Hot-Stove: Rays Trade Rumors Don’t Gain Traction

Alex Cobb emerged as a legitimate trade candidate late Monday night. (Photo Credit: TBO.com)
Alex Cobb emerged as a legitimate trade candidate late Monday night. (Photo Credit: TBO.com)

Yesterday I wrote of the trade rumors surrounding the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago Cubs. More specifically, the potential for a trade of Javier Baez to Tampa Bay for pitching ― be it starting, relief, or both. Yet Tuesday provided little to no clarity on things, at least on that front.

Just before 10:00 pm last night, Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) reported that Alex Cobb, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, became the mystery hurler Chicago appeared to have interest in.

Then later that evening, news broke of a possible deal between Chicago and Atlanta that would have sent Shelby Miller to the Cubs, and Baez to the Braves. That news, however, was greatly exaggerated, and a deal was never made. Miller was ultimately dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It now seems that things have also cooled between Tampa Bay and Chicago, as neither side can agree upon which other players to include.

Two other factors seem to be impacting Tampa Bay. First, the Yankees and Cubs have agreed to a trade that will send Starlin Castro to New York. Moving Castro would have opened up second base to give Baez a full-time look.

Having said that, former Rays utility infielder Ben Zobrist just agreed to a four-year, $56-million contract with Chicago, pending a physical.

How that may effect a trade of Baez isn’t known at the moment. It is certain, however, that the addition of BenZo creates a number of logjams on Chicago’s roster — both in the outfield and second base — which is currently occupied by a combination of Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, and Baez. Provided he isn’t traded, it’s thought that Baez could slot into a super-utility role. 

To quote Kurt Vonnegut, “And so it goes.”

I’ll keep you updated on any trade/acquisition announcements or rumors.

In other Winter Meetings’ news, Rays Principal Owner Stu Sternberg joined Chris “Mad Dog” Russo to talk about Kevin Cash and the team’s roster. Per usual, the conversation turned to the Stadium Saga, in which Sternberg wouldn’t close the door on the Montreal relocation rumors, or talk about how the team was going to help build or fund a new ballpark. To be fair, Stu did note that he would like to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area over the long-haul, so perhaps I’m making mountains out of molehills. 

Hot-Stove: Rays Targeting Javier Baez; Odorizzi Contract Extension Talks

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez cannot get a glove on a base hit by Colorado Rockies' Eric Young Jr. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez cannot get a glove on a base hit by Colorado Rockies’ Eric Young Jr. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Hours before the official start of the 2015 Winter Meetings, Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) reported that the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs are in discussions about a deal that could send Javier Baez to the Rays in exchange for pitching.

I wrote yesterday that while Tampa Bay hasn’t any glaring needs, if Matt Silverman was to seek an addition to the roster, it would come in the form of an impact bat. Baez could be the player the Rays are looking for.

The Cubs have been looking for both starting pitching and bullpen help this offseason, and the Rays are a potential fit in both departments.

On the relief side of things, Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger have drawn widespread interest from several teams, most notably the Astros. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility for one of the Rays’ more established starters — Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore, Drew Smyly, or possibly Erasmo Ramirez — to be dealt in order to land a power prospect like Baez. 

According to Topkin, some of the deals being explored involve dealing a starter, reliever, or both:

Some of the deals they are exploring require the Rays to deal a reliever, some a starter and some both. Thus, they have to explore all options before making a decision which way to go. The Rangers and Astros are other teams with interest in Rays pitchers, Texas reportedly on Smyly, Houston on the relievers.

Baez has yet to make an impact in his brief time at the Major League level, posting a career .201 BA/.252 OBP/.346 SLG/.596 OPS slash line with 10 homers in 309 career plate appearances (extending back to 2014). Additionally, his strikeout percentage isn’t anything to write home about; Baez struck out 42% of the time in 2014, although he improved to a 22% K% in 2015. Although it could be argued that Baez had nowhere to go but up (in the strikeout department), he still whiffed at an 18.5% clip — marginally better than his 19.2% SwStr% in 2014. His propensity for swinging and missing has been apparent at both the Minor League (426 K’s in 1678 PA)  and Major League levels, yet there is an upside: The 23 year-old infielder also crushed minor league pitching to the tune of an .888 OPS and 89 homers.  

 

Originally drafted as a shortstop, Baez has experience at second and third — the Cubs tried him at multiple positions in their attempt to make room for Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and Starlin Castro. With Evan Longoria locked into third, and Logan Forsythe likely spending most of his time at second, Baez would slot in at short, perhaps in a platoon role with the recently acquired Brad Miller. Baez could also see time at either DH or possibly even first, given the Rays’ penchant for roster flexibility.

