[THE HANGOVER] The Rays Add Trever Miller And Eric Hinske To The Mix

Tampa Bay Rays (7 days until pitchers and catchers report)
The Rays signed a pair of players yesterday. Relief pitcher Trever Miller was signed to a one year contract that will pay him $1.6 million this season with a $2 million team option in 2009. Miller previously pitched for the Rays in 2004 and 2005. As a left-handed relief pitcher, Miller fills the last remaining hole in the Rays 2008 opening day roster. With five of the seven bullpen spots now spoken for (Troy Percival, Al Reyes, Dan Wheeler, Gary Glover and Miller) that leaves two jobs up for grabs. One of those spots (long reliever) will be filled by one of the starting pitchers that does not make the rotation (likely Jason Hammel). The final spot is likely to be a spring training battle between Juan Salas, Scott Dohmann and Grant Balfour.

The Rays also brought in former rookie of the year, Eric Hinske on a minor league contract. He will make $800,000 if he makes the team. Hinske was signed despite news that domestic violence charges against Willy Aybar have been dropped in the Dominican Republic. Hinske is being brought in as insurance in case Aybar is not fit to be either the starting third baseman or part of a platoon with Joel Guzman. Hinske appeared in 84 games for the Red Sox last year playing first base, left field and right field, hitting .204-6-21. Hinske could also conceivably become part of the right field rotation, as the team has made it clear that they prefer Cliff Floyd be the team’s DH and Rocco Baldelli may be limited to start the season.

While he have heard rumblings that the Hinske deal is similar to the situation in which the Rays brought in Carlos Pena last year, everybody needs to temper their excitement. The Rays also brought in Hee Seop Choi last year and now he is out of baseball. Hinske has not hit more than 15 home runs in a season since his rookie year of 2002. That includes four seasons in which he has appeared in more than 100 games. Pena had shown that he could at least hit for power when he was given regular playing time, with 27 dingers in 2004 and 18 home runs in half a season in 2005. In short, we would guess that he and Joel Guzman have an equal shot at the last roster spot.

Finally, it is not too much of a stretch to assume that the trade for Aybar and the signing of Hinske suggest that the Rays have decided to keep Evan Longoria in the minor leagues to start the 2008 season.

Miller’s contract brings the Rays payroll above $43 million.

Miller reunited with Rays [DevilRays.com]
Rays Sign Hinske [MLB Trade Rumors]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• We are not sure if the title “The Eric Hinske Era Ends” is a reflection of his time in Boston ending or his time with the Rays beginning…or both. [Surviving Grady]
• The Rays apparently tried to sign Dallas McPherson, prior to trading for Willy Aybar. [Sun-Sentinel]
• How many other teams have a GM that is so dedicated that he will appear on a blog radio show that has about 20 listeners? Andrew Friedman will be a guest on “Baseball Talk” on BlogTalkRadio this Sunday at 11:00 AM. [BlogTalkRadio]
• The domestic violence charges against Willy Aybar have been dropped. [TampaBay.com]
• Bill Chastain continues his “Around the Horn” series in which he examines each of the Rays’ “positions”. This week it is the bullpen. [DevilRays.com]
• Sox1Fan takes a look at the Rays top 10 prospects. [Sox1Fan]
• Opponents of the Rays proposed stadium are expected to make an appearance at this morning’s St. Pete city council meeting. The protesters want to see the site of Al Lang Field turned into a park. [TBO]
• The Bleacher Report says there is a lot to be optimistic about with the Rays this year. [Bleacher Report]
• Mets fans can take solace in the fact they finally got back the pitcher they gave up for Victor Zambrano. Wait? You mean it wasn’t Jose Diaz you wanted back? [Mets Fever]

[WILLY AYBAR] Willy Aybar Jailed In D.R.; Longoria’s Fate Should Not Be Affected

It seems as if the Rays rid themselves of one Mischievous Little Badger and acquired another one…

As you have no doubt heard by now, Willy Aybar has been arrested in the Dominican Republic on Domestic Abuse charges. He has been held without bail since last week and faces three months in jail if convicted. The latest reports indicate that the charges are expected to be dropped.

