Rays Have Payroll Flexibility
The Rays can add payroll this summer, principal owner Stuart Sternberg told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. The Rays, who opened the season with a $73MM payroll, will likely have to spend less next year, but Sternberg believes 2010 is a special season. That means GM Andrew Friedman can make the moves he wants to, even if they increase payroll.
"We're going to do whatever we can, whatever's necessary, to try to give us the best opportunity to win this year,'' Sternberg said.
Sternberg says money will remain an obstacle, though it won't prevent the team from making deals. The Rays could use a designated hitter and multiple reports indicate that the team has some interest in Cliff Lee. The left-hander earns $9MM in 2010, and about $3MM of that total will remain on Lee's contract after the July 31st trade deadline. Sternberg insists that making the postseason is a priority for the Rays, who now lead the Red Sox by half a game for the AL Wild Card.
B.J. Upton’s Trade Value
There are rumblings about a B.J. Upton–Cliff Lee deal, according to Peter Gammons (via Twitter). That doesn't mean the Rays are going to trade their center fielder, but we do know this: Upton has seen his name in the lineup less than usual since he loafed after an extra base hit ten days ago. Let's evaluate the 25-year-old's value and explore some possible trade partners for the Rays, who do not shy away from blockbuster deals.
Upton is hitting .228/.321/.399 this year with 24 steals in 30 attempts. That's not bad for a center fielder, but Upton's defense appears to have fallen off (even disregarding last month's episode). He has been below-average on defense, according to UZR/150, an advanced defensive metric that suggests Upton was better than average in 2008-09. Even though his strikeout and walk rates are similar to his career averages, Pitch f/x data shows that Upton is swinging at more pitches than ever, especially ones out of the strike zone.
The Rays have Upton under contract for $3MM this year and under team control through 2012. Unless he is non-tendered or signs a long-term deal, Upton will get raises through arbitration in 2011 and 2012. The Rays have a cheaper option at Triple A Durham; top prospect Desmond Jennings is hitting .296/.371/.423 with 20 steals in 22 tries. He has just one homer, but appears ready for the majors.
The Rays have a number of possible suitors for Upton, who is still young, talented and cheap enough to have considerable appeal:
- The Mariners have Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez locked up, plus Michael Saunders, so Upton doesn't appear to be a natural fit in Seattle. Gammons suggested a third team could be involved if the Mariners and Rays make a Lee-Upton swap.
- The Braves are looking for a right-handed outfielder and Upton qualifies.
- The Padres could use an outfielder and Upton's speed and defensive potential would presumably be a fit in spacious Petco Park.
- The Giants could upgrade in the outfield. Acquiring Upton would probably mean less playing time for Nate Schierholtz and Aaron Rowand.
- The Red Sox have seen their best outfielders miss time with injuries, but Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew and Mike Cameron are under control for 2011 and their fill-ins have played well.
- The Nationals targeted Upton earlier in the season. Here's an idea, though it's pure speculation: Upton to the Nationals for Adam Dunn, prospects and cash to even out the players' salaries. The Rays need a DH and Nats GM Mike Rizzo said recently that he wants to make his team "younger, better, more athletic."
- The Royals don't have a long-term option in center field.
It would be surprising to see the Rays trade Upton and there's no indication that they're planning to move him. But if they decide to trade the former first round pick, they should have multiple suitors to choose from.
Rays Sign Brian Shouse
The Rays have signed reliever Brian Shouse to a minor league deal, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter). Shouse will rehab his injured knee with the club's affiliate in the Gulf Coast League.
In 45 appearances for the Rays in 2009, the 41-year-old posted a 4.50 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
The lefty was released by the Red Sox in March, months after signing a deal that would have paid him $800K had he made the big league roster.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Red Sox, Werth, Gonzalez
Exactly one year ago, the Marlins signed Brendan Donnelly and the A's traded for Scott Hairston. Here are some links to check out today…
- Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News doesn't expect to see the Giants and Brewers strike a deal in the coming days.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean and one of his top evaluators, Lee Elder, may have been scouting Brewers players at today's Giants-Brewers game, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Schulman lists Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, and Ryan Braun as potential targets.
