Report: Tampa Bay Rays Hold Interest in Re-Signing Catcher Gregg Zaun
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 9:54 AM EST
97 comments
The Brewers, Rockies and Rays are the teams showing the most interest in free-agent catcher Gregg Zaun, according to major-league sources.
[...]
The Rays, who acquired Zaun from the Orioles last Aug. 7, face a choice between Zaun, Dioner Navarro and the newly acquired Kelly Shoppach for their two catching openings.
If they fail to sign Zaun, who batted .287/.323/.489 for them in 99 plate appearances, they still could pursue another catcher and decline to offer Navarro or Shoppach a contract.
The Rays offered salary arbitration to Zaun, a Type B free agent, ensuring that they would receive a supplemental draft pick between the first and second rounds if he signs with another club.
The Book says the benchmarks for platoon performances are 2,000 plate appearances for a right-handed batter and 1,000 for a left-handed batter. Over the last three seasons Zaun has 674 at-bats versus righties in which he's hit .249/.339/.418 (.232/.353/.311 versus lefties). Dioner Navarro has hit .245/.301/.337 against righties in nearly 850 at-bats (.257/.300/.430 versus lefties) and Kelly Shoppach has hit .229/.319/.420 versus righties in 600+ at-bats (.297/.392/.621 against lefties). I don't need to tell you which two make the most sense for a straight up lefty/righty platoon.
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pleasepleasepleaseplease
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
Zaun has stated he will sign this week. Is he using
this as a move to up the ante? Since the Rays offered arby to him, if he accepts, won’t he make less than elsewhere? Does he put a premium on playing for the Rays based on his home being here and they train in Florida/
No state income tax
for now
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 10:35 AM EST up reply actions
It's coming
They can’t keep churning out crop after crop of dumb kids, it’s hurting the rest of the country.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 10:40 AM EST up reply actions
This.
This state is so fucked. There are other financial incentives they can offer to bring businesses here, but they desperately need a state income tax. The public school system is a catastrophe and it’s not getting better.
Income tax doesn't make everything go away. See: the State of Wisconsin.
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
DRBPOFLAWA HEREWEGO
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
NJ is fine because we get fucked with property taxes
Oh wait, we’re not fine at all
Vroom vroom party starter
www.raysprospects.com
by Imperialism32 on Dec 3, 2009 1:47 PM EST up reply actions
No doubt, I don't expect the fools that get elected down there to honestly use the money, but being handed
a check for 2+ billion dollars couldn’t hurt the fiscal situation.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 11:01 AM EST up reply actions
Light. Rail. DOLLARS, Jon.
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
I LIKE TO CALL THIS LEGISLATION THE CLUSTER FUCK BECAUSE NOBODY REALLY KNOWS HOW BENEFICIAL IT WILL BE AND IT WILL NEVER GET ACCOMPLISHED ANYWAY.
HOW ABOUT THAT CHARLIE CRIST, JAWS? IS THIS GUY A SLIMY POLITICIAN OR WHAT?
I think it makes a tremendous amount of sense to synergize tourism areas. Capitalize on the state's top asset.
I also heard on NPR this morning that they will be voting on a penny sales tax for it very soon.
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
Sorry I wasn't slapping my knee to MJ doing the Crotchety Old Man.
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
If you tax too high, then all of those smarty-pants kids you educate will move places where they can make a living out of college.
Which is exactly why I moved back here.
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
I didn't study poetry.
And I don’t think anything that drastic needs to be done, except to improve infrastructure. Businesses won’t come here because it takes forever for their employees to get to work from a decent spot to live.
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
I don't think this is true
The time of travel is not all that different, the mode is.
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
THIS.
I'm a Brett Favre honk so FUCK YOU!
by PriceMultiCyYoungs on Dec 4, 2009 8:13 AM EST up reply actions
The average public school student in Florida costs around $10,000 of taxpayer money..
The problem is the system, not the amount of money being thrown at it. DC has the highest amount of money per student in the nation(or did) and has one of the worst school systems.
I dont get why people(other then the teachers union) are against the voucher system.
Because it just makes the problem worse.
The answer isn’t to get the kids who’s parents care out of the bad schools. The answer is to make the bad schools better.
Starting salary for Florida public school teachers: 33k and change.
Average salary for Florida public school teachers: 44k and change.