 

Complicating things to an extent, the team has offered a multiyear contract to RHP Jake Odorizzi. There is confirmed mutual interest between Odorizzi and his agent, and plans to make a counter-offer are in the works. 

 

The 25 year-old RHP is slated to make around $550,000 in 2015 and 2016, before becoming arbitration eligible in 2017. Odorizzi is under team control until 2020.

Specifics on the offer haven’t been made available, although the proposed deal is thought to be similar to previous deals with other young players, presumably involving guaranteed years and option years.

It’s a very nice initial offer, Jason Wood (Odorizzi’s agent) said. Jake really likes being there, really likes the camaraderie, really likes (pitching coach Jim) Hickey. Of course he wants to be treated fairly. There’s a lot of reasons talks should go on.

According to Topkin, it’s believed that the rumors swirling around Odorizzi and the potential trade are mutually exclusive, not connected:

Noteworthiness

Per a tweet from Marc Topkin, the Rays have had busy day of discussions, yet they don’t expect anything to be completed tonight.

Hot-Stove: Rays at the Onset of the Winter Meetings

The Rays will reportedly listen to offers on late-inning reliever Jake McGee, however, they’re perfectly happy to keep him around $5 million. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
The Rays will reportedly listen to offers on late-inning reliever Jake McGee, however, they’re perfectly happy to keep him around $5 million. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
The Winter Meetings are set to start on Monday, in Nashville. Tampa Bay Rays will enter the meetings without any glaring needs. However, the team is fully prepared to entertain any potential offers, likely for a power bat, if the right opportunity arises.

The Rays already have experienced an unexpectedly busy offseason, yet they haven’t made any marquee additions. The team acquired SS/INF Brad Miller, 1B/OF Logan Morrison and RHP Danny Farquhar in a November 5 trade that sent RHP Nathan Karns, LHP C.J. Riefenhauser, and Minor League prospect OF Boog Powell to Seattle. President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman also dealt RHP Kirby Yates to the Indians for cash considerations, after he had been designated for assignment. Finally, on Wednesday night, the team acquired catcher Hank Conger from the Houston Astros.

The moves left the Rays in a flexible position, where they can entertain offers, however, they certainly don’t have to deal if nothing interests them.

We don’t see a glaring need for the ballclub right now, Silverman said. We could go into camp and feel good about the team that we could field and the depth that we would have in the minor leagues.

That gives us the freedom to explore a number of deals. At this time of year, big deals are explored, many things are talked about, a lot of rumors fly and there is usually very little substance to them. But we certainly have the freedom to explore some of those wild ideas and see if it takes us in a certain direction.

Still if the Rays had a wish list to be filled, acquiring a consistently productive bat would be at the top. It’s almost a given that at some point in the offseason, the team will likely acquire a veteran position player, relief pitcher, or a starter…or a few. In previous years, Tampa Bay has signed veteran free-agents to Minor League deals which have included invitations to Major League camp.  More often than not, these players represented roster depth in the event somebody got hurt.

Then again, the Rays could look to the market for such an acquisition.

Who could they can trade in order to acquire an impact bat?

It’s been said that the Rays are in the market for young hitters like Jorge Soler or Javier Baez. And Tampa Bay finds itself in a good place, thanks to a commodity that every team desperately wants ― cost efficient pitching.

The Astros (among other teams) have inquired about relievers LHP Jake McGee and RHP Brad Boxberger, and for good reason: Both are relatively cheap (especially Boxberger, who is a pre-arbitration steal at around $550,000), have a few years of team control remaining, and compare favorably to relievers like Aroldis Chapman and the recently acquired Craig Kimbrel. Yet the team would be perfectly happy to keep both relievers, and they would need to be overwhelmed by an offer in order to part ways with Jake and the Box.

They will also field offers for Drew Smyly, Matt Moore, Erasmo Ramirez, Jake Odorizzi, and possibly even Alex Cobb — who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. In short, expect them to listen to offers on any starter not named Chris Archer or Blake Snell.

Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) put it best:

Forget ace LHP David Price getting his $217 million. With market prices resulting in a mediocre starter such as LHP J.A. Happ being handed $36 million over three years by Toronto, the Rays can offer some attractive alternatives — Smyly for $4 million in 2016 with two more years of control, Moore for $5 million this season, plus three team-option years for a total of $26 million.

However, and stop me if you’ve heard this once before, the Rays would need to be overwhelmed by an offer in order to part ways with any of the aforementioned starters, especially Ramirez or Odorizzi.

