[THE HANGOVER] Michael Barrett Is No Longer A Free Agent

Tampa Bay Rays (66-96)
The Rays are in the market for a veteran catcher to backup or split time with Dioner Navarro. One possible target that was mentioned in numerous circles is Michael Barrett of the Padres, a free agent. At the end of last week, Barrett decided to accept arbitration from the Padres and is now no longer a free agent. However, this does not necessarily mean that Barrett will not be on the Rays roster in 2008. In fact, this might have improved the chances.

For those not familiar with the process, the top free agents at each position are given a label of either a “Type A” or “Type B” free agent. If a team signs one of these free agents, they must forfeit either a first or second round pick in the next amateur draft. The top 15 picks are protected, so in the case of the Rays they would forfeit a second round pick in either case. In order for the former team to receive this compensation draft pick, they have to offer the free agent the option of arbitration. Of course, the risk to the team is that they are forced to keep a player they no longer want.

Barrett was a Type A free agent and losing a top draft pick may have been hurting his stance among potential suitors in the free agent market. Therefore, Barrett accepted the arbitration offer from the Padres. He now remains their property for one year. Most likely, the Padres will now trade Barrett, and the cost could be less than the second-round pick the Rays would have originally needed to give up. If a team trades for Barrett’s rights, they will have to go to arbitration or negotiate a long-term deal.

Last week we speculated that surrendering a second-round pick, was too high a price for a back-up catcher, and that in the end the Rays would pass on Barrett. The Rays recent second round picks have included Will Kline, Josh Butler, Chris Mason, Reid Brignac and James Houser. Now that the cost of Barrett will likely be a mid-level prospect, the chances of the Rays signing him may have improved. On the other hand, the number of teams that would be interested in Barrett may have gone up, especially from teams that would have had to originally surrender a first-round selection for the catcher.

Barrett accepts arbitration with the Padres [MLB]
The Professor’s Take On “Jake’s Take On The Winter Meetings” [Rays Index]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• DRays Bay has landed an interview with the Rays’ Vice President of Branding and Fan Experience. We would tell you the guy’s name, but we already forgot. So, if you ever cared about who’s came up with the idea for the “Rays Tank” in center field, or why the concession stands sell Yankees and Red Sox ice cream cups (they don’t anymore) then click the link. [DRays Bay]
• The City of St. Petersburg has set a deadline of May 1 to pick a contractor for the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site. [Florida Times-Union]
• In one recent “Power Rankings”, the Rays were no longer the only worst team in the league. In fact they are tied with the other 29 teams for 30th. [Bugs & Cranks]
• A sarcastic look at the new stadium proposed by the Tampa Bay Rays. [St. Pete Times]

One complaint has been that the team should be named “St. Petersburg Rays” instead of “Tampa Bay Rays”. This is a short-sighted viewpoint indeed. Most people associate St. Petersburg with a city in Russia that is very cold and undesirable in the winter. Why not be creative — St. Petersburg is the city of the Rays and it should be renamed Tampa Bay Rays City. I’m sure the Rays owners would agree to this.

• Evan Meek, formerly of the Rays, was not shy about showing his excitement about be drafted last week in the Rule 5 Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. [Post-Gazette]

[THE HANGOVER] Rays Lose Evan Meek In Rule 5 Draft

Tampa Bay Rays (66-96)

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rule 5 draft was held yesterday and the Rays selected Tim Lahey from the Minnesota Twins and then traded him to the Cubs. The Rays lost one player, as Evan Meek was taken with the second pick by the Pirates. [Baseball America]
• In the AAA phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the Rays selected Rashad Eldridge from the Twins. Eldridge was a 5th round pick in 2000 and has had a very unimpressive career to date. The Rays selected two other players in the Rule 5 draft that will never wear a Rays uniform so there names are unimportant. [Baseball America]
• Rays Anatomy takes a look at the players selected by the Rays in the Rule 5 Draft, including the two unnamed players from above. [Rays Anatomy]
• Most of us are familiar with the Rule 5 draft (not Rule V), but did you know that baseball’s amateur draft held in June is actually the Rule 4 draft? Baseball Prospectus takes a look at the Rule 4 draft and projects the first 10 selections, predicting that the Tampa Bay Rays will take Pedro Alvarez, a 1B/3B from Vanderbilt. The most eye-opening line is the last one, in which BP projects that Alvarez would eventually be the best bat in the Rays lineup. It isn’t like the Rays don’t have any good bats and Evan Longoria is knocking on the door. [Baseball Prospectus]

Pedro is still the class of this draft, but the top high schoolers closed the gap over the summer. You can bet Alvarez is going to have some huge bonus demands — if he regresses at all as a junior (like Matt Wieters did), Tampa will explore other options. In the end, though, this should be their guy. He could be great at first and probably even work in right, and he’ll be the best bat in their lineup at some point.

