Rays Not Looking To Deal A Starter

Despite having six solid starting pitchers and serious needs elsewhere in their lineup, Rays VP Andrew Friedman told reporters that he isn't looking to trade a starter, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

“I’ve said before that it’s not a situation we look at like having two first basemen. We were very fortunate last year until August that all of our guys took the ball every five days. It doesn’t always happen that way, and depth on the starting pitching front is more valuable than anywhere else,” Friedman said.

With Cliff Lee finally off of the market and the Royals seeking a king's ransom for Zack Grienke, one has to think that the Rays could cash in by moving one of their pitchers.  The Rangers, Brewers, and Cubs have all talked to Tampa Bay about the arbitration-bound Matt Garza.  James Shields has also been linked to the Rangers as well as the Rockies.  However, it sounds as though the Rays might be content to stand pat for the time being.