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The Real Dalic wrote:Is anyone interested in signing Cruz to play DH if we can somehow get him cheaper than expected? Even if it's a 3 year deal or so?

I honestly don't think this team is going to take on another penny in payroll. But then again, I could have said that before the Balfour signing as well. I was surprised to see us add him at $5M (+$7M next year) to this year's books. Sitting over $80M now I think. Highest payroll in team history I believe.

However, that doesn't mean we won't make trades. We still have 3 catchers on the 25-Man roster. At this point, I think our team is pretty stacked. If we trade Lobaton or Molina, it will probably be for cash or a prospect.

The Real Dalic wrote:Is anyone interested in signing Cruz to play DH if we can somehow get him cheaper than expected? Even if it's a 3 year deal or so?

Absolutely I would! He is exactly what this team has been missing for years. A legit power hitter and run producer at DH. This team would be set and a legit favorite to win the title if we were able to land him. Maybe a nice 1 year deal with incentives?

The Rays are apparently interested in A.J. Burnett.

Optimus_Steel wrote:

The Real Dalic wrote:Is anyone interested in signing Cruz to play DH if we can somehow get him cheaper than expected? Even if it's a 3 year deal or so?

Absolutely I would! He is exactly what this team has been missing for years. A legit power hitter and run producer at DH. This team would be set and a legit favorite to win the title if we were able to land him. Maybe a nice 1 year deal with incentives?

Cruz won't take a 1 year deal. And even if he did, we wouldn't be able to afford it. He turned down his 1-year $14M extension to enter Free Agency. He has to be looking for a multi-year deal at over $10M/yr.

The Real Dalic wrote:The Rays are apparently interested in A.J. Burnett.

I'm curious about this. Either we are making this public to drive up the price for other buyers, or we are legitimately considering Burnett. If it's the later, my guess is Price or Hellickson is halfway out the door and Burnett is halfway in to replace them to keep our playoff chances true. Our front office knows our best chances to take it all will be this year and next. We're going all-in for the next 2 years. I can't wait to watch it unfold

Helickson might be injured for the first 6-8 weeks this season.

The Real Dalic wrote:Helickson might be injured for the first 6-8 weeks this season.

I guess that means we're not trading Price. And maybe also why we were reportedly in talks with AJ.

MagicRays wrote:

The Real Dalic wrote:Helickson might be injured for the first 6-8 weeks this season.

I guess that means we're not trading Price. And maybe also why we were reportedly in talks with AJ.

Maybe. I think this will really hurt Helickson's performance next season though. Helickson needed to be healthy so that he wouldn't start off slow this coming season.

I hope when he comes back though, that he will be as good, or better than his rookie season.

The Real Dalic wrote:I hope when he comes back though, that he will be as good, or better than his rookie season.

I would not be opposed to that!

Fuld is signing with the A's. I hope he has a successful run with them.

The Real Dalic wrote:Fuld is signing with the A's. I hope he has a successful run with them.

He would be a beast if he could hit. He's already got the defense, baserunning, draws walks, strong arm.. Hell, he can even throw a few fastballs in a pinch.

Tracy McGrady is impressing some people as a pitcher. I hope he becomes a successful pitcher and makes it to the Majors.

The Real Dalic wrote:Tracy McGrady is impressing some people as a pitcher. I hope he becomes a successful pitcher and makes it to the Majors.

That would be really cool. He still has a lot to prove before a major league club risks a game by putting the ball in his hand, but it looks like he's serious about it. If nothing else, he'll sell a bunch of tickets and jerseys.

2014 will be Jeters last year. I'm not sure if I like this or not. Last year was good for us in that the Yankees kept slotting in horrible shortstops to hold his place until he got back from injury. Now the Yankees know for certain he will be gone soon and will look at signing another great SS. Either way, I don't see the yanks performing well this year. Should be us at the top of AL East, and maybe Boston trying to play keep-up.

MagicRays wrote:2014 will be Jeters last year. I'm not sure if I like this or not. Last year was good for us in that the Yankees kept slotting in horrible shortstops to hold his place until he got back from injury. Now the Yankees know for certain he will be gone soon and will look at signing another great SS. Either way, I don't see the yanks performing well this year. Should be us at the top of AL East, and maybe Boston trying to play keep-up.

I'm going to miss him. He's probably my all time favorite player.

Well, it's official, Lobaton has been traded to the Nationals for Nathan Karns.

The Rays have signed Erik Bedard to a minor league deal. I actually really like this signing. It's probably going to be an underrated signing.

The Real Dalic wrote:The Rays have signed Erik Bedard to a minor league deal. I actually really like this signing. It's probably going to be an underrated signing.

There's a ton of upside to that deal. If he keeps playing like he has the last 2 years, then its just a minor league contract. If he finds his old self, we have a steal. I think our staff takes a hard look at him in spring training for a rotation spot, now that Helly is out for awhile.

Also, on Nate Karns... this kid could be great. He throws mid 90s heat, and has a devastating curve for his strike-out pitch. Reports say his changeup is not good yet, but working on it. If he can get it down as a good 3rd pitch, he'll be looking at a middle-of-the-rotation spot. The Rays organization is probably the best at teaching and improving changeups. That is probably why we grabbed this guy. We may have just turned Lobaton into a soon-to-be starter for us. At worst, he'll be in our bullpen in a year or two.

Optimus_Steel wrote:

The Real Dalic wrote:Is anyone interested in signing Cruz to play DH if we can somehow get him cheaper than expected? Even if it's a 3 year deal or so?

Absolutely I would! He is exactly what this team has been missing for years. A legit power hitter and run producer at DH. This team would be set and a legit favorite to win the title if we were able to land him. Maybe a nice 1 year deal with incentives?

He ended up signing for 1 year $8 million. What a steal! I had a feeling we could have snapped him up for cheap. He would of made this team devastating.

Optimus_Steel wrote:

Optimus_Steel wrote:

The Real Dalic wrote:Is anyone interested in signing Cruz to play DH if we can somehow get him cheaper than expected? Even if it's a 3 year deal or so?

Absolutely I would! He is exactly what this team has been missing for years. A legit power hitter and run producer at DH. This team would be set and a legit favorite to win the title if we were able to land him. Maybe a nice 1 year deal with incentives?

He ended up signing for 1 year $8 million. What a steal! I had a feeling we could have snapped him up for cheap. He would of made this team devastating.

Maybe they wanted to stay away from him after what happened with Manny?