[Update 6:22pm] The Rays traded Elijah Dukes for one of the pitchers that they coveted from the Nationals. The player acquired by the Rays is Glenn Gibson. According to earlier reports, Gibson was one of the pitchers that the Nationals were refusing to part with. Gibson, a tall lanky (6'4" 195) left hander, was a 4th round selection by the Nationals out of high school in the 2006 draft. After only 6 innings of work in 2006, Gibson appeared in 12 games this past season (all starts) for Vermont of the New York-Penn League. He posted a 3.10 ERA and struck out 58 in 58 innings, while walking 15.

FoxSports is reporting that Elijah Dukes has been traded to the Washington Nationals for a minor leaguer. The minor league player has not been identified, but is not believed to be a member of the Nationals' 40-man roster.

A press conference has been scheduled for 6 pm

In other news, Josh Wilson was placed on waivers and claimed by the Pirates.

We will update this post as more details become available.

Rays trade outfielder Elijah Dukes to Nationals [Yahoo! Sports]
Nats acquire Dukes from Tampa Bay [Fox Sports]
Dukes traded to Nationals [TampaBay.com]

Team USA 7, Panama 0.
Evan Longoria capped the scoring for Team USA with a 2-run home run in the 7th inning. It was the first home run of the tournament for Team USA. Longoria finished 2-3 with those 2 ribbies.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Most of the free agent shortstops are already off the board, so it looks like the Rays will attempt to address the void in the middle infield through a trade. [TBO]
• Why do the Rays need a shortstop? According to "The Probabilistic Model of Range" for shortstops in 2007, the Rays had the third worst shortstop defense in baseball. Individually, Brendan Harris and Josh Wilson ranked as the 3rd and 4th worst defensive shortstops in 2007 (out of 39). [Baseball Musings]
  
• Any shortstop the Rays acquire may only be a one-year stopgap as Reid Brignac will most likely begin the season at AAA Durham. Despite what appeared to be poor offensive numbers on the surface (compared to 2006), The Hardball Times recognizes Brignac as one of the most improved hitters in the minor leagues in 2007. [The Hardball Times]

Brignac experienced a breakout season at the hitter-friendly California League last year, and his plate approach continued to improve as he posted career-best walk rates and strikeout rates in the Southern League this year. His traditional statistics were underwhelming in 2007 as he only hit .260 in a full season with the Montgomery Biscuits. The components of that performance are highly encouraging, however.

• The Twins may not be interested in Rocco Baldelli. According to the Star-Tribune they have targeted BJ Upton and Delmon Young and are willing to part with Matt Garza. If the Twins stand firm, don't look for a deal to be made. [Star-Tribune]
• The Cubs have targeted Carl Crawford. [Daily-Herald]
• Project Prospect ranks the top 5 players in the Rays farm system. [Project Prospect]
  

The Devil Rays farm system has become the envy of baseball. They had four players who ranked in the Top 15 of our Top 25 prospect list last week. They have a top Rookie of the Year candidate in the big leagues right now, in Delmon Young. And they are currently in line to be awarded the No. 1 overall Draft pick for the second year in a row. Tampa Bay really only has one path that it can take in order to compete with the big spenders in its division. And it’s taking it.

• Sean McAdam of ESPN.com takes a look at the Rays off-season, and the holes they look to fill. [ESPN]
  

Devil Rays 17, Orioles 2.
In last night's offensive outburst, Brendan Harris hit his first home run since June 18. Teamed with Ben Zobrist and Josh Wilson, the Rays have been sporting below-average hitters and brick-glove defensemen at the shortstop position. With Reid Brignac still at least a year away from contributing at the major league level, shortstop is the one defensive position that the Rays would like to upgrade in the off-season. There are three possible moves for 2008.

The first option is that the Rays will stay with Brendan Harris and/or Josh Wilson for one more season as they await the arrival of Brignac. This is the trickiest of the potential moves. Both Harris and Wilson are below-average defensively, at best. Wilson is atrocious, while Harris is simply blessed with the range of a person with their feet stuck in cement. Offensively, both players are passable as major leaguers with Harris having the potential to break out. After a near-all-star level performance in the first half (.310-8-39), Harris has cooled off considerably in the second-half (.253-1-15).