• Yahoo! Sports has named the Tampa Bay Rays as one of the winners of the Winter Meetings. Keep in mind that the Matt Garza trade was made prior to the Winter Meetings. [Yahoo! Sports]

The Elijah Dukes Experiment, which went about as well as metal in a microwave, is finally over, and GM Andrew Friedman even managed to procure a decent prospect from Washington in the trade. For too long, the Rays tolerated Dukes’ sociopathic behavior because his talent. His Crazy Factor – the formula for which is DTTW+JPD/BA (death threats toward wife plus joints per day divided by batting average) – finally spiked too high even for their liking, though, and somehow they found a willing buyer in the Nationals. This is six months late, yes, but better than never.

[THE HANGOVER] Tampa Bay Rays Have Already Improved By 12 Games Over 2007

Tampa Bay Rays (66-96)

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Here is an interesting mathematical projection of the Rays 2008 season. Just based on the upgrade in the rotation with the addition of Matt Garza and the upgrade in defense with the addition of Jason Bartlett, the Rays will give up 121 fewer runs in 2008. That translates to 12 more wins (78-84). [Yahoo! Sports]
• Today is the Rule 5 draft, and it looks like the Rays will sell their #1 pick to the Padres. [Baseball America]
• It comes as no surprise…Scott Boras does not see Carlos Pena signing a long-term deal this off-season. Most likely the two sides will submit arbitration numbers, and settle on a 1-year deal somewhere in between. In our 40-man roster and payroll projections, we predict that number to be close to $5 million. [TBO]
• The New York Daily News is reporting that the Rays are looking at Cliff Floyd to be the part-time right fielder and left handed bat that they are seeking. [New York Daily News]
• The Rays were named “Topps Organization of the Year”. The award is based on a point system in which the organization earns points anytime a minor leaguer or rookie receives an a Topps Award during the season (ie. Named to the Topps Rookie team, Player of the Month, etc.) [The Biz of Baseball]

The Rays’ individual winners were: John Jaso (August Player of the Month / Class AA All-Star – Southern Lg.); Desmond Jennings (June POM – South Atlantic Lg.); Evan Longoria (May POM / Class AA All-Star – Southern Lg.); Maiko Loyola (Class A Rookie All Star – NY/Penn Lg.); Chris Mason (Class AA All Star – Southern Lg.); Mike McCormick (Class A Rookie All-Star – NY/Penn Lg.); Fernando Perez (Class AA All-Star – Southern Lg.); Jason Ragan (Class A Rookie All-Star – NY/Penn Lg.); Justin Ruggiano (August POM / Class AAA All-Star – International Lg.); Emeel Salem (Class A Rookie All-Star – NY/Penn Lg.); Jae Seo (July POM – International Lg.); Dale Thayer (Class AA All-Star – Southern Lg.) and Delmon Young (Rookie All-Star – MLB).

• Jorge Cantu has been released by the Cincinnati Reds. [Hot Foot]
• Scott Kazmir and Rocco Baldelli traded to the Mets? Fear not, this website is a fake. [FAKE MLB]
• The Tampa Bay Rays and Montgomery Biscuits will begin discussions to extend their relationship past the 2008 season. [Talk Alabama]

[THE HANGOVER] The Price For Scott Kazmir Keeps Going Up

Tampa Bay Rays (66-96)
If the Rays want to sign Scott Kazmir to a long-term contract, they may want to do it sooner rather than later, because the price keeps going up. Jake Peavy signed a contract extension with the San Diego Padres that will guarantee him $65.5 million over the next 5 seasons. While Kid K has never won 19 games, much less a Cy Young Award, Kazmir’s career to date is very similar to Peavy’s first three full seasons and would it really surprise anybody if Kid K won 18-19 games this season? In 2007 he went 13-9 for a team that lost 96 games and possessed one of the worst bullpens in baseball history. Oh yeah, and he is left handed.

