Update: The Player To Be Named Later in this trade is RHP Mitch Talbot. Talbot, 26, was 4-4 with a 4.47 ERA for Triple-A Durham in 2009.

Talbot has a chance to win a roster spot with the Indians in 2010.

Original Post

According to the Tampa Bay Rays official site, the Rays have acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach from the Cleveland Indians for the vaunted Player To Be Named Later or “PTBNL” as us cool kids say.

I really like this pick up for the Rays.

I have always been a Shoppach fan going back to his days with the Boston Red Sox. I thought the Red Sox were going to re-acquire him this offseason, but it was not meant to be.

Shoppach will be catching for the Rays in 2010

The Rays have been looking for a catcher because Gregg Zaun is a free agent and Dioner Navarro was completely useless last year. Talk about a World Series hangover. What happened to him last year?

Navarro hit .295 with a .757 OPS and was an All Star in 2008, but in 2009, Navarro reverted back to his 2006 and 2007 form by hitting a pathetic .218 with a .583 OPS.

Shoppach’s career has taken a similar path as Navarro’s. Shoppach was a backup catcher in 2006 and 2007 and then in 2008 Shoppach had the opportunity to start thanks to a Victor Martinez injury.

Shoppach proceeded to have a career year in 2008 when he hit 21 home runs and had an .865 OPS in 113 games for the Indians. In 2009, Shoppach suffered through injuries and had a down year hitting only .214 with a .734 OPS in 58 games.

This trade gives the Rays a couple of options. The Rays could now let Navarro go instead of offering him arbitration by the December 12 deadline and re-sign Zaun. This would give them a Shoppach/Zaun tandem in 2010.

The second option wold be they keep both Shoppach and Navarro. With Shoppach arbitration eligible as well, I believe the Rays will go with the first option.

If you were to ask me, Shoppach is a much better candidate to have a bounce back year than Navarro.

For the Indians, they will get a back player for a player who was probably going to be non-tendered in a couple of weeks, so it’s not a bad deal for them.

With Lou Marson and top prospect Carlos Santana ready to take over the catching duties in the future, Shoppach was expendable.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

Tampa Bay Rays catcher Dioner Navarro underwent surgery on his elbow in October but is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training. Navarro is due a raise through arbitration on his $2.1 Million salary and he had a very disappointing 2009 season. Naturally, some have started to wonder if the Rays will tender him a contract at all. Current free agents Bengie Molina and Rod Barajas have been mentioned as candidates to replace him.

Now I’m no fan of Navarro and that stems back to when he was a prospect in the Yankees system*, but the fact of the matter is the available catcher market isn’t strong. It never is. While both Molina and Barajas could be viable options for the Rays, I don’t think either option is a better baseball decision than simply retaining Navarro. Molina has proven that he can handle an American League pitching rotation through the thick of a pennant race from his time with the Angels so he could handle playing in the AL East. Don’t forget current Rays manager Joe Madden has ties to the Angels. So there would be a logical fit there. The problem with Molina is his price tag. We don’t truly know what he’ll be asking for in free agency but it seems reasonable to think that he could get a 2 year deal somewhere worth around $4-6 Million per. As for Barajas, he was in Toronto last year so that covers the division factor, but he doesn’t have the track record that Molina has. Coming off a strong year he could likely ask for the same type of deal I suggested Molina could seek.

* Navarro was part of a three-team trade in January 2005 that sent Randy Johnson to the Yankees from the Diamondbacks. Navarro was again traded six months later by the Dodgers to the Rays.

Chris Snyder of the Diamondbacks and Kelly Shoppach of the Indians would likely be the two best available catchers through trades but each have their flaws. Snyder is coming off of a back injury and has a hefty price tag that likely puts the Rays out of consideration to trade for him. Shoppach regressed last season badly and looked lost both at and behind the plate. Neither option truly looks more appealing than Navarro.

For a team with seemingly limited resources that has the ability to remain consistently competitive, it would seem to me that it would make more sense to retain Navarro. Assuming he can bounce back to some resemblance of his old self the Rays should be happy with the production they’ll get from Navarro. He already knows the pitching staff. And sometimes roster continuity can be a good thing. Plus, even after an arbitration raise I think Navarro will be less costly than either Molina or Barajas. The Rays could use that money in a number of different places.

