Is Davis at risk of being overworked?
Wade Davis is on the “Verducci List” for 2010. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means he may be one of the young pitchers that gets worked too hard too early. Check this post out in its full length, it is a really interesting read, and looking back on the way pitchers should be brought up, it makes a lot of sense. Hopefully, that means David Price should have a dominating year in 2010…
Rays have mild interest in veteran slugger
Russell Branyan is the latest free agent that the Rays have expressed a mild interest in. The Rays front office has tossed around several names this off season, including Johnny Damon, Orlando Hudson, Jim Thome & Milton Bradley, but none seem as puzzling as the addition of Branyan. The veteran Branyan is a career .234 hitter with 164 homers and 396 RBI’s. It is fair to question where he would land on the roster if the Rays sign him–they are set at first base at least through 2010 with Carlos Pena.
More thoughts on Benoit
R.J. Anderson of DRaysBay takes a deeper look at addition of relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit. I really hope this guy works out the way he has the potential too, I would much rather see him with the last spot in the bullpen over Andy Sonnanstine.
Once Pena leaves, I could see Branyan as a stop gap at first until we groom someone down on the farm, but that is about it. As a fan, I am hoping that they are not pushing for Branyan so they can dump Pena and his salary early in the year.
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
