Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe feels the Rays will add one of Jason Giambi, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell or Adam Dunn.

Seems as if the prices for these guys are dropping rapidly, and the Rays might be able to add a pretty good hitter to replace Cliff Floyd and/or Rocco Baldelli.

It may seem that way on the surface, but some of these pieces are going to start falling very quickly. To no surprise, we are now hearing that the A's and Giambi will soon be talking contract. And when push comes to shove, we feel the Cubs won't let Bradley get away. Bradley may prefer the situation in St. Pete, but at some point the Cubs offer will be too much money to leave on the table.

Of course, that still leaves Burrell and Dunn, both of whom would provide the "impact bat" Andrew Friedman is seeking. But other teams like the Yankees and Angels may become interested if they fail to land either Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. This could force the Rays to become more active in their pursuit of Burrell or Dunn.

And now Jon Heyman is reporting that the Rays and Burrell "are talking" and Heyman calls Burrell a "real possibility" for the Rays.

Burrell originally sought a three-year deal, but in a tough outfield/DH market he might have to settle for a one-year deal. Burrell's outfield defense has slipped in recent years, but the Rays are mostly looking for offense.

Heyman also adds Bobby Abreu, Ken Griffey and Garret Anderson to the list of targets for the Rays, although this group is clearly "plan B."

So if Burrell could stand to make more money from playoff-caliber teams like the Angels and Yankees, then why talk to the Rays now? Why not wait? Because the worst-case scenario may scare Burrell.

What if the Angels don't want Burrell and the Yankees get Manny? What if Giambi signs a deal with the A's for only $8-9 million, thus lowering an already low bar? And what if the Rays instead sign a Dunn or Griffey, taking a potent offense that will make a DH look very good in 2009, out of the bidding? If this scenario plays-out, Burrell could be forced to sign with a second-division team with a weak offense that will hurt his numbers in 2009 and hurt his chances of making a big score in next season's free agent market. And he will have to sign for less than he could get from the Rays now.

While we liked the idea of Giambi or Bradley in a Rays' uniform, we never thought it was a real possibility. But with the current state of the market, Pat Burrell and the Rays could be a marriage of convenience for both sides.

It's the offseason of hope [Boston Globe]
A's To Talk Contract With Giambi Soon [MLB Trade Rumors]
Burrell could fill Rays' DH need [SI.com]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• It is not in our nature to be mysterious, but we can't talk about it and we can't talk about why. [Joe Bucs Fan]
  
• Andrew Friedman says the Rays would like to improve their performance against lefties, but will not do it at the expense of hitting righties who account for 70-75% of the games over the course of a season. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Rays Digest takes a look at the middle infielders in the Rays' system. [Rays Digest]
• Rays Prospects takes a closer look at the Columbus Catfish hitters from last season. [Rays Prospects]
• The Examiner takes a look back at the Rays' game of the year. [The Examiner]
  
• Rays Prospects has the winter league stats updated through last Thursday. [Rays Prospects]

Just the links today as we celebrate the 122nd birthday of Ty Cobb, spikes high. Which reminds us...If you are looking for a right-handed DH-type, with some positional flexibility and a 2008 OPS+ of 128, there is a certain familiar name available on the market.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• This afternoon, I will appear with Tyler Hissey on the "Rays Digest Podcast" at 2:00. There may be an opportunity to take calls and if you are unable to listen live, the show will be available afterwards. [Rays Digest]
  
• John Romano caught up with Joe Maddon at another night of "Thanksmas"...And for those that have been curious, the article includes a photo of Maddon's new wife. [St. Pete Times]
• In yesterday's report on the updated diagnosis of Rocco Baldelli, WPRI said they had been told by Baldelli's family that Red Sox officials had not contacted Baldelli about playing for Boston. Marc Lancaster reports that Baldelli has indeed met with Red Sox officials. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Ken Rosenthal explains that Mark Teixeira is holding up the free agent market including all of the Rays potential targets. For example, Milton Bradley will not sign with the Cubs or Rays until he knows the Yankees and Angels are not interested. And they could become interested if they don't land Teixeira. [Fox Sports]
  
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks is up to Day 18 of the all-time greatest Devil Rays Advent calendar. [Bugs and Cranks]
• The Yankees are in a legal battle over funding for their new stadium and it somehow involves Rays VP Michael Kalt. To be clear, it appears Kalt is one of the good guys in the mess. [St. Pete Times]
  

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]
  

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

[Update: 1:46pm] Andrew Friedman says the Rays have not made any formal offers to any free agents but have discussed parameters.

