[THE HANGOVER] All Evan Longoria Needs Is A Chance, And Now He’s Got It

Tampa Bay Rays (1 day until pitchers and catchers report)

It is what he wanted.

It is what we wanted.

It is not necessarily what the front office wanted.

But now it looks like Evan Longoria will get the opportunity to prove in Spring Training that he belongs in the majors.

And a chance is all the Dirtbag needs. It won’t take much to convince Joe Maddon. And we have a feeling that if Papa Joe can be convinced, it won’t take much to convince Andrew Friedman.

Longoria will not have to hit .400 in Spring Training and he will not have to hit 10 home runs. In fact, we have a feeling that as long as he does not fall flat on his face, he will be named the Rays opening day starter at third base. As much as Papa Joe likes to crunch numbers on his computer, he still loves himself a good ole fashioned baseball player. Evan Longoria is a baseball player. And Maddon will envision that rubbing off on the other players

Maddon is destined to fall in love with the 22 year old. He will see enough in his swing and his glove to know that he is not going to be over-matched at the major league level.

Longoria may struggle at first. But he is too good a hitter to fail. And Papa Joe will see that.

Longoria will get chance to earn spot [Rays Report]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• ESPN.com takes a closer look at the “revitalized” Carl Crawford. C.C. speaks about having more energy after learning that he was allergic to dairy and wheat products and the subsequent change in his diet. He has also upped his workout regimen and has dropped his body fat from 12% to 8% since December. He also doesn’t hold back in his portrayal of just how miserable 2007 was for the Rays. [ESPN]

“It’s just going to be about playing baseball again, that’s what I’m really excited about this season,” Crawford said at his offseason home. “With all the B.S. that was going on last year, I think we lost focus on the task at hand.” Crawford refers to the ongoing soap opera that featured Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young. Both of the enormously talented players couldn’t stay out of trouble; Dukes with his off-field issues, and Young with his me-first attitude that resulted in him at first walking out on manager Joe Maddon on the second-to-last day of the 2007 regular season. Crawford calls last season a year “he never wants to remember,” and the distractions, at times, were almost unbearable…”That move, for Garza, spoke volumes,” Crawford said. “For the first time I felt like this organization was serious about winning. That’s the reason why I think everybody is excited because everybody sees that.”

• Joe Maddon confirmed something that we had expected, that is five of the seven bullpen spots are already spoken for, all but guaranteeing that Gary Glover will be on the opening day roster. That leaves one spot that will go to a “loser” in the battle for the starting rotation and the final spot will be between Juan Salas, Scott Dohmann and Grant Balfour. [The Heater]
• Shawn Riggans enters Spring Training healthy and understands this may be his last shot at winning a job with the Rays now that John Jaso has been added to the 40-man roster. Marc Topkin refers to Riggans as the “apparent leading candidate for the backup catcher’s job.” This might be a stretch after the recent additions of one veteran catcher in Mike DiFelice and the return of Josh Paul who is familiar with the Rays pitching staff. It is our feeling that if the season started today Paul’s experience and familiarity with the pitching staff will be a better partner to the young Dioner Navarro. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Topkin reviews all the changes the Rays have made this off-season. [St. Pete Times]
• The Columbus Catfish have been sold and plan to relocate to Bolling Green, Kentucky for the 2009 season. [Ledger-Enquirer]
• Baseball Analysts continues their breakdown of the best baseball players by age. In the age 23 group, BJ Upton comes in at #6, while both Evan Longoria and David Price come in at #5 and #12 respectively. [Baseball Analysts]
• The Ledger ranks the DHs. The Rays’ three-headed monster of Rocco Baldelli, Cliff Floyd and Jonny Gomes is ranked 7th. [The Ledger]
• My Baseball Bias previews the Rays’ Spring Training. [My Baseball Bias]
• Devil Rays Locker gives the Rays front office a B+ for this off-season’s moves. [Devil Rays Locker]

[THE HANGOVER] We Promise That All The Talk About Prospects Will End Soon, Just Not Today

