My fault, but to make my point that trade did nothing for that season, and although the Mets still make the postseason frequently, they have teh fiancial ability to cover up mistakes, the Rays do not have that luxury.

That will reinforce James’ point. Cleveland was contending in ‘05 with a homegrown core 2 years younger than last year. Then they collapsed a bit in ‘06. Made it to the playoffs last year as one of the low-cost, homgrown “teams of the future” along with the D”backs and Rockies. Now, collapse again. S* happens. Cliff Lee looked a core stud in ‘04 and ‘05, then spent 2 seasons in decline before this one. Player and team development is rarely a straight line process.

The Rays have no guarantee of contending in the next 2 years – I’d say it’s likely, but it’s far from guaranteed. There’ll still be pen holes, the offense has to improve, and the rotation is across the board having career to date years. I don’t know that there’s anything out there in any reasonable cost range that can make a difference now, though I would say Mahay and Bradley certainly fit the bill on the surface. I don’t know that KC is really looking to move Mahay – that they signed him to that deal indicates to me they consider him a piece of their short term future, so he may cost more than he’s worth. And a Bradley acquisition would exact a high price – I’d anticipate Davis or Hellickson would have to top that deal.

That said, I think the Rays should be going for it. Contending deep into September or making the playoffs should dramaticlly change the financial picture for the club. There should be big crowds for the balance of this season, and dramatically improved prospects for the foreseeable future. That is what the Rays will need to continue to contend on an ongoing basis, and the sooner that fan base is built up, the better your team’s prospects are. The ability to compete for key added pieces, especially since the needs should be limited, completes the package. Sitting on your hands now and being unwilling to move what may or may not be a pitcher of note downstream seems more shortsighted than strategic to me. And Davis’ peripherals aren’t what they have been as he moves up the ladder. There’s no guarantee he fills a rotation role better than either Jackson or Sonnanstine have in the next season or 2. For the right piece I’d move him – Price and Hellickson are still in the wings, and Niemann is there for depth.

What you move for pen help is another story. But good aquisitions there can sometimes come cheap – no top end high preformer should be required. If you decide that you can live with bartlett’s defense until another good option comes along, Brignac should be a very useful chip. A top guy far down the system could also bring a nice return, and who knows where they’ll be in 3-4 seasons. Risks like that should be easy to swallow.

At any rate, if a useful but costly deal can be done, I’d say go for it. 2-3 good pieces out of your system shouldn’t be unmanageable if the system is as good as you think. Personally I don’t think it is as good as you all think, but these things change as players develop. You’re certainly not the White Sox.