[ELIJAH DUKES] Deal To Send Dukes To Nationals Does Not Appear To Be Imminent

Last week it was reported that the Rays may be close to agreeing on a deal to send Elijah Dukes to the Nationals. Despite an anonymous insider’s assertion that the chances of a deal happening are at 60-70%, we now think the chances of a deal occurring anytime in the next couple of months are slim.

That same source indicated that the Nationals would not be willing to trade “anything of significance” to the Rays for the troubled prospect. The Rays, despite Dukes’ past, believe he is worth at least a top-level pitching prospect. At this point, lines in the sand have been drawn and neither side has any incentive to move from their positions.

From the Rays’ perspective, they are trading a player that can immediately step in and be an everyday major league center fielder with all-star potential. And while they know they will not get full value in return they expect something close. The reason being is that the Rays are not in a situation where they have to trade Dukes. He is currently on the inactive list, which means he is not drawing a paycheck, nor is he taking up a spot on the 40-man roster. So there is absolutely zero cost to the team to keep him exactly where he is. Because of that, there is no reason for the Rays to trade the talented outfielder for a mid-level prospect that may someday make a major league roster.

From the Nationals’ point of view, Dukes’ past and the public backlash that is sure to follow cannot be ignored as part of the package. But more importantly, the Nationals know that at this point they are the only obvious trade partner for the Rays. With Spring Training still three months away, the Nationals are in no hurry to make a deal happen and feel no pressure to up the price.

In the end, a deal may still happen, just don’t look for it to happen anytime soon. The Rays know that their position gets stronger the closer they get to Spring Training, because their position will not be any different. In fact, their position could become stronger if other teams in need of outfielders come up dry in the free agent market and those teams move their attention to the Rays and Elijah Dukes. If the Nationals do indeed covet Dukes as their 2008 center fielder, they will be forced to up their offer and the Rays will then decide if it is enough.

A deal in which Dukes is moved to the Nationals may still have a better than 50% chance of occurring, but all indications are that the deal is far from imminent.

The Rays May Be Close To Sending Elijah Dukes To The Nationals [Rays Index]
Dukes on Nationals’ Radar [MLB]

[THE HANGOVER] James Houser Added To 40-Man Roster Despite Ongoing Suspension

Devil Rays
Since the we embarked on our Thanksgiving shenanigans, the Rays made several changes to the 40-man roster.

Dropped from the 40-man roster

• Chris Snelling (traded to Phillies)
• Jon Switzer (DFA’d)
• Brian Stokes (DFA’d)

Added to 40-man roster

• John Jaso, C
• Jason Pridie, OF
• Fernando Perez, OF
• James Houser, SP

The only real surprise of the group is James Houser. Certainly any team would take all necessary precautions to protect a big left hander that is a major league prospect. This is especially true when a left handed pitcher is a common selection in the rule 5 draft because it is easy to hide a young inexperienced pitcher in the bullpen. However, James Houser is not any left hander.

On August 17 of this past season, Houser tested positive for a performance enhancing drug and was suspended for 50 games. Houser missed the final 17 games of the regular season for the Montgomery Biscuits. As a result, he will be forced to sit out for the first 33 games of the 2008 season.

One could argue that Houser would have been more attractive in the Rule 5 Draft since he would not take a roster spot for the first month of the season. However, once the suspension was lifted, his new team would have to make a roster spot for a young pitcher that had been out of action for nearly 9 months and with no experience above AA.

In the end Rays management decided the risk of losing a young left handed starter was too great and decided to protect Houser on the 40-man roster at the risk of losing another player that may be more likely to be taken. At the top of that list are two of Houser’s Montgomery teammates, Nick DeBarr and Dale Thayer. DeBarr was a Rule 5 selection of the Red Sox in 2007, but was returned to the Rays at the end of Spring Training. Thayer, the Biscuits closer, holds the Southern League record for saves in a season. Both players fit the ideal Rule 5 selection…A mid-level pitching prospect that has yet to live up to their potential, that a team can take a flyer on and hope for the best. If the player works out, their new team has an extra arm in the bullpen and only had to give up the drafting fee of $50,000.

