Rays add backstop Zaun

That help-around-the-edges move the Rays didn't make at last week's non-waiver trade deadline? They made it Friday.

Moving to shore up a position that has been an area of weakness all season, the Rays acquired veteran C Gregg Zaun from the Orioles by claiming him off waivers and agreeing to a deal for a player to be named. The 38-year-old veteran of 15 big-league seasons was en route to Seattle on Friday and is scheduled to be uniform tonight.

The Rays cleared a spot for Zaun on the 40-man roster by designating minor-league reliever John Meloan for assignment and appeared likely to make room on the active roster by designating current backup C Michel Hernandez for assignment following Friday night's game.

The Rays apparently need another 40-man roster spot as well, as the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported they claimed LHP R.J. Swindle off waivers from the Brewers. The Rays didn't confirm that move, but Swindle has a minor-league option remaining and would head to Durham.

The Zaun move wouldn't seem to bode well for Dioner Navarro, who already had seen Hernandez cut into his playing time. But Manager Joe Maddon said lighting a fire under Navarro "wasn't the intent" in bringing in Zaun.

Instead, the Rays saw a savvy backstop who has spent the past six seasons in the American League East with the Blue Jays and Orioles and could give them a spark for the closing stretch.

"For a lot of different reasons, it's an exciting move for us," Maddon said.

Zaun, a Palm Harbor resident, told MASNSports.com Friday afternoon that he hadn't seen a trade coming but was pleased to have a chance to "move right back into my house and play for a contender."

He hit .244 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 56 games for Baltimore and had seen his playing time diminish considerably since the Orioles installed top prospect Matt Wieters behind the plate. Zaun is making $1.5 million this season and has a 2010 option for $2 million that can be bought out for $500,000.

It's unclear how often he'll start for the Rays, but they seem inclined to give him the opportunity to help fill in where Navarro (.224, six homers, 27 RBIs) has lagged coming off an All-Star season. The incumbent said Friday that it didn't do him any good to worry about what might happen from this point forward.

"I know it's been a tough year for me, but I don't have time to be thinking about that," Navarro said. "The only time I've got is to keep working to get myself better and keep working to help the team win and that's the bottom line."

It will be for Zaun, too, and those who have seen him play believe he'll make an impact.

"I think he's going to help out," said OF Gabe Gross, a teammate of Zaun's with the Blue Jays from 2004-05. "All the time he spent behind the dish in this division can't do anything but help."

Whatever works

Willy Aybar got another start Friday night, playing second base as Ben Zobrist moved to right field. It's an alignment that could become more common as Maddon continues to search for the best lineup.

It sounded as if Pat Burrell will continue to get the bulk of the time at DH except against pitchers who are particularly nasty to right-handed hitters, but Maddon said he'll be creative.

"Anything's possible, let me put it that way," Maddon said. "Anything's possible."

Getting there

Akinori Iwamura continued to plow ahead in his recovery from knee surgery Friday by working through increasingly intense drills at Safeco Field. Among them, Iwamura took off from second and rounded third, then had to brake in a hurry when third-base coach Tom Foley put up a stop sign, then kick it back into gear when Foley waved him on.

None of it seemed to bother Iwamura.

Marc Lancaster