Logan Forsythe is reportedly close to inking a two-year contract extension with the Rays. (Photo Credit: Cliff McBride/Getty Images)The Tampa Bay Rays had 10 players file for arbitration this offseason: Alex Cobb, Hank Conger, Logan Forsythe, Brandon Guyer, Desmond Jennings, Jake McGee, Logan Morrison, Erasmo Ramirez, Rene Rivera, and Drew Smyly. One of the above mentioned players (Forsythe) signed a two-year contract extension with the Rays, while another (Smyly) couldn’t come to terms with the team.
According to team policy, the players and their agents have until end of day Friday to negotiate a salary, or the case will head before a judge during Spring Training.
It should be noted, the crack team of intrepid reporters here at X-Rays Spex will update this article with arbitration results as they are reported. Projected salaries come courtesy of Steve Adams and MLB Trade Rumors.
Players avoiding arbitration
Player name (service time in years, days)
Alex Cobb (4 years, 61 days)
Projected Salary: $4.0MM
Actual Salary: $4.0MM
Jake McGee (4 years, 127 days)
Projected Salary: $4.7MM
Actual Salary: $4.8MM
Brandon Guyer (3 years, 66 days)
Projected Salary: $1.3MM
Actual Salary: $1.185MM
#Rays have settled 3 of their 10 arb cases already: McGee gets $4.8M, Cobb $4M, Guyer $1.185. @JonHeyman had first.
According to Marc Topkin (link), the Rays are close to finalizing a two-year contract extension with infielder Logan Forsythe, their 2015 team MVP. The deal includes an option for a third season, extending the team’s control over the infielder by one season.
The extension includes a $1MM salary for the upcoming season, a $5.75MM salary for 2017, and an $8.5M option for 2018 with a $1M buyout.
According to Jon Heyman (MLB Network), Forsythe’s $8.5M option could “escalate” into $11 million if he proves to be an everyday player, as he was in 2015.
Forsythe 2018 option base can escalate in 500K chunks to 2.5M increase based on plate appearances
Forsythe is in his second season of arbitration eligibility, and the extension will cover his last two arbitration seasons. The option will cover his 2018 free-agent season. Forsythe posted a .281 BA/.359 OBP/.444 SLG/.803 OPS line with 17 home runs in 153 games last season.
In a recent piece for MLB Trade Rumors, Steve Adams made mention of the intrinsic wisdom of the contract extension:
The contract in question wouldn’t extend the Rays’ control over Forsythe, but it would provide the team with cost certainty going forward — an element that is more crucial to a budget-conscious club like Tampa Bay than to many others. From Forsythe’s vantage point, he’ll gain the security of a larger payday now at the cost of some potential earning capacity in the event that he repeats his 2015 breakout. However, if he’s able to replicate last year’s stellar production, he’ll be poised to hit the open market as a highly desirable infield option following the 2017 season, at which point he’d be compensated quite well heading into his age-31 season.
Forsythe was grateful for the contract extension, saying:
It was always in my heart to be an everyday guy and show what I can do at this level. … We’re very appreciative.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman with Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg before Thursday’s City Council meeting. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)St. Petersburg appears to be ready to move forward. By a 5-3 vote Thursday afternoon, St. Petersburg City Council approved Mayor Rick Kriseman’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which will give the team permission to explore new regional stadium sites within Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.
Varying opinions on a suitable location range from the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, to the Toytown landfill site. However, leaving the city of St. Petersburg certainly isn’t a foregone conclusion. In fact, Mayor Kriseman still contends that the best location for a new stadium happens to be, well…the current one.
I want to thank our City Council for approving this important Memorandum of Understanding with the Tampa Bay Rays, wrote Kriseman on his official Facebook page. This agreement is good news for baseball fans, for our taxpayers, for the city of St. Petersburg, and for our entire region. I still believe the team’s current site, reimagined and redeveloped, is the best place for a new stadium, and I look forward to making the case for the Sunshine City.
The team previously considered the construction of a new facility at Al Lang Stadium, along St. Petersburg’s waterfront. More recently, a proposal to construct a mixed use stadium in Carillon never gained traction. Yet with the current incentive laden proposal, both parties may be able to capitalize on the recent economic development in downtown St. Petersburg.