Dioner Navarro is in his 3rd year as the Rays starting catcher and I’m starting to wonder if we should pull the plug on this experiment. I know that he made the All-Star team last year and finished with a .295 average, but the more I watch him play and the more I study his stats, the more it seems like a fluke. Besides last year, Navi has never hit over .280 in any season over his 7 year career (and he only hit .280 in 25 games).

Regardless of last year, Navi is in a terrible slump. Not only is his batting avg. at a stagnant .211 (he was 0-2 today), but his slugging percentage, OBP, RBI and walks are way down as well. Coupled with all of this, his strike outs are soaring. The most Navi had ever stuck out before this season was 67 times. With 5 games to go before the break he is already at 35. That is extremely high for a contact, non-power guy like Navi. Speaking of power, the only positive category that is above average for Navi is his amount of HRs this season. He already has 7 HRs compared to a total of 9 all of last year. Navi’s OPS (the new vogue stat) is .544, 200 points lower than last year and by far the lowest on the team. Here are his stats compared to 5 very average AL catchers: 

Navi’s OBP is almost 60 points below the second lowest catcher. Navi’s only job is to get on base, and he isn’t even doing that! Now, in Navi’s defense he has been heralded as a great defensive catcher. However, looking at this year’s stats, he is not really that great. He is 8th in the AL in runners caught stealing with 12. He has given up the 6th most past balls with 4. He’s allowed 37 stolen bases, also 6th in the AL. Finally, he’s tide for 8th in the league in fielding percentage at .991. And remember, there are only 14 teams in the AL. So, his defensive stats are mediocre at best.

That leaves me with one question. Why is Dioner Navarro still our starting catcher? Not only are his stats lackluster at best, but he his hurting the stats of those around him as well. Batting ninth, he hurts the 8th hitter Jason Bartlett, because pitchers can pitch around or very carefully to Bartlett, knowing they will have an easier time with Navi. Also, the Rays have a power-hitting lead-off man in B.J. Upton and it hurts him and the team to not be able to turn the line-up over with a base runner. Navi is taking pitches away from Bartlett, RBIs away from Upton, runs away from the Rays and Ws away from the pitchers.

We don’t even have a legitimate prospect or backup catcher to use if we bench Navi or send him down. Michel Hernandez is our backup catcher and he is a 31 year-old journeyman with only 30 games under his belt. Our best bet in the minors is a guy named Christian Lopez, a highly touted defensive catcher, but he is in A ball. To make a run for the playoffs this year we must get more out of our catcher, both offensively and defensively. I think a perfect guy to trade for would be Ryan Doumit of the Pirates. Doumit is just coming back from a broken wrist and is only hitting .244 in the 12 games he played in, but he hit .315 as the starter for the Pirates last year with 15 bombs. If that sounds like too much of a stretch then we should go for the sure thing and trade for Victor Martinez of the Indians. I know it would be pricey, but he is worth it. With a .300 career average and 20 HRs a season when he plays the whole year, he would definitely provide the missing piece to the almost-finished puzzle.

Regardless of who we get, a change must be made if we want to make post-season play an annual event. Unfortunately for Navi, it is a general rule that catchers’ stats usually drop after the All-Star break due to fatigue…

Sorry for the lack of posts as busy schedules make writing hard right now. The Tampa Bay Rays now sit in third place in the standings with 85 games left. The type of ball they have been playing as of late is playoff worthy. The question is will they maintain this style for the rest of the season?

With the jury still out on Scott Kazmir’s and David Price’s ability to go deep into games, the starting pitching could be the issue for the team right now. The bullpen looks great with J.P. Howell taking the closer role for the time being. But with the starters only lasting six innings a game, time will take its toll on the pen.

B.J. Upton has returned to full Bossman form playing outstanding as of late. He is showing signs that the power is there with a couple of homeruns in the past couple of games.

Dioner Navarro still is not playing to the ability that he is capable of. A .239 average is alright for a catcher if he plays stellar defense. But if the defense isn’t there, then you have a below average catcher.

Cool Standings has the Rays with a 49.4% chance of making the playoffs. Now this is not the number everyone wants to see but we will take it with how the start of the season went. Maybe the guy they call The Bat will start to actually use his soon.