Rays tweak roster to hang onto prospects [tampabay.com]
Down On The Farm: James Houser Suspended 50 Games [Rays Index]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• With the changes that have been made to the 40-man roster, our 40-man roster and 25-man roster projections have been updated in the sidebar. One change we have not made yet is the 5th spot in the rotation. A very strong argument can be made for the team giving the spot to Jeff Niemann without any further time at AAA and moving Jason Hammel to the bullpen to be the long reliever and spot starter.
• A report came down that Carlos Pena turned down a 3 year/$30 million offer from the Rays. Pena’s response when asked was that the report was that the report was “a straight lie”. He also laughed when breaking the news to his wife, which suggests that Pena would not have turned down such an offer. In our 40-man roster projections, we have Pena listed with a 2008 salary of $5 million. This is assuming that Pena and the Rays settle on a 1-year deal to avoid arbitration. Our feeling is that the Rays would not offer more than $8 million per year on a multi-year deal. [tampabay.com]
• Rays of Light is up to #8 of their list of off-season ideas. This one is a no-brainer…”Sign Scott Kazmir to a longterm contract”. However, we disagree with the contention that the Rays should be tossing around numbers such as 6-years and more than $70 million. While $12-13 million per season might be the price for Kid K in free agency, there is no need to give him that money in his arbitration years, nor is there any reason to give him that type of money for his free agency years, three years before he reaches them. The best comparison could be Jeff Francis of the Rockies, another left hander, who signed an extension in 2007 (prior to his third season), that covered all three of his arbitration years and his first free agency season. His arbitration years were bought out at an average of $4.25 million and his first free agency year will cost the Rockies $7 million. Add a year of inflation plus consider the talent level of Kazmir and a comparable contract would fall in the range of a $6 million average for his arbitration years and $10 million for his first free agency season or a total of $28 million over 4 years. [Rays of Light]
• Another trade rumor that refuses to die: Delmon Young to the Twins for Matt Garza. For those that are not familiar, Garza was the Twinkies first round pick in 2005 (25th overall). He is a 24 year old, big (6-4, 205) righty that split time between AAA and Minneapolis in 2007 going 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA and a 67:32 strikeout to walk ratio in 83 innings. In the minors, he was consistently around 10 K’s per 9 and less than 2.5 walks per 9 innings. [TwinCities.com]
• Like every other team that needs an outfielder, the Rangers have inquired about Rocco Baldelli and his legs. [MLB]
• John Herbert has written a column critical of the Rays plan to invest $150 million in a new stadium along the St. Pete waterfront. His two biggest gripes are 1) The Rays are willing to invest $150 million in a stadium but will not invest in the product that will play in the stadium, and 2) he believes that there will not be any parking available in the new location and all fans attending the game will be subject to parking tickets from meter maids running around in modified golf carts. [Hernando Today]
• DRays Bay warns that JK Ryu’s performance with the Korean national team may cost him a spot on the Rays’ 40-man roster. We are not sure how much weight the performance will have, but we have Ryu on the roster bubble, so it can’t help. [DRays Bay]

[AL MVP] Carlos Pena 9th Most Valuable American Leaguer

In March, Carlos Pena started the 2007 season as a non-roster spring training invitee that was just looking for a roster spot. At the end of March, Pena rode an awful spring training straight back to the minor leagues where he spent most of the 2006 season and many thought that it was just more evidence that Pena would never be the player that many thought he would become when he was one of the top prospects in baseball.

Fast forward one Greg Norton injury, six months and 46 home runs and Pena ended the season with a 9th place finish in the AL Most Valuable Player voting. It was, by far, the highest finish ever for a Devil Ray in the MVP voting, as were his two third place votes. In 2003, Aubrey Huff received two votes (a ninth and tenth place vote) to finish 24th in the voting. Last season, Carl Crawford received a single 9th place vote to finish 26th in the voting. The only other Devil Ray to ever receive a vote in the balloting was Jorge Cantu who received a single 10th place vote in 2005 and finished 27th.

Pena was named on 22 of the 28 ballots.

Another MVP for A-Rod, Pena ninth [tampabay.com]

[2008 ROSTER] Taking A Look At Who Has Options And Who Does Not

Last week we took a look at what the Tampa Bay Rays 2008 40-man roster and 25-man roster might look like. In the comments section of the 25-man roster post, the topic of “options” was brought up and how that might affect the final roster.

