High fives all around! The Rays not only picked up David DeJesus and Yunel Escobar’s contract options this week, they offered DeJesus a two year extension with an option for 2016.
Updated: On the heals of news that the Rays decided to exercise the $6.5MM option on outfielder David DeJesus, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes they have agreed to a new two-year contract that will cover the 2014-15 seasons, including a club option for the 2016 season. The terms of the contract are unknown.
DeJesus, 33, batted .260 BA/.328 OBP/.413 SLG/.751 OPS in 35 games (117 plate appearances) with the Rays in 2013, adding three more hits in the playoffs as the Rays advanced to the ALDS — DeJesus’ first postseason experience of his career. He posted an overall .251 BA/.327 OBP/.402 SLG/.729 OBP on the season, while playing solid defense in all three outfield positions (per UZR). Though he’s hitting a ghastly .162 BA/.248 OBP/.207 SLG/.455 OPS against LHP (dating back to 2011), he’s done very well against right-handed pitchers, slashing .274 BA/.356 OBP/.441 SLG/.797 OPS in 1,068 plate appearances.
The move brings into question Matt Joyce’s future with the Rays.
As expected, the Rays have exercised their club options over utilityman extraordinaire Ben Zobrist and shortstop Yunel Escobar. Zobrist is projected to make $7MM in 2014, while Yunel Escobar is expected to make $5MM. I’m watching the Descendents documentary at the moment, so I’ll post more later.
Los Angeles Angels’ Mark Trumbo celebrates his walk off home run against the New York Yankees. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
“The Angels’ desire for young, controllable pitching is no secret, and ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that they’ve indicated to other teams a willingness to trade center fielder Peter Bourjos or first baseman Mark Trumbo to acquire such talent (Twitter link),” wrote MLB Trade Rumors‘ Steve Adams Tuesday afternoon. And as the Hot-Stove portion of the season plods along for 93% of Major League Baseball, a hypothetical question arises: Should the Rays trade their ace, David Price, to the Angels for Peter Bourjos and Mark Trumbo? If anything, it’s a question that deserves further examination.
First, a few peripherals. It’s common knowledge that David Price is projected to make somewhere in the ballpark of $13.1MM in 2014. To that end, Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar will likely to have their options picked up, bringing the Rays’ payroll to a guaranteed $23.5MM for those two, Matt Moore, Joel Peralta and Evan Longoria. On top of that, Tampa Bay will have to pay roughly $25.7MM to eight arbitration-eligible players (and maybe more if Niemann and/or Sam Fuld are tendered contracts), bringing the total to $49.2MM for 13 players. That’s a lot of money for a team that has hinted at reducing the payroll because of attendance. That projected total also doesn’t include the money needed to sign (or in the case of James Loney, re-sign) a first-baseman and a ctacher. The most reasonable (and/or cutthroat) solution seems to be to deal David Price, and hope you get a sweetheart of a deal in return. I’d argue a sweetheart deal might be staring Friedman and Co. in the face.
I’d imagine a deal with the Angels may come down to a few mitigating factors: Whether the Rays can (and will) re-sign Loney, whether they’ll pickup David DeJesus’ $6.5MM option, and whether they place a higher priority on signing a catcher. Furthermore, would they be willing to pick up Trumbo’s contract, which is projected to jump significantly?
Loney was acquired for $2MM last season and excelled with the Rays — so much so, his market value could reach what he fetched in 2012, some $6MM. That’s well out of the Rays wheelhouse, leaving many to assume that Friendman’s best option would be to pick up someone like Mark Reynolds. However, a move to acquire Trumbo could offer the Rays a slugging first-baseman that’s locked up until 2017. Trumbo has appeared in (at least) 144 games in each of the past three seasons, posting a respectable .251 BA/.300 OBP/.473 SLG/.773 OPS slash line, while averaging 31 homers and 94 RBI per season. If his career norms speak to anything, it’s that his OBP is unlikely to be one of his strong points. But, he’s able to compensate for that with his power, while his 8.5 UZR (some 2.4 higher than Loney) speaks to his ability as a solid defender at first base. When comparing Trumbo’s RAR and WAR (22.8/2.5) with those of James Loney (25.0/2.7), it’s easy to see that he’d be a desirable replacement for Loney — assuming he doesn’t re-sign with the Rays. The caveat: His salary is projected to jump to a manageable $4.77MM (in arbitration) in 2014, and will subsequently increase until he hits free-agency in 2017.
