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The Rays made their deal with Colby Rasmus official, releasing outfielder Jason Coats to make room. Here’s Rays Radio with the reasons the Rays wanted Rasmus, and here’s audio with Rasmus discussing his previous work with new Rays pitching coach Chad Mottola.
Rasmus will be coming off surgeries, but everyone seems to think he’ll be ready in time for opening day.
Rasmus: "I plan to be ready to go. It may be a little later in the spring, but I want to make sure I do right by myself and the team."
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) January 30, 2017
And in bizarre, upsetting news, former-Ray Sean Rodriguez and his family were in a car accident where they were hit by a man driving a stolen police car. Rodriguez was unhurt, but his wife and children were taken to the hospital. The man driving the stolen car died.
I'm in the hospital with a broken femur & tibia. I'm going into surgery for my wrist tomorrow. We are so grateful to be alive!
— Giselle Rodriguez (@GiselleCRod) January 30, 2017
Thank you all for prayers! Please Please continue to pray for us! Gogo is still in the hospital with thankfully only stitches and a cast.
— Giselle Rodriguez (@GiselleCRod) January 30, 2017
Links
- Where to find food named after baseball players. Have we got any in Tampa Bay?
- Travis Sawchik says that the Rays should continue to be opportunistic with offseason moves.
- Quantifying randomness in each sport.
- Don’t get attached to the way you’re used to a team looking. This article is about the Royals, but it holds for the Rays too.
- Deep dive into minor league park effects.
- Scouts talk about what they’re looking for.
Ottoneu Note
Today is the deadline for cuts. It’s a soft deadline, as commissioners can allow people to make penalty-free cuts after the deadline. But make your cuts. We’ll use this as a way to figure out who’s really in for next year and who isn’t, and shape up the leagues from there. Thanks, everyone.