Rays of Light

All in all, not the worst that could happen

Let’s get this out of the way right off of the bat: it sucks that the Rays were so close to being legitimate buyers at the trade deadline for the first time ever only to have it ripped away thanks to a very poorly-placed report from the guy who should be the most trustworthy source about that team. Moreover, it sucks that we were THIS close to having a player who measurably improves our lineup only to see no changes made.

That said, it probably worked out as well as it could have for the Rays.

In order to match the quality/number of prospects that the Pirates got in the Jason Bay-Manny Ramirez mega-deal, the Rays would’ve had to have given up a whole lot more than most everyone says they were willing to do. I honestly believe that if it was as simple as Reid Brignac and Jeff Niemann, Andrew would have pulled the trigger. What the Pirates got instead was the equivalent of Brignac, Niemann, Wade Davis, and probably one other player. That price would have just simply been too steep to pay. The casual Tampa Bay fan who knows nothing more than the headlines might have a hard time rationalizing it when he sees the headlines go from “Bay to the Rays” from “Bay not a Ray” but Andrew Friedman made the right call in not going any deeper into it than Niemann and Brignac.

Moreover, this deal gets Manny Ramirez out of the AL East. And, yes, I know Bay’s numbers this season are comparable to Manny’s, but there’s a certain psychological difference for an opposing team knowing that Jason Bay is cleaning up in Boston rather than Manny Ramirez. Production-wise, he might give the team very similar results (remains to be seen), but a David Ortiz-Jason Bay led attack doesn’t have the same juice that an Ortiz-Manny punch has. Next year, this works out nicely for the Red Sox because they have a cheap Jason Bay instead of nothing in left field, but for right now, it couldn’t be any better for the Rays in terms of the Red Sox standing pat or even regressing a little bit. We can worry about next year next year. Yes, Jason Bay is a very good player and should be good for the Red Sox lineup, but at the cost of Manny Ramirez? I’m willing to take my chances with that trade-off for two months.

And, let’s not forget, the Red Sox gave up some decent future pieces to make this trade, too. Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss could’ve been good players for the Sox going forward, and they aren’t there any more.

Remember, this is a Rays team that - with a TON of players underperforming - still has a 3-game lead in the division. The Red Sox didn’t improve greatly, and the Yankees’ additions of Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, and Ivan Rodriguez don’t make them that much better than the Rays, right? I guess I could be wrong, but I still think our pitching (especially the bullpen) makes us the team to beat this season.

So the Rays remain the team to beat AND have a guy who could contend for a spot in the rotation next year and a guy who could be starting at shortstop in 2010. Not too bad, if you ask me. Plus, David Price is likely on the way sometime down the road (I still think it’ll be in the bullpen this year, but we’ll see), Justin Ruggiano is ready to be called back, and Rocco Baldelli is going to give it a go. I don’t think anyone expects Rocco to be the savior, but what does the team lose by letting him at least try? He can’t be any worse than Jonny Gomes has been, can he?

In short - is it disappointing that the Rays couldn’t pull of a deal? Yes. But kudos to Andrew Friedman for not mortgaging the future for a team that - comparatively speaking - isn’t THAT broken. Remember, we’re at least 1 (maybe 2) years ahead of plan right now and in prime position for a playoff spot. All it takes is 2 months of being better than the Red Sox and Yankees.

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Bay a Ray?

The Rays are now officially buyers, at least according to Bill Chastain, who is reporting that Jason Bay is headed to the Rays for Reid Brignac and Jeff Niemann. Waiting for confirmation.

UPDATE, 3:49 PM: Still no official word. Sources say that it is being held up by the Rays’ insistence to keep one of the two players in the deal. I don’t think Andrew Friedman would hold up this amazing deal over one of those two players, but we’ll see.

Could he be holding his cards close while trying to find a match for Eric Hinske, Cliff Floyd, or Jonny Gomes, all of whom become expendible in the deal?

UPDATE, 4:22 PM: Should have known better than to trust Bill Chastain. This thing looks dead.

UPDATE, 4:34 PM: Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles Dodgers, Jason Bay to the Red Sox says Heyman at SI.

Tags: Jason Bay
Posted in Transactions | 18 Comments »

Trade Deadline

Here’s your open thread for all the trade deadline news that fits to print. I’m on baby duty today, so if I don’t update for a little bit, feel free to throw in any news you hear.

The big news from the day so far is Ken Griffey, Jr. going to the White Sox. Remember back when people thought he was going to be traded to Tampa Bay? And remember when other people actually believed it?

The Manny Ramirez-to-Miami talks continue, and we’ve been mentioned as a possible destination for Adam Dunn. I would probably crap my pants if we got our hands on Dunn, who is one of my favorite hitters in the game and a LEGIT power bat.

