Rays Rumors

Odds & Ends: Rays, Indians, Padres

By Zachary Links | April 6, 2010 at 10:11pm CDT

Tuesday night links..

MLB announced today that the number of foreign-born players on Opening Day rosters has dipped to its lowest level in four years, according to Reuters. Just 27.7% of players in 2010 were born outside of the United States compared to the league's all-time high of 29.2% in 2005.
Rays owner Stu Sternberg believes that his club is built for the long haul, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain. It will be interesting to see what happens with Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena, who are in the final year of their contracts.
Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer writes that the Indians' farm system is chock full of solid prospects. Hoynes breaks down the players to watch, from Triple-A to Single-A.
Padres prospect Logan Forsythe will be shifting from third base to second base when Double-A San Antonio opens the season, wrote Tom Krasovic a few days ago. The 23-year-old, who is considered to be one of San Diego's top prospects, is being moved to ease a glut of third basemen in the Padres' system.

Hank Blalock And Joe Crede

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 5, 2010 at 1:50pm CDT

Hank Blalock is healthy, hit 25 homers last season and has Scott Boras representing him, but he still couldn't find a major league job after the Rays assigned him to the minors. Blalock figures to contribute to the Rays at some point this season even though this is not the route he wanted to take. But Blalock's trouble finding a job shows that another Scott Boras client doesn't have it easy.

Joe Crede turns 32 in April, which makes him two and a half years older than Blalock. Crede underwent surgery in September because of a herniated disk in his back. He has since recovered and was throwing and hitting a month ago, but teams haven't forgotten the back, shoulder, hand, knee and hamstring injuries Crede struggled with last year.

Crede's bat is comparable to Blalock's at this point. Blalock appeared in more games than Crede, picked up 128 more plate appearances and hit ten more homers, but Crede's rate stats (.225/.289/.414) resemble Blalock's (.234/.277/.459).

Even though Crede is older, more injury-prone and no more productive at the plate, Boras can point to Crede's defense. Every year since 2002, when data became available, UZR has ranked Crede as an above-average defender at third and he has defended particularly well in recent years.

If Blalock can't find a job now, it's unlikely that Crede can. It's hard to imagine Boras and Crede finding a guaranteed contract now, when roster spots are at a premium. But if Crede proves his health in workouts, he could become an attractive mid-season option for risk-taking GMs in search of a cheap third baseman who can play defense and add a little power.

Blalock To Accept Minor League Assignment

By Zachary Links | April 4, 2010 at 5:49pm CDT

Hank Blalock will report to the Rays' Triple-A affiliate in Durham, according to the Tampa Bay Tribune (via Twitter). Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times tweets that this means the 29-year-old was unable to find a major league job elsewhere.

Late last week, Reid Brignac made Tampa Bay's Opening Day roster, leaving Blalock as the odd man out. Despite his assertion that he does not want to play minor league ball, he told Topkin that he would remain in Durham for the "foreseeable future" if he could not land a gig in the big show (link goes to Twitter).

Blalock is not today's only notable addition to Triple-A Durham, as Elliot Johnson was also placed on the squad after clearing waivers.

Odds & Ends: Rule 5, Jones, Hechevarria, Brewers

By Steve Adams | April 4, 2010 at 4:28pm CDT

Links for Easter Sunday…

Baseball America's John Manuel provides updates on five Rule 5 picks: Carlos Monasterios with the Dodgers, John Raynor with the Pirates, Zachary Kroenke, who was optioned to the minors by the D'Backs, Kanekoa Texeira with the Mariners, and David Herndon with the Phillies.
Peter Gammons previews storylines for the 2010 season, such as emerging stars, prospects of the future, a slew of contenders, and the ever-present unpredictability of baseball.
Dave Campbell of the AP looks at Jacque Jones and how Minnesota's late-season surge in 2009 inspired a comeback attempt for 2010 when he was on the verge of retirement. Jones is reporting to Triple-A Rochester after hitting .366/.409/.585 with the Twins this spring.
In an interview with Mike Wilner of the FAN 590 in Toronto, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said while the team hasn't officially said anything about Adeiny Hechevarria, international cases like his are often slowed by visa issues and other approval processes.
Tom Haudricourt tweets that there will be no last-minute changes to the Brewers 25-man roster.
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser spoke with recently-DFA'ed Jack Cust, who is shocked and offended by the move. Cust says he will accept a minor league assignment if he clears waivers, but won't let Oakland "walk all over" him. The 31-year-old slugger has led the A's in home runs the past three seasons. Slusser takes a deeper look at the Cust move in a separate piece.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times looks at what the Cubs' performance in 2010 means to Jim Hendry's job, and talks to several players about their positive relationships with the Chicago GM.
Elliot Johnson cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A Durham, according to Marc Topkin. He adds that the Rays have set their roster and are waiting to hear from Hank Blalock on whether or not he'll accept a minor league assignment.

Nationals Have Discussed Trade For Right Fielder

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 9:14pm CDT

In the wake of losing an everyday outfielder when they released Elijah Dukes, the Nationals have had discussions with several teams about a trade for a right fielder according to MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling. Among the targets: Corey Hart, Kosuke Fukudome, and B.J. Upton.

Goessling says that none of those trade talks have been particularly substantive, but it's clear the Nats aren't necessarily looking for a cheap solution. The two sides weren't able to find a common ground for Hart, and the Nats came away with the impression that the Rays won't move the elder Upton brother unless they fall out of the AL East race this summer. Fukudome still has two years and $26.5MM left on his deal, so he's unlikely to be moved unless the Cubs eat a large portion of that commitment.

