Rays Still Searching For A Bat

The Rays have already filled several holes this winter, but executive vice president Andrew Friedman says they're still looking for a "bat or two" to add for next season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  However, the choices available are somewhat limited at this stage of the offseason.

The Angels could have been a nice fit as a trading partner following the Josh Hamilton signing, but their trade of Kendrys Morales to Seattle has broken up the glut enough to allow Peter Bourjos and Mark Trumbo to fit into the lineup.  The Rays also pursued right fielder Nate Schierholtz, but he ended up signing a $2.25MM deal with the Cubs earlier this month.

Lance Berkman said that the Rays were one of four teams to show interest in him this winter and he could be a solid fit, provided that he decides to continue playing in 2013.  Jason Kubel is now expendable in Arizona, but it's hard to envision the Rays taking on his $7.5MM salary (plus $7.5MM mutual option for '14) unless the D'Backs cover part of it.