Acquiring a shortstop via a trade is always possible, but the most difficult to predict. While the team can never assume the future arrival of a minor league prospect, the team would have to view the team's starting shortstop in 2008 as a one or two year solution at most. It is hard to imagine the team would part with any key pieces to acquire a player that may only be needed for one season.

In the past, opening the checkbook and signing a veteran free agent would seem as likely as Chuck LaMar ever being given another chance to run a major league baseball team. But Stuart Sternberg and Andrew Friedman have promised that money will be spent on the right players and when the time is right. While pitching is the most likely target during free agency, signing a veteran shortstop to a 2-year deal could be a solution to the team's opening in the middle of the infield.

The Baseball Analysts have compiled a list of shortstops that will be free agents at the end of the year.

David Eckstein      STL
Cesar Izturis       PIT
Ramon E Martinez    LAD
John McDonald       TOR
Neifi Perez         DET
Juan Uribe          CHW
Omar Vizquel        SF

This is your year if you like good-field, no-hit shortstops. Even steroids haven't helped one of the members of this punchless group.

First of all, please do not let the Rays sign David Eckstein. He looks like he is going to get a hernia everytime he throws a ball across the diamond.

But what about Juan Uribe? He would look to make about $3 million per season. But would he be willing to sign a 2-year deal with a club option for 2010? Is the marked improvement in defense worth the pricetag?

A Preview of This Year's Free Agent Class: Part One - The Hitters [The Baseball Analysts]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• The Devil Rays set new marks for most runs (17) and hits (22) in a game at the Trop last night. Carlos Pena had two home runs and now has 11 in his past 17 games, adding more digits to his 2008 salary. His seven RBI are a new franchise record for a single game. [TBO]
• The Devil Rays have scored 101 runs in their past 12 games, tops in the majors. The pitching staff has walked only 28 batters over that stretch, which is the third lowest total. The team is 9-3 in that stretch. [Devil Rays]
  
• Carl Crawford was suspended for 2 games for his little tirade the other night. Crawford will appeal the suspension. [TBO]
• Carl Crawford has been named as the Devil Rays nominee for the Roberto Clemente award given to a player that "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team." [MLB]
  
• Andy Sonnanstine is proving very difficult to steal against. He has allowed only 1 stolen base in 439 batters faced. [Roto Authority]
  

Orioles 8, Devil Rays 4.
If anybody is still wondering why the Rays struggle against the one team in the AL East that they should be able to compete with, they need look no further than Aubrey Friggin' Huff. We are here to anoint Huff as Chuck LaMar's replacement as the official Rays Killer. Some players play better against certain teams but we have never seen a player make an entire season out of playing against one team.

Aubrey Huff	G	AVG	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs TB Devil Rays	17	.373	7	14	.439	.797	1.236
vs other 28 teams	120	.260	8	51	.309	.502	.811

And with one swing of Aubrey Friggin' Huff's bat, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays now fall four back of the Orioles in the AL East and more importantly five back in the loss column. The Rays have 23 games remaining while the Orioles have 25. If Baltimore goes 10-15 down the stretch, the Rays would need to finish 14-9 to pull out of the cellar. This will be a difficult task, at best, considering the Rays have two series remaining against the Red Sox, and series with the Yankees, Angels and Mariners, all playoff contenders. The other two series are against the Blue Jays.

Surpassing the Orioles is not impossible but it will be a long shot. If the team wants to have any thoughts of a 4th place finish, the Rays must win tonight's game.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Not that anybody was holding their breath, but the loss last night guarantees that the Rays will finish with a losing record for the 10th consecutive season. Having already been officially eliminated from the division race, the Rays' elimination number for the wild card is now 4.
  
