Above image is of Stuart Sternberg arriving for the wedding of Florida Governor Charlie Crist (image from FragMob)

Lots o' goodies today from Marc Topkin, so we are giving him his first-ever Topkintopia (the regular webtopia is below)...

• We reported last week that it appeared Gerry Hunsicker, "Teller" to Andrew Friedman's "Penn" (or "Silent Bob" to Friedman's "Jay" for the younger crowd), was staying with the Rays despite reports that other teams were interested in his services. Topkin is now confirming that Hunsicker has signed an extension to stay with the Rays saying "I'm happy here. I like what I'm doing."
• Many think the Rays will slow-play the free agent market and take whatever is left over. Topkin warns that there is a risk as some teams could enter the market later if they lose out on their higher-priced targets.
• Topkin places odds on who will be the opening day DH for the Rays, declaring Jason Giambi the favorite at 3:1, with Milton Bradley right behind at 5:1. Willy Aybar is the highest ranked player currently in the organization at 10:1 (6th on list).
• Jonah Keri, author of "Baseball Between the Numbers", has announced that he will write a book about the Rays and their Wall Street approach to baseball. Not surprisingly, Topkin says the Rays, who prefer to keep things close to the vest, are "neither cooperating with the project nor particularly enthused."...Keri was interviewed recently about the book on Rays Digest.
  
• Matt Garza had minor foot surgery to correct an old break in his foot. The surgery makes Garza ineligible for the World Baseball Classic. There were some rumblings that Garza was being considered for the Mexican team.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Rays Prospects projects the starting rotation for the Rays and each of their minor league affiliates. [Rays Prospects]
• If you are going to write in to the local newspaper and bitch about errors seen in their coverage of the Rays and other sports (in this case the Charlotte Sun) please make sure you don't have your own error in the very first sentence. [Charlotte Sun]
• Behold! "The Longorious". [Waivers and Sharks]
• Sometimes, while constructing this list, certain headlines make us do a double-take. [Harnesslink]
• Former Rays pitcher Scott Dohmann, who made 12 appearances with the Rays and 33 appearances with the Durham Bulls in 2008, is expected to sign with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Central League in Japan. [Sponichi; Translated]
  
• Rays Digest takes a look back at the Rays busy week in Las Vegas. [Winter Meetings Rewind]
  
• Former Rays catcher Josh Paul will manage the Staten Island Yankees of the short-season New York-Penn League...We will always have a soft-spot for Paul because of his official team photo. Paul appeared in 93 games for the Rays in 2006 and 2007. [NY Baseball Digest]
  
• Despite the additions of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, Richard Justice says the Yankees are still just the third best team in the AL East. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Drays Bay puts together a "Bullpen Matrix" for the Rays relievers...We assume Grant Balfour is Neo and Troy Percival is Morpheus, but who is Trinity? [Drays Bay]
  
• Mets Fever would like to see the Mets sign Jonny Gomes. [Mets Fever]
• Tyler Hissey spoke with Dayn Perry of FoxSports.com about the Rays. [Rays Digest]
  
• Nothing new here, but Ken Rosenthal says the Cubs and the Rays are the two teams pursuing Milton Bradley the hardest. Rosenthal says the Rays are a better fit (patient manager, ability to DH) but wonders if the Rays will meet Bradley's asking price...The better question is: How far down from his asking price would Bradley be willing to go to sign with the Rays? [Fox Sports]
  
• Rays Prospects has the winter stats updated through Friday for players in the Rays organization. [Rays Prospects]
• Tampa Bay Sports Blog explains why recent moves show that the Rays are smarter than the Yankees. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks keeps chugging along with his Devil Rays Advent Calendar and the all-time greatest Devil Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
  

Back in September we heard rumblings that the Rangers might be interested in Gerry Hunsicker to be their new general manager. The feeling was that if the Rangers decided to make a change, team president Nolan Ryan, would look to Hunsicker, with whom he has worked in the past with the Astros. It appears that Ryan has opted to stick with the incumbent GM, Jon Daniels, as any move would have been made by now.

Hunsicker was also rumored to be on the short list for the GM position of the Mariners and the Phillies. The M's hired Jack Zduriencik, while the Phillies went with Ruben Amaro Jr. as their new GM.

