The only holes I see in our team are at rightfield, closer and DH. Cliff Floyd announced earlier in the year that he will not be retiring and would like to remain with the Rays. On the other side of the platoon I would love to see Willy Aybar take over every day. Great hitter. So that leaves us with closer and rightfielder.
Right Field free agents in our price range:
Adam Dunn- just the type of power hitter we are looking for. He may be a little bit of a liability in the field, but we know he can do it since he has only played in the National League. May be a little pricey, but is good for 40-45 Homers a season
Matt Holliday- He is not yet a free agent and would take a substantial package to do it. I think we can put together a package to do it and he would be the key for a run next year. The only issue is he is basically a one year rent.
Mike Cameron- He is a free agent this year and can hit and field. Unlike the others, he is a seasoned Vet at 35 years old. He will give you 25-30 homers and a decent average. He also can track down any ball in the field.RESIGNED
Pat Burrell- The Phil's will likely resign him, but he is worth a look. Will give us the power hitter we need and can play the outfield. He does not offer much of an average and once again may be a little pricey, but he is worth it.
Raul Ibanez- We looked at him during the season. He is a liability in the field but he is an outstanding hitter. 30+ Homers, .280-.300 Average. He is another one that is old and he is on the brink of retirment but he would be good for a couple years.
Jim Edmonds- A great outfielder. Gold Glover. He will hit homers. Yet again though, a seasoned vet.
Juan Rivera- Offers the power we are looking for. Would be a great option. I would like to see him in a Rays uniform and he played for LA when Joe was there so he likes him.
Matt Kemp or Andre Eithier- These would be strictly through trade from the Dodgers. Both have great potential and hit for power.
My options- I like Adam Dunn, Matt Kemp, Mike Cameron, Raul Ibanez or Juan Rivera.
These options are not necesarily Right fielders, but people who could play right field if we signed them.
Closers
Let's face it, Balfour and Howell had career years and Percival can't get the job done.
Brian Fuentes- Another one we looked at the trade deadline. A shutdown option for closer. Gives you a low ERA and lots of saves.
Trevor Hoffman- Would be an expensive option, but racks up saves. He also is older, but would be a better veteran presence than Percival.
Jason Isringhausen- At 34 years old, he would give you 3-4 more years. He depleated his value last year with his horrid season and would be right back in our price range. Other than last year, he was one of the best closers in the league. I like this option because he would give the saves we need and would be a great presence in the clubhouse.
Rafael Soriano- Great pitcher, but what scares me about him is the fact that he missed most of last year to injury and is very injury prone. This may depleat his value. He is the youngest on this list but would be a great option. He is a risk, but a risk I would be willing to take.
Kerry Wood- I like him. He was an All Star last year and a lights out closer. He would probably be a little pricey but he would be great to see in a Rays uniform.
I would love to put K-Rod on this list, but let's face it, there is no way we could afford him. He played with Maddon as the bench coach at LA.
My options- Kerry Wood, Rafael Soriano, Brian Fuentes, and Jason Isringhausen.






Personally if we’re looking at Mike Cameron, we should look at a trade for Magglio Ordoñez. He is a guaranteed hitting machine, and a pretty good glove in RF too.
If we can trick Dave Dumbrowski, the engineer of the 1997 Marlins Fire Sale and the current Tigers GM, we could get him for a reasonable price in trade.
I agree. Mags is a great hitter and if you can get him cheap, it would be a great deal.
I’m also in that we need a DH/RF, but we don’t have the money to sign the Fielders you mentioned (other than Rivera; but I would love to see add Adam Dunn as well)
So, there should be other (affordable) possibilities via trade (for Edwin Jackson and for some players a bit more in return):
Nate McLouth, Luke Scott , Nick Swisher, David Murphy, Brian Giles, Kila Ka’aihue, Brad Hawpe, …
I also think that we need another Bullpen arm (especially when Percy retires), but don’t by a guy who already is a closer! They are way too expensive as the closer – status is very overrated. I would make Balfour the closer. Some solutions for a reliable bullpen arm:
Chad Cordero (FA/Nationals/could be fit for the beginning of the season and a steal right now), Ramon Ramirez (for EJax), Taylor Buchholz, …
… we also have some BP depth in the minors:
- Juan Salas
- Chad Orvella
- Dale Thayer
- Mitch Talbot
I like Thayer. He has potential. I would also be OK with trading for a young bullpen guy. Cordero would be good and has closer’s experience. I would not make Balfour the closer. All he offers is the good old number one that he tries to blow by the wrong people. In a long season he would be too hittable.
Welcome aboard!