News and Links

• With no real games, Strat-O-Matic will simulate the baseball season - Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times ($$$)
• A Look Back at the 1997 Expansion Draft - Seth Carter, Rays Colored Glasses
• Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier feeling cabin fever over coronavirus shutdown - Kevin O’Donnell, Fox News 13
• ‘I have absolutely come to peace with it.’ Former Valley star Dan Jennings accepting retirement - Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register
• TB Rays P Pete Fairbanks & Netflix Bandwidth - Kevin Wheeler, Overnight America
• Luke Bailey Joins ‘From Phenom To The Farm:’ Episode 4 - Kyle Bandujo, Baseball America ($$$)
• The Athletic’s inaugural Tampa Bay Sports Hall of Fame - Greg Auman, Joe Smith and Josh Tolentino, The Athletic ($$$)
• Tampa Bay minor leaguer Erik Ostberg home in Northampton after Rays shutter spring training - Kyle Grabowski, Daily Hampshire Gazette
• Hot take: 5 best catchers in Rays history - Juan Toribio, Rays Baseball
• Noah Syndergaard suffers UCL tear, will undergo Tommy John Surgery - Vasilis Drimalitis, Amazin Avenue
• Here’s a random Carl Crawford interview; Crawford is a music producer now in his post-baseball playing career

This Date in Rays History

On this date in 2014, the Tampa Bay Rays released left-handed pitcher Eric Bedard.

The move came towards the end of spring training to allow Bedard an opportunity to find a big league gig elsewhere in the league, however, just a few days later, the Rays would sign Bedard to a minor league deal.

Bedard started the season with Triple-A Durham, he made one appearance and then the Rays selected his contact to bring him up to the big leagues. Bedard would remain in the Majors with the Rays until the end of July when he would be designated for assignment, ultimately making the last appearance of his big league career on July 12th.

Bedard pitched in 17 games — 15 starts — for Tampa Bay, registering a 4.76 ERA / 4.39 FIP over 75 ²⁄₃ innings pitched.