Hunsicker, who is "Teller" to Andrew Friedman's "Penn" (or "Silent Bob" to Friedman's "Jay" for the younger crowd), is the quiet partner, but by all accounts just as responsible for the product seen on the FieldTurf. It is with great relief knowing that the front office nucleus will remain intact for at least one more season.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Marc Topkin of the St. Pete Times has a Q&A with Andrew Friedman that goes into a little more detail than the tidbits we discussed yesterday afternoon. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Can we all calm down a little about the recent report from Peter Gammons that suggests teams have only recently discovered more telling defensive statistics. Will Carroll says teams have been looking at defensive stats and studies for years and that a lot of the work the teams do "simply blows away things you’d call the state of the art in sabermetrics."...We are not sure why some think that most front offices are filled with old men that do nothing but read scouting reports from people in the field. If a blogger sitting in his mom's basement can measure how many runs and wins a poor defensive player costs a team, we are pretty sure the people running a $500 million organization can figure it out also. So no, it is not such a "novel idea." [Baseball Prospectus]
  
• Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets are not interested in trading for Chad Bradford, saying his $3.5 million salary is too much for them. Sherman also notes that "at least a half-dozen teams" have shown interest in Rocco Baldelli. We know of four, including the Rays, Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees. [New York Post]
  
• The Rays have set in motion plans to open the first MLB operated baseball academy in Brazil. The goal appears to be to increase the popularity of baseball in Brazil and attract athletes that might normally opt for other sports such as soccer or volleyball. [MLB]
• Rays Prospects has an update on winter league stats for current and former Rays farmhands (and Willy Aybar). [Rays Prospects]
  

Online Surveys & Market Research

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Another day, another feature piece on the Rays in the New York Times. This time they take a look at the staying power of the team in the AL East, noting that core of the team could be unchanged in 2009 and beyond. However, Gerry Hunsicker reiterated that due to financial limitations, the team is always "trying to trade people a year too soon than a year too late.". The piece also speculates that Scott Kazmir could be traded along with one or more of the arbitration-eligible players (Edwin Jackson?)...In the piece it is indicated that the Rays likely turned a profit for the first time under Stuart Sternberg thanks to reaching the World Series. [New York Times]
• Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald says the Rays have "started - and are winning - a war for supremacy with the Red Sox" in the AL East and that the rivalry between the Sox and Yankees has been put on ice for now. Silverman says the Rays are good for baseball and refreshing for the Red Sox. [Boston Herald]
  
• Eric Hinske gets to face Brad Lidge again. They are in a Fantasy Football league together. Seriously. [Fanhouse]
  
• There is a rally tentatively scheduled for 4:30pm on Friday at Straub Park in St. Pete. [MLB]
  
• We wish we could have muted Tim McCarver and Joe Buck and instead listened to Sully's wife. She had more insight...Speaking of which, did any of you watching on TV know that Jason Bartlett ran through a stop sign in the 7th inning? Us neither. We listened to Dave Wills call during the Rays' radio broadcast and indicates that Bartlett indeed ran through a stop sign. Of course we never saw replay from FOX TV and McCarver and Buck never even bring the issue up. [Sully Baseball]
  
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN takes a look at what the World Series means for the Rays moving forward and how this is a team that could be better next year. [ESPN]
• Jon Heyman says there was no disappointment, anger or bitterness in the Rays locker room following their game 5 loss...There is a part of us that wished the Rays had taken the World Series loss a little tougher. But then again, this is what has been great about the Rays all season. They are able to get over losses very quickly and move forward. [SI.com]
  
• Jordi over at The Serious Tip opens up about what the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays meant to him. [The Serious Tip]
• Will never happen. NEV-er. [Chicago Tribune]
  
• A Joe Maddon pumpkin? Wow. That's all we got. Wow. [The Heater]
• Mike Wlodarczyk is blogging from the Arizona Fall League. [Rays Prospects]
  

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

THE GOOD: Edwin Jackson. A steady diet of 95 mph fastballs and decent sliders. And maybe Jackson's greatest trait is his endurance. His fastest pitch of the night was the last pitch of the 8th inning, a swinging strike on Brendan Harris. That pitch was either 97 or 98 depending on who you talk to...Jeff Niemann. Niemann relieved Jackson and got the last 4 outs. His first batter he was throwing 91-92. But when he came out in the 9th, he found a few extra inches in the tank, pushing it to 95 and even hitting 97 on a swinging strike to strike out the second out...Replay. The first official replay occurred at the Trop and now the first official overturn from a replay happened on a Carlos Pena fan-interference double that was changed to a home run. Ironically, it was a Twins fan that was originally ruled ot have interfered...Yet another bases loaded walk. the Rays now have 19 walks and 4 hit batters with the bases loaded this season. The 23 "free" runs with the bases loaded now leads the majors by 1 over Boston. Of course, the Rays also lead the majors in most intentional walks issued with the bases loaded.