Aybar’s lawyers told appeals court prosecutor Jesus Fernandez Velez on Friday that Aybar’s wife had agreed to drop the charges, but had not done so yet.

Aybar is expected to either be the Rays opening day third baseman or be part of a platoon with Joel Guzman if Evan Longoria does not start the season on major league roster. However, if he remains in jail for any significant amount of time, this will certainly force the Rays to alter their plans. Even if the charges are dropped, Aybar will almost certainly miss the beginning of Spring Training. Aybar has not played a regular season game since 2006 after missing all of 2007 due to a wrist injury and a stint in rehab, and Spring Training is expected to be a very important tune-up.

While Aybar’s situation will certainly be discussed when the team decides whether or not to start Longoria on the big league roster, Aybar’s availability should have little bearing on the ultimate outcome. The Rays are not likely to decide the fate of their top prospect based on needs of the 25-man roster. If Aybar is unavailable or not ready for opening day, the team will either proceed with Guzman as the everyday third baseman or they will sign a cheap veteran free agent to fill the void until June when Longoria is expected to be called-up.

Report: Infielder Aybar jailed [DevilRays.com]

[RI CONFIDENCE GRAPH] Rays Continue To Show That They Will Spend Money, Just Not Too Much

The RI Confidence Graph will appear every Monday and is a look at how much confidence we have in the Tampa Bay Rays at this moment. The graph is designed to give us a look at how our emotional bias as Rays fans fluctuates through time. The “confidence” in the team is an inexact measure of how we feel about the team’s current strength as well as how much confidence we have in the Tampa Bay Rays moving forward. You can think of a “confidence” rating of 10 as an indication that we believe the team is “playoff-caliber”. A rating of 0 is a strong indication that we need to start reevaluating the process that led to us becoming Rays fans. Notes on this weeks agida-level can be found after the graph..

Notes on the RI Confidence Graph…

This past week saw the Rays acquire Willy Aybar from the Braves to be the Rays super-utility guy (even though he has only played two positions in his career) and possibly be the opening day third baseman if Evan Longoria starts the season at AAA. This move is horizontal at best. No matter what your stance is on Longoria, the Dirtbag can out-hit Aybar right now without any further seasoning in the minors and all reports indicate that he could probably out-field him also.

If we are resigned to Longoria being in Durham on opening day, that indicates that Aybar is now in place to compete with Joel Guzman to be the most-days third baseman. While there is no doubt that Aybar is a better hitter than Guzman now, the acquisition of Aybar will further hinder any development we would could have expected from the Guzman. Guzman is still only 23 and has a huge upside. If given an everyday job and a spot at the bottom of the order, Guzman could finally find the plate discipline that has evaded him and blossom as a major league hitter. At worst, he could become a trade piece when Longoria makes his awaited debut. Keeping Guzman hidden in the bottom of the order would not be a complete waste of a spot in the lineup as his glove is clearly a step-above Aybar’s. At this point, our best hope is that Guzman and Aybar form a platoon at third base.

Also puzzling in this trade is the movement of Jeff Ridgway, a left-handed reliever. While we had no expectations from Ridgway, it is interesting that the Rays would cut-bait on a left-handed relief pitcher that is a borderline major leaguer, when the Rays have openly stated they are seeking to acquire a left-handed reliever for the bullpen. At worst, Ridgway would have given the Rays some depth of left-handed relievers in an organization that has an obvious dearth of them.

On the upside this past week was the Rays are proving what they have said all along…That they will spend money when the opportunity to improve the team presents itself. First was the 3-year contract agreement reached by the Rays and Carlos Pena which allows the team to maintain a stable power source for the next three years. In addition word came down that the Rays are looking to lock-up James Shields for the next seven years. While we admit there are some serious risks signing a pitcher to a deal of that length, we feel it is a risk worth taking. While neither of these moves have any bearing on the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, both of these moves make us feel all warm-and-fuzzy inside and give the Rays an air of legitimacy in the baseball community.

