The Rays can't come home soon enough. It was a rough week for the Rays, who went 3-4 in the final two legs of their long road trip. All in all, 3-4 (and 4-6 on the 10 game road trip) isn't as bad as it could have been. There still are some things that should excite Rays fans. The Rays could have the best middle-of-the-order in team history in 2012. And despite not playing anywhere near their best baseball, the Rays still have a winning record overall. Here's hoping home, sweet home, brings the best out of the Rays this week.

3 Up:

James Shields: One of the ways an ace is defined is someone who can stop a losing streak. Shields stopped the Rays slide in a big way, with his 8.1 shutout innings of the Red Sox. Easily his best performance at Fenway, Shields gave up only four hits, all singles. In the game wrap up, Erik Hahmann gave us Shields career stats at Fenway: "In 10 career games coming into today he had allowed a slash line of .300/.356/.526."

Luke Scott: I think every Rays fan hopes the Wolverine can keep his hamstring healthy, because this week he showed his shoulder is very healthy at the plate. In six games, and a pinch hit in the seventh, Scott blasted three home runs, including a grand slam, and led 11 Rays across home plate. The Rays wanted to add some power in the off-season when they replaced Kotchman and Damon. In the first two weeks, so far, so good. Pena and Scott have combined for .a 325 average, .462 OBP, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 1.037 OPS.

Wade Davis: There is much to be said about the horrendous road trip for the Rays bullpen. The Rays phoned Durham twice for bullpen help in the past week. But one bullpen member that got through this week unscathed is the newest (in experience) member of the bullpen. Davis stepped up and gave the Rays much needed innings when David Price couldn't get past the fourth inning, and threw three shut-out innings vs Boston. Davis overall pitched 4.2 shutout innings, striking out five and giving up no walks. So far the Davis bullpen experiment is a success and Davis could see himself moving towards the late innings, just like J.P. Howell in 2008.

(Hon Men: Matt Joyce (the Rays batting average leader for the week with a .360avg and 2 HR), Sean Rodriguez (6-for-18 with four walks), and Molina's framing which can cause a Red Sox helmet to be thrown down to the ground in rage)

3 Down:

The Bullpen: The numbers speak for themselves. In 21 innings, the bullpen as a whole gave up 20 earned runs, 32 hits, and 13 walks. Oofdah. The only positive is the bullpen is how it started to turn around in the Blue Jays series. I'm still rooting for Howell to put it all together. McGee might need some time in AAA to grow comfortable in throwing his secondary pitches.

Evan Longoria: Last night's 3-for-4 performance with a 2-run HR, accounted for just about half of Longoria's hits for the week. But Longoria's defense has garnered the most attention, as the normally sure-fire, gold glover had four errors this week, including a three error performance vs Boston. Best to just chalk up this week as one to forget and move on.

Short Starts: A major part of the bullpen woes has been how much they've had to be used. Only two starters went 6 or more innings in the Rays last 7 games. Once the starters start performing up to expectations, the less the bullpen will be exposed.

What are your thoughts on week two?

The Rays just put week 1 in the books with a 4-2 record. This week featured a happy reunion, some good first impressions, and others with a week they'd rather forget. What are your impressions after week 1? Listed below are some players who started out with a bang and others who barely fizzled.

3 Up

Carlos Pena: You had me at Grand Slam. Pena began his year with a bang, against a LHP no less. And he hasn't stopped hitting. The power and the walks were the reason why the Rays were willing to bring him back. But a willingness to hit the ball the other way could be a big help to his batting average. Hopefully this isn't a one week trend.

Fernando Rodney: Another team's junk is the Rays treasure. Rays are the best at taking castoff bullpen arms and turning them into late inning gems. Three saves and a win and Rodney has already endeared himself to his new team and fans. With Peralta struggling a bit out of the gate and Farnsworth on the DL, Rodney has come up big for the Rays when they've needed him the most so far. I'll be very curious to see this bullpen when they are fully healthy and Farnsworth and Gomes return.

Evan Longoria: Longoria has picked up right where he left off last year. MLB's leading RBI man since last June, Longoria is hitting for average, power, and has more walks than strikeouts. With some in the media predicting an MVP season for the Rays third baseman, his first week has done nothing to slow down high hopes.