The Rays are interested in bringing back OF David DeJesus. Per Roger Mooney of the Trib, the Rays could put in place a strategy similar to that of Luke Scott when they re-signed him prior to the 2013 season, noting, “They could pay him a $1.5 million buyout and try to resign him for less than $6.5 million.” There is also the possibility they could pick up DeJesus’ option outright, then put together some sort of trade package which would include Matt Joyce. Whatever the case, with a projected salary of $1.1MM, picking up Peter Bourjos could offer Tampa Bay some outfield depth (assuming they won’t be re-signing Kelly Johnson), while bolstering their speed on the base paths — that is, if he stays healthy. Bourjos has posted a decent .262 BA/.321 OBP/.401 SLG/.721 OPS (104 OPS+) over the last three seasons. Adams goes on to note, “Since his promotion to the Majors, he’s tied with Michael Bourn for second among center fielders in defensive value added, according to Fangraphs, trailing only Carlos Gomez for the league lead.”
With all of this in mind, Andrew Friendman may be presented with an intriguing proposition, one that could bolster the Rays production and speed, with no net loss in defense. The only pitfall in my mind, is how much Trumbo’s salary could increase from 2015 to 2017 — is this a risk the Rays are willing to incur?
A loud and boisterous sold out crowd is always a good thing.
What can I say? I just had to get a picture of this.
Till next year, section 143. You treated me well!
I think the big-screen said it all.
Everything dies, baby that’s a fact, But maybe everything that dies, someday comes back.
-Bruce Springsteen
So here we sit again, another plus 90 win season under the belt, questioning what more could have been done. Perhaps the Rays would be in better straits, had they won half of the 28 losses that came by one or two runs (10 at the hands of sub .500 teams). Or, hadn’t their offensive numbers dropped off in the second half of the season, while the pitching numbers (as a whole) increased in all the wrong areas, we’d be talking about a team ready to face the A’s or Tigers in the ALCS. Whatever the case, after winning four consecutive elimination games, the Rays are packing their lockers, as opposed to their bags en route to Oakland or Detroit.
Simply put, the Rays got bested – no ands, ifs, or buts about it. As a whole, this season, the bullpen had a hard time performing in critical situations, the offense couldn’t piece together wRISP situations, and a lack of tenacity (in a manner of speaking) on the base paths sounded the death knell for the Rays. Game 3 of the ALDS was a microcosm of the season at large. Blame the months of April, June, and August, compounded with their inconsistent play in the ALDS, for their early exit from postseason play.
Now begins the agonizing off-season — one that promises to be filled with doom and gloom scenarios surrounding the Stadium Saga, annoying discussions regarding the reduction of the 2014 team payroll, and rumors of who may be on the chopping block. Oof.
Whatever the case, I love my small market team. Credit where it’s due — considering the circumstances, Joe Maddon did everything he could with the tools he had. The challenge of leaping over the 90 game hurdle presented itself, and the Rays cleared it by winning 92. Also gone is the albatross of not making it past the first round of the playoffs — something that’s plagued them since the 2008 World Series season. These are things we, the Rays Republic, should be proud of. In the words of every Cubs fan, maybe next year… I mean, DEFINITELY next year. Only 173 days and counting until Opening Day against the Blue Jays.
Moving forward.
After a brief respite, one where I’ll be researching numbers, etc, I’ll start the arduous task of writing about who may be here in 2014, who may get traded (and for whom or what), and who’ll hit the free-agent market. That said, who do you think may be here, or gone, next season, what positions will need bolstering, and what will it take to get back to the postseason in 2014? Feel free to leave your comments below!