Unfortunately, the warm and fuzzy feeling is tempered a bit by the inability of the team to sign their most important piece to a long-term deal. While the Rays avoided arbitration with Scott Kazmir, they were only able to agree to a one-year contract with the young ace. Having Shields and Pena locked-up would be nice, but we will reserve excitement until Kid K signs a multi-year extension or the top pitching prospects prove themselves at the big league level and prove replacement-worthy of Kazmir should the Rays lose him to free agency following the 2010 season.

In the end, the Confidence Graph maintains a status-quo from the previous week. We still feel this team is heading for about a 75-win season. The back of the rotation continues to scare us, until somebody steps up. The back of the bullpen is solid on paper, but in reality it is too much to expect the AARP members, Troy Percival and Al Reyes to remain healthy all season and there is a very good chance one or both will be traded during the season along with Dan Wheeler, who is a pending free agent. Rocco is running, but only three days a week. There is a lot to like about this team, but there are still too many holes in the pitching staff and the lineup will suffer from cold-spells during the season. And while the team is spending more money, there is still a big question mark with Kazmir and the Longoria decision may be in large part based on the idea of holding off on the start of his arbitration clock.

That being said, we feel an up-tick is on the way. It is only natural to be pessimistic at this time of year. Everybody hoped that their team had done more in the off-season and right now teams are starting to look like what is to be expected in Spring Training. As we get closer to Spring Training, the juices will start flowing and we will get a closer look at all the changes the Rays have made and whether or not those changes will manifest itself into more wins.

[CLIFF FLOYD] Rays And Cliff Floyd Agree On One-Year Deal

[Ed. note (4:29pm): Eduardo Encina is reporting that the contract has not been finalized]

Yahoo! Sports (are we the only ones that loathe the exclamation point?) is reporting that the Rays have signed Cliff Floyd to a 1-year contract with a team option in 2009. Floyd will make a base salary of $2.75 million with the opportunity to earn an additional $2 million in incentives.

We already wrote at length about what adding Floyd to the lineup would mean in terms of run production. As for the 25-man roster, Floyd fills multiple needs. He is the left-handed bat and part-time right fielder and DH the team was seeking. In addition, he will be able to spell Carlos Pena at first base whenever the latter needs a day off.

On the offensive side of the ball, there is now one less opening for the 2008. The team is still in the market for a veteran back-up catcher to fill one of the bench spots (could the Rays bring back Josh Paul in 2008?). Assuming that Ben Zobrist is the back up middle infielder, that leaves one bench spot that is wide-open. At this point, we give the edge to Joel Guzman because of his glove-work and defensive flexibility.

The signing of Floyd also raises the projected payroll to over $40 million. This is a jump up from what most thought would be the opening day payroll based on comments from the team that the payroll would raise approximately 20%. A $41 million payroll would be a raise of greater than 40% over the 2007 opening day payroll ($28 million).

OF Cliff Floyd agrees to $3 million, 1-year deal with Rays [Yahoo! Sports]
Rays: Floyd not on the dotted line…yet [tampabay.com]

[STEROIDS] The Mitchell Report Is Out…No Rays On The List

The Mitchell Report was released today and there were no current Tampa Bay Rays named as suspected users of Performance Enhancing Drugs. Some will look at the lack of Rays on the list and exclaim that it “explains a lot”. There are several former Rays on the list, including Tim Laker, Adam Piatt, Jim Parque, John Rocker and Jose Canseco. The entire report can be found HERE.

Mitchell Report: Baseball slow to react to steroids [ESPN]
The Mitchell Report [MLB]

[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]

The Hangover: Three More In Green

Yankees 3, Devil Rays 3.
The biggest game of the weekend is not one of the D-Rays games against the Jays. Surprise! Most would say that the biggest game is the Bucs tilt against the Panthers on Sunday for first place in the NFC South. But a case could be made that the biggest game this weekend amongst Florida teams, and maybe the biggest game in college football is Friday night when South Florida takes on West Virginia at Raymond James.