UPDATE, 10:51: Scratch Arthur Rhodes’ name off of potential lefty relievers we might bring in. He’s headed to the Marlins for a AAA prospect.

UPDATE, 11:11: If you had to guess, do you think the Rays are going to make a big deal for a Jason Bay or an Adam Dunn, or are one or two smaller deals more likely?

UPDATE, 11:20: The great Kenny Rosenthal says that the Marlins, Red Sox, and Pirates have a framework on the “major” players involved but can’t agree on the prospects that are switching hands. Could this be a chance for the Rays to swoop in and trump the deal to get Bay?

UPDATE, 11:30: I just talked to someone who thinks the Rays are closer to Adam Dunn than they are to Jason Bay, but wouldn’t call either deal as on the verge of happening right now.

UPDATE, 11:45: I have to leave for a couple of hours. Keep up the rumor-mongering!

UPDATE, 2:03: I’m back, and it seems like all remains quiet. The Red Sox-Pirates-Marlins swap might be dead; is the door open for the Rays to grab Bay?

UPDATE, 2:10: Jayson Stark just said on ESPNEWS that Bay-to-Tampa Bay is definitely still alive.

UPDATE, 2:35: I know we supposedly “need” a right-handed bat, but I want Adam Dunn so bad. Dude can mash, plain and simple.

UPDATE, 3:11: Bill Chastain from MLB.com says that Jason Bay is a Ray for Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. No confirmation from the Rays or Pirates yet.

Tags: trade deadline
Posted in Discussion | 20 Comments »

The Minor League Wrap

What do you think of the Minor League Wrap? Give us your feedback so we can try to improve this and give you what you want to see!

Buffalo 8, Durham 5

Wade Davis was not sharp through 5 innings, allowing 3 runs and 5 hits, including a pair of home runs. Juan Salas, Dale Thayer, and Chris Mason all gave up runs in relief. The Bulls got homers from Reid Brignac, Jon Weber, and Ben Zobrist. Dan Johnson delivered 3 hits.

Montgomery 3, Huntsville 2

Jino Gonzalez allowed just 1 run on 2 hits in 5 innings of work, while Chris Nowak and Gabriel Martinez delivered home runs for the Biscuits. Rocco Baldelli was 0-for-3 with a walk.
Jupiter 6, Vero Beach 4

Wilton Noel got knocked around a little bit in 6 innings - allowing 4 earned on 7 hits. Matthew Fields had 3 hits while Hector Gimenez walked twice.

Augusta 7, Columbus 4

Jesse Darcy got beat up, allowing 3 home runs and 5 runs total in 5 innings. Reid Fronk went 3-for-5 while Stephen Vogt and Omar Luna each had a pair of hits.

Tri-City 5, Hudson Valley 4

The Renegades took a 4-3 lead to the 9th inning, but Matthew Gorgen allowed a walk and a 2-run home run that won the game for Tri-City. Starter Tyree Hayes allowed just 1 earned run in 5 1/3 innings; Anthony Scelfo had 2 hits, as did Keyong Kang. Mike McKenna and Jeffrey Carroll each struck out 3 times each.
Johnson City 14, Princeton 11

Mayobanex Acosta’s 5 RBI weren’t enough, as 3 P-Rays pitchers combined to allow 18 hits.

Tags: Minor League Wrap
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Pudge to the Yankees - thoughts?

Story

Certainly it improves the Yankees offensively at the catcher position, as Jose Molina is terrible. But I’m not so sure he’s a defensive upgrade. Plus, the Yankees pitchers supposedly love throwing to Molina. Even though the idea of a catcher who “calls a good game” is probably overrated, what’s not overrated is the fact that a prima-donna pitcher who THINKS he can’t throw to a guy probably won’t be able to.

Tags: Pudge Rodriguez
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New Poll - Jason Bay/Manny Ramirez

As I’m sure most of you have heard there’s a potential deal being talked about that could, among other things, send Manny Ramirez to the Marlins and Jason Bay to the Red Sox.

New poll in the sidebar (and below). Feel free to use this thread to discuss.

In the last poll, people overwhelmingly stated that the Rays could stand pat and be okay rather than NEEDING to make a deadline deal.

Tags: Jason Bay, Manny Ramirez
Posted in Discussion | 4 Comments »

RAYS 3, Blue Jays 2: Edwin Houdini and his pen pals save the day

(Box Score)

Somewhere amidst all of the trade deadline rumors, a baseball game between the Rays and the Jays broke out. And, again, it took a gutty pitching performance to make up for a lackluster offensive showing for the Rays to take a win. Somehow, someway, the little engine that could from St. Pete has won another series and ended up with a 4-3 road trip despite playing like absolute diddly-poo.

That’s right. I said diddly-poo.

