SB Nation User Blog: Tommy Rancel

Report: "Milton Bradley will be traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Pat Burrell"

Tommy Rancel — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:12:04 -0000

Somethings just never die: Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and the Milton Bradley to Tampa Bay trade rumors are just some examples. Recently, things have cooled down on the Bradley front. I feel like it's almost been a week since we had a "Bradley deal imminent" story posted. Fear not, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago has us covered.

Sooner or later, and most likely as soon as this week, beleaguered Milton Bradley will be traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Pat Burrell.

The grain of salt rule applies as we've heard this same story about 100 times now. Levine also brings up the difference with dollars, which we all know is the biggest hurdle this trade must overcome.

However, the perception the Cubs will have more money to spend on free agents and trades by moving Bradley is false. Bradley and Burrell will make $9 million in 2010 -- that's a wash -- whatever money Jim Hendry saves on Bradley's 2011 contract will not impact $1 of his 2010 payroll. Bradley's owed $12.5 million in 2011. If Hendry can save $6.5 million by eating $6 million, that will only help the person running the 2011 team

It seems like this is pure speculation on Levine's part, but if the Cubs are only willing to pick up $6 million of the 2011 tab, then this deal won't get done. The Rays already stretched the 2010 budget for Rafael Soriano. I doubt they would want to carry $6+ million for Bradley on the 2011 books.

In the end, it seems like nothing has changed since late September.

Can Rafael Soriano Top The Greatest Closing Season In Rays History?

Tommy Rancel — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:03:22 -0000

by Gregory Smith - AP

View full size photo »

Kind of a loaded question, but we hope so. We can argue about designated roles, and who is really the Rays best relief pitcher, but Rafael Soriano will hold the title. The team, as well as the other relievers, should benefit from that fact. That also means that he'll get a chance to answer the question posed in the title.

Like catcher and right field, the Rays search for a closer more often than not has come up empty handed. While Mariano Rivera has racked up 478 saves since the (Devil) Rays debut in 1998, 39 different Rays' relievers have comprised the franchise's 427 saves. We now turn to Soriano and hope #40 is the charm.

Looking back on Rays closers, the list is a mixed bunch. Ranging from one of the all-time save kings in Troy Percival down to Lance Carter, the list is hardly a picture of relief aces. Since we know a closer shouldn't be limited to, or just measured by, saves, I decided to set the criteria for a closer as such: The reliever must have pitched at least 40 relief innings in a season with a pLI minimum of 1.60. Here is the list:

Year	Player	IP	pLI
2009	J.P Howell	66.2	1.82
2008	Troy Percival	45.2	1.79
2008	Dan Wheeler	66.1	1.72
2007	Al Reyes	60.2	1.66
2005	Danys Baez	72.1	2.16
2004	Danys Baez	68	1.7
2003	Lance Carter	79	1.73
2002	Esteban Yan	69	2.05
2001	Esteban Yan	62.1	1.82
2000	Roberto Hernandez	73.1	1.95
1999	Roberto Hernandez	73.1	2.21
1998	Roberto Hernandez	71.1	1.73

You'll notice that 2006 is missing; that's because there was zero qualified candidates. No reliever with a minimum of 40 innings even topped a 1.2 pLI. Depending on which part of that season you're looking at, the Rays "closer" could've been any one of the following: Tyler Walker, Dan Miceli, Brian Meadows, Seth McClung, or Shawn Camp. Atrocious.

Now that we have our list, here is how those pitchers performed by FIP:

Year	Player	FIP
1999	Roberto Hernandez	2.94
2001	Esteban Yan	3.23
2009	J.P Howell	3.71
2000	Roberto Hernandez	4.13
2005	Danys Baez	4.2
2004	Danys Baez	4.25
1998	Roberto Hernandez	4.44
2008	Dan Wheeler	4.49
2003	Lance Carter	4.69
2002	Esteban Yan	4.7
2007	Al Reyes	4.85
2008	Troy Percival	5.87

Going with this quick and easy method of analysis, Roberto Hernandez's 1999 season is the golden standard for all Rays' relievers. Hernandez not only had the highest pLI in Rays history, but also the lowest FIP for a closer. A quick check of CHONE's historical WAR database says Hernandez was worth 3.1 wins above replacement that season. Nonetheless, the D-Rays finished in last place that season with a record of 69-93.

