.' But a team like us, where we're trying to build some momentum going into the season, it's a good thing.

• When the Rays drafted Fernando Perez, they converted him to a switch-hitter. The team wanted him to bunt a lot from the left side to utilize his speed. Perez had other ideas. He refuse to bunt a lot preferring to become a good hitter from both sides of the plate. [Herald-Tribune]
  
• While the Rays have made significant efforts to reach out to fans in other markets, especially Orlando, little effort has been made in the Gainesville area. The Rays say they are waiting to see if their is demand for the Rays in the area before making an effort, which seems the opposite of other areas. [Gainesville Sun]

Tampa Bay Rays (12 days until Opening Day)

Yesterday: Phillies 4, Tampa Bay Rays 2.

The Good: Matt Garza in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th innings. After a shaky first, he retired 9 of 10 and then the last 4 he faced. Evan Longoria hit his 3rd home run of the spring but more eye-opening was his 9th walk of the spring. Only 5 players in the majors have more and only one of those players (Willie Harris) has fewer than Longoria's 5 strikeouts.

The Bad: Matt Garza in the first inning: 1 throwing error, 1 wild pitch, 1 walk, 1 run. Reid Brignac committed his 3rd error of the spring. He only had 3 errors in the final 43 games last season. As a team the Rays only managed 3 hits, without a baserunner until 2 outs in the 5th, and committed 2 errors.

The Telling: JP Howell once again came on in a relief role and pitched a perfect 9th with 2 strikeouts. Howell is going to make the roster...as a relief pitcher.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• USA Today takes a look at the importance, or lack thereof, of spring win-loss records. Andrew Friedman may have summed it best..."Generally, I think there's very little correlation," Friedman said, "but for us, and the collective mind-set of our organization, it sure can't hurt." [USA Today]
  
• Bad news for Elliot Johnson fans. Ben Zobrist had his cast removed a week earlier which gives the Rays newest utility guy a much better shot at being ready for opening day...Scott Kazmir is playing catch, and may be able to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. [Rays Report]
• Joe Maddon is less optimistic about the chances of Ben Zobrist making the trip to Baltimore for opening day. If Zobrist is not on the field by the end of next week, we suspect Zobrist will start season on the DL with a stay in extended spring training. [Tampa Bay Rays]

"You have to take at-bats, all the other little things you have to do to get ready for the season," Maddon said. "I'm not sure about that yet, we'll see. He's been playing catch. I know his arm is still in shape. He's been doing anything he can possibly do to stay under the circumstances to stay ready, and that's typical Zobrist right there. Again, he just has not been able to hit, which would be a big factor."

• Scott Kazmir revealed that his recent switch to a cautionary tone with regards to his arm may have been fueled by the career-ending injury suffered by Brian Anderson. [Tampa Bay Rays]

"It kind of freaked me out a little bit, to be honest with you," Kazmir said. "You see him come in and the next thing you know he's talking about, 'Oh, I ripped my whatever' and what not. Then I'm like, maybe I should take a little more time...I see that going on. I'm thinking, 'Oh, man, I don't want to be in that boat.' And, plus, I've got the time no just to make sure that everything is strong and I'm ready to go."

• Yesterday Rays of Light rallied for the Rays to sign Todd Linden to be the 4th outfielder. Today DRays Bay tells us why he is not all his numbers are cracked up to be. [DRays Bay]
  
• Dayn Perry say the Rays are "capable of contending very soon". Of course this is the same guy that said the Rays were one of "ten teams that could surprise" in 2007 and a week later wrote a column in which he said the 2007 Rays were one of the teams "with no hope for success". [Fox Sports]
• USA Today interviews Joe Maddon. There is nothing here that we haven't been hearing in the local media all spring. [USA Today]
• Yahoo! Sports projects the Rays lineup. They have Scott Dohmann and JP Howell in the bullpen, which is how DRays Bay projects it and the way we figure it will shake down. Of course there is a good chance they just read one or both sites. [Yahoo! Sports]
• The Tampa Tribune has details on the three proposals submitted for the redevelopment of Tropicana Field. Officials will recommend one of the proposals to the City Council by May 1st. [Tampa Tribune]
  

This is a little old, but...HOLY SCHNIKEY!