- There are scouts from 14 different clubs at tonight's Red Sox-Rays game, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- A scout told Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter) that the inconsistent delivery of recently DFA'd Sean Gallagher is "disappointing". The righty has been with three clubs in four big league seasons.
- Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs argues that Jayson Werth would have a whole lot of trade value if the Phillies made him available.
- The Pirates agreed to terms with six international 16-year-olds, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Brewers' approach to the trade deadline could depend on the outcome of the meetings the team's scouts are having this week, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Four GMs predicted to Peter Gammons that Carlos Gonzalez will be one of the NL's ten best players next year (Twitter link).
- Rival scouts tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that they rank Matt Thornton as one of the game's top ten relievers.
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs takes our latest Elias rankings and examines what they mean for Carl Pavano and Adrian Beltre.
- Omar Infante thought he had been traded when Braves GM Frank Wren phoned to tell him he had made the All-Star team, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cafardo On Hart, Farnsworth, Dunn, Guillen
The Red Sox' ability to plug holes in their roster following a slew of injuries can be attributed in large part to Allard Baird, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. After discussing Baird's importance to the Sox and listing his All-Star picks, Cafardo shares a few hot stove items….
- The Giants are "very interested" in Corey Hart, but with Milwaukee not entirely out of the NL Central race, the Brewers haven't yet elected to become sellers.
- Although it's unclear whether or not Boston would have any interest in Kyle Farnsworth, Cafardo thinks he could be an option for the Sox. Farnsworth's strikeout rate is down to 6.8 K/9 this season, but a National League scout opines that the right-hander's stuff is as strong as ever.
- Cafardo speculates that the White Sox would part with a promising prospect or two in exchange for Adam Dunn, and suggests that the Braves, Giants, and Rays could be fits for Jose Guillen.
- After being told by a couple potential suitors that they needed to see him play, Wily Mo Pena is attempting to earn another shot at the bigs by playing in the Atlantic League.
- A friend of D'Backs interim general manager Jerry DiPoto tells Cafardo that he thinks DiPoto may not have total freedom to make moves this month: "I get the feeling the major shots will be called above Jerry. If Jerry gets a chance, he’ll do some interesting things, but we’ll see whether he’ll have some reins on him."
Odds & Ends: Dunn, Phillies, Crisp, Molina, Fielder
Saturday linkage..
- Adam Dunn had hoped to hammer out an extension before the All-Star break to avoid trade talk, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Rays' director of scouting in the Dominican Republic believes that Yoel Araujo can develop into a "five-tool type player", writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- The Phillies initially called up Brian Bocock over Cody Ransom because Ransom was experiencing knee trouble, writes MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Earlier today, the club DFA'd Bocock and promoted Ransom.
- ESPN's Buster Olney speculates that Coco Crisp and the Padres could be a great potential trade match (Twitter links). San Diego tried to sign Crisp this past offseason.
- Bengie Molina didn't find out he was traded to the Rangers until his teammates told him, according to Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle.
- Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News spoke to Barry Zito, who indicated that the team's rift with Prince Fielder following last year's elaborate walk-off homerun celebration wouldn't be an issue if they acquired the slugger. Olney tweets that there has been no recent discussion between the two teams about Fielder.
- Brayan Pena told Jeffrey Flanagan of FSKansasCity.com that he hopes to retire as a Royal.
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic spoke to Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick about the dismissal of Josh Byrnes, who said he consulted "respected baseball people" from around the league and heard that the team's farm system is devoid of top-shelf talent.
Rays Sign Dominican Outfielder Araujo
The Rays have signed 16-year-old Dominican center fielder Yoel Araujo, an international source told Ben Badler of Baseball America. He'll receive an $800K bonus, which is the largest bonus Tampa Bay has ever given to an amateur player from the Dominican Republic.
