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It has been said, “Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are" ...
Well, Rays fans, I can tell you worry—with good reason—that your stars will be traded, and you want to know what your team might get in return.
You would like a new stadium, and you care what it looks like.
Identifying with underdogs, you root for a good comeback story.
And you love your mothers.
Below are the ten most read stories on the site in 2017, and if you’d like, enjoy reading them again.
It’s been a pleasure watching baseball with you, Tampa Bay.
Come what may, let’s all hope for an entertaining 2018.
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“‘Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are’ is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread.” ― François Mauriac
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10. Brad Miller has been told to stop using his pink bat
The countdown starts with a bit of an absurd one. Brad Miller had a difficult year, but he felt most comfortable at the plate when swinging the Mother’s Day themed pink bats used across Major League Baseball. He wanted to continue using the bat, but MLB said no. What gives?
9. Rays Stadium Search: St. Petersburg stadium proposal released
The first of two competing stadium locations announced in 2017, the St. Petersburg bid for the next Rays stadium was accompanied by a full artist’s rendition of an 80-acre baseball complex. Spoiler alert: their proposed stadium location is the Trop’s parking lot.
8. Rays outfielder Colby Rasmus is “stepping away” from baseball
A shocking development in 2017 was the departure of Colby Rasmus, the starting left fielder for the Rays who abruptly retired mid-season while recovering from injury.
7. This is what the new Rays Ybor stadium could look like
One of the more controvesial pieces of news in 2017 was that Hillsborough County had officially chosen a Rays stadium location on the southwest edge of Ybor, without the city’s knowledge! A local artist ran with that news and visualized what that new stadium could look like. As opposed to St. Petersburg’s proposal, this rendition is not official in any capacity.
6. Former Braves relief ace Jonny Venters could be the story of the year in Tampa Bay
Jonny Venters, former All-Star, finally got his career back on track in 2017 after battling through four elbow injuries. This mid-season spotlight from Adam was, accordingly, quite popular. After making it all the way to Triple-A last season, Venters has re-signed with the Rays and has an invite to Spring Training in 2018.
5. MLB trade rumors: San Francisco Giants eyeing an Evan Longoria trade
Back before the Evan Longoria trade became a reality, Mat Germain and I broke down how Longoria could be used to catch a bigger fish, should the Rays want to compete in 2018. That fish was Madison Bumgarner, and the article was written to show just how difficult it is to put a value on the face of a franchise. Whether it was effective is in the eye of the beholder.
4. MLB Trade Rumors: The Cardinals’ trade chips for the Rays’ Alex Colome
Much of the 2017 Winter Meetings circled around rumored discussions between the Rays and Cardinals, and with no clear target for the Rays front office, I broke down who might be involved.
3. Rays Trade Targets: Cardinals Outfielders
A month prior to the Winter Meetings, JT Morgan did an excellent job breaking down what the Cardinals had to offer should the Rays be in the market for an outfielder, and in particular, a right handed one. This article continues to be useful as the Rays have yet to find a solid answer to that need.
2. MLB trade rumors: Rays decline Chris Archer trade offer from Astros, per report
Not all front offices talk, but last off-season the Astros sprung a leak, and word broke that the Rays had declined a serious offer for Chris Archer in January of 2017. If only the Astros could have completed the deal, they might have been good last season...
It goes without saying that this trade was the biggest story of 2017, and our collection of articles were the most popular thing on the site this year. Behind that link we have gathered all of the site’s key articles on the trade in one place for your review. Check it out and see if you missed any of the great writing from the last week.