[TRADE HANGOVER] What They Are Saying In The Blogosphere About Young-For-Garza

What the bloggers are saying about the trade between the Minnesota Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays, in which the Twins received Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie for Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and Eduardo Morlan….

Breaking Down The Blockbuster: [GM Bill] Smith’s first risk is a doozy. Originally the trade had Garza, Bartlett, and Juan Rincon heading to Tampa Bay, but concerns over the status of Rincon’s balky elbow caused the Twins to inexplicably substitute Morlan while keeping the remainder of the deal intact. While it’ll no doubt be a glossed-over aspect of a blockbuster trade, the difference between Rincon and Morlan is substantial and increases the already strong chance that the deal will be unkind to the Twins over the long haul…once you get past the Garza-for-Young portion of the swap it tilts pretty heavily in the Devil Rays’ favor both short and long term…The package that the Twins received in return for Garza, Morlan, and Bartlett essentially means that Young must become a superstar for the trade to be successful. [AaronGleeman.com]

Trade Bay: Friedman opens the vault: So, the Rays probably did think of this scenario for a long while. They knew they had to reshape the roster to make this team competitive in the AL East. The Rays for years have not been able to find anyone to help them out in free agency that would help them significantly upgrade their starting pitching. Also, Rocco Baldelli’s value was not going to bring them a pitcher in the quality of Matt Garza. They swapped for a pitcher that similar cost control over the next several seasons, for a player who has gone on the record before saying he would never sign with Rays once he reached free agency…After thinking about it the past 24 hours, I think this trade will help the Rays more than it will hurt them with the loss of Delmon. With Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and Jake McGee on the not too far horizon, the Rays might be defined by their starting pitching. [DRays Bay]

Sorting Through The Rays Trade: Garza-for-Young is clearly the meat of this deal, and I like that part, but there were a lot of other players moved in this swap as well, which is where things start to get a little less rosy…Rays had concerns over the medical reports on Rincon’s elbow, and Smith ended up subbing in Morlan, who is by far the best relief prospect in the Twins system. Many had Morlan pegged to replace Joe Nathan as closer in 2009. Losing him is a huge hit, and with him in the deal, I feel like the Twins gave up way too much value in this trade.[Nick & Nick’s Twins Blog]

The Magic 8-Ball Answers: The Tampa Bay Trade: Q: Should I be excited about this trade? A: Without a doubt. And that’s true whether you’re a Twins fan or a Rays fan. If you’re a Twins fan, you came out with the best player in the trade…(what) the Rays receive fit their puzzle better than that Twins.[Twins Geek]

A Look At The Young For Garza Trade: If the old adage is true that pitching wins championships, the Rays moved in the right direction on Wednesday…It’s always difficult to have to part with a player that posesses the potential that Delmon Young does, but the opportunity to upgrade the team in three different areas was too much to pass up. [The Stat Pack]

Twins Get Slugger, Shortstop: [Ed. note: A Slugger?] [Let Freedom Ring]

Is Steve Phillips Running The Twins?: [Ed. note: HAHAHAHAHA!] Once you get past the Garza-for-Young portion of the swap it tilts pretty heavily in the Devil Rays’ favor both short and long term. [Roto Blog]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The New Rays "Sunburst" Is About To Be Shoved Down Our Throats

For those of you that hate the new “Sunburst”, you might want to make sure you bring sunglasses to the Trop in 2008. In the new uniforms and the new logos, it appeared that the Sunburst might just be an accent. It is starting to look like that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather, it appears that the Sunburst is going to be the new “face” of the Rays, and will be displayed prominently…everywhere.

The first piece of evidence, comes from the first official word from the team, in the form of a website dedicated to the unveiling of the new uniforms and logo. The website RaysOfChange.com, includes information about the new uniform ceremony, with the new Sunburst as the centerpiece.

Hate the new sunburst? You are going to love the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays.

Down On The Farm: Montgomery Biscuits Give Devil Rays Organization Second Title Of 2007; Bulls Come Up Short

Montgomery 4, Huntsville 3 (Montgomery wins series 3-2). A 5th inning error by Fernando Perez led to 3 unearned runs and a 3-1 deficit entering the 9th inning of the decisive 5th game of the Southern League championship series. In the 9th inning, Chris Nowak and Gabriel Martinez reached on singles. With one out, Sergio Pedroza hit a 3-run home run to give the Biscuits the lead. In the bottom of the 9th, Tim Corcoran came on to close out the win. He allowed a single and a walk. But with 1 out, he was able to induce a double-play ground ball and the Biscuits were Southern League Champions. Chris Nowak scored Reid Brignac with a first inning single to get the Biscuits out front.