I don't care if it does look like a Star Wars character. A shark is a shark, especially when it is bigger than you are. And Scott Dohmann kicked some shark ass.

Dohmann, who just started to "dabble" in fishing after a lifetime of hunting small game such as geese and ducks, was using a blue runner his wife caught as bait...Little did he know he would soon have some bigger fish to fry. As the water began to get choppy, Dohmann felt the tug of what turned out to be a 130-pound hammerhead shark.

"My lower back was about to explode," he said. "Some sharks fight for four or five hours; this was only 45 minutes but it was constantly whipping my butt.

The New Orleans native had the last laugh, bringing in the 61/2-foot shark before holding it in his arms as he would a newly wedded wife to pose for a photo.

Sharks are cousins to the Rays. It's true. So maybe Dohmann shouldn't have been killing one of his own. We mean...you don't see Rex Grossman out hunting Koala Bears do you?

Still...the dude took down a 6 and a half foot shark. Something tells me that if The Dohberman can do that, he can handle the 6th and 7th innings against feeble humans.

A Ray's shark tale [St. Pete Times]

Tampa Bay Rays (18 days until pitchers and catchers report)
Just the links today as we mourn the 15th anniversary of the passing of one of our childhood faves, Andre the Giant, and wish a happy birthday to another one of our childhood faves, Keith Olbermann. What better way to celebrate then to bake a chocolate cake on National Chocolate Cake Day!

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• In Marc Topkin's latest piece, he speculates on what James Shields' deal means for Scott Kazmir. Kazmir says that the deal has little bearing on his contract status as they are in difference situations (Kazmir is in his arbitration years). Later on in the piece Topkin raises a good point we had not considered before in regards to the recent deals for Shields and Carlos Pena. He states that even though the deals only take away a minimal number of free agent years, the contracts will also keep the Rays from being forced to trade one or the other at any time during their arbitration years. So while the players were locked up for X number of years prior to the deals (five years in Shields case) the deals do make it easier for the team to keep the players during those locked-up years. [St. Pete Times]

Shields' deal technically would only keep him around for two extra free-agent seasons, but another benefit of these type of deals is cost certainly during arbitration years, which could prevent the Rays from having to trade him, as the Marlins did when arbitration-eligible Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis became too expensive.

• The Bradenton Herald says that the moves made this off-season are not a ploy by the team to earn support for a new stadium, and the timing is just a coincidence. [Bradenton Herald]
  
• Jim Hickey expects the bullpen to be much better in 2008 (Couldn't be any worse). But what is interesting in the piece, when Hickey speaks of Troy Percival, Al Reyes, Dan Wheeler and Gary Glover. "When I end up talking about bullpen guys, you always talk about if you're comfortable sending a guy out there, and right there are four guys I'm comfortable sending out there in pretty much any situation at all." It is pretty clear from that quote, that Glover will be on the opening day roster. In our most recent 25-man roster projection (in the sidebar), we did not have Glover's position listed as "secure". We will have to change that in our next evaluation. That leaves three spots in the 'pen. Long Reliever is likely to be one of the starting pitchers that does not win a spot in the rotation. Lefty-Specialist is a player-to-be-signed later. The final spot is up for grabs with Juan Salas and Scott Dohmann being the leading candidates (Salas has a minor league option remaining). [TBO]
• DRays Bay takes a look at every player invited to Spring Training and what each player's chances are of making the team. [DRays Bay]
• Fox Sports lists Andy Sonnanstine as one of ten players that could break out in 2008. [Fox Sports]

With guys like Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza in the Tampa Bay rotation, it's easy to forget about Sonnanstine. However, he's impressive in his own right. Sonnanstine boasts a low arm angle, an array of pitches, and an ability to change speeds. None of his offerings wow scouts, but in four minor-league seasons he logged a 2.56 ERA and a stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio of 6.2 to 1. Last season in Tampa, Sonnanstine struggled in terms of keeping runs off the board, but he did strike out more than three times as many batters as he walked. Given his command skills, Sonnanstine is one to watch in 2008.

• Evan Longoria will wear #3 in Spring Training. He wears #6 in the minors.
  
