The Hot-Stove period between seasons officially starts for the Rays tonight after out number 27 goes down in the annals of baseball history. Suffice to say, none of us really thought that we’d be immediately thrust into that four-month black hole, conveniently nestled between the end of one season and the start of Spring Training. Sure, there’s always postseason baseball, but it’s just not the same when your team isn’t invited to the party. Here we sit, effectively twiddling our thumbs with 21 other teams, waiting for whatever is going to happen…to happen.
Listening to Neil Solondz on the way home from the Trop last night got me thinking. Solondz dedicated the entirety of the post-game broadcast to the Rays diehards. He elicited their responses and thoughts (read: let them air their grievances) on the 2012 season. Tonight is dedicated to moving forward with the general question being, where do we go from here? I’d like to do the same thing with the blog. You know, looking backward while moving forward.
That said, what do you all think? Let’s get a good dialog together. Tell us worked for the Rays, and what didn’t. Also, feel free to mention what they could have done better. Furthermore, if the goal of the upcoming 2013 season is to get back to the postseason, what do you think the Rays need to do to become a more consistent team? Your responses are welcomed.
Along with the Hot-Stove come the tacit, and not so tacit, rumors of who should stay, who should go, and who the Rays could/should pick up off the market as a means to bolster the organization’s productivity. Spotrac has posted the contract status of players on the Rays roster. I’m currently in the process of writing a piece on the aforementioned topic, and here’s your chance to skim the list and give your opinion. So…what do you think? The Process Report posted a piece on that very subject. Reading it would definitely be worth your while.