Options are a tricky subject that are not easily understood, even by those within the baseball industry. Last year, the Rays optioned Seth McClung back to the minors during spring training even though McClung and his agent were under the impression that the Rays had already exhausted all of their options on McClung.

First let’s try to clarify exactly what “options” are and how they are calculated.

1. In general, once a player is added to the 40-man roster, the team may exercise up to three (3) options on that player.
2. Any time a player is on the 40-man roster and he spends 20 or more days in the minors during a season, an option is used. The player is termed to be “on optional assignment”. A player can be promoted/demoted as many times as the team chooses, but only one option is charged in a season.
3. If a player has been on the 40-man roster for three (or more) seasons and has spent 20 or more days in the minors in three of those seasons, he is said to be “out of options”. If a player is out of options, he would have to clear waivers in order for the team to send him back to the minors.
4. Once a player accumulates 5 years of major league service, that player may decline an option and become a free agent.
5. In certain cases, a fourth option year may be granted. If a player has less than 5 years as a professional, a team may use a fourth option. For example, Delmon Young was on the 40-man roster since he signed his first contract after being drafted. He spent his first three seasons in the minors, thus using three options. However, this past season was only his fourth season and the Rays could have used a fourth option last year. They did not, and since 2008 will only be his fifth season as a pro, the team still has an option on Young. A team can also apply for a fourth option if a player misses most of a season due to injury.

In certain cases a team may consider whether or not a player has any options remaining when trying to determine roster spots. Last season, Edwin Jackson and JP Howell were battling for the final spot in the rotation. Despite posting nearly identical Spring Training numbers, Jackson was given the spot. The decision may have been based, at least in part, on the fact that Jackson was out of options and would have needed to clear waivers (something that clearly would not have happened) in order to be demoted to the minors.

Below is each of the members of the Tampa Bay Rays that is out of options along with a quick explanation as to why. In some cases, the reasons are not necessarily obvious. If you think we have made a mistake please let us know, in the comments, which player we have mistakenly included/excluded along with a basis for your conclusions.

• Edwin Jackson – Was added to the Dodgers 40-man roster when he was promoted to the bigs at the end of the 2003 season. He spent parts of 2004, 2005 and 2006 in the minors, thus using all his options.
• Carlos Pena – Pena is an example of when the rules get fuzzy (not that it matters with Pena as he is assured of a spot on the 25-man roster). The main difficulty is determining how often Pena has been in the minors while on a 40-man roster. For example, he was not on the 40-man roster for most of the 2006 season, but he was added in September, so no option was used. Still, it appears that he was on optional assignment in 2002, 2003 and 2005.
• Al Reyes – He has been out of options since 1978.
• Jonny Gomes – Made debut in 2003. On optional assignments in 2004, 2005 and 2007.
• Jason Hammel – Even though he did not make his major league debut until 2006, he was on the 40-man roster in 2005. Therefore Hammel was on optional assignment in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
• Dan Wheeler – Has more than 5 years of major league service.
• Brendan Harris – Was first added to the Cubs 40-man roster in July 2004. He was then back in the minors (optioned) before reappearing with the Expos. He then spent parts of the 2005 and 2006 seasons in the minors.
• Gary Glover – Since being added to a 40-man roster for the first time in 2001 (White Sox), has spent parts of 4 seasons in the minors. In 2004, it appears as though he was not on the 40-man roster while in the minors (therefore not an option), but the other three were.
• Grant Balfour – Was on optional assignment in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Part of the reason the Brewers included Balfour in the trade to the Rays last year for Seth McClung was because the Brewers needed a roster spot for another player and Balfour was out of options.
• Jon Switzer – First added to the 40-man roster in 2003. After missing all of 2004, was on optional assignment in 2005, 2006 and 2007. It looks like 2007 was a fourth option year for Switzer.
• Josh Wilson – Was added to the Marlins 40-man roster in 2003. On optional assignment in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
• Chris Snelling – Since first being added to the Mariners 40-man roster in 2002, has spent more than 20 days in the minors in 5 different seasons. Three of those were while he was on a 40-man roster.
• Scott Dohmann – First added to the Rockies 40-man roster in 2004. Was on optional assignment in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Thirteen players are out of options. Of those 13, seven seem to be a lock to be on the 25-man roster on opening day (Jackson, Pena, Reyes, Hammel, Wheeler, Harris, Gomes). Hammel may not be a lock for the 5th spot in the rotation, but if he is bumped he will most likely end up as the team’s long reliever out of the ‘pen.