Araujo, who stands at 6'2" and weighs 180 pounds, demonstrated his raw power and plus speed this spring in the Dominican Prospect League. Frankie Piliere of MLB Fanhouse writes that while Araujo is more green than other MLB-eligible prospects in the Dominican Republic, scouts believe that he has a high ceiling.
Stark On Wigginton, Lopez, Atkins, Lee
Unlike the Red Sox and Rockies, who may try to avoid making a trade to replace their injured infielders, the Phillies are "trying like hell" to find an infield bat, writes ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Stark breaks down the Phillies' options and shares some Cliff Lee rumors in a new blog entry:
- Enough teams are interested in Ty Wigginton that the Orioles can be patient in their attempts to get maximum value for him. The Phillies, on the other hand, need an infielder now, so they'll either have to meet Baltimore's asking price or look elsewhere.
- A scout tells Stark that some people in the Phils' organization like Jose Lopez "a lot."
- The Phillies have never been overly interested in Garrett Atkins, and that hasn't changed now that he has become available.
- Kelly Johnson, Jhonny Peralta, Jose Bautista, and Miguel Tejada are also possibilities to varying degrees for Philadelphia.
- The Phils don't want to move Domonic Brown, Jarred Cosart, Anthony Gose, or Trevor May for an infielder, but would discuss anyone except Brown for a top starting pitcher.
- The Reds "are more interested than they're letting on" in Lee, while the Yankees also continue to monitor the Mariners' left-hander.
- The Rangers and Dodgers would love to acquire Lee, but would have to give up a slew of prospects to avoid taking on his salary.
- According to Stark, there have even been rumblings that the Rays could be a match for the M's ace if they were willing to move B.J. Upton.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dawson, Ahrens, Rays, Lee
On this date in 1995, Dodgers right-hander Hideo Nomo became the first Japanese-born player in Major League history to be selected for the All Star Game. Nomo, then a 26-year-old rookie, took the big leagues by storm with his tornado windup and by posting a 1.99 ERA and 11.9 K/9 in 13 first half starts. The All-Star Game was just the tip of the iceberg for Nomo, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year award and finish fourth in the NL Cy Young voting.
Nomo's big league career spanned a dozen seasons with seven teams, and he retired with a 4.24 ERA and two no-hitters to his credit. He's credited with paving the way for Japanese players to permanently relocate to MLB.
Here are a few links from around the baseball blogosphere…
- Phoul Ballz interviewed Hall of Famer Andre Dawson.
- 1 Blue Jays Way interviewed Toronto prospect Kevin Ahrens.
- Bullpen Banter offers up a mid-season review of players who showed up to camp in the best shape of their lives.
- DRaysBay puts together a wish list of players they really want the Rays to acquire.
- Prospect Insider runs down the top prospects of the contenders in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes.
- Feeling Dodger Blue says the time has come for Los Angeles to trade Matt Kemp and Russell Martin.
- Mets Paradise wonders if the Mets would be interested in acquiring Carlos Zambrano.
- Double Bobby Jones doesn't think Jerry Manuel should feel too comfortable despite the Mets' winning ways.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Rays Eye Impact Players; May Add In August
If recent history is any indication, the Rays will go after impact players in July and role players in August. Jason Bay, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez are among the stars the Rays have pursued leading up to the July 31st deadline and Chad Bradford, Gregg Zaun and Russ Springer are among the players they have acquired in August. As MLB.com’s Bill Chastain reports, Rays GM Andrew Friedman expects 2010 will be similar.
“I would imagine that that will be our approach again this year," Friedman said.
The Rays have a well-rounded team, as their 44-32 record suggests. But Friedman promises to “be aggressive” if they can improve. The Rays, who designated Hank Blalock for assignment yesterday, could look to add a DH or improve their ‘pen.