the trade was made either because the player was not producing and we had a better alternative on hand or because, as I pointed out above, the Rays planned for moving older talent in order to build system depth while replacing them with at least equivalent talent. That is not acting as a farm team for other clubs but implementing a solid plan to contend now and in the near future.

Of course Iwamura was moved to save money. But not only did the Rays acquire an interesting talent immediately; in the end they got a more expensive piece for right now in Soriano. And with Zobrist on hand as well as Sean Rodriguez and Brignac, why keep Iwamura? Suppose Montero proves to be an all-star catcher. Should the Yankees keep Posada just to prove they will spend money?

Yes, Kazmir was moved for budget reasons, but aside from the return of 3 legitimate prospects, one probably ready to contribute right now, Kazmir had declined precipitously, and Wade Davis was ready to step in. That is not acting as a farm club; that is planning intelligently to maximize resources.

Huff too had declined at the time of the trade, and trading him was exactly right at the time because the team was just beginning its plan to build a contender of which he could not be a part. It’s not as if the Rays traded him just as he was about to blossom; that would be acting as a farm club. They did it as he was in decline, following Branch Rickey’s adage that it is better to trade a year early than a year late. (Actually, LaMar should have traded him a year or so earlier.)

I could review every single player you list and point out that the Rays were not simply dumping salary or acting as a farm for other teams but implementing a solid plan for contending. And note too that when the club was ready to contend, the Rays expanded the budget to pick up the extra pieces they needed. Compared to the Yankees or Red Sox it may not seem like much, but they spent on Bradford, on Wheeler (extending him) and this year on Soriano. Is Atlanta a farm club for TB? Was Baltimore? Further, note that the Rays outbid both SD and Cleveland to acquire Iwamura in the first place.

You might also remember that in trading Talbot for Shoppach the Rays added salary. Is Cleveland a Rays farm team? Of course it does not help a case when Toby Hall’s name is mentioned. And incidentally, when the Rays released Guillen he was being paid under $1 million and signed for $500,000 the next year. The Rays released him after a season in which he received 145 PAs and had 6 walks, 3 home runs and an OPS+ of 85. I doubt that budget was the primary reason to let him go, even with LaMar in charge.

I agree that Crawford and Pena are almost certainly gone in 2011 and that others will follow. I assume you can see how the Rays are trying to provide for that. My point stands. There has yet to be one instance-not one instance-in which the Rays let go of a star player for budget reasons, and while I think that will now begin happening, it is clear that the Rays are providing for that in an intelligent way. There is no way to interpret what they are doing negatively which is what one does by referring to them as a farm team for other clubs.