Four other relief pitchers are out of options (Balfour, Glover, Switzer, Dohmann). It is not likely that all four of these pitchers will make the 25-man roster, so one or more will have to be traded, released or clear waivers in order to be sent to the minors. We are leaning towards Dohmann and Balfour not making the roster, but a strong case can be made for the other two.

We believe that Snelling has the inside edge for a bench spot, and being out of options could be a deciding factor, in addition to being the best candidate to be a left-handed bat off the bench.

We do not see Josh Wilson making the roster and will likely be placed on waivers.

[THE HANGOVER] Evan Longoria And Justin Ruggiano Key Players In Team USA World Cup Title

Team USA 6, Cuba 3.
Team USA won all three games over the weekend including a 6-3 victory over Cuba on Sunday in the final to win the 2007 World Cup. Both Evan Longoria and Justin Ruggiano contributed in the final, with Longoria going 2-5 with 2 runs scored and Ruggiano had 3 hits in 4 at bats with an RBI single and a run scored. Ruggiano added a stolen base.

Team USA finished 9-1 in the tournament. Longoria was 11-38 (.289), with 3 doubles, a triple, a home run and 5 RBI. Ruggiano was 10-30 (.333) and 8 RBI. He tied Andy LaRoche with a team best 3 home runs.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Can we please ease up on the talk about Barry Bonds playing for the Rays? Let’s say for a moment that the Rays could sign Bonds for a reasonably cheap price…and let’s say for a moment that at 44 years old he can still hit 30 home runs and post a .450 OBP…and let’s say he does not get suspended or spend any time in jail…there is still ZERO chance the Rays will sign Bonds. Yes, he might still be effective and yes he would help increase attendance, but if there is one thing we can all agree on about the Tampa Bay Rays front office…it is that they are very image conscious. This is a team that just became the first team since the Houston Colt .45s to change their name without moving because some people react “negatively” to the term “devil”. And some people still think that it is possible for the Rays to sign a player that is A) a cheater; B) under indictment for perjury; C) universally hated by baseball fans. Let us put it this way. The Rays would not sign Barry Bonds even if he came to the Rays with a blank contract ala Andre Dawson to the Cubs in 1987. [DRays Bay]
• We still think the Rays hope that Juan Salas steps up and claims the closer role in the near future, but TBSF says that the closer-in-waiting might be Calvin Medlock. [Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic]
• The St. Pete Times has generated an artists rendering of what the Tampa Bay Rays proposed stadium might look like. [TampaBay.com]
• Tampa Bay’s 10 obtained documents that detailed discussion the Rays have had with the city of St. Pete in regards to the proposed new stadium on the site of Al Lang Field. They show that the city has (not surprisingly) expressed concerns over the financing of the new stadium. [TampaBays10]

While the Rays paint a rosy picture about moving from Tropicana Field to Al Lang stadium in downtown, the city says there are many uncertainties including the recent Florida Supreme Court decision about using what’s called tax increment funding to finance the facility.

St. Petersburg is also worried about the uncertainty of the statewide tax referendum that could reduce the available tax dollars to the city as well as the need to maximize retail space at the current Tropicana site.

Tthere is uncertainty about traffic circulation, parking and other impacts at the new downtown site. The city is also concerned about financial terms that will be acceptable to everyone.

• The Tampa Bay Rays believe that a new stadium could generate $1 billion in new revenue for the city of St. Pete, along with 2,500 new permanent jobs and 14,000 temporary jobs. [MLB News Blog]
• The Rays sent new personalized jerseys to several legislators, but claim they were not intended to sway their vote on a stadium subsidy. [tampabay.com]

“It’s the $60-million jersey,” joked Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, who got one in the mail Friday.

