Let's use this post for minor updates on previous rumors we have heard from the winter meetings. Unless something new or substantial comes along, we will continue to update this post the rest of the day.

[Update: 8:18pm] On Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu
Despite earlier reports that Giambi will sign with the A's, Marc Topkin is reporting that Giambi met with the Rays Monday night, and has a picture to prove it. Our guess is that Giambi still plans on signing with the A's, but is keeping all doors open in case the A's situation falls through. Topkin also reports that the Rays will meet with Bobby Abreu's agent in the "next 24 hours."

[Update: 5:03pm] On Rocco Baldelli...
MLB Trade Rumors has a piece that suggests the Red Sox are not sold on signing Baldelli, noting they are worried about needing a fourth outfielder to play long stretches should an injury arise...This certainly makes it more likely that Rocco could return to the Rays in 2009.

On Jason Giambi and Garret Anderson...
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus is reporting that Giambi is likely to sign with the A's and that "an announcement could come at the [winter] meetings."

We heard this morning that Giambi was low on the A's list of priorities, even though he was telling friends that he would sign with the A's.

In the same post, Perrotto also says the Rays "have at least some interest in signing" Anderson.

On Delmon Young...
Marc Lancaster spoke with a Rays official who shot down the Rays interest in Young.

Just spoke briefly with a Rays official who was mystified about ESPN’s report of a potential three-way deal among the Rays, Rockies and Twins that would bring Delmon Young back to Tampa Bay and send Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson to Colorado. The Rays haven’t had talks with either team along those lines, apparently.

Earlier today Jayson Stark reported that the Rays were indeed talking to the Twins about Young. Stark also speculated that the Rockies might make a good third team to get the deal done.

On Milton Bradley...
We updated "The Hangover" earlier, but in case you missed it, Nick Cafardo is reporting that Bradley is "in intense discussions with the Cubs." We had previously heard that the Rays were the most likely destination for Bradley.

Yesterday, Jayson Stark wrote that a source was saying the Rays would "never" take Delmon Young back.

Not so fast. Today Stark is saying the talks are very much alive and might involve a third team.

Stuff can change fast at the winter meetings. Contrary to what I reported Monday morning on this very blog, there were indications Monday night that Tampa Bay was still talking to the Twins about a deal that would bring outfielder Delmon Young back to the Rays.

Tampa Bay likely would deal away either Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson. But the trade could also involve a third team, because the Twins aren't looking to add starting pitching.

Stark speculates that the Rockies could get involved considering their interest in acquiring starting pitching and the Twins interest in Garrett Atkins.

The Rays just traded Young away (along with Jason Pridie and Brendan Harris) last season for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett (and Eddie Morlan). If we are reading this right, and we would like to think we are, this latest move would essentially make the original trade Sonnanstine or Jackson for Garza and Bartlett. Seems fair.

That sound you hear? That is Twins fans throwing up.

Jayson Stark: Rays Will Only Trade Bartlett In 'Major Deal' [Rays Index]
Rays might re-acquire Young [ESPN]

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com the Rays would only move Jayson Bartlett in a 'major deal'.

The Rays are telling clubs that ask about their shortstop, Jason Bartlett, that they're only willing to trade him in a "major deal." Would Jeremy Hermida be "major" enough? Stay tuned.

Our guess is that Jeremy Hermida would not be major enough.

Stark also touches on the recent rumblings that the Rays talked to the Twins about the possibility of bringing Delmon Young back.

Yes, they kicked Delmon Young's name around when the Twins approached them to express interest. But according to one source who talked to the Rays' brass, they would "never" take Young back.

We were surprised when Young's name was first mentioned, but it also does not surprise us that Andrew Friedman is exhausting all possibilities. The Rays need a right fielder and Young is still a potential 7-tool player. Unfortunately, the 6th and 7th tools are "Bat Tossing" and "Bitching".

Phillies, Moyer haggling over money [ESPN]
Rays Talked To Twins About Bringing Back Delmon Young [Rays Index]

According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sportline, a baseball official says the Rays talked to the Twins about reacquiring Delmon Young.

...the Rays have also discussed trying to reacquire Delmon Young, the outfielder who they traded to the Twins last winter to get Bartlett and Matt Garza...It doesn't appear that the Young talks got very far, and neither did Tampa Bay's efforts to acquire Denard Span, another Twins outfielder.

It makes sense that the Rays would inquire about Young, as the Twins have an abundance of outfielders and have been rumored to be willing to move Young. However, a deal with the Rays seems unlikely as it would be an indictment of Twins' general manager Bill Smith. Trading Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett for Young was Smith's first major move as GM.

Knobler also notes that the Rays may be willing to include Bartlett in a deal this winter. This does not come as a surprise as Bartlett is arbitration-eligible for the first time and is in line for a large bump in salary. With Reid Brignac waiting in the wings, the Rays have a player who was voted the top defensive shortstop in the International League in 2008 and offers a higher upside than Bartlett with the bat at a much lower cost.

And if Brignac is not ready to handle an everyday job in the big leagues, the Rays could conceivably move rookie of the year Evan Longoria to shortstop and start Willy Aybar at third base. This last scenario offers the Rays a vast improvement offensively with only a slight downgrade defensively.

[CBS Sportsline]

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule...

THE GOOD: Split against 2 tough lefties. It is no secret that the Rays do not handle lefties well. During the season, the Rays were only 25-24 against lefties. Prior to the series, if you were to tell us that the Rays would split games 2 and 3 against the lefties and be up 2 games to 1 we would have signed immediately and said let's go to game 4...BJ Upton. After starting the series 0-8 and swinging scared for 3 months, Upton appears more confident and less tentative. His triple at the end of game 2 and the easy swing on his 2-run home run yesterday were classic Upton that we have not seen in a while.

