Is Jason Bay Headed to the Tampa Bay Rays?
Recently, the Rays have discussed the possibility of adding Brian Fuentes, a relief pitcher from the Colorado Rockies. Fuentes would undoubtedly shore up a bullpen that has been fairly above-average this season, and could add another closing option to the mix of Troy Percival and Dan Wheeler. Recently however, talks have surfaced between the Rays and Pirates, over one of their stars, right fielder Jason Bay.
Bay, undoubtedly, is one of the more underrated stars in the MLB today. He has hit for average (.284) but has gotten on base at an extremely high rate (.378). He also has hit for some nice power (22 home runs), and for a fairly power-starved Rays lineup, that could be crucial to their lineup's continued success. There is no doubt that he would instantly upgrade the Ray's platoon of Gabe Gross and Eric Hinske.
The question is, though, will it actually happen? As an avid Rays fan, I would love to see this happen, but I am tempering my expectations and ultimately, my hope. The Rays have already named top prospects Wade Davis and David Price as absolutely off-limits: while it allows me to breathe a sigh of relief, I also wonder if the Rays will be stingy with their talented young players.
In the end, I do not believe the Rays will go through with this deal, unless they can minimize the hit to their farm system to their liking. I believe that it will take a great deal of wiggle room to get this deal done, and I just don't know if Tampa is willing to sacrifice any part of their future to win now, as the team is having continued success as it is.
As we close in on Trade Deadline 2008, watch the Rays closely to see if they make any moves. It could be the difference between missing the playoffs and winning the World Series.
Published by Forrest W. Kobayashi
Forrest W. Kobayashi is a social media enthusiast, blogger and freelance journalist from Alexandria, VA. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentThanks for the comment man! I was really hoping the Rays would acquire Bay, and I was really disappointed when it didn't happen. Nice series...the Red Sox will be back next year for sure.
Appearently, Jason Bay did wind up in the Tampa ballpark--as a member of the visiting team. What a great story; Tampa in the world series after ten losing seasons. Too bad it had to come against my favorite team. But it's good for baseball. It's going to be a great series.