Washington feels right field is a thin position around the league, so for now they'll try to get by with a combination of Willie Harris and Willy Taveras. They'll have to hope their defensive skills make up for their collective lack of offense.

Looking At The Needs Of Some Contenders

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 8:33pm CDT

With Spring Training wrapping up around the country, teams are finalizing their rosters and picking the 25 players they'll start the season with. There's always room for improvement, but some contenders have some very obvious weak spots on their rosters. Here's a look at some of them, which may need to be addressed during the season…

Angels, third base: Brandon Wood and Maicer Izturis will get the first cracks at replacing Chone Figgins, but if neither is up to par, the Halos might be looking for a fill-in at the hot corner.
Braves, outfielder: Superstar in training Jason Heyward will start the year in right, but incumbent centerfielder Nate McLouth had a brutal spring (6-for-51), which may push Melky Cabrera into full-time duty.
Rays, setup man: With J.P. Howell on the shelf due to a bum shoulder, the team has no obvious candidate to hand the ball off to new closer Rafael Soriano. Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour represent solid options, but if Howell misses more time than expected, the Rays might be looking to add a reliever.
Twins, closer: This is the most obvious hole of them all. Joe Nathan is out for the season after having elbow surgery, and Jon Rauch will get the first chance to replace him.
Yankees, left field: The team is breaking camp with Brett Gardner, Randy Winn, and Marcus Thames set to share time in left, but we've already seen a scenario laid out in which they might need help sooner rather than later.

That doesn't include all of the clubs that could very well be looking to add a starting pitcher at some point, like the Mariners, Mets, Phillies, Cubs, and Dodgers. Some other holes aren't so obvious though. Maybe the Red Sox could use another reliever (who couldn't?), or perhaps Seattle will go looking for a big bat that fits into their extreme run prevention plan.

What other areas of need to do you see out there for contenders?

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Figueroa, Rays, Martinez

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 4:22pm CDT

Links for Saturday…

Rule 5 Draft pick Carlos Monasterios will make the Dodgers' Opening Day squad, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. However, Joe Torre will not announce whether the team will carry 11 or 12 pitchers until tomorrow.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter) says to expect word that Elliot Johnson has cleared waivers and will stay with the Rays at their Triple-A affiliate. Johnson, who was out of options, was waived by Tampa Bay earlier this week.
Righthander Nelson Figueroa was one of six players cut by the Mets, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain. Figueroa is out of options and has been outrighted before, so he can elect to become a free agent instead of reporting to the minors if he clears waivers.
Victor Martinez doesn't feel he needs promises in his next contract that he will remain at catcher, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. This morning we learned that V-Mart doesn't want talks about a contract extension to take place during the season.
Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies points out that the Rockies will start the year with the highest Opening Day payroll in team history, a cool $85,808,682.
Marc Carig of The Newark Star-Ledger tweets that Marcus Thames has officially made the Yankees' Opening Day roster. He could have opted out of his minor league deal if he didn't make the team out of Spring Training, but now he'll earn $900K for the season.

Odds & Ends: Rays, Reds, Pettitte, Robertson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 2:40pm CDT

Here are some links for the day…

Rays GM Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he "doesn't expect" to go outside of the organization for bullpen help (Twitter link). The Rays already added Virgil Vasquez today.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that the team could make a midseason deal or two.
Andy Pettitte hinted to the YES Network's Jack Curry that this may be his last season. The lefty says he wants to spend more time with his family.
Nate Robertson tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he's glad to be back in Florida, especially since he's surrounded by a number of former Tigers.
Jayson Werth says he isn't thinking about his upcoming contract year, but Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that it can become a distraction for lots of players.
Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says Buster Posey will likely start the year in the minors, partly because the Giants wouldn't mind slowing down the catcher's service time clock.
Johnny Damon tells the Associated Press that he has been impressed with the Tigers this spring.
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the team's front office has been a "pleasant surprise" so far.

Blalock To Assess Major League Options

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 1:54pm CDT

Reid Brignac made the Rays' Opening Day roster, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times and that makes Hank Blalock the odd man out. Topkin says Blalock will now assess his major league options. Blalock has until Sunday morning to find another big league opportunity, according to Topkin (via Twitter). Otherwise, Blalock will play in the minors for the "foreseeable future."

Blalock, who would have earned $925K if he'd made the team, can opt out of his deal with the Rays since he's not on their major league roster. Earlier in the week, Blalock said he's not interested in playing minor league baseball at this point in his career. Before Blalock signed with the Rays, the Marlins appeared to have some interest as well.

Blalock hit .175/.277/.325 in 46 plate appearances this spring. Last year he hit 25 homers and posted a .234/.277/.459 line for the Rangers. That's a better representation of what the 29-year-old Scott Boras client can do at the plate.

Rays Acquire Virgil Vasquez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 9:09am CDT

The Rays acquired Virgil Vasquez from the Pirates for a player to be named later, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. We heard yesterday that the two clubs were talking about a possible deal involving Vasquez.

The 27-year-old right-hander appeared in 14 games for the Pirates last year. He pitched to a 5.84 ERA in 44.2 innings, with 5.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. Vasquez also made 19 starts at Triple A, where he posted a 3.93 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9. He combined an 89 mph fastball with a slider, a curve and a change-up last year, according to FanGraphs.

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