THE BAD: Letting Ken Griffey Jr tag up in the 4th inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, a fly ball to BJ Upton in center scores a run and advanced the runner from second. Upton's throw went to the cutoff off man allowing Griffey to tag up from first. Upton could have easily thrown through to 2nd. If he does, Griffey likely does not score on the double...Carlos Pena to end the game. With the 2 outs in the 9th, Pena was the tying run and Pena seemed to just miss 2 pitches right down the middle. It is not often that Pena is late on a fastball, but he seemed just a fraction late on each pitch...Evan Longoria is 1-7 since he was seen with the "0 for 4" girl at the USF game...Momentum is only as good as tomorrow's starting pitcher and the White Sox have now won 4 straight elimination games and have 17-game winner Gavin Floyd on the mound tonight. The good news is that outside of last Monday's makeup game against the Tigers, Floyd has given up at least 4 runs in 4 of his last 5 starts.

THE TELLING: According to CoolStandings.com the Rays still have a 79.6% chance of winning the ALDS...If the Red Sox would have won last night and eliminated the Angels, tonight's game time would have been moved to 8pm...Based on Back of the Napkin calculations, the Yankees have spent $1.38 billion (with a B) in player salaries since they last won a World Series. The Rays have spent a total of about $405 million trying to win their first.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• YES! They're baaaccckkkkkk on the bandwagon. [Mets Rays Geek]
  
• Dioner Navarro won't admit that he is playing in a considerable amount of discomfort. [Tampa Tribune]
• Troy Percival pitched an inning in an instructional league game on Saturday and "felt pretty good". He will throw again today and still hopes to return in the ALCS. [St. Pete Times]
  
• The Rays' bullpen was thankful for the day off. [MLB]
  
• Buster Olney compares JP Howell to a left-handed version of Greg Maddux, noting that very few left handers utilize a two-seam fastball the way Maddux does. [ESPN]

In the '90s, Maddux popularized the use of two-seam fastballs against left-handed hitters, particularly as a pitch to finish off hitters with two strikes. He throws the ball at the hip of the batter, so far inside that the batter often gives up on it. But at the last second, the ball veers back over the inside corner, and such movement often freezes the hitter as the pitch becomes strike three...But rarely do you see a left-hander who employs a similar pitch against right-handed hitters..."

• With the Rays still 1 game from the ALCS, John Romano does not want Rays fans panicking. [St. Pete Times]
• Might the Twins be ready to trade Delmon Young already? [MLB Trade Rumors]
  

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule...

THE GOOD: The Rays have now won 4 of their last 5 versus the Red Sox...Joe Maddon. With the Rays up 8-3 in the 5th with 2 on and David Ortiz due up, Papa Joe treated the situation like it was the 8th inning, calling on Grant Balfour. Balfour got Big Papi to fly out to end the threat...Before the series we predicted that Papa Joe would find a start for Willy Aybar in this series and that it would likely be in the final game. We also figured Aybar would bat right handed as many switch-hitters prefer against a knuckle-baller. Sure enough Aybar started and homered in the bottom of the first to give the Rays lead. Fernando Perez also batted right handed and homered. Speaking of which. Perez needs to slow down his home run trot. When the camera came back to Perez after watching the ball land in the stands, Perez was already rounding third...Joe Magrane. Magrane predicted a "big night" for Gross against Tim Wakefield only moments before Gross homered...Two wins in this series against the Twins and the Rays will clinch a playoff spot.

THE BAD: David Ortiz. First home run. Fine. Second home run? We have never seen a ball hit farther at the Trop. Hit Tracker Online is a website that uses mathematical models to project how far a ball would have travelled had the path not been impeded by things like Catwalks and human bodies. They project that Ortiz' second ball would have only travelled 428 feet. No way. That ball was 475 at least. They claim it wouldn't have travelled as far as the Gabe Gross shot back on August 6 that did hit the back wall and was measured at 463 feet...Grant Balfour worked in parts of 3 innings, and likely will not be available for the first two games of the Twins series...Wade Boggs threw out the first pitch. Tell us again why his number is retired?

THE TELLING: The Rays have now won the season series and will have the tie-breaker should the two teams tie for the division lead at the end of the season. Last night's win essentially knocked 3 off of the magic number to win the division which is now 9...The Rays are only 1 game behind the Angels in the loss column for the best record in the AL and home field advantage throughout the playoffs...According to Baseball Prospectus the odds of making the playoffs is now 99.99% percent, and 80.2% to win the AL East...Last night's game was the Rays' 6th sellout of the season...Tonight marks the return of Delmon Young to the Trop.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• BREAKING NEWS! The Cowbell Kid called a local radio station to announce his retirement...Wow. In the middle of a pennant race? Just before the playoffs? Do you know the kind of air time that guy would have gotten on Fox during the playoffs? Color us shocked. Of course we never sat behind the Cowbell Kid during a game. If that had happened maybe our feelings would be different. [97xonline]
  
• Troy Percival was unavailable last night after receiving a shot for his back. Percival will require off-season back surgery, but will be available Thursday for the opening game of the Twins series. [MLB]
• Justin Ruggiano got the start last night and Brittany Ghiroli reports that Joe Maddon was rewarding the rookie for his improved approach recently. [MLB]
• Cliff Floyd says he still hasn't decided whether or not to retire after the season, noting that at the beginning of the season he was sure 2008 would be his last season. He credits this roster with making baseball fun again and feels he does have "something left in the tank." [Tampa Tribune]
• Wait. What is going to fly? [Tampa Tribune]
  
