If The Rays Do a Few Things, 2010 Could Be Special

I have thrown in the towel for this year. Four straight games of having the lead or being tied going into the eighth inning, and also seven times during the past three weeks. My heart just can't take it anymore.

So what do I have to write about? Next year, of course.

The Rays never played up to potential, and nothing exemplified this more than their pitching, both starting and relief (relief more of late). The hitting was good, but was not as clutch as it was in the past. Perhaps tied for most important, though, was the defense, as Tampa fell to 11th in fielding percentage. If the Rays can fix these things I believe they can compete for another AL East crown.

Here are some issues that the Rays need to get a handle on during the offseason in order to get back on track:

1. Sign Back Bartlett, Crawford, Niemann, and Aki

For those of you who aren't aware of the payroll situation for Tampa, here is a look. The Rays will clear $8 million with Kazmir being traded to the Angles, $4.45 million with Troy Percival not being welcomed back, perhaps $2.1 million if they do not resign Dioner Navarro, and most likely $3.7 million for not resigning Chad Bradford. This adds up to about $16 million being freed up.

Bartlett is heading into arbitration (I'm not sure how that works) and will most likely get a hefty raise. He earned almost $2 million last year so he should get six or seven the next year. This takes away $5 million. Crawford is due a $9.5 million club option next year, and the Rays should definitely offer this. This at least gives them time to figure out what they are going to do (sign him back, trade him) to get the maximum value for him. 

Akinori Iwamura has a club option of $3.5 million next year, and should be signed back because he is a .300 hitter with some power, who is smart, and a solid defender. Also the knee injury didn't affect his range too much. Jeff Niemann made $1.29 million last year, and with only one year of pro experience they might get a discount on him, but he should get around $5 million or $6 million as well.

This leaves the Rays with around $5 million of that $16 million that they freed up (have to subtract the contract of what they have now from what they theoretically would make the next year to find this number). Which brings the Rays to their second most pressing issue.

2. Find a REAL Closer

The Rays' make-shift bullpen worked for pretty much the whole year until these last three weeks. With that $5 million the Rays need to find a true closer. With the team's payroll expect to rise, because of increased attendance and that continued to maintain high, the owners should be more willing to spend the money. 

JP Howell, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler, Lance Cormier are all quality people. They have good stuff, are , and can function in a seven, eighth inning role, just not as the closer. JP Howell looked good at the beginning, having better stats than Mariano Rivera until about a month ago. Brian Shouse and Randy Choate are good situational lefty guys. Therefore a solid closer is the only thing handicapping the Rays bullpen.

With that being said let's look at some candidates.

David Aardsma: Ever since going to Seattle to be the closer he's been lights out. He has a 2.15 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP, 10.5 K's per 9, and 35 saves. He was the best closer in the AL outside of Mariano Rivera and is still young. He will be going to arbitration with Seattle so there's always an outside shot of getting him, but it seems unlikely. However, pitching prospect Mark Lowe might compete with him for the closer spot which might not sit well with him and cause him to bolt. 

Jose Valverde: The eccentric closer for the Astros has a 1.96 ERA and has always been reliable throughout his career. He was hurt earlier during the year but has improved his numbers quite a bit. The negative on him is that he will be very expensive. Closer to the $10 million than the $5 million range.

Mike Gonzalez: A semi-closer for the Braves who has had a productive career. He has been platooning the closer role with Rafael Soriano. He has a 2.49 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP. He would love a chance at getting the full closer role, and the Rays could get him for closer to the $5 range. This would be a very quality and economical pickup for the Rays.

Trevor Hoffman: Most likely he wants to leave the Brewers because they are not a contender. His accolades speak for themselves, and he hasn't showed signs of slowing down. He has a 1.67 ERA, .98 WHIP, and 30 saves. Most importantly only one loss. He would be closer to the $10 million range but definitely worth the payment if the ownership is willing to shell out the money. However, I don't see this happening. 

George Sherril: The former closer of the Orioles is now an eighth inning Dodgers man. He was an all star last year and he would love nothing more than his closer role back on a contending team. He has a 1.82 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. He has yet to be paid over a million dollars so perhaps the Rays could get him for around a six or seven million dollars. Also because of his success in the AL East the Rays would love him on their team.

3. BJ Upton and Pat Burrell relearn how to hit

Pat Burrell's first year as a Ray was forgetful. He hovered around the .240 mark all year and didn't show any signs of power. Perhaps next year he can play up to his $9 million dollar contract. He is usually a slow starter, but this took it to a whole new level. Perhaps playing DH all of the time messed up his timing, and next year he can rebound. Even if he doesn't hit 30 home runs, hitting .280 with 20 home runs and 80 rbis would be nice. 

BJ Upton had an atrocious year, especially after coming off the heels of his excellent post season. He has the potential to be great, but needs to do a couple of things in order to maximize his potential. 

A) Fix his swing. He has a lot of movement in his swing, with his hands and feet. The feet don't bother me as much, but his hands do. If he were quicker to the ball, instead of having the hitch in his swing, he would hit for a much higher average and power. I think having spring training this year will help him tremendously. 

B) Don't be so lackadaisical on the base path. He got picked off more than anyone on first base than I thought possible. If he pays attention to his outfield mate Carl Crawford, BJ could be just as deadly as him on the base path.

C) Expand his strike zone. He struck out far too many times, and mostly because he was in pitchers' counts the whole year. If he learns to take a few more pitches he will move his OBP right on up and be rewarded with a trip to the number one spot in the lineup.

4. Move Ben Zobrist to right field permanently

The "all-utility" player Ben Zobrist should be put in right field. His arm isn't ideal but he has lots of speed, makes great plays and great reads, and will do more than adequate job in right field. Much better than the "Gabe-platoon" that the Rays have now. With him in right field the lineup would be:

1. Bartlett

2. Crawford

3. Zobrist

4. Longoria

5. Pena

6. Burrell

7. Upton

8. Zaun

9. Aki

Isn't that beautiful? Plus he is a switch hitter, who hits well from both sides of the plate. He is better than the Gabe's in every aspect of the game.