There is a promising new blog on the block and Bulls Index has coverage of the biggest game in the short history of the USF football program.

Bulls Index.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Last night, Scott Kazmir struck out 10 and took over the league lead for strikeouts and is likely to finish the season on top of the leaderboard. [tampabay.com]
• Joel Guzman and Justin Ruggiano will start all three games this weekend against the Jays. [USA Today]
• Stuart Sternberg addressed the media Thursday night, the Rays final home game of the season. Among the topics covered, Sternberg stated that he expects the payroll to be increased about 20%. While that sounds like a lot on the surface keep in mind that 20% of “not very much” is still “not very much”. A 20% increase on a $30 million payroll is only $6 million. Carlos Pena alone will likely receive most of that increase, with the rest of the 20% increase likely going to other in-house players that will need pay increases due to existing contracts or arbitration eligibility. [Devil Rays]
• Stuart Sternberg also stated that he believes the Rays can be a playoff contender on 2008. [tampabay.com]

“This club is capable of being a playoff caliber club next year unfortunately we are certainly hindered playing in the division that we’re in and playing in the league that we play in,” Sternberg said, “but having said that I know that there will be teams in the playoff this year, and possibily one that wins the World Series, that I would love to have crack at in a seven-game series, or know that we can play on an even or better basis during the season. …

“I believe that by April 1 next year if we’ve done our job we’ve put our players in a position to contend for a playoff spot. It’s not a likelihood, it’s not obviously going to happen, but as long as we put them in a position to succeed we’ll have done our job and I believe we’ll be there next year.”

• Carlos Pena was voted the Rays 2007 team MVP. [tampabay.com]
• John Romano argues that neither Carlos Pena, nor Carl Crawford are the best player on the team. Rather, he makes a strong case for BJ Upton and it is hard to argue. A year ago, we were hoping that Upton could just be an everyday player. Now he is playing like a 23 year old version of Alfonso Soriano. [tampabay.com]

And while Carl Crawford was making another All-Star team, Pena was setting a franchise record for home runs and Young was battling Dustin Pedroia for rookie of the year, Upton unobtrusively put together a stellar season. His batting average has not been below .300 the entire year, and he is the youngest player among the AL’s top 10 in OPS on-base plus slugging.

Combine the plate discipline, power and speed with a premium position defensively, and Upton looks like a Grady Sizemore-type franchise player.

The Hangover: Has Rocco Baldelli Played His Last Game As A Devil Ray?

White Sox 5, Devil Rays 4.
Ahhh…the nostalgia. For a brief momen there it was like we were watching pre-All-Star break Edwin Jackson, all over again. We should thank Edwin for reminding us that he is still Edwin Jackson and we are still Devil Rays fans.

It should come as no surprise, but look for Akinori Iwamura to be the starting second baseman in 2008. The move for Aki, likely means that center field is going to be the permanent home for BJ Upton, with Evan Longoria manning the hot corner sooner rather than later.

“Longoria is going to be the third baseman, so you eventually have to do something, but now’s not the time, not yet,” manager Joe Maddon said. “You’re always thinking about that, but yeah, that’s an offseason discussion…He’s (Iwamura) a little more of a middle infielder on the corner right now,” Maddon said. “Just from what I’m seeing, the assumption is second base. When you make assumptions like that, that’s something you’d want to see. You look at his arm strength and that’s probably more applicable to second base, although his athleticism and range could play at shortstop.”

If Iwamura is moved to second base with either Longoria as the starting third baseman on opening day or Joel Guzman as a place-holder until Longoria is ready, that leaves only one position without a starter for 2008…Shortstop. Brendan Harris? He can hit, but his range may be too limited to be an everyday shortstop on a team that needs an upgrade in their middle infield defense. Josh Wilson? Not likely. Below average in all aspects. BJ Upton? O god no! Please don’t put us through that again. He throws from the left side of the infield like he is trying to give every fan behind the first base dugout a souvenir. Joel Guzman? Hard to say if he can be an everyday short stop. He has the arm and glove for the position, but does he have the range and can he hit major league pitching on a consistent basis?