Richmond 6, Durham 2 (game 1; series even 2-2). After Friday night’s game was rained out, the Bulls needed just one win during the Saturday double-header to take home the Governor’s Cup. JK Ryu did what was needed, allowing only one run on two first inning doubles in 5.1 innings. Those would be the only 2 hits he would allow. Justin Ruggiano hit a solo home run in the 4th to tie the score at 1, but the Bulls bullpen and defense would implode. Three relievers and 2 errors led to 5 runs in the 7th and 8th innings and the Bulls would not rebound.

Richmond 7, Durham 2 (game 2; Richmond wins series 3-2). The Braves swept the double-header and took the IL Championship. Richmond jumped out early as they scored 4 in the first off of Mitch Talbot with back-to-back home runs, the first of which scored 3. Talbot was run from the game with just 1 out in the 3rd inning after allowing 5 runs. Justin Ruggiano hit his 4th post-season home run for the Bull’s first run.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• The Bulls were without closer Shawn Camp on Saturday as his mother passed away unexpectedly. Sometimes when we get so wrapped up in the “baseball player” we forget that these guys have regular lives outside of the ballpark. Our thoughts are with Shawn and the rest of his family as they attempt to deal with this trying time. [Herald-Sun]

Down On The Farm: Jon Weber Is The Bill Russell Of Minor League Baseball

Richmond 4, Durham 2 (Richmond leads series 1-0). JP Howell was a little lucky the first six innings, allowing two hits in an inning three times. Yet he managed to work his way out of each of those jams and entered the 7th inning, having not allowed a run and the score tied 0-0. However, the wheels came off in the 7th. After getting the first batter out on strikes, the next four batters all reached base with three of them scoring. Howell was done after 6.2 innings. A Chris Richard single in the 8th cut the lead to 4-1, but Jeff Ridgway was touched for a solo home run in the 9th. The Bulls tried to rally in the bottom of the 9th, when a 2-out single by Jason Pridie drove home a run and put the tying run on first base, but Justin Ruggiano went down on strikes to end the game.

Columbus 5, West Virginia 2 (Columbus leads series 2-0). Maiko Loyola was demoted to short-season Hudson Valley earlier this year, but he is back with Columbus now and making the most of his opportunity. He homered twice in the final week of the regular season and last night he led of the game with his second post-season home run. He is hitting .444 in the playoffs. Cesar Suarez and Matt Fields had two hits apiece. Will Kline, the Rays second round pick this year, made the start and went the first three innings on a strict pitch count. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits and two walks while striking out 4. He then gave way to Jeremy Hall who was making just his second appearance for Columbus since being promoted from Princeton. He pitched the next 4.1 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and a walk to pick up the win.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Jon Weber, a career minor leaguer, and mid-season pickup by the Durham Bulls, is in search of his seventh straight championship. S.E.V.E.N. Holy Shnikes! Weber, an outfielder, has never played in the major leagues, but if the Bulls win the International League Championship, we just might start a campaign to have Weber be a backup outfielder for the Rays next season. [The News & Observer]

Down On The Farm: Evan Longoria Goes Yard

Richmond 9, Durham 8. Evan Longoria hit his 4th home for the Bulls, going 1-5 but the night was ruined when Chad Orvella blew a 2-run lead in the 9th by allowing a 1-out solo home run and a go-ahead 2-run shot with 2 outs. Elliot Johnson hit his 11th home run. Jae Seo gave up 12 hits and 6 runs in 6 innings.

Montgomery 6, Birmingham 1. The Biscuits scored all 6 runs in the first 3 innings and Mike Prochaska cruised to a complete game win, allowing only 4 hits and no walks,while striking out 5. Reid Brignac was 2-3 with 2 walks, 2 RBI and his 27th double. John Jaso was 2-5 with his 12th home run and 3 RBI. He is hitting .320.

St. Lucie 10, Vero Beach 3. Greg Dupas making his second start in the place of suspended James Houser was roughed up for 9 runs in just 4 innings. Sergio Pedroza was 2-4 and drove in 2 of the 3 runs.

Charleston 8, Columbus 7 (11 innings). Neal Frontz gave up a game-tying 3-run home run in the bottom of the 9th and the Catfish would eventually lose in 11. Will Kline allowed only 1 run in 5 innings, striking out 3 and walking none.Cesar Suarez was 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. He has 39 doubles and is hitting .302.

Hudson Valley 11, Tri-City 2. Alex Cobb went 5, giving up 2 runs and striking out 6.

