Rumors

A couple of days ago, Devon mentioned that the Rays could be interested in trading for Cubs catcher Geovany Soto. The type of trade makes sense because the Rays need a starting catcher and Soto has nice power and plays solid defense. His batting average has really varied over the past four years, from .285 to .215 to .280 to .228, but he makes hard contact when he connects, and if he could cut down on some strikeouts there’s no reason to think he couldn’t at least hit .250 consistently. A .250 batting average isn’t exactly the ideal, but it’s a lot [...]

Devon talked about yesterday how the Rays were close to signing Jeff Keppinger. Keppinger is a utilityman, albeit one with a solid bat. Utility players are something the Rays have an overabundance of. They have Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, Elliot Johnson, Reid Brignac (who could be taught third and left field if needed), and then non-roster invitee Will Rhymes along with several prospects who fit a similar profile. Why would the Rays possibly sign Keppinger?

As I mentioned a couple days ago, the Rays were rumored to be interested in Jeff Keppinger. Now, it seems, the rumors had some substance. Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays are close to a deal with infielder Jeff Keppinger. It is reported that Keppinger’s deal will be a Major League one, guaranteeing him a roster spot.

Nothing major has happened yet this offseason, but we always hear about the Rays being in discussion to make high profile or even blockbuster trades. B.J. Upton comes up because he has just one year remaining on his contract. And because of the Rays’ deep pitching staff, we’ve heard rumors for James Shields, Wade Davis, Jeff Niemann, and even a little bit with Alex Cobb, with Davis and Niemann the most likely to be actually traded. But no matter who gets traded, there’s an obvious thrown-in: Sean Rodriguez. Let me explain.

Now that the Rays have expanded their search for offense beyond first baseman, there is a wider array of bats available. One interesting option for the Rays could be the Cubs Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs are reportedly willing to eat most of his $54 million salary, which is a plus for the Rays, and he is willing to waive his no-trade clause for a trade to a winner, which the Rays are. There is some competition for Soriano, as the Cubs have reportedly spoken to eight teams about Soriano, most of which are from the American League. I would think [...]

The Oakland A’s made a big move yesterday, re-signing outfielder Coco Crisp to a two year, $14 million deal. News like this is not usually pertinent to Rays fans. Today, however, there has been an interesting development. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the decision came down to the Rays and the A’s, and Crisp even went as far as saying the Rays were “the best option” as of Saturday. Then, the A’s made a deal to Crisp’s liking. In the end Crisp chose to remain in Oakland to be close to home and in an environment [...]

Talks are heating up in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes. While the Rays have no chance to get Fielder, the Rays could be affected by the signing. Just like the Angels signing of Albert Pujols, the Nationals already have a great incumbent first baseman in Michael Morse. What could propel the Rays to a trade with the Nationals is the fact that the Nationals have been interested in BJ Upton for quite a while.

It’s simple: the Oakland Athletics are trading their entire team away as they go into rebuilding mode and the Rays desperately need a catcher. The A’s acquired a nice young catcher, Derek Norris, as part of the Gio Gonzalez trade. So could they trade their current starting catcher, Kurt Suzuki, to the Rays in exchange for a few more prospects? Before we even think about trade scenarios for a Suzuki trade to the Rays, we have to think about whether the Rays would actually consider trading for Suzuki. As Devon talked about on Friday, the Rays are really in trouble [...]

ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted yesterday that he thinks Kurt Suzuki will be dealt before this year’s trade deadline. This got me wondering whether the Rays could make a play at Suzuki. I know I say this for a lot of teams, but the A’s are in need of starting pitching and are in a serious re-building mode. They could be interested in a guy like Alexander Torres- somebody who is young but still Big League ready. The Rays obviously need a catcher to go with Jose Molina, with both Robinson Chirinos and Jose Lobaton sustaining injuries this offseason. Both are [...]

  Padres beat writer Bill Center hosted a Padres chat today that brought about an interesting Rays development. Center thinks that Anthony Rizzo, the Padres 22 year old stud first base prospect, will be traded within the next week or two. He predicts that the Rays will get him. This had me wanting to jump for joy, since the Rays have needed a young first baseman for years and Rizzo could be that guy. He could be the Rays power hitter to go with Evan Longoria. Then Center continued, saying the Rays will then flip Rizzo to the Cubs. This [...]