http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/team/27 Recent articles about the Tampa Bay Rays en-us More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP Boston Red Sox center fielder Joey Gathright (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Browse more photos » If you were to go through all the players on the Opening Day roster for the 2006 Devil Rays, it's incredible how few of them survived on the team for long.  Actually, considering the talent involved, maybe it's not such a surprise.  This isn't a complete list, but take a look for yours... Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:33:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Past_Trade_Analysis_Joey_Gathright_Runs_Faster_Than_JP_Howell_8217s_Fastball/1645328 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Past_Trade_Analysis_Joey_Gathright_Runs_Faster_Than_JP_Howell_8217s_Fastball/1645328 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Past_Trade_Analysis_Joey_Gathright_Runs_Faster_Than_JP_Howell_8217s_Fastball/1645328 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/1/51f8c4f532f9a80b201b7b3a32faddfcaae9a0af/small/GettyImageProxy.ashx_requestUrl_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f3058068.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d17A4AD9FDB9CF193FAC41A6BBF9596D5EEDF5FC887172B94.jpg Grant Balfour pitches in relief for the Tampa Bay Rays. Apart from being the worst named pitcher since Bob Walk, Balfour over the last two years demonstrates just how inconsistent relief pitchers perform from year to year. In 2008, Balfour used a very high strikeout rate, 12.8 per nine, combined with a great [...] Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:00:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Players_A_to_Z_Grant_Balfour/1640986 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Players_A_to_Z_Grant_Balfour/1640986 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Players_A_to_Z_Grant_Balfour/1640986 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/9/696f098270c5efbf1527579b8996d2d73f973378/small/49.jpg The Blue Jays also spoke to the Tampa Bay Rays about backup Reid Brignac but the Rays were asking for too much in return. Nothing major here. Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:12:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Blue_Jays_also_spoke_to_the_Tampa_Bay_Rays_about_backup_Reid_Brignac_but_the_Rays_were_asking/1639845 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Blue_Jays_also_spoke_to_the_Tampa_Bay_Rays_about_backup_Reid_Brignac_but_the_Rays_were_asking/1639845 More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP Browse more photos » It has been two full seasons since James Shields signed his potential seven year, $44 million dollar contract. In reality, all that is guaranteed is four years and $11.25 million, but the way things look now, an option year or two is likely. The Rays way is all about getting value for dollars. We need value, but lack the dollars. The Shields ex... Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/How_Much_Are_The_Rays_Saving_On_James_Shields/1629113 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/How_Much_Are_The_Rays_Saving_On_James_Shields/1629113 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/How_Much_Are_The_Rays_Saving_On_James_Shields/1629113 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/9/d9db883b81d67ef6988b7cce28aeb6d4b22ac3f4/small/aa.jpg In continuing our series of interviews with people in and around the game of baseball we're joined by friend of the site and sports writing vagabond extraordinaire, Jonah Keri.  We talk about Crawford, Bradley, instant replay, the financial state of the game, and two young LOOGYS on the rise.  Enjoy.   EH:  Lets kick this off with the $64,000 question. Crawford and the Rays, what happens? JK:  Depends on how the Rays fare in 2010, I imagine. If they fall ou... Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:00:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/An_Interview_With_Jonah_Keri/1622849 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/An_Interview_With_Jonah_Keri/1622849 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/An_Interview_With_Jonah_Keri/1622849 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/4/6420a69cb2822f9932015361effb7ef4137e6b7f/small/Picture_1.png Congrats to the much-deserving Joe Mauer. Miguel Cabrera received a first place vote, Ben Zobrist did not finish above sixth on any ballot. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:&quo... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:14:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Ben_Zobrist_Finishes_8th_in_AL_MVP_Voting/1618659 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Ben_Zobrist_Finishes_8th_in_AL_MVP_Voting/1618659 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Ben_Zobrist_Finishes_8th_in_AL_MVP_Voting/1618659 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/2/d2a7f4bd402e561586605d57251a7e22ea6bdd73/small/25.jpg Can the Rays keep Carl Crawford long term? Maybe. A discussion could be looming:TRADE WINDS: According to an industry source, the Rangers and White Sox have shown interest in CF B.J. Upton, and the Mets and Braves have inquired about All-Star LF Carl Crawford. The Rays have said they're interested in discussing a long-term deal with Crawford, who is eligible to be a free agent after the 2010 season.Carl Crawford wants to be a Ray long term. The Rays want to sign Carl Crawford long term. S... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hypothetically_Speaking_The_Carl_Crawford_Contract_Extension/1616791 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hypothetically_Speaking_The_Carl_Crawford_Contract_Extension/1616791 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Hypothetically_Speaking_The_Carl_Crawford_Contract_Extension/1616791 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/1/61b1dcaec1b3928b6d7d10e6e07f658688adc719/small/14.jpg by Jim Prisching - AP I know the Spiderman joke doesn't entirely make sense other than my insistence on saying Kapler plays the field like a spider on acid ... but his arms here seem to support my theory on Kapler's arachnid nature. View full size photo » As hopefully everyone knows, WAR does not account for baserunning. Stolen bases and caught stealing are included, but stuff like advancin... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:00:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Gabe_Kapler_is_Off_the_Bases_like_the_Spiderman_Logo/1616230 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Gabe_Kapler_is_Off_the_Bases_like_the_Spiderman_Logo/1616230 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Gabe_Kapler_is_Off_the_Bases_like_the_Spiderman_Logo/1616230 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/5/b5e5c7b325af16b39046b9e12f4c7143a46fb666/small/PicImg_MLB_APR_04_4927.jpg More photos » by Gail Burton - AP (AP Photo/Gail Burton) Browse more photos » While writing my piece for last weekend, I spent a lot of time looking at the Fangraph win values of historical players on the Rays.  I'm a huge fan of baseball history and lore, and looking at those old totals sparked an interesting question in my mind: I wonder who's had the worst offensive year ever while on the... Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:00:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Rays_All_Time_Offensive_Leaderboard_The_Sabremetric_Edition/1606702 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Rays_All_Time_Offensive_Leaderboard_The_Sabremetric_Edition/1606702 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Rays_All_Time_Offensive_Leaderboard_The_Sabremetric_Edition/1606702 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/1/912f677cfb1a5868f1b3133aecb1a064bd9a76f8/small/2e.jpg Ponder this question, answer it, and then mentally rank the options in order from one to five.  Leave full rankings in the comments section.  And no Fangraphs-peeking allowed!No worries, the answer will be coming at 10 AM today. **For those that haven't heard of wRAA, imagine the question this way: who has provided the Rays with the most offensive value during their time with the Rays?** Poll Who do you believe is the Rays' all-time offensive leader (a... Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Rays_Offensive_Leaderboard/1606295 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Rays_Offensive_Leaderboard/1606295 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Rays_Offensive_Leaderboard/1606295 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/1/61b1dcaec1b3928b6d7d10e6e07f658688adc719/small/14.jpg More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP Arnold has ties to newly-acquired Rays reliever, Ramon Ramirez. Browse more photos » A few weeks ago, the Rays quietly (is there any other way the Rays announce things?) announced a couple staff moves for the upcoming season. One of the moves that intrigued me was the promotion of Matt Arnold to the newly created position of Director of Pro Scouting.... Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/An_Interview_with_Tampa_Bay_Rays_Director_of_Pro_Scouting_Matt_Arnold/1600048 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/An_Interview_with_Tampa_Bay_Rays_Director_of_Pro_Scouting_Matt_Arnold/1600048 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/An_Interview_with_Tampa_Bay_Rays_Director_of_Pro_Scouting_Matt_Arnold/1600048 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/e/1ee6da6864914b79ed6df23b52d29427f4ef9114/small/d2.jpg Carlos Pena was also reinstated from the 60-day DL. These moves are pretty much procedural. Jennings and Hellickson were going nowhere, and same with Torres -- although I don't believe he was eligible for this year's Rule 5. This maxes out the 40-man and leaves a few notable players -- Aneury Rodriguez, Nevin Ashley, Ryan Reid, etc. -- unprotected from the Rule 5 draft barring further roster moves before tomorrow's deadline. Obviously you don't like the idea of Rodriguez b... Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:14:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Add_Alexander_Torres_Desmond_Jennings_and_Jeremy_Hellickson_to_40_Man_Roster/1596251 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Add_Alexander_Torres_Desmond_Jennings_and_Jeremy_Hellickson_to_40_Man_Roster/1596251 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Add_Alexander_Torres_Desmond_Jennings_and_Jeremy_Hellickson_to_40_Man_Roster/1596251 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/2/822abfe1cc0a08ab6c2dff99f2221977c76b2b67/small/06.jpg The front office will undoubtedly be faced with many tough decisions this winter.  We've discussed many of them; Crawford, the catcher situation, whether or not to trade Bartlett, etc.  One decision that won't be so tough is deciding which players to put on the 40 man roster, the deadline for which is Friday. Currently the Rays have three open spots on their 40 man roster, with another one possible since Jeff Bennett is not likely to remain with the team.  