For his part, Rays Principal Owner Stu Sternberg ― who was once famously quoted as saying “Baseball will not work in downtown St Pete” ― spoke in a more conciliatory tone Thursday afternoon, conceding that the “pitch perfect” site, indeed, could be a mere 12 inches from Tropicana Field:
Major League Baseball released a statement, that acknowledged the work of all the parties involved, following the vote:
MLB appreciates this step forward taken by the St. Petersburg City Council and remains fully supportive of Stu Sternberg’s vision to bring this stadium process to conclusion. Mr. Sternberg’s patience and persistence throughout the franchise’s long-standing efforts have illustrated his commitment to the fans of the region. We look forward to further progress in the weeks and months ahead as the Rays strive to ensure the future of the franchise with a first-class ballpark in the region.
So, what’s next?
As I wrote earlier, for St. Petersburg, the focus will shift toward keeping the Rays within city limits. Mayor Kriseman will announce the formation of a Baseball Forever Campaign to include St. Petebased fans of the team, business leaders, and elected and government officials. The goal will be to pitch the city to the team by (in the words of Mayor Kriseman) “demonstrating future fan and corporate support and the many benefits of remaining on the current site, perhaps on the site’s eastern half closer to our bustling downtown and waterfront.”
On the other side of the bay, Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan has already formed a committee of government and private sector leaders, and is hoping for the opportunity to sit down with Rays officials within a matter of weeks.
Jake McGee: Trade candidate? (Photo Credit: Darren McCollester)
After a few thrifty swaps and a quiet winter meetings. The Rays may finally be ready to move some of their “valuable” commodities.
With young starting pitchers being highly coveted these days, the Rays find themselves sitting on a gold mine of young arms. With Blake Snell waiting in the wings and the revitalization of Erasmo Ramirez, it would seem that the Rays have a logjam and should seek to upgrade their offense which in recent years has been inept. Especially with runners in scoring position.
The Chicago Cubs seem to be the team most likely to strike a deal with the Rays. The Cubs are looking for another starter and a left handed arm out of the pen. With only 2 years remaining on Alex Cobb and Jake McGee’s contract, moving one or both of them makes sense. Jake Odorizzi’s had also been linked to trade rumors involving the Cubs and Dodgers prior to the signing of John Lackey and Scott Kazmir.
Among the names mentioned the Cubs would move to acquire one of our young arms are; versatile outfielder Chris Coghlan, INF Javier Baez, OF Jorge Soler, C/DH Wilson Contreras, slugging C/OF Kyle Schawrber and #2 prospect Billy McKinney. Any one of these players could provide a boost to an offense that desperately needs run production.
The main question for the Rays is how much would they be willing to give up in exchange for one of the aforementioned young sluggers?
Any trade involving Schwarber or Soler could involve rotation anchor and all-star Chris Archer. Would they Rays be willing to trade their top commodity for a chance at landing Schwarber or Soler? Probably not but either way both teams would benefit from doing business with each other especially with Joe Maddon’s connection to the Rays organization. McGee, Odorizzi and Cobb would be the likely candidates if a move were to take place.
According to an interview with Matt Silverman on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio. “I wouldn’t be surprised if something lined up over the next couple of years, just given the constitution of the clubs, but i don’t want to oversell anything”.
Either way there’s no denying the trade compatibility of these two teams. As spring training approaches, we’ll just have to wait and see as both teams look to improve moving into the ’16 season.
Looking west to Tropicana Field. (Photo Credit: Mayor Rick Kriseman)
On Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council is expected to vote in favor of a new stadium proposal between the city and the Tampa Bay Rays. Even though the Stadium Saga will continue to drag on until a reasonable solution is found, we are undoubtedly on the cusp of a new era of stadium discussions, which likely will lead to the construction of a new facility on one side of the bay or the other.
In an op-ed like piece posted to his Facebook page, Mayor Rick Kriseman heralded the newly minted understanding as “good news for baseball fans, our taxpayers, the city of St. Petersburg and our entire region.”
It is his opinion, that by allowing the organization to explore future stadium locations in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, the likelihood of the team remaining in St. Petersburg ― or the region in general ― is greatly increased.
Even with other viable locations within Pinellas ― namely Carillon, Toytown and Derby Lane ― Mayor Kriseman held firm to his belief that the current site would be the best place for a new stadium:
To be clear, I still believe the team’s current site, re-imagined and redeveloped, is the best place for a new stadium. In the coming years, more and more people will be living within walking and biking distance of the team’s current location. The interstate will continue to offer an easy entry and exit for fans traveling by car. Our bus system will be modernized, and the potential for a high-speed ferry linking our waterfront to Tampa is a real possibility.
The question now begs, should the City Council approve of the proposal, what happens next?