At the other end of the spectrum in terms of comparison is Jeff Francis, a lefty for the Colorado Rockies, who signed an extension prior to last season. A contemporary of Kazmir, there first two seasons were nearly identical, but Francis broke out last season, winning 17 games for a playoff team. Francis is due $19.25 million over the next four seasons. If the Rays are to sign Kazmir to an extension this off-season look for the numbers to fall somewhere between those two contracts. Let’s say 4 years/$26 million or 5 years/$38 million with the last year being a club option.

Peavy closes in on $52M extension [SI.com]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Omar Minaya says that the Mets don’t need another starting pitcher. Of course the Mets currently have Pedro Martinez, Orlando Hernandez, John Maine, Oliver Perez and a minor leaguer to be named later…Conclusion: Minaya is lying out his arse…We wonder if Mets fans have changed their tune about how they can thank the Scott Kazmir deal for Omar Minaya and all those championships they have won since he came on board. [SI.com]
• John Keri interviews Matt Silverman and Andrew Friedman. [ESPN]
• No surprise here, but it is now official…Akinori Iwamura will be the Rays second baseman whether or not Evan Longoria is ready to be a major league third baseman. Joe Maddon says that the Rays will “mix-and-match at third base until Evan is ready”. If Longoria does start the season in Durham, the most likely choice to be the Rays opening day third baseman is Joel Guzman, who has a gold-glove caliber glove but comes with a gold-glove size hole in his swing. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Baseball America says that the Rays suddenly have a lack of depth of outfielders in the organization and are likely to select Brian Barton in Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft. They say that there are questions concerning Barton, but that the upside is well-worth the selection. [Baseball America]

“Maybe he’s not the type runner he was prior to the (off-season knee) surgery,” said another AL front office executive. “Maybe he comes back and is the same kind of runner. But he’s got the ability to hit for average, has more pop than a lot of people give him credit, and can defend. He’s a little stiff on balls in on his hands, but you could definitely see him going to Tampa with everything they’ve shipped out.”

• Not so fast, Baseball America is now saying that the Rays will not select Brian Barton. Rather the Rays will either sell their selection or select a relief pitcher. BA also notes that Rays’ farmhand Evan Meek may be selected in the draft. Meek increased his stock in the Arizona Fall League after a mediocre 2007 in Montgomery. [Baseball America]
• The Rays need a left handed bat and a right fielder. Marc Topkin points out that there used to be a player in the organization that fit the bill perfectly…Josh Hamilton anybody? [tampabay.com]
• David Price was given his 2007 Baseball America College Player of the Year award yesterday at the Winter Meetings in Nashville. For the first time Rays management acknowledged Price could very well pitch for the Rays in 2008. [TBO]

“He can come quickly,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said this afternoon, adding that it was within the realm of possibility for Price to reach the majors sometime in 2008.

• David Price has set a target date of July 11 for his major league debut. That is July 11 of this season. It is not out of the realm of possibility that the Rays rotation in the second half is Kazmir-Shields-Garza-Price-Niemann, with Wade Davis and Jake McGee pounding the mitts in AAA gunning for a 2009 debut. [MLB]
• Mike Pagliarulo (that Pags?) calculates Carlos Pena’s value at $4-5 million and explains the correct way to determine the value of a player. [Dugout Central]

[2008 ROSTER] The Professor’s Take On "Jake Takes On The Winter Meetings"

For the record: I have decided to break down this post written by Jacob Larsen of DRays Bay even before reading it, having no idea if I will agree or disagree with the points that have been made…

Jake Larsen of DRays Bay takes on the role of Tampa Bay Rays GM and tells us the moves he would try to make at the winter meetings. We will take a look at each of these suggestions and offer our thoughts on whether or not the moves are good for the Rays and/or if the moves are even possible.

Jake first looks at the pool of free agents and picks five players that the Rays should be targeting as well as 5 players to avoid.

