The Tampa Bay Rays, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., participate in Major League Baseball (MLB) and are a member of the American League East Division. The Rays were founded as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998.
ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays officially announced the signing of right-hander Joe Nelson on Tuesday. Nelson cleared the final hurdle by passing a team physical, which made official his one-year deal worth $1.3 million to join the Rays. "We feel like Joe can really help our bullpen," said Andrew Friedman, the Rays' executive vice president [...]
ST. PETERSBURG — Newly named in 2008, the team formerly known as the Devil Rays transformed from a team always looking to the future to the Rays, a team that made it all the way to the World Series. With an average age of 27, Tampa Bay experienced an unprecedented franchise turnaround. Its 31-win improvement [...]
ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays addressed their bullpen on the night before Christmas by landing right-hander Joe Nelson. On Wednesday night, Doug Schaer, Nelson's agent, said his client wanted to remain in the state of Florida. Nelson lives in Palm Beach County, and by crossing the state, the 34-year-old will be close to home. Nelson's [...]
ST. PETERSBURG — Grant Balfour came into his own in 2008, evolving into a force in the Rays' bullpen. The 30-year-old Australian had one of the best seasons of any reliever in baseball, leading the Major Leagues in several categories and setting career highs in virtually every pitching category. Balfour led all Rays relievers in [...]
ST. PETERSBURG — The price of poker went up for the Rays on Tuesday, when their division foe, the Yankees, signed free-agent slugger Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180 million contract. Though the Rays won the American League East in 2008, the Yankees were the one team in the division against which the Rays had [...]
I'm confused with how the Rays are using their abundance of Minor League starting pitching. It seems to be clear that Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot are Nos. 4 and 5 in the Triple-A/Double-A pecking order. They probably won't make the Rays as starters. Niemann, with his size and array of pitches, seems to be [...]
ST. PETERSBURG — Dan Johnson, who hit perhaps the biggest home run of the year for the Rays in 2008, could be headed for Japan. According to a report in the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays are close to finalizing a deal that would sell Johnson's rights to the Yokohama club. On Sept. 9, the [...]
ST. PETERSBURG — While most players in the Rays' organization are getting their rest or doing their conditioning for the coming season, a select few are playing Winter League baseball, while others have already finished their stints south of the border. Four of the more recognizable names participating in winter ball are outfielder Fernando Perez, [...]
ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays named their Minor League coordinators and on-field coaching staffs for the 2009 season on Friday. Joining the organization are two new coaches, Dave Myers and Dan DeMent, and three trainers, Lee Slagle, Andrew Hauser and Jorge Vargas. In addition, the Rays appointed two first-time managers in Brady Williams (Hudson Valley) [...]