Tampa Bay Rays: Rules, Pecota, Pham and Loney

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham beat the Rays in his arbitration case, former Rays first baseman James Loney signed with an indy league team as a two way plaeyr and the Rays signed a minor league pitcher.

Pham’s victory

"Pham became the 4th player to ever beat the Rays in arbitration joining Drew Smyly, Adeiny Hechavarria and Jake Odorizzi who beat them twice. Pham’s victory bumps the Rays all time record to 6-5. While a difference of 600 thousand dollars might seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, his added earnings will prove pivotal in his final two years of arbitration which are based on previous earnings."

Loney signing

"Loney, who last played in the major leagues in 2016 for the Mets spent  3 of his last 4 years in the Major Leagues in a Rays uniform. From 2013-2015, Loney appeared in 417 games. He hit .291/.337/.393 with 26 bombs and 176 runs batted in. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Loney is not only expected to hit and pitch for the Sugar Land Skeeters but to also act as a player coach. He turns 35 in a matter of months and as MLBTR points out, hasn’t seriously worked on pitching since he was in high school."

Reyes signing

"The soon to be 27-year-old has struggled at AAA Memphis over the past 2 seasons. Across 23 games, the righty threw 33.2 innings and struggled to a 6.68 earned run average. He struck out 35 and walked 17. He did appear in the Mexican Pacific Winter League this winter and appeared in 12 games, making 11 starts. He threw 53.1 innings and pitched to a much better 3.71 ERA. HE struck out 35 but walked 22 for the Naranjeros de Hermosillo."

As always, thank you for reading Rays Colored Glasses and as Spring Training is rapidly approaching be sure to stay tuned for all your Rays news, analysis, and insight.

Also, be sure to check out Chloe Stowe’s rankings of the best first baseman in Rays history. Travis Lee came in at #3, check it out here.