CHICAGO (AP) -- First baseman Dan Johnson, whose dramatic home run on the final night of the regular season helped Tampa Bay reach last year's playoffs, has agreed to a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox.

First baseman Dan Johnson, whose dramatic home run on the final night of the regular season helped Tampa Bay reach last year's playoffs, has agreed to a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. Johnson hit a tying, two-out, two-strike homer off Cory Wade in the ninth inning of regular-season finale against the Yankees, and Evan Longoria's 12th-inning homer won the...

First baseman Dan Johnson, whose dramatic home run on the final night of the regular season helped Tampa Bay reach last year's playoffs, has agreed to a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. Johnson hit a tying, two-out, two-strike homer off Cory Wade in the ninth inning of regular-season finale against the Yankees, and Evan Longoria's 12th-inning homer won the...

There’s something strangely fitting about the fact that both Russ Canzler and Dan Johnson have found new homes in the last 24 hours. Canzler was traded yesterday from the Rays to the Indians for cash considerations, and Johnson signed a minor-league deal with the White Sox this afternoon. This is despite the fact that the Rays — those masters of market inefficiencies...

Dan Johnson, who created two of the best moments in Rays history, has signed a Minor League deal with the White Sox that includes an invitation to Spring Training.

The Chicago White Sox have signed first baseman Dan Johnson to a minor league deal on Wednesday, according to the St. Petersburg Times.Johnson is best known for the three-run home run he hit on the final day of the regular season last year against the New York Yankees that led to a playoff birth for the Tampa Bay Rays.The 32-year-old hit .119 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs in 84 at bats last season.

Dan Johnson, whose dramatic pinch-hit homer in the 2011 regular-season finale helped the Rays reach the playoffs, has signed a Minor League contract with the White Sox, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Dan Johnson, whose dramatic pinch-hit homer in the 2011 regular-season finale helped the Rays reach the playoffs, has signed a Minor League contract with the White Sox, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

It was a change-up Cory Wade of the Yankees tried to sneak past Dan Johnson of the Rays that caught too much of the plate and was now hurtling toward the right-field corner at Tropicana Field, heading for the area just inside the foul pole.

Few moments in our lives have the power to transcend reality and make us feel as though we are actually living in a dramatic movie. For baseball fans, that first moment might be when we walk up to a Major League Baseball stadium to take in our first game. The ballpark is a powerful place. Whether full of people during a game or empty beforehand, it has a majestic feel that can overwhelm...

None of us can imagine what the last few months have been like for Russ Canzler. Despite putting up a .287/.372/.566 line with 28 doubles and 21 homers as a 24 year old at Double-A Tennessee in the Cubs system, the Cubs allowed Canzler to leave as a free agent and signed with the Rays. At Triple-A Durham, Canzler was even better than he was in 2010, posting a .314/.401/.530 line...

In a year that has seen extreme labor disagreements within the NFL and the NBA, it’s extremely comforting to know that the owners and the players have reached an agreement on a new five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement — assuring that baseball will have at least 21 consecutive years of labor peace. One of the stipulations of the agreement is that a second Wild Card spot...

Jeremy Hellickson was named the top rookie in the American League this season.  Hellickson received 17 of 28 first-place votes and was named on 24 of the 28 ballots. The Rays Desmond Jennings finished tied for seventh with a single third-place vote. Hellickson is the second member of the Tampa Bay Rays to win the award, joining Evan Longoria, who won the award in 2008. He is also...

Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page) Guess who has been charged with his beating his girlfriend and assaulting a police officer? Willy Aybar (of course). This is at least the third time Aybar has been charged in a domestic abuse situation, one of which left his wife in intensive care. According to the GM of Aybar’s Dominican team, Aybar has been working with Psychologists...

With Casey Kotchman and Dan Johnson now both on the free agent market, the Rays have a very glaring hole on their 40 Man Roster. Russ Canzler would likely be the best option at first base if the season were to start today. Coming off an incredible year in AAA Durham, is he ready to produce at the big league level? Does he have the defense to man the position? We answer those questions inside.

Dan Johnson, who hit two of the biggest home runs in Rays team history, was outrighted to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, but he declined the assignment and is now a free agent.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Dan Johnson has elected to become a free agent after declining an assignment to Triple-A.The team outrighted the veteran infielder earlier Thursday.The 32-year-old had a dismal year with the major-league club, hitting just .119 with two home runs and four RBIs in 84 at-bats.His lone bright spot came on the final day of the regular season, when his two...

We will never forget how last Wednesday night ended. That is a good thing for David Price. He would rather not remember how it began. Price's start at Tropicana Field was a sloppy prelude to the indelible heroics of Dan Johnson, Robert Andino and Evan Longoria. The left-hander is lucky that Sept. 28 will go down as the greatest night of regular-season baseball we've ever...

One of my favorite pictures of all time… Now I can go through all the stats about how Boston was 76-0 when leading after 8 innings, and the Yankees (whose lose opened the playoff door for the Rays) haven’t lost a game down 7-0 into the 8th or later since 1953. But the one stat that baffles me and is the reason why I won’t rip the idiots at TBS for making these...

ROGER MOONEY ARLINGTON, Texas The Rays playoff roster is interesting in that it includes three catchers and a struggling J.P. Howell and doesn’t include Jeff Niemann and Wednesday’s hero, Dan Johnson. With Matt Moore starting this afternoon’s ALDS opener…

As the start of the postseason approaches, Big League Stew's Alex Remington will take a look at the statistics that might make a difference in each series. First up is the first-round rematch between the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers, which begins today. 1.1 The average number of homers per nine innings given up by Rangers pitching, tied for second-most in the American League...

Today starts Major League Baseball’s 2011 postseason, but people are still buzzing about the recent turn of baseball events that took place on Wednesday night. Most folks claimed Wednesday night was the best moment in baseball’s history. It’s hard to argue that claim. It was the sudden change of events at 11 o’clock in the evening that got people to feel that way. The Yankees...

The video below serves as proof that Red Sox and Braves fans weren’t the only ones who got hit in the nuts at the ballpark last night. On Dan Johnson’s pinch hit home run in the 9th inning, which sent the Yankees-Rays game to extras, an uncoordinated and/or slow to react fan in the outfield took it in the worst possible spot.   Now, I’ll grant that it isn’t indisputable...

Dan Johnson’s career stats with the Rays are the stuff of a classic four-A player*. In 81 career games with the Rays, Johnson is hitting .168 with 11 home runs. But sometimes, you just have to look beyond the numbers. And The Great Pumpkin’s resume may be as impressive as anybody that has every worn a Rays uniform. September, 2008— The Rays improbable run appeared...

Is there anything that can be said about Wednesday night's slate of games that isn't a string of one word exclamations? I mean, wow. (There is this, I suppose, but we can't all be Joe Posnanski.) Thankfully for us, the long ball played an important role in one or two of these games. Let's get to those trots! Home Run of the Day: Dan Johnson, Tampa Bay Rays - 19...