[Update: 1:21pm] Jayson Stark is reporting that the Angels have begun negotiating with Raul Ibanez as he is their backup plan should Mark Teixeira sign elsewhere...Just spit-ballin' here, but we have to think that Ibanez is low on the Rays' wish list.

[Update: 12:16pm] About 13 picks have gone by in the Rule 5 draft and nobody has taken Eddie Morlan. Is it possible nobody think Morlan can be hidden in a major league bullpen?

[Update: 12:00pm] Buster Olney chimes in on the Rays quest for a power hitter, noting that the situation is very good for the Rays with 8 top-level free agents and only 6 teams that appear to be in the market for a corner outfielder/DH type. He also notes that the free agents may find the Rays a very attractive one-year option. The Rays speedy lineup and solid bats could mean a solid season for one of the free agents as they gear up for another free agent run after the '09 season when the market may be more favorable...Another benefit to the Rays signing one of these free agents to a one-year deal on the cheap is the secondary benefit of the two draft picks the Rays would receive when the player leaves next season.

[Update: 11:33am] MLB Trade Rumors has a few links regarding Rocco Baldelli. The Red Sox may be backing off of Baldelli and the Reds may be interested. Rocco's agent initiated talks with the Reds, which seems strange as Rocco would seem to prefer an AL team where he can DH. But later, Joe McDonald reported on a situation at the roulette table in which Dusty Baker and Co. were betting "on No. 5 for Rocco Baldelli." Seriously.

[Update: 11:28am] Mark Feinsand of the Daily News is saying the White Sox are the leading contender to land the services of Bobby Abreu, noting that the Rays "won't offer the kind of money he's looking for."

[From The Hangover] Two writers are reporting that Milton Bradley has become the Cubs top target to play right field with Raul Ibanez possibly as a fall-back plan. The Rays will likely wait out the negotiations and hope that Bradley and the Cubs fail to reach a deal. If that happens, the Rays may be next in line for Bradley despite the acquisition of Matt Joyce. With the Rays, Bradley can spend a considerable amount of time at DH...Right now it looks as if the Rays top two targets, Bradley and Jason Giambi are both likely heading elsewhere. Would the Rays prefer Ibanez or Bobby Abreu at $8-10 million (and a first round draft pick in the case of Ibanez) over Ken Griffey at $3-4 million?

Last night the Rays acquired outfielder Matt Joyce from the Detroit Tigers for Edwin Jackson.

What this trade means for the rotation...
Since the end of the World Series it seemed obvious that the Rays were going to trade either Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson. To most, Jackson seemed to be the logical choice as his peripheral numbers suggested the 14 wins in 2008 were a bit overrated. And despite a possible move to the bullpen he would have been a very expensive middle reliever.

With Jackson out of the picture, Sonny is a lock for the 4th spot in the rotation. That opens a spot that will eventually be filled by David Price. But will King David fill it in when the team breaks camp? Andrew Friedman made it clear earlier in the week that there is no guarantee Price is in the rotation to start the season. With only 5 starts above double-A, it would not surprise us to see Price in Durham for 5-6 starts to start the season. That means Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Jason Hammel will battle for the final spot in Spring Training. Since Talbot still has a minor league option, look for Niemann to get the nod as the Rays try to showcase him for other teams and then trade him to the first contender that loses a starting pitcher to injury.

What this means for the lineup...
Joyce fits in immediately at the 6-spot in the lineup as the most-days right fielder for the next six years. If the Rays are able to sign a player like Jason Giambi or Milton Bradley, Joyce falls to #7 with Evan Longoria at #6 to keep the R-L-R-L lineup. But that is another story for another day. In other words, the Rays could do a lot worse than Joyce at 6/7. And more importantly, it means the Rays don't have to go through this mess again next year.