• A fan got arrested last night trying to jump over the Rays dugout and possibly onto the field (he never made it to the field). We have mixed reports as to whether or not the fan was tasered. The police say no. And surprise, surprise, it was a Red Sox fan. [The Heater]
• Gary Shelton says that Joe Maddon is "either smarter than most, luckier than most or a guy who is having the combination platter." [St. Pete Times]
  
• It happens a lot. Somebody in the national media refers to the "Tampa Rays" or when referencing a home game or the Trop, they mistakenly say one or both are "in Tampa". But the crossword puzzle editor for the St. Pete Times, an official sponsor of the Rays? Yikes. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Jayson Stark notes that dramatic wins are becoming the norm for the Rays. [ESPN]
• The Rays released their '09 schedule. The season begins on April 6 in Boston and the home opener is April 13 against the Yankees...How sweet would it be to hand out World Series rings to all the players in front of the Yankees and their local bandwagon fans. [MLB]
• Even if the Rays want to play a series in Orlando in '09 (and there is little indication that they do) they may not be able to unless changes are made to the schedule. [Orlando Sentinel]
  
• Everybody thinks they have a sense of humor...Even Red Sox fans. [Boston Score]
• There is something amusing about the idea that Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe feels he needs 400 words to explain how tie-breakers work to Red Sox fans. [Boston Globe]
  

THE GOOD: Edwin Jackson after the first inning. He seemed to gain a few inches on his fastball and settled down to hold the Yankees scoreless for the next 5+ innings after allowing 1 run in the first...JP Howell was once again his masterful self pitching 2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out 3...

THE BAD: The Offense. 1 run, 9 hits in 2 games. 3 walks, 17 strikeouts, in 2 games...We love that every announcer says that Carl Crawford is a "tough guy to double up" and yet CC has 7 GIDPs this season...Edwin Jackson struggled in the first inning, in which his fastball was in the 90-92 range. It was as if he needed about 15 more pitches in the bullpen before the game...How many running, leaping catches did the Yankees outfielders have to make in this series? First it was Melky Cabrera on Tuesday and then it was Melky (again) and Bobby Abreu yesterday, and all came in crucial situations.

THE TELLING: The Rays have now lost 3 in a row. It is the first time they have lost more than 1 consecutive game since June 10-11.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• With voting ending today, Evan Longoria still enjoys a slight lead for the final spot on the AL All-Star squad. If you haven't voted yet, or want to vote again, get your arse over there. [MLB]
• Evan Longoriawas named AL Rookie of the Month for June. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Fangraphs has been running a regular series looking at the most valuable players in baseball. Topping the list is the Rays' own Evan Longoria, based in large part on his team-friendly contract extension signed earlier this season. (Thanks Shawn) [Fangraphs]
• Are the Rays the new Atlanta Braves?...It is certainly a fair comparison and we would definitely take 14 straight division titles. [The Blue Workhorse]
  
• It is a good thing that Jason Hammel has not been in many games recently as he would most likely only be called upon when a starter exits a game early. And while it must certainly be a tough situation to be in, he is saying all the right things. [MLB]
• How much have some Minnesotans soured on Delmon Young? One writer for a local paper wants the Twins to trade Young and another player for...wait for it...wait for it...An 8th inning set-up man. Seriously. And this guy has more legitimacy than us just because he writes for a mainstream media source? [Rochester Post-Bulletin]
• The Rays once again sit atop Bugs and Cranks power rankings. [Bugs and Cranks]
  

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein appeared on Cal Ripken's XM Radio show, Ripken Baseball. Epstein was asked about the sudden surge of the Tampa Bay Rays.

“Obviously they’ve been picking at the top part of the draft for the better part of a decade now and they haven’t missed with those picks. When you draft number one overall, you have to get a franchise-type player and they have. They’ve got plenty of them and they’ve done a great job drafting lower down as well and developing their players..."

There is only one small problem with that assessment:

Number of "number one overall" players on the Rays' roster: 0

Prior to David Price, last season and Tim Beckham this season, the Rays have only drafted #1 two times, one of which was Josh Hamilton in 1999, whom the Rays lost in the Rule 5 draft.

Certainly one can say that the other top pick (Delmon Young in 2003) helped shape this roster as Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett were acquired in an off-season trade for Young. But that is still only one "number one overall" player that has led to the Rays success this season and Andrew Friedman and Co. deserve a little more credit for that trade than just "they have sucked for 10 years."

Also, the Rays are far from the only team that has consistently drafted near the top of the draft for the last 10 years (Pirates, Royals, etc.) and yet the Rays are the only team that consistently drafts and develops top-rate players.

And while the Red Sox may not draft near the top, they have become experts in the art form of hording compensation picks for lost free agents. In the last four drafts alone, the Red Sox have selected 13 players before the second round.

Let's reword Epstein's statement to reflect why the Red Sox have been so successful...

“Obviously they’ve been picking tons of players in the first round of the draft for the better part of a decade now and they haven’t missed with those picks. When you draft 13 first round players in four years, a team is bound to hit the bullseye a couple of times even if their eyes are shut. They’ve got plenty of them and they’ve done a great job hording compensation picks as well as copying the organizational philosophy of the Evil Empire by throwing $100 million at a pitcher that might win 16 games..."

Theo Epstein on the Rays [MLB ON XM]

Durham 7, Norfolk 3 (gm 1). Jeff Niemann picked up his 5th win in 7 decisions. He allowed 3 runs in 6 innings on only 1 hit, but he did walk 5 and struck out 4...Fernando Perez was 3-4 and scored 2 runs...Justin Ruggiano finished 2-4 with 2 RBI...Reid Brignac and Joel Guzman each went 0-4.

