Rays, Burrell Agree To Two-Year Deal

"Mis-management" got the Yankees the top 3 free agents this offseason, and they still have a 1st & 2nd round pick in the draft.
That same management also puts a team that on any given night may have Swisher, Nady, Matsui or Posada on the bench.

And i saw Price 'start' against the yankees, his velocity was topping out at 93 in his 4th inning.

I said this deal was a steal for the Rays, for the Yankes i dont care how much they spend.

if you say so melonis. So 5th place in 09 to first in 10. I guess anything is possible.

JohnKruksWaistLine-

I love your username.

And, I agree with you. This makes the decision to not offer arb to Burrell look even worse. He almost definitely would've accepted, and even if he didn't, the Phils get a pick in the first round, as the Rays pick is unprotected.

And, signing/overpaying Moyer pretty much took the Phils out of the Lowe market.

Overpaying for mediocrity is stupid.

"For the record, Swisher was extremely unluckly last year, his peripherals (LD% and BABIP) all scream unlucky."

Exactly. Swisher is pretty much poised for a rebound, especially when you take into account his 2006-2007 numbers were in absolute hitter's hell.

"if you say so melonis. So 5th place in 09 to first in 10. I guess anything is possible"

Not necesarily will they finish 5th this year. The Braves still have plenty of moves they can make.

Last time I checked, Lowe is still on the market, as is Ben Sheets. Oh, so are Abreu, Dunn, etc.

Or save all that money and make a run at Matt Holliday next offseason. Which might be a better idea.

Sox fan here and Rays are doing a good job this off-season. Nelson, Burrell, Joyce.
Patience is a virtue.

This signing, coupled with the Ibanez one, makes Amaro look like a huge tool.

Thanks buddy.

great job reds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1on missing out on every one oh yeah

Just when I thought the Ibanez signing couldn't look any worse. Wow.

Swisher had bad last year. It happens, I see him doing good this year. I always liked this guy. I wanted Sox to sign this guy a long time ago. 1st base-outfielder, with power and they say very good in clubhouse, at least with Oakland.

Swisher's good in the clubhouse, at least he was in Oakland. He just rubbed Ozzie Guillen the wrong way. It's Ozzie Guillen though. And, we all know where guys who get in Ozzie's doghouse go.

1. Iwamura 2B
2. Crawford LF
3. Upton CF
4. Longoria 3B
5. Pena 1B
6. Burrell DH
7. Joyce RF
8. Navarro C
9. Bartlett SS

Very solid signing, nice to see some moves finally. I personally feel this will make the market go faster now, plus it gives Tampa one hell of a lineup.

It was pretty much an understanding that Burrell would have to make the tranistion to DH sooner than later. While he isnt horrible defensively, he's pretty slow and not meant to play any position that requires good defense. First base could have always been another option.

the rays are straight dirty now. IMO their team has only gotten better and they have made some quality signings and trades (nelson, burrell, jackson for joyce)

what happends to willy aybar now? It seems that the rays could use a decent left with the loss of trever miller. what about a deal to the giants involving aybar for taschner + prospect?

"Clutch is a myth. Seriously." - Melonis Rex

This is true if you are playing Strat-O-Matic, but I've been watching 4 sports for over 30 years and even though the "clutch" factor is less in baseball than it is in football, basketball and hockey, it is still there. It is actually as big a factor in golf as talent is.

Who would you want starting a game 7 if they had similar stats. Javier Vazquez or Curt Schilling?

As far as Longoria goes, don't get me wrong, I think he's a great player, however, Tampa Bay was a cinderella team that wasn't expected to win until they got to the World Series and then played some of their worst ball of the season (squeezing the bats too tight). I gamble .... I make money understanding that in pressure situations, underdogs usually over perform while favorites tend to under perform.... just look at the Yankees since the signed A-Rod.

I hope you receive this in the spirit with which I am intending because in my humble opinion, you provide the best posts on this site.