What this means for the roster...
We will touch on this a bit more later, but this move probably seals the door on Jonny Gomes' career with the Rays. Already a candidate to be non-tendered on Friday night, that now seems like a foregone conclusion. 2009 will be much less Johnny-terrific. Now the question becomes, do the Rays have room for Gabe Gross? If they tender a contract to Gross, Fernando Perez is almost certainly in Durham in 2009.

What this tells us about the Rays' front office...
The Rays have the quietest front office in baseball. Even though the Rays were talking with the Tigers for three days, we never heard a peep. Is that by design? Maybe. Most of the Rays trades seem to come from out of left field (so to speak). Did we hear anything before the Gross trade or the Willy Aybar trade or the Chad Bradford trade?

Do the Rays make it a point to keep everything under wraps as tightly as possible? Or is the front office still young enough, and the Rays still a relatively new player, that the national media has yet to establish connections within the front office?

One thing that is becoming very clear. No matter who we, as fans, think the Rays are targeting, most of the time they will get somebody we were not even thinking about. We don't know about the rest of you, but we love it.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Marc Lancaster says the Rays and Tigers have been talking since day one of the winter meetings and that at one point they were working on a three-team deal with the Mariners in which JJ Putz would have gone to Detroit. That seemed to be falling through so the Tigers and Rays decided to keep things simple and make it one-for-one. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Two writers are reporting that Milton Bradley has become the Cubs top target to play right field with Raul Ibanez possibly as a fall-back plan. The Rays will likely wait out the negotiations and hope that Bradley and the Cubs fail to reach a deal. If that happens, the Rays may be next in line for Bradley despite the acquisition of Matt Joyce. With the Rays, Bradley can spend a considerable amount of time at DH...Right now it looks as if the Rays top two targets, Bradley and Jason Giambi are both likely heading elsewhere. Would the Rays prefer Ibanez or Bobby Abreu at $8-10 million (and a first round draft pick in the case of Ibanez) over Ken Griffey at $3-4 million? [MLB Trade Rumors]
  
• Andrew Friedman indicated that the Rays are more likely to acquire a relief pitcher via trade, noting that the Rays need the flexibility of being able to send the acquisition to the minors. Why is this important? Because it took Troy Percival two months to decide he needed back surgery and the Rays are not sure if he will be available to open the season. [Rays Report]
• In the same report, Andrew Friedman said he would not be surprised if the Rays lose as many as three players in today's Rule 5 draft. Which reminds us. Did you guys bid farewell to Eddie Morlan yet? You only have a couple of hours left to do so. [Rays Report]
  
• Joe Maddon says he is not concerned about members of the Rays participating in the World Baseball Classic. Marc Topkin lists several players that could be chosen. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon guesses Team USA will take Carl Crawford and a starting pitcher from the Rays roster. Of course that is only the American players. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• A recent study showed the Tampa Bay Rays were directly responsible for over $100 million in direct spending by tourists in 2008. The study also showed that more than half of the Rays' 2008 attendance (1.8 million) came from outside Piniellas County. [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
• Baseball America has the complete list of minor leaguers eligible for today's Rule 5 draft including 43 members of the Rays' organization. [Baseball America]

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.

[Update: 10:05am] Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says Bradley is "in intense discussions with the Cubs." That makes a little more sense.

[9:29am] As we reported yesterday, Milton Bradley had lunch with Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon. Maddon said Bradley was "very honest, open and intense. I liked all three." Madon added that the Rays have plans to meet with other outfielder/DH types.

According to Ken Rosenthal (via MLB Trade Rumors), Rangers officials believe the Rays and Royals are the leading candidates to land Bradley.

Dayton Moore of the Kansas City Star says the Royals are not involved. That might leave the Rays as the leading candidates for Bradley. In fact, we are yet to hear any other teams with serious interest. Surprising for a guy that hit .321/.436/.536 last year with an OPS+ of 163.

However, Bradley does have a history of knee problems and last year's 126 games marked only the second time in 9 seasons in which Bradley played more than 110 games. Significant playing time at DH could go a long ways to keeping Bradley on the field.