Tampa Bay Rays (3 days until pitchers and catchers report)
Just wanted to take a second to once again thank DRG for holding down the fort on the weekend, allowing us to enjoy are literal hangovers in peace. We have a few things on tap for you today but until then just the links and quick reminder that today is “Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day“, so we will try not to complain about anything that has happened with the Rays in the past.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Armchair GM takes a look at who they think are the top 5 shortstops in baseball. No. Jason Bartlett is not on the list (apparently hot fiancee is not a criteria). But they do name Reid Brignac the top prospect. [Armchair GM]

You won’t see Brignac to open the season in Tampa Bay this year. After crushing single-A pitching in 2006, Reid had a huge drop in batting average, and a less drastic drop in power numbers when he transitioned to AA in ’07. Chances are he will get a full season of grooming in AAA this year, however, given an injury or two in Tampa this summer, you might get to see another potential star for the Rays. He is capable of going .300/20/85/20 if he were to get a full season of ABs.

• Anybody tired of Top Prospect lists yet? Yes? Too bad. Next up John Sickels takes a stab at what he thinks Baseball America’s list of the Top 100 prospects will look like. Evan Longoria is #2 behind Jay Bruce. In all, seven Rays make the list, not including Jeremy Hellickson who is Honorable Mention. [Minor League Ball]
• RaysBB has begun to unveil their list of the Rays top 25 prospects as voted on by a number of people. We participated, but we already see the fallibility in the concept. Remember, we are fans of the team which makes it difficult to be objective. Like most fans the list is littered with players from the lower levels that will never see the light of day in the major leagues. But when those players put up even very good numbers against other 18-20 year olds, fans start to drool incessantly. It is natural to see hope in the young. As a rule, we very rarely pay much mind to a prospect until he performs at the AA or AAA-level. That is why we will keep a guy like Elliot Johnson in our top 15, and ignore a guy like MikeMcCormick (despite our love for catchers). In spite of a horrendous 2007, Johnson has performed a strong season above A-ball, and his drop-off in 2007 was too great to be due to skill alone. [RaysBB]
• Rays of Light is fine with the Rays keeping Evan Longoria in the minors to start the season. [Rays of Light]
• Baseball Digest Daily held a roundtable discussion in which one of the questions asked was “Which team will surprise everyone in 2008?” Two three of the eight panel members picked the Rays. [Baseball Digest Daily]
• Rays Anatomy is back with their latest installment of “A Tale Of Two Erics” in which two points of view are offered on one subject. This time it is Dioner Navarro. [Rays Anatomy]
• Rays of Light pounds Marc Topkin for a random nonsensical comment about the possibility of the Rays signing Barry Bonds. We have covered this topic before. Signing Bonds goes against everything the Rays front office is trying to do. The Rays had two distractions on the roster last year (Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young). Where are those two players now? And Topkin thinks it is even possible the Rays would sign Bonds? After the link we will just complete our argument by quoting ourselves from November 19, when another website also clamored for Bonds . [Rays of Light]

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.

• Bill Chastain says that Hope will flourish in Spring Training for the Rays, as he examines the few remaining question marks for the Rays opening day roster, the biggest of which could be Rocco Baldelli’s health. [RaysBaseball.com]
• Delmon Young is happier than he has been since high school, and he has decided it is time to grow up. We will believe it when he has gone an entire season without complaining to the manager or the press. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Young, 22, said he made a conscious decision to change his attitude the day after the season, when he got home from Tampa.

“It was time to clean it up and grow up,” he said, as sweat dripped off his 6-3, 215-pound frame from a recent workout. “You get four years from 18-21 — you know, college time — where you can get in a little bit of trouble. But after that you’ve got to wake up and join the real world.”

• There is a new Rays blog in the neighborhood, Rays Rampant. So far we are not impressed. In just their second post they combined the numbers of players lost and players added to the roster this off-season. Never mind that a player like Eric Hinske or Mike DiFelice has little chance of playing for the Rays in 2008. Our biggest problem is that when they combined the stats in each group they were sloppy in how they calculated OBP. They just added hits and walks, divided by at bats+walks. Of course anybody can tell you that much more goes into OBP. For starters you divide by plate appearances. Plate appearances include other things like Hit By Pitch and Sacrifices. Did you know it is actually possible to have an OBP lower than BA? If a player has more sacrifices than walks, it will be, as a sacrifice adds a plate appearance without adding a time on base. It has happened. It is hard to take numbers seriously when they aren’t even calculated correctly. [Rays Rampant]

[THE HANGOVER] Delmon Young Walks The Company-Line In Minnesota

Tampa Bay Rays (13 days until pitchers and catchers report)
A college newspaper in Minnesota got a hold of Delmon Young for a quick little Q&A following the Minnesota Twins FanFest. And boy, what a difference 1,600 miles makes.