3 Down

Jake McGee: As others have noted, McGee had success last year with his slider. But for whatever reason, this year he's turned into a one-pitch pony. If McGee can't/won't throw that slider or at least develop a change up that can keep hitters honest, he's a LOOGY at best this year. Problem is, that's not how Maddon has used him to begin the year.

Jose Molina: A lot of talk has been mentioned about Molina's ability to frame pitches. One of the things Rays fans have seen to begin the year is his inability to block pitches. Molina's struggles have already cost the Rays a couple runs in the first week. It's easy for fans to overlook this when it's matched with a good bat or something positive they can clearly see. Framing is more of an behind-the-scenes skill that won't be appreciated by the average fan. I'd be willing to bet that Molina ends up as one of the most underrated players on this year's team.

Injuries: Finding a third player for this list was tough. You could make the case for Sean Rodriguez or Matt Joyce, but both are playing more due to injuries. Joyce is still above average vs RHP. Rodriguez is the same with LHP. Rodriguez has also impressed this week with his defense at SS. But the Rays as a whole have suffered from injuries to B.J. Upton and Luke Scott offensively and the bullpen is without Kyle Farnsworth and Brandon Gomes. I think any Rays fan has to be excited by how this team will look once it's at full strength.

These are my observations of week one. What are yours?

I was thinking of writing something up like this today, but raysfaninminnesota beat me to it. Have at it. ~Slow

Ever since the Anthony Rizzo trade, impatience has started to affect Rays fans. A week of 2012 is already in the books, and still no major moves have been made. Not even the start of playoff football has been able to fill the void left by the quiet off-season. It's just too quiet. More and more teams are leaving the off-season party at a time when it doesn't even appear that they Rays have even shown up yet. Pitchers and catchers report in six weeks. Are the Rays too late?

"We're having a lot of conversations on both the trade front and also with free agents,'' he said. "I'm confident that we're going to end up with two hitters that will complement our existing offense and fit in very well. It's very difficult to handicap the timing but I wouldn't be surprised if something happened in the next couple weeks.''

Friedman is not concerned about names continuing to be crossed off the list. Instead there are targets he's still looking at that he believes will meet the off-season goals he set out to accomplish. The question Rays fans want to ask is this: Who?!?! Who's left? Topkin doesn't believe bringing back Pena will necessarily satisfy that need. Power, yes, but low average and strikeouts are two big reasons why the Rays were willing to let him go in the first place. So, if the Rays are still looking to the trade market to fill that bat, who is left? Here's Topkin's list:

With more than $40 million committed to 14 players, money of course is an issue. The White Sox's Paul Konerko could be a tremendous DH fit. The Nats' Adam LaRoche or, more intriguingly, Mike Morse? Maybe, as ESPN's Buster Olney suggested, the Mets' Daniel Murphy. K.C.'s Billy Butler? Hmmm.

There are no sources for this, so Topkin is just speculating names at this point. Either way, the indication he got from Friedman today is something will happen in the next couple weeks. And not a Posada type addition. Something bigger.

One last time for predictions. Who do you think the Rays will trade for? Will it be a middle-of-the-order bat the Rays seek? Will Friedman's patience pay off?

I have been a huge critic of Foster and while he suffers from severe PMS problems (petulant man-child syndrome), an article from the Tribune gives credence to the argument the Rays could be doing more in their marketing efforts.  At minimum there are some different emphases or angles they could take, which could be beneficial.  I'll be honest in saying, if there marketing team does not contact every business in the Tampa Bay area every year in person (or over phone), they are not doing enough.  And some businesses are saying they are not being contacted much.  

Also, here's another article, showing how Florida is the most ravaged state because of the bad economy, and the Tampa market is the worst MLB and pro team market, according to unemployment, median income, median personal debt and credit rating.  This does not even scratch the location and geographical issues.

In a vacuum, the Rays would benefit from working together with both mayors for marketing strategies as they also work on finding a location and funding a new stadium that works best for both sides.  But with the Rays trying to build the case they need a new stadium and championing their lack of resources cause, and Foster's PMS issues, this, unfortunately, will never be.

What do these articles shed light on for you?  What arguments do you agree or disagree with?

I started making posts in the tampa stadium funding post, but it seems that even though the two are connected to the Rays long-term success, talking about both in the same post seemed to be muddying the waters.