No, the smart move is a veteran shortstop with an above average glove and a dependable bat. There is enough offense in the lineup already to carry a little dead weight at short. Omar Vizquel? He will be 41. Can he be enticed to play short for the Rays for two seasons and anchor a young team defensively? Look for the Rays to at least inquire as to how much it would cost.

On a more immediate note, the move of Iwamura to second base, will likely occur during spring training and could mean the end of Rocco Baldelli’s tenure as a Devil Ray. Five of the Rays six minor league affiliates will have completed their regular season schedules by Monday, with Hudson Valley playing until Friday. With Rocco shut down after experiencing soreness in his legs, there will be no place to conduct a rehab assignment once he is cleared. Unless Upton is moved back to the infield, with shortstop being a possibility, Baldelli is likely without a position for 2008.

The team will likely try to move Baldelli this off-season for pitching help, but if they are unable to find suitable value, he could return in 2008 as a part-time DH and fourth outfielder with the aim being to increase his trade value.

All of the sudden, Baldelli’s long term contract, once seen as a bargain, is not such a bargain after all. He will still be relatively cheap in 2008, as he is set to earn $2.25 million, but his $6 million tag in ’09 to go along with the hefty $4 million buyout could be a burden if Rocco cannot remain healthy for an entire season.

2B shift in the works for Iwamura [tampabay.com]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• For those keeping score at home, the Devil Rays elimination number is 3 in the division and 10 in the wild card.
• We missed this in our first post this morning, but Troy Johnson of the Ledger-Enquirer had a one-on-one with David Price after a recent bullpen session with the Columbus Catfish. [Ledger-Enquirer]

“It’s just getting to know the guys and Tampa Bay’s system. They say they have the same system from rookie ball all the way up to the big leagues. That’s definitely one of their main (points of) emphasis, just to get used to their system because that’s the way I’m going to be doing it for the next six years. It’s nothing bone-crushing. It’s something you can stick to.”

• It is understatement to say that strikeouts are aplenty during Rays games. Both the hitters and the pitchers are on pace to set franchise records for strikeouts in a season, with the hitters threatening the AL record. [TBO]
• We are not surprised anytime Joe Maddon praises something that does not deserved to be praised, but to praise the “progress” of the infield defense is a bit absurd as it has been shown in several different forums that the Rays have been atrocious defensively this season. In fact The Hardball Times suggests that the Rays defense may be the worst ever. E.V.E.R. [devilrays.com]
• Is Jason Hammel the next Edwin Jackson? Or the next Seth McClung? so far, he has yet to perform up to his talent, but he is working on his mechanics to try and rediscover the success he experienced in the minors. [devilrays.com]
• Scott Kazmir se
  t a team record for reaching 10 wins in three consecutive seasons. [Herald-Tribune]
• Carlos Pena is only the 5th player in the last 25 years to hit 30 home runs after being a non-roster invitee to spring training. [tampabay.com]
• Look for the Rays to sign Carlos Pena to a multi-year deal and avoid arbitration in the off-season. [tampabay.com]

[THE HANGOVER] Curt Schilling Just Wants You To Talk About Him

Boston 8, Devil Rays 6.
Rays fans are abuzz after Curt Schilling announced during a radio interview in Boston that he would consider playing for the Devil Rays after his contract expires at the end of the year.

“It’s one of those situations you’d certainly have to look at. Knowing that I’m probably going to spend one more year playing, if circumstances happen and things happen and they made some moves that were positive, I’d love nothing more than to finish my career working on a pitching staff where I know that there are young guys that are going to be positively impacted by me being around [after] I was gone. I enjoy that. I love working and talking and being around young pitchers.”

If there is one thing Schilling loves, it is attention and headlines. This looks like nothing more than another attempt to say something so far out that writers will have no choice but to write about it and fans will have no choice but to talk about it.