"Tampa Bay was a cinderella team that wasn't expected to win until they got to the World Series "

Then you dont follow baseball enough. The Rockies were mediocre the first half of the season and rode a rediculous hot streak into the post season. The Rays were predicted to break out and were in first place almost the entire season in the toughest division in baseball. While the Rockies played in arguably the worst division in baseball and took advantage of that. The Rays may not will the AL East next year, but it will be a close race all year.

Svengoolie-

I honestly don't know on the clutch thing. I've never studied odds/betting before, so yeah.

Oh, and thanks. :-)

I agree the Rays will be in it all year.

This is a good signing for them, given that it is only two years. Rays needed that pop, and they addressed it.

Based on CURRENT makeup of teams, my prediction would be:

Tampa
NYY
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore

you know i just found out this Aybar was traded from ATL . . . . as a Braves fan im kind of upset

This isn't as good a deal as people are making it out to be. His average value per year has been under $10M over his career and 2 of the last 3 years he has been worth less than $9M. Playing DH changes things a bit but it also comes with its own problems if anyone gets hurt etc.

It is the perfect fit for them and I like the deal but Burrell wouldn't be overpaid at $10M a year so it isn't a huge bargain.

Im still hesitant to just give Aybar the everyday second base job, not because I dont think he can it offensively, but because he has limited experience playing the position. As I said above, I would give him as many at bats as possible at second during the spring and season to see if he can really handle it, which statistically speaking, he should.

Olney says Rays have better line up than Yankees or Red Sox

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3811658

There was also a rumor that Burrell had a foot injury that effected him the last 2 months and postseason. First 4 months, .278 BA with 26 HR. His dismal last two months makes his whole season look less impressive.

Don't get me wrong, because this is an excellent signing for the Rays, but lets not hand them the AL East title just yet.

Last season, Burrell had nearly an identical AVG, SLG, OBP, HR, and RBI total to Giambi, and he struck out 25 more times then him, as well. Both are liabilities in the field (though, I'd imagine Burrell will be the DH on the Rays). I've been reading this site for a while, and everybody and their mother rips Giambi to shreds, so much the same can be said about Burrell when talking about numbers. Neither would be considered "clutch" if you ask me.

More productive bat in the lineup for the Rays? Yes. Better than nothing? Yes. Hits lefties well? Yes. But lets not get ahead of ourselves here.

"throw a glove on some kind in RF"

The Rays traded for Joyce this offseason, who will be the regular outfielder. In addition to possessing great power (12 HR in 200+ AB), he is a amazing defender in RF. Rays easily have the best OF defense in baseball and likely the best overall defense in MLB again. Over a full season, he is capable of .270 with 20+ HR along with top defense. Throw that in with the rest of the line up, and that 6 guys capable of 20+ HR hitting in the middle.

As for Burrell, hits lefties well? Thats an understatement. His has a career OPS over .900 versus LHP. He destroys lefties.

And once again, I have to mention that Buster Olney says the Rays line up is now better than the Yanks and Sox.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3811658

Bad thing is that Pat and Ibanez both suck defensively, and Burrell wont be playing the field, Ibanez will. Plus the whole age difference and number of years doesnt speak well.

if you say so melonis. So 5th place in 09 to first in 10. I guess anything is possible.

