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A Below Average Rays Fan Blog

Rays announce 2021 farm system affiliates; Sternberg opens mouth and inserts foot … yet again

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Bill Murray, co-owner of the Charleston Riverdogs, the Rays newest minor league affiliate.

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball formally announced the 119 affiliated teams that have been invited to be minor league affiliates for the forthcoming season. Under the league’s new plan, the Tampa Bay Rays will have four full-season minor league affiliates: Durham (Triple-A), Montgomery (Double-A), Bowling Green (Advanced A), Charleston (Low-A). The change is part of the league’s reorganization and consolidation of the minor league affiliates.

The Rays released the details of the invitations via a team press release:

The Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs were invited to become the Rays Low-A affiliate. Charleston served as Tampa Bay’s original Low-A affiliate from 1997 until 2004, and affiliated with the New York Yankees from 2005 until 2020. Among the many former Rays prospects who played for Charleston are James Shields, B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli. In addition, Rays coaches Matt Quatraro and Paul Hoover both played for Charleston, and Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo managed Charleston in 1999 and 2000. The RiverDogs play at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park.

Today the 2020 American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays invited four communities to join with them as affiliates under Major League Baseball’s new player development structure, which begins in 2021.

The Durham (N.C.) Bulls were invited to continue as the Rays Triple-A affiliate. Durham moved to the Triple-A level in 1998, when they became a Rays affiliate, and in 22 seasons since then advanced to the postseason 16 times and captured six International League titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2018).

The Montgomery (Ala.) Biscuits were invited to continue as the Rays Double-A affiliate. A Rays affiliate since 2004, the Biscuits have won two Southern League championships (2006, 2007) and reached the postseason in five consecutive seasons from 2015-19. In 2019, they went 88-50, setting a franchise record for wins.

The Bowling Green (Ky.) Hot Rods were invited to continue as a Rays affiliate, advancing from Low-A to the High-A classification. The Hot Rods became a Rays affiliate in 2009, and have reached the postseason in four consecutive seasons (2016-19). In 2018, they won the Midwest League championship and were named Baseball America Minor League Team of the Year.

The Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs were invited to become the Rays Low-A affiliate. Charleston served as Tampa Bay’s original Low-A affiliate from 1997 until 2004, and affiliated with the New York Yankees from 2005 until 2020. Among the many former Rays prospects who played for Charleston are James Shields, B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli. In addition, Rays coaches Matt Quatraro and Paul Hoover both played for Charleston, and Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo managed Charleston in 1999 and 2000. The RiverDogs play at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park.

“We are thrilled for the opportunity to continue partnering with our friends in Durham, Montgomery and Bowling Green in developing the next wave of Rays players. They have been tremendous partners,” said Rays Vice President, Player Development and International Scouting Carlos Rodriguez. “Likewise, our relationship with Charleston many years ago was very fruitful. The RiverDogs staff and fans create an environment where young prospects can flourish and grow, and we are excited to invite them back in to the Rays family.”

“The Rays would like to thank the Charlotte Stone Crabs, Hudson Valley Renegades and Princeton Rays for their many years of affiliation with our organization,” said Rays Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Erik Neander. “The Rays were very fortunate to have close, long-standing relationships at every level, and we appreciate the pivotal role all our affiliates play in helping our players develop on their journeys to the big leagues.”

Rays affiliates combined for a .584 winning pct. (1,040-741) over the 2018-19 seasons, the best mark for any parent club during that stretch. The Rays claimed the No. 1 spot in Baseball America’s Organizational Talent Rankings in July 2019 and have held it since. In 2020, the Rays became the sixth team to rank No. 1 in Baseball America’s preseason Organizational Talent Rankings and advance to the World Series that same year, joining the 2013 St. Louis Cardinals, 2008 Rays, 1999 Atlanta Braves, 1995 Braves and 1993 Blue Jays. The Rays had seven players on Baseball America’s season-ending ranking of Top 100 prospects, tied with the Miami Marlins for most in the majors. This group includes baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect in shortstop Wander Franco and 2020 American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Randy Arozarena (No. 100 overall)—the first rookie position player to win MVP of a LCS or the World Series.

The Bowling Green (Ky.) Hot Rods were invited to continue as a Rays affiliate, advancing from Low-A to the High-A classification. The Hot Rods became a Rays affiliate in 2009, and have reached the postseason in four consecutive seasons (2016-19). In 2018, they won the Midwest League championship and were named Baseball America Minor League Team of the Year.