There&#3... Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:30:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Rays_and_The_Rule_5_Draft/1579901 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Rays_and_The_Rule_5_Draft/1579901 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/The_Rays_and_The_Rule_5_Draft/1579901 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/a/0a64e004b58d7f512297e4df21e22ee64d88c98e/small/MLB_JUN_17_b5e6.jpg View full size photo » Jaime Cevallos is a well known man around these parts. As co-star of the Zobrist code, he is widely credited for being part of the process that turned Ben Zobrist into Zorilla. Well if Cevallos is as good as advertised, we should be hearing a lot more from the "swing mechanic." In addition to working with Arizona Fall League breakout, Nevin Ashley, Cevallos has added Rays outfielder Justin Rug... Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:48:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Justin_Ruggiano_Takes_A_Trip_To_The_Swing_Mechanic_Jaime_Cevallos/1579902 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Justin_Ruggiano_Takes_A_Trip_To_The_Swing_Mechanic_Jaime_Cevallos/1579902 Rays VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman Chats With DRaysBay about Carl Crawford, closers and sabermetrics. View full size photo » Erik mentioned last week that we are making a strong effort to bring you some more insight from in and around the world of baseball. Whether it's a columnist, player or executive, we hope to bring you more perspective about the Rays than just the DRaysBay staff. Of course, we'll... Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_GM_Andrew_Friedman_Talks_with_DRaysBay/1572847 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_GM_Andrew_Friedman_Talks_with_DRaysBay/1572847 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_GM_Andrew_Friedman_Talks_with_DRaysBay/1572847 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/3/c380291c199b352df2f908a9f1d5bcfb706c3aa7/small/ab.jpg by Chris O'Meara - AP Longoria: Dude, relax, Andy H just said you had the two best starts of the year. Garza: F*$# YEAH ::spit:: (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) View full size photo » This is it, for those of you that have been patiently waiting to see the best Rays pitching performances of the year.  If you read through the last installment, then you noticed that I have moved to a scoring system.  Let&#3... Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:00:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Top_30_Starts_of_2009_Part_6/1567702 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Top_30_Starts_of_2009_Part_6/1567702 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Top_30_Starts_of_2009_Part_6/1567702 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/3/53a9d0093c0aff12fcc97ee1980bb9195e9181a9/small/11.jpg What was once lost is gained again. A source close to the situation has informed us that Swindle is indeed back in the organization on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. As you can expect, his velocity will not scare many batters. His average fastball sits in the low-80s and tops out below 85. He throws a smorgasbord of complimentary pitches though, some that even confuse the pitchx classification algorithm into calling them "unknowns". This is probably ... Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:17:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Sign_RJ_Swindle_to_Minor_League_Deal/1563731 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Sign_RJ_Swindle_to_Minor_League_Deal/1563731 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Sign_RJ_Swindle_to_Minor_League_Deal/1563731 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/f/8/f85dcce10a7668ccc10edb5215a6a06858b6cacb/small/Yankees_v_Reds_8fd7.jpg by Mike Carlson - AP Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Joyce, right, receives congratulations from teammate Gabe Gross. Now, he figures to replace Gross as the teams rightfielder. View full size photo » Thanks to baseball economics, Matt Joyce no longer figures to be left out of the right field equation. While some of us thought Joyce would have a chance to be the Rays right fielder in 2009, Gabe Gross and his ~$1 million sa... Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Matt_Joyce_Looks_Ready_For_Staring_Role/1556438 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Matt_Joyce_Looks_Ready_For_Staring_Role/1556438 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Tampa_Bay_Rays_Matt_Joyce_Looks_Ready_For_Staring_Role/1556438 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/b/abe8cb41f2164eacbd12171cd97c5e9db16d5d0f/small/MLB_APR_25_3c20.jpg More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP Browse more photos » Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso... Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:26:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Evan_Longoria_Wins_Gold_Glove_Carl_Crawford_amp_BJ_Upton_Robbed_Once_More/1539377 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Evan_Longoria_Wins_Gold_Glove_Carl_Crawford_amp_BJ_Upton_Robbed_Once_More/1539377 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Evan_Longoria_Wins_Gold_Glove_Carl_Crawford_amp_BJ_Upton_Robbed_Once_More/1539377 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/0/90613cf82439874cbd96acbd6d21e771a3777b33/small/Picture_3.png