X-Rays Spex

A Below Average Rays Fan Blog

One more day until full-squad workouts begin in Port Charlotte; more stadium stalemate non-news

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Just a couple of All-Stars hangin’ out in the Spring Training clubhouse. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

With the first full-squad workout scheduled less than 24-hours from now, all of the position players are now in camp with Randy Arozarena, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Lucius Fox, and Nate Lowe being the last to arrive.

Lowe reported to camp nearly 20 pounds lighter after changing his diet over the offseason. The reasoning for Lowe’s weight loss was simple: he wants to stay versatile and cement his role in the big-leagues.

Getting a taste of the big leagues and being around a winning club was fantastic and it was really cool to play my part with what the team needed last year. But there were definitely times where getting optioned, you feel left out and you feel like you’re not able to help, and my body was definitely something that was in the way of me being able to help out.

— Nate Lowe

Lowe cut out processed foods and sugar, while also focusing on healthy snacks as opposed to candy and chips.

In 2019 his primary position was first base, although Lowe got limited reps at third base. Entering camp, he is expected to work out at both first and third base as he competes for one of the last roster spots. At 245 pounds last season, Lowe felt that he wasn’t able to provide good defense at the hot corner. Yet he now feels more confident in his ability to offer the team solid defense at both corner positions, which could improve his chances of cracking the Opening Day roster.

It’s great to get a taste and to kind of get a sense that I belong with this team or belong on a Major League team. But it’s just fuel to the fire, man.

— Nate Lowe

You can listen to Lowe’s full interview with the media below, courtesy of Rays Radio.

Yoshitomo “Yoshi” Tsutsugo reported to camp on Saturday and began to get acclimated to his new, and different, environment — from everyday cultural differences to the increased velocity and movement from big-league pitching.

I’m very excited to be in this facility right now. I met a lot of good people today, and I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and be a good teammate. …There are a lot of main differences. I think the main difference is the way the pitcher throws a lot of different actions, but I just want to get used to things one at a time.

— Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, through a translator

Tsutsugo was immediately greeted by some of his new teammates, namely Blake Snell, Willy Adames, and Kevin Kiermaier.

Tsutsugo hit the field where he had conversations with Kevin Cash and hitting coach Chad Mottola.

I thought he was really received well. His teammates, from what we know, are really going to enjoy him. He carries a presence. He’s carried a presence in Japan, and I think he’ll do the same here once he gets acclimated. We just have to afford him the ability to get acclimated.

— Kevin Cash

The Rays plan to use Tsutsugo primarily as a left fielder and designated hitter, although Cash and Co. will also see how comfortable he looks at first base.

Rays pitchers had an active day with Blake Snell, Charlie Morton, José Alvarado, Nick Anderson, Chaz Roe, Brendan McKay, and Anthony Banda all throwing bullpen sessions on Monday.

After entering camp last season hampered by illness, Roe is feeling much better here and now. The right-hander said that he utilized the Driveline throwing program and added 12 pounds in the offseason. He also noted that he had a meniscus issue that bothered him across the last two and a half months of the 2019 campaign, but he is at full health now.

Cash was impressed with Alvarado’s bullpen session — indicating that the southpaw continues to pump strikes early in camp — and Aaron Loup, who is competing for a bullpen spot.

I still don’t see how a lefty gets in there and feels comfortable in the box with that delivery. It literally looks like the ball is coming behind you. … He can really cut some angles.

— Kevin Cash

Full squad workouts, including live batting practice, will begin on Tuesday. Since it is scheduled to be a lighter day, with only a handful of pitchers slated to throw, Wednesday and Thursday should be more active.

Noteworthiness

— Momentum just released another Reel Talks video, and this time it is of a conversation between Tyler Glasnow and Mike Clevinger on the role that confidence plays when they take the mound. As with every Momentum video, it is well done, interesting, and worth the 3:53 running time.

— Oh stadium saga/stalemate, I can’t quit you…although I probably should.

Late last week, rumors of a sale of a minority share of the team (to Stephen Bronfman’s “group” of investors) was imminent; anywhere from three-to-four weeks to 10-months away. Reactionary Twitter followers fell hook, line, and sinker for the rumored transaction, yet the rumors turned out to be, well…just rumors.

At the end of the day, there still isn’t any money to build a stadium in Montreal, so it’s just Talk Talk Talk. Calm down, people.

Noah Pransky/Shadow of the Stadium was quick to remind everyone of the long line of leverage building ploys that have been employed previously by other owners wrapped up in their own stadium stalemate, which happens to be a blueprint utilized by Rays principal owner, Stu Sternberg.

