Sayonara Off-Season, Hello Spring Training; Part Two

Allow me to pick up where I left off yesterday. If you need a quick primer, I received an interesting email from a fellow blogger the other day. His challenge, if I choose to accept it: answer six simple questions about the state of the Rays going into Spring Training and the 2014 season. Below are my thoughts on the questions left unanswered in my previous piece.

Sayonara Off-Season, Hello Spring Training; Part One

It’s been a long off-season — too long, if you ask me. I wouldn’t go as far as to say baseball defines who I am. However, I do love baseball and I feel a bit empty when I don’t have it in my life. And though I’ve been consumed by other things in the interim — things that deserved my whole, undivided attention — there’s a little piece of me that springs to life at this point of the year. Friends, at long last, the Rays’ pitchers and catchers have reported to Port Charlotte, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Hot-Stove: Helly Expected to Miss 6-to-8 Weeks of the Season, Rays Sign Three to Minor League Contracts

Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last week and is expected to be sidelined until mid-to-late May, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

Hot-Stove: The Big News About Grant Balfour, As A Series of Tweets

Most of you are familiar with Thursday’s big news by now. If not, allow me to quickly sum things up: right handed closer Grant Balfour is once again a Ray! Balfour signed a two-year, $12MM contract — $3MM less than the Orioles offered. Allow me to be presumptuous for a moment. Since most of you are already familiar with the acquisition, I decided to do something other than the typical summary. Behold, a summary of today’s big event in the form of a series of tweets.