Zobrist could be a Real Star

By MARC LANCASTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 20, 2009

NEW YORK – The Rays had a position player who wasn’t even on the All-Star ballot make the Midsummer Classic last season, as Evan Longoria made it to Yankee Stadium by acclimation based on his torrid first half.

Has Ben Zobrist done enough to make it two in a row for the Rays?  Those who watch him play most often believe so.

“Up to this point,” Longoria said, “looking at his numbers and his numbers in comparison to the number of at-bats he has and in comparison to the rest of the league, his numbers are All-Star numbers.”

There’s no doubt his statistics have to at least put him in the conversation. In reaching the plate-appearance threshold to qualify for MLB’s statistical leaderboards Thursday, Zobrist instantly became the American League leader in slugging percentage (.665 entering the weekend) and on-base plus slugging (1.080).

He trailed only Albert Pujols – generally considered the best hitter in the game – among all big-leaguers in those categories.

“That’s pretty good company right there,” 2008 Rays All-Star Dioner Navarro said. “I wouldn’t mind if I’m behind Pujols in anything.”

Add in his 14 homers, team-leading four triples, 41 RBIs and .415 on-base percentage in at least 50 fewer at-bats than any Rays regular, and Zobrist certainly has a legitimate argument to be included.

“Absolutely, he does,” said Rays manager Joe Maddon, who will lead the AL team in this year’s game at St. Louis. “You look at the number of at-bats, the home runs, the production, the slugging percentage – it tells you what he’s been to our offense.

“And furthermore, his defense – his defense has been good at all the different positions. I don’t even know what you’d consider him right now position-wise, but definitely a guy that could be very valuable in an All-Star setting, no question. But beyond that, based on his performance, he’s earned the right to be considered.”

Maddon pointed out that Zobrist’s remarkable versatility in the field could end up working against him when it comes to All-Star selection. Though having a super-utility player on the roster would seem a logical move in a game that these days is supposed to be played to win, Zobrist could lose out to a specific need for an outfielder, shortstop or second baseman simply because he hasn’t been a regular at any of those positions. Just all of them.

He has started at six different position this season, but he owes his recent run of everyday playing time taken mostly from one spot – second base – to the season-ending knee injury suffered by Akinori Iwamura late last month.

That opening provided an opportunity, but that was no guarantee of production. Plenty of players who excel in part-time roles – keep in mind Zobrist’s three pinch-hit homers early this season – find themselves exposed at the plate when inserted into the lineup every day or close to it. For Zobrist, it has been the opposite. Since May 13, he has hit .343 with 23 extra-base hits, 25 walks and 28 RBIs.

As the numbers have piled up, so has discussion about his worthiness as an All-Star candidate. Not the self-promoting type, the possibility has crossed his mind.

“Yeah, I’ve thought about it, but that’s out of my hands,” Zobrist said. “All I can do is just what I’ve been doing every day. That would be an honor, definitely, but at the same time, there’s so many great players in this league, I don’t know where I fit in that yet.”

It’s evolving quickly, there’s no doubt about that.

“Right now, what he’s doing, obviously he’s changed the perception about him here and throughout the industry,” Maddon said.

And come July 5, when the All-Star rosters are unveiled, Zobrist might just find himself in the company of the game’s elite in more than just numbers.