THE BAD: Todd Kalas. Where was Kalas on the home run overturn? He has to hustle his ass out to right field and talk to the people in the stands. Even if he can't get there for an inning or two, the point is still topical. Now, we did flip the picture-in-picture over to the ESPN feed a couple of times, so there is a chance we just missed it. Bueller?...Blackouts. Yes, today's broadcast is on "National TV", but only if you live in about 1/3 of the country. And if you don't happen to be in the areas showing the Rays-Twins game, you might be screwed. This would mark just the second time (we think) this season that a game is not available on one of the outlets (MLB.tv, Extra Innings, etc) for people that live outside of North Florida (and SW Alabama, for some reason). That would include us. Of course, there are ways around these things. We just can't tell you how, or the powers that be will not be happy.

THE TELLING: With the win last night, the Rays have clinched at least a tie for the Wild Card and a 1-game playoff...The odds of making the playoffs according to Baseball Prospectus is now 99.9998% and the odds of winning the division is 73.0%.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Baseball Digest Daily will have Gerry Hunsicker on today to talk about his recipe for pasta sauce (or maybe they will talk about the Rays). [Baseball Digest Daily]
  
• Mohawk fever. It is spreading. Now Mrs. Professor is saying "Do it." Peer pressure sucks. Peer pressure from your wife is a death sentence. [MLB]
• Scott Kazmir says he found a few minor flaws in his delivery from his last start and feels he was able to correct those in his bullpen session. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Tampa Bay Rays Prospects has the full list of the Rays' top minor leaguers including Fernando Perez and David Price who were named overall player of the year and pitcher of the year. [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
• Outs Per Swing wonders who the Rays' MVP is...We have said it before, JP Howell and Grant Balfour have been great this season, but a middle reliever should never be named MVP of anything. Even if Howell was the only Ray competing in the annual Treasure Island Tofu Dog eating competition and he ate 675 Tofu Dogs, he still shouldn't be named Rays' MVP of that competition. Win Shares is admittedly a flawed stat but it can provide some level of comparison for pitchers and hitters. Take a look at the Rays' WS values for this season. There are 14(!) players ranked ahead of Howell and 16 ahead of Balfour. Now if you want to say the "Middle Relievers" are the team MVP, we would be willing to listen to your argument. In defense of OPS, they picked Evan Longoria. We agree. [Outs Per Swing]

THE GOOD: Admit it. You rolled your eyes like we did when Stuart Sternberg predicted 50 home wins for the Rays this season. The Rays are now 52-19 at home after sweeping the O's.

THE BAD: The Rays are only 5-7 against the Yankees this season, and 3-3 at home.

THE TELLING: The Rays lead the AL with 17 bases loaded walks this season. And that does not count being hit by pitch with the bases loaded which we think has happened a couple of times. Carlos Pena has been walked with the bases loaded 7 times, most in baseball...BJ Upton is the first player in franchise history, not named Carl Crawford, to steal 40 bases in a season.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Yesterday we indicated that the biggest loss this off-season could be Gerry Hunsicker, with rumors swirling that he could be headed to the Rangers. Now Bill Conlin thinks the Phillies should consider hiring Hunsicker for their upcoming GM opening. [Philadelphia Daily-News]
  
• It is September and the Rays are in first place...so brace yourself for all of the stories about playing "one game at a time", treating games like it is "May 2nd" and how the Rays are still trying to "prove people wrong"...First up, Bradenton Herald, then the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, MLB.com.
• Apparently Martin Fennelly thinks the pressure of the pennant race doesn't start until the arbitrary date of Sept. 2. [WARNING: Numerous incomprehensible sentence fragments ahead] [Tampa Tribune]
• Marc Topkin also says pressure of pennant race suddenly starts today...At least his is readable. [St. Pete Times]
  
• A Tribune columnist knocking the Yankees? Say it ain't so! [Tampa Tribune]

These Yankees are just about the biggest mess you can buy for $209 million. The clutch hits that always used to be there have been harder to find. The pitching has been generally miserable once you get past Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte.

• Yesterday we mockingly asked if anybody would write stories about how good attendance was this past weekend...Well, we actually found one, sorta. [Sports Biz By Senno]
• The September schedule is not an easy one. [Baseball in Tampa Bay]
• One Red Sox blogger thinks the Pink Hats will win the AL East. Why? Apparently it is a "hunch". [Sox and Pinstripes]
  

This is a week old, but we just found it while scouring for something else.

We have heard previously that new Rangers' president Nolan Ryan may have his sights on Gerry Hunsicker to be the Rangers' GM. But this is the first time we heard anything about Hunsicker's intentions.

In one of his weekly videos, Ken Rosenthal reports that Ryan may fire the Rangers' current GM, Jon Daniels following the season. If that happens, Hunsicker would be one of two choices to replace Daniels. Rosenthal adds that people close to Hunsicker say he "is itching to get back to a General Manager's position."

Hunsicker and Ryan know each from when both were involved with the Astros organization. Hunsicker was the Astros' GM for 10 seasons until 2004 and Ryan owned the Astros' triple-A affiliate.