• Marc Topkin thinks Josh Wilson's fielding problems are "more mental than physical". We think they are more because he is just not a very good defensive infielder. Either way, Mr. Anonymous is likely to be a one-and-done member of the Devil Rays as the team looks for an upgrade up the middle this off-season. [tampabay.com]
• If Rocco Baldelli does not return this season, he will have played in exactly 138 of the Rays last 486 games. John Romano believes that "it is impossible to know where Baldelli fits in the equation (team's future)". Oh. It is possible, because Rocco does not fit in the team's future. It is clear that the team wants BJ Upton in center field and Rocco in another organization. Still, Romano believes that the team should pick up Rocco's '09 option and just cross their fingers. [tampabay.com]
• With 276 hits combined, Delmon Young and Aki Iwamura could become just the 5th pair of rookies in the past 20 years to combine for 300 hits. Also, Young (.297), BJ Upton (.311) and Carl Crawford (.313) could become the first outfield since 1996 (Cleveland) to have all three members hit .300. [Devil Rays]
• Scott Kazmir and BJ Upton both make the list of "Top 25 Under 25"with Delmon Young named as honorable mention. Nick Underhill does bring up a good point in regards to Upton. He may be a better center fielder but will Upton push for a return to the infield where he has a better chance to be a perennial all-star? [Im Writing Sports]
• In a case where "no news is apparently news", Carlos Pena has yet to be contacted by the team concerning a contract extension. Pena is not a free agent, so nobody should expect any negotiations until after the season. [The Canadian Press]
  

Devil Rays 15, Orioles 8.

Just the links today

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• The Rays elimination number in the division remains 3, and is 10 for the wild card. With 30 games remaining, the Rays need 11 wins to avoid another 100-loss season. They have a 5-game lead over the White Sox for the worst record in baseball.
  
• The Rays tied a club record with 11 runs in the 8th inning last night. [Devil Rays]
  
• Delmon Young homered for the first time since June 22. [Bradenton Herald]
• Aubrey Huff hit his 5th home run against the Devil Rays. [tampabay.com]
  
• The Devil Rays may have the best outfield bargain in baseball with Carl Carawford, BJ Upton and Delmon Young who combined, will make less than $7 million in 2007. [TBO]
• How many wins would James Shields have if he were pitching for a contender? Joe Maddon thinks it would be 15. We have a hunch it would be 16-17. [Devil Rays]
• With Ben Zobrist on the DL, Josh Wilson has become the everyday shortstop. [TBO]
• Elijah Dukes met with Cecil Fielder and coached first base for Fielder's Independent League Charlotte County Redfish. [tampabay.com]
• We are not sure what bananas have to do with peanut butter and jelly or for that matter, what any of them have to do with the Devil Rays. [Phorce Impressive Media]
  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

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

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

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

White Sox 5, Devil Rays 3.
2008...2008...2008...We still don't know what to think about this team. We braced ourselves for what we knew would be a trying season. The team was talented, but it was very young, which means we knew they would be inconsistent. The team still had enormous holes in the bullpen which means we knew they would struggle late in games. The rotation had several stop-gaps, just waiting for an influx of talent which means there would be many games in which the bullpen wouldn't have a chance to blow the lead.

But then along came James Shields and BJ Upton and Al Reyes and Carlos Pena and Brendan Harris. Out were Jae Seo and Casey Fossum and the headache named Elijah Dukes. And we saw the team playing well. We saw the team coming from behind late in games. We saw strong performances from the starting pitchers and we have seen lots of home runs and at times we have seen good defense. Our hopes are rising.

But as good as the Rays have looked this season, would you be surprised that after 76 games the Rays have the exact same record in 2007 that they had last year? They do.

We can see the greatness coming. But it is not here yet. And that folks is frustrating as hell.

We just need to keep reminding ourselves that this is not about 2007. This is about 2008. Right?

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Anybody out there think the Rays still should have given Julio Lugo $8 million a year? Anybody?
  
• Julio Lugo ($9 million): .191/.256/.285 (4 HR, 20 SB, 9 errors)
• Brendan Harris ($386K): .311/.369/.483 (8 HR, 2 SB, 7 errors)
• Carl Crawford is bracing himself for another All-Star snub. However, it is different this year. In years past, Crawford was snubbed because he was a relative unknown on an unpopular and bad baseball team. Crawford is no longer an unknown. Rather, Crawford is well-known, but his stats are not living up to the hype this season.
  
• BJ Upton and Shawn Riggans are both close to returning. Upton could be back this weekend. The team has yet to give Riggans a timetable for a return.
  
• The Extrapolator extrapolates on Delmon Young. Just don't watch the video clip.
• Before last night's game, Delmon Young was hitting .331 in his last 38 games. He leads AL rookies in hits, extra-base hits and RBI.
  