Houdini Act: Edwin Jackson was not very good during his 5 innings of work today, but, man, was he gutsy and lucky. Working out of jam after jam, E-Jax somehow earned himself a win today and left the Blue Jays’ fans cursing their offense’s ineptitude. To be honest, it was kind of like watching our offense in reverse.

This could have turned into the classic Edwin Jackson meltdown game, too. He got beat up in the first inning, allowing a 2-run moonshot of a homerun to Lyle Overbay, but really settled down and never let himself give up the big hit or the big walk that cost himself the game. Was he lucky? Absolutely. Was it enough for a win? It sure was.

Last year, Edwin Jackson would have folded like a 2-7 off-suit. This year, the new and improved Edwin got the game to his stellar bullpen, and it was all over from there.

Pen Pals: Remember last year? Remember Shawn Camp and Chad Orvella and Brian Stokes and Casey Fossum and (insert guy who is no better than your local grocery manager) being trotted out there and expected to get big outs? Well this year’s team is anything but that. J.P. Howell has ice-water in his veins. Grant Balfour could easily be closing right now. Dan Wheeler is solid as ever. And Troy Percival is a stabilizing veteran presence who makes the rest of the bullpen better just for being there. If (when?) the Rays make the playoffs, the entire bullpen will be the MVP of this squad. Even as the offense has faltered, the bullpen has delivered big performance after big performance and has been an absolute joy to watch.

Not O-”K”: Alright… this whole striking out thing with runners on third base is REALLY getting old. How long is it going to last? The worst offender tonight was Carl Crawford, who wasted a perfect sacrifice bunt from B.J. Upton by flailing at a ball out of the zone on a 2-0 count and eventually going down on strikes. Between C.C. and Pena and - yes - even Longoria, there have been so many strikeouts with runners in scoring position that it’s almost laughable at this point. When will the madness end?

Gabe Gross… looks like his swinging a mop up at the plate right now. If the Rays add a few players, he should be worried for his job.

On Strike: One of Troy Percival’s biggest problems in recent outings has been his inability to throw strikes. Today started out as no exception - his first three were out of the zone - but he settled down and threw 10 of his next 14 over the plate. As long as he’s working ahead, he can still get some of the best out.

Home Cooking: Not only does the offense get a day off, but the Rays also get to return home on Friday night. Could there be any better remedy for what ails the bats?

Tags: Blue Jays
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A separate thread for Jason Bay

TORONTO—The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports today that the Pirates are “deep into trade talks” with the Rays and “other parties” about Jason Bay.If the Rays could get Bay without giving up an elite prospect, as seems to be the expectation based on this note, you’d think they’d jump all over that. The guy was a big disappointment last season, but he’s a major league hitter and certainly could help this team.

Later in the story, Dejan Kovacevic mentions lefty reliever John Grabow as the player he believes is most likely to be traded. If the Rays really are serious about Bay, perhaps they would go for Grabow as well, considering they’re understood to be seeking lefty bullpen help at the moment—hence the links to Will Ohman, Arthur Rhodes, etc.

Tags: Jason Bay
Posted in Transactions | 9 Comments »

They Grow Up Too Fast

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Game #107: Can we REALLY still win the road trip?

After as poorly as the Rays’ offense has played of late, it is amazing that the team finds itself at 3-3 on its current road trip and can actually end it with a winning record by beating Scott Richmond in his big league debut today. Should we send the Jays a thank-you card for bumping the southpaw John Parrish from the rotation in favor of the righty Richmond?

What to watch for: Today’s the day the offense breaks out. I can feel it.

Scouting Report on today’s starters from MLB.com:
Edwin Jackson - For a while, Jackson was dominant in his last outing. Against the Royals last Friday, he threw a no-hitter for the first four innings and two outs into the fifth. Then, he gave up a homer. The first batter in the sixth also hit a home run, and then the next walked. Just like that, Jackson was done. He went five innings, giving up two runs, two hits and two walks. Although he would’ve liked to have lasted longer, it was a big improvement over his last outing before that one. Then, Jackson gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Scott Richmond - Richmond was summoned from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, when the Jays placed reliever Brian Tallet on the 15-day DL with a broken toe. The 28-year-old Richmond will be making his Major League debut on Wednesday. The Jays have indicated that the right-hander will be a part of the rotation for at least the time-being. Richmond replaces John Parrish, who was moved to the bullpen. In Double-A New Hampshire, Richmond was 5-8 with a 4.95 ERA. After being promoted to Syracuse, he went 0-2 with a 2.53 ERA, holding opponents to a .210 (25-for-119) average. He walked six and struck out 31 across 35 innings.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference.

Be sure to join us in the chat room for some good Rays talk during the game!!!

Tags: Blue Jays
Posted in Game Thread | 7 Comments »