While it is Andrew Friedman that receives most of credit associated with changes to the Rays' roster, losing Hunsicker is something that cannot be taken lightly. There is a reason we always refer to "Friedman and Co." 90% of the "Co." is Hunsicker. Both bring a different perspective to the meetings and the personnel decisions. To say Friedman is a the "numbers guy" and Hunsicker is the "baseball guy" would be oversimplifying things, but it does give a sense of what each contributes, and the results indicate that the two compliment each other very well.

We showed recently that the Rays' current success has been built through shrewd trades and free agent signings. Two people are more responsible than any others, Friedman and Hunsicker. The Rays may be on the verge of losing one of those minds, and the Rays will be weaker because of it.

Ken Rosenthal's Full Count [Fox Sports]
Aki Rescues The Rays [Rays Index]
Debunking The Myth: Rays Are Good Because Of All The High Draft Picks [Rays Index]

Yesterday we presented our updated Trade Value Index (TVI). With a little over a week until next Thursday's trade deadline, rather than take a look at the players the Rays may target we will take a look at the players most likely to be sent packing should Andrew Friedman and Co. decide to pull the trigger on a deal.

Gerry Hunsicker, Rays' Senior VP for baseball operations and Friedman's guru, has made two of the best deadline deals in recent memory. In 2004, Hunsicker landed Carlos Beltran and 6 years earlier he traded for Randy Johnson. While the Astros failed to reach the World Series in either year, both Beltran and Johnson were key figures in Houston's playoff runs.

On the other hand Friedman sounds more like a guy that is willing to sit on the talent in place.

Keep in mind all of the "rumors" in the media recently are 99% speculation. They have a simple formula and the Rays always fit the formula. The media looks at a player and picks the teams still in contention that would view that player as an improvement. Then they decide which teams have the stronger farm system. The Rays will almost always satisfy both criteria.

The problem is the Rays are not like most ball clubs and are in the process of redefining success for small-market clubs. We feel that the Rays are more likely to follow the blueprint of the Angels who rarely make in-season deals and prefer to hold on to their homegrown talent.

That being said, there is still a chance the Rays will swing a deal for a mid-level player such as a middle reliever to add depth to a staff that has suffered a number of injuries. There is also a need for a right-handed hitting outfielder as the Rays have struggled against lefties this season and possibly a utility infielder that is an upgrade over Ben Zobrist and can serve as a backup shortstop.

So if a trade is made, which players are most likely to be used as bait...

Jason Hammel 3:2
Any deals involving pitchers will almost certainly involve Hammel to open a spot in either the bullpen or the rotation (with either Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine moving to the bullpen). Hammel can still bring the heat with a mid-90s fastball, but do any teams still think he can be a starter?

Jeff Niemann 2:1
While other teams will certainly ask for David Price, Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson, Niemann is the piece of value that the Rays would prefer to trade. While certainly Niemann's star shines less brightly these days, he is still young, and very big and he has a lot of upside.

Jonny Gomes 3:1
Like Hammel, any deal for a right-handed hitting outfielder will almost certainly involve Gomes going in the other direction. Nobody doubts Gomes' power or his intensity, and if given regular playing time, he could be a solid DH or outfielder for another team.

Fernando Perez 7:2
Perez has loads of talent but he still struggles with strikeouts. The Rays have no room in center with BJ Upton but could Perez play right field in '09 and be the Rays leadoff hitter? Or is he expendable? Like Niemann, Perez is one player we can see the Rays using as trade-bait.

Ben Zobrist 5:1
Whether as a utility infielder or a starting shortstop, Benny Boo Boo has proven that he can be a major leaguer. He will never be an all-star, but there are plenty of teams out there with worse options plaing short or second.

Mitch Talbot 5:1
Talbot would not be the key player in a trade, but he could be the arm that puts a deal over the top. He is a bit of a tweener. He has shown flashes of brilliance, like his performance in '06 SL playoffs, but he has been very up-and-down since moving to Durham. There is some upside and there does not seem to be a future for him with the Rays.

Dale Thayer 7:1
Thayer who seemed destined to be a career minor leaguer, has blossomed this season in Durham with a 1.43 ERA and 57Ks in 50.1 innings with only 17 walks. With Jeff Niemann and Juan Salas also in Durham as bullpen insurance, Thayer is certainly expendable. He is also Rule 5 eligible this winter, so now may be a good time to move him.

Eric Hinske 7:1
Hinske is a free agent at the end of the year, and with Gabe Gross and a healthy Cliff Floyd, Hinske is certainly expendable. But he has also been one of the Rays better hitters this season. Would the Rays risk moving an offensive contributor with the offense struggling a bit?