Nation-wide, that’s good for 20th and 28th. Tough to attract and retain intelligent, hard-working teachers getting paid jack shit. And yes, I know the hourly argument.
So how much should teachers be paid?
Should they all be paid the same? There are a lot of awful teachers out there making th same money as good ones.
Competiton doesnt make schools worse....
There is no financial incentive at these schools to make the children better. The unions have ade sure that shitty teachers and good ones are compensated the same way.
In Communist Russia, all teachers make the same money
::Yakov Smirnoff voice::
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 11:56 AM EST up reply actions
They have an incentive to teach at private schools...
While the pay is less, the typically work with students that are easier to work with. And private schools dont put up with crap teachers the way public schools do. There is an abundance of reasons teachers like teaching in public schools…
Easier to get drugs is probably high on the list (please pardon the pun.)
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 12:06 PM EST up reply actions
So how do vouchers address the issue of awful public schools?
They just shift state-dollars to faith-based private schools. Might some kids kid better educations? Sure, but the brain-drain it causes will cause public schools to get even worse. The problem isn’t the kids who’s parents are willing to get kids into charter, private, etc. The problem is the kids who’s parents don’t have that will. We can’t just leave them behind because then they end up robbing/killing/etc.
A friend of mine is a counselor at an alternative school in Orlando
If you want to hear some horror stories of shitty parenting, talk to her. Some are so doped or duped that they have no idea what’s going on, they just resort to violence, and the kids stop giving a shit. The kids, generally, are the weakest variable for failure. Oft times it is the parents.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions
I completely understand your perspective....
And unfortunately it is a very difficult one to answer. There are a lot of parents that could care less about their kids education. The problem is, how do you overcome that situation? By paying teachers more? By pouring more tax dollars into an inefficient system? I am all for trying to help the helpless, but it is a difficult situation to correct.
allocation of resources
I`m not sure that Zaun or Navi are a significant enough improvement over Shoppach against righthanders to warrant the salary either is expected to command. I would consider Jaso as a internal option to spell against a tough righty or a day game following a night game. Use the savings on the pen.
by Barnese and Bailey Circus on Dec 3, 2009 10:39 AM EST reply actions
If Shoppach goes down,
do you really want Jaso manning the position for an extended period of time? I’d much rather have Zaun as a platoon/insurance option.
Depth
The organization is dreadfully thin at catcher that is certain but if you are going to pay for a platoon player, wouldn`t you want more bang for your buck? Riggan`s is also available but not a good option either. How did we get so thin at first and catcher?
by Barnese and Bailey Circus on Dec 3, 2009 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
I'd hardly say we're thin at catcher.
Mira Sorvino...Paul Walker...T-Pain...Fall 2010...HEADSTONE MAFIA, A LOVE STORY OF REVENGE. "5/5 stars!!!" - DRB User "Andy Hellicksonstine"
The org has always lacked at 1B/C.
www.draysbay.com
by Tommy Rancel on Dec 3, 2009 10:58 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Senor Gordo
Unless your talking about Navi`s weight , I respectfully disagree.
by Barnese and Bailey Circus on Dec 3, 2009 10:59 AM EST reply actions
In his defense, sometimes there's a delay
and while you think your post will be in the reply position it acts as a new thought
Pardon me for being ignorant
but why would we trade for Shoppach if we weren’t gonna offer him a contract?
Signature space available for rent - Got to pay the bills somehow
Because the Rays have a history of making moves just to make them.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 11:44 AM EST up reply actions
Is this serious or interwebz sarcasm?
I can fathom during the season making a move and never using the player, so you cut him weeks later, but it seems a waste in the off season when you could have scouted him or done whatever without trading away something.
Signature space available for rent - Got to pay the bills somehow
Sarcasm sir.
He was a non-tender candidate, the Rays wanted his services. There’s about a 1% chance he gets non-tendered by us a week later.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 11:52 AM EST up reply actions
It was a joke on the media by Friedman, b/c he was sick of being hounded for news
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
Give Shoppach 450-500 PA on a 65-35 LHP to RHP ration and we'll be happy with his production
A warning though, he’s not good at blocking balls, so Kennedy will have a field day
I'm going to pretend like Kennedy isn't coming back.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions
My eyes are probably deceiving me, but how many times did you see Navi let one by with a runner on 3rd
Our pitchers were in incredible shape by the end of the year from having to sprint mound to plate.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 11:58 AM EST up reply actions
Shoppach
Projected at 2.5 WAR by FG users
2.5 by Non-Indian fans
2.2 by Indian fans
Page has not updated team yet
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
Going to guess Rays votes are inflating that non-Indian WAR a little.
