It can be said that the 2011 off-season should be much less interesting than last year. There will be nothing as dramatic as Carl Crawford going to the Red Sox or Rafael Soriano signing with the Yankees. With that said, here are my five key questions that will have to be answered this off-season. Where will [...]
Archive for the ‘Offseason Preview’ Category
Tampa Bay Rays – Five Off-season Questions
Posted: 20th October 2011 by Michael Emdeyar in Offseason PreviewTags: BJ Upton, carlos peña, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Matt Moore
2
Offseason Preview Part 1: The Contracts
Posted: 5th October 2011 by Devon Rogers in Offseason PreviewTags: Casey Kotchman, Johnny Damon, Kyle Farnsworth
With the Rays elimination from the playoffs yesterday, it is time to look ahead to what could be a make or break offseason. The Rays have a great chance to build around their talented young core to make a run at the championship next season. With Evan Longoria, Matt Moore, Desmond Jennings, and David Price, [...]
Beating back the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox last year to take the AL East, it was a shock to Rays’ fans everywhere when the team lost the ALDS in 5 short games. What was even more shocking, however, was the fact that Tampa Bay basically purged its roster after a rather [...]
The Sunday Papers – Opening Day
Posted: 4th April 2010 by Michael Emdeyar in Offseason PreviewTags: Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, evan longoria
Let’s take a trip around the AL East newspapers as we try to find some of that 2008 magic… The Boston Globe’s Tony Massarotti has the AL East going Yankees, Red Sox, Rays. Shocker. Not a lot of new stuff included, but I thought there was some clear homerism going on in this statement. [...]
Longoria – MVP / Some Garza Love in the NY Post’s Pre-Season Awards
Posted: 31st March 2010 by Michael Emdeyar in Offseason PreviewTags: evan longoria, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Garza, Wade Davis
[picappgallerysingle id="2297090"] Joel Sherman posted his 2010 predictions for 2010 awards this morning and the Rays figured prominently. Evan Longoria is becoming a popular choice to win the MVP award. In explaining his choice, Sherman almost sounds like he’s feeling guilty for not picking Joe Mauer. For me, the most interesting tidbit from Sherman was [...]
Off-Season Questions Answered – Rays Appear Ready for 2010
Posted: 30th March 2010 by Michael Emdeyar in Offseason PreviewTags: Carl Crawford, Desmond Jennings, Rafael Soriano
Back in October, I posed ten questions about the off-season. Who’s here today that won’t be here in February? Thankfully, the names are few. Gabe Gross is gone. Aki was traded. Pretty much all else remained in place for the upcoming season. And, that explains why we remain optimistic for the 2010 season. Who do [...]
A Quick Word From Red Sox Nation
Posted: 23rd February 2010 by Michael Emdeyar in Offseason PreviewTags: Akinori Iwamura, NESN, Rafael Soriano
And this from the Red Sox flagship, NESN: Tampa should be stronger at the end of games if Soriano performs up to expectations, but with the loss of Red Sox killer Akinori Iwamura and several other departures from their middle relief corps, the Rays don’t seem to have made up a considerable amount of ground [...]
Jayson Stark and the Rays
Posted: 20th February 2010 by Michael Emdeyar in Offseason PreviewTags: Jeremy Hellickson, Rafael Soriano
ESPN’s Jayson Stark gave his early assessment of the Rays. And, Rays fans should be happy. I won’t dwell, but the highlights are “It isn’t last year anymore” and “They have a closer”. Enough for me. So, if there’s anything from Stark’s piece that sums it up, it’s this: By the way, this team also [...]
What About Felipe Lopez?
Posted: 19th February 2010 by Michael Emdeyar in Offseason PreviewTags: Ben Zobrist, felipe lopez*, Matt Joyce, Sean Rodriguez
[picappgallerysingle id="5826747"]The major storyline for the spring camp will be the 2nd base/right field battle. Where will Ben Zobrist end up? I know the Rays have options at second base in Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac and in right field in Matt Joyce. But, there remains one free agent that interests me. Felipe Lopez finished last season [...]