So here's the first thing I posted:

according to this website, the Tampa/St. Pete/Sarasota market is the 13th largest market (1.8 mil). Dallas/Ft. Worth is the 5th largest market (2.5mil), and LA is the second largest (5.6). However, when you add in the Orlando market (19th, at 1.6), the Rays market nearly doubles to 3.4. That puts the Rays TV market size into the top 5.

The Rangers are getting about 1.6-1.8 billion dollars over 20 years. This comes out to about 80 million a year. The Dodgers are looking at that and then some.

According to this article, the LA Angels are close to a deal that will eclipse the Rangers deal.  Their new deal also would include a ownership stake in Fox Sports West.  These new deals can only help the Rays when they start their new negotiations.

As Jonah Keri points out, TV deals are the next boon of baseball.  The Rays may be small market geographically, but regionally, as far as TV markets are concerned, the Rays swim with the big fishes.  And that will make a major impact on the future of the franchise.

The Rays should easily get 50-80 million a year in a new deal.  This will allow the Rays to be able to afford a new stadium (with help from either St. Pete or Tampa), and raise the payroll into the 70-100 range...and that's before $1 from attendance comes in.  $tu has to paint the picture bleak in order to negotiate a good stadium deal.  That's business.  But when you step back and take a look at the overall picture, the potential is there to make this a very lucrative and competitive baseball franchise for years and years to come.

The Florida Marlins have struggled through some tough love to SS Hanley Ramirez and OF Logan Morrison this season.  But between Morrison, Ramirez, Gaby Sanchez, and Mike Stanton, and potential bats like Emilio Bonaficio and Chris Coghlan, the Marlins have been exciting to watch this year, even if they don't have enough for post-season play.  On the pitching front, Josh Johnson is a pure ace when healthy (which is proving to be a big if), and both Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez have posted 3 WAR seasons so far (26th and 6th in xFIP respectively).

But with the locker room and other potential problems, the Marlins could try to shake up their team in the off-season as they move into their new stadium.  That being said, they have some bats/headaches that some teams would love to have on their team.  With the Marlins excess hitting and in need of a durable ace, I could see the Marlins matching up well with the Rays for a Shields blockbuster.  Ramirez is a pipedream even if he plays at a premium position(and expensive, expensive, expensive) but perhaps Logan Morrison is attainable for the right price.  How well do you think the Marlins matchup with the Rays on a potential pitching trade, even if the Rays don't move Shields, but move someone else?  Who would you like to target the most from the Marlins in a potential trade?

Some cool articles about the Rays on ESPN (and no attendance joke, shocking!)

But giving credit where credit is due:  If you want a good read on Rocco Baldelli's continued impact on the Rays and his player turned scout turned future front office executive, read this.

If you want an article that shows the development of Matt Joyce and why there's reason to think he should be able to sustain a lot of his current success, read this.

Both are good reads and it amazes me just how awesome Joyce has been for the first two months.

Also, I know it has been mentioned elsewhere, but this TPR blurb about the AAA plans for Jake McGee and Brandon Gomes is very informative and interesting.  Check it out if you haven't already.

If the season ended today, I think you could make a very valid argument for Shields to be the AL Cy Young.  Take a look at Shields by the numbers:

• 2.15 ERA - 4th in AL
• 2.94 FIP - 8th in AL
• 2.70 xFIP - 1st in AL
• 2.0 WAR - 5th in AL
• 8.71 K/9 - 6th in AL
• 3 CG - 1st in AL
• 2 ShO - 1st in AL
• 7.1 IP/start - 1st in AL
• 10 of his 11 starts have been quality starts

With a third of the season in the books, is it possible that Shields could give the Rays their second Cy Young candidate in as many seasons?  Do you think that Shields should be the Cy Young if the season ended today?  What a turnaround, bounce-back campaign for Shields, considering how last year went.  If Shields keeps this up, he goes from being the Rays most expensive player in 2012 (aka, likely to be traded) to being worth the money and then some.

But with the Rays always having one eye on the future as well as the present, if the Rays could get a bounty for Shields, should they move him in the off-season?  What would it take for you to be willing to move him?  