• This game absolutely killed me. First, with the Mets leading 2 – 0 and Mike Pelfrey looking strong on the mound, I thought the Mets were destined for a nice smooth victory over the Rays. Then, the Rays erupt for four runs, which makes me so mad that I have to change channels. But then, Brian Schneider hits a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to put the Mets back in the lead, and it looks like the Mets have the momentum. That’s when Bobby Parnell implodes. He fails to record a single out, giving up four runs on four hits in the top of the seventh. So, the Mets are now down 8 – 5. Things start looking better for a brief moment in the top of the seventh when the Mets load the bases with one out. But they manage to score just one run, and then the bullpen gives up another two runs in the top of the eighth to put the Rays up by a score of 10 to 6. By then, it was over. A truly depressing game for the New York Mets.
• It was not a particularly effective day for the Mets offense. 10 hits and 5 runs adding up to just 6 runs. One came off a wild pitch. Another off a single from Pelfrey. Three came by way of Schneider’s home run. And then, one came in via Gary Sheffield’s RBI fielder’s choice in the seventh. This was a day when the Mets needed the big hit and, Schneider aside, couldn’t get one.
• Sheffield’s fielder’s choice was probably the turning point of the game. After a four-run top of the seventh, it seem the Mets were poised to come back in a big way when singles by Alex Cora, Carlos Beltran, and David Wright loaded the bases with one out. But then Sheffield grounded out (making it 8 – 6) and Ryan Church struck out. That was the Mets best chance for a comeback. And they came up well short.
• Mike Pelfrey was dominant at first, allowing just three Rays to reach base in his first four innings. But then, in the fifth, he imploded. At first, he was the victim of a couple bad breaks. A cheap “swinging bunt” by Jason Bartlett. Then, after a solid single by Dioner Navarro, he threw a well-located slider to Willy Aybar, but Aybar took it the opposite way to load the bases with no outs. That’s when Pelfrey started making mistakes, missing targets, and leaving the ball up in the strike zone. A 2-RBI double by B.J. Upton. A 2-RBI single by Carl Crawford. By the time the inning ended, the Rays led 4 – 2.
• And the Rays probably could have had more, except Crawford was caught trying to steal third with no outs. Why he would try to steal third is anyone’s guess. Pelfrey had given up five straight hits. He couldn’t buy an out. He was starting to miss badly with all of his pitches. And the Rays had the heart of the order up. Evan Longoria, who leads the majors in RBIs, was at the plate. The Rays had everything going their way. And then Crawford tries stealing third, and is caught. The Rays would score no more runs that inning. Dumb play by Crawford.
• Meanwhile, a nice game from David Wright, who as is common, was at the center of things offensively for the Mets on Sunday. He scored the Mets first run in the second, singling and then scoring on a wild pitch. He then doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, and would score on Schneider’s home run. And he singled to load the bases in the seventh. 3 for 4. Two runs scored. Nice game for the Mets third baseman.
• Also a nice game for Beltran, who got two hits, walked, and made a beautiful diving catch to limit the damage in the seventh.
• Rough game for Sean Green. Green gave up three consecutive hits without recording an out before Jerry Manuel removed him from the game. He would be charged with two runs.
• Thankfully, for the Mets, Philadelphia lost again, so the Mets remain just two games behind the struggling Phillies.

Probably the most exciting part of this series.

Probable Pitchers:

Craig Stammen, RHP (0-2, 6.45) VS. Matt Garza, RHP (4-4, 3.55)

Jordan Zimmermann, RHP (2-3, 5.71) VS. Andy Sonnanstine, RHP (4-6, 7.00)

Ross Detwiler, LHP (0-3, 5.06) VS. James Shields, RHP (5-5, 3.36)

What To Watch For:
This series will prove if the Rays are around to contend. The Nationals is the type of team that Tampa has been struggling with all season. The Rays play on the same level as these subpar teams and continue to lose series to them.

With Pat Burrell being activated Matt Joyce has been sent back to Durham. As well as Gabe Gross is playing it is disappointing to see Joyce go. Burrell does figure to relieve some pressure from Carlos Pena with his return to the line-up.

After writing an article questioning Dioner Navarro’s play, he had one of his best games of the season hitting a double and a homerun. It will be interesting to see what the catcher formally known as fat does this series.

X-Factor:
Starting pitching needs to go deeper into these games. Only being able to pitch four to five innings deep into games is pathetic. And who knows how long the bullpen will pitch this well.

We miss the old Navi. (AP)

Navi is having a season which makes people speculate a couple different things. These things being how did he make the all-star team last year? Was last season a complete fluke? Should he be the catcher of the future? The Rays need to figure out the problem with Navi and it needs to be done soon.

Navarro’s season line so far is .197 3 HRs, and 14 RBI’s. What stands out more to me is the fact that Navi has drawn three walks all season. We all know Dionar is not Jeff Francoeur. So why is the not as fat catcher playing like him?

Also Navi’s defensive play has been down from last season. He has accumulated four errors this year, one less then last season. Another shocker the 19% of runners thrown out stealing.