But not by much.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 11:59 AM EST up reply actions
I hate projecting the Joyces and Zauns whose role hasn't been determined yet
I can handle rates, but theres no gauge on PT
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
I did the entire pitching staff last night.
Davis and Price were the hardest.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions
Also: I'm pretty amazed at how close these came to what I projected a month ago.
I didn’t fiddle with the numbers either, just input what I thought and bam, almost 1:1.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions
I was optimistic on Garza 4.1 WAR,
Shields 3.6
Price 2.3
Still need to do Niemann and Davis. Davis feels like a shot in the dark
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
Flip the top two names and that's me.
I have Price at 2.7.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions
Niemann 2.2, and somehow Davis came out at 3.6 though I'm not sure how based on inputs
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
I have Niemann at 1.9 and Davis at 2.2 I think.
I tried keeping Niemann’s potential for injury in check more so than any other starter.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 12:10 PM EST up reply actions
same on Niemann
K now Davis is at 2.4, I feel his HR/9 will be right around 1, moving him from .75-1 to 1-1.25 resulted in a loss of 1.2 WAR
Follow Me on Twitter @FreeZorilla
I have Howell at 1.5 and Balfour around .8.
Chavez and Cormier .1. Might be too pessimistic though.
by R.J. Anderson on Dec 3, 2009 12:13 PM EST up reply actions
I've got
Shields 3.6
Davis 3.1
Price 2.3
Garza 2.3
Niemann 2.3
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 12:13 PM EST up reply actions
The ranges are set, such that, you end up with similar numbers
Out of Price/Garza/Niemann, I could see all of them having between 7-7.9 k/9; 3-3.5 bb/9; and 1-1.25 HR/9. All of those are reasonable. I could see them needing a lot more than 30 ballots for these numbers to start to mean something. Though, I do like the ranges, because it will make it easier to get the casual fan to take part. Kind of a catch-22.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 12:19 PM EST up reply actions
Yes, I'm very high on Wade, provided he doesn't get ate up by lefties
or lose the command and control that I saw out of him at the end of the season.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 12:20 PM EST up reply actions
I think the ranges on the homers should be smaller, that's about the only beef I have.
I'm a writer.
by Andy Hellicksonstine on Dec 3, 2009 12:14 PM EST up reply actions
TWSS
Vroom vroom party starter
www.raysprospects.com
by Imperialism32 on Dec 3, 2009 1:48 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Good
Why do you kill threads????
by Some other guy who does not care on Dec 3, 2009 10:29 PM EST up reply actions
Jess
Why do you kill threads????
by Some other guy who does not care on Dec 3, 2009 10:30 PM EST up reply actions
There's always Robizon Diaz
Who hit .314/.351/.443 against righties in limited appearances last year, and, from what I’ve read, is a fairly decent defensive catcher and wouldn’t require a monster contract.
I've been thinking about Diaz for a few days
And while I think he could be useful, I’m not sure if he’s better than Lobaton or Jaso who are already on the 40 man roster.
www.draysbay.com
by Tommy Rancel on Dec 3, 2009 12:19 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Is the "upgrade" really worth about $2 million dollars?
Just looking at the stats, I’m not sure how much sense a straight platoon would make. .249/.339/.418 for Zaun isn’t much better (if at all) than .229/.319/.420 for Shoppach. Platooning Shoppach might help the Rays by, what, one or two runs a season?
If it doesn’t make sense to platoon Zaun and Shoppach, then is it worth spending that much for a good backup when the team has limited resources and can grab a random defensively oriented catcher off the scrap heap to play the other 30-40 games? I mean, what’s that, like a half win difference, maybe? Is a half win worth $2 million to a team that’s strapped for cash?
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
It's more depth too, in the case of injury it may be worth a lot more than .5 wins to have two decent catchers
Because then you’re comparing to Navi or the aforementioned defensively oriented catcher off the scrap heap.
by ChiBurbRaysFan on Dec 3, 2009 8:08 PM EST up reply actions
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