For St. Petersburg, the focus will shift toward keeping the Rays within city limits. Mayor Kriseman will announce the formation of a Baseball Forever Campaign to include St. Petebased fans of the team, business leaders, and elected and government officials. The goal will be to pitch the city to the Tampa Bay Rays by, in the words of Kriseman, “demonstrating future fan and corporate support and the many benefits of remaining on the current site, perhaps on the site’s eastern half closer to our bustling downtown and waterfront.”
On the other side of the bay, Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan has already formed a committee of government and private sector leaders, and is hoping for the opportunity to sit down with Rays officials within a matter of weeks.
There is still no mention of how much money the team may seek in the form of public tax dollars, and they likely won’t willingly open their books to demonstrate a financial need for public help. Noah Pransky (Shadow of the Stadium) insists that’s so because professional organizations (and in this case, MLB as well) would rather for you to focus on the boogeyman and not how much money they want from you for that next stadium.
On a related side note, Pransky also noted the subtle, yet curious, clause requested by the Rays and embedded in the Memorandum of Understanding. The clause could allow the Rays to play up to 10 “home” games in a market outside of the region once they left Tropicana Field. The 10 games are not a guarantee and could include international trips to Japan or Cuba, however, the permission might also apply to other markets in North America.
Pransky writes:
The Rays’ Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with St. Petersburg sets a price for damages if the team chooses to end its Tropicana Field contract before 2027 in favor of a stadium elsewhere in Pinellas or Hillsborough Counties. However, the stadium does not need to be new and the Rays only need to sign a promise of some sort to play there through 2027.
In short, without a long-term commitment past the 2027 from the Rays, the door is open for the team to use the 10 “home” games to test the waters of other potential Major League markets while still playing the majority of their games in a temporary location elsewhere in Hillsborough or Pinellas County.
In a hypothetical scenario posited by former Mayor Bill Foster, for only $24 million, the Rays could tear up their existing contract after the 2017 season and start playing 71 home games in an existing Tampa Bay minor-league facility – potentially with additional, temporary seats – and play 10 games a year in markets like Montreal, New Jersey, or Mexico City. They would then only need to deal with the unknown legal repercussions of their new lease(s) if they wanted to leave before 2027, rather than the seemingly-ironclad contract the team is currently locked into with St. Petersburg.
So where does that leave us?
We are left with the underlying hope that Principal Owner Stu Sternberg remains true to his word, and his commitment to the region.
Sternberg publicly solidified his allegiance to the region in an interview with Bill Chastain (MLB.com) in March of last year:
At some point or other we’re going to get this right,” Sternberg said. “And I want it to happen sooner for the benefit of the citizens of St. Petersburg. For the benefit of our fans throughout the region. For the benefit of Major League Baseball. And really, so we can take the focus off of my organization, so we can do 100 percent of what we need to, which is to build a fan base. Not have to answer these questions. Build a fan base. Not have to have people scared and worried. Build a fan base and know that we’re going to be here for 50 or 60 years.
Personally, I remain hopeful for that perfect deal that doesn’t mire the taxpayers in a Loria Dome like covenant. …One in which our small market team stays in the region for the long-haul. Whatever the case, it’s time to buckle your seat belts Rays fans, we’re in for long, arduous, and possibly bumpy ride. Building a new stadium is an errand that won’t magically be sorted out by the weekend.
Right handed pitching prospect Brent Honeywell fared well the the Charlotte Stone Crabs in 2015, collecting a 9-6 record and a 3.24 ERA (Photo Credit: Suncoast Sports Now)
As we march toward that point in February when pitchers and catchers report to camp, the Tampa Bay Rays have started to show signs of life in the midst of a quiet offseason. Within the last few days the Rays hosted their annual Winter Development Program, and announced the addition of 17 players to the Major League Spring Training roster.
Rays Winter Development Program
20 Tampa Bay Rays minor league players arrived at Tropicana Field for the team’s annual Winter Development Program. This year’s group includes last year’s first round choice OF Garrett Whitley, and pitcher Brent Honeywell ― one of the game’s top 100 prospects as ranked by Baseball America.
18 others attended the camp including hurlers Dylan Floro, Mike Franco, Reese Karalus, German Marquez, Jose Mujica, Benton Moss, Ryne Stanek, Alexis Tapia, and Angel Yepez; catchers Chris Betts and Nick Ciuffo; infielders Jake Cronenworth, Devin Davis, Jake Hager, Brandon Lowe, Adrian Rondon and Kean Wong, and outfielder Zac Law.
Honeywell is coming off a successful first full season in professional baseball, collecting a 9-6 record and a 3.18 ERA in more than 130 innings between the Bowling Green Hot Rods and Charlotte Stone Crabs.