Juan Salas 8:1
If the Rays don't trade for a relief pitcher, Salas is probably the next guy up from Durham when somebody is needed. He has pitched well for Durham, with a 2.12 ERA and 38Ks in 34 innings with only 8 walks. Might somebody be enticed by the comparisons of Salas' cutter to Mariano Rivera's?

James Houser 8:1
Like Jeff Niemann, Houser is another name that the Rays will counter with when teams ask for one of the big pitching prospects. He is a tall lefty with some upside. Could be more tempting than a Mitch Talbot.

Justin Ruggiano 8:1
Ruggiano is similar to Mitch Talbot in that he is a bit of tweener. He posts good numbers in triple-A and could be serviceable as a 4th outfielder in the major leagues, but does he have a future with the Rays? Again, would not be the key player in a trade, but he could be the bat that puts a deal over the top.

Joel Guzman 10:1
Won't be 24 until November, and while he has a ton of power and a very good glove with plenty of positional flexibility, he still strikes out way too much (88 in 355 ABs this year) and his OBP is embarassing (.271). He will also be out of options in '09, so a move now or this winter may be necessary. Might somebody else be tempted by the talent?

Shawn Riggans 10:1
To us, this is the most intriguing name on the list. Riggans can hit. He still has plenty of room for improvement behind the plate and he is not that young (even for a catcher; 28 in a few days). The Rays also have Mike DiFeLice in Durham. DiFelice will be on the team in September no matter what happens, but would Maddon prefer DiFelice on a potential playoff roster? There is also John Jaso who was recently promoted to Durham and could make Riggans even more expendable.

Reid Brignac 10:1
Have the Rays soured a bit on Brignac? We can't see Brignac being traded, especially until Tim Beckham shows that he is a major leaguer-in-waiting. And there is also that open right field slot in '09. Could the Rays give Brignac a shot at RF in spring training? Still, no matter what the plans are, teams will ask for Brignac. Will the Rays bite?

Dan Johnson 12:1
Having a huge season since being demoted to Durham. Unfortunately, he has shown little or no power in the majors and has very little positional flexibility for a guy that is better suited for a bench role. Still, he has big league experience which a NL contender might value.

Al Reyes 15:1
A free agent at the end of the year, but has been struggling with injuries which make him more valuable to the Rays than to any suitor.

Chris Mason 15:1
Would anybody want him?

Gary Glover 20:1
Ditto

Grant Balfour 50:1
Another name that is very intriguing to us. If there is any inkling in the Rays front office that this recent run by Balfour is a fluke, then now is the time to trade the power righty and sell high. But everything we have seen indicates that Balfour is the real-deal and maybe he just needed to find some confidence which he has plenty of right now.

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

• The Good: To quote a commenter from last night: Akinori Iwamura... you beautiful, beautiful small little Japanese man. Although I might worry a little for Aki's safety today. He did a nice little bat flip and walked the first few steps down the line to admire the blast. Don't get me wrong. I loved it. And in reality the Sawx are the last team in the world that could ever complain about something like that as long as Manny Ramirez wears the Scarlett Hose. But still. Aki might get a little buzz this afternoon if a pitcher gets an opportunity...Oh yeah and the bullpen, Again. 2 runs in the last 30 innings pitched from the bullpen. That's right. 2 runs in the last 30 innings pitched from the Tampa Bay Rays relief corps.
  
• The Bad: Jello Shots. Seriously? Who the hell thought Jello Shots was a good idea?
  
• The Telling: This worked yesterday, so I will try going to the well one more time. The last time the Rays won 6 in a row was August 3, 2005. The winning pitchers during that streak were Scott Kazmir, Casey Fossum, Doug Waechter, Mark Hendrickson, Seth McClung and Travis Harper. No shit...Also if the Rays win today they will be 3 games over .500 after 25 games. It looks like that would be the latest in a season that the Rays have ever been 3 games over .500. In 2004 they were 40-38 but never got to 3-over. The latest they have ever been 3-over was way back in 1999 when the Rays were 11-8 after 19 games.
• Today: Huge matchup of Aces as the Rays go for the sweep. It is Josh Beckett versus James Shields.
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Only surprise here is that Andrew Friedman didn't make this move sooner. Elliot Johnson has been sent to Durham and Andy Cannizaro has been called up to take his place. With Jason Bartlett's shoulder problems, Joe Maddon undoubtedly would prefer to have a natural shortstop on the bench to back him up. [Rays Report]
  
• There is speculation around the Rangers that new team President Nolan Ryan may ask Gerry Hunsicker to come on board as the new GM. [ESPN via Lone Star Ball]
• Marc Topkin takes a look at the Rays surplus of starting pitching and comes to the same conclusion that many including The Professor have been saying for a while, Andy Sonnanstine is likely the odd-man out and could be headed to the bullpen with Scott Dohmann being DFA'd. Even with the 3-hit shutout, Duke is just the better option in the bullpen. [St. Pete Times]
• Red Sox skipper Terry Francona is impressed with what he sees in the Rays. [MLB]
  