When asked about his experience with Tampa Bay…

Tampa was fun. They were the first organization I played with and I appreciate everything they did for me to get to the big leagues and let me play for just over a year … I had great teammates down there …, a talented team and everything, they are going to do well but they are in a tough division.

When asked about having to move from right field to left field with the Twins…

I will do whatever the team wants asks me. That’s what spring training is for, I have all the time in the world to get comfortable in left field. There is only a slight difference with the ball going the opposite way. It’s just a position, you know, just get a glove and let your instincts take over.

Twins fans have no idea what they have gotten themselves into. We cannot wait until the first time Ron Gardenhire asks DY to hit a ball to the right side with a runner on second and no outs, to get the runner to third. Or the first time he insists that Young take a pitch until the pitcher throws a strike after he has walked two straight batters (This is essentially why David Ortiz never posted big numbers with the Twins). We think it is just a matter of time before Gardenhire is Gettin’ a Delmon.

Q&A with Delmon Young [The Record]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Rob Neyer ranks the 10 best left fielders for the next 5 years. He has Carl Crawford on top of the list. Still, it is not the most flattering evaluation ever. [ESPN]

You have to like Crawford, but it’s worth mentioning that he has not showed a normal growth curve. At 22, he was roughly six wins better than a replacement player … and was roughly six wins better than a replacement player at 23, 24, and 25. I’m not sure what to make of that, except there’s no obvious reason to think he’s suddenly going to become a great player (though I do believe he’ll have a few great seasons).

• The Stat Pack takes a close look at Rob Neyer’s list of the top left fielders. [The Stat Pack]
• Drays Bay takes a look at Keith Law and Kevin Goldstein’s list of the top 100 prospects and where the Rays prospects fall on those lists. The most surprising is that both have Desmond Jennings in the top 20 (11 and 18 respectively). [DRays Bay]
• Rays Anatomy breaks down Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook list of the Top 30 Tampa Bay Rays prospects. [Rays Anatomy]
  
• The Tampa Tribune has more details about that 35-person task force being formed by the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce to review the Rays proposal for a new stadium. [TBO]
• The Rays Hot Stove Radio Show will make its 2008 debut on Monday at 7:00 pm on 620AM. Andrew Friedman and BJ Upton will appear on the show and will be available for autographs. [DevilRays.com]
  
• Anthony DiComo takes a look at 10 rookies that could be dominant in 2008, including Evan Longoria. [MLB.com]

Down in Tampa Bay, Longoria is set to start at third base a year after slugging 26 homers between two levels of the Minor Leagues. And oh, yes, he’s only 22 years old.

The last part of that biography seems most impressive. On a team loaded with young talent, Longoria has a chance to be the star. He’s not two years removed from flying off the Draft board third overall, yet the Rays believe he’s ready for the big leagues — both on and off the field.

• UmpBump thinks everybody will be pulling for the Rays this year and that they will be a trendy playoff pick. [Ump Bump]
• Mitch Talbot was honored at his high school by having his jersey retired. When interviewed, hr stated that he expects to start the year in Durham, but he expects to be ready for the majors by mid-season. [Cedar City Review]

[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]

