Yesterday, we talked about the bizarre situation  regarding Fernando Rodney where he told the Dominican newspaper El Día that he was about to sign a two-year extension with the Rays when he and the Rays hadn’t even talked about an extension. The situation has apparently been resolved. Rodney’s agent, Dan Lozano, told Marc Topkin that what happened was that Rodney had a “misunderstanding” with the El Día writer. Can’t be too sure what exactly that means- Rodney seemed to say pretty clearly in Spanish that the finishing touches were being placed on an extension- but in any event, Lozano did acknowledge that he and Rodney “have talked numerous times” about Rodney’s future. Rodney will make $2.5MM in 2012 after the Rays exercised his team option this offseason, a major bargain for the Rays after Rodney’s historic 0.60 ERA season, and it will be interesting to see what happens to him following the season.

An exciting event will be happening at the Trop on Saturday as former Yankees and Royals outfielder and Reds, Mariners, Cubs, and Devil Rays manager Lou Pinella will be inducted into the Ted Williams Hitters’ Hall of Fame during David Price‘s charity event that day. Marc Topkin took the opportunity to talk with Pinella about his managerial career and it’s worth the read as Pinella give quite a few interesting answers. Here’s a sample, Pinella’s comments about managing the Devil Rays and the Rays’ success after he left.

With all you’ve gotten to do in baseball, are there any regrets?

The places where I managed, I went for the different challenges involved. I didn’t really wait for a team that you’d say, “Boy, this team is ready to go to the World Series.” I enjoyed each and every one. The place I had the least success was Tampa Bay, and the reason being our payroll was supposed to grow and it never grew past $20-something million, and I couldn’t compete in that division. But everywhere else — we won two divisions with the Cubs, in Seattle we went to a lot of postseason games, in Cincinnati we won a world championship, in New York we won 90 games. But there’s nothing really that I would have done different. Losing in my hometown (200-285 in 2003-05) wasn’t fun, but, look, I did the best I could. What can I say?

It was tough on you, right?

I just wasn’t used to the losing. I thought I could go anywhere and win. I took a little bit of a beating there, no question.

Ever think you shouldn’t have done it?

As soon as I took the job there was like a rift between the owners (Vince Naimoli and his original partners) and because of it our payroll never really increased. When the (Stuart) Sternberg group bought the team, I told them it was going to take about $60 million or so to have a good team, that they had some good young players but needed some veteran players also. And when the payroll finally got to that number, they started to win some games. They’ve had a good run. I’m proud of the job they’ve done.

Some interesting to note is that Pinella’s .412 winning percentage during his three years as D-Rays manager was significantly better than the .362 winning percentage the previous two years under Hal McRae (.01 probability of occurring by chance alone) and also solidly above the .392 winning percentage that Joe Maddon led the Rays to in 2006 and 2007. Pinella did what he could, but the team just wasn’t good enough. He had his moments- his 2004 team set the Rays’ team record of 70 wins that would last until 2008 and actually was above .500 in June before collapsing in the second half- but it was simply a tough situation all around and it was tough to watch Pinella try to fight through it. If those last comments are to be believed, Pinella knew what it would take to win but the Naimoli ownership group never gave it to him, which is especially depressing. Thankfully, Stuart Sternberg has raised the payroll enough to keep them a perennial contender, and it’s nice to see Pinella appreciating what his former team has done since he has been gone.