Either way, Shields has been everything the Rays could have wanted and more.  Last year, the Rays had David Price, and then everyone else.  Now the Rays have Price, Shields, and Hellickson forming a formidable top three for a playoff series.  The Rays were built last season to handle the long season, but not necessarily built for a 5 or 7 game series.  Pitching-wise, this year, they are built for that.  Even with issues at 4 and 5 right now, the Rays rotation is top-heavy enough to keep the team in contention.  If Cobb or a healthy Niemann emerge, and Davis keeps moving in the right direction, this should be fun.

With rumors already surfacing of the impending free agents on the New York Mets who could be on the trade block in Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, new rumors are surfacing that the Minnesota Twins could hold a similar sale on players like Jason Kubel and Jim Thome if they do not turn it around and quick.  My question is, with a preliminary look at what could be available at the deadline, who else could you envision being on the trading block?  Who would be a good fit with the Rays?  Could this be the year that Baltimore finally parts with Luke Scott?  Who would you like to see the Rays go after?  

I've been thinking about this for a few days now.  The Rays announced their existence in 2008 as they took the MLB by surprise, causing some to say, "Huh, I didn't even realize the Tampa Bay area had a baseball team."  The Rays announced they were not a Hanson one-hit wonder in 2010, posting their third straight winning season and second division crown.  In two of the last three years, the Rays have beaten the very best the Red Sox and Yankees have had to offer.  Let's put it this way:

Combined payrolls from 2008-2010:

New York Yankees:  623 million dollars

Boston Red Sox:  423 million dollars (this year is a all-time team high 168 million, up 40 mil from last year)

Tampa Bay Rays: 179 million dollars

Hypothetical question:  If the Rays were to somehow win the AL East in 2011, their 3rd division crown in 4 seasons, how would you quantify that accomplishment?  How do you consider this type of dominance?  I understand it's all about the championships, and yet there's something to be said for what the Atlanta Braves did in the 90's and beyond with their decade-plus division dominance. 

Taking a look at what the Rays have to overcome, and beginning to enter a long enough period of consistency, what would 3 division titles in 4 seasons mean to the organization?  Since Spring is the time for hope, I just thought I'd throw this out there and see what anyone thought.

St. Pete Times has two good articles in the Monday's paper on a has been (Juan Cruz) and who would've thought (Dane De La Rosa).  Both might be a challenge to make the team right out of the gate (although Maddon had high praise for Cruz, and a bullpen invite if healthy) but both present some major upgrades if either/both pan out this season.

With guys like De La Rosa, and Brandon Gomes, which potential bullpen arms intrigue you most this year?  What is realistic to expect out of De La Rosa?  At 6'6" with a powering fastball-curveball combo, there's a lot to drool over.  How will it translate in the AL East?

Here's the link:  Ramirez signs for 2mil, Damon for 5.25 with .75 in incentives.  Both deals are pending physicals.  New Rays lineup:  Jaso-Damon-Ramirez-Longoria-Upton-Joyce-Zobrist-Johnson-Brignac.  Rays have completely remade their lineup.  More contact hitting, less strikeouts, more runs, and more throwing it in the Red Sux and Stankees faces by using their former players against them. 

Thank you again Andrew Friedman!  Third AL East Championship coming up!

At this point it appears the Rays and Jays are the two most interested teams in Rauch.  How high should the Rays be willing to go to bring Rauch in?  Is a 2 year, 8 million dollar contract too high? (essentially what Balfour got from the A's)  The Rays paid that much for Troy Percival back in the day.  Brian Fuentes received 2 years and 10 million (for a team that already has an established closer, it's a very strange deal).  The Jays already signed Octavio Dotel...would they pony up that much money for Rauch as well?

It would be nice if the Rays stepped up and got one of the last good bullpen arms available before someone else does.  Of course it does all depend on the price.  What's your cut-off point with Rauch?  Are you willing to give him more than 1 year?  How high would you go?  How high is too high?

With so many draft picks coming up in the 2011 draft, I thought it would be beneficial to take a look back at the Rays drafts under AF and see if anything sticks out.

2006:  Evan Longoria - 1st round , Alex Cobb - 4th round, Desmond Jennings - 10th round

I don't know how many players you should hit on in a given draft, but if you can produce not 1, but 2 top 10 MLB prospects (according to BA), that's pretty good.  Add in a servicable arm in Cobb, and it's hard to argue with this draft.