Norfolk 3, Durham 2 (gm2). Mike Prochaska worked 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 9 hits...Joel Guzman and Reid Brignac were each 0-3 and in the double-header went a combined 0-14...Fernando Perez had a hit in 4 at bats.

Mobile 12, Montgomery 8. To say that Jeremy Hellickson did not have a good double-A debut would be kind. In 4.2 innings, he gave up 8 hits. 5 of those were home runs as he allowed 8 runs in all. He did not walk a batter, but only struck out 1...Rhyne Hughes had 2 doubles in 5 at bats...Chris Nowak and Erold Andrus were each 2-4. Nowak drove in 2...Gaby Martinez was 2-5 with 2 RBI.

Vero Beach 3, Sarasota 1 (13). Ryan Morse held Sarasota to 1 run in 6.2 innings on 7 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 2...Matt Fields' 13th home run, a solo shot in the 7th tied the game...Desmond Jennings scored on a wild pick-off attempt for the go-ahead run in the 13th...Ryan Royster would later add an RBI single...Rocco Baldelli DH'd and batted second going hitless in 6 at bats. He earned the golden sombrero with 4 strike outs.

Columbus 12, Charleston 3. Jason Ragan gave up 3 runs (2 earned) in 5 innings...Stephen Vogt was 3-4 and drove in 3...Quinn Stewart had 3 hits in 5 at bats.

Staten Island 4, Hudson Valley 3. Tyree Hayes allowed 3 runs in 6 innings on 9 hits and no walks. He struck out 3...This year's 3rd round pick, Jacob Jefferies, a catcher, was 4-4 with a double and an RBI. He is hitting .345 in his first 2 weeks as a pro.

Princeton 5, Burlington 3. In one of the stranger stat lines you will ever see, Matt Moore the Rays 8th round pick last season gave up 3 runs without allowing a hit in 5 innings. He struck out the side in the first and retired the first 8 batters he faced. However in the 4th inning, 2 errors, a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch led to 3 unearned runs.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Bus League Baseball runs down the recent debuts of top picks in the amateur draft including a home run by Delmon Young...what a tease. [Bus Leagues Baseball]
• This profile of Fernando Perez originally included the word "smartly" in the title. We have written before on how much it annoys us that every piece on Perez has to revolve around the fact he went to Columbia University, almost as if Perez is somehow overcame a handicap. [MiLB]
  

DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Marc Topkin is up to his over-dramatic ways. According to Topkin the Rays success is mostly due to having Eric Hinske, Al Reyes and Dan Wheeler. Don't get me wrong. Those players have been great and the Rays do have nice depth for the first time. But everybody else with half a brain knows that the starting pitching and defense and the bullpen as a whole are the reasons the Rays are winning. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Rocco Baldelli played in his second extended spring game and went 0-5. Rocco will continue to play extended spring games for the next 10 days. After that he could join a minor league affiliate (most likely Vero Beach) for a rehab assignment. [USA Today]
  
• Troy Percival has a lower than expected BABIP for his career. This author says this statline is a "little myterious". I don't think there is any mystery at all. This just says that when batters are making contact, they often don't make contact well. In other words, Percival's pitches have enough movement to miss the sweetspot of the opposition's bats. [Statistically Speaking]
• The Boston Globe says that the Rays are the team that other General Managers will be jealous of for the next 10 years. [Boston Globe]
• Joel Sherman of the New York Post says that the Rays are contenders, and gives 5 reasons why the Rays are here to stay. The wild-card reason is that he thinks David Price can have a similar impact as Joba Chamberlain did last year. He also polled 5 AL exaecutives and asked them to pick any 15 players from the Rays and the Yankees rosters with the intent of winning this year. The consensus seemed to be that they would select just as many Rays as Yankees, suggesting salaries aside, the talent levels of the two franchises are almost equal. [Fox Sports]
  
• For all the good things the Rays are doing this year, the Rays have struggled with Runners in Scoring Position. [MLB]
• Tampa Bay Sports Blog thinks that Scott Kazmir should be the favorite for the Cy Young award. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
  
• The success of Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and the Rays may be adding pressure to Delmon Young. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
  

On Sept. 23, 2007, Delmon Young hit a 2-run home run against the Red Sox in the 2nd inning. After being traded to the Minnesota Twins for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett this past off-season, little did anybody know that 8 months later, Young would yet to have hit another. The Twins and their fans were certainly hoping for a little more production from the young "slugger".

We have already made our feelings known about Young's performance in Minnesota (it's not good). However, in light of Garza's 4th win of the season (5th since Sept. 23, 2007) we feel like we should start tracking how long Young can go before Dishin' Out A Delmon to an opposing team. For his sake and their fans, let's hope this will jinx an opposing pitcher sooner, rather than later.

DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

The Good: Matt Garza is still walking too many (4 last night) but he was better about getting ahead of batters. You can always tell when Garza is going to have a good night by his ability to get strike-one. Last night, he was strike-one to 18 of 30 batters (60%). Not great, but definitely improved. In his last start, when he allowed 7 runs in 4.1 innings, he was only strike-one to 10 of 25 batters (40%) ...Aubrey Friggin Huff finally got what was comin' to him. After torturing the Rays for the last year-plus, and after hitting a triple earlier in the game, Huff appeared to hit a run-scoring, game-tying double in the 8th inning with 1 out, but the drive was called foul. Huff would then ground into an inning ending double play.

The Bad: Flavored Tequila

The Telling: All five of the Rays starters now have at least one start in which they did not allow a run...The Rays have a 2.5 game lead in the Wild Card standings over Oakland and 3.5 games over Baltimore.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• YouTube video of the day: Weezer's new video featuring many of your viral video faves. [You Tube]
• John Heyman reviews last winter's "biggest trades" and doesn't even mention the Matt Garza/Jason Bartlett/Delmon Young deal? I call "do over". [SI.com]
  

Jim Souhan has a very telling headline in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "Muscular singles hitter is not what we had in mind". Of course, I don't need to tell you that Souhan is referring to former Devil Dog Delmon Young.