Whitley, who spent time with both the Hudson Valley Renegades and the Gulf Coast Rays last season, finds himself in a similar position to Honeywell circa 2015. Whitley spoke to the media about the adjustments he made during his full first season of professional ball:
Rondon appears ready to take the next step toward realizing his dream of reaching the big leagues. Mitch Lukevics, Rays Director of Minor League Operations, indicated that the infielder will remain in the states after the camp has come to a close to work out with several Rays minor leaguers, in Port Charlotte.
The Winter Development Program comes to a close on Thursday.
Rays announce free-agent signings and Spring Training invites
Ahem, that was 38 days until pitchers and catchers report on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)
The team announced the signing of five minor league free-agents on Tuesday. Additionally, 12 minor league players received Spring Training invitations. The addition of 17 total players brings the number of players the Rays to Major League Spring training to 57.
Jhan Marinez, who re-signed with the Rays organization after posting an impressive 4-1 record with a 2.27 ERA with Triple-A Durham last season, will join four others at the team’s Spring Training facility in Port Charlotte ― right-handed knuckleballer Eddie Gamboa (who spent last season with the Orioles Triple-A affiliate Norfolk), RHP Tyler Sturdevant (formerly of the Indians organization), journeyman LHP Dana Eveland, and 1B/DH Kyle Roller (masher of 96 homers over the past six seasons with the Yankees organization).
Pitchers Ryan Garton, Parker Markel, Mark Sappington, Jaime Schultz, Neil Wagner, and Jonny Venters; catcher Jake DePew; outfielders Johnny Field and Dayron Varona, and infielders Patrick Leonard, Juniel Querecuto, and Daniel Robertson round out the list of 12 players who are already within the Rays organization. Of the aforementioned 12 players, only Robertson has appeared with the team in Major League camp.
Eveland, 32, has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors (2005-12, 2014-15), going 20-27 with a 5.27 ERA (423.1-IP, 248-ER) in 154 games (61 starts). He made 10 appearances in the majors last season for the Atlanta Braves, his ninth major league team. He spent most of the 2015 season pitching in the International League between the Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox, Braves and Baltimore Orioles, combining to go 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA (55.1-IP, 12-ER) in 33 apps (3 starts).
Gamboa, 31, holds a 50-52 record and 3.61 ERA (806.1-IP, 323-ER) over eight minor league seasons, all with the Baltimore Orioles organization. He pitched for Triple-A Norfolk in 2015, going 8-11 with a 4.61 ERA (113.1-IP, 58-ER) in 26 games (19 starts). Since converting into a knuckleball pitcher in 2013, he has gone 19-29 with a 4.30 ERA (364.1-IP, 174-ER) in the minor leagues.
Mariñez, 27, was named to the International League midseason All-Star Team in 2015, his first season with the Rays organization. He went 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA (67.1-IP, 17-ER) over 50 appearances between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham, following a non-roster invite to spring training. The righthander holds a career 4.03 ERA in the minors, and has pitched in six games in the majors between the Florida Marlins (2010) and Chicago White Sox (2012).
Sturdevant, 30, has gone 19-12 with a 2.81 ERA (301-IP, 94-ER) over six minor league seasons with the Cleveland Indians organization. He pitched to a 3.16 ERA (31.1-IP, 11-ER) across 26 appearances with Triple-A Columbus in 2015 following a 50-game suspension to start the season for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Roller, 27, is a career .268/.362/.458 hitter with 96 home runs and 375 RBI over six minor league seasons with the New York Yankees organization. He spent the 2015 season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, making the International League midseason All-Star Team and earning the All-Star Game’s Top Star honors. He hit .232/.339/.390 (99-for-426) with 14 homers and 59 RBI last season for Scranton.
DePew, 23, spent the 2015 season with Montgomery, batting .228/.280/.340 (45-for-197) in 55 games and throwing out 46.6 percent of attempted base stealers. He holds a career 43.9 percent eraser rate across six minor league seasons with the Rays organization. He was selected by the Rays in the ninth round of the 2010 June Draft.
Field, 23, was named to the Southern League midseason All-Star Team in 2015, batting .255/.329/.447 (110-for-432) with a career-high 14 home runs, 66 RBI and 18 stolen bases for Montgomery. He ranked third in the SL in doubles (33) and fourth in extra-base hits (51), and his 66 RBI ranked fifth among Rays minor leaguers. He was selected by the Rays in the fifth round of the 2013 June Draft, and holds a career .273/.342/.448 (310-for-1,137) line over three minor league seasons.
