12:58pm: For the right price, the Rays could add Damon and Manny Ramirez or Vladimir Guerrero, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Damon would take over left field and the other hitter would DH.
11:15am: The Rays are discussing a deal with Damon, but a source tells ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that the Yahoo report below is "very premature." However, a deal between the Rays and Damon "certainly could happen."
7:53am: The Rays are nearing a deal with Johnny Damon, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter). There is still work to be done before the sides reach an agreement, however. Agent Scott Boras represents Damon.
The 37-year-old hit .271/.355/.401 with 69 walks and 36 doubles for the Tigers last year. He played 36 games in the outfield, but was primarily the team's DH. His role with the Rays would figure to be similar in 2011. Though he drew interest from at least one NL club (the Dodgers), Damon seems best suited for a job in the American League as he enters the 17th season of his career.
If Damon signs with the Rays, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez would likely lose leverage. The Angels, meanwhile, would lose a leadoff option and could turn to free agent outfielder Scott Podsednik.
As long as he is the everyday DH, it will be a good signing for the Rays, he still has some pop left and still can get on base.
He still has pop left? Hit 24 a few years ago but that was as a lefty in the new Yankee Stadium. With 500+ AB’s I’d say he’s good for 15. Not sure that could be considered pop for a DH in the AL.
As opposed to a DH in the NL? Lol, jk.
Touche. Went 3 words too far, but you get my point!
I consider extra base hits pop, and his doubles are still there (36) and for and older player 5 triples to boot, its not like hes going to get paid a superstar salary anyways.
He has no pop outside of Coors East. ow were his power numbers in Detroit? 7 HRs and a .435 SLG… Obviously it is a stadium where bats go to die but road? 1 HR and a .364 SLG. Add in the fact that he HAS to DH then this is an awful move by the Rays. Vlad and Manny can’t field and I’ll go out on a limb here and say that they’d far outproduce this slap hitter. His on base skills are still good but DH is not a position for a strickly OBP guy. The Rays would be better served using the DH on a rotational basis than signing Damon.
A few things about the Rays signing Damon (if they do).
1. There is an outside chance they still sign Manny and use Damon primarily as a left fielder while allowing Jennings more time at AAA. I don’t think it is probable, but it can’t be ruled out. His arm is less of a problem there, and he is still a pretty decent outfielder otherwise.
2. While his home runs were down, he hit 36 doubles, the same as the year before and more than in any season since 2000. He also had 5 triples. That suggests he still hits the ball hard and is not purely a punch and judy hitter.
3. Supporting that is the fact that his line drive rate was up in 2010 over 2009 when he hit the 24 home runs. His ground ball rate was also up while his fly ball rate was down. Those are good things generally for a non-power hitter. It is true that his home run % on fly balls was way down, but he remained a useful hitter at the top of a lineup.
As a matter of fact, while he cannot come close to matching Crawford’s defense or base running (although he is a good base runner), he will probably have as good or better an OBP than Crawford and could be a decent replacement as a #2 hitter.
4. While his 2010 was something of a down year, and at his age possibly a harbinger of continued decline, he had one of his best seasons in 2009, so there is no evidence of a trend at this point. It is likely he will not get better, but not unreasonable to think he could bounce back some. And just as his numbers may have been enhanced by Yankee Stadium, they may have been depressed in Detroit.
lol at damon primarily as a left fielder.
You haven’t seen Damon play the outfield lately, have you?
The last two years he has lost the ability to track the ball. In ’09 it was just frightening to Yankees fans watching him play LF. Last year the Tigers used him primarily as a DH and not just because of his non-existant throwing arm.
Everything you’ve posted is pretty much on the money, but I can’t see the Rays putting him in LF
Yes, I have seen him play the outfield. I do not trust my own judgment or the significance of my anecdotal viewing to draw conclusions. From what I have read, the consensus among those who are more knowledgeable is that he is no longer a plus but remains adequate in LF.
While I know there is much disagreement about the value of defensive stats, they support those views. At fangraphs his UZR, UZR/150 and RngR are all slightly better than average for LF. At BB-Ref his number look slightly below. But none of them mark him as bad let alone terrible.