It obviously made big headlines in Boston as well as in the Tampa area. But the story was also picked up in places like Atlanta as well as making the “notes” section of many other papers across the country.

The other angle that cannot be ignored here is that Schilling is a free agent after this season and he is probably looking to increase the number of bidders for his services. His first choice is probably to remain with the Red Sox, and Schill may be bluffing interests in other teams to increase the offer from Theo Epstein.

Still, we doubt the Devil Rays are the longest shot at acquiring Schilling’s services. We would still give them better odds than half of the teams in Japan.

Curt Answer [tampabay.com]
Schilling’s comments devilish [boston.com]
Schilling exclaims his love for Devil Rays [AJC.com]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Scott Kazmir is frustrated by being pulled with lower pitch counts in the second half. In his last ten starts, he has topped 100 pitches only six times. [Devil Rays]

“It just frustrates me,” Kazmir said. “It’s kind of in my head. You come to the late innings and you always have to look at the pitch count. It’s something where you just don’t need it. You’ve got enough stuff going on; you don’t need to be looking at the pitch count.”

• Fernando Cabrera, who turned down a waiver claim by the Devil Rays, signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. [Baltimore Sun]
• Seth McClung was called up to the majors by the Milwaukee Brewers after winning the PCL pitcher of the week award. In his first appearance, he nearly blew a 3-run 9th inning lead, allowing two runs before being pulled. Seth being Seth. [WFRV]
• Could the last two months of the regular season be Joel Guzman’s last chance to become an impact player? Minor League Beat thinks it might be. Reality is, Guzman only seems like he has been a prospect forever…well, because he has been. He was signed by the Dodgers when he was 16. But he is still only 22, and he has something you cannot teach…size. He is 6 foot-friggin-6-inches tall. The dud is huge and wings a mean stick. If he fails with the Rays, somebody else will certainly give him a shot. Carlos Pena anyone? [Minor League Beat]

The Hangover: Quick And Painless

Tim Wakefield 6, Devil Rays 0.
We got nothin’ today…Enjoy the links while Delmon Young flails and misses yet another Wakefield knuckler by 18 inches. And wake us when Kazmir finally stops throwing pitches in the first inning.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• In addition to being called up to the majors and getting a walk-off hit in his first at bat with the Devil Rays, Joel Guzman was able to meet his childhood idol, Davif Ortiz. [Devil Rays]
• Joe Maddon says not to expect more than a couple of additional players to be called up when teams are allowed to expand the rosters on September 1. Look for Maddon to go to a six-man rotation to ease the pitch counts of Scott Kazmir and James Shields [tampabay.com]

“We don’t need a whole lot of folks up here right now,” Maddon said. “We have a young group that needs to continue to play. We’re playing to win and we’re playing against a lot of contending teams and we set it up to win, so I don’t anticipate a whole bunch of people showing up.”

• We thought for certain that The Ledger would have fixed THIS headline by this morning, but apparently not. Just to clarify, Joel Guzman had 19 at bats with the Dodgers last year. [The Ledger]
• Carlos Pena is the Devil Rays representative on the ballot for the Hank Aaron Award. We have made our thoughts on this award known before and we still think it is a joke. [Devil Rays]
• Another blogger weighs in on how to “fix” the Devil Rays. This time the solution is a new stadium. Simple huh? First of all, if we have said it once, we have said it six times, the Trop is not a bad place to watch a game. It is still being penalized by a reputation that is perpetuated by people that have never seen a game at the Trop. Have these people ever been to Shea Stadium? And we know that Fenway is historic, but it is the most uncomfortable stadium we have ever been to. There is more leg room on a plane and most of the seats do not even face towards the infield. For example, if you sit down the right field line, you are facing the monster. Second, the lease the Devil Rays have with the Trop is well-documented and about as iron-clad as any stadium has with a pro team, so the Rays are not going anywhere anytime soon…even if everybody seems to think they should. [Dahmen Daily]
• The Devil Rays have broken ground on their new Spring Training complex in Charlotte County. [WinkNews.com]