Carl Crawford
This one was posted in the previous thread, but for those who missed it:
Sources with Tampa Bay and the Sox said the sides had talked several times this offseason, not only checking out closer Bobby Jenks and his availability in a deal, but more specifically a trade that would have sent Carlos Quentin to the Rays for Carl Crawford.
The author also quotes White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen on such rumors, who says:
''A lot of people know what the White Sox need because Kenny talks to so many teams,'' Guillen said. ''Obviously, we need a leadoff hitter, left fielder, we're looking for that. But right now Carlos is prepared to have a pretty good year. The last 10 games of the season, he was the Carlos we expected.
Not to let the proverbial cat out of the bag, but Jenks fits the a similar profile of Kevin Gregg, Matt Lindstrom, and Matt Capps. Each is an end-game reliever coming off a rocky season with longball issues. Salary issues are probably going to prevent Jenks from ever donning a Rays cap, he's due at least $5.6M next season.
Brian Shouse
Good news here. Shouse declined arbitration, which means if/when he signs with another team, the Rays will receive an additional draft choice.
Milton Bradley/Pat Burrell
Nothing's changed. Here's the latest Sun Times piece to prove it.
Matt Lindstrom
A quick update on everybody's favorite Marlin reliever nowadays:
The Texas Rangers and, to a lesser degree, the Tampa Bay Rays are among teams inquiring about the Marlins' hard-throwing right-hander — even though Lindstrom had an inconsistent season.
Bobby Abreu
USA Today has a somewhat interesting note about the contract offer the Rays made last year to Abreu:
Two years ago, the Yankees gave Jorge Posada, a catcher who had turned 36 on Aug. 17, a four-year, $52 million contract. A year later, they let outfielder Bobby Abreu, then 34, walk away after he posted at least 100 RBI for the sixth season in a row.
Abreu spent most of the winter waiting for a big payday. There were plenty of offers, with 10 teams expressing interest, agent Peter Greenberg says, yet only the Tampa Bay Rays offered more than a one-year deal.
The Rays also offered more money than he wound up signing for.
Matt Capps
From the Post-Gazette:
Two sources confirmed yesterday that the Pirates have threatened to non-tender Capps, although that tends to be a negotiating tactic.
[...]
Several teams have asked the Pirates about Capps, including the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays.
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More to come.