• What a difference a year makes for the Rays bullpen, where Gary Glover is the only reliever that was with the Rays at this time last year. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• The Rays rank first in affordability in the major leagues. [MLB]
• I am amazed at how many stories have been written that say giving Evan Longoria a long term deal so early is very risky. All these stories make the same argument: Prospects flame out all the time. They will then go on to list all the top prospects that never panned out. Only they only list pitchers. The only top hitting prospect that anybody ever mentions is Rocco Baldelli and he has what appears to be a rare genetic disorder. His had nothing to do with miscalculated scouting. Top hitting prospects *never* fail. They may not turn out to be all-stars, but they never fail. There is basically ZERO risk in the Longoria deal. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
  

Tampa Bay Rays (23 days until pitchers and catchers report)
We have other things to write about later today, so we won't waste an entire post on Marc Topkin's latest piece. Rather we will just bitch about it here. In the piece,"Rays paying it forward", Topkin suggests that the recent contracts signed by Carlos Pena and Scott Kazmir are an indication that the Rays front office is committed to spending money and retaining the team's talent. The contracts therefore are indications of the team's commitment to winning.

By giving more than $24-million over three years to Carlos Pena and going up to nearly $4-million for a one-year, arbitration-avoiding deal with Scott Kazmir, the Rays on Friday put two of their best players under contract for the upcoming season.

And they may have put to rest questions about their commitment to assemble, and retain, a competitive team.

There is only one problem with this thinking. In the two contracts combined, the Tampa Bay Rays gained ONE extra season out of the two stars. The Rays have now "retained" the services of Pena and Kazmir for ONE additional season.

The Rays and Scott Kazmir agreed to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. And where would Kazmir be playing in 2008 if he had not signed the contract? THE TAMPA BAY FRIGGIN' RAYS. Kazmir is arbitration-eligible. NOT a free agent. Unless the Rays decide to trade Kazmir, he will be playing for the Rays for the next three years. He does not have a choice. And avoiding arbitration probably saved the Rays a little money. Topkin does not seem to comprehend this. The Rays avoided arbitration with Kazmir. They have done nothing yet to retain his services beyond what he is already committed.

In the case of Carlos Pena, the Rays reached an agreement on a three-year contract. That deal does keep Pena in a Rays uniform for the first of what would have been his free agency years. Not three free agency years. Not five. Not seven. Pena is now locked into playing for the Rays for one more season than he would have been otherwise.

This is not a knock on the Tampa Bay Rays. They have shown this off-season that they are willing to spend money and that they will retain their young talent, IF THEY CAN DO SO FOR LESS THAN MARKET-VALUE. That is a commitment to the bottom-line. Not to the talent. Not to the team and not to the fans.

If Topkin wants to make this point, he can tell us about the Pena deal. It is not a huge commitment as it is just for one additional year. However, it is something. Topkin can also tell us about the Troy Percival deal and the Cliff Floyd deal. But please...please...don't use the Kazmir-deal as an example of the team's commitment to retaining talent and their commitment to winning. The deal has ZERO bearing on the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, 2009 or 2010. It does however have a bearing on the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays in that as of now, the chances of Kazmir playing for the Rays beyond 2010 are now a little less.

Here is a suggestion. If and when the Rays reach an agreement with James Shields on a long-term contract, that goes into his free agency years...we want Marc Topkin to erase Kazmir's name everywhere it appears in the article and replace it with the name "Shields". Then he should resubmit the article to his editors, because only then will the article make any sense.

Rays paying it forward [St. Pete Times]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Gerry Hunsicker appeared on XM radio's The Show. Among the topics covered were the recent signing of Carlos Pena to a three year contract and whether 2007 was a surprising performance. "I got to think in Carlos Pena’s case it wasn’t that he never showed the talent because that’s not true, we were the beneficiary’s of Carlos Pena coming to Tampa Bay where there is a little less pressure, the expectations for him might not have been as high and he felt very comfortable. He was given the opportunity to play through the ups and the downs and had a manager that had the confidence in him to put him in the lineup everyday". Hmmm? A manager that had the confidence to put him in the lineup every day? Let's see...He only made the roster out of Spring Training because Greg Norton was injured in the last week before the regular season. The Greg Norton. And Pena did not become the everyday first baseman until the second week of May because Joe Maddon was giving starts at first base to Ty Wigginton and Jorge Cantu. Yes folks. Papa Joe had so much confidence in Pena that he benched him in favor of Jorge freakin' Cantu. [MLB on XM]
• Rays Anatomy offers two points-of-view on what to expect from Carlos Pena in 2008. [Rays Anatomy]
  

Angels 2, Devil Rays 1.
This is what drives us absolutely nuts about the local coverage of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. We stayed up late last night and caught every pitch of the Rays 89th loss of the season. We went to bed frustrated with the offense, but content that Jason Hammel had pitch well and has shown improvement in his last four starts.