Ron Mahay, LHP

• [Jake’s Take] it’s evident that Kurt Birkins and Jeff Ridgway don’t fit in a bullpen with names like Troy Percival, Al Reyes, Dan Wheeler and Juan Salas(his last name is a palindrome). Ron Mahay would be yet another “veteran presence” in the bullpen. Only risk is that he’s a Type B Free Agent and he’d cost us a 2nd round pick in the upcoming draft.
• [The Professor’s Take] Would be a strong upgrade over the leftys that are available in-house. Mahay made $1.25 million last season, which means he might be had for $2 million, which would be reasonable. Unfortunately, the Yankees may also be interested, and we are skeptical of giving up a second round pick. The Rays recent second round picks have included Will Kline, Josh Butler, Chris Mason, Reid Brignac and James Houser. Would the Rays trade one of those players for Ron Mahay? Not likely. For a team that builds through their farm system, that is too big a big price for a lefty specialist. verdict: DON’T SIGN

Tony Clark, 1B

• [Jake’s Take] Positive Veteran Leader who still can hit for power
• [The Professor’s Take] This is true, BUT, Clark is strictly a 1B/DH. While the Rays do need a left handed bat and Clark would be a great power threat, he would be strictly a DH with the Rays. That will take significant at bats away from Rocco Baldelli and Jonny Gomes. Also, while Clark may be willing to be a role player or platoon DH, would he be willing to do that with the Rays? And will the Rays be willing to give Clark $1.5-2 million to be a part-time player? verdict: WON’T SIGN

Michael Barrett, C

• [Jake’s Take] Decent hitter, calls a good game and will stand up for his pitchers when they give him a good effort. Yeah, sounds like he’s Crash Davis Incarnate
• [The Professor’s Take] A Type A free agent. And while the Rays top pick is protected, Barrett would cost the Rays their second round pick. Again, would the Rays trade one of the above mentioned players (ie. Reid Brignac) for a backup catcher? Not a chance in hell. Low payroll teams have to be smart and that is not a smart move. verdict: DON’T SIGN

Andruw Jones, CF

• [Jake’s Take] 1 year rental/shock the baseball world…why not bite the bullet and prove to Boras that we’re willing to take the risk and spend money? We sign Jones to an incentive-laiden contract with a possible option for a 2nd year, we impress Boras who needs to be proven that we’re “in it to win it” and we may be allowed to sign Pena to a deal that we won’t have to pay through the nose.
• [The Professor’s Take] We admire the wishing, but this is absolutely ridiculous. First of all Scott Boras has already said that Jones will not accept a 1-year deal. Then consider that the Rays would have to pay $15 million annually for a player that has only hit above .265 ONCE in the last seven seasons, and posted a line of .222-26-94 last season. Don’t get us wrong. Jones is a talent. But the Rays have other needs. If the Rays are going to drop $15 million on one player, why not grab a starting pitcher (or two). verdict: PIPE DREAM

Kazuo Fukumori, RHP

• [Jake’s Take] We need to continue slowly adding international talent and continue to improve our bullpen. It’s bad enough that Boston and the Yankees seem to have partnerships with Japanese baseball teams, but keeping Japanese fans in tune with Rays baseball with Aki and Fukomori will prevent those 2 from taking over the Japanese market
• [The Professor’s Take] We have no idea about the talent. Our concern is that Japanese relievers are now the soup-of-the-day after the success of Hideki Okajima of the Red Sox. The Mets fell for this after the success of Ichiro when they thought Tsuyoshi Shinjo was just as good if not better. And please keep in mind that the Yankees are the Yankees and the Red Sox are the Red Sox. Even in Japan. The Rays may want a piece of that market, but they cannot compete on the same level as those two teams. As for Fukumori, there appears to be a number of teams interested, so it depends on how high the bidding goes. And in the meantime, the Rays’ need for a lefty trumps this. verdict: MAYBE

players to avoid: Darin Erstad, Trever Miller, Bartolo Colon, David Eckstein and Eric Gagne.

• [The Professor’s Take] Please, please stay away from Erstad, Eckstein and Gagne. Colon? Not for the price, but we think he still has gas in the tank. Miller is the interesting one. Miller is a LHP that had a big 2006, but came back to earth in 2007. Again, if that price is not too much, he could be cheaper than Mahay.

