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No Bay May Still Pay Off For Rays

By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 3, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - In the hours leading up to Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline, the Rays apparently were prepared to offer up a hefty package of prospects to secure the player they wanted, Pittsburgh's Jason Bay.

It didn't work out, as the Pirates' return from a three-way deal with the Red Sox and Dodgers trumped Tampa Bay's offer, but that could end up being a positive for the Rays.

Make no mistake - they wanted Bay. The All-Star would have filled the one vacancy in their everyday lineup and provided a big right-handed bat to help balance their lefty-heavy order.

But getting him would have required drawing heavily from the well the Rays hope will sustain them for the next five-plus years. From the sound of it, they would have been willing to pay that price, but the fact that it didn't come to that might end up serving them well.

"We felt like we were in a position where we couldn't lose," said executive vice president Andrew Friedman. "There were scenarios which, internally for us, made a lot of sense and would have hurt us some in future years but would have helped us now. And there were other scenarios where you get help for the current year and killed in future years."

With the Tigers in town, it's only appropriate to invoke one of the most celebrated deals with the devil, Detroit's Aug. 12, 1987 acquisition of Doyle Alexander from Atlanta in return for young prospect John Smoltz.

Alexander went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 11 starts down the stretch as the Tigers made the playoffs, but he had a 10.00 ERA in two ALCS losses. And Smoltz went on to assemble a potential Hall of Fame career as a cornerstone of the Braves' division dynasty.

The drumbeat from current Rays management, from Stuart Sternberg on down, is that they're not in this for a Marlins-style one-and-done run at the World Series. They're after success that can be maintained over a multi-year period, and the only way they'll be able to do that is to keep the in-house pipeline that brought them the likes of Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria.

The Rays' payroll should keep increasing, but the focus with those salary bumps will be more along the lines of locking up their players long-term than spending big on a free agent.

If the Red Sox or Yankees have to give up a couple of prospects to make a deal that puts them over the top, they'll be able to replenish on the open market. The Rays don't yet have that luxury, so they have to be sure about what they're getting before they think about parting with a Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson or Reid Brignac.

"It has to make sense," Troy Percival said. "A guy like Jason Bay's a great player, but is he worth giving up three top prospects? Our prospects are probably better than other teams' prospects, from what I've read and what I've seen."

Most around the game agree, which is why the Rays don't feel too bad about hanging on to a few of them this week.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Carlos Pena's homer leading off the sixth inning Friday night snapped a 2-2 tie and provided the momentum the Rays needed to get past a tough Tigers team in the series opener. Pena's 19th longball of the season briefly tied him with Evan Longoria for the team lead, but the rookie hit No..20 the following inning.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"We're in first place on July 31 - we control our own destiny. I feel like we have the talent on hand to continue what we've done through the first two-thirds of the season." - Executive vice president Andrew Friedman, on the team standing pat through Thursday's non-waiver trade deadline

STAT OF THE WEEK

.404
Dioner Navarro's batting average in his last 13 games against the Blue Jays

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Rays welcome the Indians to the Trop for three games beginning Monday, and they certainly would like to exact some revenge from the last time the two teams met. You may recall the Indians' four-game sweep of the Rays in Cleveland heading into the All-Star break. After that, it's on to Seattle for a four-game set with the Mariners beginning Thursday. That series begins a run in which the Rays will play 13 of 16 games on the road.

MINOR-LEAGUE REPORT

Top draft pick Tim Beckham had the biggest game of his young career Thursday, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and driving in two. … Durham C Mike DiFelice made an emergency pitching appearance Thursday, allowing a three-run homer in the ninth inning of what became a 12-2 Bulls loss. … Hudson Valley RHP Nick Barnese, the Rays' third-round pick last year, is 2-1 with a 2.06 ERA in eight starts.

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