There is one deal they would like to make, either this week or before Spring Training ― a deal for 1B James Loney. Tampa Bay is reportedly willing to eat a chunk of his $8-million salary in order to clear up space for Morrison and Richie Shaffer at first, or potentially a more proven bat to the lineup.

In conclusion

Silverman will field offers this week for anyone with the exceptions of Archer, Evan Longoria, and Kevin Kiermaier. And if the team is found to make a move, it will be for present-day pieces, not another haul of prospects:

We look at the club as one that can compete, Silverman said. And so because we have that confidence in the group and we feel like we have the talent to compete for a playoff spot, we keep a stronger focus on this year.

But we’re always balancing the present and the future, always trying to make sure we have the runway of players and prospects to stay competitive given our financial resources. That factors into the way that we look at trades and the way that we evaluate potential moves. It’s never just about the present, it’s never just about the future, but it’s finding the right balance. If we have too much depth in one particular area we’re probably doing ourselves a disservice because that means we’re not utilizing it to supplement another area. Given the way we construct our team, given our finances, we don’t have the luxury of depth if we want to have the talent across 25 guys to compete.

Noteworthiness

The Tampa Bay Rays announced a handful of promotions in the baseball operations department. 

Peter Bendix is now the director of baseball development, Shawn Hoffman is the director of scouting analytics, Kevin Ibach has been named director of pro scouting, Josh Kalk is now the director of pitching research and development, and Brian Plexico is the new director of baseball systems.

Rays President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman spoke about the promotions, saying:

Our baseball operations staff is filled with talented people, and these promotions are further evidence of that.

Hot-Stove: Rays Tender Nine Contracts; Acquire Hank Conger From Astros

Hank Conger was acquired from the Houston Astros for cash considerations Wednesday night. (Photo Credit: Fox Sports)
Hank Conger was acquired from the Houston Astros for cash considerations Wednesday night. (Photo Credit: Fox Sports)

The midnight non-tender deadline came to pass, and ― as expected ― the Tampa Bay Rays tendered contracts to their nine arbitration eligible players. The midnight non-tender deadline is for teams to decide whether or not to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. The free agent market should expand to some degree on this day, albeit with relatively minor names. The team also acquired C Hank Conger from the Houston Astros for cash considerations.

The now 10 arbitration eligible players (with the addition of Conger) ― LHP Jake McGee, DH/1B/OF Logan Morrison, RHP Alex Cobb, LHP Drew Smyly, 2B Logan Forsythe, OF Desmond Jennings, RHP Erasmo Ramirez, C Rene Rivera, and OF Brandon Guyer ― will progress to arbitration, where they are projected to earn a combined $30.6-million. The projected per-player breakdown follows:

Jake McGee, $4.7-million
Logan Morrison $4.1M
Alex Cobb, $4M
Drew Smyly, $3.9M
Logan Forsythe, $3.3
Desmond Jennings, $3.1M
Erasmo Ramirez, $2.8M
Hank Conger, $1.8M
Rene Rivera, $1.6M
Brandon Guyer, $1.3M

Rivera represented the most contentious decision made by Matt Silverman, based on his poor performance in 2015. However, the team seems confident that he can improve…even though the projections for his upcoming season don’t support that assertion.

Rivera was linked with Texas Rangers, who were working on a trade for a catcher, although those rumors were never realized. As it stands, Rivera is expected to compete for playing time with Conger and Curt Casali in Spring Training or, though it’s also thought, the addition of Conger may offer some depth for additional moves during the off-season.

Not far behind Rivera was Desmond Jennings, the team’s often injured outfielder. Jennings is coming off an ugly season in which he played only 28 games primarily due to left knee issues that led to surgery. According to super-agent Scott Boras, Desmond is healthy and ready to go.

Your newest Ray, Hank Conger

As for Conger, the newest Ray was officially added to the 40-man roster Thursday afternoon, while OF Joey Butler was designated for assignment* to clear up roster space.

Conger, a switch-hitter, is coming off a relatively strong season with the Astros in which he slashed .229 BA/.311 OBP/.448 SLG/.759 OPS with a career high 11 home runs and 33 RBI over 229 plate appearances. The soon to be 28 year-old catcher did the majority of his damage from the left side of the plate, mashing right-handed pitching at an .279 BA/.353 OBP/.538 SLG/.891 OPS clip. However, he also slumped to a .175 BA/.250 OBP/.351 SLG/.601 OPS line from the right-hand side of the batters’ box.

Yet Conger had some issues behind the plate, which undoubtedly factored into the Astros’ decision to part ways with him. Conger gunned down just 1 of 43 would be base stealers in 2015, which he attributed primarily to bad mechanics. According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), Conger told the Houston Chronicle that he felt he was rushing and getting “out of my element.” Previously, in parts of five major-league seasons, he threw out close to 23% — catching nearly one out of every four to five base-runners who attempted to run on him.