Garton, 26, went 6-1 with a 2.95 ERA (61-IP, 20-ER) in 41 appearances for Montgomery last season. He led Southern League relief pitchers in opponents’ average (.197) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.33). He was selected by the Rays in the 34th round of the 2012 June Draft, and is 20-6 with a 2.72 ERA (225-IP, 68-ER) across four minor league seasons.
Leonard, 23, spent the 2015 season with Montgomery, batting .256/.350/.408 (114-for-446) with 10 homers and 43 RBI and ranking tied for fourth in the Southern League with 32 doubles. Over four minor league seasons, he has hit .254/.338/.415 (401-for-1,576) with 46 homers and 204 RBI. He was acquired by the Rays as part of a seven-player trade with the Kansas City Royals in December 2012.
Markel, 25, spent the majority of the 2015 season with Montgomery, going 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA (53-IP, 19-ER) in 42 appearances. He received a late-August promotion to Durham and pitched in five games there to end the season. He was selected by the Rays in the 39th round of the 2010 June Draft, and has gone 27-23 with a 4.22 ERA (395-IP, 185-ER) in six minor league seasons since.
Querecuto, 23, split the season between Class-A Charlotte, Montgomery and Durham, batting a combined .256 (74-for-289) in 89 games. He started the season with Charlotte and was named to the Florida State League midseason All-Star Team before his first promotion. Following the season, he played for the Cardenales de Lara of the Venezuelan Winter League and hit .329 (52-for-158) in 51 games. He was signed by the Rays as a free agent in 2009 and has hit .255 (399-for-1,563) in five minor league seasons.
Robertson, 21, was limited to 78 games with Montgomery in 2015 due to a broken hamate bone. He hit .274/.363/.415 (82-for-299) with 20 doubles, five triples, four homers and 41 RBI there, and played in an additional four games on a rehab assignment for the Gulf Coast League Rays. Following the season, he played in 22 games for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League and was named to the AFL Rising Stars Team. Over four minor league seasons, he has hit .283/.371/.429 (411-for-1,451) with 33 home runs and 177 RBI. He was acquired by the Rays as part of a five-player trade with the Oakland Athletics in January 2015.
Sappington, 25, went 3-6 with a 3.69 ERA (68.1-IP, 28-ER) in 48 games with Montgomery in 2015. He was also named the winner of the 2015 Erik Walker Community Champion Award. The annual award recognizes one Rays minor leaguer who exemplifies teamwork, sportsmanship and community involvementâattributes exhibited by former Rays minor league pitcher Erik Walker, who died tragically in October 2006 in a canoeing accident. Sappington, who was acquired by the Rays from the Los Angeles Angels in November 2014, is 20-23 with a 4.44 ERA (374.2-IP, 185-ER) in four minor league seasons.
Schultz, 24, went 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA (135-IP, 55-ER) and 168 strikeouts in 27 starts for Montgomery in 2015, earning Southern League midseason All-Star honors and ranking among SL leaders in ERA (ninth), starts (tied for first), strikeouts (first) and opponents’ average (.218, second). His 168 strikeouts led Rays minor leaguersâfive more than lefthander Blake Snellâand were the most in the organization since Matt Moore in 2011 (210). He was selected by the Rays in the 14th round of the 2013 June Draft and is 14-8 with a 3.23 ERA (239.1-IP, 86-ER) in three minor league seasons.
Varona, 27, was signed by the Rays on May 7, 2015 and hit .377 (26-for-69) in 15 games with Charlotte before a promotion to Montgomery, where he batted .264/.310/.458 (73-for-277) with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 69 games. Following the season, he played in five games for the Gigantes de Carolina of the Puerto Rican Winter League. Prior to signing with the Rays, he played seven seasons in the Cuban National Series where he held a career .312 (412-for-1,320) batting average and .376 on-base percentage.
Venters, 30, has spent parts of three seasons (2010-12) in the majors with the Atlanta Braves, going 15-10 with a 2.23 ERA (229.2-IP, 57-ER) and averaging 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The 2011 All-Star was signed by the Rays on March 11, 2015 and is currently rehabbing from a third Tommy John surgery. He has not pitched in a game at any level since the 2012 National League Wild Card Game, when the Braves lost to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Wagner, 32, has spent parts of three seasons in the majors with the Oakland Athletics (2011) and Toronto Blue Jays (2013-14), going 2-4 with a 4.92 ERA (53-IP, 29-ER). He was signed by the Rays on September 17, 2014 and spent the 2015 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in Port Charlotte.
