Delmon Young to Twins

[AFBlue]

Not sure if anyone took note of this, but living in the Southeast I got to see alot of the (Devil) Rays...

Young doesn't have the power production to back up his "super prospect" billing, but he is only 22 and already plays gold glove defense (ELITE arm strength and accuracy).

Frankly, I'm stunned that the Rays did this deal. But, they got back a solid MLB-ready pitching prospect in Matt Garza and a solid defensive SS....both need positions for the club.


The Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays completed a swap of two potential stars on Wednesday.


Minnesota acquired outfielder Delmon Young in a six-player deal that sends right-hander Matt Garza to Tampa.

The Twins also are sending shortstop Jason Bartlett and minor league right-hander Eduardo Morlan to the Rays for shortstop Brendan Harris and outfield prospect Jason Pridie.

The deal was first reported by ESPN.com's Keith Law.

In addition to the Young deal, the Rays are also close to a multiyear deal for reliever Troy Percival, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reports.

Young, 22, hit .288 with 13 home runs and 93 RBIs in his first full major league season. Garza, 24, was 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA in 15 starts for the Twins in 2007.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft, Young has struggled to keep his temper in check during his time in professional baseball. He received a 50-game suspension after flipping his bat into the chest of a Triple-A umpire in 2006 and was suspended three games by the Southern League for bumping an umpire while playing for Double-A Montgomery in 2005.

Young is the younger brother of Washington first baseman Dmitri Young.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3131988

[K-State Spur]

I'm shocked that the Twins were willing to move Garza with the real possibility (probability) of losing Santana in the near future.

That said, Young is an elite position talent (and an elite headcase).

The Rays are just loaded in the OF. They could still move Baldelli AND Crawford this offseason for some pitchers and still be in good shape at their positions heading into next year.

[DOMINATOR]

delmon young has a higher ceiling than Garza i think.

good trade for both i suppose. Rays building a solid pitching staff for their good offense.
Kazmir, Shields, Garza.

i didn't know Dmitri was Delmon's brother. interestin

[Horry For 3!]

I wonder if this is good or bad for his offense.


I have him in a keeper league. I won first place last year and there might be 2 extra teams in it so I might have to drop 2 extra players. Which would be horrible for me cause I like my team now.

C McCann
1B Berkman
2B Kinsler
3B Cabrera
OF Crawford
OF Granderson
OF Young
U Teixeira

SP Peavy
SP Hamels
SP Kazmir
RP Papelbon

Those are my keepers if I don't have to drop the extra 2.

[NBA Junkie]

This likely means Johan Santana is staying put in Minnesota. Otherwise, they wouldn't have parted with a young prospect in Matt Garza.

It's obvious that Young will be Torii Hunter's replacement in CF.

[HeyIt'sMe]

This likely means Johan Santana is staying put in Minnesota. Otherwise, they wouldn't have parted with a young prospect in Matt Garza.

It's obvious that Young will be Torii Hunter's replacement in CF.

The Twins better not play Young in CF... trust me, this is coming from a Rays fan. He's a natural RF and has the best OF arm in baseball... don't waste it by moving him to LF or anything ridiculous like that.

[AFBlue]

This likely means Johan Santana is staying put in Minnesota. Otherwise, they wouldn't have parted with a young prospect in Matt Garza.

It's obvious that Young will be Torii Hunter's replacement in CF.

I'm guessing the plan is to make every attempt to sign Santana...but I can guarantee that if he's traded some major league-ready pitching will come back in the deal.

On Delmon playing CF, we'll see. He played some CF last year when BJ Upton was out because they didn't want to shift Crawford from left.

While I think he's capable of playing in Center, his arm and bat are naturally suited for Right. I think he's a RF in the long-term, but you might be right about him occupying CF in the near-term.

[AFBlue]

The Twins better not play Young in CF... trust me, this is coming from a Rays fan. He's a natural RF and has the best OF arm in baseball... don't waste it by moving him to LF or anything ridiculous like that.

Initial talk was exactly that...moving him to Left, having Monroe and Tyner in CF and keeping Cuddyer in Right. They might also look to fill the CF gap via FA or trade.

Again, I agree with you that Delmon is a RF and it would be a waste of his tools to put him elsewhere. But that seems to be the short-term answer.

Side Note: What impressed me more than Delmon's arm strength (1st or 2nd in MLB) was his incredibly accuracy.

[AFBlue]

I wonder if this is good or bad for his offense.


I have him in a keeper league. I won first place last year and there might be 2 extra teams in it so I might have to drop 2 extra players. Which would be horrible for me cause I like my team now.

C McCann
1B Berkman
2B Kinsler
3B Cabrera
OF Crawford
OF Granderson
OF Young
U Teixeira

SP Peavy
SP Hamels
SP Kazmir
RP Papelbon

Those are my keepers if I don't have to drop the extra 2.

He played everyday for the Rays last year, and I'm not sure that will be the case this year...but I'd expect him to play alot.

His offense should get better as he matures, but he's going to have to learn how to take pitches and how to translate his power into long ball production.

To put it in perspective, he had a .288 BA but his OPS was only 14 points higher than the guy who might replace him, Elijah Dukes...who's BA was sub .200.

Basically, he's a high-risk high-reward kind of guy because you feel like he could bust out an all-star season at any moment...but it may not come until 2009/10. But he's been that guy for a while, so you should know what you're getting.

Bottom Line: I don't think the move will affect his production necessarily, because he should get similar opportunity in Minnesota as he did in Tampa.

What he does with that opportunity is the real question...