— Tampa Bay Rays Communications

Under the league-wide consolidation, affiliated teams were reduced from more than 160 to 119. Tampa Bay had seven affiliates in the United States prior to 2020, yet teams now are allowed just four full-season affiliates. Because of the move, Port Charlotte has shifted from High-A to the Rays Gulf Coast League affiliate. The Charlotte Sports Park will continue to serve as the team’s Spring Training facility. It will also be Tampa Bay’s informal Extended Spring Training and Instructional Leagues complex. As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) noted, “Baltimore has announced it will have two Gulf Coast League teams to accommodate younger players. It’s not been determined if the Rays will do that.”

The decision by the Rays has been both celebrated and derided. However, one gleaming ray (excuse the pun) of hope has come from the decision to include the Riverdogs in the team’s farm system: Bill Murray is co-owner of the Charleston ball-club. Think of the synergy!

Noteworthiness

— Another meeting of the minds, another opportunity for the Rays owner, Stu Sternberg, to simultaneously open his mouth and insert his foot. I don’t even care enough to take a deep dive into his comments, and, frankly, neither should you. If you wish to dig deeper than my superficial scrape, feel free to click this link. Sternberg, once again, reiterated the same tired narrative that he’s rehashed for the last 15-years. Let’s just call it what it is: another boring attempt, by a potentially desperate owner, to reinvigorate his bullshit leverage ploy.

Be that as it may, I will take this opportunity to go on one righteously indignant tirade. Here goes nothing.

To all the Rays fans who previously took cheap shots at the team because of attendance — especially with the social distancing hot-takes at the start of the pandemic — yet are all bent out of shape now because the owner made the same exact bullshit joke on Wednesday, shut the fuck up. You are no better than him. There is no moral high-ground for you to stand on.

Secondly, to all the Tampa loyalists (the city, not the team) who championed Sternberg’s glib comments at the expense of the fan base on the other side of the bay, you enabled his petulant attacks on the fan base. You furthered a narrative that he started. You allowed Sternberg to quietly step away from that narrative and did all the legwork for him while he sat back and took it all in. You praised his $892-million gambit (cough, leverage ploy since he knew that Tampa didn’t have the money to build a stadium at the time and still doesn’t) and flagrantly waved it in the face of every single person that dared to criticize the proposal as though you were a dog that won a pissing contest. You loved him so so so very much because of his initial comments back in 2008, yet now you view him for what he truly is. Oh, and media outlets like WFLA, WDAE, and the Tampa Bay Times? You’re no better. None of you challenged Sternberg on any of his bullshit. Rather you capitulated time and again and allowed him to use you as a de facto, pro-bono PR department. Here the thing though, you can’t have it both ways.

I love my small market team and I love how the front office has worked with the relative microscopic budgets to create an incredibly competitive team. Still, Sternberg will NEVER be the benevolent owner the fan base deserves. He will always be the glib, stereotypical bottom line billionaire asshole that runs his team as such. He will always have more in common with the Duke Brothers than some idolized beloved community figure that lives in your imagination. Maybe now you’ll stop lauding him as the latter, and approach him as the former.

Rays “enter” the Winter Meetings seeking catching and pitching options

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Remember how the 2020 MLB Winter Meetings were supposed to take place in Dallas, but instead, they are taking place virtually? Thanks a lot, COVID-19.

The 2020 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings are upon us and with it comes all the hustle and bustle of a normal meeting of the league’s brain trusts, minus the actual hustle and bustle given that the meetings this year are taking place virtually. COVID-19 is not only responsible for a shortened 2020 season, and a preposterous extra-inning rule change, but now the pandemic has relegated the Winter Meetings to, essentially, wheeling, dealing, and rumor milling over Live Journal.

I digress.

While offseason trade rumors have circulated around Blake Snell (he’s likely not going anywhere) and Kevin Kiermaier (there’s a log-jam in the outfield), nothing substantive has come of it, at least not yet.

Rays Senior VP/General Manager Erik Neander reiterated the known knowns on Monday, in a media Zoom call, noting that catching and pitching depth are the two primary areas of need heading into Spring Training 2021.

I think anything we can be doing to strengthen our depth with our pitching is something we’re going to be looking to do. On roster is challenging, because of those injuries, but also off-roster.