• Joe Maddon thinks that several voters did not vote for Delmon Young on their Rookie of the Year ballots because of his reputation and personal prejudice. Young finished second in the voting and received three first place votes, but eight voters did not include Young in their top 3. [tampabay.com]

“It’s really disturbing,” Maddon said Friday. “I can see him not winning the award, but leaving him off eight ballots is just a sign of personal prejudice.”

• Of course, it may have been because Delmon Young posted the lowest OPS (.724) for any right fielder in baseball in 2007. [Recondite Baseball]

[2008 ROSTER] 2008 25-Man Roster And Starting Lineup Predictions

The 2008 25-man roster prediction is based only players currently within the organization and will be updated when trades are consummated and free agents are signed.

Last week we updated our Rays Trade Value Index, in which we ranked every player on the 40-man roster and the top prospects in the organization. Earlier this week we laid out our predictions for the Rays 2008 40-man roster and opening day payroll. The next logical step is to predict what the 25-man roster and starting lineup/rotation will look like on March 31, 2008 when the Rays open the 2008 season in Baltimore.

(Notes on the 25-man roster can be found at the end of this post)

A FEW NOTES ON THE 40-MAN ROSTER…

• INFIELD
• Evan Longoria should the opening day third baseman. Everybody says that the Dirtbag is ready.
• Akinori Iwamura is likely to the starting second baseman whether or not Evan Longoria is on the opening day roster. Even if Longoria is not on the roster, the team will want him manning the hot corner at some point in 2008, so it makes more sense to give the position temporarily to Brendan Harris, rather than move Aki in the middle of the season.
• Brendan Harris will be on the roster. If the team fails to land a shortstop through trade, Harris will keep the shortstop position warm until Reid Brignac is ready. If Evan Longoria starts the season at Durham, Harris could be at third with Ben Zobrist as the starting shortstop.
• DESIGNATED HITTER
• Rocco Baldelli and Jonny Gomes will split time at DH and both will see time in the outfield, unless one is traded in the offseason.
• BENCH
• With the Rays deciding to let Greg Norton go, the Rays will need some left handed pop off the bench and that means Chris Snelling will be the outfielder off the bench and Justin Ruggiano will be a victim of numbers and needs. If the Rays have Ben Zobrist on the bench or can find another left handed bat, Ruggiano will push Snelling for a roster spot in spring training.
• Ben Zobrist gets the edge over Josh Wilson for the utility infielder.
• The team will likely sign a veteran free agent catcher and Shawn Riggans will be back at Durham.
• ROTATION
• Top three spots are locked.
• Andy Sonnanstine would have to have a terrible spring and sleep with Joe Maddon’s girlfriend in order to lose his spot.
• The fifth spot is wide open. The team will look to fill this spot through a cheap free agent (not likely), a trade (maybe) but would prefer to see either Jeff Niemann or Mitch Talbot step-up in Spring Training and take the job.
• BULLPEN
• Al Reyes will be the closer, but look for the Rays to dole out save opportunities to others. Unless he throws out his arm (again) Reyes will be traded prior to the July 31 trade deadline.
• Juan Salas and Dan Wheeler look like the only other two guarantees in the bullpen. Salas will probably see regular save opportunities in 2008.
• The rest of the bullpen is a wide-open race and most likely two or even three of these spots will go to players not currently in the organization. As it stands now, JK Ryu will likely fill the role of long-man. We are having second thoughts on Jon Switzer. It may be more likely that either he or Kurt Birkins will fill the role of lefty. That leaves one spot up for grabs. Calvin Medlock? Scott Dohmann (who we predicted earlier this week would be DFA’d)?

2008 Tampa Bay Rays Trade Value Index [Rays Index]
2008 40-Man Roster And Payroll Predictions [Rays Index]

[THE HANGOVER] Rays To Feature Alternate Jersey In 2009 With "Tampa Bay" Across The Front

Tampa Bay Devil Rays (66-96)

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Marc Lancaster is reporting that the Rays will feature an alternate jersey in 2009 and it will have “Tampa Bay” written across the front. [TBO]
  
• Baseball America previews the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Team USA is the top seed and will face Korea today. [Baseball America]

Evan Longoria (Rays) has rotated with LaRoche between playing third base and DH, and the 2006 No. 3 overall pick is 10-for-28 with two home runs, a triple and two doubles (.357/.379/.714). The former Long Beach State shortstop has also shown good defensive skills at third base.

