Alex Cobb waited until Opening Day was just one week away, but he was rewarded for his patience has finally came to an agreement with the Baltimore Orioles as the two sides signed a 4 year deal that so far is being reported to be around $60M.

With the Rays giving Cobb a qualifying offer back at the start of the off-season, they will be rewarded with the 31st overall selection in the upcoming draft, while the Orioles will forfeit their 3rd highest pick.

Game Notes

Last night’s game with the Baltimore Orioles was rained out, giving the players their second day off over a three day span.

This afternoon, the Rays will welcome the Boston Red Sox into Port Charlotte with first pitch slated for 1:05. The game will be televised by the Fox Sports Sun crew.

The starting lineup the Rays are rolling out today could be pretty close to the one we’ll see against right-handed pitching during the regular season.

Rays Links

• Matt Andriese can be used in whatever role the Rays need him for, leading him to label himself as a pitching Ben Zobrist
• The Rays continue to look back on their 20 year history

• The Rays made a minor roster move yesterday as they completed the CJ Cron deal, sending low-level infielder Luis Rengifo to the Angels. The Rays had acquired Rengifo last August as part of the Ryan Garton deal.
• Mallex Smith’s hamstring soreness seems to behind him as he participated in a minor league game and looked active, while experiencing no problems. He is now on track to be ready for Opening Day.

Around the League

• MLB.com ranks the top ten lineups in the league, leaving the Rays off the list. The American League East takes two of the top four spots
• The Pittsburgh Pirates have released former Rays outfielder, Daniel Nava, who had to undergo back surgery prior to spring surgery. He is expected to rejoin Pittsburgh on a minor league deal.
• Minor League Baseball showcased their jersey and caps for the first ever Cope de la Diversion, a 160-game event series that will feature 33 teams across 19 states representing every level of Minor League Baseball from Class A Short Season to Triple-A.
• Russell Martin made a fine catch yesterday, but had to run into some protective netting in the process
• If you haven’t seen it yet, the Milwaukee Brewers remade a classic scene from the movie ‘Sandlot’ and it’s wonderful.