With the 2012 season being all but a faint memory, us Rays fans are trying to find something to hold on to between now and when the pitchers and catchers report to Port Charlotte, in February. Believe it or not, there are lots of things (okay, I might be stretching things just a bit) that we, the hardcore Rays fans, can focus on. One being the arbitration eligible Rays. The Rays currently have eight players on the roster eligible to receive arbitration in the off-season. Who they are, and how much they’re projected (courtesy of Tim Dierkes and MLB Trade Rumors) receive, is below:

Who is deserving of more money…rather who could be receiving of more money? Let’s see.

Matt Joyce: Joyce spent the bulk of his time in right-field where he maintains a solid presence. At the plate? That’s another story. Joyce has continued with his struggles against left-handed pitching, posting a .209 BA with three homers and 15 RBI against LHP in 2012. Juxtapose that with a .250 BA, with 14 homers and 44 RBI against RHP. Joyce battled injuries in 2012, hampering his ability to be productive at the plate. In the end, he is an asset on the roster and should be retained. Though I question whether he’ll receive the projected amount of $2.6 MM.

Sean Rodriguez: S-Rod is a non-tender candidate, and it’s completely reasonable to assume that the Rays might not pick up his contract…especially following a rather disappointing season both at the plate and in the field. It’s also within the realm of possibility that Tampa Bay may seek a taker via trade before the end of November. The 27-year-old began the year the favorite at shortstop for the Rays, but was optioned to Triple-A by late August. To be fair, Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A because he still had options remaining in his contract, where as Elliot Johnson did not. To that end, it wasn’t a question of whether Rodriguez was less qualified than Johnson. Rather, the Rays stood to lose Johnson if they demoted him to Durham. I’d reckon that the Rays probably won’t give Rodriguez all that he seeks, or is projected to make, however it would make the most sense to retain him while trying to unload both Elliot Johnson and Reid Brignac.

Sam Fuld: According to MLB Trade Rumors, “Fuld is a unique case, in that players with such abbreviated platform seasons and light career work rarely make to arbitration and are tendered contracts. Fuld’s issue this year was wrist surgery. It appears that Fuld would barely be above the league minimum salary if tendered a contract, so the fact that he’s subject to the arbitration process doesn’t mean much.” In my opinion, the amount that Fuld is projected to receive is a small price to pay for a fourth outfielder that stands to play an integral role in the field with the presumed departure of BJ Upton. Granted Brandon Guyer will also see more playing time, he has not shown to be consistent at the plate in his last two stints in the bigs. Fuld has shown that he’s able to work the count and get on base, while also being competent on the base paths. I say keep him around.

David Price: Tim Dierkes nailed it, “His first time through arbitration, Price matched but was unable to top the first-time starting pitcher arbitration record of $4.35MM held by Dontrelle Willis (or $4.365MM by Jered Weaver, if you count award bonuses). His second time through, Weaver aimed for $8.8MM, but received $7.37MM after losing a hearing. With a 20-win platform season and a possible Cy Young award, we project Price to fly well beyond $9MM and set a new second-time record. The Rays control their ace through 2015, but other teams are presumably salivating in hopes of prying him loose before then. Whether they receive bonuses (as Price is projected to receive) and how much they receive is still up in the air. And honestly, I’m not certain whether a few players are deserving of more money based on their performance in 2012. Nevertheless, it is what it is.” I couldn’t have said it better.

Jeff Niemann: Where to start? The tall RHP broke his right fibula in May, and upon returning in September quickly went down again with a shoulder issue. His disappointing, injury filled 2012 season followed two consecutive seasons that were, ahem…marred by injuries. It should be noted that Niemann lost his previous arbitration hearing. If his contract is tendered in the forthcoming months, it’s doubtful that he’ll get much (if any) of a raise. It should also be mentioned that Niemann has previously popped up as trade fodder, though he accrued no trade value in 2012. Tampa Bay has the depth to trade Niemann, but he’d have to rebuild some of that value first.

Ryan Roberts: The Rays acquired Roberts in July after the Diamondbacks designated him for assignment. The versatile 32-year-old had a rough year at the plate. He, however, proved to be an asset in the field, especially at second-base. His salary is potentially approaching $3MM, and the Rays may cut him loose. The question begs: do you ignore Roberts struggles at the plate in lieu of the fact that he has the ability to flash the leather? After all, the ability to excel in the field is a trait that the Rays hold in very high regard. Consider that Roberts had a 1.000 FP/4.7 UZR/.844 RZR in 54 games at second in 2012; defensive numbers that are good enough to rank him in the top 15 second-basemen in all of baseball.

Ben Francisco: Tampa Bay was Francisco’s third stop in 2012, and he’s another non-tender candidate. Defensively speaking, Francisco has a mediocre arm and mediocre range in the outfield. On the offensive side of things, Francisco posted a .240 BA/.285 OBP/.385 SLG/.670 OPS/.291 wOBA/.298 BABIP line in 2012, driving in 15 RBI in 207 plate appearances. He does represent bench depth, though I wouldn’t be sad if the Rays snagged another outfielder in the off-season, erring toward not tendering his contract.

 

Burke Badenhop: The lanky RHP had a low-walk, high-groundball mix in 2012, and will presumably stick around in 2013.

If Price, Niemann, Joyce, Fuld, Roberts, and Badenhop are retained, the Rays are looking at an estimated $20.3MM for six arbitration eligible players, assuming they get the amounts projected above.

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