FYI, this piece has been updated below.
Thanks for everything BJ, you’ll be missed! Upton’s tenure with the Rays officially came to an end today, as news broke that he’s signed a 5-year, $75.25 MM contract with the Atlanta Braves. His windfall (of sorts) does not include any options for 2018 or beyond.
With news that (technically speaking) former Rays and current free agent Jeff Keppinger recently broke his leg, rumors have spread like wildfire, perhaps the other six teams linked to Kepp may now have waning interest in the 32 year-old utility infielder…at least until he heals fully. Questions, whether he could he be going for a cheaper price, have also been heard. Could this be a lucky break, no pun intended, for the Rays who may be interested in re-signing Kepp?
In other news, word broke late Wednesday night that Tampa Bay has inked a pair of minor league contracts with infielder Mike Fontenot and outfielder Rich Thompson. These moves seem intriguing and rather perplexing, depending on who you’re taling about.
Fontenot, 32, hit .289 BA/.343 OBP/.340 SLG/.683 OPS in 105 plate appearances for the Phillies this year, while also hitting .308 BA/.368 OBP/.481 SLG/.849 OPS in 58 plate appearances with their Triple-A squad. He also had a .951 fielding percentage, committing three errors last season. He’s not a terrible infielder by any stretch of the imagination, (especially when you consider that he’s a career .980 FP infielder) though he did perform just under league average in the field in 2012. The question begs, with the deadline to tender contracts looming on the horizon, (Friday, November 30 to be exact) could this acquisition be indicative of anything beyond the norm? That is to say, is it indicative that the Rays may choose not to tender either Sean Rodriguez or Ryan Roberts contracts? As with Roberts and Rodriguez, Fontenot is a utility infielder that’s spent most of his time either up the middle, or at third. With Zobrist presumably getting the nod at short, one would assume that if Fontenot were to make the roster out of spring training, the Rays would have to cut someone. Food for thought.
Why the Rays chose to re-sign Thompson is beyond me. MLB Trade Rumors said it best, “Thompson, 33, had two hits in 22 plate appearances for Tampa last year, doing most of his work as a pinch-runner. It was his first appearance in the big leagues since 2004.” I’m not certain if they intended to imply that Thompson’s resume may be less than…ahem. However, It’s fairly obvious to me at least, that Tampa Bay may have been better off in not re-signing Thompson. Then again, Maddon and company have more insight into these sorts of things and are much better judges than I, so…