Rays Rumors

Rays Designate Leslie Anderson For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 8, 2011 at 12:35pm CDT

The Rays designated Leslie Anderson for assignment to create roster space for Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). The Rays designated outfielder Justin Ruggiano for assignment in a related move earlier today.

The Rays officially signed Anderson, a Cuban defector, to a four-year, $1.725MM contract in April. At the time, Rays director of international operations Carlos Alfonso said the 28-year-old was appealing “because of his athleticism, and the fact that he can play all three outfield positions, as well as first base.”

Anderson reached Triple-A last year, hitting .302/.359/.442 with 31 extra base hits across three levels. The left-handed hitter split his time between first base and left field.

MLB Teams Sign Six Dominican League Prospects

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 8, 2011 at 10:52am CDT

The Dominican Prospect League announced that Major League organizations have signed six of its top prospects. Here are the details on the deals:

The Yankees signed 20-year-old center fielder Freiter Marte for $100K. Marte had been selected to play in the DPL All-Star Game.
Elvis Rubio, who was also chosen to play in the All-Star Game, signed with the Brewers for $95K. Rubio is a 17-year-old corner outfielder.
If you think Rubio is young, look at who the Rays signed. Tampa Bay signed 16-year-old left-hander Luis Cepeda for $60K. The Rays get another DPL All-Star in Cepeda.
The Cardinals signed Fernando Gonzalez, a 16-year old right-hander, for $66K. Gonzalez has drawn comparisons to a young Leo Nunez, according to the league.
The Indians signed Kevin Calderon for $80K. The 16-year old made this year's All-Star team and is considered a top defensive catcher.
The Pirates signed Leandro Rodriguez, a 17-year-old right-hander with a loose arm, for $80K.

Rays Designate Justin Ruggiano For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 8, 2011 at 9:14am CDT

Justin Ruggiano told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he's being designated for assignment (Twitter link). The 28-year-old outfielder loses his roster spot since the Rays had to create space for new acquisitions Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon.

Ruggiano, who played for the Rays in 2007 and 2008, spent last year at Triple-A Durham. He hit 15 homers for the second consecutive season and posted a .287/.357/.453 line. The 25th-rounder has a .561 OPS in 96 big league plate appearances.

Quick Hits: Diamondbacks, Guerrero, Marcum, Pence

By Luke Adams 2 | February 6, 2011 at 8:49pm CDT

Football will dominate today's sports headlines, but ESPN.com's Jayson Stark tweets some good news for baseball fans – Super Sunday also represents the start of the last week without baseball until November! Here are today's links, as the Packers and Steelers prepare to square off in Texas….

The Diamondbacks could hit it big in the draft this year, a rival scout tells Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Arizona will hold the No. 3 and No. 7 picks this June.
It's time to give Peter Angelos and the Orioles credit for signing Vladimir Guerrero, writes Kevin Cowherd of The Baltimore Sun. The big ticket signing is the latest move made by the O's who will see their payroll jump from $73MM in 2010 to $93MM in 2011.
Francisco Liriano's $4.3MM salary could impact the Brewers' negotiations with Shaun Marcum, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Both pitchers submitted a $5MM figure. Milwaukee countered with $3MM while the Twins offered Liriano $3.6MM before settling on a $4.3MM mark last week.
An arbitration hearing for Hunter Pence and the Astros has been set for February 18th, reports Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Pence is Houston's last remaining case, and the two sides' figures are $1.75MM apart.
Within a piece on the Rays' bullpen, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune writes that the team is waiting until early this week to make roster moves to free room on the 40-man roster for Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez.
The Yankees' hunt for starting pitching and the Mets' financial issues will get more attention, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post thinks the more intriguing stories in New York involve the futures of the two starting shortstops.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer previews some storylines and poses some questions for the Reds as they prepare for the season.

Rays Sign Juan Cruz

By Dan Mennella | February 3, 2011 at 6:12pm CDT

The Rays have signed right-handed reliever Juan Cruz to a minor league deal, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

After a successful three-year stint with the Diamondbacks from 2006-08, Cruz signed a two-year deal worth $5.5MM with the Royals prior to the 2009 season. However, Cruz never found his form in Kansas City. He was released in April 2010 and underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in May.

Still, the Rays continue a solid offseason with another low-risk, high-reward signing, bringing in a reliever in Cruz, 32, who has a career ERA of 4.15 and averaged 9.1 K/9.

