Remember a month or so ago when the Rays were courting Russell Branyan to bring him back to Tampa Bay, but ended up settling for Hank Blalock?  Well, things aren’t going so well for Branyan in Cleveland.  He has been rehabbing a herniated disc in his back, and has yet to play this spring.  Says Branyan to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

“I don’t know if you’d call this a setback.  We’re looking at this thing from a broad spectrum. I plateaued out.  We’re taking a step back and making sure we’re moving in the right direction from a conditioning and longevity standpoint.”

ESPN’s Rob Neyer had this to say:

Blalock’s cheaper, though, and his career numbers against right-handed pitchers, while far from brilliant, are better than Burrell’s. A few decades from now, if somebody’s studying the 2010 season he probably won’t pay much attention to Blalock or Branyan, let alone the relationship between the two. But this summer I’ll be watching them.

Who knows?  The way Blalock’s contract in written, if he’s not in line for an opening day spot on the Rays’ roster, he could end up in Cleveland replacing Branyan.

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Depending how the battle for the fifth starting spot ends, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo thinks the Rays will begin shopping Andy Sonnanstine:

He is beginning to creep up the list for teams needing an end-of-rotation starter. He pitched four strong innings Thursday in a 4-1 win over Toronto, but he doesn’t seem to fit in the Tampa (Bay) rotation. Look for the Rays to entertain offers for him.

If the Rays can get something worthwhile, I’m all for it.  While I’m pretty sure Andy’s not the kind of player who will sulk if things don’t turn out to his liking, it would be nice to see him get an opportunity elsewhere.  Heck, put him in the National League and watch him hit every fifth day.

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