Let me put it to you this way, I’m tired…neigh, wiped out. Yes, I’m still completely psyched that Tampa Bay was able to walk away with a 5-4 win in grandiose, walk-off, fashion. However, it doesn’t detract from the fact that I stayed up well passed my bedtime Monday night. Such is life, I’d rather be tired and happy, than tired and glum any day of the week. And if sleep deprivation is the cost of the Rays staying alive in the postseason so be it — I’ll sleep when I’m dead! That said, below are some game peripherals from the third game of the ALDS.
Though Alex Cobb’s line might suggest that he had a labor intensive outing, I’d argue that a handful of defensive miscues, and bad breaks, tacked a few more pitches onto his final line. For example, Jacoby Ellsbury squeezed a single between Yunel Escobar and Ben Zobrist in the first inning, and he eventually came home on a throwing error by Zobrist for the first run of the game. On that error (as with Saturday) Shane Victorino slid in hard on Zobrist. Zo, who had to rush the throw, air-mailed it passed james Loney, allowing the runners to advance and Ellsbury to score. I’m not implying that Victorino made a dirty play. On the contrary, he played heads up ball. But, he exacerbated the gaffe by Zobrist. From that point on, Boston went scoreless until the fifth when they tacked on a pair of runs thanks to, your guessed it, defensive miscues and bad breaks. After Will Middlebrooks led off the inning with a strikeout, Jacoby Ellsbury doubled on an awkward play at second. He was moved to third on a Victorino infield single to Escobar, who attempted to throw Ellsbury out at third. Though the replay showed that Ellsbury was out, third base umpire Larry Vanover called him safe, setting the scene for what happened next. Ellsbury came home on a 2-1 wild pitch (though it looked like a passed ball to me), and David Ortiz followed that with a single to left. Another horrible call came in the top of the eighth when Berry, who pinch ran for David Ortiz after a walk, stole second. Zobrist blocked his arm as Berry tried to touch second, subsequently tagging him out. Second base umpire Paul Emmel didn’t see things that way, calling Berry safe much to the chagrin of Zobrist, Joe Maddon, and a very loud sold out crowd. That play didn’t go against the Rays — Joel Peralta was able to get out of the inning by stranding a man at third. However, the play in the fifth easily could have paid dividends for the Red Sox. With the questionable defense in the forefront of Cobb’s mind, the Rays righty came off the mound to field balls in play on multiple occasions. Take the second inning for example. Will Middlebrooks sent a dribbler that looked like a sure-fire infield single, up the third base line. Longoria was playing him deep and had no chance to reach the slow roller, but Cobb was quick off the mound — getting to the ball near the foul line, firing a bullet to James Loney to end the frame.
Cobb’s outing wasn’t perfect, yet he, much like Big Game James, put together a bulldog start that kept the Rays in the thick of things. He made the all important inning ending big pitches with runners in scoring position on a couple of occasions, while the Red Sox stranded a good number of runners, going 2-14 wRISP overall. His final line: 5 IP/5 H/2 ER/2 BB/5 K 94 pitches (60 for strikes).
Alex Torres and Joel Peralta combined for a pair of massively important solid innings in relief of Cobb. Torres allowed one hit, but wrung up a pair of Sox (one swinging) while also inducing an pop-out to short. Facing a tough top of the lineup, Peralta put up a 1-2-3 seventh, getting Ellsbury to line out to second, Victorino to pop out to left, and Pedoroia to foul out to end the inning.
In juxtaposition, Jake McGee and Fernando Rodney weren’t nearly as sharp as they needed to be with the Rays season on the line. Just over half of McGee’s 26 total pitches came as strikes, while Rodney looked erratic (at best), allowing a walk and a single before he got the first out on a Victorino sac-bunt. Pedroia plated a run in the next at-bat, while Ellsbury put himself in prime scoring position after he stole third with two outs. Thankfully Rodney was able to ring up Mike carp to end the inning, but not before the Red Sox knotted up the game at two apiece. The scariest part of it all: There was no one warming in the pen for the top of the tenth, meaning Rodney would have come out again, hadn’t Lobi crushed the game winning homer.
