Rays Rumors

Carl Crawford Enters Contract Year

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2010 at 11:25am CDT

Rays executive Andrew Friedman will probably address Carl Crawford's contract situation next week, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The 28-year-old outfielder is slated to earn $10MM in 2010 before he reaches free agency. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said on Friday, "We're going to do everything we can to make sure he stays here longer."

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times spoke to Crawford, who would prefer not to negotiate during the season. Crawford hopes to stay with the Rays, but also noted that "you go [to free agency] to be paid like the guys playing against you."

In a January article, ESPN's Buster Olney noted that Crawford "may turn out to be one of the big beneficiaries" of teams' increasing emphasis on defense. Disciples of UZR might suggest Crawford is worth north of $15MM a year, potentially more than a quarter of the Rays' projected 2011 payroll.

Odds & Ends: Damon, A’s, Beckett, Reynolds, Dye

By Luke Adams 2 | February 21, 2010 at 4:29pm CDT

Sunday links….

Joe Cowley at the Chicago Sun-Times has Kenny Williams' final take on missing out on Johnny Damon to the Tigers. Cowley's piece also expands a bit on the Dye note we've linked to below.
The A's received cash to complete the trades for both Adam Rosales and Dana Eveland, writes Susan Slusser.
Regarding his current contract situation, Josh Beckett says he and the Red Sox "talked about talking," according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Beckett says he won't have anything to say about the situation during Spring Training or even after. Speier's piece also contains video highlights of Beckett's press conference, including his take on Mike Lowell's situation.
MLB.com's Steve Gilbert has a series of tweets regarding Mark Reynolds, who hopes to have his contract situation resolved within the next couple weeks. Reynolds says that the deadline for talks is still Opening Day. Gilbert adds that the current discussion is whether to buy out two or three arbitration years.
White Sox GM Ken Williams considered pursuing Jermaine Dye, but felt that the Sox' need for a left-handed bat was more pressing, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
MLB.com's Scott Merkin tweets that John Danks and the White Sox did not discuss a multi-year deal this offseason.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports, via Twitter, that the Rays were in the mix for Johnny Damon until the end, bidding more than every team but the Tigers.
Jim Leyland says that Damon's arrival in Detroit won't mean any less at-bats for Carlos Guillen, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian breaks down (via Twitter) the early-round draft picks the Blue Jays will now hold this summer, following the Mets' agreement with Rod Barajas.
Former Brave Greg Norton will head into 2010 as a coach instead of a player for the first time. He'll serve as the hitting coach for the New Orleans Zephyrs, the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate.
WEEI's Alex Speier takes a look at the first impression made in Red Sox camp by slick-fielding shortstop Jose Iglesias. Many felt the Sox overpaid for the Cuban prospect last summer, but according to Speier, the Cubs were willing to pay even more.

Johnny Damon Rumors: Friday

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2010 at 7:15pm CDT

7:15pm: Morosi and Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports provide another Damon update, writing that the Tigers' offer to the outfielder could be worth up to about $7.5MM, with some of it deferred. They acknowledge that it's anyone's guess where the 36-year-old lands, suggesting that the Rays and Braves could still be under-the-radar players for Damon.

5:36pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that, according to Dombrowski, Williams' comments will not affect the Tigers' approach to Damon.

5:00pm: Let's not rule the White Sox out completely. Williams told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that Damon has until Sunday morning to take the team's last offer.

4:27pm: Williams told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that Damon and Boras were willing to be creative (Twitter link). Ultimately, Williams says "the total dollars and cents didn't make sense" for the White Sox.

3:41pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Scott Boras wants two things from the Tigers. First, he's asking them to remove all deferred money from the one-year $7MM deal they have offered. Second, he wants the Tigers to add a second year (Twitter links).

3:26pm: The White Sox have pulled their offer to Damon, reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. White Sox GM Kenny Williams said he had to withdraw it.

"It became clear to us in our recent negotiations that the money that we were offering was not going to be good enough for Johnny at this time," Williams said.

Williams said the White Sox are "very much interested in" Damon. Levine hears that the White Sox offered him $6MM. Levine's sources tell him that the Tigers never offered a two-year deal; they have only offered a one-year $7MM contract.

9:29am: Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski went public with his interest in Johnny Damon yesterday, confirming to Patrick Zier of the Lakeland Ledger that he's offered Damon a contract. Dombrowski would not discuss the particulars of the offer, though a source of Zier's "would be very surprised if it's for more than one year."

As you know, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald finds the White Sox an unlikely landing spot for Damon given GM Kenny Williams' plan to "talk about this on Sunday."

ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to one executive involved in Damon talks in recent months who said, "There is so much BS out there, and [I] don't want to contribute to it."

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Branyan, Indians, Beckett

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 19, 2010 at 4:12pm CDT

Links for Friday…

The Tigers have offered longtime slugger Andres Galarraga the chance to come to camp as an instructor and mentor, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
The Rays pushed hard for Russell Branyan, but didn't have the at bats he was looking for, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Indians GM Mark Shapiro tells Rosenthal that he has "a lot to learn" about the business side of running a team. Shapiro will become team president after the season.
Former Indian Juan Gonzalez is playing right field in the Puerto Rican Baseball Federation, according to Alex Figueroa Cancel of Primera Hora. Thanks to Nick Collias for the translation.
Alex Figueroa Cancel reports that Jose Vidro signed a similar deal to play in the same league.
Jon Lester tells Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com that the Red Sox will miss Josh Beckett if he signs elsewhere as a free agent. Beckett will hit the open market after this season if the Red Sox don't extend him first.
And ESPN.com's Keith Law offers a preliminary look at the top 50 prospects in this year's draft. Bryce Harper leads the way.

Rays Links: Soriano, Crawford, Pena, Branyan

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2010 at 12:18pm CDT

Rays links are plentiful this afternoon…

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg talked to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times about impending free agent Carl Crawford: "We're going to do everything we can to make sure he stays here longer."
Sternberg told MLB.com's Bill Chastain that the Rays wouldn't normally spend $7.25MM on a reliever, so they plan on having "a little fun" with Rafael Soriano this season.
Topkin says the Rays also hope to retain Carlos Pena, though Dave Cameron of FanGraphs feels that a Russell Branyan signing could set the stage for a midseason Pena trade. Cameron wonders if it might be too risky for the Rays to offer Pena arbitration even if he has a solid 2010, given the 2011 salary he could receive. For what it's worth, Pena just made Type A status for the 2008-09 seasons at 73.750 points.
ESPN's Jayson Stark writes about the Rays' two biggest additions: closer Rafael Soriano, and potentially a full season of Wade Davis.
Check out our Rays Offseason In Review from Wednesday.

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Burnett, Chapman, Reyes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 18, 2010 at 9:32pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

GM John Mozeliak and manager Tony LaRussa both mentioned to MLB.com's Matthew Leach that the Cardinals are not in a rush to add an infielder despite Brendan Ryan's recent wrist surgery.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels knows that it's far from a foregone conclusion that his team will win 87 games again, according to ESPNDallas.com reporter Richard Durrett.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that Aroldis Chapman has looked "very impressive" so far.
Jose Reyes tells Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that he wants to finish his career with the Mets. Reyes says he's not thinking about the $11MM option the Mets have for his services in 2011.
The Nats outrighted Doug Slaten to Triple A, according to the team's Twitter. They designated him for assignment two days ago.
The Rockies and Mariners offered Mark McGwire hitting coach positions, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Mariners made their offer in 2003; the Rockies made theirs a few years ago.
Victor Martinez tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he'd "obviously" like to stay in Boston. The catcher says the negotiations are now under the team's control.
Carlos Zambrano tells Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that he would have vetoed a trade had the Cubs approached him about one this offseason.
Andrew Friedman says he and his front office have assembled "the most talented team in Rays history," according to the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
USA Today's Peter Barzilai looks back at some historically good free agent signings.
Greg Burke cleared waivers, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The club placed Burke on unconditional waivers ten days ago.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the club find its fifth starter outside of the organization. "We'd love to have a bona fide No. 5 starter," Colletti said.
Mariano Rivera tells MLB.com's Brian Hoch that he doesn't know how long he's going to continue playing (Twitter link).
Rockies manager Jim Tracy told Denver Post readers that he helps Dan O'Dowd make personnel decisions when the GM is looking for input.
In anticipation of the club's scheduled arbitration hearing with Ryan Theriot, Cubs GM Jim Hendry tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the arbitration process is sometimes unavoidable.
The Braves signed 17-year-old infield prospect Alejandro Sanchez Martinez to a seven-year contract out of Spain earlier in the winter, according to David Menayo of Marca.com. Thanks to Nick Collias for the translation.

Discussion: Carlos Pena

By Mike Axisa | February 18, 2010 at 5:52pm CDT

As the 2009-2010 offseason draws to a close, Hot Stove junkies are already looking ahead to next offseason's free agent market. One of the biggest names slated to hit the market is Carl Crawford of Tampa Bay, but he's not the only big name Ray scheduled to become a free agent. Carlos Pena, the team's first baseman since signing a minor league deal back in 2007, will also hit the open market.