[THE HANGOVER] Winter Meetings Are Underway In Nashville

Tampa Bay Rays (66-96)
Correction: On Friday we mentioned that Saturday was the deadline for offering arbitration to all players that are arbitration eligible. In fact, the deadline was only for teams to offer arbitration to their free agents. Players with at least three years, but less than six years of major league experience, are also eligible for arbitration, but there is a separate deadline for teams to offer those players arbitration. That would be the non-tender deadline of December 12…Trying to understand baseball’s contract rules is often like trying to understand the tax code or Joe Maddon’s starting lineups.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• We have yet another new Tampa Bay Rays website in the blogosphere, The Rays Way. The new blogger is younger, but he is a diehard Rays fan, which is not always the case with some of these sites. We are not saying a site cannot be good if it is not run by fans, but there is something that is added to the mix when the writer(s) have an emotional attachment to the team they are covering. So if you have a moment, stop by and welcome The Rays Way to the neighborhood. [The Rays Way]
• We think Marc Topkin is in Nashville for the winter meetings. We say “think” because there is no by-line on the blog post. We also assume it is Topkin (and not Eduardo Encina) because the writer announces that he will not report on every rumor because “so many of them are made up”. And we already know that Topkin is the one person that always just knows what rumors are true, and which are not. [tampabay.com]
• Marc Lancaster thinks the Rays will not be very active at the winter meetings (despite still needing a left bat, a lefty reliever, a backup catcher and a right fielder, not to mention possibly adding a veteran starting pitcher). [TBO]

But when the Tampa Bay contingent rolls into the Opryland Hotel this morning for four days of non-stop talk, if not necessarily much action, the group can take comfort in knowing most of its frontline needs already have been addressed.

• On the other hand, Roger Mooney believes the Rays may actually open up their wallet. This seems to be a bit far in the other direction. Based on the moves already made and speculating on arbitration values, the Rays 2008 Payroll is in the neighborhood of $38 million already, which is already a couple of million over their projected payroll increase of 20%. More likely the additions will come via trade [Bradenton Herald]
• The St. Pete Times has a story that shows the Rays have a lot of hoops to jump through before they get approval to build a new stadium. IF they can successfully maneuver the gauntlet, they will break ground in less than 500 days. [St. Pete Times]
• The Rule 5 Draft is on Thursday and the Rays have the first pick, should they decide to use it. MLB Trade Rumors has a source that the Rays may select outfielder Brian Barton, and outfielder in AA for the Indians. He is a speedster that has posted strong OPS numbers throughout the minors, but some worry that the numbers may be skewed because he has always been older than most of his competition and may not be a major league talent. It would cost the Rays $50,000 to select Barton and would have to keep him on the 25-man roster all season long or offer him back to the Indians for $25,000. In addition there are several Rays players that may be selected by other teams, including Dale Thayer and Nick DeBarr. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• A statistical look at Brian Barton and the other top prospects that are available in the Rule 5 draft. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• The Rays have already had one of their busiest off-seasons in team history, but there is still plenty of work to do. All of the sudden there is a glaring hole in right field that may or may not be able to be filled by some combination of Rocco Baldelli, Jonny Gomes and Justin Ruggiano, none of whom screams huge 2008 numbers. The team also needs a left-handed bat, a veteran catcher to back up Dioner Navarro, and a lefty in the bullpen. [Devil Rays]
• If the goal of the Tampa Bay Rays brass was to get more people to pay attention to the Rays, it looks like it is working. The Tampa Bay Bucs are now 8-4, following a game that I am fairly certain took a couple of days off of my life, and are playing their best ball since the Super Bowl season…yet Best Bucs Blog took time to write a post about the Tampa Bay Rays and all the changes that have occurred or have been proposed, entitled “Cautiously Optimistic”. The title is an apt one. There is still a lot of work to do. [Best Bucs Blog]
• Before last season we called for people to jump on board the Devil Rays Bandwagon, so as to enjoy the ride to the top. With all the recent changes others are starting to take notice and are ready to jump on board. [New University]
• It was no surprise, but on Friday, Joe Maddon named Troy Percival the team’s 2008 closer. While Al Reyes is the most directly affected, Juan Salas will also have a considerably different role in 2008. If Reyes were to be the closer in 2008, the Rays would have likely given Salas occasional save opportunities with the purpose of auditioning as well as training Salas to be the closer for 2009 and beyond. With Percy on board for the next two seasons, Salas, who has options remaining, may now begin the season in Durham as the Bulls’ closer. [TBO]
• We have no doubt that Troy Percival is great in the clubhouse, and he may be a great presence for the other relievers, but lets ease up on all the talk of the “leadership” effect from a player that spends at least 8 innings of every game sitting in the bullpen. [TBO]
• Dennis Maffezzoli thinks that the Rays added a couple of big pieces in Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett, in addition he believes trading Delmon Young might have been addition-by-subtraction. [Herald-Tribune]
• With the loss of Delmon Young, the price for Carl Crawford just went up. We wouldn’t go so far as to say he is “untouchable” as the Chicago Tribune suggests, but the bounty would be great. [Chicago Tribune]
• Oh, It’s THOSE Girls wrote an open letter to new Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett. Apparently they are going to miss his baseball skills and his cuteness, and have named him an “honorary boyfriend”. [Oh, It’s THOSE Girls]

