There wasn't much happening this past weekend in the world of baseball, but there have been a couple recent articles and new pieces that are worth a glance:
- As noted earlier by many of you in the comments, Brad Hawpe signed his contract with the Padres this weekend. Since it's a major league deal and Hawpe was a Type B free agent, the Rays will get a supplemental first round pick for his departure.
R.J. Anderson has some analysis of the signing over at The Process Report, detailing exactly how much the Rays stand to gain for acquiring Hawpe and Qualls last season. Considering Hawpe didn't cost much, the Rays are essentially getting a first round pick for peanuts. - If any of you are despairing about the Rays' chances next season, you should check out this piece on the Rays and the win curve (also by Anderson over at TPR). Contrary to prevailing thought, the Rays still have around a 90-win team as they stand right now, and could shift that win total one way or the other before the season begins. Although our odds to make the postseason won't be as good as they were last season, the Rays have more of a chance than most people assume.
- The Blue Jays are close to a one year/$3.5M deal with Octavio Dotel, but nothing has been finalized yet. The Rays had been linked to Dotel in the past, and it's been reported that the Rays are still in the mix for him. I'd love for the Rays to sign Dotel, but if this one slips through our fingers, there are still better talents out there on our wish list.
- Rays Prospects recently profiled two minor league hitters: Todd Glaesmann and Hector Guevara. None of them are top prospects, but considering I didn't know much about either player beforehand, I found the profiles quite fun. They're definitely worth learning a bit about.
- This is the first of many plugs, but if you're looking for something to do with all your holiday gift cards, you should pre-order a copy of Jonah Keri's book on the Rays, "The Extra 2%". It's discounted over at Amazon, and pre-order sales will help Keri out a lot when the book gets released. If you're interested in learning more about the Rays and how they run their team, this is the book for you.