The surprise on the list has to be Esteban Yan in 2001. More famous for being referenced in the Simpsons than anything on the field, Yan had the second best closing season according to FIP. Despite what some believe, save percentage does not tell you the whole story. 2009's version of J.P. Howell finished third on the FIP list, and had the Iceman not melted late in 2009, he probably would've given Yan and Hernandez a run for their money.

While the older, oft-injured closer approached has worked in short doses, Troy Percival and his predecessor, Al Reyes, are among the worst closing seasons in the franchise's history.

In 2009, Rafael Soriano posted a pLI of 1.66 for the Braves. He finished with 75.2 innings pitched and a fantastic FIP of 2.54. If he can some how duplicate last season's success in 2010, we will witness the greatest closer season in Rays' history. Not to put to much pressure on the man's right arm (it's fragile, after all), if Soriano can give the Rays 65 high leverage innings and maintain an FIP in the 3.5 season, I'll gladly take that.

Blue Jays Acquire...John Buck.

Tommy Rancel — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:56:48 -0000

More photos » by Ed Zurga - AP

Browse more photos »

The Blue Jays finally made their move. Oh I don't mean the rumored earth shattering blockbuster that involves two of the Major Leagues top 10 pitchers in Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. I mean signing John Buck to a one-year deal worth $2 million dollars.

Less than a day after being non-tendered by the Royals, Buck will likely be the backstop on most days for the Toronto squad. Buck was non-tendered in part to the Royals signing of Jason Kendall, who was given a $3 million dollar annual salary from the Royals over two years. Why the older, more expensive Kendall over Buck? That's just Dayton Moore.

Buck isn't an offensive dynamo, but has flashed some power (.171 career ISO). He did have a .332 wOBA during limited action in 2009 (202 PA) mostly due to his power. Overall, he compares well with the recent group of catchers, who have signed for two-year deals at a greater guranteed paycheck.

Defensively, I haven't heard much about Buck being a butcher behind the plate and his ~26% caught stealing percentage is just below Kendall's 27%. Of course he isn't as gritty, or as veteran-ny as Kendall, so that probably justifies the $4 million more in guaranteed money as well as the six-year difference in age. Just proof that the hopes for a replacement level team in Kansas City is still alive.

Report: Rays Remain Interested In Kelvim Escobar

Tommy Rancel — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:52:59 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Browse more photos »

So about that other reliever we talked about earlier...

Reports out of Venezuela (via Jorge Arangure) say that the Tampa Bay Rays remain interested in free agent pitcher Kelvim Escobar, and by the words of Escobar the feeling is mutual. The report also states that Escobar will work exclusively in relief to limit the toll on his arm. Here are some of the tweets:

Venezuelan journalist Efrain Zavarce reports that Mets have offered Kelvim Escobar a minor league deal.Rays are also interested
Also, Escobar tells Zavarce that he will pitch as reliever to avoid taxing his injured shoulder, which has kept him on DL past 2 yrs

Escobar:"Tampa would be a good place.They have a need for relief pitching.Last year they lost several games because of the bullpen."

Escobar continued: "Now with Rafael Soriano and possibly me, Tampa could be better."

I tend to agree with the last statement.

While the mutual attraction appears to be there, Arangure says it looks like the Mets are the favorite because they have been most aggressive. The reliever is schedule to pitch on Friday in Winter League ball. It will be interested to see which team, if any, makes a move soon after. For more on Escobar and why he makes sense for the Rays click below.

Why The Rays Should Target Kelvim Escobar

B.J. Upton, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett Among Rays' Tendered Contracts

Tommy Rancel — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:23:59 -0000

More photos » by Mary Schwalm - AP

Tampa Bay Rays catcher Dioner Navarro, left, and pitcher Lance Cormier both received one-year deals, avoiding arbitration.

Browse more photos »

Now that decision Saturday is finished, the Rays roster has gotten a bit clearer in some areas, yet remains unsettled in others. Not surprising, but B.J. Upton, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, J.P. Howell, Grant Balfour and Kelly Shoppach were all tendered contracts for the 2010 season. Barring an unforeseen event, all should be back with the Rays. The remaining questions are: who will sign before the mid-January deadline? And will any have a hearing like Dioner Navarro did last season?

