Once the Rays’ season finished with an early exit from the playoffs, the team prepared themselves for the inevitable. Outfielder Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox, first baseman Carlos Pena signed with the Cubs, Rafael Soriano signed with the Yankees, starting pitcher Matt Garza was sent to the Cubs, and shortstop Jason Bartlett was shipped to San Diego. In addition to those major subtractions, the Rays lost relievers Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler, Joaquin Benoit, and Randy Choate. All of these subtractions during the offseason are a recipe for disaster.
The Rays’ organization was looking at their top prospect outfielder Desmond Jennings to take over Crawford’s place in 2011. Jennings is supposed to be a lot like Carl Crawford, but he was not as impressive during his cup of coffee at the big league level last year. In 21 at-bats, Jennings hit .190 with no home runs, two runs batted in, and two stolen bases. His poor performance may have prompted the organization to go in a different direction for this season. The Rays signed free agents Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. Although they may be up in age, there really is no risk involved. Last season, Manny played for both the Dodgers and the White Sox. He spent the season on and off of the disabled list and in 90 games he hit .298 with nine home runs and 42 RBI. Damon played in more games than Manny last season but did not have a great season. In 145 games last season, Damon hit .271 with eight home runs, 51 RBI, and 11 stolen bases as a member of the Tigers. Having said that, I believe that both of these guys have some stuff left in the tank and can definitely contribute to the lineup.
Before the signings of Ramirez and Damon, I was beginning to think that Evan Longoria was going to be the only source of offense for the Rays in 2011. Longoria is arguably the best third baseman in the game and perhaps the best player in the American League. Last season, Longoria hit .294 with 22 home runs and 104 RBI in 151 games. Longoria will have some support in the lineup and should end up with even better numbers in 2011.
Since 2008, the Rays have featured one of the best pitching staffs in the American League. Despite losing Garza in the offseason, the rotation is still looking solid for the upcoming season. The Rays’ ace, David Price, had a tremendous season in 2010. The left-hander was chosen to start the All-Star game last season and finished the year with a 19-6 record with an ERA of 2.72 in 208.2 innings. The rest of the rotation features James Shields, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, and rookie Jeremy Hellickson. The emergence of Hellickson last season made it easier for the organization to move Garza. In 36.1 innings last season, Hellickson went 4-0 with an ERA of 3.47, and struck out 33 batters.
The Matt Garza trade to the Cubs was a very smart move by the organization. Not only did the Rays already have five starting pitchers ready to go outside of Garza, but what the organization got in return was tremendous. In exchange for Garza and outfielder Fernando Perez, the Rays acquired top pitching prospect Chris Archer along with other prospects from the Cubs. Between Single-A and Double-A last season, Archer finished 15-3 with an ERA of 2.34 in 28 games. It won’t be long before we see Chris Archer in uniform of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The cause for concern for these Rays is the bullpen. The key additions to the bullpen during the offseason were Joel Peralta, Kyle Farnsworth, and Adam Russell. I’m not necessarily sold this group getting it done late in games. Joel Peralta seems to be the projected closer for the Rays for this season. In 49 innings for the Nationals last season, Peralta went 1-0 with an ERA of 2.02, and struck out 49 batters.
The Rays are ready to defend their division title this year but it won’t be easy. The Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles all made significant upgrades to their team. The Rays are hoping that with the leadership of manager Joe Maddon and the presence of Longoria, Ramirez, and Damon in the lineup they can make a legitimate run at winning the American League East for the third time in the last four seasons. Ultimately, I think the Red Sox will be too much for the Rays to overcome for the division title, but a shot at the Wild Card is not out of the question.
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