[THE HANGOVER] Four Rays Prospects Make Top 20

Tampa Bay Rays (66-96)
It takes three things to win in baseball: Pitching, Pitching and Pitching.

On Wednesday, the Rays added Matt Garza to a rotation that already features two of the best young pitchers in baseball, in Scott Kazmir and James Shields. Garza, one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, was ranked #21 in Baseball America’s list of “2007 Top 100 Prospects”.

Earlier this week we mentioned that MiLB was unveiling their top 50 prospects and shortstop Reid Brignac was the first Rays farmhand to make the list at #32. Well, considerably more of the list has been revealed and three more Rays prospects have made the list, all starting pitchers.

11. David Price – He’s got tremendous stuff, with a plus fastball, slider and above-average changeup, excellent command of his pitches and the kind of leadership on the mound that screams “future ace.” Price has great makeup and is extremely competitive. Add in the fact that this enticing package all comes in a left-hander and it’s no wonder he nearly hit the top 10.

12. Wade Davis – Davis and McGee. McGee and Davis. It doesn’t matter in which order you put them (though on this list, Davis is ranked higher); both will reach Tampa in short order and help support its quickly improving young offense. Davis got the bump up to Double-A in 2007 earlier than McGee and thus might be a touch closer to joining Scott Kazmir in the Rays’ rotation.

20. Jake McGee – If the Rays are known mostly for their young offensive talent, McGee is a big reason why they’ll soon be known for pitching as well…Another year in the Minors wouldn’t be a bad thing, but he could be ready by late 2008 should the need arise.

With the top 10 yet to be revealed, we don’t know yet whether Evan Longoria will come in at #1, but he will be on the list, which gives the Rays five players in the top 32 and four in the top 20, including three starting pitchers, two of whom are left handed.

One can never assume that prospects will be productive major leaguers, much less develop into a perennial all-star. But for the sake of argument, let’s assume that all three of these starting pitchers develop into mid-rotation major league starting pitchers, with one of them blossoming into an ace. If the Rays struggle to sign Soctt Kazmir to a long-term contract, there is a very good chance he will be traded following the 2009 season. Until then? Let’s enjoy the show.

2007 Top 100 Prospects [Baseball America]
Promotions lead to changing of the guard in 2007 [MiLB]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Troy Percival passed his physical yesterday and will be introduced today as the Rays new closer. The deal is 2 years for $8 million, with up to $2 million in incentives. [tampabay.com]
• ESPN is reporting that the Rays have talked to Geoff Jenkins agent for the purpose of playing right field for the Rays in 2008. We understand that it is the Rays responsibility to explore all options, but Jenkins is a player the Rays DO NOT want. He hit a combined 38 home runs the past two seasons and hit .255 last year. He just completed a long-term deal with the Brewers that paid him over $7 million each of the last 4 seasons. What is he commanding on the open market? We have no idea. But if it is more than the league minimum it is too much. A combination of Justin Ruggiano and Jonny Gomes can produce the .255-21-64 line Jenkins produced last year and play defense just as well, if not better. [ESPN]
• Baseball America has the best breakdown yet of all six players involved in the Delmon Young-for-Matt Garza trade. [Baseball America]
• Marc Lancaster has quotes from a conference call with Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett. [TBO]

Garza seems to be a live wire, certainly not lacking in confidence, who already has studied up on the Rays and is definitely excited to be coming to Tampa Bay. Bartlett was a bit more reserved and was surprised by the trade, but that fits his businesslike reputation.