2007:  David Price - 1st, Nick Barnese - 3rd, Matt Moore - 8th, Joe Cruz - 30th

I'm not sure that you can have a better draft for arms.  I'm not sure the Rays have ever had this successful of a draft for pitching.  The full success can't be measured until we see Barnese and Moore at the MLB level.  Cruz has posted solid numbers so far, but doesn't appear to have the upside of the three drafted before him.  Still a pretty good hit for a 30th round pick.

2008:  Tim Beckham - 1st, Kyle Lobstein - 2nd

As others have said around here, this year's draft seems to be the weakest.  If I am correct, Rangers prospect Tanner Scheppers was available at the time of the Lobstein pick.  Jury is still out (as it will be for all of these years for the most part) on Beckham and company, but early indications are not that appealing.

2009:  Todd Glaesman - 3rd, Lucas Bailey - 4th, Jeff Malm - 5th, Kevin James - 9th, Tyler Bortnick - 16th

Rays went very HS focused in this draft, which means there isn't much to evaluate yet at this point.  Bortnick has gotten off to a good start to his career and hopefully more good things to come.

2010:  Jose Sale, Justin O'Connor, Jake Thompson, Drew Vettleson, Derek Dietrich, Jesse Hahn

Plenty of promising players in this past year's draft.  Can't wait to see some of these guys get their first pro experience this year (Sale, I'm talking about you)

So far we've seen the Rays can draft pitchers and draft them well.  Longoria and Jennings highlight the hitters.  Maybe not a lot of quantity, but definitely good quality.

What do you think of the Rays drafts so far?

Rangers might not be done talking with the Rays.  Rangers have a pitching surplus they may use to upgrade elsewhere.  Headed by Neftali Perez, the Rangers bullpen consists of Alexi Ogando, Darren O'Day, Frank Francisco, Darren Oliver, Michael Kirkman, Arthur Rhodes, and Mark Lowe. 

The Rangers don't have to trade anyone (send Kirkman to AAA, and carry 12 pitchers) but they are very lefty heavy with O'Day, Oliver, Kirkman and Rhodes.

Francisco was reportedly part of the Rangers proposed package deal for Garza.  Maybe the Rays can get him in a separate deal.  Friedman has already said there are still plenty of players they are looking at on both the free agent and trade market.

As the Rays turn their full attention to their 2011 squad, it's going to be interesting to see what tricks Friedman still has up his sleeve.

There are flashier names (DeAngelo Williams, Ahmad Bradshaw) who have the speed and big-play ability Miami covets, but there is another running back who could be the next Michael Turner.  If you remember, Turner was the backup to LT in San Diego three seasons ago, and was considered one of the top back-up RB, and next-in-line players.  Atlanta invested in him and the rest is history.  Oakland's Michael Bush could  be the same situation.

Like Turner, Bush is very compact (6'1 245 compared to Turner's 5'11, 244), and has the size to be a feature back.  He's your classic between-the-tackles runner, who offers play-catching ability, and can make big gains.  With all the potential running backs out there, it'll help keep the market down, but Bush is an under-the-radar type, and at only 26 years old, with very little tread used (376 career carries), he offers a lot of intrigue.

Give me a Orton, Bush, Mankins off-season and I think we have ourselves a playoff contender.

The imminent decision by Texas to sign Adrian Beltre to a massive contract and move Michael Young to DH is a move that should help the Rays in 2011.  As of now, there is one more DH out there (Guerrero) and one less team to go around.

Names still on the DH list with less than 40 days til pitchers and catchers report:  Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, Russell Branyan, Johnny Damon.

The Angels say they are not signing a DH because they already have Napoli, and Juan Rivera, etc, both of whom have some defensive liabilities along with Bobby Abreu.

Who's left that's still in the DH Hunt?  Minnesota might bring back Thome, but they have Kubel.  Seattle signed Jack Cust, Toronto has Adam Lind, Detroit signed Victor Martinez, and the White Sox signed Adam Dunn.  With Texas out of the picture, the Rays offer the last major DH spot available.  Even if Minny brings back Thome, the Rays can choose from Guerrero, Damon, and Ramirez.  That type of bargaining power should put a deal into the 4-5 mil range.

As Friedman bides his time, rest assured he will get his bargain.

Now that the Cliff Lee saga has concluded, the rest of baseball can move on as well.  Part of that moving on is the fallout from the teams who missed out on Lee.  Texas has already kicked the tires on a Garza move, and on Greinke.