Speaking of Navarro, a non-tender candidate in his own right, he was not only tendered a contract, but re-signed before the midnight deadline to a one-year deal with $2.1 million dollars avoiding arbitration altogether. The $2.1 million dollar salary is an exact replica of the salary Navarro received in 2009 after an arbitration panel denied his request for $2.5 million. It's not secret Navarro was just awful in 2009, but some of that awfulness can be explained by bad luck.

Even with regression, it seems that Navarro and the other catcher on the roster, Shoppach, are not ideal platoon partners with each player owning a similar platoon split. The Rays could stay status-quo on the position, or could continue to shop Navarro as was reported before Saturday's deadline. The going rate on an average catcher this year seems to be $3 million annually; Navarro could be a cheaper, alternative to some on the open market. If not, they Rays will have about ~$5 million dollars tied up at the catcher position with no clear cut answer to who is the starter.

Gabe Gross's non-tender is not a surprise. His name was never mentioned by Joe Maddon or Andrew Friedman as part of the 2010 plans, and Matt Joyce will never be more ready than he is now. Maybe the Rays will sign Ryan Langerhans for R.J. to obsess over.

R.J. covered the one-year deals of Randy Choate and Lance Cormier that will pay the bullpen duo a combined $1.9 million dollars in 2010. Choate will head in to spring training as the lead LOOGY in the clubhouse, while Cormier will nearly double his 2009 salary ($650k) and earn $1.2 million dollars. With Andy Sonnanstine and Mitch Talbot in the mix for bullpen spots, the raise for Cormier could mean an expanded role; one more similar to fellow ground baller, Chad Bradford instead of just mop-up man.

Among players non-tendered by other teams, I think Matt Capps makes the most sense for the Rays. The Rays had reported interest in him before the deadline, and it's easy to see why. Capps is still young at age 26, and was well above average in 2007 and 2008. It's strange that the Huntington/Fox front office would cut him loose based on one bad season in which some regression seems to be in order. If the Rays can some how dig into their new, seemingly bottom-less, purse one more time this offseason, Capps would seem like a decent investment since his new team would also hold his rights for 2011.

MLB Non-Tender Deadline Thread

Tommy Rancel — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:13:00 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

Browse more photos »

Today marks the day in which teams must tender a contract to all players who are arbitration eligible and have under six years of service. Depending on who you believe, this year's non-tender deadline could be a flood of talent or a drizzle of disappointment. We've covered the Rays situation in length, but the Rays do have 10 players who must be tendered a contract by midnight tonight

B.J.Upton, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, Grant Balfour, Lance Cormier, Kelly Shoppach, Randy Choate, J.P. Howell, Gabe Grossand DIoner Navarro. Eight out of the 10 should receive offers with the final two, Gross and Navarro, being the most realistic options for non-tendering. You could make a case that Cormier and Choate could also be non-tendered in the interest of saving a little bit of cash, but both proved they can handle life in the AL East and are in line for modest raises that won't bankrupt the team. There is the notion that the Rays could choose between Shoppach and Navarro, but how silly would it be to give up a player (who shall remain nameless) for Shoppach and then let him go just a few days later?

Around the league there could be some decent names let go. Kevin Correia figures to headline the non-tender class if he's not traded before then. The Padres do not want to pay Corriea the $4 million or so he seeks. If he hits the market his 3.81 FIP and 2.4 WAR will attract a lot of interest. Other names could include: Garrett Atkins, Jack Cust, Kelly Johnson, Chien-Ming Wang and our old pal Jonny Gomes. Former Ray Seth McClung has already been notified that he will be non-tendered

With the payroll being what it is, the Rays most likely won't be in on the bigger names, but they did add non-tenders, Cormier and Joe Nelson, last year. I expect the Rays to take interest in some of the available talent most likely at the catcher and relief pitcher spots. Names like Jeremy Accardo, Bill Bray, and possibly Renyel Pinto could be interesting, but we'll just have to see who actually is or isn't tendered.

We will have a separate post for the Rays decisions when made, but in the meantime feel free to discuss all the non-tendering here.