• Beyond the Boxscore examines the numbers posted by the six players involved in the trade. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• One Twins blogger thinks the Twins finally got the “uncontrollable hotheaded immature player” that they needed, demonstrating Delmon Young’s effect on the Minnesota clubhouse with…Legos [MN Gameday]
• Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the Rays off-season needs and 2008 projections. We lost them when they referred to Scott Kazmir and James Shields as “a reasonable one-two”. [Yahoo! Sports]
• A lighter take on the Delmon Young-for-Matt Garza trade. [Fox Sports]
• One blogger thought it was important enough to take time from his busy life to let everybody know that the Delmon Young-for-Matt Garza trade was not a “blockbuster” as many people have referred to it…Apparently trading a #1 overall pick that hit .290 and drove in 90 and has one of the best arms in baseball, AT AGE 21…for one of the top 20 prospects in baseball does not qualify for “blockbuster” status. We all owe Blogging Baseball an apology. [Blogging Baseball]
• A collection of YouTube clips featuring the three players acquired from the Twins. [DRaysBay]

[DELMON YOUNG TRADE] What The Delmon Young Trade Means For The Rays 25-Man Roster

This trade was not Delmon Young-for-Matt Garza.

This trade was not a 3-for-3 deal.

Make no mistake this was a 3-for-1 deal and one could make a very strong argument that this was a 5-for-1 deal (we will get back to that in a moment).

Both Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie were expendable, leaving Young as the only piece of significance given up by the Rays. Harris proved in the first half of 2007 that he could hit a baseball. Unfortunately, Harris proved all season that he is not a major league shortstop, often playing the position as if he had his feet stuck in cement. Pridie is a talented young outfielder, but there was clearly no future for him in a Rays uniform, with the team’s depth of outfield talent at all levels.

On the other hand the Rays pick up one of the top young pitchers in baseball (Garza), who is still two seasons from arbitration, a starting shortstop for 2008 and maybe beyond (Jason Bartlett), and one of the top closer prospects in baseball (Eduardo Morlan). Originally the deal was to include Juan Rincon, but concerns over his elbow lead the Rays to insist on the inclusion
of Morlan. Rincon would have added depth to the Rays 2008 bullpen, but Morlan could end up being a more valuable acquisition.

In addition to the three pieces from the Twins, the Rays also indirectly acquired a AAA all-star outfielder and long reliever/spot starter to give the bullpen added depth.

Justin Ruggiano: Moving Delmon Young opens up a spot in right field. With both Rocco Baldelli and Jonny Gomes on the roster, Ruggiano would most likely have started the season in Durham. With Young gone, the star for Team USA in the World Cup is now the leading candidate to be the fourth outfielder and the team will likely employ a rotation with Rocco, Gomes and Ruggiano sharing time in right field and DH.

Jason Hammel: Hammel was originally slotted as the fifth starter and with the acquisition of Garza, he is the odd man out. Hammel, who is out of options will now most likely be moved to the bullpen where he worked last season before entering the rotation. Hammel is an immediate upgrade over another pitcher currently in the organization that could have filled the role of long reliever/spot starter.

Most reactions to the trade, whether they be Twins, Rays or Neutral fans, suggest that Young-for-Garza is either a push or a slight edge for the Twins, citing Young’s enormous upside. Those same reactions also unanimously agree that the other four players included in the deal, make the Rays the winners of the deal. Now add Ruggiano and Hammel to the deal and consider that Pridie and Harris were expendable and the 5-for-1 deal in which the Rays receive five important pieces for a 5-tool player that has never shown three of those tools (power, speed, glove) at any level and the Rays are a significantly better team this week than they were last week.