Outfielder Justin Ruggiano (Rays), who made the team after Minor League Player of the Year Jay Bruce (Reds) dropped out to nurse a sore hamstring, hit two home runs in Team USA’s 10-7 victory over host Taiwan in the final game of pool play. With a team-best three home runs, Ruggiano is 7-for-20 with a .350/.480/.800 line.

• If there is anyplace that prospects get together you can be sure Baseball America will make a list. This time it is the “Arizona Fall League Top 20 Prospects”. Both Evan Longoria (2) and Reid Brignac (7) made the list. Brignac made the list despite going 1-642 (or something like that). [Baseball America]
• In an informal meeting, the Rays presented Bud Selig with their plans for a new stadium on the site of Al Lang Field. [tampabay.com]
• The Devil Rays have announced several changes in the last week. New Uniforms. A New Name. A New Stadium. That leaves only one more change that needs to be announced. A new sport. Maybe the Tampa Bay Rays would be more competitive as a minor league hockey team. However, we are not sure Carl Crawford’s speed would be best utilized as a goalie. Not to mention he has a below-average glove. [The Onion]

[THE HANGOVER] Justin Ruggiano Powers Team USA To Top Seed

Team USA 10, Chinese Taipei 7.
Justin Ruggiano and Evan Longoria helped Team USA clinch the top seed in the quarterfinals by leading the team to a win over Taipei in the final game of group play. Ruggiano went 3-5, hitting 2 home runs and driving in 5. He had an RBI single in the 4th that gave Team USA a 3-1 lead. In the 7th, Ruggiano broke a 6-6 tie with an opposite-field 3-run home run and added one more with a solo shot in the 9th inning. Longoria finished 3-5, with a double an RBI and 2 runs scored. Team USA will face Korea on Friday in the quarterfinals.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Florida Governor Charlie Crist is supporting the Rays plans to build a new ballpark on the current site of Al Lang Field on the St. Pete waterfront. While he supports the idea, he has yet to back the idea of a tax break on the construction of the new stadium, which may be key to getting the deal done. [tampabay.com]

“I think the opportunity to create an ambiance right on the waterfront in St. Petersburg is brilliant, I really do,” Crist told reporters in the state Capitol…”It provides jobs, jobs, jobs for a lot of people,” said Crist, whose rental condo in downtown St. Petersburg would be blocks from the new park.

• In a move that surprised nobody, the Rays picked up the $2.3 million option on Al Reyes and declined the $1 million option on Greg Norton. Reyes’ option was originally for $1 million but was upped once he hit certain incentive marks in 2007. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Sports Grumblings has analyzed the Rays farm system and has listed the top 10 prospects. Not much to argue with as the top tier of talent in the system seems pretty clear cut. We would probably still place Mitch Talbot in the top 10 despite a disappointing 2007 and we are not as sold on Jeremy Hellickson and Chris Mason as much as others are. Hellickson is a small right hander and those rarely succeed in the majors. Mason wins but he is a big right hander that does not throw hard, so there are still questions as to whether or not that will translate to the same level of success above AA. [Sports Grumblings]

[ELIJAH DUKES] The Rays May Be Close To Sending Elijah Dukes To The Nationals

According to the Dominican news site 7dias the Tampa Bay Rays may be close to trading Elijah Dukes to the Washington Nationals. And after comments attributed to Dukes, while playing for his Domincan Winter League team, it is looking more and more like the troubled yet talented outfielder has played his final game with the Rays. According to the report, Dukes has told several of his Dominican League teammates that he wants to be traded soon to get his career back on track.

The original report is in Spanish. We had the page translated using Google Translator which is both amazing and funny…HERE is the translated report in its entirety…

The National Washington are very interested in acquiring Elijah Dukes to the Rays from Tampa Bay to become their center fielder, but they refuse to give up their best prospects for pitchers bear the troubled gardener.

A source close to the talks between National and Rays said both team are in agreement on the blueprint moved into St. Dukes. Petersburg to the nation’s capital, but when it is not complete overlap of the price paid in Washington.

“Let’s be clear, the Rays want to leave Dukes and there are people in Washington who think that the guy is not as problematic as paint,” said the source.