I remain suspicious of viewpoints that rely heavily on “having seen him play” as the evidence for their argument. In any case, it is possible the Rays (assuming they do sign him) will move him around,using him some in LF, some as a DH or at 1B or as a pinch hitter. The team is built on the concept of flexibility and depth,and Damon represents that approach very well.
I can understand your viewpoint on accepting other opinions on his fielding. I’ve been watching Baseball for 30 years and it doesn’t take an expert to recognize a bad fielder.Keep in mind that in the last two years Damon has played just over 169 games in the OF. Last year he played in just under 40 games. There is a reason for that. I appreciate the fact you brought out concerning the stats and as you alluded to, they don’t always tell the entire story.
There are possibly many reasons for him not playing the field much. One is that the Tigers had a better defender there in Raburn so it made sense to have Raburn in the field and Damon DH. That does not mean he is a bad outfielder, just that he is not better than Raburn in the Tigers’ estimation.
As for watching baseball for 30 years, I agree that experience and a keen eye may help someone reach a decision, but how many games are we talking about? 162 per year watching Damon? 50 games? 20 games? Of course a trained eye may be able to see certain skills either evident or lacking after just 1 play, but I remain skeptical of anyone’s ability to be confident in such evaluations, even a professional scout’s let alone a fan whose view is almost certainly influenced by confirmation bias.
In my own case, I have been watching baseball for over 50 years, and while I think I can sometimes spot a good or poor fielder, I remain rather modest about my appraisals and aware how limited my watching experience really is. My statement that both the numbers and quite a bit of professional opinion seems to be that he is an adequate left fielder is not meant to be authoritative. It was really just a response to a poster who said he was a disaster in the field, an extreme view that I think has very limited evidence to support it.
All of your arguments have led me to believe one of two things…buddaley is actually either Boras or Heyman. The guy can’t field well anymore and even then he can’t on a regular basis. Add in the Trop’s surface and he will probably be able to LESS than 40 games. With that out of the way, the guy slugged .400 last year. A drop of nearly 90 points. That is what happens when he is removed from the Bronx. His bat doesn’t justify DH or even LF for that matter. His batting skills are valuable for a capable fielding up the middle defender. Waste of money and a roster spot.
I am neither Heyman nor Boras, and apparently having made up your mind you are unwilling to consider reasonable arguments to the contrary about Damon. Aside from your assurance that you know he can’t field, I see no evidence that you are right while I have seen ample data suggesting he is adequate in LF. And while I agree that Yankee Stadium inflated his numbers, it is just as likely that Comerica deflated them and his real talent is somewhere in the middle.
Additionally, he still gets on base a good % of the time which is a significant plus. He hit 36 doubles with an improved line drive rate which suggests he still hits the ball hard. A one year drop in performance is certainly worrisome in a 37 year old, but as it is just one year it is not yet a trend, and he has been reasonably healthy most of his career, in good shape and does not have a heavy body to suggest he will suddenly fall off a cliff. There is certainly a reasonable hope that he bounces back some even if not to his peak.
But my real objection to your post is the dogmatic certainty with which you present your points (despite the lack of a shred of information to support them). I am not claiming he will be an effective player for the Rays should they sign him. Of course he is a risk. I am simply pointing out that figuring risk vs hoped for production, it is not unreasonable to think he may contribute as a top of the order hitter who can fill multiple roles under Maddon’s system and so, at an affordable price, a good signing.
I do concede that the Tropicana turf can be a problem as it was for Crawford. If signed, that is something the Rays will have to account for, but it is not by itself a reason to forgo signing him.
Bringing in Damon (and now Manny as well) TB has added a capable LF albeit not a great defensive one. Thankfully they have Upton in CF who can cover some of the lack of range that Damon has. However i dont necessarily agree with you about leaving Jennings at AAA. Yes the move gives them options with him if he absolutely stinks it up during the spring but if he has a good spring, and if i were Joe Maddon, I would have no problem playing him full time in RF and moving Zobrist to 1B the majority of the time. With Brignac and Rodriguez up the middle. You can still move guys around for days off by playing Dan Johnson at 1B and moving Zobrist around and you still have Joyce on the bench also but i think that their offense would be better by having Jennings and Zobrist in the lineup instead of Zobrist and Johnson.