Touted as a power hitter, Delmon Young is gettting outslugged by almost all of his new Twins teammates.

Actually, Young is getting out-slugged by most of the American League. In the first 41 games of the season, Young has 6 extra-base hits. Not one of those extra-base hits are home runs. And 2 of the 5 doubles came last night. Including those 2 doubles, Young has an OBP of .319 and a SLG of .321. That's right. We are 1/4 the way into the season and Delmon Young has an OPS of .640. The .321 SLG and Young's .640 OPS rank as the 5th worst in the American League. Both of those numbers are the worst among all AL outfielders.

This is a strange phenomenon -- a big, strong player with impressive bat speed whose career will be judged on his power and run production, swinging like a tennis player attempting a drop shot...

Not sure what the scouts saw. Maybe they should have talked to a few Rays' fans.

This is beyond alarming. This is approaching pathetic.

Ouch

Playing in the Metrodome, with its large left field, could explain the power decline, but Young's problem has not been warning-track outs -- it has been getting the ball out of the infield. He rarely pulls the ball, and when he does, he does not do so with authority...He has taken the concept of the "inside-out" swing -- à la Mauer -- to a ridiculous degree, dragging the bathead through the hitting zone so belatedly that his hits can only be ground balls up the middle and bloops to right field.

Mr. Souhan: Young's swing is not a new "concept". That is exactly what Young's swing looked like last season. In other words, it sounds like Young hasn't taken to the "Twins Way" yet. Color me shocked. Delmon Young? Not coachable? Couldn't be.

Young has played in 205 consecutive games. Might he require, or deserve, a day on the bench? "He likes to play," Gardenhire said. "He's here to play, and we'll see how long we can ride with it."...Or Gardenhire could play Craig Monroe in left for a few days, and see if the rest enlivens Young's powerless bat.

We are only at the quarter-mark of Young's first season in Minneapolis and already the writers are calling for Young to be benched for a spell.

To all Twins fans: He's your problem now. We tried to warn you to not get too excited about the "Hall of Fame Potential".

Muscular singles hitter is not what we had in mind [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

THE GOOD: Edwin Jackson. 112 pitches, 73 strikes. His 112th pitch was 97 mph. One pitch in the 8th registered 99 (although we are skeptical) and he was consistently 95+ in the 8th inning. No runs. 6 hits, no walks 1 walk. Great game, even if the Jays bailed him out on a number of occasions. But that is the benefit of a 95 mph fastball. It is much more difficult to lay off a pitch out of the zone. He only had 3 Ks, but his strikeout of Shannon Stewart leading off the 6th was a perfect example of just how good Jackson can be. After falling behind 2-0, he followed that up with a 93 mph fastball called strike on the inside part of the plate. Then he went away with a 94 mph fastball for strike 2 swinging. Finally, he came back inside with a 95 mph fastball that completely overpowered Stewart for strike 3 swinging. Stewart, a 14-year veteran looked like a rookie...Good is also having your closer blow a 3-run lead in the 9th and still win the game. Those blown saves won't happen often, but still picking up the W is almost like a bonus victory...Akinori Iwamura and Jason Bartlett combined on a huge double-play to end the 6th...Dan Wheeler in the 10th inning was pure guts. After giving up a lead off triple, he battled back and struck out the side to leave the bases loaded (there was also an intentional walk and an unintentional, intentional walk)...JP Howell was magnificent. Coming in to the game in the 11th, and shutting down the Jays for 3 innings...Seeing Shawn Camp enter the game in the 13th. We have been screaming for a while that Camp owes the Rays a few. Last night was the first. 1 inning, 4 hits, 1 walk, 5 runs. Seeing that line next to Camp's name brings back more than a few bad memories. We would love to put Dioner Navarro here for the grand slam, but it was all Shawn Bleepin' Camp...Still. Dioner Navarro. 3 more hits. .368 on the season. If you have been around these parts for a while, you know that we have long said that Navi has the ability to hit .320-.330 for a season. So this is not a complete shock, but man. .368?!?

THE BAD: Akinori Iwamura just doesn't seem to have any idea where the strike zone is right now. And we have never seen anybody hit so many fly balls on pitches 6 inches off the ground. It is as if he is swinging a 7-iron...Sometimes Edwin Jackson doesn't seem to know where the strike zone is. When he misses his spot, he misses his spot...In the 10th inning that Dan Wheeler barely got through after a leadoff triple, there were actually 3 pitches in which the game was almost given away. With a runner on 3rd, Dioner Navarro actually dropped the third strike to Matt Stairs. Afterwards, Wheeler threw a 58-footer and a 55-footer to Alex Rios that Navi blocked saving the game...Greg Zaun has "Z-Man" written on his chest protector. This is why we will never refer to Ben Zobrist as "Z-Man". Every payer in the history of sports with a last name that begins with Z, has the nickname "Z-man". Why 'Z'? How come we never hear the nickname "L-man" or "F-man"?...

THE TELLING: Evan Longoria was supposed to get the night off, but came in late in the game and ended up getting 3 at bats (1 hit).