Now there is not much to replace Navarro with. You have Michel Hernandez, who can be streaky at certain times. John Jaso has been off and on in the minors this year. And Sean Riggans has been injured all season.

One side of me wants to see Navi bounce back and hit .275 while playing stellar defense behind the plate. The other side says let Hernandez play more often and forget all about Navarro. Maybe the bobblehead promotion Sunday will help. Only time will tell what Papa Joe does with the catcher formally known as fat.

After winning three games in a row last week, the Rays had dropped four of six games to the Red Sox and Indians. The starting pitching was looking wildly erratic, with presumptive ace James Shields giving up 20 hits over two starts, Andy Sonnanstine following a great start by getting lit up, and the bullpen’s various relievers taking turns getting lit up. B.J. Upton wasn’t hitting at all. Neither was Dioner Navarro. Pat Burrell couldn’t hit, and as it turned out, couldn’t stay healthy. As if chasing the Red Sox and Yankees wasn’t tough enough, the Rays also had to contend with the Toronto Blue Jays, the winningest team in the American League.

Tonight, Scott Kazmir took the hill for the Rays against the Indians. One of the team’s biggest early-season disappointments, Kazmir had struggled so much that home crowds at Tropicana Field were starting to give him grief, a once unthinkable occurrence for one of the most popular players in franchise history. Things only got worse for Kazmir tonight, as the lefty got torched for seven runs and 10 hits in 3.1 innings, leaving the game to more boos and leaving his team in a 7-0 4th-inning hole. The Rays looked destined to drop another game, falling another game out of the division lead, and raising a few more whispers that last year, the amazing, Cinderella season that swept a perennial last-place team to the AL pennant, may have been…a fluke.

But the Rays weren’t done yet. They tallied three runs in the bottom of the 4th to get back to within shouting distance. They scored two more in the 6th, one in the 7th and one in the 8th to tie it up. Making an impact throughout the game was Upton, who made a sparkling play in center field, banged out two hits and stole two bases. Still, the way this season has gone so far, Rays fans had to brace for the worst. When Upton came to the plate to lead off the 9th, sporting a sub-Mendoza average and a big, fat goose egg in the home run department, no one could have expected much. And then Upton pulled a bit of 2008 magic out of the hat, taking Luis Vizcaino deep and igniting one of the most cathartic dogpiles in Rays history.

If the Rays somehow pull it together, come back and return to the World Series in 2009, we’ll remember May 15, the day Bossman Junior pulled the fat out of the fire.

I was reading Baseball Reference today and ran across some interesting stats about the offense.

39.8 % of Carlos Pena’s AB’s end up in a homerun or strikeout, with 30.4% of those being K’s.

28.6% of B.J. Upton’s AB’s end up in a strikeout.

Evan Longoria averages 11.2 AB’s for every homerun while Pena hits one every 9.2.

29% of fly balls that Dioner Navarro hits are only in the infield.

77% of balls hit by Willy Aybar are in play.

33% of pitches looked at but not swung at for Pat Burrell are strikes

50% of Gabe Gross’s strikeouts are looking.

100% of Gabe’s are useless.

Basically B.J and Pena K way to much. Navarro gets under everything. Aybar is one of our better contact hitters. And the Gabe’s are useless. This team is going to need more productive at-bats if the offense is going to be more consistent.

Should Zobrist be the everyday RF? (AP)

I did not know what to think this season about Ben Zobrist until I heard his wife’s song during his first at-bat and thought, what the hell? Something about Christian Rock as an intro makes me want to listen to a Creed album. So far Ben has become a crucial part of this team in coming off the bench and being an offensive source.

Benzo is batting .281 with five homeruns and 13 RBI’s in only 64 at-bats. With these numbers fans ask the question; Why play the Gabe’s? I find myself questioning Maddon’s decision as well.

The facts of Maddon’s decision comes down to Zobrist’s ability to play seven different positions on the field. Keeping him on the bench is a safe bet incase an injury strikes. But with the talent and depth of the organization’s minor league systems, Ben should be a starter till Joyce and/or Jennings is ready, or he shows he can not handle an everyday job.