I could see Damon putting up about a .280-.290 avg with 30+ doubles and around 15 HRs if he plays everyday. He isnt the SB threat that Crawford was but he gets on base (career .355 OBP) and his attitude fits that clubhouse very well. He can provide leadership for a team that is very young and hopefully keep Manny closer to being in line than he has been.
I am only speculating about Jennings. My guess is that between his injury history and somewhat disappointing 2010 performance, the Rays may want him to develop further in Durham. I can’t see them keeping him on the roster if he is not playing full time. But they may keep him and make him the regular left fielder with Damon playing primarily at 1B and perhaps occasionally giving Manny a rest as DH.
I disagree with you on three points. First, I don’t think the Rays evaluate players based on spring training performance. It is too sketchy and the circumstances too suspect for anyone to make real judgments. They may be influenced by it, although I think by what they see in a player’s skills, not by the actual stats.
Second, I expect the Rays want Joyce to be a regular, and so do I. I think, because he did not make a big splash the first time around, that many are underestimating his talent. There is plenty to see in his performance to suggest that he can be a significant contributor both with good power and excellent plate discipline.
Third, I think the Rays consider it a waste of his defensive talents to play Zobrist at 1B. There is evidence that he is their best defensive outfielder and second baseman, so while he apparently plays a good 1B, playing him there would be inefficient. I am confident that Maddon will get him plenty of ABs, but likely not so much at 1B. If anyone is affected by the signings, it is probably Dan Johnson.
Nonetheless, while I disagree with some of the specifics of your post, I think your overall view of the signings is correct. There are risks, of course, and nobody can pretend that it entirely makes up for the loss of Crawford (although Damon may get on base more, while if Jennings is the left fielder that may maintain the defensive excellence of the OF) the potential upside more than makes the risks worthwhile.
Ill respond to you in the order that you made your points.
1st. “Damon playing primarily at 1B”. I know its late but wow. That is one of the dumbest statements i have ever seen. I hope youre not serious. Damon is not a first basemen. He has played almost 17,000 innings over his 16 year career. Out of almost 17000 innings played he has logged exactly 11.1 innings at 1B. Moving on.
2nd. I didnt say anything about Jennings stats over the spring. If a guy stinks it up and looks overmatched his stats will say so. However if a guy is ready you can tell regardless of the stats in spring training. I imagine that Jennings will be on the 25 man roster come march 31st but the Damon signing allows them to be careful with him and if he isnt ready then he can start the year at Durham.
3rd. Joyce could be a regular. But with the current makeup of the roster his value is going to come off the bench and getting a start or 2 a week. Especially if Jennings starts the year at the ML level. There are only 3 OF spots. Upton occupies CF. That leaves Damon, Jennings, Joyce, and Zobrist for the other 2. If Jennings is up he will be a starter otherwise there is no reason to keep him at the ML level. So that leaves 3 guys for 1 spot. Damon will be the starter in LF. Thats not to say that Joyce isnt valuable there just isnt a spot for him to play everyday with the current group of OFers on the roster. Joyce will still get starts when Damon needs a day off or if Jennings is in a slump and needs a day or two off but that is where is value lies for this year. Im not underestimating him or anything else. I like the kid too. Im just saying that they arent going to pay Damon over 5M to be a bench guy and they arent going to waste service time on Jennings being a part time platoon guy.
4th. Zobrist is a very good defender at any position. For all the reasons i just mentioned about Joyce i dont see him getting much time in the OF. Dan Johnson is best suited as a bench player. They have Sean Rodriguez who can step in at 2B if the move Zobrist to 1B. I dont necessarily like the idea of Zobrist at 1st full time but i would rather have Zobrist and Rodriguez in the lineup over Zobrist and Johnson. I think that they may still bring in a guy on a low base ML deal or a minor league deal to compete for the 1B job and allow Zobrist to play full time at 2B with Brignac and Rodriguez splitting time at SS. Perhaps Jorge Cantu or maybe take a flier on a guy like Russell Branyan or Nick Johnson. Or here is an outside the box idea for ya. How about seeing if Joyce can handle 1B during the spring. That would solve 2 problems. The hole that they currently have as well as finding a way to get his bat into the lineup.
The signings that they have made dont make up for what they lost and they still have a couple holes (1B and a closer) but they should still be competitive and considering the lack of depth in the NY rotation who knows, maybe they still find themselves in the race late in September.