• The Rays have signed relief pitcher Scott Munter to a minor league contract. Munter was a 47th round selection of the Giants in 2000 and somehow has managed to earn three different stints with the Giants despite a career minor league record that includes almost as many walks (134) as strikeouts (175 in 334.1 innings). [Baseball America]
• RotoAuthority has their projection for James Shields numbers in 2008. Interestingly, the projection calls for a year not quite as a good as last year, with 13 wins and a 4.06 ERA. [RotoAuthority]
  

Devil Rays 3, Rangers 0.
Don't do this to us Edwin. Don't you dare do this to us. There have been too many pitchers with "promising" careers that would go out and throw one great start and we would think "maybe, just maybe." We don't have the stomach for it anymore. We want you to look all of our friends and family in the eyes and tell them you are serious. Tell them that you are for real, because they are the ones that have to deal with our moody selves and pick up the pieces after every game when you have given up 6 runs in 3 innings and we scream your name in pain. If last night was an aberration then do us a favor and just get knocked out of your next start in the first inning so that we won't get our hopes up. The Rays need a third starter. Jeff Niemann has yet to dominate AAA and David Price, Wade Davis and Jake McGee are all still more than a year away. Mitch Talbot and Jason Hammel? We have no idea yet. But we do know that none of them have your "stuff". You are the one if you can make it work.

That is why we call him "Nuke". The kid has a million dollar arm and that was never more evident than last night. Has there ever been a more improbable 4-hit shutout? Edwin Jackson entered last night's game with a 2-11 record and a 6.06 ERA. And that does not even consider that Jackson had not pitched past 1 out in the 7th inning in his previous 23 starts this season. Jackson had never finished the 8th inning in his major league career and he had never pitched a 9-inning complete game, much less a shutout, in his entire professional career.

But on this evening, Nuke Jackson struck out 8 and walked only 1. On this night Nuke was touching 99 on the gun in the 9th inning. IN THE 9TH INNING!

Either make the step forward Nuke, or get out of the way. But whatever you do. DO NOT TEASE US.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• It has long been suspected that the Devil Rays would change their name to just "Rays" after this season. The acquisition of a new domain for the team's website appears to confirm this move. [TBO]
• Scott Dohmann has not been scored upon in his last 8 appearances. Those games cover 8 innings, in which he has given up 2 hits and 5 walks. [Devil Rays]
  

Angels 3, Devil Rays 0.
Despite being "small" for a right-hander and despite not being blessed with a plus-fastball, Andy Sonnanstine breezed through the minors with amazing numbers. His status grew to almost legendary proportions among Devil Rays fans who had never even seen him pitch. For a team that always seems to be about 10 pitchers short of a major league pitching staff, Sonny was seen as savior to many.

We always understood the fascination with Andy Sonnanstine. We saw the numbers and we were in awe. His control was impeccable and despite not having a plus-fastball he had impressive strikeout totals. We always understood the fascination with Andy Sonnanstine but we were skeptical. A pitcher can fool minor league hitters, but that is much more difficult to do in the majors. We worried aloud that Sonnanstine would be very hittable once he was called up and that he would need to be nearly perfect just to give the Rays a chance to win.

Now that Sonny has 9 big league starts under his belt, we feel we were both right and wrong. He is never going to be a dominant major league pitcher but he will be good. In fact he is an ideal back-of-the-rotation guy. He will eat innings every time out and on most nights he will give the team a chance to win. Despite dropping to 1-5 after last night's loss to the Angels, Sonny worked 7 strong innings and has now pitched into the 7th inning in 7 of his 9 starts.

He also will not walk many batters. Nothing kills a team more than walks. Take away his June 16th start in Colorado in which he walked 2 in 5 innings, and Sonny has walked only 5 in 58.2 innings or 0.76 walks per 9 innings. And while Sonny will always be prone to giving up home runs (11 in 9 starts) most managers will tell you that it is not the home run that kills you, it is the walk just before the home run.

Sonnanstine is 1-5 with 5.37 ERA in 9 career starts but he has proven that is capable of being a big league pitcher and is likely to be a mainstay in the Devil Rays rotation for the foreseeable future.

