Rays

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is reporting that the Nationals trade talks about BJ Upton have cooled. What this means is BJ Upton is very unlikely to be traded before the season, and probably won’t be traded at the deadline either. The Nationals have been Upton’s strongest suitor for a while now, ever since the Rays began shopping him. Chances were slim that the Rays would trade him anyway, but this almost assures it. BJ can be frustrating at times, but he is still a very good center fielder, considering his defense and speed. His bat is streaky and [...]

The Rays beat Jeff Niemann yesterday in arbitration. Neimann will make $2.75 million next season. He filed for $3.2 million. Even though he lost, Niemann will still make nearly 300% more than the $903,000 he made last season. The win improves the Rays to 6-0 all time in arbitration cases and 5-0 under Andrew Friedman. The Rays had six arbitration-eligible players this year, and Niemann was the only one to have a hearing. Even though he didn’t win, Niemann will still have a nice raise for next season. Considering he was only able to muster a 11-7 record with a [...]

The recent signing spree of former Rays continued today. Casey Kotchman signed a one year deal with the Indians. The deal is valued at $3 million plus incentives. Kotchman will join Russ Canzler in Cleveland, as Canzler was traded there earlier this week. Kotchman ended up with a good deal for what he is. He is a non-power hitting first baseman, which are not exactly in demand in Major League Baseball. Chances are the Rays would have ended up with Kotchman had the Indians stolen Carlos Pena away from the Rays. Kotchman was good for the Rays, reviving his career [...]

There was some more signing news today, as Dan Johnson moved on from the Rays, signing a minor league deal with the White Sox. Johnson will be fighting for a spot in an already crowded first base position for the White Sox, with both Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn already there. Johnson will always be remembered by the Rays for his game tying homer in game 162 and his memorable September homer against the Red Sox in 2008. Rays fans will always have a soft spot for him, no matter what he does or where he ends up. We wish [...]

This could be pure speculation, but CSNChicago.com is reporting that the Rays could have interest in Geovany Soto. The deal would seem to make sense for both sides, as the Rays need a catcher with experience and the Cubs could use a Major League-ready catcher. Soto would certainly fit the bill for the Rays and Wade Davis or Jeff Niemann would fit with the Cubs.

Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News recently wrote that the Rays are the most remarkable franchise in sports. Big talk for a team that just five years ago was a cellar dweller and had many people talking that they wouldn’t contend until at least 2012. With four consecutive winning seasons under their belt with the 2012 season just now approaching, the Rays could very well be the most remarkable organization in sports.

Justin Ruggiano, the ultimate AAAA player, declined his assignment to Durham today, becoming a free agent. Ruggiano played 46 games for the Rays last season, bouncing back and forth between Durham and St. Pete. What this move means is the Rays will not have their go-to injury filler in the minors. Should an outfielder get hurt the Rays will now have to rely on Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer. Ruggiano has never been anything spectacular, hitting .226 in 207 plate appearances in three seasons. He has spent most of his time with the Rays at Durham,  spending only 98 games [...]

In his recent mailbag article for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Paul Hoynes suggested that the Cleveland Indians offered Carlos Pena more money than the Rays did. He says the Indians had an $8 million offer on the table for Pena before he accepted the Rays $7.25 million offer. Earlier in the week we learned the Rays had $6 million budgeted for Pena before upping the budget to $7.25 million due to the Tigers sudden need for a first baseman (which is now filled by Prince Fielder.

(This post was originally published on January 23rd, but we’re updating it to include the Jeff Keppinger signing.) A commenter on our Facebook page asked an important question. The Rays have a whole bunch of players seemingly ready to contribute to their big league team in 2012, but they have to manage to cut their 40-man roster (here) down to 25 guys for the start of the season. Spring training will help them make a lot of those decisions, but let’s take quick look at the locks and favorites to be on the 25-man roster once the season begins, and the [...]

The Jeff Keppinger deal I talked about earlier in the week was finalized today. Keppinger will earn $1.525 million this year with some incentives. Keppinger provides the Rays with good depth in the infield. His defense is not great, but his hitting should make up for it. I could see Keppinger getting a fair share of starts between second and short. He could see more time at second so Ben Zobrist can move to right and relieve Matt Joyce against lefties. As a result of the Keppinger deal, Russ Canzler was designated for assignment. The move opens up a spot [...]