Jake then proposed three trades…

SP Edwin Jackson, RP Al Reyes and OF Jonny Gomes to Seattle for C Jeff Clement and PTBNL

• [Jake’s Take] We all need to give up the thoughts that Edwin Jackson will be a future starter in the Rays rotation…Clement would give us a dynamic young duo of catchers, which would give Dioneer the idea that he needs to speed up his development and “work out” a bit more often. Clement, due to his massive body, always could learn 1B on the job and get some ABs at DH. We’d be less likely to have free outs in our line-up with the possibility of Clement in the line-up
• [The Professor’s Take] We like Clement and have made our feelings known about Jackson in the past (he is a quitter). Two problems. Seattle would probably do this deal without the Rays including Reyes (unless the Rays want an extra prospect tossed in) and we are not sure the Rays would open the season with such a young starting rotation and young starting catcher and not have a veteran catcher on the roster. verdict: WE LIKE

SP J.P. Howell to Arizona for RF Carlos Quentin [Quentin has since been traded to the White Sox]

• [Jake’s Take] Carlos is coming off a shoulder surgery(to his non-throwing arm) and the Diamondbacks are hard-pressed for young pitching. J.P. seems destined to become a better p
  itcher on a NL team than the AL, so why not fill a hole of ours with a player that was a top prospect in a very prestigous farm system but has basically lost his luster by default and D-Backs crowded OF? If not JP straight up, offer them Hammel and JP and ask for Neigborgall in addition to Quentin.
• [The Professor’s Take] Quentin was traded for a top first base prospect who was in single-A, so it is difficult to gauge if this deal would have been acceptable to the D-Backs, but we would have pulled the trigger. verdict: GOOD DEAL, CAN’T HAPPEN

SP Wade Davis and OF John Matulia for the rights to SP Mark Prior

• [Jake’s Take] Initially, in an idea that I gave to RJ, I said Wade Davis for Prior. However, Hendry probably would be mocked for such a random trade for a pitcher that Cub fans have never heard of (even though they have a WR posing as a pitcher in their farm system). I added his idea to the offer, just for the fact that Hendry loves “toolsy” OFers and the fact that Matulia was a draftee of Wilkens(who drafted John’s baby bro, I believe, for the Cubs).
• [The Professor’s Take] This one must be a joke, or Jake was getting really tired or desperate for ideas. NO, NO, NO…NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. First off, the Rays are giving up one of the Top 20 prospects in baseball for the rights to Prior? And let’s say the Cubs did turn down Davis for Prior. Who in their right mind actually thinks that the Cubs are all of the sudden going to say “yes” when the Rays include an outfielder that hit .257/.312/.352 in SINGLE-A!?!?! We know Prior is a talent. And we know that sometimes a team like the Rays needs to take risks, but those risks have to be calculated. A team like the Yankees can take a risk on a Mark Prior, because if he doesn’t work, nobody cares about the money lost. If the Rays give Prior $5 million for 2008, and he doesn’t pitch, that is a huge blow to the payroll and the roster. verdict: WE ARE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF JAKE WAS SERIOUS.

[ELIJAH DUKES HANGOVER] What They Are Saying In The Blogosphere About The Elijah Dukes Trade

We have to commend Andrew Friedman for sticking to his guns and demanding one of the Nationals’ top pitching prospects for Elijah Dukes. Most of the Nationals’ bloggers seem to think that Glenn Gibson was too much to give up for Dukes, however, we have to admit, it is hard to get too excited. From what we have read, he sounds like a left-handed Andy Sonnanstine, that is still 3-4 years away from being ready for the majors.

What the Washington Nationals bloggers are saying about the trade between the Nationals and the Tampa Bay Rays, in which the Nationals received Elijah Dukes for Glenn Gibson….

Capitol Punishment has a nice in-depth look at Glenn Gibson, the pitcher the Rays received in the Elijah Dukes trade, and examines the trade. [Capitol Punishment]

In a pure talent sense, it’s a solid swap. I’m not especially high on Gibson’s long-term potential, thinking that he’s putting up stats with excellent command of mediocre stuff…But the stathead side of my is superseded by the fanboy side. Any player whose Wikipedia profile needs a separate off-field issues section is one you’ve gotta be careful of. And it’s a player I’m going to take no joy in rooting for.

Nationals Farm Authority thinks the Nats gave up too much for Dukes. [Nationals Farm Authority]

Not what I was expecting. I did not envision them surrendering one of the Vermonsters for Dukes…Gibson is a extremely polished lefty (for someone coming out of high school) and has a major league pedigree (his father pitched in the major leagues). I like Gibson for what he is a soft-tossing lefthander in the mold of Jamie Moyer (I use that as the best case scenario)…It’s a lot to surrender in a deal for a guy with the baggage Dukes has, but from a talent for talent point of view, the Nationals are the winners.