Lets look at more stats coming from the RF position:
Gross: .265, 1 HR, 5 RBI’s, 49 at-bat’s
Kapler: .222, 0 HR’s, 0 RBI’s, 45 at-bat’s

Now Gross and Kaplar do have less AB’s than Zobrist, but in those at-bats they do not accumulate anything for the Rays. The order already has B.J. Upton and Dioner Navarro struggling at the dish. With the offense already being a coin flip almost every game, the Rays need more consistency. But inevitably it is Papa Joe’s decision.

All I know is that because of Ben Zobrist, I own a new Christian Rock C.D. and am probably going to buy a new jersey.

Thank you for noting being old and throwing over 90. (AP)

Time to dust the cobwebs off of this site a little bit. The Rays have been pretty active in the off-season and the winter meetings. Lets just take a look at some of the major movies and give our opinion on them.

Rafael Soriano from Atlanta

Tampa Bay basically got Rafael for Aki. This move is basically saying that the Rays want to win, and want to win now. I am personally very happy with this move for the fact that it give the team a definite closer for now.

Kelly Shoppach from Cleveland

Don’t really know too much about Kelly other than reading that he hits left handers fairly well. Should be an upgrade offensively from the catcher spot.

Dioner Navarro Resigned

Dumb…If we were going to pay two million for a catcher why didn’t we just keep Zaun. This move really does not make much sense to me unless they are trying to trade Navi now for prospects.

Then there are the other moves such as Gross being non-tenderd and Balfour being resigned along with Choate and Cormier. So far the off-season is showing promise for next years team.

The only thing that I ask is can someone just make up their mind on the Bradley deal already?

Over the last couple of weeks, agent Scott Boras and various members of the MLBPA and MLB management have bantered back and forth over how much money various teams have to spend on players.  The Boston Globe asked Red Sox owner (and former Marlins owner) John Henry what he thought – and Henry had a very interesting take on it.

I’m paraphrasing here, you can read his quotes here.  Basically he says that taxing large market teams to help small market teams remain competitive works so long as the money being routed is spent on players and not pocketed by owners.  Long and short, Henry says that at least seven teams have been regularly losing games while pocketing revenue sharing money.  So, revenue sharing has had the unintended consequence of making five owners very profitable despite fielding lousy baseball teams.

Living in Florida, there are a bunch of us who have felt that Marlins ownership (Jeffrey Loria and his family and business partners) have pocketed a large amount of revenue sharing dollars while choosing not to spend money to keep players (Dan Uggla) or acquire one or two guys who might help put the Marlins over the top.  (We need a closer, and you let Billy Wagner sign with Atlanta?).  Now, the Marlins actually HAVE been competitive – a testament to Larry Beinfest, his scouting and player development staffs, and whomever else gets the mileage out of these guys…

Anyway – I happen to buy Henry’s argument.  He says that sports challenges our idea of capitalism and, at least in this case, is rewarding some owners for not making the same efforts as the guys in the bigger markets.  Read the article – it’s certainly a fresh take on revenue sharing.  [Boston Globe / www.boston.com]

Let’s Stay With Boston Themed Articles…

Dustin Pedroia is open to the idea of playing shortstop – which would seem like a pretty good idea if the Red Sox have a better option at second base than their current options at short (Jed Lowrie)…  The most immediate prospect is Jeff Natale, a 2005 draft pick out of Trinity College (32nd round) who appears to have a grasp of the strike zone and can hit a little.  He’s a bit old for a prospect (27), though, but he can play some.  The long term prospect is infielder Jose Iglesias, a Cuban import who just finished a tour in the Arizona Fall League and is projected to reach the majors around 2012.  Is Orlando Hudson thinking of playing second in Boston?  Brandon Phillips?  [ESPN]

And, Billy Wagner – who briefly played for Boston in 2009 – signed a one-year $7 million deal with Atlanta, with a vesting option for 2011.  Wagner needs to pass his physical – and if he does, because the Sox offered him arbitration, the Red Sox would receive a compensatory first or second round draft pick from the Braves.  [FoxSports]