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• If you read between the lines, it sounds like the Rays may forgo an official rehab assignment for Cliff Floyd. He went 3-4 in an extended spring game and Joe Maddon said he will not be activated from the DL today. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Jayson Stark revisits a number of off-season trades and how they are working a little more than a month into the season. It sounds like a lot of people that thought the Rays got robbed when they sent Delmon Young to the Twins, are starting to back-pedal. And this review doesn't even consider Jason Bartlett. [ESPN]

Six weeks into the season, the Garza-Young debate is still raging. "This was one of those change-of-scenery deals," said one scout, "because both clubs had about had it with the makeup issues of both guys. Right now, Garza looks like he's going to be a big rotation piece for that team as they go forward. But I'm not so sure about Delmon anymore. He swings at everything. And he's not a very good breaking-ball hitter. You spin it, and he can't lay off it. And if he hits it, he doesn't do much with it."

• Another story on Troy Percival and his leadership on the field and in the clubhouse. Yes, they are getting old, and we wouldn't link this one except it is Ken Rosenthal so it is worth the read. If anything, check out the sidebar quote from Percy on why he came to the Rays. [Fox Sports]
  

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Last day with a reduced schedule...Things should return back to normal tomorrow. Sue us.
  
• Tampa Bay Sports Blog takes a closer look at the Rays defense and sees lots of improvement even if the team does miss Delmon Young in right field...Gotta admit, Young's arm is the only thing we miss about that guy. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
• The Sporting News believes that the improved defense is why the Rays are winning...We love the new defense, and it is certainly helping the pitching, but the Rays are winning because the entire pitching staff believes they can win. Their is a new confidence we have never seen before. [The Sporting News]
• Bleacher Report thinks Jason Hammel's control issues on Tuesday night may have cost the team the game and himself a spot in the rotation. [Bleacher Report]
• Stuart Sternberg was in attendance in Baltimore and spoke about the new-look Rays. [MLB]
  
• Bugs & Cranks suggests a new slogan for the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays based on recent comments by Stuart Sternberg. "Two pounds of bologna in a one pound bag". We like it. [Bugs & Cranks]
• Carlos Pena called the accusations that he was trying to steal signs "Totally ridiculous". [The Heater]
• 15-12 marks the best opening month in Rays history (actually one win was in March) besting the previous best April of 12-12. [AP]
  

THE GOOD: A rare sac bunt from the Rays as Aki Iwamura moved Dioner Navarro to third base in the 3rd inning. Navi would score the Rays first run on a Carl Crawford ground out. How rare? That was the Rays second sac bunt this year. AL teams are averaging 5 sac bunts so far this season...The Rays drew 7 walks...With the bases loaded in the 5th, Rays down 3-2, Evan Longoria sac fly tied the game and then a would-be 4-6-3 double play ended with every body safe on two bad throws. BJ Upton scored and Dioner Navarro followed with one of his standard soft line drives for the third run of the inning...Willing to bet we will be able to count on one hand, how many times Gary Glover shows up under "Good". With Dan Wheeler unavailable, Glover came on in the 7th with 1 out and a man on 2nd. He got the next 2 batters to end the 7th and retired the first 2 batters of the 8th before giving way to Trever Miller...Troy Percival pitched the third straight game and made things interesting but was able to get through the 9th for his 4th save. Percy's velocity appeared to be back, hitting 92 several times, after only being in the upper-80s 2 nights ago.

THE BAD: The Rays struck out 5 times in the first 2 innings...1st run scored without a hard hit. Infield single off of Andy Sonnanstine's glove/perfect hit-n-run/bloop to center...2nd run was the direct result of another Dioner Navarro brainfart. For the second time this series, Navi inexplicably left home plate with a runner on third and without calling time. Second time this season that the Rays forgot to call time and a runner advanced...In the 4th inning with 1 out and the score tied, Eric Hinske, was thrown out trying to steal second (definitely not a missed hit-and-run). That was bad but what made it worse is that Joe Magrane thought it was a good idea because it "keeps the pressure on". Huh-wha? We could be mistaken here, but by being thrown out, that took the pressure off of the Jays. Just sayin'...Later on Dwayne Staats, during a conversation about Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival being unavailable, notes that "there are some good arms out there...Dohmann, Glover". Really? Five pitchers in the bullpen and the best two names he could think of were Scott Dohmann and Gary Glover? We're not saying Goose Gossage is out there, but geez...Shawn Bleepin' Camp owed us and he had the perfect chance to pay up last night, coming on with runner on 3rd and for some strange reason, he did not allow the inherited runner to score, after allowing about 742 inherited runners to score last year.

THE TELLING: The Rays are 6-0 all-time in Orlando...The 3-game winning streak is the longest this season and the longest since the second week of September last season...In 2007, the Rays won 3 in a row, three times, and won 4 in a row twice. They did not have a winning streak longer than 4...The Rays have not been .500 this late in a season since 2004 when they were 42-42.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Mike DiFelice cleared waivers and will rejoin the Durham Bulls. [The Heater]
• Justin Ruggiano was demoted to Durham to make room for Matt Garza who will make the start tonight. [MLB]
• Matt Silverman said the Orlando series was a success, specifically noting that there were a lot more Rays fans in the stands this year. [Tampa Tribune]
• Still, this year's 3-game set drew 119 fewer fans than the series last year and none of the games sold out. The Orlando Sentinel cites a number of reasons that attendance may have been down and Matt Silverman would not commit to another Orlando series in 2009. [Orlando Sentinel]
• We love this story...Having spent a few years in the midwest, we have a number of friends that are Twins fans. We warned them about Delmon Young. There were the obvious warnings about not standing within 50 feet of Young if he is holding a bat. But there were also the warnings that Young is not the best "team player" ever born and warnings that changing his free-swinging style would not be easy. Those Twins fans and a number of Twins fans on the internet shouted the same company-line. The Twins play baseball the right way...Just being around the rest of the guys will make Delmon want to change...He is going to be a perrenial MVP candidate...Well, we are now almost a month into the season and Young is hitting .262/.287/.321 with ZERO home runs and a 14-to-3 strikeout to walk ratio...And now Twins fans are starting to get antsy and blaming Ron Gardenhire for not only allowing the free-swinging, but encouraging it. [Fire Gardy]
  