Nats320 credits the acquisition of talent, but they are worried about what Dukes may do. [Nats320]

Is he worth the time and effort? Is this the type of player you wish to represent The Nation’s Capital? Is winning worth far more than questionable character traits? Does being selfish, and self-absorbed, make you a desirable player–no matter what your background, and history has proven?…When Sohna and I attend any game involving Our Washington Nationals, we always hope for a win and the best for Our Players. Never do we expect that any one player may harm another–or that one player, is in fact, dangerous. Elijah Dukes has us worried–because–as his background shows–no matter what the Spin Doctors Say–he is A HAZARD.

We’ve Got Heart is not going to be welcoming Dukes to the Nation’s Capitol. [We’ve Got Heart]

As Nats fans we are now asked to show our loyalty by welcoming this troubled kid with open arms…not a chance.

The title says it all. [Just A Nats Fan]

“An Offseason Fear Come True”

Nats Triple Play also likes the deal less knowing that Washington gave up Gibson. [Nats Triple Play]

Ouch, that’s a little too much to pay

[THE HANGOVER] Elijah Dukes Is The Nationals’ Headache Now

Tampa Bay Rays (66-96)
As we mentioned yesterday, Elijah Dukes was traded to the Nationals and Josh Wilson was placed on waivers and claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Glenn Gibson, who was acquired for Dukes is not a member of the 40-man roster. The moves leave the Rays with only 38 players on their 40-man roster, a fact that won’t go unnoticed if a player such as Dale Thayer or Nick DeBarr is lost to the Rule 5 draft on Thursday.

We are not certain why Wilson was placed on waivers at this time unless another trade or free agent signing is pending. However, it is not surprising that Wilson was the player chosen to be placed on waivers. We suspected that Ben Zobrist had the edge over Wilson for the utility infielder position off the bench. While Zobrist has a slight edge offensively and defensively, his ability to switch-hit was may have been the biggest factor as the Rays are currently without a left handed bat off the bench.

With the latest round of moves, we have updated the “Cork Board“, our “Trade Value Index“, and the 2008 25-man roster projection and 40-man roster/payroll projection in the side panel.

Remember the projections are based only on players currently within the organization. In other words, it is what the roster would like if opening day were today. Obviously there are still changes to be made. For example, we do not see Justin Ruggiano as the starting right fielder, and the Rays would prefer somebody other than Kurt Birkins fill the role of lefty in the ‘pen. The only significant change since the last update is Juan Salas is not on the roster. He still has options (can be sent to the minors) and recent comments by Joe Maddon suggest that Gary Glover is a front-runner to make the team. On the 40-man roster we are assuming that one of the final two roster spots will go to Evan Longoria and the other opening will be filled from outside the organization, so we just left one spot blank.

As for the TVI, the biggest change is obviously the additions of Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett. Also, the TVI suggests that if the Rays have a need to remove anybody from the 40-man roster, the most likely candidates are Kurt Birkins and Grant Balfour.

Elijah Dukes Has Been Traded To The Nationals [Rays Index]
Notes: Wilson Lost on Waivers To Bucs [Devil Rays]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• One of the biggest misconceptions in baseball is that “Moneyball” and Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane is all about loving players with strong OBPs. Not true. “Moneyball” was all about finding players that are undervalued by other teams. At the time “Moneyball” was written, not many teams placed a premium on OBP, and so those were the players targeted by Beane. Since the book was written, most other teams now realize the value of players with high OBPs and hence those players are no longer undervalued. Rays of Light examines this shift and wonders if 5-tool players are the new object of everybody’s affection. [Rays of Light]
• RJ Anderson takes a look at “Economics and Baseball” and how they pertain to trades. [DRays Bay]
• One blog looks at the correlation between market size and revenue sharing in baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays have the 5th smallest market, but have taken in the largest amount of revenue sharing. There are several interesting anomalies. For example, the Blue Jays are middle-of-the-pack for market size (12th), but received the second most revenue sharing funds. [Thoughts, Essays, Etc. Sent Into The Ether]

[ELIJAH DUKES] Elijah Dukes Has Been Traded To The Nationals

[Update 6:22pm] The Rays traded Elijah Dukes for one of the pitchers that they coveted from the Nationals. The player acquired by the Rays is Glenn Gibson. According to earlier reports, Gibson was one of the pitchers that the Nationals were refusing to part with. Gibson, a tall lanky (6’4″ 195) left hander, was a 4th round selection by the Nationals out of high school in the 2006 draft. After only 6 innings of work in 2006, Gibson appeared in 12 games this past season (all starts) for Vermont of the New York-Penn League. He posted a 3.10 ERA and struck out 58 in 58 innings, while walking 15.

