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The Rays Are Looking for a Third Team in a Cliff Lee Deal; Have Interest in Mike Wuertz, Rafael Betancourt, and Jason Frasor

Per Jon Paul Morosi:

Indians general manager Mark Shapiro is asking for multiple high-end prospects in return for the left-hander. He is believed to prefer right-hander Wade Davis as the primary chip in the deal. So far, the Rays have balked at including him.

The Rays are trying to involve a third team in an attempt to satisfy Cleveland's prospect demands, major league sources told FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal. The third club would provide a second pitcher of the Indians' liking.

Tampa Bay has also shown interest in a number of relievers, sources said, including Cleveland's Rafael Betancourt, Toronto's Jason Frasor and Oakland's Michael Wuertz.

I absolutely love Wuertz. He's having more success now than in the past (same with Frasor) but he's always been a solid reliever. A quick look at each folloing the jump.

Michael Wuertz

Vitals: Right-handed, 30-years-old

Contract: Signed for 1.1 million this year, eligible for arbitration this season, and a free agent after 2011.

Scouting: Throws primarily a nasty slider and 90-92 MPH fastball.

Stats:

 

Year IP FIP tRA
2009 46.3 2.1 1.67
2008 44.7 4.3 5.43
2007 72.3 3.94 3.47

 

Rafael Betancourt

Vitals: Right-handed, 34-years-old

Contract: 5.4 million club option for next season.

Scouting:Throws a 91-93 fastball, slider, and occasionally a change-up.

Stats:

 

Year IP FIP tRA
2009 30.7 3.7 3.32
2008 71 4.4 4.69
2007 79.3 2.22 1.74

 

Jason Frasor

Vitals: Right-handed, 31-years-old

Contract: Eligible for free agency following 2010.

Scouting:Throws a 93-95 fastball, slider, and a split-finger fastball.

Stats:

 

Year IP FIP tRA
2009 35 2.59 2.68
2008 47.3 4.55 5.78
2007 57 3.17 3.64

 

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As you can tell, relievers are volatile. Each offers one poor seasons in the past three, yet have the reputation of solid relievers. Why? Because the sample size of innings is usually so low that we can't say a ton of things with a degree of confidence. Here's how some other metrics stack the trio up:

 

Pitcher GB% SwStr% K% uBB%
Betancourt 30.9 13.1 24.8 8.8
Wuertz 43.8 19.8 33.9 6.7
Frasor 31.5 9.7 23 6

 

So much for a boring deadline.