Rays Rumors

Rays Acquire Gregg Zaun

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 7, 2009 at 1:57pm CDT

The Rays acquired catcher Gregg Zaun from the Orioles for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to an Orioles press release. Just last week the Rays were in on Victor Martinez as they looked for depth behind the plate. Like Martinez, Zaun is a switch hitter under contract for this year with a club option for 2010. Zaun makes $1.5MM this year and the Rays will choose between a $500k buyout and a $2MM option for next season.

So far in 2009, the 38-year-old is hitting .244/.355/.375 with four homers.

Brewers DFA R.J. Swindle; Rays Claim Him

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 7, 2009 at 1:21pm CDT

1:21pm: Haudricourt reports that the Rays claimed Swindle. He suspects their interest comes from Swindle's one remaining option, which means the team can send him to the minors.

12:18pm: According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers designated lefty R.J. Swindle for assignment to make room on the roster for Jesus Colome. Swindle, 26, allowed at least one earned run in every one of his six appearances with the Brewers this year for a season line of 6.2 innings, 12 hits, 4 BB and 8 Ks.

Rays Sign Winston Abreu

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 6, 2009 at 12:26pm CDT

Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays signed Winston Abreu to a minor league contract today. Abreu opted for free agency this morning after the Indians designated him for assignment on Saturday. The Rays acquired Jonathan Meloan for Abreu a month ago. Safe to say they won that trade.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Deadline Deals

By Cork Gaines | August 4, 2009 at 12:22pm CDT

On this date nine years ago the Rangers traded Dave Martinez to the Blue Jays. It was the third time Martinez had been traded since the beginning of the season. That night, Martinez would tie a big league record by playing for his fourth franchise in one season. He also appeared with the Devil Rays and the Cubs. Martinez' current club, the Rays, did not make any trade deadline deals, but plenty of other teams did. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

MLB Notebook hosted a round-table discussing the trade deadline winners and losers.
Sully Baseball says declaring winners and losers this soon is meaningless.
Zells Pinstripe Blog says the trade deadline was not as bad for the Yankees as many think.
Rays Revolutionary explains why it was not important for the Rays to make any deadline deals.
UmpBump wonders how Adam LaRoche makes the Braves better in 2010, as some have suggested.
Capitol Avenue Club explains the reasoning behind the Adam LaRoche deal for the Braves.
Talking Chop looks at what the Adam LaRoche trade means for Chipper Jones' future in Atlanta.
Dodgers Rumors looks at some August waiver-wire trade targets for the Dodgers.
MLB Insights makes a case that J.P. Ricciardi's tenure has been a successful one.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Pirates, Rays

By Eddie Schmid | August 3, 2009 at 8:19pm CDT

Some links on this not-necessarily-manic Monday:

Jen Langosch at MLB.com has a nice scorecard put together of the Pirates' recent acquisitions and how they've performed so far, as well as a rundown of the players they were dealt for.
Fred Mitchell at the Chicago Tribune has an amusing piece about the lengths what MLB general managers go to keep their stress levels low this time of year.
MLB.com beat reporter Lyle Spencer answers fan questions, including why they let Roy Halladay get away.
Jim Callis at Baseball America re-ranks the Pirates' and Indians' systems after their major prospect acquisitions.
Brian Hoch at MLB.com answers Yankees fans' questions, specifically about the trade deadline and why the team was mostly inactive.
R.J. Anderson at Fangraphs re-visits the circumstances that led to the Rays obtaining Wade Townsend, who was released today.

Rays Release Wade Townsend

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 3, 2009 at 12:18pm CDT

Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays released former first round pick Wade Townsend. The 26-year-old righty has struggled with injuries since the Rays selected him 8th overall in 2005. He pitched poorly in limited action at Rookie ball this year and never put together an impressive season in the minors. The Rays chose Townsend when Andrew McCutchen, Jay Bruce and Jacoby Ellsbury were available, but they do have Matt Garza, who the Twins selected in the first round that year.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Dodgers, Pirates

By Mike Axisa | August 1, 2009 at 5:56pm CDT

The tireless Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up. Let's dive in…

Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Rosenthal that he was "very aggressive" going after pitching help, whether it be high-end starters, low-end starters, or relievers. "I was on all of it," Cashman said.
Cashman specifically targeted Jarrod Washburn, but the Mariners asked for top prospect Austin Jackson in return. The Yankees were also "one of several clubs" to inquire about Felix Hernandez.
Rosenthal says Heath Bell was their primary target among relievers, as the idea was to make him the primary setup man for Mariano Rivera, and possibly put Phil Hughes or Alfredo Aceves back into the rotation.
The Dodgers "never got close" in their attempted blockbuster for Adrian Gonzalez and Bell. The deal would have helped Los Angeles' rotation by shortening the game from the back end with another elite reliever.
They still have issues in the rotation however, as Jason Schmidt topped out at 87 last night. Only two National League clubs have gotten fewer innings out of their starters than the Dodgers.
We won't know the true result of the Pirates' firesale until 2011 or 2012, but the early returns on the Jason Bay trade are not good. Rosenthal says the Rays may have been willing to pay more for Bay at the time, possibly including the since-traded Jason Hammel and/or Edwin Jackson in a package.
Hitters and relievers will be in "ample supply" during the August waiver period, but quality starting pitchers … not so much. Doug Davis might be one of the best available starters, and the Diamondbacks will need to be realistic about a return since they are unlikely to offer him arbitration after the year.
There was "precious little action" on Davis in July. When Rosenthal mentioned to a club official that the offers for Davis might not be much better in August, the official responded "they can't be much worse."

Rays Sign Jeff Bennett

By Eddie Schmid | August 1, 2009 at 2:41pm CDT

2:41pm: We have a little more clarity on this situation. According to Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Braves suspended Bennett's pay on June 25, the day after he fractured his hand with an angry punch to a clubhouse wall. Here's more:

"The Braves didn’t announce it at the time, but they suspended his pay beginning June 25. He filed a grievance with the players association and continued his rehab, including two recent minor-league appearances," O'Brien writes.

"When the grievance was heard, the Braves were directed to either “cure the default” by giving him his back pay for the period he was suspended, or allow him to become a free agent. Braves media-relations director Brad Hainje said Bennett requested the team release him from his contract, which they did."

1:04pm: Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune reports minor league left-hander James Houser was released to make room for Bennett on the 40-man roster. Houser, 24, was 4-5 this season with a 5.16 ERA and a 44/50 K/BB ratio in 18 appearances (15 starts) for Triple-A Durham.

12:31pm: According to Ed Price at AOL Fanhouse, the Rays have inked righty Jeff Bennett to a deal. Bennett, 29, had recently asked for his release from the Braves, though it was unclear why. He put up a 3.18 ERA and 23/21 K/BB ratio for Atlanta this season.

Deadline Roundup: Mets, Washburn, Nats, Rays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2009 at 4:53pm CDT

Two Cy Young Award winners were traded this deadline and neither one of them was Roy Halladay. It's been a wild few days. Here's a recap of the action and here are some more details and reactions:

Omar Minaya told Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post that the Mets couldn't find a trade partner because of what other teams were asking for.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo says Aaron Thompson is a pretty good return for Nick Johnson. it sure beats losing him for nothing after the season.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mariners told the Yankees they had to give up an Austin Jackson-type player for Jarrod Washburn, who was dealt to Detroit.
The Brewers were told they'd have to surrender Manny Parra, Alcides Escobar or Mat Gamel for Washburn, Sherman reports.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Washburn is open to returning to the Mariners in the offseason, when he hits free agency.
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski tells MLB.com's Jason Beck that the Tigers were "not close at all" to completing any other moves.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays will look for help on the waiver wire in August.
Any bobblehead collectors? Tomorrow night is still Victor Martinez bobblehead night in Cleveland, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.
The Phillies, Cardinals, Red Sox and Tigers are Jon Heyman of SI.com's deadline winners. His losers? The Nats and Royals.

Victor Martinez Rumors: Friday

By Tim Dierkes | July 31, 2009 at 12:24pm CDT

12:24pm: ESPN's Jayson Stark: "The Rays continued to talk with Cleveland about Martinez Friday afternoon, but clubs they've spoken with say they're more focused on "under-the-radar" bullpen arms." San Diego closer Heath Bell is among those names, but the Rays didn't like the price.

11:49am: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter) finds a 50% chance of a Martinez trade.

7:44am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports describe the Indians as "pessimistic" about their chances of trading Martinez.

6:36am: Yesterday ESPN's Jayson Stark brought up Victor Martinez as part of a possible three-way trade involving the Red Sox, Indians, and another club. Let's see what's cooking today…

SI's Jon Heyman writes of "brief talks" between the Mets and Indians for V-Mart. However, the Mets prefer to keep their top prospects and probably already turned down an offer from Cleveland. We know this because GM Omar Minaya admitted to turning down two offers for big-time players. Heyman still sees Boston as the favorite for Martinez. Joel Sherman of the New York Post expects some kind of big move out of the Sox today. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees.

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