So our friend “The Professor” at RaysIndex has a fun little game going on amongst the the contributors in the Rays blogosphere called the “Trade Pool”
The long and short of it is…each blogger is to pick the five players they think are the most likely to get traded this season with a ranking of 1 to 5–one being the highest likelihood of joining a new team by seasons end, and five being the least likely of the players we think are going to be traded.
That said…here is who I selected…and why.
As always, I am opening this up to discussion, and I would love to get a great debate going…
1. Dan Wheeler
This selection seems pretty straight forward to me for a few reasons. The first…Wheeler is NOT a cheap arm to have on the roster. $3.2 million is what he is set to make this year. He is a serviceable reliever, but by no means is he top flight. Wheeler is a steady arm, but with Jason Isringhausen finishing up his minor league rehab assignments, the stage is set for him to make his debut with the Rays very soon. I give it about a month. Something will have to move on the roster to make room for him, and if the team puts him on the trading block soon, I think the time to unload Wheeler will coincide with Izzy’s promotion.
2.Andy Sonnanstine
Ok, so this one may be a stretch, but hear me out. Sonnanstine was a great addition to last years rotation, posting a 13-8 record, much to the surprise of many fans out there, but this year, has not been so hot for The Duke (1-3 with a 6.75 ERA). Yes, I understand he is cheap ($430,130 for 2009), but let’s take a look at some other alternatives the Rays have at this point. Wade Davis had arguably the best spring of any pitcher on the Rays roster, and he 23, where as Sonnanstine is 26. Also, we all know that David Price will be moved to the 25 man roster–permanently–at some point this season. Jeff Niemann has looked fantastic at times this season, and as he settles in, we will see more and more of the the number one draft pick potential that made the Rays select him in the college draft a few years back. Also, toss in that 25 year old Mitch Talbot turned some heads this spring which leaves the Rays with THREE possible solutions in house. I simply do NOT see where Sonnanstine fits into the teams long term future.
The rotation–barring any serious injuries–will look like this by seasons end : James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, David Price & Jeff Niemann–leaving Sonnanstine to be traded for minor league prospects.
3.Reid Brignac
Yes, I am aware that earlier this spring I was talking of Brignac finally cracking the Rays roster this year, but what can I say, Jason Bartlett has made me a believer. When Brignac was drafted originally, he was supposed to be the future of the middle infield for the Rays, but things have changed. Akinori Iwamura made a seamless transition from third base to second to clear the way for Evan Longoria’s rise to super stardom. Bartlett was acquired in a trade from Minnesota, and his played amazingly–enough to garner one MVP vote last season even. Ben Zobrist’s success at multiple positions is making him more and more valuable to the team and Adam Kennedy is playing well in the minors and has loads of Major League experience We also know that now, Tim Beckham is the chosen one to be a Barry Larkin type fixture for the Rays for years to come. While Beckham’s major league debut is still two or three years away, we know that he is “the one” making the need to keep Brignac around not as necessary. The team has more than enough pieces in place to bridge the gap between now, and when Beckham is ready to make the jump.
4.Gabe Gross
As much as it pains me to add his name to this list, I think the writing is on the wall for Gross–one of my favorite players. Matt Joyce is the right fielder of the near future for the team, and when he is called up, Gross will be an after thought. Gabe Kapler has much more flexibility and can play all three out field positions, Zobrist has been stunning in the field on occasion this season, and the organization is already grooming super prospect Desmond Jennings to perhaps take over in rightfield in the next year or so. That coupled with the fact Fernando Perez will be back from the DL late this year makes Gross the odd man out in perhaps the deepest position in the organization.
5.Shawn Riggans
Riggans is an injury prone back up catcher. That is really all that can be said. He does provide a little pop when he is in the line up, but that only happens every 10-12 games or so. Dioner Navarro is approaching All-Star status behind the plate, and I would go out on a limb at this point and say he MAY be the best catcher in the AL East…which speaks volumes since Jorge Posada of the Yankees and Jason Varitek of the Red Sox have held the one and two spots for a while. Navarro does a great job handling a young, but talented starting rotation for the Rays, and Riggans can easily be replaced by someone a bit younger, with a bit more potential who is a bit more durable.
So that’s it. Those are my explantions for my picks. Please sound off on them…I would love to hear what you all have to say.
Thomas Gemkow is the editor-in-chief of TampaBayRaysFan.com. Founded in January of 2009, TampaBayRaysFan.com is a compilation of all the best of the Rays, from across the web. The website can be followed on Twitter