1. Scott Kazmir
2. James Shields
3. ?
   
4. ?
5. Andy Sonnanstine
   

The beauty of this is that there are now only two question marks in the rotation down the road. Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot are knocking on the door and David Price, Wade Davis and Chris Mason are close behind. The Rays now only need two or three of those five pitchers to become dominant. In the past the Rays had no room for error with their pitching prospects. When Seth McClung, Doug Waechter and Dewon Brazleton failed, the team failed. Now if Jeff Niemann or Mitch Talbot fail, there will be another option ready to fill the hole.

Now if we can just find some help for the bullpen monstrosity.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• JK Ryu and Scott Dohmann have been called up from Durham. Either Ryu or Jason Hammel will start the first game of the double-header tomorrow in New York. Dustin Mohr was designated for assignment and Jorge Cantu was demoted to Durham. [MLB]
• No surprise here, but Jorge Cantu is not happy and we have most likely seen him for the last time as a Devil Ray. [Sports Talk]
  
• As the trade deadline nears, the Devil Rays have no "untouchables" on their roster. That means people will ask about Carl Crawford. It would be interesting to know what the Rays would seek in return for C.C.. Kinda like walking through the car lot and looking at the price tag on a car you know you cannot afford but you are still curious how much they are asking. [New York Post]
• The Devil Rays will begin a roadtrip tonight. Is it possible that we have seen one or two members of the Devil Rays for the last time in the green and grey? [TBO]
• Of the three major sports teams in the Tampa Bay area, the Devil Rays actually have the best all-time winning percentage. Sad. Just sad. [Sticks of Fire]
• A recent Sports Illustrated poll of major league baseball players ranked Stuart Sternberg as the third worst owner in baseball with 18% of the votes. This is likely a reflection of many baseball players being unaware that there is a new owner in the last year and a half, as it is still a little early to pass that type of judgment on a new owner. [Sun-Sentinel]
  
• Who knows the who plays second base for the Devil Rays? Anybody? [The D-Rays Blog]
  
• The Devil Rays are in discussions with the Big East about the possibility of bringing a bowl game to the Trop. We are unable to confirm that the bowl would feature the 5th place team in the Big East each season. [TBO]
  
• We asked to be corrected and our loyal readers came through. The Devil Rays have indeed been present in Tampa since the Westshore Plaza shop closed. The kids play area in the International Plaza is co-sponsored by the Devil Rays (Thanks Matt). [DevilRays.com]
  

Let's face it, Shawn Camp and Ruddy Lugo are not major league pitchers right now. In spring training Joe Maddon made it clear that there were no more free lunches. No more "scholarships". This is why we were puzzled when Papa Joe appeared to guarantee Camp and Lugo spots in the bullpen at the beginning of the spring, despite being two members of the worst bullpen in baseball in 2006. Camp said during the spring that he was working on being more consistent. Mission accomplished. He has been consistently bad in 2007. In four appearances, he has recorded only 7 outs, yet he has surrendered 6 hits, a walk, and a hit batter, to go with 4 runs.

Last night Camp relieved Edwin Jackson with 2 outs in the 6th with runners at first and third and the score tied. Two batters later the Rangers were leading 4-2. Papa Joe had seen enough. Now it was Lugo's turn to stop the bleeding. Four batters and zero outs later, the game was 8-2 and out of reach. Lugo has actually been worse than Camp so far in 2007. He has recorded 6 outs, and he has given up 7 hits and 4 walks which have led to 5 runs. That equates to an era of 22.50 and a 5.500 whip. That's not an easy thing to do.

So now we will see if Maddon and Andrew Friedman are true to their word. Are Camp and Lugo on "scholarship"? If not, they need to be in Durham. We have no idea what the problem is, but it is clear that neither is capable of getting major league hitters out at this point. If this continues, it will be damaging to this young team. This team started the season with a lot of confidence. To compete with the monsters of the AL East, this team needs confidence and there is no way they can be confident in the bullpen right now. The idea of Camp or Lugo even warming up in the bullpen during a game in which the lead is less 10 gives us the hibidy-jibidies.

We don't know who should be in their place, but right now a Fungo could get more hitters out. At Durham, Steve Andrade has 7 strike outs in 4.1 innings, but gave up 2 runs in his first appearance. Tim Corcoran and