— Erik Neander

As of now, Tampa Bay has just one catcher on the 40-man roster, prospect Ronaldo Hernandez, while four pitchers (Jalen Beeks, Yonny Chirinos, Brendan McKay, and Colin Poche) were lost to injury last season. It also bears mentioning that Charlie Morton recently inked a one-year deal with Atlanta, which created a hole in the Rays’ rotation.

On the catching side of things, it’s unlikely that Tampa Bay will add an expensive option behind the plate. That is, don’t expect J.T. Realmuto or even a second-tier option like James McCann to suit up for the Rays anytime soon. However, there are affordable options available like Mike Zunino and Kevan Smith, as well as Jason Castro, Alex Avila, and the recently non-tendered former Ray Curt Casali.

Neander mentioned that they continue to have conversations with Zunino and Smith.

Those are two guys that in their own ways last year did a nice job for us, and filled needs in roles that were critical to our success. Appreciate both of them. They have a right to explore their opportunities and see what’s out there.

— Erik Neander

There also are intriguing options on the trade market, such as Willson Contreras, Francisco Mejia, and several veteran options in Cleveland. As Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors) writes, “the Blue Jays have a glut of young backstops on the 40-man roster. If the Rays were to move Snell, they could push for a young catcher to be a focal point of any return.” However, that’s a big if. After all, the Rays do not routinely trade within the division, and they would be seeking a king’s ransom for the former Cy Young Award winner.

Neander also said they want to improve their pitching depth, especially on the starting side.

We’re going to have to build this group out further and see where it takes us.

— Erik Neander

Currently, Tampa Bay boasts three obvious starters: Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Ryan Yarbrough. Additionally, there are other options such as Josh Fleming, Brent Honeywell, Shane McClanahan — whom Neander says they view as a starter — Trevor Richards, Joe Ryan, and Aaron Slegers. Still, regardless if Snell indeed is seen as a viable trade option, Neander would be wise to seek out a veteran hurler amongst all the green pitching talent within the farm system.

The Rays did attempt to address the issue by re-signing right-hander Andrew Kittredge to a minor league contract. Kittredge hit the IL with a season-ending UCL injury in August, although he has thrown three bullpen sessions at full intensity without further issue. He is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training. The right-hander gives the Rays a relief option that complements Pete Fairbanks, Diego Castillo, Jose Alvarado, and Nick Anderson. He also has the ability to open ball games.

The 30-year-old spent parts of the past four seasons in Tampa Bay, pitching to a combined 4.93 ERA/4.25 FIP across 111-1/3 frames. However, those numbers had been negatively skewed by an awful 2018 campaign. Since then, Kittredge has tossed 57-1/3 innings with a serviceable 3.90 ERA/3.51 FIP, a 4.36 K/BB, and a 51.9% GB%.

Next up on the agenda, the Rule 5 Draft which takes place on Thursday.

Rays Roster Moves: it’s non-tender deadline day (updated)

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According to The Athletic, fan-favorite Ji-Man Choi is on the non-tender bubble.

Update: The 2020 MLB non-tender deadline has come to pass, and the Rays, somewhat surprisingly — given an infield log-jam, the desire to add pitching, and a (previously) full 40-man roster — opted to tender the contracts of the seven below-listed players. Tampa Bay’s front office did free up one spot on the 40-man roster when it chose not to offer a contract to right-hander Edgar Garcia, who was not yet eligible for arbitration. Tampa Bay acquired Garcia for a player to be named later in August after the Phillies designated him for assignment, although he was hit hard over a small sample of work.

It bears mentioning that just because a player’s contract has been tendered, that does not necessarily mean that they will be on the Opening Day roster. If a player carries a significant value — value that would be lost by opting not to tender their contract — they could later be used in a trade to fill a need. For example, last season the Rays tendered the contract of Tommy Pham, who was traded to San Diego shortly thereafter.

Neil Solondz also noted that “in addition, the contracts are not guaranteed. For instance, if a player is DFA’ed more than 20 days before the start of the season, the team would only be responsible for one-sixth of that individual’s salary. If the move comes within 20 days of the season and before Opening Day, that number jumps to about a fourth of the deal. Had the Rays not worked out deals, 2018 decisions on Corey Dickerson and Jake Odorizzi would have fit in this category.”

While the initial impression of satisfaction with the current roster may have been given, by offering contracts to the seven arbitration-eligible players, there is still work to be done in order to add the pieces which would make the team competitive once again in 2021.