When the tree stops shaking, let’s now take a look at what the 25-man roster could look like on opening day 2008. (notes on this projection can be found below)

• INFIELD: We still feel that Akinori Iwamura will be at second base, no matter what the team decides to do with Evan Longoria. If the Dirtbag is not ready, they will most likely use a stopgap such as Joel Guzman, who has proved to be more than adequate with the glove. Aki just does not have the arm to be a major league third baseman and there is no sense moving him mid-season.
• OUTFIELD: Without Delmon Young, there is now a big question mark in right field. Without any further trades (Jonny Gomes?) the Rays will most likely go with a 3-man platoon in right with Gomes, Ruggiano and Rocco with one of the odd-men out playing DH every night. With Rocco’s legs and Gomes questionable glove, Ruggiano could be the most-days right fielder. The biggest problem with this scenario is that all three swing from the right side. If Gomes is moved, look for a left-handed bat to come back to the Ray in the deal.
• BENCH: Several question marks here. Will the team sign a veteran free agent catcher? Will they find a left-handed bat to come off the bench/is the switch-hitting Zobrist sufficient? Does that give Zobrist an edge over Josh Wilson to be the utility infielder?
• ROTATION: The Rays just went from “Kaz, Shields and pray for a power outage” to looking like they have a very formidable rotation. Before the trade, there were questions if the Rays even had a pitcher ready to fill the fifth spot. Now Jackson and Sonnanstine slide down to #4 and #5 and both look a lot better in those spots. The odd-man out on the surface is Jason Hammel, but Jeff Niemann could have been hurt the worst. Niemann could have competed in spring training with Hammel. He will have a much more difficult time trying to push aside Sonnanstine and is now more likely to begin season at AAA.
• BULLPEN: One of the worst in the history of baseball in 2007, the bullpen is suddenly looking like it could be a strength. Percival is the closer. He had a strong 2007 after coming out of retirement, but he will be 38 on opening day. The new 8th inning guy is Al Reyes and he will be 37 with a history that includes two Tommy John surgeries. If those two can stay healthy and effective, the rest of the bullpen slots very nicely, especially with the addition of Hammel. Five of the spots look to be spoken for, which leaves two open for competition in Spring Training. Birkins gets an edge being left handed. In 2006 and 2007, the Rays were not trying to compete so it was easier for Joe Maddon to leave spring training without a lefty in the pen. We can’t see him doing that in 2008. Dohmann was strong in the second half of 2007 and is out of options, but so are Gary Glover and Grant Balfour.

[THE HANGOVER] The Rays Officially Unveil Plans For New Stadium On St. Pete Waterfront

Devil Rays (66-96)
The Rays officially unveiled the plans for a new stadium on the St. Petersburg waterfront as well as the reconstruction of the Tropicana Field site. The St. Pete Times has an image gallery of what can be expected.

Most of the details have already been released, but some of the biggest remaining questions, concerning financing of the new ballpark, were addressed by Stuart Sternberg. While the plan does call for $60 million in revenue from the state as a result of the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site, Sternberg emphasized that there would be no new taxes and any costs that are accrued over the $450 million proposal would be paid for by the team.

Rays unveil dramatic ballpark vision [tampabay.com]
Vision of a new ballpark [St. Pete Times]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Four our take on the Delmon Young for Matt Garza trade, CLICK HERE.
• Next November, St. Pete residents may be asked to vote on a referendum to help fund a new stadium for the Rays. How the Rays perform on the field in 2008 could go a long way to determining the result of that vote. Therefore, expect the Rays to be more aggressive this off-season, than they have been the past couple of years. [TBO]

“In baseball operations, we’re trying very hard to insulate ourselves from [the Stadium referendum] ,” Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said Tuesday. “They’re very independent events, and it’s premature to factor that in at all into our line of thinking. Obviously if it gets approved it will at some point start to factor into our thought process, but how so and how much is yet to be determined. We feel a tremendous amount of pressure to improve this team independent of any outside factors, so that’s what we’re focused on doing.”