• One website has BJ Upton third in the MVP race in the early going. Disturbing is that they have Josh Hamilton second...Also, Evan Longoria is third in the Rookie-of-the-Year race. [Roto Advice]
• There are few places we are not willing to go on this site. You need not worry though. David Chalk picks up the slack. Of course by linking to it, we could be accused of being "enablers". We are OK with that. [Bugs & Cranks]
• Troy Percival is now 11th on the all-time saves list, only 2 away from the top 10. [MLB]
• Gabe Gross talks about making the transition to his new team. [MLB]

On Monday night, during the Tampa Bay Rays' home opener, Matt Garza pulled himself from the game in the 3rd inning with an injury to the radial nerve in this throwing arm. Following the game, Garza was placed on the 15-day DL. He will rest the arm for two weeks and then be reevaluated. He will be out a minimum of four weeks.

According to Garza, this is a problem that he has experienced since his time with the Minnesota Twins.

Garza said it surfaced late last season, with him typically "pitching through it." But after his hand started going numb, forcing him to lose grip on his pitches, he signaled to the dugout for help..."This time it was just real bad," Garza said. "I knew something was up."

The Rays apparently knew that Garza suffered from a similar condition in college, but were unaware the condition still existed when they sent former top pick Delmon Young to the Twins, along with Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie for Garza, Jason Bartlett and Eduardo Morlan. If the Rays can prove the Twins knew of the preexisting injury, they could file a grievance with Major League Baseball and seek compensation from Minnesota.

This would not be unprecedented. A year ago, the Cincinnati Reds filed a grievance with MLB after they learned that the Washington Nationals did not reveal that Gary Majewski had received a cortisone shot prior to being traded to the Reds. Majewski, a relief pitcher, was part of the six-player deal that sent Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez to the Nationals. Majewski subsequently went on the DL.

MLB never made a public announcement concerning the resolution, if any, to the grievance. We contacted John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. According to Fay, no ruling has been given by MLB and he does not expect one. However, he notes that the Reds say that the issue is still being considered by Major League Baseball.

When asked about Garza's injury, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, claims that Garza never mentioned the injury to the team.

"He never missed a bullpen [session] or a start [here]. I don't know what he's saying. I haven't read it and don't plan on reading it, just based on what you said. Everything was documented on Matt Garza and there were no injuries here...If he said he was hurt, I'm not going to call him a liar or anything like that," Gardenhire said. "But he should have let us know that he might have had an injury. Normally, it's good when the team you are pitching for knows that. But I doubt that he had any injuries here."

It would be very difficult for the Rays to prove that the Twins hid the condition, so it is conceivable they could forgo the grievance and just hope that Garza is ok. On the other hand...no offense to Majewski...but Matt Garza is not Gary Majewski. Garza was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and the Rays were forced to give up a potential all-star and former #1 overall pick, Delmon Young, in order to secure his services.

If Garza's injury requires a stay on the DL longer than a few weeks, the Rays will almost certainly seek compensation from the Twins.

But what kind of compensation would be fair? Certainly the length of time Garza is on the DL will be considered as well as any long-term ramifications of the injury. It could be another prospect, a compensatory draft pick, cash, Joe Mauer*??

This story is flying a bit under the radar at this point, but considering the names of the players involved in the trade, the story will gain a national audience if the Rays do feel the need to file a grievance. And if the Rays do ask MLB to intervene, MLB won't be able to sweep it under the rug as they did with Gary Majewski.

*Wishful thinking

Rays starter Garza goes on DL with nerve injury [St. Pete Times]
Rays DH Floyd out 4-6 weeks with knee injury [St. Pete Times]
Reds File Grievance Over Majewski Deal [Washington Post]
Red Send Kearns, Lopez To Nats In Blockbuster [MLB Trade Rumors]
Garza's injury admission new to Twins [MLB]

Tampa Bay Rays (7 days until Opening Day)

We have a busy, busy day planned here at RI, so be sure to check back early and often...

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 10, Reds 9.

The Good: The two players that the Rays will rely on to be power sources in 2008, Jonny Gomes and Carlos Pena, each hit their third home run of the spring...Elliot Johnson continues to secure his spot as the opening day utility player, assuming Ben Zobrist is on the DL, with 2 more hits while playing center. He is now 19-41 (.463) on the spring with a 1.145 OPS...Aki Iwamura started 2 double plays with his new partner-in-crime, Jason Bartlett...Al Reyes struck out all three batters he faced.

The Bad: Matt Garza needed over 90 pitches to get through 5.1 innings walking 2 and hitting 2 more batters...Troy Percival gave up 7 runs in 1 inning of work on 6 hits and a walk.

The Telling: Andy Cannizaro who figures to be the only person that could beat out Elliot Johnson for utility player, saw time at both second and third.


DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• It is never a good day when we read the sentence "David Price left a Minor League start Thursday after feeling some discomfort in his left elbow." Andrew Friedman says that it is not serious. We hope World B. Friedman will forgive us if we hold our breath until Price makes another appearance on a mound. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  
• Tom Singer names the Rays as one of two team in the AL that are "worth watching for early signs of a miracle". [MLB]

In already setting a club record for Grapefruit League wins, Tampa Bay also has lost only twice in 13 games against other AL clubs, is 6-1-1 vs. the AL East and is 5-1 against Detroit and Philadelphia...Yet it's almost as if the Rays are being humored. That could be a mistake, even if the weight of the AL East does have to curb their optimism.