It’s MLB non-tender deadline day, and the Tampa Bay Rays, who reportedly are seeking starting pitching — and thus would need to create roster space — have until 8:00 PM to make some tough decisions. All teams will determine whether they will offer their pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players a contract offer for next season. And while they don’t have to sign their players before the deadline, they do have to make an offer. Players who do not receive a contract offer are considered “non-tendered” and become free agents. 

The Rays currently have seven players (listed below) that could be free-agents by 8:01 PM tonight. As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) writes, “the seven players … will earn from $13.6–20 million in 2021 if they all are tendered. Add in the approximately $32.2 million that four players under contract are to receive (Kevin Kiermaier, Brandon Lowe, Blake Snell, and Yoshi Tsutsugo and that’s about $45.8–52.2 million for 11 players. Several others would make near the minimum (ie — Willy Adames, Austin Meadows, etc) but there are still several areas still to improve upon in order to upgrade next year’s version of the Rays from a team that went to the World Series to one that can win it.”

The seven players and their 2021 projected salaries (courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors) follow:

  • Jose Alvarado — $1-1.1-Million
  • Yonny Chirinos — $1.6-1.8-Million
  • Ji-Man Choi — $1.6-2.1-Million
  • Tyler Glasnow — $2.8-5.1-Million
  • Manuel Margot — $2.8-3.6-Million
  • Joey Wendle — $1.6-2.7-Million
  • Ryan Yarbrough — $2.2-3.6-Million

It is worth noting that due to the truncated 60-game season, the salaries are ranges because it is not entirely evident how values would be determined if a hearing was to take place.

Charlie Morton signs with Atlanta, Rays are open to the idea of trading Blake Snell

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I, too, am teary-eyed. Thanks for everything, Charlie.

A day after the Tampa Bay Rays made waves by informing other teams they are open to the idea of trading left-hander Blake Snell (more on that below), the team was dealt a major blow when Atlanta announced it inked a one-year, $15-million deal with right-hander Charlie Morton. Mark Feinsand (MLB.com) reported that Tampa Bay was the other finalist in Morton’s market.

The loss of Morton stings, especially given that his $15-million contract with Atlanta matches the sum for which the Rays could’ve retained him had they exercised his club option for the 2021 season. It would appear that Tampa Bay had hoped to keep the right-hander at a lesser rate for the upcoming season — MLB Trade Rumors projected Morton to receive an $8-million, one-year contract, albeit with the Mets. Morton now returns to the franchise that originally drafted him back in 2002.

The 37-year-old Morton battled shoulder fatigue and was limited to nine starts and 38 innings in 2020 while pitching to a 4.74 ERA. Yet, after his stint on the Injured List, he returned with improved velocity and a 3.72 ERA across his seven remaining regular-season starts, then went on to post a 2.70 ERA through 20 postseason innings. More than that, however, Morton was a leader in the Rays clubhouse, especially during the Covid-19 shortened season.

The question begs: How will Erik Neander fill Morton’s shoes?

The free-agent market is one option, with Cory Kluber (MLBTR projected $12-Million), Robbie Ray (MLBTR projected $6-Million), and Adam Wainwright (MLBTR projected $6-Million) still available and relatively reasonably priced. As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) also noted, the Rays could conceivably add multiple pitchers they believe they can tweak and take to another level. “That has been something they’ve done frequently with relievers, but it’s certainly not out of the question they could do so with potential starters.” Tampa Bay could also use some of their position player depth to help fill any gaps in the rotation. That would help add a veteran presence among the emerging arms that likely will be leaned upon, such as Shane McClanahan, Brent Honeywell, Joe Ryan, and Josh Fleming.

Solondz was also quick to remind that the Rays have bounced back from situations like this in the past.

Certainly, Erik Neander and the rest of the Rays front office have done the right things during their current climb. In the year they traded Evan Longoria and then Chris Archer in-season, Tampa Bay jumped to 90 victories.

The following year, the team unloaded popular Mallex Smith and CJ Cron after arguably his best season yet made the playoffs and won 96 games. Then the team traded Tommy Pham and Emilio Pagan and ended up in the World Series in 2020.

— Neil Solondz

In short, while this stings, it’s still just November. With the dearth of players on what appears to be a very slow free-agent market, the Rays do have a few things that work in their favor, such as a winning environment, the clubhouse culture, and the lack of state income tax in the State of Florida.

As I alluded to above, the Rays have made it known that they are open to the idea of trading left-hander Blake Snell. Pay attention to the phrasing though: “open to the idea of” is clearly not the same as “actively looking to trade him.”

