Rays

The AL Central just got very interesting. In a deal that was somewhat surprising, Prince Fielder finally ended his search for a new home by signing a nine year, $215 million deal with the Tigers. The Tigers lost Victor Martinez earlier this offseason to injury and needed a bat to fill the void, and they certainly got one, and then some. Fielder will play first while Miguel Cabrera will move back to third base. The Tigers, in my mind, will now run away with the Central with no real big threats to take the top spot. In news that hits [...]

Yesterday I mentioned that Marc Topkin thought that the Rays may sign a right handed bench bat. Today, we have rumors that the Rays are connected to a right handed bench bat. Jerry Crasnick tweeted that the Rays are interested in Jeff Keppinger, who was non-tendered by the Giants this offseason. Keppinger would most likely be a utility man for the Rays. He has seen time at second, short, and third, so could be a good backup for the Rays. Keppinger played in 99 games last year for the Giants and Astros, hitting .277 with six homers. That would certainly [...]

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 players who are in competition for roster spots.

Nick Cafardo wrote today that the Rays could accelerate a BJ Upton trade for a shortstop after the recent signing. Marc Topkin, on the other hand, seems to think the Rays will stand pat, except for maybe adding a right handed bench bat. I seem to agree with Topkin. If the Rays enter the season with this roster, they have a very good chance of winning. A platoon of Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac has a chance to produce, considering S-Rod can be good against lefties and Brignac can be good against righties. Together, you could have a decent hitting combo [...]

Carlos Pena‘s bat and clubhouse leadership will bring a big presence to the 2012 Rays. But there could be another reason that the signing of Carlos Pena will be vital to the Rays success. As we all know, Evan Longoria‘s 2011 season was not quite up to his par. It was still a great season, but it did not quite live up to the high expectations everyone had for him after his first three seasons. Many attributed that to nagging injuries. I have another explanation.

The Rays have signed Carlos Pena to a one year deal worth 7.25 million dollars. How will that affect the Rays in 2012? There is one obvious effect that anyone could tell you. But then there’s a possible upshot of this signing that could be pretty shocking.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports just tweeted that the Rays have re-signed first baseman Carlos Pena after a one year hiatus. Mark Topkin tweeted that the deal is a one year pact with 7.25 million dollars. Pena had arguably the best four-year power stretch in Rays history from 2007 to 2010, posting a .238/.368/.516 line with 144 homers along with 96 doubles. However, his batting average and OBP declined every season he spent in St. Petersburg. The Rays let him leave to the Chicago Cubs on a one-year deal and despite moving to more of a hitter’s park, Pena didn’t have more [...]

A couple of weeks ago I took a look at some of the biggest trades in Rays history. Now I will continue our look at the Rays trade history with a look at one of the biggest bust trades in the history of the Rays: Bobby Abreu for Kevin Stocker.

Baseball America’s Matt Eddy has reported that the Rays have signed former Detroit Tigers middle infielder Will Rhymes, former Yankee and Pirates pitcher Romulo Sanchez, and ex-Mets outfielder Jesus Feliciano to minor league contracts with invites to spring training.

Everything has come crashing down for Scott Kazmir. He was the first great Rays pitcher, the first harbinger of a Rays turnaround. But as I talked about ad nauseum yesterday, it all came to a screeching halt for Kazmir before he began gliding into a protracted free-fall that may very well end his major league career. Is this the way his story ends?