• Don't look now, but Josh Wilson has started four straight games. The Rays record in those four games? 1-3. We're just sayin....
  

Devil Rays 9, Marlins 4. It is all about winning series. Find a way to win 2 of 3 every time out. The win yesterday gave the Rays their second straight series win and both were highly improbable. After losing the opening game of each series with bullpen melt-downs of historic proportions, the Rays bounced back to win the final two games of both match-ups (Did you realize that the Rays are two nuclear melt-downs away from an 8-game winning streak?).

Yesterday it was Andy Sonnanstine to the rescue with his first major league win. Sonny will never be an ace and some nights he will get knocked around pretty good, but he is very capable of performances like Sunday. We just need to wait and see how often we see a performance like Sunday's. If that turns out to be the rule more than the exception, Sonny will be a legitimate #3 or #4 starter in the Rays rotation for years to come. Still, at this point, just the fact that he is capable of a start like this is an indication that he is a far better option than Jae Seo or Casey Fossum ever were.

Before Sonnanstine was promoted, we heard that it was difficult to compare Sonnanstine to any major leaguers because of the accuracy and the movement of the pitches and the different arm angles. The most common name we head was a poor-man's Greg Maddux. After his first start, we thought Paul Byrd was a more accurate representation. That is to say that he is a crafty right hander. Rare indeed. But Sonny throws much harder than Byrd, who rarely breaks 85 nowadays. So is there another player we can come up with? Well, we were watching the Marlins broadcast of yesterday's game and the announcers tossed out a third name which we had not thought of before. Orlando Hernandez...We like it. El Duque is the only other pitcher that we have ever seen that uses as many different arm angles. Also, it seems as if El Duque has never thrown a straight pitch in his life. So, if Hernandez is 58 years old as rumored, is Andy Sonnanstine the second coming? Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez...Andy "The Duke" Sonnastine? Only time will tell, but we must admit The Duke is fun to watch pitch.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Andy Sonnanstine set a Devil Rays team record with 7 straight strike outs on Sunday.
  
• The Devil Rays had no choice but to shake up the bullpen, if for anything just to send a message to the rest of the team. On Sunday Chad Orvella and Tim Corcoran were optioned back to Durham.
• Buster Olney gives us a Q&A with James Shields. The interview is hidden behind the walls of ESPN's "Insider".
• Rocco Baldelli participated in an extended spring training game on Saturday. He is likely to play in four more before the team decides whether to activate Baldelli or send him on a rehab assignment.
  
• OK, maybe not the best reliever, but is Josh Wilson the second best?
  
• Maybe not, but we do like THIS SUGGESTION of making the rest of the staff watch the video of Josh Wilson's performance. Maybe Joe Maddon could lock them in a room with the one inning on loop.
• Al Reyes and James Shields have much better chances to make the All-Star roster as pitchers than BJ Upton or Carl Crawford do as position players.
  
• Josh Vitters is NOT as good as Alex Rodriguez was in high school. So to compare the choice of David Price over Vitters as the same decision the Mariners made when they picked A-Rod over Darren Dreifort is ridiculous.
  
• According to Scott Kendrick the Devil Rays made a mistake by drafting the college pitcher over the high school hitter. He notes that the best #1 overall picks have been high school position players, pointing out the lack of a success among pitchers selected at the top of the draft. So, according to Kendrick, college pitchers should NEVER be drafted or David Price had a better chance of a solid major league career if he was drafted #2 or even in the 36th round. Neither makes sense. Mr. Kendrick...what we have here is what smart people call a "very small sample size". Some pitchers succeed. A lot don't. Whether or not a pitcher is going to be great has nothing to do with where he is drafted. It depends on the player and the team that drafts him. Maybe the position player is "safer" but hitters don't win championships. Pitchers do.
• Based on the Rays drafting history only 2 or 3 of the 50 players selected will ever appear in a major league game.
  
• The Washington Nationals are reportedly pursuing Elijah Dukes.
• MLB Trade Rumors indicates that the Twins may be interested in acquiring Ty Wigginton. With the emergence of both BJ Upton, and Carlos Pena, this move makes sense.
• Off day today with an intriguing match-up tomorrow as the Padres come to town and will send out Greg Maddux against Scott Kazmir.