I don’t think the point about Damon at 1B is dumb; you will find it mentioned in other places as well. He is not an experienced first baseman, but he has been tried there and apparently before signing Teixeira the Yankees were working him out there as well. It is very common for aging players to be given trials there. Sometimes they flop but often they do just fine. It is not something I anticipate will happen, but I think it is among the legitimate options Maddon has.
Historically, the Rays have not used spring training performance for many decisions. However, again I am not saying Jennings will definitely be in Durham, only that such possibility is now more likely than it was before these signings. The Rays do not move players up quickly, like to save service time by keeping them in the minors a bit longer and in this case have good reason to want to see what Jennings can do when healthy as his AAA performance last year was promising but mediocre. Actually, it looks as if we agree on this point with perhaps just a bit of stress in different places.
I would love to know what other places youre referring to. So far the only person i have heard mention it is you. I wouldnt call it a legitimate option though. Maybe the 5th or 6th best option behind (in no particular order) Zobrist, Johnson, FA, Giving Joyce a shot at 1b, then you might get to Damon. Is it common for guys to get tried out at 1st? yes. Is it something that should be considered? no. You cant just throw any old guy over at 1st and have it work. 1st base defense affects everyone else on the infield and with a young guy at SS, and possibly 2B, having a sure handed guy at 1st would help them out.
Once again im not saying that his performance over the course of the spring would be the only criteria for a decision on Jennings. Its only one of a handful of things that have to be taken into consideration. Im not quite sure how you keep thinking that im saying that is the only thing that they would take into consideration. So far all I have said about Jennings is that the Damon signing would make it easier if he is visably struggling to have him start the year at AAA and that if he does make the ML roster out of ST then he wont be a part time player.
I don’t like the concept of rotating at DH. It sounds like a good idea but it is really not a very efficient use of at-bats. Rotation at DH is pretty much what the Rays did last year and what kind of production did it give them? .238/.322/.391. Meanwhile what did Damon do? .271/.355/.401. Unless you expect Damon to fall of a cliff this year, this is is an upgradre. As they are likely just paying him a couple of million, it’s not a very expensive one either. The Rays lost in the vicinity of 15 WAR in the offseason so they have to compensate wherever they can. This is a good move.
Comerica Park is where hitters aside from the elite (Cabera for example) go to die
Using the DH as a rotational spot isn’t going to improve the overall offsense for the Rays. It’s not going to add anything to the lineup. It will give ppl rest and that’s not as much of a need for a younger team like the Rays. As it is now, they really don’t have as potent of a lineup as in 2010. They need a bat they can put in for 550 AB. Whether Damon is the right choice is aruguable but they do need someone.
Only Baltimore
Red Sox fans follow baseball in the offseason?
Baseball has an offseason?
What’s Baseball?
Who are you and what are you doing in my livingroom?
Better off with Vlad.
Damon is nothing but a spare part at this point.
Would have been interesting if TB signed Manny AND Vlad and tried to work out some sort of time share in the outfield and DH. I don’t think they would have cost all that much.
I imagine TB is going to be dumping more money into their picks this year and next with the off-season savings?
They would have been better off with either Thome or Vlad but Thome wanted to go back to Minnesota and Vlad might have priced himself out of TB. Ill be semi interested to see if Manny even gets a job. However your statement of them signing both Manny and Vlad is ridiculous. Did you see Vlad in the WS? Or ever see Manny play “defense”? TB needs good defenders to help their staff not guys that need a golf cart ride out to the OF.
Side note. They will have to spend on picks i believe that they have somewhere around 10 in the first 2 rounds if not 10 in just the 1st and supplementary round.m
I did see Vlad in the WS, but he would be the one that would be playing DH mostly – if not exclusively – not Manny. As for TB outfield defense, it’s not like Maddon doesn’t manage and bring in guys to play in the late innings or take advantage of hitters tendencies (fly ball/ground ball) that he couldn’t make it work. With Joyce (righty platoon), Desmond (rookie), Upton (only regular) and Zorbrist (who could flip flop between RF and 2b), what’s not to like about bringing in Manny; at the right price of course.
Being realistic and not living in video game fantasyland there are 3 reasons why that wouldnt work. 1 Manny is a huge headache and you dont need that around a young team. 2 Maddon and TB value flexibility defensively. Manny and Vlad would both need to be full time DHs to even be considered. 3 TB doesnt have the money to pull that off.