Milton Bradley Has Lunch With Andrew Friedman And Co. [Rays Index]
Rays smitten by Bradley’s ‘honesty’ [Yahoo! Sports]
9:56 p.m. — Bradley seeking new home? [Fox Sports]
Bradley To Rays Or Royals? [MLB Trade Rumors]
Royals still searching for ways to add impact free agent [Kansas City Star]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Tyler Hissey of Rays Digest will debut "The Rays Rundown", a live call-in show this morning at 11:00. [Rays Digest]
• Does anybody else find it strange that Marc Topkin will report on some rumors from the winter meetings and he "will ignore" others? How does he decide which rumors are worth reporting? Does Topkin have some special power of deduction that can tell which rumors are true and which rumors are not? Aren't all rumors from the winter meetings at least somewhat newsworthy, in that each rumor has at least some people are talking about it (usually other people like Topkin), even if some are ridiculous? Or does Topkin pass on some rumors because they come to him while he is busy watching "The Bachelor"? [The Heater]
• Yesterday we learned that the Rays might be involved in the Padres efforts to move Jake Peavy to the Cubs. Later we heard that the Padres and Cubs had figured out a way to make the deal happen without a third team. Now, Corey Brock is reporting that the particulars of the deal have been agreed upon and that there is a third team involved and possibly a fourth. Might the Rays be one of the other teams? [Hot Stove Blog]
• MLB Trade Rumors says a third team is the Orioles, but there is no word if a fourth team is confirmed to be involved, noting that attempts to get a third team involved included talks with "four to five clubs." The Padres are said to want major league-ready pitching. If the Rays were involved, it almost certainly means the Rays would send the Padres Andy Sonnanstine, Edwin Jackson or Jeff Niemann. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  
• Buster Olney says he would "be shocked" if Rocco Baldelli does not sign with the Red Sox. [ESPN]
  
• Joe Maddon spoke highly of free agent Garret Anderson and Kevin Baxter of the LA Times wonders if Anderson might be a good fit for the Rays. [LA Times]
  
• We are surprised there are not more rumors involving the Cardinals and the Rays. The Cardinals would like to move a left-handed hitting outfielder (Rick Ankiel, Skip Schumaker, Chris Duncan, Colby Rasmus) and are looking for pitching. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the two teams would be a good match. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
• Mike Berardino of the Miami Sun-Sentinel shoots down the possibility of the Marlins targeting Jason Bartlett in a Jeremy Hermida deal. Berardino says that the Marlins would prefer to keep Hanley Ramirez at shortstop rather than move him to the outfield. [Miami Sun-Sentinel]
  
• Joe Maddon let it be known that he has been invited to a small dinner with President George Bush and his wife at the White House. [Rays Report]
• Joe Maddon spoke with reporters from the Winter Meetings. [MSN Video]
  
• Joe Maddon said he hoped to see Rays fans on his honeymoon in Europe. He succeeded. [Big League Stew]
• The Hudson Valley Renegades will pay tribute to Stephon Marbury next season. [Rays Prospects]
• And yes, this is the first time in the history of Rays Index in which a post referenced President George Bush and Stephon Marbury. Yes. We Love Lamp.
  

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Milton Bradley got off a plane in Las Vegas at the Winter Meetings and went straight to lunch with Rays officials.

Jon Heyman adds that the Rays may be considering several of the top right field/DH free agents including Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, and Raul Ibanez. Ibanez is the only member of that group that would cost the Rays a first round draft pick as a Type A free agent.

Heyman also mentions that Ken Griffey Jr would "love to play near his Orlando hometown."

We have said previously that with the Rays already pushing $60 million in payroll for 2009, Griffey at $3-4 million might be more realistic than the other names, even if the market pushes their salaries down. Then again, if the Rays can move salary in other areas (Edwin Jackson), that might be enough to justify adding one of the players listed above at $8-10 million for one season.

Rays Take Milton Bradley To Lunch [MLB Trade Rumors]
Griffey could be good fit for Rays [SI.com]
Griffey Could Be Good Fit For Rays [Rays Index]