FoxSports is reporting that Elijah Dukes has been traded to the Washington Nationals for a minor leaguer. The minor league player has not been identified, but is not believed to be a member of the Nationals’ 40-man roster.

A press conference has been scheduled for 6 pm

In other news, Josh Wilson was placed on waivers and claimed by the Pirates.

We will update this post as more details become available.

Rays trade outfielder Elijah Dukes to Nationals [Yahoo! Sports]
Nats acquire Dukes from Tampa Bay [Fox Sports]
Dukes traded to Nationals [TampaBay.com]

[ELIJAH DUKES] Elijah Dukes Really Doesn’t Want To Play For The Tampa Bay Rays

Last Wednesday, The Rays traded Delmon Young to the Minnesota Twins leaving the Rays without an obvious choice to play right field in 2008.

Elijah Dukes could have potentially been the Rays opening-day right fielder…If only he could have kept out of trouble. After his latest incident, we have a sneaky suspicion that the Delmon Young trade scared Dukes in which we suspect a phone conversation with his agent went something like this…

Dukes Agent: (upon hearing about Delmon Young trade, calls Dukes)
Dukes: what up Dawg
Dukes Agent: The Rays just traded DY.
Dukes: That lucky shit. What else I gotta do to get outta that shit?
Dukes Agent: Are you sure Elijah?
Dukes: How many times I gotta tell ya. You are to address me as “Big Dawg”
Dukes Agent: sorry. Big Dawg…are you sure you want out of Tampa? You could be a starting major leaguer this season again.
Dukes: I’m gonna send that Andy Freedude a picture of my nine. I aint even bullshittin.
Dukes Agent: No. No Big Dawg. We have to be careful. We can’t do anything too big. We need you to just do something a little crazy. Not bat-shit crazy. More like, you-haven’t-gotten-any-good-weed-in-a-week crazy.
Dukes: What if I charge the mound and pummel the pitcher tonight?
Dukes Agent: No. Still too much.
Dukes: Aite. I got it. I’ll pretend like I’m gonna go all bat shit-crazy, but I won’t really. Maybe grab my crotch at the fans. They always throwin shit at me anyway. And then I will get in the umpires face and scare him real good.
Dukes Agent: Yeah. *seeing it in his head* Yeah! That’s perfect Elij…er…Big Dawg.
Dukes: It’s good as done.
Dukes Agent: Is there anything else you need while you are down there?
Dukes: Yeah dawg. I forgot my iPod that has all the Mozart and Schubert on it. And there is nobody down here that likes this wine that I brought with me. We should get some 2000 Chateau Margeaux. And I really miss our late night talks over a game of chess. Maybe you could come down this weekend.
Dukes Agent: You got it. Just remember. Don’t do anything too crazy. We just want the Rays to trade you, but we don’t want other teams to get scared.
Dukes: You know me Dawg.

On Thursday, the dark horse candidate to replace Young, and may be the most talented potential right fielder reminded everybody that he is still Elijah Dukes. In his first game back after short break back in the States, Dukes made an obscene gesture to the fans in the Dominican Winter League, got into a heated argument with an umpire after being ejected, had to be restrained by several teammates that sensed that Dukes was about to do something crazy and generally reminded everybody that he has no desire to play for the Rays ever again….

(Dukes) objected to a strike call in his first at-bat. He was hit by a pitch in his next at-bat, flung his bat to the ground and on his way to first made a suggestive gesture to the crowd, which had been jeering him. He also had words with the catcher when he shook his head after taking a pitch.

Dukes, 23, reacted emotionally and angrily to a third-strike call, going chest-to-chest with an umpire after he was ejected in the ninth inning. He had to be restrained by several teammates at different times.”It got a little ugly,” said Jesus Campos, baseball operations vice president of the host Gigantes team. “If it wasn’t for (teammate) Andy Tracy holding him back, things could have gotten a lot worse. … It definitely wasn’t a safe situation for the umpire because (Dukes, 6-2, 250) is a big guy.”

We have been unable to confirm but we have heard that the “suggestive gesture” was Dukes grabbing his crotch towards the crowd.