Given the scarcity of the pitching market, what would be fair compensation for a pitcher like Garza with three years control, and reasonably inexpensive, given the current contracts?

Is a trade for Mitch Mooreland, Darren O'Day, and Tannor Scheppers too rich?  What if Scheppers was replaced by Alexi Ogando?

Mooreland could step into 1B for us right away, Scheppers is a closer of the future type, O'Day helps solidify our bullpen, and if not Scheppers, Ogando can move into the bullpen right away as well. 

Is this realistic?  Feel free to list your possible Texas trade idea here.

This quote from Friedman appeared in the St. Pete Times today:

"Under-the-radar type guys that we feel fit us well and have a lot of upside," Friedman said. "Right now, we're upside players. That's what our mind-set is and what we're going to aggressively try to accomplish."

After taking a look at the FA list, all I see are has been's and old guys.  Who would Friedman see?  Is he talking about buy-low candidates, or young guys or, if the shoe fits, both?

This is pretty much the wildest way to start the rumor mill, but an ESPN rumor floated the possibility of the Brewers trading Ryan Braun to Kansas City for Zach Greinke.  I can't see any way that the Brewers trade Braun, but if they were willing to make him available for pitching, what would you be willing to offer?

Garza, Jennings, Moore?  Too rich?

With him under a very affordable contract, it'll take something rich to get him.  But he might be the type of player that is worth it, since he is someone we can afford.  He's essentially Longoria version 2.0.  Having those 2 players would solidify our lineup for the next 5 years.

But then again, this whole notion is crazy.  Welcome to the rumorville known as GM Meetings.

Update:  Brewers have traded for Shaun Marcum.  Expect a lot of activity in the next 72-96 hours.

With all the hubbub about the Rays losing nearly their entire bullpen and the doomsday approach by the local media, I thought a positive spin could be placed, reminding everyone of the area where Friedman may have done his best work since being with the Rays.

Of all the closers available in 2010, Friedman was only willing to go to Stu asking for money for Rafael Soriano.  Joaquin Benoit was a minor league contract pickup after 2009, Randy Choate was a minor league contract pickup after 2008, Grant Balfour was picked up for next to nothing(Seth McClung) after 2007, Wheeler was acquired in 2007 trade deadline, and JP Howell was one of Friedmans' first moves in 2006.

What's more, most of these moves were very cost effective for the Rays.  While the Rays may sign someone more established to replace some of what they lost, the real value will come in January as Friedman gets his annual bullpen bargain.  And maybe he's already added one in Corey Wade.  Maybe he can resign one in Chad Qualls.

Qualls had back-to-back WARs with Arizona of 2.1 and 1.1 in 2008-09.  He's had solid FIPs throughout his career, but last year's was a full 1 over his previous year (3.14 to 4.13).  This was aided by having a spike in his BABIP (.321 to .399).  James is projecting a back to norm year for Qualls.  And I hope Friedman does as well.

Honestly, if the Rays can resign Balfour, Qualls, and Wheeler, while only spending a little money on a closer (Jenks if non-tendered?, Kevin Gregg? Kerry Wood?), along with a minor league bargain, along with McGee and maybe Sonny, the Rays could have a solid bullpen.  Maybe not as dominant as last year, but at least an average-to-above-average 'pen, with the possibility of being very good if Howell can return from injury.

Personally, a pen of Wood, Balfour, Qualls, Wheeler, McGee, Howell, Sonny looks pretty good to me.  But if Jenks becomes available at a potential cheaper rate, that would be even better.  And hopefully another move we can look back on and go 'Friedman'd.'

Get this:  Jermaine Dye now believes he will play for peanuts, even if it is only for a million or so of them.  This was something he would not "lower" himself to last season.  Apparantly, it's hard for post-jocks to earn incomes near their playing pay when in retirement.

Now for the interesting part.  Dye has said that the Rays were one of three teams who have already contacted him about playing for them in 2011.  (Since Dye is acting as his own agent, he is dealing with the teams directly...perhaps to keep a few more of those peanuts...or his agent left him saying he wouldn't stay for peanuts either).  Straight from the horses mouth, the Rays have told Dye to keep them in mind when selecting his next team.