Tampa Bay recently inked a five-year, $50-Million extension with Snell before the 2019 season. However, the budget-conscious ball-club could move on from the southpaw if it receives an enticing enough offer. Snell still has three years and $39-Million left on that deal and is set to earn $10.5-Million in 2021, $12.5-Million in 2022, and $16-Million in 2023.

Snell, after receiving word of the news, mentioned that he is committed to Tampa Bay and would love the opportunity to remain with the Rays.

The club has made similar moves in the past with the trades of David Price, James Shields, Chris Archer, Evan Longoria, and Tommy Pham. But more often than not, the Rays front office first makes a proclamation that it is open to the idea of trading a player in order to test the waters of the market, then waits until there are two years of team control remaining in his contract before they pull the trigger on a deal. And based on the kind of returns the Rays would expect if they were to trade Snell, don’t expect any team to emphatically say “yes” to the opportunity of looking like the next Pittsburgh Pirates.

At any rate, JT Morgan (DRaysBay) wrote an excellent piece on what the Rays could get in return from the three likeliest teams that could cobble together a deal for Snell: the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Angels, and the San Diego Padres. You can read that article here.

For what it’s worth, given the amount of instability in Tampa Bay’s pitching corps, it would make more sense to hold onto Snell for the time being, which I’m sure Neander is well aware of. Then again, when have your feelings ever factored into the team’s financial decisions?

Rays add three prospects to the 40-man roster, DFA Renfroe and O’Grady

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The Tampa Bay Rays designated OF Hunter Renfroe for assignment on Friday.

As the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft came to pass on Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays busily added OF Josh Lowe, RHP Drew Strotman, and INF Taylor Walls to the roster. To create room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated OF Hunter Renfroe and UTL Brian O’Grady for assignment.

Renfroe was acquired in the 2019 Tommy Pham deal. The 28-year-old added power (.238 ISO) and solid defense as touted, yet he also posted career lows in batting average (.156), OBP (.252), SLG (.393), and wOBA (.307).

VP of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix said the decision to DFA Renfroe — who was likely to be non-tendered — was similar to the decision to designate Matt Duffy a year ago, in that the move gives Renfroe a head start on the free-agent market as opposed to being non-tendered in early December.

There’s only so much playing time to go around. At this point, we weren’t able to commit to him, and we figured it was best for everyone involved to let him get into the free-agent market at this point rather than waiting until the non-tender deadline.

— Peter Bendix

The team still has Kevin Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, Randy Arozarena, and Miguel Margot, along with Yoshi Tsutsugo and Brett Phillips. Plus, the above mention Lowe is considered to be a good outfielder.

O’Grady was added in a trade with Cincinnati last November and spent the majority of the 2020 season in Port Charlotte, at the Rays alternate training site. He was recalled twice last season — August 4-5, and August 29-September 1 — and collected two hits in five at-bats.

It is possible the Rays could work out a trade for both players.

Lowe was Tampa Bay’s top draft pick in 2016 and was part of the 60-man player pool in 2020. Lowe was fantastic with Double-A Montgomery in 2019, slashing .252 BA/.341 OBP/.442 SLG/.783 OPS/.358 wOBA with a 128 wRC+. He was just two home runs shy of being a 20-20 player and finished the season with career bests in runs scored (70), homers (18), runs batted in (62), and stolen bases (30). Lowe played well in the Arizona Fall League in 2019, before he underwent shoulder surgery and would have missed the early portion of the schedule.

Strotman was a wildcard (of sorts) to be added in that he needed Tommy John surgery shortly after he made his professional debut in 2018. In 2019, he pitched just 24 rehab innings in the Gulf Coast League, as well as 21 innings in the Arizona Fall League.

He, however, reportedly looked good in the recently-completed Instructional League, where he showed a mid-90s fastball and added a much-improved cutter.

He was really able to show a lot of promise. (The cutter) has graded out at as a really strong pitch.

— Peter Bendix

Walls was part of Spring Training prior to the pandemic lock-down, as well as part of the 60-man player pool all summer. The 24-year-old has been a steady performer over the last two seasons. Walls was named the organization’s top defender in the minors twice, while his offensive abilities continue to improve. The switch-hitting Walls slashed .270 BA/.343 OBP/.452 SLG/.795 OPS with a career-high 10 home runs and 28 steals (albeit in 43 attempts) in 2019. As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) wrote, “There are many that believe he can be a good MLB regular either at one position or rotated through several spots.”

The Rays 40-man roster is currently full.