[BRAVES BLOGTOPIA] What They Are Saying In The Blogosphere About The Will Aybar Trade

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired Willy Aybar and Chase Fontaine for Jeff Ridgway. We decided to take a look around and see what Braves fans had to say about the move. The feelings on the move are mixed, but most look at Ridgway as a way to add left-handed relief pitching depth to the Braves organization and believe that Ridgway can be Atlanta’s left-handed specialist in 2008. This last sentiment is a head-scratcher as the Rays have made it known that they have been in the market to acquire a left-handed relief specialist of their own, long before this trade was made. That is a clear indication that they do not believe Ridgway is capable of filling that role at the major league level.

TALKING CHOP

(The trades just keep coming) And they continue to be head-scratchers. The Braves acquired left-handed reliever Jeff Ridgway from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for utility infielder Willy Aybar and minor league shortstop Chase Fontaine. Really!

I’m I missing the point of the Braves off-season strategy again? Is this the same thing as the Kotsay trade; will I eventually come around to it? For now, I’m a bit lost as to why we made this trade and why we included so much.

Ridgway is a 27-year old lefty who has thrown exactly one-third of an inning of major league baseball. In return we gave up a valuable (albeit formerly drugged-out) Aybar and a young infield hitter in Fontaine who it’s been said has a high upside, for a 27-year old lefty! Don’t we already have two and a half lefties in our bullpen? [Talking Chop]

BRAVES BLAST

Now I know you’re thinking “I’ve never heard of Ridgway before, this won’t help us.” – but he shows some promise. Since moving to the bullpen a couple years ago, he’s had some success and just last year posted a 3.06 ERA in 54 appearances at the AAA level. His fastball is clocked near 94 mph. We’ll probably see him in Spring Training working to make the big league team. Whether or not he ends up there is another question, but either way we will have more left-handed depth in the relief position throughout the organization. [Braves Blast]

CHOP-N-CHANGE

I see a lot of similarities to Royce Ring and I think given a full year, Ridgway could be a useful LOOGY.

Aybar is out of options and was considered a dark horse to make the opening day roster so getting some value from him makes sense. He may start at third for Tampa Bay if the Rays feel that top prospect Evan Longoria could use some more seasoning in the minors or he could add depth at the position if Longoria opens the year as the Rays’ third baseman.

Fontaine would have to improve both aspects of his game, especially on the defensive side, to have a good shot at starting in the future. This trade seems pretty good for the Braves. Ridgway has decent upside and Frank Wren didn’t give up all that much. You can never have too much pitching. [Chop-n-Change]

[THE HANGOVER] Rays Acquire Third Baseman, Hope To Magically Make Him A ‘Super-Duper-Utility’ Guy

Tampa Bay Rays (27 days until pitchers and catchers report)

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired Willy Aybar and Chase Fontaine for Jeff Ridgway. Aybar, who will be 25 on opening day, missed all of 2007 due to a wrist injury suffered in Spring Training and a stint in a substance abuse program. Previously, he spent parts of 2005 and 2006 at the big league level, accumulating a .292-5-40 line (.803 OPS) in 105 games with the Braves and Dodgers.

Several outlets have reported that Aybar is the “super-utility” player that the Rays sought, including the St. Pete Times and the Bradenton Herald. This is curious as there is absolutely zero indication that he can play any position other than third base and short stop. Aybar is a third baseman by trade and occasionally played second base in the minors, with only one game played elsewhere (shortstop). And while he has shown a decent glove at second base, he is below-average at best at third base with a range factor (2.34) below the league average and 10 errors in 80 career games.

While the Rays may envision Aybar as their “super-utility” player down the road, the more likely scenario is that the Rays have acquired their opening day third baseman, and this is definitely nothing to get excited about. Aybar is a weak-hitting (45.2 ABs/HR as a pro), poor-defensive, shitty base stealing (50-103 SBs as a pro) third baseman…who hasn’t played organized baseball in over a year…is coming off a stint in rehab and an injured wrist. In other words Aybar has two months to get back into baseball shape and learn 4-5 new positions. This will be fun.

P.S. Aybar is out of options. He will be on the opening day roster.

Rays acquire Aybar from Braves [MLB]
Rays land utilityman; arbitration time looms [TampaBay.com]
Rays get super-utility player, solid bat in Aybar [Bradenton Herald]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Future Considerations profiles the “other” player in the trade, Chase Fontaine. Even though Minor League Ball thinks his name sounds like that of a 1950s musical star, we prefer “1970s Porn Star” [Future Considerations]
  
• Scott Kazmir does not expect a deal to be reached with the Rays prior to the noon deadline. [TampaBay.com]

Kazmir said he would prefer to have his contract situation resolved, but understood going through arbitration was part of the business side of the game. Though hearings don’t take place until February, the Rays have a team policy to cease negotiations once salary figures are filed, which takes place at noon Friday.

• The Jonny Gomes deal has been finalized. Gomes will make $1.275 million in 2008 with a chance to up that total to $1.3 million with 500 plate appearances. With Gomes’ new contract, the Rays will now have 11 players in 2008 that will make at least $1 million. [TampaBay.com]
• Stacy Long takes a look at team payrolls from the past seven seasons. To no surprise the Rays have had the lowest average payroll over that span, including an average player salary of $1.1 million in 2007. [Talk Alabama]
• The St. Pete City Council has set three dates in which the public will be able to voice their opinions concerning the proposed $450 million stadium to be built along the St. Pete waterfront. Here is hoping for the sake of the City Council, that the Heckler does not show up. HEY COUNCILMANNNN! THIS IDEA IS TERRIBLEEEE DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT TRYING TO BUILD THIS NEW STADIUMMMMMM. MY VOICE WILL NEVER TRAVEL AS WELL IN AN OUTDOOR STADIUMMMMMM. HOT DOGGGGGG! [TBO]
• The St. Pete City Council voted 7-1 to request proposals for the New Stadium proposed by the Tampa Bay Rays. This does not mean the stadium has been approved. Only that the city is willing to see what ideas different developers can come up with and how much money each of those developers thinks the project will generate for the area…In other news, water is wet. [TampaBay.com]
• One blogger ranks the pitchers in the Rays organization (Matt Garza is #1?) and profiles Andy Sonnanstine. [Variables Don’t; Constants Aren’t]