Bringing in Damon is good now if they add a guy like Russell Branyan to play 1B that would make way more sense than Manny and Vlad
While I agree that Manny and Vlad won’t be winning a gold glove this year, I don’t think that I would say that “8 Hop” Damon and his noodle arm is any better.
All the things you said are mostly correct, but i think there is a slim chance they could afford Manny and Damon. That might put people in the seats as well. I dont want Manny, but i don’t think its out of the question. Vlad is all but dead at this point.
If Damon ever plays the OF they will have the weakest arm in MLB playing the field.
“Vlad might have priced himself out of TB.”
Guess when the Rays front office said they would be re investing the money saved on Garza they meant that they would not be reinvesting the money saved on Garza.
How do you know it’s not being used on Damon right now? 5-6 million more is all they had from the Garza deal.
Even if there is more, just because its not on the free agency doesn’t mean it won’t be reinvested in the draft or international free agents.
they do have to leave a significant amount of money aside for their 5,000 first round draft picks…
Well there are more ways to reinvest money other than just FA signings. The draft for example. Where they have 10 picks before the 2nd round. They might need to have some money for those guys.
The Tiger’s made the right decision in letting him go, and it is a great fit for the rays, to replace Pena’s left left bat. It doesn’t however replace the power the Carlos brought to the plate, the advantage is the speed, experience, average,OPS, and slight fielding ability.
slight fielding ability? Damon is awful, and didn’t Pena win a GG?
there was once a time not too long ago when a person wouldnt dream that Manny and Vlad would be on the market this long
I’m starting to wonder if Vlad is going to be this years Jermaine Dye.
I kinda thought he made more sense for the Rays than someone like Manny or Vlad who are pretty much pure DHs. Damon can still play the outfield, still has the arm of a 6 year old girl, but still he can provide some relief in left and center on occasion.
my 6 year old daughter takes offense that comment
Damon is a much better option for Tampa than Vlad or Manny. He fits into their offensive style better, and can spell in the outfield from time to time. Especially if Jennings shows trouble against tough righties. Also gives them more options with Zobrist, who can play anywhere, but likely sees more time at first base now.
He’ll likely end up costing no more than half of what they would have had to pay for Vlad.
Vlad will be back in an angels uniform before spring training.
Manny may not have a job.
Player A — .271 BA , 355 OBP , 756 OPS, 8 HR
Player B — .298 BA , 409 OBP , 870 OPS, 9 HR
Player C — .300 BA , 345 OBP , 841 OPS, 29 HR
Tell me again how player A (Damon) is a better fit offensively than player B (Manny who hit more HR in half of the AB Damon got), or Vlad (player C). I don’t see how that could possibly be the case.
Vlad is the clear choice, so it stands to reason that $$$ was the deciding factor in the Rays’ decision.
TB is an extremely young team. Young guys learning how to play the game the right way don’t need to come of age watching how Manny acts. Yes hie bat is better but just too much baggage.
Damon is cheaper than Vlad and can semi-play in the field so that makes him a better fit for Tampa where other teams would be better off with Vlad
“Young guys learning how to play the game the right way don’t need to come of age watching how Manny acts”
Yeah because Evan Longoria isn’t the club house leader.
Upton has already been rumored to have a hustle problem. What do you think Manny will teach him. One guy can bring down a whole team.
Ahhhhh… So that is why he showed up on Monday Night RAW in Tampa.
I was there!!! lol
Manny may not have a job?? Manny did only manage 265 ABs in 2010 but he hit .298 with a .409 OBP (with more AB’s would have ranked him 5th in baseball) with an .870 OPS which are pretty unbelievable numbers for an off year. Yes his power numbers are down, but if he’s healthy I think he is still up among the most productive DH’s in the league.
If it was anyone else with those numbers they would have a job by now. But with Manny you have to weigh the numbers against the headache he can be and right now he isnt worth the headache.
Don’t forget what happened to Barry Bonds, seems like a similar situation.
I do think Manny will have offers, but will he take one? He’s a strange bird. I wouldn’t be surprised if his ego wouldn’t allow him to take a 1 year deal for 5 million and he just says screw it and sits a year out or retires. Whenever you think you know what he’ll do, he does something else crazy.
