Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays made some bold moves on Friday, coming to contract terms with some veteran players still trying to hang around in the big leagues.

The baseball world seems to have gone crazy to end the week. The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired both Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. What’s truly amazing is the size of the deals: for one year of each, the Rays spent a mere $7.25 million. Both played well enough last year, and look to provide value in 2011.

Does any other MLB fan find it weird when a team goes out and buys former superstars, seemingly anticipating that putting them back together will magically bring back the spark from seven years before?

It's happening again this year, and it's certainly not the first time that two World Series champions have played on entirely different teams together. It's just weird to have it happen in the AL East and for it to not be the Yankees doing the purchasing.

Attention all national pundits:  Please put all talk of the Rays shrinking back into the bottom of the AL East.  Tampa Bay Rays General Manager Andrew Friedman has a different memo for you to report:

A Third AL East Division Crown in four years.

Don't think it can happen?  The Rays lost Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Rafael Soriano and pretty much their entire bullpen, you say?  They traded away Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza, you say?

Spring training is getting closer. Top players have switched teams and fans patiently wait for America's favorite past time to get started. 

There's a lot of buzz going on right now as some recent deals have occurred. Clubs are signing key players and some are losing them.

Let's take a look in to how these deals affect certain teams. As well as the latest rumors in the Major League Baseball world.

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Kyle Farnsworth is like the Fanny Pack. He was popular for a little bit in the 90′s, but then everyone realized it was a bad idea to have him around.

Then, just when you think he is going to fade out, someone breaks it out again in full force.

As the Rays continue to bargain shop, it appears that Kyle Farnsworth is the latest find in the bin. 

Early reports indicate the Tampa Bay Rays have signed Farnsworth to a one-year,$2-3 million contract.  

“Now let’s make this an evening
Lovers for a night, lovers for tonight
Stay here with me, love, tonight
Just for an evening
When we make
Our passion pictures
You and me twist up
Secret creatures
And we’ll stay here
Tomorrow go back to being friends”

The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs made a surprising trade Thursday when the Rays agreed to send pitcher Matt Garza, outfielder Fernando Perez and a minor league pitcher to the Cubs for a package of prospects including pitcher Chris Archer, outfielders Brandon Guyer and Sam Fuld, catcher Robinson Chirinos and shortstop Hak-Ju Lee.

We should all be so lucky to make the league minimum. Before we go feeling sorry for the (relatively) underpaid workhorses of baseball, it helps to remember how much $400,000 is. That said, there are some players that represent the antithesis of the bloated big league albatross.