Then we wake up this morning to THIS headline in the St. Pete Times...

"Banged-up Rays waste Hammel's latest gem"

Now..instead of feeling good about Hammel's performance we now feel compelled to explain to Marc Topkin and the editors of the Times why Hammel's performance was far from being a "gem". Instead of feeling good about his start, we now have to point out the faults.

• It took Jason Hammel 98 pitches to get through 6 innings. Therefore, for the 12th time in 12 starts, Hammel was unable to pitch into the 7th inning.
  
• 6 innings and 2 runs is not a "gem". That is an ERA of 3.00. Good. Not great. 9 innings and 2 runs might be a gem, but even then we would need to see 8-10 strikeouts and only 1-2 walks.
• Hammel allowed 7 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings. That is a WHIP of 1.50! That is NOT a gem.
• He struck out 3 batters. a strikeout to walk ratio of 3:2 is NOT a gem. A ratio of 8:1 might be a gem...if he also pitched 8 innings and gave up only 1 run.
  
• In 3 of his 6 innings, Hammel allowed the leadoff batter to reach base. Two of those runners scored. That is definitely NOT a gem.
• Chone Figgins scored the first run on a wild pitch. That is right. A wild pitch with a runner on third base. Apparently that is "gem"-worthy.
  
• Hammel had exactly ONE 1-2-3 inning. Hammel allowed base runners in 5 of the 6 innings. That is NOT a gem.
• Did we mention...SIX INNINGS IS NOT A FRIGGIN' GEM.
• Eight innings. M-INIMUM are needed before we even think about calling a game a gem, and really we would prefer 9. And is it too much to ask that a few of those innings be 1-2-3?
  
• If a starting pitcher for the Yankees or the Red Sox gave up 2 runs in 6 innings and LOST, would ANYBODY call it a gem? NOT A CHANCE IN HELL. They would wonder why he labored and couldn't get the ball directly to the set-up man in the 8th inning.
  
• His "Latest gem"? IS ANYBODY AT THE TIMES AWAKE OVER THERE?!? Hammel is yet to pitch into the 7th inning. In his last start, he allowed 5 hits and only 1 run in 6 innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out 6, against an overrated Seattle Mariners club. That was a very good start. But even that was NOT a gem.
  

Is this what we have been reduced to as fans of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays? Has the pitching been so bad that when somebody other than Scott Kazmir or James Shields allows 2 runs over 6 innings, we are supposed to be giddy?

We hope that Jason Hammel does not read the St. Pete Times. If he does, he might actually be content with his performance last night, and not see that there is still plenty of room for improvement. We understand that a lot of times, wins and losses are out of the control of the starting pitcher, but when it comes down to it, there is one stat that counts from last night's start...L. As in Hammel lost. The Devil Rays lost.

If a team is going to only score 1 run, then the pitcher needs to find a way to keep the other team off the board. If he can't? Let's just say we are not about to start calling him Tom Seaver. Now there is a guy that threw some gems.

Banged-up Rays waste Hammel's latest gem [tampabay.com]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• MLB Trade Rumors did an excellent job of breaking down exactly how ridiculous Scott Boras' comments on Carlos Pena were. They challenge both the assertion that Pena is the best player to ever wear a Rays' uniform and the boast that Pena is one of the top 5 players of 2007. They then go on to show that any claim that Pena is a $15 million player in his 4th full season is ludicrous. They even speculate that because Pena is not a free agent until after the 2009 season, the Rays best move may be to go to arbitration for the next two seasons and then trade Pena during the 2009 season. [MLB Trade Rumors]

Boras says the DRays basically got a $15MM season for the cost of $1.2MM and also takes some digs at the franchise. But it's disingenuous to imply that a fourth-year player should be earning free agent prices. That ain't the way it works. Albert Pujols earned $7MM in his fourth year, which seems like some kind of record. Jason Bay is earning $3.25MM in his fourth year. Matt Holliday is at $4.4MM. I could make a laundry list of young players who are huge bargains because of baseball's pay scale. Hanley Ramirez is making $402,000 this year...Pena reaches free agency after the 2009 season, and Marc Topkin says the Rays have already begun discussions on a three or four-year deal. If the Rays are to buy out a year or two of free agency, those might cost $12-15MM each. More likely, the team just goes to arbitration with him twice and trades him in a summer of '09 blockbuster (assuming he remains a 40 HR threat).

• The Devil Rays are 63-89 with 10 games remaining and are 2 games behind (1 in the win column) the Orioles in the AL East and for the worst record in baseball.
  
