About an hour after we found out that the Toronto Blue Jays shipped Vernon Wells to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Friday night and shook up the baseball world, the Tampa Bay Rays were not to be outdone.
As first reported by SI.com’s Jon Heyman (Scott Boras’ personal microphone), The Rays have signed OF/DH Johnny Damon and OF/DH Manny Ramirez to one-year contracts. Ramirez's deal is for $2 million and Damon’s deal is for $5.25 million plus a potential $750,000 in bonus money based on attendance.
Perhaps the Rays can bring in Trot Nixon, so they can have every former starting Boston Red Sox outfielder from 2004.
While both players are past their primes, how can you not like these signings by the Rays if you are a Rays fan? Let’s look at each player individually.
First, there’s Manny. Here are the facts about Manny these days:
- Yes, his power numbers have declined since he was suspended for PEDs back in 2009.
- Yes, his bat speed isn’t what it used to be.
- Yes, he only hit one HR off of a fastball last season (in June against the Cincinnati Reds’ Jordan Smith on 93 mph fastball).
All of the above is true when it comes to Manny and not to mention he can just go AWOL at any given time. But here is what else I know; the guy still had an .870 OPS last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.
His .870 OPS was still better than Ryan Braun‘s, Ryan Howard‘s, David Wright‘s and Hanley Ramirez‘s. Seventy percent of what Manny used to be is still better than 100 percent of what some stars can give you today.
If Manny can play in over 140 games, there is no reason to believe he can’t produce a .305/.405/.480 slash line with 20-25 HRs. If he can do that, then at $2 million, Manny will be the best bargain in baseball.
Now on to Damon.
My first thought when I saw the details of the Damon contract, I thought an attendance clause? Does Damon really draw people to a baseball game? Even when he was with the Red Sox I didn’t think he was a marquee player that drew fans.
Even if Damon doesn’t draw fans, he still has the ability to be a productive player. Last year with the Detroit Tigers, he had a .271/.355/.401 slash line with nine HRs and 11 SBs. One would figure that those numbers should improve going from the very pitcher friendly Comerica Park to the cozy Trop.
With the additions of Damon and Ramirez, here is what the Rays’ lineup could look like come Opening Day:
1. Johnny Damon, LF
2. John Jaso, C
3. Manny Ramirez, DH
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Ben Zobrist, RF
6. B.J. Upton, CF
7. Dan Johnson, 1B
8. Sean Rodriguez, 2B
9. Reid Brignac, SS
With Joe Maddon at the helm, this lineup could change on a daily basis. But for me, there are a lot of “if’s" in this lineup. The only lock in this lineup on a day-in and day-out basis, as I see it, is Longoria.
Can the Rays beat out the Red Sox and New York Yankees in the very tough American League East (Toronto Blue Jays are no joke either and the Baltimore Orioles are very much improved)? I think it’s going to be tough, but the moves of Damon and Ramirez will certainly give them a shot.
You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg.
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