Rays still in the trade hunt?
The Rays lost out on the Cliff Lee trade derby when the defending World Series champ Philadelphia Phillies scooped up the underrated pitcher in a trade with the Cleveland Indians earlier this week…but that does not mean that our Rays are out of the starting pitcher trade hunt.
According to a report on FoxSports.com:
The Rays have not pulled out of the Roy Halladay sweepstakes.
A trade for Halladay remains a longshot for the Rays due to the acquisition cost, both in prospects and dollars, according to a major-league source.
But the team still considers itself in the mix.
Club officials also are focusing on adding bullpen help — and yes, just 24 hours ago they were kicking around the idea of selling relievers.
The Rays’ shifting position reflects their uncertainty about their postseason chances playing in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox.
I for one, am FOR this trade. If the Rays can land Roy Halladay, it would be the first time the team has EVER had a true stud at the top of there rotation. We all know that will eventually be a spot reserved for David Price, but we need to look at a few things here when considering bringing Halladay on board.
1.The Yankees and Red Sox are strong this year. While there has not been any talk of Halladay landing in the Bronx, there HAS been talk about him ending up in Boston…which could be catastrophic to the Rays hunt for a American League Wild Card birth.
Currently, the Rays are 4 games back in the Wild Card hunt, we need to look at whatever we can to add talent to help 
make a push for that coveted spot. I would be much more comfortable trading a bundle of prospects–including Wade Davis–for Halladay as opposed to Lee. This is something Andrew Friedman needs to make happen.
2.We know that Halladay has a hefty price tag, but what would a World Series win bring to the table for the Rays?
Star power to bring in more fans?
Clout enough to help in the building of a new stadium that would bring more traffic in?
At some point, the Rays, a team that surprised everyone last year…needs to make a commitment to the fans to put a winner on the field year after year. Yes, we are loaded with prospects. Yes, we have a ton of talent in the bigs now, but just like any business endeavor, sometimes you need to spend money to make money.
This would be a serious move that Friedman could make to show a “win right now” attitude for the Rays.
Garza throws at Yankees star
Matt Garza knows all about protecting your assets.
The Rays pitcher hit the Yankees big time first baseman Mark Teixeira with a pitcher in last nights 6-2 loss, but it wasn’t for no reason. Here is the story from ESPN.com:
Tampa Bay’s Matt Garza hit New York Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira with a fifth-inning pitch Wednesday night, then said he did it because he’s tired of opposing pitchers throwing at Rays All-Star Evan Longoria.Teixeira, who homered and drove in two runs in the Yankees’ 6-2 victory over Garza, was plunked after one of Joba Chamberlain‘s pitches sailed over Longoria’s head in the previous inning.
“They can take whatever they want from it from it, but I just kind of got tired of people brushing him back. It’s about time someone made a statement,” Garza said, noting that Longoria was hit by a pitch in the opener of the three-game series on Monday night.
“I hate to be that guy, but someone had to take a stand and say we’re tired of it,” the right-hander added. “You can go after our best guy. Well, we’ll make some noise, too, and that’s what happened.”
Longoria, who was hit by Yankees reliever Jonathan Albaladejo on Monday, did not take issue with Chamberlain.
“That’s just the way the game goes. I don’t know if it was intentional, unintentional or if it was a way to kind of stir up our dugout,” Longoria said. “I don’t have any hatred or negative feelings. It’s just part of the game.”
Bravo Matt Garza. I appreciate what you did, and I am sure Evan did as well. Sometimes, in baseball, these things happen. I am ok with it. Let’s hope Bud Selig does not make this a big deal, and you don’t miss any time.
Rodriguez continuing to impress
Anuery Rodriguez has pitched 19 straight scoreless innings. Rodriguez, who came to the Rays as part of the trade that sent Jason Hammel to the Colorado Rockies seems to be working out two fold for the Rays.
Jeff Niemann won a starting spot and has been in my opinion, the most impressive Rays pitcher all season, and Rodriguez is making quite a name for him self down on the farm for the Montogmery Biscuits.
Looks like a win win situation for Tampa Bay so far.
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