• The Devil Rays have decided to shut down James Shields for the remainder of the season. The move is simply an effort to limit the number of pitches thrown by the emerging ace. JP Howell will fill Shields' spot in the rotation. [tampabay.com]
• Brendan Harris was injured during batting practice and was scratched from the lineup. [tampabay.com]
• Jim Alexander has a conversation with Joe Maddon about his return to Anaheim to face the franchise he was a part of for 31 years. [Many Opinions, No Waiting...]
• Joe Madden believes that Carl Crawford will be ready to go on Friday, but the team is still likely to call up an extra outfielder from Durham, with Jason Pridie being the most likely candidate. Pridie will need to be added to the 40-man roster this winter anyway or risk being lost in the Rule 5 Draft. [Devil Rays]
• Gerry Hunsicker will appear on the Baseball Digest Daily radio show this Sunday. [Baseball Digest Radio]
• Carlos Pena has 18 home runs in the past month, the most in the majors over that span. [USA Today]
  

Durham 11, Pawtucket 3. JP Howell had his best start of the season for the Bulls last night. He struck out 10 in 6 innings with only 2 hits and 1 run. He did walk three and hit a batter. Ruddy Lugo pitched 2 scoreless innings, but walked 3, and Seth McClung pitched yet another scoreless 9th inning. We are starting to get nervous. McClung has only allowed 1 run in his last 10 appearances, covering 16 innings with 21 strikeouts. He has an ERA of 1.54 with 28 Ks in 23.1 innings. We need to accept the realization that we will see Big Red again in Rays uniform and it could be sooner rather than later. Ohhh, the Agida...On a brighter note, the Bulls hit 5 home runs. Wes Bankston hit his 5th and drove in 4. Elliot Johnson hit his 6th and drove in 3. Justin Ruggiano hit his 3rd.

Montgomery 7, Birmingham 4. Chris Seddon gave up 4 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings. He struck out 3. Seddon was cruising through the first 5 innings and then in the top of the 6th he gave up 3 consecutive hits to lead off the inning, capped by a 3-run home run. Evan Longoria returned to the lineup and went 1-4. He is hitting .328. Reid Brignac was 0-3 with 2 walks and is now hitting .267. Brooks Badeaux cleared the bases with a double in the 8th inning that proved to be the game-winner.

Palm Beach 10, Vero Beach 7 (gm 1). The Rays needed a pitcher to start game 1 of the double-header and apparently they needed a pitcher to work a lot of innings and Jeff Kamrath was the sacrificial lamb. Kamrath made just his second start of the year and gave up 9 runs in 7 innings on 13 hits and 4 walks. Erold Andrus was 3-5 with his 2nd home run.

Palm Beach 2, Vero Beach 1 (gm 2). Mike Wlodarczyk struck out 6 in 6 innings with 8 hits and 2 runs allowed.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Fernando Perez who went on the DL with a minor knee injury will now have his return delayed another week due to a hip injury suffered during a recent workout.
  
• Gerry Hunsicker was in Montgomery to most likely see Evan Longoria.
• Columbus was rained out and will play a double-header today. Wade Townsend will come off the DL and pitch game 1.
  

Gerry Hunsicker, the Rays Senior V. P. for baseball operations appeared yesterday on WFAN in New York City. Hunsicker, who has the most baseball experience in the Rays front office, was interviewed by Mike Francesa and Chris Russo of the #1 sports talk radio show in the country, Mike and The Mad Dog. He comes off as somebody that is still very skeptical of what the Rays can accomplish. Of the topics that were covered in the interview included:

• His working relationship with Andrew Friedman.
  

At the end of the day Andrew clearly makes the call. I am here kinda like the resource manual on the shelf.

• The acquisition of Akinori Iwamura and what he expects from him.
  

Defensively, he is as advertised...he hasn't been particularly effective offensively but he has started to drive the ball a little bit lately...we really don't know what we have, and we will have to let the season unfold to see.

• The potential of having the best lineup in baseball in three years.

it's a long ways from the minor leagues to the major leagues, and I think we are in a situation where...we are still running a tryout at the major league level. We don't have much certainty in our core group of players at the major league level...We really don't know what we have.

• On signing a star free agent pitcher.

I believe that Stuart Sternberg, our owner will give us the resources when it makes sense...very few long term contracts, especially four and five year contracts, that you are giving for pitchers, work out. So until we get a little closer to the certainty that we need in our core group, to know what we really have, to go out and get one star pitcher...isn't going to mean the difference between us being a contender and not being a contender. We really need some of these young pitchers to step up.

• On Joe Maddon.

He is a refreshing personality...One things I like about him a lot with our situation is that he has such a strong development background...This year I see a much more confident Maddon. A much more aggressive Maddon.