Bluefield 4, Princeton 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Even though the Dodgers have moved, the home of the Vero Beach Devil Rays will forever be known as “Dodgertown”. The Devil Rays’ single-A affiliate will not have to worry about that long as they only signed a 2-year deal and plan to move after the 2008 season. [TCPalm]

Down On The Farm: Three Rays Minor League Affiliates Now In First Place…Tampa Bay Devil Rays Are Not

Durham 8, Richmond 5. The Bulls took the first game of a 4-game set against Richmond. The leapfrogs Durham past Richmond into first place in the South division by half a game. Jeff NIemann returned from the DL and gave up 3 runs in 4 innings on a very tight leash. He was limited to 71 pitches. He struck out 4 and walked 1. Wes Bankston hit 2 solo home runs and now has 14 on the year. Justin Ruggiano added his 19th homer. He finished 2-5 and is hitting .306. He also stole his 26th base. Evan Longoria was 3-4 with 3 singles and an RBI.

Montgomery 7, Birmingham 3. The Biscuits scored all 7 runs in the final four frames after falling behind 3-0 in the first inning. The win puts Montgomery in a first place tied in the redundant Southern League South division. Jake McGee struck out 8 and walked 2 in 6 innings. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits. Gabby Martinez was 4-5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. He has 15 on the year. Reid Brignac was 1-5 and scored two runs.

Palm Beach 3, Vero Beach 1. Mike Wlodarczyk allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 5 innings. Rocco Baldelli DH’d and lead off, going 0-3 with a strikeout and managed to not pull a hamstring walking between the batters box and the dugout. He is scheduled to play 3 innings in center field tonight. Mark Mulder pitched the first four innings for Palm Beach on a rehab assignment, allowing 2 hits and 1 unearned run.

Charleston 3, Columbus 0. The Catfish managed only 3 hits and saw their lead in the South division drop to 1.5 games. Jeremy Hellickson struck out 4 and walked 3 in 6 innings. He gave 1 run on 4 hits.

Aberdeen 4, Hudson Valley 1 (game 1). Brian Flores, a 13th round lefty out of Arizona State, gave up 2 unearned runs in 4 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 1. Shortstop Kevin Colon is committing errors at an Uptonian pace, with his 14th in just 29 games.

Hudson Valley 6, Aberdeen 0 (game 2). Diego Echeverria and Ryan Zimmerman combined for a 5-hit shutout. All-Star Mike McCormick was 2-3 with an RBI.

Princeton 6, Kingsport 2. 5th round pick Dustin Biell went 3-5 with a double and his 7th stolen base. Tyree Hayes improved to 4-6 after giving up 2 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 1.

Scott Kazmir Will Be The Next Member Of The 300-Win Club

Last week Tom Glavine became the 300th member of the 23-win club 23rd member of the 300-win club. The mark prompted many to wonder if we will see another pitcher achieve the feat in the near future. With Randy Johnson’s (284 wins) career in jeopardy, there are no other pitchers that appear to have a legitimate shot at reaching the milestone. Of the active pitchers with 200 wins, only Mike Mussina (247 wins, age 38) and Pedro Martinez (206 wins, age 35) are under the age of 40.

With some even wondering if we would ever see another 300-game winner, we present Kid K. Scott Kazmir is currently sitting on 31 career victories. At the age of 23, he could conceivably pitch for another 18 years. If he averages 15 wins a season over the that time span, he will win 300 games. So barring any lost seasons due to injury, Kazmir has the talent, the head start and a team that should score plenty of runs in the next few years, to make a run at the mark.

How confident are we? We will now be tracking Kazmir’s progress in the side-panel for as long as Kid K wears a Devil Rays uniform.

While Mets fans can celebrate the 48 wins they have received from Glavine, they must take solace in the ZERO wins they got from Scott Kazmir. So tonight when Kazmir takes the hill against the Red Sox in search of career win number 32, we will raise our beer and toast The Next Member of the 300-win Club.

Mets’ Glavine part of a dying breed: 300-game winners [The Sporting News]
Glavine may be last to reach 300 [USA Today]

Down On The Farm: Shawn Bleepin’ Camp Is Closing Games In Durham

Durham 3, Charlotte 2. JP Howell continues to perform well at the AAA level. Yesterday, he struck out 9 and walked none while allowing 2 runs in 7.1 innings. He gave up 9 hits and improved to 5-6 with a 3.20 ERA. In an interesting move, the organization has been using Shawn Camp to close games since being demoted. He picked up his third save with 4 strikeouts as he recorded the final 5 outs. He allowed 2 hits and a walk. Wes Bankston was 3-4 and hit a solo home run in the Bulls’ three-run third. Evan Longoria was 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He is hitting .300.

Montgomery 5, Chattanooga 3. James Houser struck out 7, but gave up 6 hits and 4 walks in 4 innings. Tim Corcoran picked up the save with a perfect 9th. Three Biscuits picked up two hits apiece, including Rhyne Hughes who is now hitting .343.

Vero Beach 5, Lakeland 1 (7 innings/Rain). Jay Witasick started the game for his second rehab outing. He worked one innings, striking out 1 and walking 1, giving up no hits or runs. Josh Butler came on in relief and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. Jackson Brennan was the only Rays hitter with more than one hit, going 2-3 with a walk.

