Links

• A young Astros fan wrote a letter to the Houston GM pleading for the club to not trade George Springer and it’s adorable, he also makes several valid points
• There is no longer a draft lottery, but now there is an algorithm that determines which teams get an extra first round draft pick. The Rays have benefited from this change now as they will have the 31st overall pick in the upcoming 2017 draft.
• The Los Angeles Angles and Milwaukee Brewers made a small trade in pretty much only actual baseball news that occurred.
• The Baltimore Orioles are unlikely to sign Welington Castillo
• MLB has been hazing by way of dressing players as women as a way of humiliation
• Kenley Jansen really wanted to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers and took less money to do so

December 14th in Rays History

One former Rays player was born; Ken Hill (1965)

2003 - A busy day for the Devil Rays as they complete a couple of trades, first acquiring Geoff Blum for the Houston Astros for Brandon Backe. There was also a three team deal with the Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays that brought Mark Hendrickson to Tampa, sent Joe Kennedy to Colorado, and also sent Justin Speier to Toronto. The Rays also agreed to terms with two free agents, Rey Sanchez and Jose Cruz Jr.

2007 - The Rays signed veteran outfielder, Cliff Floyd, to a one year deal. He’d only play in 80 games for club in 2008, but served as a valuable mentor the younger players on a playoff bound team. He also managed to slash .268/.349/.455, good for 114 wRC+ and 0.5 fWAR as a part-time player.

Trivia

Guess the prospect based on a Baseball America excerpt

After two reconstructive elbow surgeries, [Prospect] started and relieved in Triple-A and was the organization's pitcher of the year. He's known for his excellent command, and he relies on changing speeds and getting ahead of hitters. His best pitch is his changeup, followed by his curveball and a fastball with below-average velocity. [Prospect] also refuses to give in to hitters, and counts on his patience to frustrate opponents.

He was once ranked in his organization’s top 30 in the early 2000’s