Offensively speaking, after failing to score in the second and fourth innings, the Rays were finally able to tie up the game in the fifth on a 363 foot, three-run shot shot to left, off the bat of Evan Longoria. Yunel Escobar led off the inning with an infield single, and David DeJesus moved him to third on a line drive double to deep right. It almost looked as though Tampa Bay would walk away with nothing after Zobrist popped out to short for the second out, but Longo saved the day… On his birthday, no less. The momentum swung in the Rays direction from that point on. Delmonster gave the Rays a 4-3 lead in the eighth on a bases loaded ground-out to first, easily scoring Fuld — who came into the game to pinch run for James Loney (he initially reached on a walk off of Tazawa). It bears mentioning, Escobar reached on another infield single which was almost a carbon copy of his base hit in the fifth. Then in the ninth inning, with two-outs and the game tied at four, Jose Lobaton stepped to the plate to face Boston’s un-hittable closer, Koji Uehara. Lobi saw all of two pitches, and absolutely crushed a hanging splitter 419 feet to center — into the Rays Tank. It’s only fitting that the ball glanced off the mitt of someone wearing a DanJo jersey, standing next to the tank.
Perfect! Jose Lobaton, walk-off hero, made sure to save himself a special treat for after his postgame interviews. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)
The New What Next
The Rays live to see another day, and they’ll face Jake Peavy tonight at the Trop. Tampa Bay will counter with Jeremy Hellickson, and you’d better believe he’ll be on a short leash for obvious reasons. You can read about the pitching match-up here.
Rays 10/8/13 Starting Lineup
DeJesus LF
Myers RF
Loney 1B
Longoria 3B
Zobrist 2B
Jennings CF
Johnson DH
Escobar SS
Lobaton C
Hellickson RHP
Noteworthiness
How amazing was the crowd last night? Not only was the sellout crowd loud (actually, it was very loud), I LOVED hearing the very audible chants of “BUCHHOLZ….BUCHHOLZ!” A wise friend of mine once penned a song, “Scream Until You’re Coughing Up Blood,” and, well, that’s exactly what I did last night — and I can’t wait to do it again tonight.
Hey TBS, shove off. I reserved the right to not comment about TBS’s coverage of the ALDS when the “nerd” controversy started, after Saturday’s game. However, from all accounts, your analysts are ill prepared at best. No, you may not complain about the catwalks while giving that put-put course of a stadium, in Boston, a pass. And no, contrary to what you may believe, this isn’t Lobaton’s first rodeo — he had two walk-off’s prior to last night’s game winning blast. And no, he doesn’t need y’all to welcome him to the big leagues, seeing as he’s been on a big league roster for the better part of three seasons.
Buster Olney notes, “You have to believe Joe Maddon will go into tonight’s game prepared to use LH Matt Moore, RH Chris Archer early in relief of Hellickson.”
Per the Rays, Jose Lobaton was the first player in postseason history to hit a two-out, walk off home run in an elimination game.
In his latest column, Ken Rosenthal noted, “The Rays, since the opening of the tank in 2007, had pledged a $10,000 donation for any home run one of their players hit into the 35-foot, 10,000 gallon container — $5,000 to the Florida Aquarium, which operates the tank, and $5,000 to a charity of the player’s choice. They never had to pay off. Until now. “What an interesting, wonderful game to stay solvent with,” Maddon said.”
DRaysBay’sIan Malinowski questioned whether Jeremy Hellickson should be getting the start in tonight’s game, saying, “A final note about giving Helly the start. If you believe that Chris Archer should be toeing the rubber instead, that’s fine. They’re both decent starting pitcher options who have failed to go deep into games lately. If Hellickson falters, even a little, I’m certain that Chris Archer, Matt Moore, and the rest of the Rays bullpen will be warmed up and ready to go. Now is not the time to pitch like a starter. Now is the time to empty the tank. It’s only a question of who gets to do so first.” It’s a relevant question, considering Helly’s unlucky pitching for most of the year.
Since 2010 Tampa Bay has given up the DH 30 times in regular season, more than any AL club. The Yankees are second the Rays, giving up DH 25 times since 2010. No other AL team has done it more than seven times.