It is hard to judge the accuracy of the report based on this translation. If there are two things in this world that Elijah Dukes is not…it is a gardener or a Saint.

Dukes Dominican League team, Licey, is managed by the Nationals’ third base coach Tim Tolman. In addition, the Nationals’ manager, Manny Acta, visited the Dominican Republic to watch Dukes play.

The only thing holding up a deal being completed is an agreement on exactly which prospects the Rays would receive in return. According to the report, the Rays are asking for Washington’s top pitching prospects, but the Nationals are refusing to part with pitchers such as Collin Balester, Colton Willems, Zech Zinicola or Glenn Gibson.

“The issue is that National did not want to release any of their main prospects launchers. Everybody wants pitcheo to move a player from the category of Dukes,” he added.

Despite recent assertions that Dukes was in the process of “Redemption” with the Rays, it now seems that it is only a matter of time before the Mischievous Little Badger is somebody else’s headache.

[Ed. note: Bugs & Cranks is also all over this along with video footage of Dukes’ second home run in the DR]

Los Nacionales se interesan en adquirir a Elijah Dukes [7dias]
The National is interested in acquiring at Elijah Dukes [7dias] (Translated to English)
The Redemption Of Elijah Dukes – Week 1 [Bugs & Cranks]

[2008 ROSTER] 2008 40-Man Roster And Payroll Predictions

The 2008 40-man roster prediction is based only players currently within the organization and will be updated when trades are consummated and free agents are signed.

On November 20th, all teams have to set their 40-man roster. At that time any player that has 4 years of experience (5 years if signed at 18 or under) must be protected on the 40-man roster or be made available for the upcoming rule 5 draft. Of the players not to be protected on the 40-man roster, they may still be added to the Durham Bulls roster in order to be protected from the AAA version of the rule 5 draft.

First, second and third year players will have their salaries determined by the team, but will fall close to the major league minimum which is 390,000 for first year players. Minor leaguers on the 40-man for the first time make $31,250 and second-year players make twice that amount. In addition, six players are arbitration eligible. The 2008 salaries for these players are estimates. We are not including signing bonuses or incentives. For example, Evan Longoria signed a standard minor league contract, but was given a $3 million signing bonus.

A FEW NOTES ON THE 40-MAN ROSTER…

• The Rays 40-man roster currently has 37 players. Three players that are currently on the 60-day DL (Rocco Baldelli, Shawn Riggans, Ben Zobrist) will need to be added to the roster by November 20, giving the Rays 40 players.
• The Devil Rays have eight players that would be eligible for the rule 5 draft. At this point, we are predicting that three of these players will be added to the 40-man roster. This includes third baseman Evan Longoria, catcher John Jaso and relief pitcher Dale Thayer.
• To make room for these players, the Rays will need to remove three players from the roster. The team has a 2008 option on Greg Norton that they are not expected to exercise. In addition, at this point we are predicting the Rays to designate for assignment Scott Dohmann and Grant Balfour. Balfour seems like an easy choice as he is arbitration eligible. Dohmann still has one year left until he is available for arbitration and the Rays may choose to keep him. The only other arbitration eligible player that could be subjected to release would be Gary Glover, but his major league experience gives him the edge.
• This leaves 6 players that will be made available in the Rule 5 draft
1. Jason Pridie: Could be a tough decision after a trong showing at AAA in 2007. A former rule 5 selection by the Twins.
2. Fernando Perez: No experience above AA. Can’t see anybody taking a chance on the speedster in the draft. Will be added to Durham roster to protect from AAA version of draft.
3. Greg Dupas: Will not be protected
4. Nick DeBarr: Rule 5 pick by Red Sox in 2007. Has yet to show dominance in minor leagues. Not likely to be protected
5. Chuck Tiffany: Injured in 2007. Will not be protected.
6. Chris Nowak: No experience above AA. Similar to Wes Bankston in that he is a big first baseman that has yet to develop power that has been predicted. Likely added to Durham roster to protect from AAA version of draft.
• Based on the current roster, the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays will include only 1 player (Al Reyes) with at least 6 years of major league experience.
• On opening day, the Rays 40-man roster will feature only three players that will be 30 years old or older (Reyes, Glover, Wheeler).