Seriously, this thread is worth your while.

— Concerned that your thoughts and feelings on the sister city proposal, among other Rays-centric issues, are being ignored by the local media? Here’s your opportunity to air your grievances.

Don’t break out the ice wine and poutine just yet — yes, another Rays stadium saga article

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Do you think Tampa Mayor Jane Castor had an ice-cold bucket of Labatt Blue waiting in her office for Stu Sternberg on Monday?

Tampa Bay Rays brass — including principal owner Stu Sternberg — met with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, as well as alleged land scamming Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan,* on Monday, as they continued their 2020 fan disenfranchisement (and/or PTSD triggering) tour. It’s only February.

During their 2-1/2 hour-long meeting, in which Castor blew off…pardon me, delayed the formal signing of a police union contract, Tampa’s Mayor all but capitulated to Sternberg by indulging the Rays owner in his cockamamie leverage ploy, and, essentially, told him that Tampa is all in for a part-time team.

I do commend Castor, who was quoted as saying, “we’re going to do everything that we can with the caveat that the citizens’ appetite of paying for a stadium is about zero at this point.” If you didn’t catch that, Castor acknowledged that there is a near-zero desire by the citizens of Hillsborough to fund a stadium for a part-time team, which is hardly a sign of wholehearted engagement.

Beyond what is written above, I will neither amplify the Rays or the Tampa Bay Times, who continue to further the cause for a publicly subsidized stadium, any further than this. I’m sure you can find another account of the meeting elsewhere. Instead of allowing Sternberg to dictate the narrative, at least on this site, I would like to reiterate a few points I wrote about on Sunday, in a piece titled Movement in the Rays stadium stalemate? Meh.

Movement in the Rays stadium stalemate? Meh

The Rays’ newly minted aggressive timetable is akin a revved-up leverage ploy. It’s a recklessly driven car that’s in top gear and headed for dead man’s curve, where it likely will plummet off a cliff and burn into nothingness like his previous $892-million gambit, in Ybor City. Sternberg now intends to have a two-city, two-stadium deal hammered out in the next nine-to-ten months…even though the sister city concept wouldn’t take effect for another eight years. I too am scratching my head.

If you are keeping track, that’s dual $600-million open-air stadiums in two municipalities for one part-time team. And if you’re seeking more idiocy, Sternberg said two half-season open-air stadiums (with one in St. Petersburg) would ultimately be more cost-effective than the previous concept pitched in 2017.

Indulge me.

The quoted cost of a fixed roof stadium in 2017 was $892-million ÷ 81 home games per season x a 30-year “mortgage”, which comes out to be $330,370,370 per game over the span of that 30-year “mortgage”. The cost for an open-air stadium is $600-million ÷ 41-games x a 30-year “mortgage”, or $439,024,390.20 (rounded to the nearest penny) over the span of that 30-year “mortgage”. Nope, neither cheaper nor more cost-effective.

Put another way, that’s $11,012,345.68 (rounded to the nearest penny) per game for a fixed-roof stadium for a full-time team and $14,634,146.34 (rounded to the nearest penny) per game for an open-air stadium for a part-time team. Again, neither cheaper nor more cost-effective.

Furthermore, taxpayers in Tampa Bay and Montreal would be paying $7,243,601.32 per game for a pair of open-air stadiums for a part-time team, or $217,308,039.60 per game over the span of that 30-year “mortgage”. Still neither cheaper nor more cost-effective.

Forgive me, I did not calculate interest or any other extraneous costs.

Also relevant, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be seeking Hillsborough tax dollars following the 2027 season when their current use agreement at Raymond James Stadium is up.

That begs the question: Are the Rays done with St. Petersburg. The simple answer is no, after all, if Stu really and truly wants nothing to do with the west side of the bay, not to mention the hope of a full-time stadium — a proposal that St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman continues to hang his hat on — Sternberg could come up with a fair use-agreement buyout number and buy his way out of the Sunshine City and give up the redevelopment rights embedded in the team’s use agreement. He is worth over $800-million, while Forbes has valued the team at $1-billion. That’s a no brainer, right? Sternberg, however, neither wants to contribute much to any of his money to this project nor does he have the desire to forgo the millions of dollars in Trop redevelopment money fund that he could collect if he stayed put.

Finally, I will let a series of tweets — which likely would do a better job of articulating counter-arguments — close out this piece.

…And while I don’t necessarily agree with Joe Henderson (Florida Politics), that the Rays will ultimately end up in Tampa as a full-time team, the rest of this article (linked below via Twitter) is fairly spot-on.