The Rays will spend the rest of the off-season looking for a player to play right field. That player could come via free agency or more likely through a trade. In addition, there are several in-house candidates that may be able to fill the void, but they all come with large question marks whether it be Rocco Baldelli (health concerns), Jonny Gomes (defensive concerns, prone to deep slumps at plate) or Justin Ruggiano (minor league numbers suggest mediocre major leaguer at best).

And then there is our own mischievous little badger, Elijah Dukes.

From a purely baseball point-of-view, Dukes is the best solution in right field. Before off-field problems set in, ending his season, Dukes proved that he is a major league talent. Despite only hitting .190, Dukes hit 10 home runs and posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 44 to 33 in only 52 games.

Bugs & Cranks has been chronicling the “Redemption of Elijah Dukes” all off-season and his success and behavior in the Dominican Winter League indicated that Dukes was starting to get back to just being a baseball player and he was doing that very well. In doing so, Dukes may have been inching his way back into favor with the Rays.

Recent comments by Andrew Friedman seemed to back this notion.

“Elijah continues to make great strides,” said Andrew Friedman, Devil Rays executive vice president of baseball operation. “We’re still at the point in the process where it would be premature to elaborate much more, but we feel like he is at the stage where it’s appropriate for him to go out and play some in the Winter League and take it from there.”

With the Rays trading Young and with no obvious in-house replacement, Dukes could have potentially been the Rays opening-day right fielder…If only he could have kept out of trouble.

Rays Trade Delmon Young And Two Others To The Twins For Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett And A Minor Leaguer [Rays Index]
Elijah Dukes Blends Right Into Dominican Baseball [Deadspin]
Dukes Erupts Yet Again [TampaBay.com]
The Redemption of Elijah Dukes – First YouTubes [Bugs & Cranks]
Dukes to Play in Winter League [Devil Rays]

[DEVIL RAYS BLOGS] New Rays Blogger Looks At The Raysiverse Through Pinstripe-Tinted Glasses

That new Rays blogger over at MVN and Rays Anatomy that we mentioned last week? He is a Yankees fan.

Sweet Fancy Moses!

Eric SanInocencio was actually born in the Bronx. Having lived in the Bronx ourselves for a time, we can tell you…this is going to be fun…Well, it will be fun if you are the sort of person that thinks pissing in your own bed is “fun”.

And the bed-pissing has already begun. He hasn’t been on duty for a month yet, and he has already written a post about payroll. If you have been with us for a while we NEV-ER bitch about payroll, but the last thing in the world we need is for a Yankees fan to preach to us about the Rays payroll.

While most major league team’s salaries range from 50-100 million, there are some that are resemble a fine wine (Yanks 189 million) and others that look like a case of Milwaukee’s Best (Rays 24 million).

Of course that fine wine must be a little sour as it has earned the Yankees fewer championships in the last seven years than two expansion franchises (1 each from the D-Backs and the Marlins) and the same number as the Devil Rays. Then again we do like Milwaukee’s Best better than a few fine wines that we have tasted in our day…especially when cost is factored in.

Tampa on the other hand has to compete with not only the “Evil Empire” but “Red Sox Nation” which checks in at number two in the payroll scale with a total salary collection of 143 million. Talk about unfair. You’ll never hear the players or ownership say it, but this is definitely a Mount Everest type of climb to respectability.

Really? There is payroll disparity in the AL East? We had no idea. Thank goodness there was a Yankees fan there to keep us informed.

The Rays may not be able to climb Mt Everest as often as the Yankees can climb Mt. Ant Hill…but when the Rays reach the top, the Ray will achieve respectability the Yankees can only dream of.

In fairness, Mr. SanInocencio appears to be a good writer, albeit a long-winded one, and on the surface he appears to know his stuff and the model for his blog is unique and refreshing. Still we are withholding our final judgment until we can know for certain whether Rays Anatomy can separate their pinstripes from their writing. It is a whole new ballgame with the Rays. A typical Yankees fan sees a hole in their lineup and thinks the rest of baseball is their own personal minor league system, and asks “which future hall-of-famer, perennial all-star, is now obligated to come fill our hole?”

We hope that Mr. SanInocencio realizes that things don’t work that way in the Raysiverse. Andrew Friedman and Co. are trying to build a winning baseball team, not a Tiffany’s display case.

Jonny Gomes Never Saw A Pitch He Didn’t Like [Rays Index]
Hey Fellas, Can You Spare A Dollar? Maybe 170 Million? (Payroll Fun) [Rays Anatomy]