Quick Hits: Guerrero, Kawakami, Johnson, Dodgers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 2, 2011 at 4:27pm CDT

Some links from around the majors as the market for Vladimir Guerrero becomes a little clearer…

When I looked at possible destinations for Guerrero last week, I listed the Rangers, Angels, Orioles and Blue Jays. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Rays are not in on Guerrero, which makes sense, since they already added Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez (Twitter link).
The Braves would like to trade Kenshin Kawakami this spring, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The Braves have a number of starting pitching options without Kawakami, especially now that they've signed Rodrigo Lopez.
D'Backs GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that he considers Kelly Johnson's arbitration case a tough one, but hopes to "create some dialogue" before the sides go to a hearing. As our Arb Tracker shows, Johnson asked for $6.5MM while the D'Backs countered with a $4.7MM offer.
Longtime Astros right-hander Brandon Backe, who last pitched in the majors in June of 2009 and is recovering from a pair of shoulder operations, told Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner that he is working toward a possible comeback.
The Dodgers signed right-hander Merkin Valdez to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 29-year-old appeared in two games for the Blue Jays last year after spending parts of three seasons with the Giants.

Rays Sign Felipe Lopez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 2, 2011 at 3:41pm CDT

The Rays signed infielder Felipe Lopez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas reports (in Spanish) that Lopez will earn $1MM if he makes the Major League roster and can earn another $1MM in incentives. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reported yesterday that the sides were close to a deal.

Lopez, 30, spent most of last season with the Cardinals, but they released him, partly, because he was late for a game. The Red Sox signed him and, once he was designated a Type B free agent, offered him arbitration. Boston would have obtained a compensatory pick if Lopez had signed a Major League deal elsewhere, but after a season in which he hit just .233/.311/.345, the interest wasn't there. Lopez would clearly have obtained more guaranteed money by accepting Boston's offer of arbitration.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Guerrero, Lee, Indians, Athletics

By Zachary Links | February 1, 2011 at 9:49pm CDT

On this day in 1999 the Yankees sent Mike Lowell to the Marlins for Todd Noel, Mark Johnson and Ed Yarnall. Here are some links for tonight as we anticipate more roster shakeups..

The Rockies signed catcher Ben Petralli to a minor league deal, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 25-year-old was drafted five times between 2004 and 2008 and played independent baseball last season.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if the Rays might consider moving Johnny Damon to first base, allowing them to sign free agent DH Vladimir Guerrero.
Derrek Lee will make the greatest impact of any Orioles offseason acquisition, opines Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer asked Indians GM Chris Antonetti and two scouts to evaluate the young talent that the club received in exchange for their three stars.
Even though several Athletics are under contract for just one more year, MLB.com's Jane Lee doesn't expect that many of them will be dealt for prospects.

Rays Close To Signing Lopez

By Zachary Links | February 1, 2011 at 7:00pm CDT

We can expect to see the Rays sign veteran Felipe Lopez to a minor league deal in the next couple of days, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter). Topkin wrote earlier today that Lopez was a name to "keep in mind" as the club is in need of an inexpensive middle infielder.

After signing a one-year, $1MM deal with the Cardinals last year, the club cut ties with the 30-year-old due to behavioral problems. Lopez's flat offense didn't help his case either as he hit just .233/.311/.345 in 109 games before signing with Boston. The Red Sox wisely offered the Type B infielder arbitration, but a minor league deal means that they won't receive a compensatory draft pick.

Rays Notes: Manny, Damon, Boras

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 1, 2011 at 4:28pm CDT

The Rays are officially introducing Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez today and the former Red Sox have lots of good things to say about their new team. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times has the details (all links go to Twitter):

The Rays could also add a veteran middle infielder on a minor league deal. Topkin wonders if Felipe Lopez could be a fit.
Agent Scott Boras says talks started with Damon, then expanded to include another one of his clients: Ramirez.
Ramirez, who signed for $2MM, says other teams offered more lucrative deals. He chose to play in Tampa since he's "already made [his] money."
Manager Joe Maddon says he's confident that Ramirez is motivated to help the Rays repeat as AL East champions.
Damon also thinks the Rays can win the AL East. Disagree? Cast your vote here.
Damon says he isn't writing the "final chapter" of his career and Ramirez says he can play five more seasons.

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