[AFBlue]

Rays have reached a deal with Troy Percival....


Troy Percival got to know Joe Maddon when he pitched for the Angels and Maddon was a coach for the same team.

Percival and Maddon will now be reunited in Tampa Bay next season. Percival has signed to a two-year, $8 million contract with the Rays.

The deal also includes incentives for Percival that are based on appearances and games finished. The incentives could earn Percival another $4 million.

Percival, 38, retired after pitching in 26 games for Detroit in 2006. But he came back to pitch for St. Louis last year and threw well, compiling a 1.80 ERA in 40 innings over 34 games.

Percival has a long history as a closer, with 324 career saves, but he probably will fill a variety of roles for Tampa Bay, which has retained closer Al Reyes. The Rays also will probably value Percival for his old-school approach, something that could be a help with such a young team as Tampa Bay.

Milwaukee, the Yankees and the Giants are among the teams that expressed interest in Percival.

Percival came up with the Angels and pitched there from 1995-2004, being selected to four All-Star Games.

The Rays have made a second move to improve their overall pitching and most importantly their bullpen, which was atrocious last year.

Between Percival, Al Reyes, and Dan Wheeler they have some pretty good closer/setup options going into next year. Looks like now they'll have to figure the back end of the rotation (#4/5 Starters). Incumbents are Edwin Jackson, who showed fhashes of brilliance and has great raw stuff....and Andy Sonnanstine, who is pretty much the opposite of Jackson with steady fringe-average stuff who thrives on control and varying arm-angle for his pitches.

Others that could mix in are Jeff Niemann (big boy with a big arm) and possibly David Price later in the year, who the Rays took #1 this last year and has what appears to be MLB-ready stuff and control.

Bottom Line: Rays will probably still get stomped by their AL East opponents, but they should fare much better against other competition with a vastly improved pitching staff.

[AFBlue]

Another move by the Rays today....but this one is more addition by subtraction.

They traded troubled outfielder Elijah Dukes for a mid-grade LHP prospect from the Nationals. Dukes has a WORLD of talent, but he was always getting involved in off-field issues (i.e. threatening ex-wife's life) and having anger management problems.

But if this kid ever figures it out, he'll be one hell of a major leaguer.

[AFBlue]

Rays locked up Carlos Pena for 3 years at less than $10M per year. This is a guy that plays above average defense at 1B and obviously has 40HR+ potential (as evidenced by his 46 this past year).

They also avoided arbitration for Scott Kazmir and signed him to a one-year deal. If the Rays do well this upcoming season, I expect them to get him signed to a long-term deal.

One final note of Rays off-season, they added Willy Aybar as a utility infielder. This should relieve some of the pressure to hasten super-prospect Evan Longoria's rise to the Majors. I think Evan will still end up in the bigs in '08, but this way they have someone to rely on if Longoria struggles.

All in all, the Rays kept/added the players they view as long-term pieces to this team, shored up a bullpen that was pathetic last year, and seemed committed to spending money for the sake of winning.....not something you're used to seeing if you follow the Rays.

I can't wait 'til Spring Training!

[JamStone]

If they Rays do well this upcoming season? How do you gauge what is "doing well" in a division with the Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays?

[AFBlue]

If they Rays do well this upcoming season? How do you gauge what is "doing well" in a division with the Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays?

It's pretty much a testament to what low expectations most have for the Rays, that I think if they eclipse the 70-win mark, which hasn't been accomplished by them yet in their 10yrs of existence, it would be considered "doing well" in a division with the Yankees and Red Sox.

For the Rays to have a serious shot at locking up Kaz long-term I think it might take a winning season, 82+ wins total. Not impossible with their added pitching depth and rise of bigtime prospects....but still an overly optimistic goal.

[TheTruth]

They've got at least 3 big time pitching prospects in the wings, and with Kaz, Garza, and Shields already entrenched they have a bright future. If things pan out perfectly for them, they could jump into contention quicker than a lot of people think.

[AFBlue]

They've got at least 3 big time pitching prospects in the wings, and with Kaz, Garza, and Shields already entrenched they have a bright future. If things pan out perfectly for them, they could jump into contention quicker than a lot of people think.


And what's great about the major league depth is that the Rays don't have to rush the development of any of those three young guys you referenced, specifically Jake McGee. McGee, who along with David Price may have the highest upside of any of their prospects, still has to work on how to use his offspeed stuff to compliment that nasty fastball.

[AFBlue]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/14114086.html


The Tampa Bay Rays are counting on James Shields to blossom into one of the top pitchers in the American League. The 26-year-old right-hander, who has less than two full seasons of experience in the majors, agreed Wednesday to a $11.25 million, four-year contract.

Shields' deal includes three team options that could make it worth about $38 million over seven years. Performance bonuses could boost the value to approximately $44 million.

Rays signed their #2 guy, James Shields to a very modest 4yr $12M deal with team options that could extend it three more years.

Rays being very uncharacteristically loose with their spending this year, but being smart with the players they're extending. Shields has been their most consistent performer and though he doesn't have electic stuff, he's proven to be a top of the rotation type starter. Great signing!

[K-State Spur]

Rays actually spent in their early years (on players way past their primes).

They've been smart enough since to realize that there is no point in overpaying for free agents when you're not ready to compete yet anyways. What's the point in grabbing a few guys like the Orioles have if they're only going to max you out at 80 wins even in the best case scenario?

Meanwhile, they've hit on most of the high draft picks they have accumulated and have created one of the most loaded farm systems in recent memory (early 90s Braves comes to mind).