The 31-year-old Pena will earn $10.125MM in 2010 as part of the three-year deal he signed back in 2008, making him the highest paid player on the team. Tampa's payroll is slated to drop below the $60MM mark in 2011, which makes it unlikely that Pena will be back in a Rays' uniform next season. The team that loses out on a potential Adrian Gonzalez bidding war could turn to Pena, who provides similar qualities as a patient (.382 OBP over the last three years), power bat (.553 SLG) from the left side with solid defense (+1.3 UZR) at first.

What do MLBTR's readers think is in store for Pena this season? Will Tampa Bay make him available if they fall out of the race? Or perhaps trade him even if they are in it just to get something in return as opposed to letting him walk as a free agent? What kind of contract could he be looking at after the season?

Russell Branyan Rumors: Thursday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 18, 2010 at 2:10pm CDT

2:10pm: The Rays are in the running for Branyan, but not for Chan Ho Park, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

8:13am: Russell Branyan has a major league offer from the Indians, but the Rays are seriously fighting the Indians for the first baseman's services, according to Peter Gammons (via Twitter). It isn't clear which club the 34-year-old slugger will choose, but he does appear to be down to the Indians and Rays.

MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince hears (via Twitter) that the Indians are still waiting to see if Branyan will accept their offer.

Heyman On Yankees, Park, Lincecum

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 18, 2010 at 12:12pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com expects the Yankees to reach resolution with Joe Girardi, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter without much fanfare after the season. Heyman imagines a three or four year deal for Jeter at $20-25MM per season. Here are the rest of his rumors:

Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he's confident in Curtis Granderson's defense. "We still have him as a plus defender," Cashman said.
The Yankees could add Chan Ho Park, who the Cubs and Rays are eyeing, too.
If the Rays add Park, they would likely be done and Russell Branyan could be out of luck. A Rays person tells Heyman the club has enough money for one signing only.
The Giants never offered Tim Lincecum anything more than a three-year deal. Heyman hears that the club offered Lincecum $36MM, not $37MM, as we heard earlier.

Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Rays

By Tim Dierkes | February 17, 2010 at 3:52pm CDT

The Rays are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Gabe Kapler, OF: one year, $1.05MM.
Dan Johnson, 1B: one year, $500K.
Total spend: $1.55MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Joaquin Benoit, Ryan Shealy, Winston Abreu, Jeff Bennett, Heath Phillips, R.J. Swindle, Alvin Colina, Angel Chavez, Joe Dillon, J.J. Furmaniak, Chris Richard, Carlos Hernandez, Matt Bush, Stepan Havlicek

Trades and Claims

Acquired RP Jesse Chavez from Pirates for 2B Akinori Iwamura
Acquired C Kelly Shoppach and cash from Indians for P Mitch Talbot
Traded Rule 5 pick P Armando Zerpa to Dodgers for cash
Acquired RP Rafael Soriano from Braves for RP Jesse Chavez
Claimed RP Mike Ekstrom off waivers from Padres

Extensions

Kelly Shoppach, C: two years, $5.55MM. Includes $3.2MM club option for '12 with a $300K buyout.

Notable Losses

Jesse Chavez, Akinori Iwamura, Mitch Talbot, Armando Zerpa, Ramon A. Ramirez, Gabe Gross, Michel Hernandez, Gregg Zaun, Shawn Riggans, Joe Nelson, Brian Shouse, Russ Springer, Troy Percival, Chad Bradford, Jason Isringhausen

The Rays did very little in free agency, taking flyers on guys like Johnson and Benoit. Instead, executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman upgraded his catcher and closer situations by importing Shoppach and Soriano via trade. Shoppach will be paired with Dioner Navarro behind the plate, who the Rays were able to retain without giving a raise. The Soriano acquisition was surprising, as he'll be paid $7.25MM in 2010.

As is, the Rays have a lineup that could reasonably top 800 runs again. Right field and DH remain two potential areas to upgrade. Top prospect Desmond Jennings could provide a midseason outfield boost, while Friedman has made efforts this winter to improve upon Burrell. The Rays could still bench Burrell and sign Russell Branyan or Jermaine Dye, a change that could add a crucial win or two.

Despite trading Edwin Jackson, Jason Hammel, and Scott Kazmir in the last year or so, the Rays maintain excellent rotation depth. Projection systems probably sell their #3-5 starters short, as Jeff Niemann, David Price, and Wade Davis have the stuff to beat CHONE's 4.60ish ERA predictions.

With payroll headed back down in 2011, this is an important year for the Rays to strike. They've got the talent to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox, and will hopefully stretch even further if midseason additions can help them eke out a few extra wins.

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