Credit to JI for the Griffey pic.

Ok, it's been an action packed four days of winter meetings. It's time to gather up everything in one nice recap and see where we stand.

 Day One

• The Rays were quiet until late afternoon Eastern Time when it was announced that Milton Bradley ate Pizza and French Onion soup with the Rays.
• The Rays also signed minor leaguer Paul Phillips, the pitcher.
• We learned that Griffey wanted to be the next Raymond.

Day Two

• Delmon Young coming back was the hot topic, but that was shot down quickly.
• The Rays and Cardinals had discussions. The suggested names were Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick
• Jason Giambi and The Rays chewed the fat at N9ne steakhouse.

Day Three

• The Rays liked Nelson Cruz, but so do the Texas Rangers.
• The Marlins offered Jeremy Hermida for two pitching prospects and got the no thx.
• The Rays have interest in Griffey. Position, DH or Mascot, unknown.
• Bobby Abreu's agent met with the Rays and it appears the Rays and the White Sox are the front runners for his services.
• In the biggest Rays news from the meetings, the Rays traded Edwin Jackson, who was proclaimed in 2003 as the best Dodger pitching prospect since Pedro Martinez, to the Detroit Tigers. It's only fitting that his last regular appereance came in Detroit and saw him blow a two-run lead only to get lucky enough to later win the game and tie the franchise record for wins in a season.
• The return for Jackson is Matt Joyce, a Tampa native with good power and is an above average corner outfielder. The Rays get six years of  team control for what Dave Cameron calls "essentially, a left-handed Werth - a guy who can play very good defense in a corner OF spot, has gap power and will walk occasionally, but whose lower contact rate will always keep his average down. "
• Oh and he rescues kittens. P Brady would be proud.

Day Four

• The Rule 5 Draft took place and as expected Eduardo Morlan was selected. Morlan is now property of the Brewers, but could still land back with the Rays at some point.
• The Rays selected RHP, Derek Rodriguez, who oddly enough could be the loogy the Rays need.  Here is what Andrew Friedman had to say about him.

"We feel like he’s got an advanced feel for pitching," Friedman said. "He changes arm angles, he changes speeds, he misses bats. We’ve got numerous reports that he makes hitters uncomfortable in the box with the different things that he does and we’re anxious to get him into big-league camp and get a look at him firsthand."

Friedman said Rodriguez will definitely be given a chance to make the team.

"I don’t think we would have taken him if we weren’t intrigued enough to give him a real opportunity," Friedman said. "What will happen remains to be seen, and some of that will be dictated by what we do between now and then. But as we stand here today we’re excited to add him and feel like he’s got a very legitimate chance to come in and earn a job."

• In news that just makes you smile, Marc Topkin shares this.

Probably the most interesting thing Friedman said is that he thinks the Rays can be "competitive" in bidding for the free-agent hitters. The Rays have not made a formal offer for any of them, thus far just talking parameters.

All in all it was a crazy rumor filled week. The Yanks got Sabathia and made offers to every possible free agent pitcher. The Mets got K-Rod and then traded for a better closer the next day, but will use him as a set up man. The Red Sox really didn't do anything and the Rays got stronger in two areas with one move.

The Rays still have a few holes, including DH, a possible right handed bat in the outfield, and maybe a bullpen arm or two, but do you know the best part of this whole week? The Rays are players, serious players. We all felt great after the successful on the field season, but hearing the words: Rays, competitive and free agents in the same sentences just makes it even better.

Overall Winter Meeting Reaction:

via cache.daylife.com

Awful defender + average bat = below average player.

Look, I feel bad that Michel Hernandez may reach more World Series than Griffey Jr. too, but he's not very good anymore.

Oh, and Jose Guillen had a higher wOBA than Gary Sheffield. Jose Guillen had a .300 OBP.

BALDELLI ASSIGNED TO HIGH A FOR REHAB ASSIGNMENT:

OF Rocco Baldelli, having rehabbed for three months and played in a smattering of Extended Spring Training games, reached the next step in his comeback bid by being assigned to High A Vero Beach for a rehab assignment beginning Monday. Baldelli, the victim of a rare mitochondrial disorder that causes muscle fatigue, will be the Designated Hitter in Vero Beach's scheduled games on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Baldelli had reported no problems with muscle fatigue DH'ing in every other Extended Spring Training game, though Executive Vice President Andrew Friedman asserted that the move was more of a necessity than a great advancement in his recovery.

"It's just an ongoing part of the process. I wouldn't say that at this point there have been any great revelations, but the important thing is, right now he feels good, so we're going to be smart about this thing."

With Extended Spring Training over, the Rays needed to do something with Baldelli to keep him on the field, and that beget the rehab assignment to Vero Beach. The Rays will run into problems, however, with a provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that limits the amount of days a player may spend on a rehab assignment in the minor leagues to 20. Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune speculates that the Rays may pull Baldelli off of the rehab assignment at some point to buy time and put him back on at a later date. It is unlikely that he will be ready to complete his rehabilitation after just 20 days.

"It's our sense that if, by chance, we need more time - which at this point we have no idea whether we will or won't - that there will be ways to figure it out within the rules," Friedman said.

PEÑA RECOVERY:

Meanwhile, in other injury news, 1B Carlos Peña is recovering from a broken left index finger that he suffered a week and a half ago. Manager Joe Maddon said that Peña is close to returning, and the first baseman himself insists that he will be ready when eligible to come off the DL on the 19th. That doesn't square with an earlier prognostication by Maddon, so we'll see what comes of that. 

More "News & Notes" follow the jump

Continue reading this post »

Jon Heyman:

Griffey, 39, has a no-trade clause but has told intimates that if the Rays stay in the race, he'd consider waiving his veto power to go home. Or close to home, anyway. Tampa is much nearer his Orlando area residence than any other big-league city. Griffey's tony Isleworth community is about an hour from St. Petersburg, where the Rays play.

I like Griffey, but honestly, I don't want him here, not for the price it's likely to take, but here's a far more interesting tidbit from the article:

Floyd said earlier this year he's pretty sure this will be his last season.

Here's why we shouldn't:

12.5 million this year, a 4 million buyout next year or 16.5 million.

This.

And Gabe Gross has a higher OPS, is younger, cheaper, and better at defense.

Please Rays, do not compound a smart move (Gross) with a PR one (Griffey).