• The St. Pete Times has a FAQ regarding the new stadium proposal. [tampabay.com]
• A baseball website cannot have a regular feature called “Great Moments in Fleece History” and not include the Scott Kazmir trade from the Mets. And by the way, we are glad to see that the Kazmir trade helped the 2008 Mets win the World Series this season as so many Mets kept reminding us during the regular season. [MLB Fleece Factor]
• With the Baseball Winter Meetings just around the corner, Bill Chastain gives us a rundown of the Rays needs and wants. [Devil Rays]
• Brian Stokes tenure with the Rays is now officially over. Stokes was Designated For Assignment last week when the Rays tweaked the 40-man roster. Yesterday he was acquired by the Mets for cash. [Yahoo! Sports]

[DELMON YOUNG] Rays Trade Delmon Young And Two Others To The Twins For Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett And A Minor Leaguer

ESPN.com is reporting that the deal to send Delmon Young to the Twins has been finalized. The Tampa Bay Rays will send Young, along with Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie to the Minnesota Twins for Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett and minor league pitcher Eduardo Morlan. The deal does not include relief pitcher Juan Rincon, as had previously been mentioned.

The big piece in the deal is Garza, which gives the Rays a legitimate #3 starter in the rotation. The acquisition pushes Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine down to the #4 and #5 slots. Adding a starter to the rotation should strengthen the bullpen as Jason Hammel will now most likely be the Rays long reliever and spot starter. Jeff Niemann, the Rays top pick in 2005, will now have to compete with Sonnanstine for the final spot in the rotation and is more likely to begin the season at AAA Durham.

The acquisition of Jason Bartlett gives the Rays an above average defensive shortstop and a strong upgrade defensively. Bartlett, made 26 errors in 2007, but has consistently been above the league average in range factor.

Both Harris and Pridie wee expendable pieces for the Rays. Harris would most likely have been the team’s utility infielder, a position that Ben Zobrist or Josh Wilson can fill adequately. Pridie, who was recently added to the 40-man roster, spent the 2006 Spring Training with the Twins after being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Pridie posted strong numbers this past season at AA Montgomery and AAA Durham, but stood no chance of being added to the 25-man roster.

Moving Young, leaves an opening in right field for the Rays, and opens a roster spot and playing time for Justin Ruggiano. Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon are most likely hoping that some combination of Rocco Baldelli, Jonny Gomes and Ruggiano can fill the roles of right fielder and DH, with all three likely to see significant playing time.

Morlan was a third round pick by the Twins in 2004. He was being groomed as a future closer and split time this past season between A and AA, posting 18 saves and 99 strike outs in 69.2 innings with only 20 walks.

We will have more on this trade tomorrow.

Rays, Twins finish 6-player deal including Young, Garza [ESPN]

[THE HANGOVER] Jonny Gomes Never Saw A Pitch He Didn’t Like

Devil Rays

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• MVN’s Devil Rays blog has a new lead writer and a new name, and the only surprise is that there wasn’t already a blog using the moniker. We’ve never met Eric SanInocencio or his wife, but let’s hope that the title is the only portion of the new blog that is based on her TV interests. Among the million things we love about Mrs. Professor, is that she really doesn’t watch a lot of “ho shows” or “chick flicks”. Now the same cannot be said for my buddies Greater James and G-Unit. Those two guys watch more women’s television than a girl after a bad breakup on a Lifetime (Supply of Midol) Network bender. [Rays Anatomy]
• While it is not surprising to see either Vlad Guerrero (6th) and Alfonso Soriano (9th) on the list of players with the highest percentage of swings on pitches out of the strikezone, it is surprising that Delmon Young is not listed in the top 10. In fact, Young is not even the worst on the Rays. Jonny Gomes ranked 3rd in baseball with 55.8% of his swings on pitches out of the strikezone. Apparently a mistake pitch to Gomes is one that is in the strikezone. Those that blame Joe Maddon for not getting Gomes more at bats, need look no further than this stat to understand why he has been unable to ever show any consistency or repeat his 2005 performance. [The Mockingbird]
• Scott Kazmir ranked second in the majors with 10.41 strikeouts per 9 innings and despite being 4th in baseball with 3,609 pitches thrown, he was also 5th in baseball with 6.62 K/100 pitches. James Shields, on the other hand, was among the most economical pitchers in baseball. He was 21st in baseball with 7.70 K/9, but his K/100 pitches was much better at 5.79 (13th). He threw the 6th fewest pitches per inning at 14.9. [Baseball Analysts]
• Delmon Young was a unanimous selection for the TOPPS “Major League Rookie All-Star Team”. Luckily for Young, the award is voted on by baseball managers and not minor league umpires. [Biz of Baseball]