Note: Randy Choate is coming back.

Royals Sign Jason Kendall To Two Year Contract; Seriously.

Tommy Rancel — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:37:51 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Browse more photos »

At this point you have to just assume that the joke is on us. I keep thinking that one day after announcing a terrible move that Dayton Moore is going to move aside and Ashton Kutcher is gonna jump out and say "PUNK'D." Moore's latest prank was giving Jason Kendall a two-year deal that could pay him over $6 million dollars.

One day a GM Manifesto will be released with a list of some of Moore's more ridiculous moves and at the bottom it will read "Do not try this at home." I think he may actually be toying with the theory of fielding a replacement level team just to see if all our WAR estimates were right. For all the good that David DeJesus, Alberto Callaspo, Billy Butler, Joakim Soria and Zack Grienke bring, Moore tries to balance that with Kyle Farnsworth, Bruce Chen, Jamey Wright, Horacio Ramirez, Jose Guillen, Willie Bloomquist, Yuniesky Betancourt, and now Kendall.

Back in the day, you would've been hard pressed to find a more productive offensive catcher than Jason Kendall. In four of his first five seasons, Kendall posted wOBA's over .370. In 1998, his wOBA was .396 and, in just under half a season in 1999, he posted a Mauer-esque .420 wOBA. As recently as 2004, he posted above average offensive numbers, but has done little since. Since leaving the Steel City, he has posted the following wOBA's: .305, .321, .272, .293, .290. He has also failed to post a slugging percentage of over .342 over the same period. For his career, less than 2% of the flyballs he's hit have left the yard.

Being a savvy veteran and having a good reputation have magically earned him over 500 plate appearances in each of those seasons. His latest contract indicates that trend will continue. Moore keeps repeating that all these moves are part of "the Process." Either he just overheard Andrew Freidman use the phrase before, or Moore's process just flat out sucks. After this latest stroke of genius, I'm pretty sure it's the latter.

I often wonder, how is this the same man that re-signed Zack Grienke to a fantastic contract extension last season? I guess that serves as the ultimate example that even a broken clock get's it right twice a day. Actually, Royals fans just wish they had the broken clock instead.

Beyond The Box Score On The Astros Signing Brandon Lyon, Pedro Feliz & Acquiring Matt Lindstrom

Tommy Rancel — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:21:38 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Browse more photos »

After watching former Astro, LaTroy Hawkins received $7.5 million dollars from the Brewers, Ed Wade did the unthinkable and handed DOUBLE that to Brandon Lyon on a three-year deal. I don't want to beat up on Brandon Lyon here because it's not his fault that Wade saw a 2.86 ERA in 2009, and said "that's the guy I want to pay $5 million dollars annually until 2012."

Lyon is your average run of the mill relief pitcher. He's seen better days in the past, and has moonlighted as a closer every so often, however, overall he's pretty mediocre. With a career ERA of 4.20 and a near matching FIP of 4.23, you could easily find similar talent wasting away in Triple-A somewhere (Winston Abreu, R.J.?).

Lyon is pretty consistent, and will give you 60+ innings out of the bullpen; that's about the most positive thing I can say about that. His strikeout rates aren't impressive and he walked 3.5 batters per nine in 2009. His sexy ERA is clearly due to a lower than normal BABIP (.229) and a higher than normal for him LOB% (80.1). He did earn a decent 0.7 WAR last season, but 57 other relief pitchers earned at least that last season (min 50 relief innings).

Signing Lyon isn't a bad move. Had this been a two-year deal worth something like $2-3 million dollars, nobody would've had a big problem with that. But that would've been too normal.

The Astros also acquired Matt Lindstrom, who along with Lyon will essentially replace Hawkins and Jose Valverde at the back end of the bullpen. Unlike the Lyon deal, I actually like the acquisition of Lindstrom. With the Rays being one of the rumored places for him before the trade, I brushed on some of his history and I can see why teams would take a chance on him.

30 in February, Lindstrom has the velocity scouts swoon over. However, that hasn't turned into the strikeout rates one would expect. His 7.55 career K/9 is not that impressive and he has walked over four batters per nine in each of the last two seasons. His ERA of 5.89 is inflated by a .342 BABIP, but his career FIP of 4.22 suggests that he is pretty much Brandon Lyon for less.