I need a drink; could someone please pass me an ice wine or a Labatt Blue?

*For what it’s worth, Ken Hagan is currently under FBI investigation because of his crooked dealings.

Rays 7/23/19 pregame notes, Diaz to the IL, Duffy activated, stadium meeting set for Tuesday

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  • With the loss of Yandy Diaz to the IL, Matt Duffy took his place on the 25-man roster. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Another day, another loss. The Tampa Bay Rays dropped the series opener against the Red Sox on Monday in ugly fashion, 9-4. In doing so, the Rays start the day just outside of Wildcard contention by one game, and only one game ahead of the Red Sox with a tough hurler on the mound Tuesday night. They have lost six of the last seven.

The mismanagement by Rays skipper Kevin Cash in the third inning was staggering. Jalen Beeks, whose previous outing lasted 3-1/3 innings — and because of it, his time on the mound probably would have been brief considering the times through the order penalty — gave up a hit and walk to set up Boston’s seven-run outburst. By that point, Cash should have had someone warming in the ‘pen, as Beeks had labored through 15 pitches. The left-hander should’ve been yanked after Rafael Devers’ two-run double. Instead, Beeks stayed in the game and allowed three homers and coughed up five more runs in the frame, sinking Tampa Bay’s battleship early on in the contest.

I get it, the bullpen was thin Monday night, and Cash needed Beeks to throw more than 3-2/3 innings and 78 pitches. However, that was a winnable contest had the game been managed better. And with Chris Sale on the mound tonight, against whom the Rays have scored a total of 15 runs over the last three seasons, that was, essentially, a must-win game. Now, Tampa Bay will attempt to scratch and claw their way to victory this evening…something the team hasn’t been able to do since the All-Star Break, with the exception of the series against the Orioles.

To make matters worse, Yandy Diaz exited the game after he fouled a ball off his left foot. Diaz was reportedly in “severe pain” after the game and underwent an X-Ray, which showed a left foot contusion. He was subsequently placed on the 10-day Injured List.

Diaz becomes the 22nd player to spend time on the shelf this season. The injury could negatively impact a team that has had difficulty winning games over the last seven days. Through 339 plate appearances this season, Diaz has slashed .271 BA/.344 OBP/.482 SLG/.826 OPS with a 119 wRC+, 14 home runs, and a 1.6 fWAR.

There is a silver lining, however. Third baseman Matt Duffy has been activated from the 60-day IL. In order to make room for Duffy, Ian Gibaut was designated for assignment.

Duffy, who performed to a 2.4-fWAR last season, has sat out all season because of hamstring and back issues. He and Mike Brosseau could help mitigate the loss of Diaz.

In spite of the long absence, Duffy said he feels comfortable in the batter’s box. In his final rehab start, Saturday with Triple-A Durham Bulls, Duffy homered against Indianapolis.

Things can be a little different in the big leagues. It’s a different ball game, I guess, but I’m feeling good.

— Matt Duffy

The infielder also said he is ready to contribute at any position.

I don’t really see myself as a third baseman. I see myself as an infielder. … We’re defenders, and wherever it is in the infield, I’m pretty comfortable.

— Matt Duffy

The New What Next

Yonny Chirinos (8-5, 3.29 ERA) looks to bounce back from a four-run outing, pitching opposite of Chris Sale (4-9, 4.05 ERA).

Yonny Chirinos gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits over five innings against the Yankees, striking out eight and walking two in the 6-2 loos. Chirinos couldn’t extend his run of seven consecutive quality starts but emerged with a decent line against a tough Yankees lineup that he’s fared well against this season. Even so, Chirinos is sporting a 3.29 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and a 4.04 K/BB across 112 innings. He has faired well in his career against Boston, going 1-1 with a 2.88 ERA in five games (three starts).

Chris Sale allowed two hits and two walks while striking out 12 across six scoreless innings on Thursday against the Blue Jays. Sale dominated the Blue Jays by generating 20 whiffs. Both hits he allowed were base hits, and he only allowed one runner to get into scoring position throughout his outing. While his 4.05 ERA is disappointing, his 172 strikeouts and 1.08 WHIP across 117-2/3 frames show how dangerous he can be to a team that hasn’t had much success against the southpaw. Sale is 9-6 with a 2.94 ERA in 17 career starts against the Rays, and 4-3 with a 1.92 ERA in nine starts at the Trop. Key Matchup: Yandy Diaz (4-6, 2 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, BB)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Red Sox — a series preview, part four

Rays 7/23/19 Starting Lineup

  1. d’Arnaud 1B
  2. Pham LF
  3. Meadows DH
  4. Garcia RF
  5. Duffy 3B
  6. Brosseau 2B
  7. Heredia CF
  8. Adames SS
  9. Zunino C

Noteworthiness

— St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and deputy mayor Kanika Tomalin will meet this afternoon with Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg and team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman for an initial discussion of the cockamamie sister city proposal. The team would need city approval to explore specifics given the terms of their use agreement at Tropicana Field.