Posted by: yankee77 | January 05, 2009 at 03:02 PM

5th place? are you joking? yeah we played terrible baseball this last year but did you even bother to figure out why? Injuries. Granted we've lost some big time talent in hudson and possibly smoltz if he cant regain his old form. However the off season isnt done and the Braves stand to see improved performance at just about every position (cant see chipper and possibly mccann matching last years output). LF will be filled with either a trade or a signing. CF will have gregor blanco/josh anderson/jordan schafer. blanco saw time there last year and played good enough, expect improvement if he wins the job. If anderson wins it he offers a whole new dimension:speed. Schafer is a top prospect and if he wins the job should post solid numbers all across the board. Francoeur should see improvement in his game. Im not saying he'll be a star but last off season he tried to become a home run hitter and I think you'll see marked improvement. Escobar and Kelly Johnson should continue to improve. Kotchman for a whole year will provide some stability to first base. Vazquez is no Tim Hudson but take a look at his TRA and you wont be surprised when his other numbers improve for the braves. Jurrjens is a young guy so we'll see if he can stay healthy and continue his progress. Smoltz should return barring any unforeseen issues and will be better than league average, even a huge drop-off keeps him above it. Morton and Hanson should be decent enough, they lack experience but have good stuff. The bullpen has a closer in mike gonzalez who gets the job done and provides stability hopefully righting the ship on those 1 run losses.
The Nationals have done little to improve and the Marlins have traded away decent players for what? Emilio Bonefacio, thats hardly enough to maintain the no. 3 spot in the division

philsWSchamps---

It's not as much not wanting Burrell back as it was signing Ibanez that early in the offseason and overpaying massively for him.

1. As JohnKruksWaistLine said, the Phillies did NOT have to set the market on anything. The Phillies are a relatively balanced and a very solid club; if they weren't overly concerned with acquiring a righty bat to maintain the balance, there were enough bats on the market that the Phillies did NOT need to set it. There wasn't a massive bidding war for any of the FA OF. The Yanks and Red Sox also did NOT have evident needs in the OF, and the Swisher trade solidified that.

2. There were many reports coming out saying that it was a buyer's market. It was December 16 when the Ibanez signing was done; the big FA were JUST moving off the market (it had been just barely a week since the first big FA, CC, had signed). Especially for poor defensive OFers/DH types, since there were so many of them on the market.

3. Not offering arbitration to Burrell. He accepts? 1 year deal. Higher base, yes, but 1 year deal. 1 year deal >>>> 3 year deal. He declines? 2 draft picks. Win-win situation for the Phillies; too bad Ruben avoided it.

4. Raul Ibanez was the ONLY FA OF who would've cost a draft pick. ONLY. He should be cheaper than his comparables in Burrell and Dunn because of that fact, since he is NOT a better player than either of them. And, he's 37. The fact that the Phillies paid almost TWICE as much for Ibanez than the Rays paid for Burrell is ridiculous and moronic.

5. Ibanez is only a MARGINAL improvement defensively than Burrell. Maybe 1-2 runs over the course of a season. Very, very small. Not worth paying any significant money for. Burrell being the better hitter evens it all out.

"please stop with the age difference. Pat ran and played like he was 50. Again don't get me wrong when he's on he is a great presence in the lineup but its not as if he's a NORMAL 32 year old. He's a 32 year old in a 45 year old's body. Also now the whole idea of the phils offering arbitration is out the window. If they offered, he'd have accepted and he would have gotten much more than $8 million."

Then don't offer him a long term deal.

And, if Pat got 12MM in arb, or even more, he wouldn't have gotten even CLOSE to 30MM. So the Phils still overpaid, even if Ibanez is for 3 years.

I'm not saying that the Phillies should've signed Burrell. I'm saying at least offer arbitration (Burrell's "old player skills" on a 1 year deal >>>> Ibanez on a 3 year deal) and don't set the market so g-ddamn early.

Paying a non-superstar guy for his age 38-40 seasons is stupid.

When and if Ibanez matches his stats from Safeco in a better park in Philly 10 million will seem like a bargain. Also you need to realize too that Pat said he didn't want to DH as recently as the end of the season but the fact that the market shrunk on him forced his hand. The phils didn't want a 7 inning player anymore. If in 2 years they are forced there with Ibanez then we will have paid for one year too many. Not the first time we've done it and probably won't be the last. But word was that the Mets and several other teams were in on Ibanez so maybe that's why they thought they needed a 3rd year, who knows.

