Hot-Stove: Random Tidbits to Get You Through the Middle of the Week (Updated)

There haven’t been many groundbreaking revelations fit to report on this week. That said, today I get to play the game of lazy journalist/internet aggregator, regaling you (read: bombarding) with pertinent links and of tasty nuggets to chew on. Here goes:

• On Wil Myers: Monday marked the beginning of the Rays Winter Development Camp, where many of the top prospects convene beneath the big top to sharpen their skills, etc. Rays uber prospects, Taylor Guerrieri and Wil Myers, were among the 30 prospects that attended the camp. “When I was traded it didn’t feel any different to me,” Myers said Tuesday. “But now finally being here, obviously having new stuff on, it’s really exciting to be part of this trade.” The Shields/Davis trade being the one mentioned above.
• On testing positive for foreign substances: We also heard tell of another Rays prospect that was/will be suspended for alleged drug-related issues. The unnamed player was the seventh within the Rays farm system to be suspended in the last year. Yeesh. The Rays Executive VP Andrew Friedman addressed the subject saying, “Obviously we’re disappointed in the number of suspensions.” and “we have to remember that these are young kids and as much as you try to educate them, mistakes will happen. The important part is that they learn from them. We will tolerate guys making mistakes, we’ll talk through it again, and it’s incumbent upon them to learn from their mistakes and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
• On Josh Sale: Speaking of suspended Rays prospects, It was reported that the recently suspended OF Josh Sale still does not understand how he tested positive for a foreign substance, resulting in a 50-game suspension. He still has 40 games left to serve, and reportedly will participate in spring training while staying in extended spring for the first six weeks of the 2013 minor-league season.
• On arbitration: The Rays are hoping to settle the outstanding arbitration cases with Sam Fuld, Ryan Roberts, Matt Joyce, and Jeff Niemann before Friday’s deadline.
• On acquiring another bat in the lineup: Shocker, the Rays are still looking to bolster the offense with another bat. Friedman noted that they’re looking for either a primary DH or a player with positional flexibility. They’ll more than likely seek someone out through free agency rather than through trade.
• On Mike Morse: We wrote about Mike Morse a week ago. More so, we wrote how he could be a candidate to fill the Rays right-handed first base needs. MLB Trade Rumors reported that, “The Red Sox talked to the Nationals about Mike Morse but Washington’s asking price was too high.” I’d reckon that if he’s too expensive for them, we may as well kiss any prospects of him joining the Rays goodbye. Back to the drawing board.
• On David Price: According to Fox Sports John Paul Morosi, “David Price‘s one-year deal with the Rays was structured in a way that both saved Price several hundred thousand dollars in taxes and also gave the Rays the ability to potentially save $4MM in salary deferred to Price in 2014 if the southpaw is dealt by then.”
• On Zorilla, Rodey, Peralta, and Molina: ESPN is reporting that four Rays will be representing the US (Zobrist), Puerto Rico (Molina, along with his brother Yadier), and the Dominican Republic (Rodney and Peralta) respectively, in the World Baseball Classic. The WBC is slated to begin March 7.