Columbus 8, Greensboro 6. Woods Fines started and gave up 8 hits and 2 runs in 4 innings. Ryan Reid, the Rays 7th round pick in 2006, pitched the final 3 innings without giving up a run to pick up his 6th win. Ryan Royster (24), Quinn Stewart (20) and Matt Fields (15) all homered for the Catfish and drove in 2. Royster was 3-5 and is now hitting .321.

Lowell 2, Hudson Valley 1. Alex Cobb, the Rays 4th round pick last year, made his 11th start, throwing 6 shutout innings. He struck out 1 and walked 3, giving up 3 hits. The bullpen blew the lead giving up single runs in the 8th to tie and the 9th for the loss.

Johnson City 3, Princeton 1 (11 innings). Jeremy Hall pitched 7 shutout innings, giving up 5 hits and striking out 6 while walking none. He is now 3-1 with a 1.46 ERA in 10 starts, allowing only 1 run in his last three starts.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Mike Potter sits down with Joel Guzman and talks to the slugger about being traded, changing positions and getting off to a slow start [Durham Herald-Sun]
• If you want to know what kind of person Montgomery pitcher Chris Mason is. All you need to know is that in his next start, he will be sporting his 4th hair color of the season. However, this incarnation will be for a good cause as he will dye his hair pink to raise breast cancer awareness. Mason leads the SL in wins and ERA. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Baseball America’s JJ Cooper and Matt Eddy discuss the Durham Bulls and their young prospects, including Evan Longoria and Jason Pridie. [Durham Bulls]
• Rays Digest takes a close look at Jeremy Hellickson. [Rays Digest]

The All-Time Tampa Bay Devil Rays Redux

We* recently presented to you “The All-Time Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 10 Years Of Sucktitude“.

For those of you that have been around these parts for a while, know that we will take the occasional (well-deserved) jab at the franchise, the team and/or certain players but for the most part we have always been apologists for our beloved Rays, even if it is often to a fault.

The post was written during a very trying month of very awful baseball and this was one way to vent our frustrations on the gods of baseball. Well, the fine folks over at Bugs & Cranks have taken exception to the list, even going so far as to refer to this site as “tRaytor Index”. So, they have come up with their own list “The All-Time Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Guts, Glory & Greatness”.

Before we get to the list…
Guts? Most often during these 10 seasons, the Guts have been from the Devil Rays sprayed all over the Tropicana Field turf after another beating.
Glory? Glory in sports is winning. The Rays have never won a thing.
Greatness? There have been some great players that have played for the Rays, but they were all past their primes (Wade Boggs) or the side effects of steroids were starting to set in (Jose Canseco and his trips to the DL). Anybody remember the Roberto Alomar era?

Now to the list. And please believe that we love many of these players, but this shows you exactly why we decided not to do this list and instead decided to produce a list of the worst Devil Rays.

Wade Boggs 3B (1999). Hitting a home run for your 3,000th hit, does not make for a great season. Sure Boggs hit .301, but he only had 2 home runs and 29 RBI, and of his 3,010 career hits, only 88 came in 1999. Yes, the Rays retired Boggs’ number, but let’s just say Boggs’ plaque in Cooperstown does not have a “TB” on it.

Jose Canseco DH (1999). S.T.E.R.O.I.D.S. In addition to 34 home runs and 95 RBI, Canseco also led the AL in back acne.

Victor Zambrano SP (2003) Whenever a player is the “bad” half of a trade in which people talk about the worst trades in the history of baseball, said player is NOT “great”. Also, Zambrano was the first ever pitcher to win the pitcher’s triple crown of futility. In 2003 he led the league in walks, wild pitches and hit batters, yet Bugs & Cranks thinks that we should remember that season “fondly”.

Mark Hendrickson SP (2005) Lerch had a 5.90 ERA that year. And that is a “great” season?

Albie Lopez (1998), Jim Mecir (1998), Travis Harper (2004), Esteban Yan (1998), Travis Phelps (2001), and Jesus Colome (2004) Relief pitchers. Are any of these guys even in the majors any longer and did any of them ever do anything of value with another team? Let’s just say, when we try to think of Devil Rays to “be proud of”, “Jim Mecir” is not the first name we think of.

We applaud David Chalk and Bugs & Cranks for attempting to do something we did not have the heart or the stomach to complete. We also thank them for demonstrating completely, why we thought the venture was futile and hopeless.

*Rays Index has been lucky enough to have several additional authors contribute to this website as well as the assistance of several others behind the scenes that prefer to remain anonymous.

The All-Time Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 10 Years Of Guts, Glory & Greatness [Bugs & Cranks]
The All-Time Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 10 Years Of Sucktitude [Rays Index]