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By Mark Polishuk | at
Email a copy of 'Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Rays' to a friend
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Brixton
The only thing I didn’t exactly like was trading Karns and Powell for LoMo, Miller and Farquhar, but maybe thats because I really like Karns.
The Dickerson trade might be one of the bigger steals of the offseason.
aff10
Agree completely. I really like Karns, probably more than I should, and I’ve never been a huge Brad Miller fan, so I didn’t love that move, although they have the rotation depth to get past it, but I gave them an A basically just for the Dickerson move. They may have just enough offense to win the AL East
Dock_Elvis
I saw Farquhar toss quite a bit last season. He was off, and I suspicion a loss of stuff at minimum or injury at worst. Those Mariner players get hidden pretty well up in the Cascades with all the late games…but he was brutal.
Roasted DNA
If the starters come out hot this club could make a lot of noise in the East. Still say Loney and Jennings to Cleveland for Zimmer and Aiken. Loney gives the Tribe a 1st baseman that cleans up the defensive hole at 1st and Jennings puts more speed in their outfield.
aff10
No chance Cleveland does that. Wouldn’t get Aiken or Zimmer individually, much less together
wants to be a GM
No more mediocre outfielders, please.
Gabe
I love the moves they have made but like you said. There is way too much depth, and it could be a bit of a bad thing. Most guys on the 40 man should be in the majors. Shaffer and mahtook would both be locks to make team on other rosters but they’ll start the year in AAA for us waiting for an injury. What sucks is both those guys can and will out perform players that are blocking their roster spot. Also I doubt they make any trades. We’ll see how this mess plays out.
MB923
Rays got the best rotation in the ALE but it doesn’t guarantee anything, just like last year. They had the best rotation in the ALE last year (based on ERA and fWAR) and they only finished 80-82, and their bullpen is the weakest in the ALE and I still can’t picture that lineup (which certainly has improved) outscoring the teams that ranked 1st (Jays), 2nd (Yankees), 4th (Red Sox) and 9th (Orioles) last year.
But we all know games aren’t won on paper and every team in the ALE has won the division since 2010 (which was when the Rays last won it) so with the way this wild division has been the past 6 years, a 1st or 2nd place finish wouldn’t surprise me much. I say they finish 83-79 and finish in 4th. Yes that may seem like too good of a record to finish in 4th, but that same record would have finished 4th in the AL West last year, so it’s definitely a possibility. .
Just my two cents on it.
georgemckeever
Rays don’t have to outscore the other A.L. East teams for the whole season, just in head to head games, which is where the best rotation takes over.
therealryan
I like the Brad Miller pick up and feel he has been very underrated playing for Seattle and now Tampa Bay. While I don’t expect him to win any Gold Gloves, he has been a decent defensive SS so far in MLB. Combine that with his above average bat for the position and, as a Rays fan, I feel very comfortable running him out there most nights as the starting SS. Look at his numbers the past 2+ seasons compared to another young SS who is considered a future super star by many.
SS A: 1298 PA, 69 2B/3B, 20 HR, 96 OPS+, 5.9 BB%, 19.4 K%, .111 ISO
Defense: 2293 Innings, -8 DRS, 0.1 UZR/150
SS B: 1243 PA, 62 2B/3B, 29 HR, 101 OPS+, 8.4 BB%, 20.0 K%, .147 ISO
Defense: 2235 Innings, -9 DRS, 1.1 UZR/150
SS A is Xander Bogaerts and SS B is Brad Miller. Many consider Bogaerts a future superstar and Miller a future utility player. I’m not sure why that is. I see two young SS that both should be starters in a very competitive AL East for the next several seasons.
shoelessjoe4ever
James Loney to my White Sox for Tyler Saladino?
r4569
would work, but rays would want a 1B. If saladino could play that, do it.
nickc-2
Rays need more closers
Mark 20
Loney would be a good fit for the white sox i think. Loneys bat would play well in the chisox lineup i think because he hits for a high average and that mixes well with sluggers like abreu and frazier. That being said, maybe the white sox would be interested in colabello from my blue jays?
thechiguy
I am pretty sure that each and every team spend at least a little time discussing trade scenarios with each other over the winter and definitely at the winter meetings. In my eyes, the perfect fit for Loney would have been the Pirates. After having to stomach Alvarez’s brutal first base play last year, it would seem that Loney and his modest price tag would have been a welcome addition to the Bucs. He seems like the perfect fit for a team that generates runs with guys who have high OBP and generally play good defense. Loney is the poster child for a NL 1st baseman. Good hit tool, above average defense and the ability to put the ball in the seats. I can definitely see the fits mentioned above like the White Sox and even Cleveland to a somewhat lesser degree. It would seem as though moving Loney would fix many roster problems. I am still hopeful that the Rays find a way to find a taker for his services so that their 15,000 fans that come out nightly can see a glimpse of the future that he is blocking. Hopefully the Rays can shed themselves of Loney and put their modest payroll to better use.