On the other hand, Conger has been graded as one of the better pitch-framers in the game. The hope is that the Rays can turn his throwing woes around, and utilize Conger behind the dish in a platoon capacity with Casali or Rivera. There is another school of thought that he could be used as a left handed DH option, much in the same way as John Jaso last season. However, that would be predicated upon a trade of someone like James Loney, for whom the team has both Logan Morrison and Richie Shaffer waiting in the wings as suitable replacements.

Whatever the case, if the team is able to turn his career around, Conger is cheap and under team control through the 2017 season. He currently has four years, 51 days of Major League service time.

*The team reportedly wants to keep Butler on a minor-league deal if he isn’t picked up by another team.

Note: this piece was updated at 3:22 pm on December 3, 2015.

Red Sox Sign David Price to Seven Year, $217 Million Contract; Rays Stadium Update

Former Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price will continue his tour of duty in the AL East for the foreseeable future. (Photo Credit: Fan Sided)
Former Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price will continue his tour of duty in the AL East for the foreseeable future. (Photo Credit: Fan Sided)

Former Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price will continue his tour of duty in the AL East for the foreseeable future. Price has agreed to a massive $217-million deal with the Boston Red Sox.

The total value of the seven year contract is the largest for any pitcher ― narrowly eclipsing Clayton Kershaw‘s $215-million contract with the Dodgers. Per Ken Rosenthal (Fox Sports), Price’s contract contains an opt-out clause after the third year of the contract, also noting that his $31-million average annual value ties Miguel Cabrera for the richest average annual value (AAV) in Major League history.

The annual breakdowns of Price’s deal look like this:

2016 – $30M
2017 – $30M
2018 – $30M
2019 – $31M
2020 – $32M
2021 – $32M
2022 – $32M

Through the opt out clause, Price is afforded the opportunity to again test the open market heading into his age-33 season (2019). However, as Steve Adams (MLB Trade Rumors) noted, “It will be a challenge although not impossible, for Price to be able to secure more than the four years and $127MM that remain on his contract at the point at which he can opt out.” Adams continued:

For comparison, Price’s main competitor in free agency, Zack Greinke, opted out of the remaining three year on his $147MM contract to begin this offseason, but he did so entering his age-32 season (one year younger than Price will be after the 2018 campaign) and with $71MM remaining on his contract.

For what it’s worth, Price is 1-2 against Tampa Bay, with a 4.26 ERA over three starts (19 innings of work). After collecting what he called the best game of his career — he fanned nine and allowed just an unearned run in eight innings of work, yet was saddled with a 1-0 loss — in his 2014 return to Tropicana Field, Price allowed 12 runs (nine earned) over his next two starts against his former team.

Stadium News

All’s quiet on the eastern front as they say, yet expect things to heat up after January when the City of St. Petersburg swears in the the new city council, including Lisa Wheeler-Brown. Brown is seen as the fifth vote needed for Mayor Rick Kriseman’s stadium compromise.

However, a relevant piece of news did fly under most people’s radar this past weekend. According to Noah Pransky (Shadow of the Stadium), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will soon be seeking a new stadium somewhere in Tampa Bay…and they’ll lean on taxpayers to pay for it.

It should be noted, “soon” is a relative term since — like the Rays — the Bucs’ lease at Raymond James Stadium runs through 2027.

Pransky wrote:

We can see the early stages of the leveraging as the Bucs jockey for leverage with the taxpayer-funded Tampa Sports Authority, regarding terms of their stadium renovations.  What should have been a simple “taxpayers pay $26 million; we’ll pay the rest” discussion has broken down over the team’s out-of-the-blue request to play multiple regular-season games in another city (or country).

In fact, I reported in October how the county asked the Bucs about extending their lease at Raymond James Stadium past 2027 in exchange for some of their requested contract & renovation concessions, but the team said it “was not interested at this time.”

What effect this may have on the Rays ability to find a viable home in Hillsborough County, if and when they are allowed to search for a new stadium site, is unknown at the moment. It’s not be hard to imagine that the citizens of Hillsborough County would not be too thrilled by not one, but two professional franchises petitioning the taxpayers for a publicly funded stadium.

If you are a proponent for the Rays staying on the Pinellas County side of the bay, this could boost the City of St. Petersburg’s leverage in the Stadium Saga. As it stands, there are currently three realistic sites in St. Petersburg (annexed land, or otherwise) — Toytown, Derby Lane, and the Trop’s 85 acres — and a funding source in the form of the bed tax.