On June 20th, Kriseman publicly poured cold water on the proposal in a press conference.

In the presser, Kriseman blasted the proposal, calling it “a bit silly” and dismissed it as a leverage building tactic in the negotiation for a new stadium. He vowed he would not recommend City Council grant the team permission.

He later said that if the team wishes to privately finance a new stadium in St. Petersburg for half a season, he would be willing to listen. However, he also said Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg “will not participate in the funding of a new stadium for a part-time team,” rather the city remains “receptive to partnering with the Tampa Bay Rays to redevelop the Tropicana Field site and build a stadium for a full-time team.”

Noah Pransky (Florida Politics) has been the most consistent reporter on the subject of the Rays stadium saga and was quick to remind readers that, in spite of what Sternberg has said publicly* over the last nine years, the Rays are following the same blueprint as every other owner in every other stadium campaign.

In fact, Sternberg would be remiss to forgo the redevelopment rights the city has offered the team in the stadium use agreement — just a year ago Stu signaled that he was not ready to honor that part of his contract when asked if he would give up the redevelopment rights should the team be successful in leaving the Trop before 2027.

I’ll leave you with one good summarizing thought ahead of this afternoon’s meeting, courtesy of Pransky:

“And the next time you see Sternberg and Kriseman firing shots across the bow, recognize it’s more about leverage on real estate rights than it is about where the Rays will be playing in 2028.”

*Sternberg’s long-shot proposal joins at least a half-dozen other major “non-threat threats” made over the last nine years. Pransky detailed five such “non-threat threats” extending back to June of 2010: 

June 2010 – Sternberg says the only way “for this asset to be preserved” is a new stadium, and if not, there are “five markets” that would be better homes for the team.
Oct. 2011 – Sternberg says MLB will “vaporize” the Rays within 9 -12 years without a new stadium (it hasn’t).
Jan. 2013 – Sternberg suggests to Hillsborough Co. commissioners the league would move or contract the team if a new stadium wasn’t built.
Dec. 2014 – Sternberg says the team is “doomed to leave” without a new stadium, he was done re-negotiating with St. Pete (alas, he wasn’t), and he’ll sell the team by 2023 if he doesn’t have a new stadium.
May 2016 – The Rays will have to leave Tampa Bay if businesses don’t step up and spend money on MLB.

A petition is making the rounds: Pull back Stu Sternberg’s sister city proposal

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Consider this a throwback to the time just after Stu Sternberg’s ownership group purchased the Rays.

I get random things sent to me all the time because I write a blog. More often than not, someone will reach out to me with an article idea that I have zero interest in publishing because it, frankly, has nothing to do with the Tampa Bay Rays, or anything pertinent to X-Rays Spex. Last night was different, however, because someone sent me an online petition regarding Stu Sternberg’s sister city proposal, which we here at the blog are adamantly opposed to. And while I may not agree with everything within, I cannot say that I disagree with the overall tenor of the appeal that was made.

The author made the mission of the petition clear:

Why create a petition? The answer is simple. We are fans of the team, yet we are not being heard. Many in the local media appear to be more interested in helping Sternberg play the leverage game than they are holding him accountable by asking tough questions. In an ideal world, the viral nature of the internet will give us a volume that cannot be ignored.

— Sam McGreavy

Per the petition, the intended audience is Major League Baseball, the commissioner’s office, and the ballclub. As a concerned fan of the Rays, I signed it and thought I’d pass it along to you to do the same via this medium. Are you restless like me? Then click here for a link to the change.org petition, and spread the word.

The schadenfreude that is the Rays press conference, on Tuesday

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The Dali Museum: Site of a truly surreal public unveiling of a controversial proposal by Stu Sternberg on Tuesday.

We’ve come to the end of the road of the Tampa Bay Rays “Stadium Saga” … at least that’s what the proselytizers, tasked with helping the team to build leverage in this situation, would lead you to believe. On Tuesday, Stu Sternberg, flanked by team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, will hold a press conference at the Dali Museum, where they will pitch a twin-city proposal wherein the Rays would split their season in St. Petersburg and Montreal ― a surreal proposition befitting the location of the press conference.