Word is Pat wanted 3 years originally (before the market tanked). They weren't going there for him. If you've ever watched in regularly he lumbers around horribly. He makes Julio Franco look spry.

"Really good signing by the Rays, I have to agree. This was a bargain. The only problem for me was that Burrel hit .250 in the Phillies Ball Park. His 33 HRS might translate to like 25 in Tampa. Another problem I got is that I dont trust the Rays bullpen. JP Howell and Greg Balfour arent going to have that good of seasons. They sholud of used the 16 mill on a proven veteran reliever like Juan Cruz."

Apparently Burrell had a foot injury that hindered him offensively in the last two months and post season. First 4 months, .278 with 26 HR. Also, we have no idea how he will trnaistion to DH. He could blossom not having to play the field and focus on what he does best. And who knows what kind of physical tolls it took on Burrell to play the field that could have affected his hitting.

Howell and Balfour might not put up as good of numbers, but they will still be damn good. Anyone who has watched the two of them know they are nasty. The scary part with Balfour is that he only threw one pitch the whole year. He actually has a nasty slider that he is likely to mix in more next year. The only reason he didnt throw it last year is because he didnt need a second pitch. Why fix it if it aint broke. Howell is by far one of the nastiest pitchers i have seen, esp his 2 seam fastball. Both guys K's more than 1 per inning and got a redic amount of swinging strikes, those arent fluke numbers.

Sign Juan Cruz and waste a first round pick? I think you have us confused with the Yanks. Either way, our bullpen depth is much better going into 09 with the addition of Nelson and a plethora of talented young arms in Durham (Salas, Thayer, Rodriguez, Talbot, Niemann).

I do have a sneaky suspision that they will make one more bullpen move.

oh and burrell has had a foot issues for several years now, not just several months. Again one of the reasons i suspect they chose to go in another direction.

He's currently in the best spot for him, DH.

delmonmvp

You made good points. I completely forgot Cruz was a Type A and I wouldnt want to waste 2 draft picks either. I've seen Balfour and Howell pitch in the playoffs and they were nasty. But its hard to believe a 31 year old like Balfour who spent a while in the minors is going to be close to a 1.54 ERA. Burrell isnt going to change by being in thew DH. It might hurt him if anything. Playing defense helps the guys forget about a missed at bat, and warms them up during a game. Sitting on a bench all day could make you cold before an at bat. We'll se though.

yanks

The problems with Balfour has always been control, not stuff. He seemed to find that control in Durham and has been lights out since. Possibly something having to do with throwing too many breaking pitches, increasing his BB rate, and ultimately balooning his ERA and WHIP. He has great control of his fastball, and when he uses that pitch primarily (90+ %), he is less likely to get behind in the count, walk batters, or be forced to throw a fat pitch down the middle. Control is the only things that could cause regression.

Transitioning to a DH effects hitters different ways. For example, I know a lot of hitters who play a position that they suck at, often take that with them into the batters box and it messes up their concentration. Id like to think, at least, that since Burrell was so bad in the outfield, not having to worry about his defense might actually be a positive thing.

Buster Olney's projected line up

1. Iwamura 2B
2. Upton CF
3. Crawford LF
4. Longoria 3B
5. Pena 1B
6. Burrell DH
7. Joyce RF
8. Navarro C
9. Bartlett SS

and did I mention that Olney said the Rays have a better line up than the Yanks and Sox? ahh it feels nice saying that.

"i'd be willing to bet if he batted before Upton or Crawford either or both could easily lap him on the basepaths, lol!"

haha yeah i read that on the 20-80 scale for speed, Burrell rates 20. basically the slowest possible.

Very good signing. Rays are good no doubt. But I was never doubting their offense. They were blessed last year to not have any injuries to their starters. Good team, should be a lot of fun to face.

Posted by: YankFan408 | January 05, 2009 at 01:21 PM
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So Longoria and Crawford werent hurt?