Should have said “Manny may not have a job by the time spring training starts” Someone will pick him up before opening day, albeit closer to their price, not Boras’
He is a half year player the last few years. After half the season he is burned out and nothing but a headache. I think teams would be better off picking him up in July for the stretch like Clemens and Pedro did years ago.
Oh hey, Damon’ll get back to Fenway after all if this deal goes through. I remember it was disappointing last season when he was injured when the Tigers came to town.
Not a bad signing for the Rays. Clearly the cheapest of the serious DH options, and Damon can still hit for average. Better than Willy Aybar anyway…
Does anyone know if Jose Guillen is still on the Giants or a FA?
I would imagine you’ll see him in the California Penal League next year. news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=103112
Nice. Him and Ricky Vaughn!
Rather have vlad but its better than nothing!
I think there is a good chance they sign Vlad or Manny as well.
lol yah those rays and their frivolous spending habits!
Manny wouldn’t cost that much, he wants to prove las year was a fluke and if Damon is only signing to be a part time DH and outfielder for TB, then total money to those two guys would equal the same as just signing Vlad, I would think.
Depends on how mch they sign Damon for (if they sign him) and what Vlad is willing to take. I just can’t see Joe Madden being interested in the baggage that comes along with Manny Ramirez.
But if they COULD take some of the Garza money and sign Vlad and keep enough to supplement what they need to sign their 13 draft picks in the first two rounds next year, Their offense is as good (if not maybe a little better) than last year…
Damon: “I’ve always wanted to wear the Tampa Bay uniform”
Manny: “I’ve always wanted to wear the Devil Rays uniform.”
And that’s why Manny doesn’t have a team yet…
Damon will wear whatever uniform he’s paid the most money to wear. I’m pretty sure he proved that when he signed with Yankees.
And he’ll say “I’ve always wanted to wear the _____ _____ uniform” about which ever team that is.
Vlad, Manny, and Johnny all have holes in their resumes. The Rays have a young club and are wise to stay away from Manny. He is poison. All you Rays fans lamenting getting Johnny over Manny need to get real. Every club Manny has played for has been glad to be rid of him. Johnny always leaves on good terms. A man with Mannys life should be thankful; a pox on his house.
“Johnny always leaves on good terms.”
lol….were you not around in 2005? where it seemed like every post by a RedSox fan was about Damon being a traitor and how they wanted him to burn.
You could look at it another way, the Sox have no loyalty to their players and they are cheap. They let Damon and Boggs go because they didn’t want to pay them for past performance, and they both were paid and won for the Yanks. The Sox put with Manny for years and he brought them 2 championships, they haven’t won without him. For all his faults, he is a HOFer. It looks like the best place for these players is Manny- Texas, Damon- Rays, and Vlad- O’s or Angels.
He signed with the YANKEES. No matter what crappy terms the Red Sox offered him that may or may not have effectively forced Damon to leave, there is nothing you can fit into the blank of this sentence that makes any sense whatsoever:
“On the heels of the first Red Sox World Series win in generations, _____________________, so no hard feelings about him signing with the Yankees.”
so what, crawford did the same crap, and I would even go as far to say he was worse off doing what he did than damon was, get over it
Yeah, those plucky Red Sox, averaging second in the MLB in salary over the past decade, sure are cheap. And they have absolutely no loyalty to players considering how badly they’re hosing David Ortiz. If I were Ortiz, I’d be flipping out at Sox management right now for exercising that $12MM option while his buddies Manny and Vlad fight over what’s left of the Rays’ payroll. The MLBPA should look into these guys and their shady business practices, I bet they’re pocketing revenue sharing money or something.
The two best players on the Sox have terrible contracts. Ask Youk, and Pedroia if there getting paid what there worth. Then you have Crawford, Lackey and Drew. Looks a little backwards to me.
Like the guy said, the Sox have the 2nd highest payroll in MLB. I guess they should pay like the Yankees. The Rays wouldn’t pay Crawford the big money. Does that make them cheap? Nope. The Sox do what they have to trying to keep up with the yanks. I don’t always agree with their moves, but that’s a mighty steep hill they’re climbing.
The players are the paragons of loyalty? Every team does what they feel is right for the club. Looks like the Rays picked up Manny after all. He’ll be great the 1st 2 months, then the shine will rub off. Good luck Tampa, I thought you guys were smarter than this.