Signing a guy who has been out of the league for a year?  Who turns 37 in January?  Doesn't this wreak of desperation (or cheapness)?

Not after first glance.  Take a look at these numbers:  .924, .917, .895  From 2007-2009 these are the OPS numbers for Dye vs LHP.  He also hit 1 HR every 16 AB, 15 AB, and 18 AB in his last three seasons vs lefties.  If Dye still can hit effectively vs LHP, then maybe he could be part of a DH platoon (with Jim Thome, as Tommy has mentioned) or the Rays new Gabe Kapler, minus the whole playing outfield thing.

Either way, it's nice to see the Rays in classic fashion of looking under every rock and hard place to make themselves better for next year.  But do you think it's worth it to offer Dye a 1 year, 1 mil contract for 2011?

As we start to enter the period where we say goodbye to the best player to ever don a Rays uniform so far, and perhaps some others who have been paramount to the Rays success the last couple years, it's also the time that we prepare to welcome new players who will help us compete in 2011. 

That being said, I thought it would be cool if we listed the player that we would most like to see join the Rays in free agency.  Given that the Rays only have around 10 mil to spend (barring trades), who would fit in the Rays budget would be your #1 target?

As much as I am in favor of trading for a DH like Billy Butler, or Mike Napoli, or Luke Scott, looking at the potential DH free agents, I've found myself ready to do some bargain shopping.  There seem to be 3 tiers of DH possibilities.  Tier 1 includes Adam Dunn, Vladimir Guerrero.  Tier 2 includes Magglio Ordonez and possibly Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome.  Tier 3 includes Andrew Jones, Hideki Matsui, Nick Johnson, Russell Branyan, Johnny Damon.

The Rays will not be shopping in the Tier 1 bin.  Tier 2 is possible, depending upon cost.  Manny Ramirez would be worth the roll of the dice, depending upon cost.  Same thing for Ordonez, but he is a Boras client.  Most likely the Rays find themselves in tier 3, and that's not a bad thing.  These are the guys who should be available for well under 5 mil a year, and most likely on a 1 or 2 year deal.  Consider these options:

Russell Branyan - excellent DH vs RHP - .254, 19 HR in 276 AB.  All for the price of 1.5 million in 2010.

Johnny Damon - OBP of .355 last year matches his career average--not as good as Johnson, but unlike Johnson, he always gets his ABs.  13 consecutive years of 500 AB or more.  Will probably make less than half of the 8 million he made last year.

Nick Johnson - OBP machine, career .401 OBP, ideal #2 hitter, but less than 125 AB in 2 of last 3 years - but would be almost worth the roll of the dice to see if he stays healthy so the Yankees can get screwed twice, once last year by counting on him, and also this upcoming year if he can help the Rays beat the Yankees again.  Won't come anywhere near the 5.5 mil he made in 2010.  Only turns 33 next September.

Andrew Jones - still produced a 1.8 WAR in part time duty.  Good against LHP last year - .256/.373/.558/.931 with 8 HR in 86 AB.  Of these options, Jones can still play the field, so maybe he could be signed as a fourth outfielder.  Only made 500k with the White Sox in 2010.

Hideki Matsui - very intriguing candidate for the Rays.  Hits RHP very well (.289, 14 HR, 60BB-62K (.394OBP)), and is also used to DHing.  Did not do well against LHP last year, but has a very good track record against them.  Will turn 37 in the middle of the 2011 season.  Made 6 million in 2010.  If the Angels are not interested, his price tag could drop into the 3 or 4 range with incentives.

The wild card in this year's DHs, is how much can Ramirez fetch after last year's lost cause?  Early rumors has Toronto as a possible landing spot, with the eventual hiring of their new manager and his connection to Ramirez.  This would move Adam Lind to 1B to replace Lyle Overbay.  All in all, a lot of interesting options in this year's market.  Further proof you don't need to spend big bucks on a DH to get big production.  Of these 5, who would you prefer?  How would you rank them from best to worst for best fit for the Rays?  How much would you be willing to risk in a guy like Ramirez?  Ordonez?

There's every reason why this won't happen.  Legal problems.  Contract problems.  But depending upon cost, the Rays might be in position to take advantage of a situation.