Being arbitration eligible meant that he was getting too rich for the Marlins blood and instead of non-tendering him, they simply passed him off to Houston for two non-descript prospects. Lindstrom's HR/FB jumped to 9.3% in 2009 after keeping it under 3% for two seasons. I guess it was just regression making up for lost time. A ground-ball pitcher, I would guess his rates would settle in the 6-8% range, but pitching in Houston isn't going to help that much. Again, Lindstrom isn't anything special, but his ERA should keep him from being too expensive in arbitration.

I guess our pal Ed Wade is allergic to making two good deals in a week as he took whatever good will gained in acquiring Lindstrom and threw that away in another head scratching signing. It's no secret that the Astros had a black hole at third base, but that's been the case for a few years now. Passing the duties from one utility man to another for the past few seasons, Wade seemingly put a stop to that and got his man.

Thanks to a one-year, $4.5 million dollar deal, the Astros third base problem will be solved by Pedro Feliz. Yes, the same Pedro Feliz who hit .266/.308/.386 in 625 PAs last season. In fact, he has not posted a wOBA over .307 in any of the last five seasons. Sadly, that shouldn't be a surprise since his career wOBA is .306.

Feliz has made a nice living from having an above-average glove at third base, but his bat is terrible. Not to mention, he'll be 35 years-old soon after opening day 2010. Did I mention that Happy Pete also has a career .288 OBP against RHP which just happens to cover like 65% of the league?

Some where Melvin Mora and his 89 kids are hoping that there's one more Ed Wade Christmas miracle to be had this winter.

Beyond The Box Score On The Rangers Dealing Kevin Millwood To Orioles & Signing Rich Harden

Tommy Rancel — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:37:06 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

Browse more photos »

As I sit at home with a sick child processing the happenings of the winter meetings, I figure now is a good time to catch Beyond The Boxscore up on the moves we've missed. Luckily, the bulk of the moves involve similar teams so we can consolidate some posts in the process.

Two moves that seem related to one another are the Rangers trading former ace Kevin Millwood to the Orioles for former closer Chris Ray; then turning right around and adding a pitcher with ace stuff in Rich Harden. SInce I don't follow the team closely, I'm not sure one deal officially led to another, but for a team that has money issues the timing seemed coincidental.

Moving Millwood and $3 million in cash to Baltimore cleared up $9 million dollars for 2010. If you include Chris Ray's expected salary of ~$1 million, then the savings are closer to $8 million. Harden will cost the Rangers $7.5 in 2010. The team also holds a team option for 2011 of over $11 million dollars.

Rangers fans shouldn't expect much from Ray. After a solid first two season with the Orioles, injuries have turned Ray into an average-to-below-average middle reliever. He missed the Majors in 2008 completely, and hasn't posted a sub 4.1 FIP season since his rookie campaign in 2005.

This previous season his FIP sat about the five mark and his tRA over six. He still shows good velocity after Tommy John surgery, and he did carry a ridiculous BABIP of .402 last season. However, home runs have been a problem in the past and remain. Because of his 7+ ERA, he won't get much of a raise in arbitration, if any. From the Rangers stand point, the move is what it is; a salary dump with a potential useful reliever thrown in the mix.

For the Orioles, they get a veteran starter to anchor a pretty young rotation. Millwood had a dandy 3.67 ERA in 2009, however, his 4.80 FIP, 4.78 xFIP, and 5.61 tRA don't speak highly of the soon-to-be 35-year-old's 2009 season. He doesn't strike out many and his 85.2% contact rate tells you he doesn't miss many bats. Since posting a 5.1 WAR in 2006, Millwood has averaged 2.8 WAR over the last three. At $9 million dollars, he should give the Orioles fair value, but isn't anything special. The move to the AL East will probably take some adjusting, but given the fact that he's probably one and done on rebuilding Baltimore team, it shouldn't really much matter.

A year after leaving the NL West, Rich Harden returns home to replace Millwood in the Rangers rotation. Nolan Ryan gets himself a hard-throwing ,strikeout pitcher, but I'm not sure that Harden fits the 300 inning/150 pitch per game starter that Ryan dreams about. He has topped 30 starts just once in his career, and has never pitched over 189 innings in a given season. Most likely Harden will give you 22-25 starts and 140 innings.