The reality, however, is much different than the echo chamber, that is the local media, would lead you to believe. Noah Pransky, a former investigative reporter for WTSP Action 10 News ― who has reported on the “Stadium Saga” for a decade ― was quick to remind everyone that the longshot plan is one of at least a half-dozen major “non-threat threats” Sternberg has delivered over the last nine years.

Pransky detailed five of the most recent “non-threat threats” extending back to June of 2010:

― June 2010 – Sternberg says the only way “for this asset to be preserved” is a new stadium, and if not, there are “five markets” that would be better homes for the team.

― Oct. 2011 – Sternberg says MLB will “vaporize” the Rays within 9-12 years without a new stadium (it hasn’t).

― Jan. 2013 – Sternberg suggests to Hillsborough Co. commissioners the league would move or contract the team if a new stadium wasn’t built.

― Dec. 2014 – Sternberg says team is “doomed to leave” without a new stadium, he was done re-negotiating with St. Pete (alas, he wasn’t), and he’ll sell the team by 2023 if he doesn’t have a new stadium.

― May 2016 – The Rays will have to leave Tampa Bay if businesses don’t step up and spend money on MLB.

He was also quick to note that each non-threat threat resulted in headlines, news reports, opinion columns, and countless hours of sports talk speculation. Sound familiar?

None of the above-mentioned threats produced much to any tangible progress on the situation though, and it would appear that this proposal, in particular, is a lot of sizzle with little steak. After all, Sternberg would need to get permission from the mayor of St. Petersburg in order to play any home games outside of Tropicana Field, per the terms of the Rays stadium use agreement. And that is just one of many hurdles standing in his way.

Hours after news of Sternberg’s proposal was leaked out into the ethereal plane, Mayor Rick Kriseman poured cold water all over the brazen proposal, saying:

I want to be crystal clear: The Rays cannot explore playing any Major League Baseball games in Montreal or anywhere else for that matter prior to 2028, without reaching a formal memorandum of understanding with the City of St. Petersburg. Ultimately, such a decision is up to me. And I have no intention of bringing this latest idea to our city council to consider. In fact, I believe this is getting a bit silly.

― Rick Kriseman

Let it be said and known, if Sternberg’s intent truly is to move the team to Montreal before the 2028 season, at least in part, this idea is dead in the water. Let’s call this what it is: A leverage ploy.

My priority remains the same, I am committed to keeping baseball in Tampa Bay for generations to come. I believe this concept is worthy of serious exploration.

― Stu Sternberg

Expect to hear a lot of vague, general saber-rattling Tuesday afternoon as Sternberg attempts to whip up a frenzy within the Tampa Bay business community. Pay attention to the verbiage in Sternberg’s statement (above), especially “I believe this concept is worthy of serious exploration.” Exploration of the concept does not an exploration of Montreal make. It is an amorphous comment that can be retracted at such a time he gets what he is looking for; in this case a new stadium for the Rays.

While this is a shot across the bow of the business community and fans, both of which need to step up their support for the team, there are far better, more constructive ways to compel business leaders to step to the proverbial plate. Again, this is a non-threat threat constructed to build leverage.

Joe Henderson (FloridaPolitics.com) is correct, Mayor Kriseman’s quick response to Sternberg’s bizarre arrangement should put this “multinational lunacy in the rearview mirror where it belongs so serious people can work on solving this problem.” As context, Henderson listed the many time’s other club owners (Seattle, San Francisco, Texas, Chicago White Sox, and Minnesota) used St. Petersburg as leverage, much in the same way that Sternberg recently used Tampa and will use Montreal.

However, I don’t agree with Henderson’s assertion that Sternberg only wants a modern stadium in Tampa because it’s the center of the market, and that if he does not get that, the team will move to Montreal, at least partially. Remember, Stu knew of Tampa’s dire financial situation when he proposed the ill-fated $892-million facility in Ybor City. Tampa still doesn’t have the money now. Furthermore, Sternberg still hasn’t approached Mayor Kriseman about an addendum to the use agreement, which would let the team look for a new stadium within the region. Rather Sternberg wants a stadium wherever it can be built with a minimal contribution on his behalf.

So much has changed it seems nothing ever changes.

― A Wishful Puppeteer, by the Lawrence Arms

The quote above hits the nail on the head. While the perception is that we are in a dire situation, the reality is that Sternberg is in a dismal place ― one in which he feels the need to gain leverage in the Stadium Saga.

And So it goes.