The past nine years, Travis Hafner put up an OPS+ less than 20% above the league average just once. The problem is that since playing in 152 games in 2007, Hafner has averaged just 86 games played per season, going on the 15- or 60-day disabled list seven times in just those five years. Other than a horrific 2008, Hafner has played very well when healthy, managing a .268/.361/.453 line (125 OPS+) with 18 home runs per 500 plate appearances. He’s a shell of the player who hit 42 home runs back in 2006, but when he has stayed on the field, he has remained productive. In 2012, knee and back injuries held Hafner to just 66 games and 263 plate appearances, but he managed a .228/.346/.438 line (121 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 12 homers, 34 RBI, and a 47-32 strikeout to walk ratio. A lefty batter, Hafner mashed right-handed pitching to a .241/.361/.437 line (114 sOPS+) in 191 plate appearances and was fine against lefties as well, posting a .197/.306/.443 line (130 sOPS+) in 72 plate appearances. But is there any reason at all to think Hafner can stay healthy? Hafner hasn’t even played the field since 2007 yet has still suffered through all those injury problems. It’s a pity that these injuries have limited Hafner so significantly because it’s clear that he can still play if only he could stay healthy.

Hafner made 13 million dollars in 2012. Right now, he’ll be willing to settle for a fraction of that. Would he be willing to settle for a contract like what Floyd received? Floyd appeared in just 80 games for the Rays in 2008 but managed a solid 111 OPS+ and 11 home runs. Hafner played in 94 games as recently as two years ago, and there’s a real chance he could put up better numbers in about the same amount of playing time. The most likely scenario, though, is that Hafner will get injured again. The 2008 Rays survived when Floyd went down thanks to the presence of Eric Hinske, Jonny Gomes, and Rocco Baldelli to take his place when necessary. If the Rays sign Hafner, they’re going to need the same type of insurance policies behind him. They can’t simply sign Hafner and hope for the best- they’ll have to sign another player as a minor league free agent like they did with Hideki Matsui behind Luke Scott in 2012. Wait a second- the Rays may actually already have that player in their organization, Wil Myers. No, Myers is not going to be DH’ing for the Rays anytime soon, but if Hafner could give the Rays two or three good months, Myers should be ready for the big leagues to fill his spot even if he does get hurt. The Rays have a need at designated hitter right now, but that need will only be temporary if Myers makes the adjustments the Rays expect him to make at Triple-A and forces his way into their big league picture. If the Rays are sold onto the fact that Hafner can stay healthy for at least half the year and Hafner is willing to take a contract that would guarantee him 3 million dollars or less, he represents a great fit for the Rays and could very well be the player they end up signing. The injury issue is never going to go away for Hafner, but he remains a great hitter when healthy and could give the Rays exactly the type of production they’re looking for from their DH slot.

Hafner, presently a free agent, has a number of factors that are working against him in his quest for a new contract. First, he is going to turn 36 during the middle of the season, and, given his injury history over the past few seasons, is not someone that could likely be counted on as an every day performer. Second, Hafner is strictly a designated hitter, having not played in the field whatsoever since the 2007 season. As interleague play is going to be a season long part of the schedule, this could be considered yet another drawback for any team potentially interested in taking a chance on him.

Last season, Hafner struggled with the bat, hitting only .228 last season with 6 doubles and 12 home runs. Inexplicably, Hafner also hit his first two triples since 2007. However, he has still hit for power when healthy, with 38 home runs and 51 doubles in 940 at bats over the past three years. Extrapolating his production over 162 games, he was projected to average a slash line of .267/.363/.447 with 23 home runs and 30 doubles.

Even though the likelihood of Hafner being able to play even 140 games in a season is minimal at best, he could still be a potential power bat for a team looking for additional thunder in the middle of the lineup. As his production tailed off last season, and his continual injury problems, Hafner may be looking at a one year deal with minimal financial risk to the team.

As the Rays do presently have an opening at designated hitter, the low monetary risk and potential for Hafner to outperform the financial obligations of such a deal may be quite enticing. In fact, the Rays may be the ideal place for Hafner to attempt to recapture his status as a feared slugger, as Joe Maddon has a tendency to play everyone on the roster. With that being the case, Hafmer may end up with four or five starts a week, and could potentially receive enough rest to avoid the injury bug that has plagued him over the past few years.

Travis Hafner could fill a need for the Rays lineup, and could likely be acquired at minimal cost. With the possible upside to such a signing, Hafner may be someone the Rays look at to fill out that final hole in the lineup.