• Bill Chastain notes that several roster decisions are still up in the air and the team met again last night to discuss some of those decisions. According to Chastain Ben Zobrist is likely to start the season on the DL, but will be available as early as April 5...Our best guess is that Elliot Johnson will now join Eric Hinske, Joel Guzman and Shawn Riggans on the bench. Not bad for a guy that had the 5th worst OPS in AAA last year. We are rooting hard for Johnson. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Joe Smith also looks at the remaining roster questions...On a side note, does anybody else remember a couple of weeks ago when Joe Maddon was talking about how nice it was that most of the roster was already in place. [St. Pete Times]
• Joe Maddon all but confirms that JP Howell will be on the Rays opening day roster as a long reliever by saying that the last bullpen spot will go to either Scott Dohmann, who was better last year and Grant Balfour, who has had the better spring. Both players are out of options. One will make the team. The other must be traded or will need to clear waivers in order to be optioned to the minors. [Tampa Tribune]

"That is a tough one," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Both have really good arms, both are very competitive. They're making it tough. This is going to be quite a discussion in regard to that spot, because I have a lot of respect for both of these young men - they're both great workers, they're great teammates. It's tough."

• It sucks to be a hitter during an intrasquad game when the opposing pitcher is working on pitching inside. Yesterday, Chris Mason hit two batters in one game at minor league camp...Chuck Tiffany who missed all of 2007 also participated. [Riverwalk Talk]
• Delmon Young has a new commercial promoting the 2008 Twins in which he seeks the advice of Twinkies legends. They tell him to "See the ball, hit the ball". Might just be us, but isn't Young's problem that he swings at too many pitches? [Chinese Evil Dead]
• New and Old Rays gear is being spotted with alarming regularity as far north as Tallahassee. [FSView]
  

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (16 days until opening day)

DRG here again to cover my Devil Dogs while The Prof is covering competitive sledding in Canada...

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 8, Blue Jays 4. I know it is only spring training but it is a nice feeling to see the Rays with a winning record after 14 games (10-3-1) and in first place without haveing to turn the newspaper upside down.

• The Good: Evan Longoria hit his second home run of the spring, a 2-run shot in the 8th. John Rodriguez was 2-3 with 2 singles and 2 RBI in his bid for the 4th outfielder spot. Grant Balfour faced 6 batters, retiring 5 and walking 1, while striking out 3. Balfour is fighting for the final bullpen spot.
• The Bad: Edwin Jackson had his second straight tough start and now is fighting for a roster spot that once looked fairly secure. 4 runs in 5 innings is bad enough, but 4 walks and no strike outs is exactly what Joe Maddon is not looking for.
• The Telling: Will Aybar got the start at third base as Maddon continues to alternate Aybar and Longoria on a regular basis. Eric Hinske played first base as he tries to convince Maddon he can be a utility player. Hector Gimenez caught the second-half of the game and now has received more playing time (17 innings) in the spring than Josh Paul (11) and Mike DiFelice (16). Shawn Riggans is going to make the team.
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• The Prof got some serious airtime on ESPN.com yesterday as Rob Neyer debated Prof's recent post exploring the impact of Barry Bonds. [ESPN]
• Consider that yesterday Jayson Stark of ESPN.com debated the worst team in baseball, and the Rays were not even considered. Baby Steps. Stark does mention that as part of Troy Percival's contract, the Rays provided him with a 1970 Chavelle that "runs like crap", which is OK, because he and his dad restore classic automobiles. [ESPN]
• Hugging Harold Reynolds is jumping on the Rays bandwagon, which is starting to move forward with a head of steam. And yes we welcome you with open arms. Although it is tempered a bit by the news that HHR loves the Phillies. Considering the general disdain for all things Philadelphia amongst Tampa Bay fans, we are willing to overlook it this one time. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• For those that are curious, Delmon Young is 10-28 (.357). In typical Young fashion, 8 of the 10 hits are singles. In non-typical Young fashion he has 2 walks and only 3 strikeouts. He does have 1 home run.
• Joe Girardi still won't admonish Shelley Duncan but it sure sounds like he teammates will behind closed doors. [New York Post]

"A lot of veteran guys have talked to him," Johnny Damon told The Post yesterday. "We are telling him to keep playing hard, but keep the spikes down and the shoulders in (when sliding). This way people see you are playing hard, but no one can question you."

• Jonny Gomes will appeal his 2 game suspension. [The Heater]
• Most in the Rays clubhouse agreed that Jonny Gomes' suspension and Shelley Duncan's suspension were too similar considering what occurred. [Herald-Tribune]
  
• Andy Cannizaro returned to the Rays after missing time with a recurring back problem. His return hurts the chances of Elliot Johnson making the squad as the backup shortstop. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  
• Yesterday The Prof wrote about when we can expect the All-Star game to be held in St. Pete. Now comes word that they Rays have bid on the 2010 All-Star game. I have to imagine this is just a formality for the Rays as everybody expects the Angels to get the game. The Rays may want to just familiarize themselves with the process and possibly receive some feedback on their proposal to better utilize in the future. [LA Times]
• In keeping with the All-Star theme, last July The Serous Tip predicted that Florida would not host the All-Star game until at least 2016 noting that the AL parks get the game in the even years. Between this report and Prof's assessment, we can expect a Tampa Bay Rays hosted all-star game in 2016 or 2018. [The Serious Tip]
• A blogger talks to one of Andrew Freidman's assistants about fantasy baseball advice? OK. [Sports Judge]
• In light of recent events, The Cape Cod News wonders why baserunners are allowed to intentionally collide with catchers. [Cape Cod News]