I’m hoping the jays get Podsednik!
???
Isn’t Podsednik a left handed version of Rajai Davis?
Yes exactly, platoon them both strictly to their strengths and you will get a pretty decent player…
observe
over the past 3 years… 2008-10
player a – .297/.349/.454 sb/cs- 132/33
player b – .292/.345/.396 sb/cs – 99/37
player a= carl crawford
player b= davis/pods strictly vs lefty/righty.
Decent pickup, but the main issue with our offense is power and I really don’t see Damon fixing that too much. And as much as I’d love to see us get Manny or Vlad also, it doesn’t really seem too realistic or even logical. The team is probably just getting Damon because he provides a bit more versatility, something I think this team values a bit too much at times. Just because he can play LF doesn’t mean he can still play it well.
Ah well. Friedman>me and everyone else. I’ll take his word for it. And Damon seems like a cool dude so I definitely won’t complain.
I like it, even if he cant play defense. Rays need a solid vet that can play DH and hit in the AL (unlike Burrell). I think his plate discipline and approach alone will help a ton in terms of mentoring some of these young and struggling hitters.
“certainly could happen”, that is, if the Rays fall under Boras’s spell and overpay.
If any team is immune to Boras Hocus Pocus its the Rays.
If we sign Damon and Manny, I will need new pants and a monitor but I am not allowing myself to get excited yet again, not after watching every single possible closer sign elsewhere.
yeah i know what you mean about getting a closer, I was hoping to sign Jon Rauch, he wasn’t too bad as the twins closer last year, and he would have come somewhat cheap
Lol “for the right price”. I’d buy an aston martin for the right price.
Assuming the can sign Damon AND either Manny/Vlad?
the lineup goes from
Jennings LF
Zobrist rf/dh
Longoria 3b
Johnson 1b
Joyce DH/RF
Upton cf
Brignac ss
Rodriguez 2b
Jaso C
to something more like
Damon LF
Zobrist 2b/1b/RF/SS
Longoria 3b
Ramirez/Guerrero DH
Joyce RF
Upton CF
Johnson/Rodriguez 1b/2b
Brignac ss
Jaso C
Rays are a better offensive team than last year, arguably have a better starting staff, probably lose a little defensively, and a suspect bullpen…
I like it.
That line-up puts the Rays back in the race, but I agree the pen is their weakness at this point. Maybe some of those prospects fill in and do a good job.
After Jim Thome got 3 million, the prices on these 3 guys should of all went down but as I sit here hoping for not one but TWO Boras clients, I seriously doubt we can afford it. I would be very happy with Damon and Vlad also but Damon and Manny please
I may be wrong, but in trading Garza and letting Pena and Crawford walk, aren’t you mailing it in for 2011? If so, why the hell would you not want to start Jennings in LF and get him the experience he needs to help the team win in 2012 when guys like Hellickson, Brignac, and Rodriguez will have another full year of experience under their belts. Not a Rays expert by any means, but this just doesn’t seem to make much sense if Jennings is as good as the Rays say he is.
If it was another team, other than the rays letting one of their better starters, pena, crawford and their bullpen walk would signify mailing it in.. but with the rays, its usually financial reasons, like when they traded their ace at the time Kazmir to the angels (which in retrospect now looks genius) in the middle of a wild card chase…
The rays have the farm system to change some major parts and replace them with up and comers. they didnt mail it in, they just got less expensive.
Pena and his sub .200 avg and declining defense over the last 4 seasons can be replaced by me at 1B. No one is going to replace Crawford but Manny + Damon give us more power, better eyes…..seriously Crawford would act like Vlad with the bat sometimes except he wouldn’t reach the ball and although we lose the amazing range in LF, neither Crawford or Damon have a arm you can trust. Hellickson might already be as good as Garza, not to mention, less of a chance of players slipping on a puddle of spit now. I love Jennings and I will admit, I wanted him to break camp with the team but he looked bad in AAA and it would of taken a monster spring + an injury for them to not wait anyway. At least in this case, we wouldn’t have Sam Fuld in LF….
I agree, defensively I don’t like Damon in LF. I would be surprised if they don’t start Jennings.
Any deal bringing Damon to TB must also include Manny (as his Designated Cut-off Man)