If Francisco Rodriguez's legal problems clear up by the start of next season (and that's a big if), Rodriguez could be had on the cheap.  The Mets are trying to get out of his contract, which is never easy to do with guaranteed contracts.  If the Rays were willing to pick up, say 4 million for each of his two seasons left, that might be enough to swing a trade.  Maybe reuniting K-Rod with Maddon from their Angel glory days would be a good thing.

This may or may not work.  But the only reason why Soriano became a Rays is do to an unexpected accepting of arbitration.  And the Rays were ready to take advantage of the situation.  Maybe this could be one of those situations, if, that be, the price is right.

In 2008, it couldn't be done.  At some point or another the Red Sox were going to overtake them.  They had too much "veteran" leadership.  They "knew how to win."  But then a funny thing happened.

They never did.

In 2010, it couldn't be done.  At some point or another the Yankees were going to overtake them.  They had too much power.  Too many names.  They were the Yankees.  27 championships.  But then a funny thing happened.

They never did.

I still don't know which I loathe more...the Yankees or the ignorant national media.  I think I'll just flip a coin and say **ck 'em both.

Bottom line is the Rays have accomplished something even the Red Sox have never done:  Winning 2 AL East Division titles in three years.  The Rays faced the Red Sox best and won.  The Rays faced the Yankees best and won.

In 2011, it couldn't be done.  At some point or another, the Rays won't be able to stay with payrolls three or four times their size.  They've lost too many players.  You can't retool with that much lost.  You can't replace Crawford, Soriano, Pena.  It doesn't matter that one of them was injured in 2008 and another wasn't even on the team to help that stretch run. 

But then again, funny things can happen.

So to all the national media who would rather focus on attendance than talent, to all those who say a large wallet is better than smarts, to all those who want to say that the Rays can't compete next year, **ck you very much.  I will enjoy the Rays shove another pile of your BS down your throats.

Here's to the Rays in 2011.  Grab a shovel.

Earlier this year, it was considered a growing moment for Longoria's leadership when he was willing to call out a teammate if it warranted it.  Now it appears he's willing to call out the whole Tampa Bay area.

“I don’t think there’ any more time for rationalizations. We figured if we have a chance at the beginning of September then maybe the fans will come and now it’s the end of September and its almost October and were still kind o flooking up in the seats going where is everybody?''

The Rays entered tonight's game with a chance to clinch a postseason berth with a win.  Fans sure didn't seem to care. Only about 12,000 and change came hoping to see only the second celebration of this caliber in Rays history.  Consider Longoria as one who wasn't in a celebrating mood after the game.

 Obviously we want to bring a championship to Tampa. And we’d like more than 12,000 to 15,000 to know about it.’’’ 

People are quick to make excuses.  But when looking at this year alone, it's safe to say this area has dropped the ball.  They are seeing a team putting together its second 90 win season in three years, and potentially its second AL East crown in three years as well.  But this team will probably finish the year under the 2 million mark in attendance.  And when Crawford and others leave at the end of the year, the area will only have itself to blame.  If the Rays pick from the bargain bin instead of a higher profile free agent, it won't be because of Sternberg. 

This area has been given one of the best teams, if not the best team, it could ever hope for.  But sadly it doesn't seem to realize what it has.  And that, according to Longoria, is embarassing.

“For us to play 155 games and go a full season of playing really good baseball, it’s kind of like, what else do we have to do to draw fans into this place. It’s actually embarrassing for us.’’

ESPN is reporting Rasmus has not taken a shining to St. Louis, and earlier asked to be traded.  Just curious if anyone saw this as an interesting solution for two guys who could maybe use a change of scenery.  St. Louis may prefer to trade for pitching, but is this a pretty even trade?

Upton has more star potential, plays gold glove defense, and is one of the best base stealers in the game.  Rasmus is only in his second season, has plenty of power potential and plays above average defense, and is cheap.

Even a Rasmus for Shields trade would be pretty decent and could give the Rays a Joyce-Upton/Jennings-Rasmus OF, with Zobrist splitting time between 2B and OF.

Best part is, Rasmus is still a year away from arbitration, and the Rays could still add a slugging DH.

Potential Lineup:

Jennings

Jaso/Zobrist

DH

Longoria

Rasmus

Joyce

Zobrist/Jaso

Anderson(1B?  or could be Pena if he resigns, and if so would bat higher in the lineup)

Brignac

Should Rasmus be a trade target in the offseason?