He shows flashes of brilliance as seen in his 2008 numbers, but is equally as frustrating as shown in his fourth starter-ish 2009 numbers. He does get a lot of K's which will put a smile on Nolan's face, and is the owner of some ridiculous contact rates which show how good his stuff can be. The only qualified starter with a sub 70% contact rate, Harden has produced swinging strike percentages north of 13% in each of the last five seasons and over 15% in two of the last three. The talent is there, unfortunately more often than not it's accompanied by a trainer. If healthy, Harden could give Texas a major boost in the increasingly competitive AL West.

Rays & Braves Agree In Principal To Rafael Soriano Trade

Tommy Rancel — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:10:24 -0000

Taking a quick timeout from other happenings, I get to cover a move near and dear to my heart. Somewhere between going to bed and waking up this morning, the Rays have all but completed a trade with the Braves that will bring Rafael Soriano to the Rays in exchange for Jesse Chavez. At post time the deal is pending medical approval and no money is expected to change hands.

Soriano looked like he was headed to the top of the free agent relief crop after posting stellar numbers as the Braves part-time closer. He finished the season with a sub 3 ERA as well as a sub 3 xFIP. His 3.43 FIP also shows his above-average-ness. Bolstered by a 93 mph fastball, and a 10 mile separation to his slider, Soriano's K/9 skyrocketed to 12.13 in 2009. Going forward he is more likely to settle around his career number of 9.87, but that's also impressive.

All this good stuff made Soriano a Type-A free agent. The Braves offered arbitration assuming he would decline and they would collect two draft picks. He doesn't throw much of a curveball, so I guess he tossed the Braves a slider when he turned around and accepted arbitration after the Braves had already handed out over $10 million dollars for 2010 to Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. Soriano granted permission to the Braves to seek a trade and that's what they did.

Braves fans may be disappointed in the return of Jesse Chavez as vision of Reid Brignac danced in some of their heads. However, like the situation the Rays were with Akinori Iwamura when they acquired Chavez, the Braves didn't have much leverage. Chavez is a decent return. He is cheap, has a live arm, and is due for some regression in the home run category that plagued him (I did some work on Chavez/HR here).

With the back end of the Braves pen settled, Chavez gives them a middle relief option that can pitch multiple innings and on back to back days if needed. He also comes with minor league options. In addition to Chavez, the club can take the $7+ million Soriano is set to make in 2010 and spread that elsewhere.

For the Rays, it's hard not to like this deal. I do think Soriano will end up being just a bit overpaid, but not by much. He's unlikely to repeat his 2 WAR of 2009, but should definitely be in 1.25-1.5 area. This puts his estimated value somewhere in between $6-$7 million. As part of terms to complete the trade, Ken Rosenthal reports the Rays agreed to a one-year deal with the reliever for just at or above $7 million.

He is a legit sub 4 FIP pitcher and scouts think his stuff will translate in the American League. He'll probably see some regression in the K/9 category (12.13 in 09, 9.87 career), but hopefully in the BB/9 (3.21 in 09, 2.81 career) as well. If he settles in the 3.5-3.75 FIP, I think the Rays would take that.

Soriano will also quiet the mainstream media's calls for the Rays needing a closer. Thanks to nice platoon split on both sides, he should be in the closing mix on most nights regardless of match up. For his career, he has killed righties to the tune of .168/.236/.284, but handles lefties as well .235/.303/.404. However, with J.P Howell available, the Rays could try and replicate the model Atlanta used at the end of games with Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. Soriano misses a lot of bats with a contact rate well below 80% and can strand runners with the best of them as evident in his 79.1% career LOB%.

Despite possibly carrying the title of closer, Soriano stands a chance of not even being the Rays best reliever. Once again, I expect that honor to go to Howell, who has put up slighly better numbers than Soriano over the past two seasons in the league's toughest division. Add in Grant Balfour and the Rays have a nifty back-end of the bullpen.

Bringing the right-handed Fuego to Howell's left-handed ice, Soriano will be a very good pick up for the Rays even if Stu Sternberg needed a bailout to finance his acquisition.