Let’s Move Behind the Plate…

The Tampa Rays acquired Kelly Shoppach from the Indians for a player to be named later.  Shoppach hits for power, but his batting average slipped.  That being said, Dioner Navarro’s batting average also dipped last year and the Rays are concerned about Navarro’s eating habits.   For Cleveland, that means one of my favorite prospects, Lou Marson, will get a shot at being the opening day catcher for Cleveland.  [ESPN]

The Phillies signed Brian Schneider, most recently of the Mets, to a two-year $2.75 million deal.  Schneider will be Carlos Ruiz’s caddie…  [ESPN]

If you are interested in which free agents were offered arbitration by their teams, click here.  Those Type A players (skill, and not personality) if signed by someone else would mean that the team losing that player would get compensatory draft picks.  [FoxSports]

Former minor leaguer Dennis “Go-Go” Gilbert channeled his competitive spirit into a solid insurance company and then a baseball player agency.  Now, he’s in the running to buy the Texas Rangers.  [SI]

Melissa Segura tells the story about the myth of Aroldis Chapman – the Cuban defector who can’t legally drink in the US but owns a 100 MPH fast ball.  It’s a good read…  [SI]

Tommy Heinrich, nicknamed “Old Reliable” for his ability to come up with big hits to win big games, passed away at the age of 96.  A regular outfielder on a number of Yankee World Series games, Heinrich was at bat in the 1941 World Series when a third strike got by catcher Mickey Owen that would have ended game four and evened the series at two games.  Instead, Heinrich reached first and the Yankees rallied to beat the Dodgers that day and eventually claimed the title.  Heinrich was believed to be the oldest living Yankee; now that title belongs to pitcher Virgil Trucks (92).  [SI]

Happy Birthday!

Reds reliever Pedro Borbon (1946), whose pitching kept him around for the better part of a decade as a member of the Big Red Machine.  His son never could make it happen…

Others celebrating with cake, cards, or remembrances include: Mike Kelley (1875), Andre Rodgers (1935), Julio Cruz (1954), Darryl Kile (1968), Mark Kotsay (1975).

The Tampa Bay Rays received 29 year old arbitration eligible catcher Kelly Shoppach today from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for a player to be named later.  As long as the player to be named later is not one of the Rays top prospects this is a steal for the Rays.

The Rays are taking Shoppach on the heals of a down season in which he hit .214/.335/.399 with a wOBA of .329 and 1.7 WAR, still better than what their most played catcher Dioner Navarro did (.218/.261/.322 with a wOBA of .258 and -0.1 WAR).

In 2008, Shoppach hit to the tune of .261/.348/.517 with a wOBA of .370 and an amazing 3.6 WAR.  Navarro made the AL all-star team and hit .295/.349/.407 with a wOBA of .340 and 2.7 WAR.  Weird how the inferior player is the all-star here.

In thier careers, Shoppach is a .241/.327/.449 with a wOBA of .338, 6.5 WAR, and an OPS+ of 105 in 1043 plate appearances while Navarro is a .254/.312/.364 with a wOBA of .297, 5.2 WAR, and an OPS+ of 78 in 1822 plate appearances.  Remeber, an OPS+ of 100 is league average.

Do I think Shoppach will return to his 2008 form?  No, nor will Navarro.  But I do think he has a better shot at repeating it than Navarro does.  Oh, and Shoppach is a better defensive catcher in almost every area.

What the Rays get in Shoppach is a catcher that can handle his position and will hit above league average, which is amazing for a catcher to do.  While he will strike out a lot (37.3% in his career) he will hit for a lot of power (career .208 ISO) and take a good number of walks (career 8.8%) and work the count (3.93 pitches per plate appearance).  Navarro does have Shoppach beat in K% (14.6%) but loses in the other categories with a career ISO of .111, career walk rate of 7.6%, and sees 3.77 pitches per plate appearance.  Shoppach, on last year’s numbers alone was worth 1.8 wins more than Navarro and I think the Rays can easily take that number to the bank again in 2010.

The Rays have been looking for creative ways to shed payroll while upgrading the roster at the same time.  Both catchers are arb-eligible and will make $2M-$3M next season, leaving Navarro a potential non-tender candidate, even at the young age of 25.  Acquiring Shoppach and potentially dropping Navarro is a prime example of doing just what the Rays are all about.  This move eximplifies Andrew Friedman’s ability to properly evaluate talent and value.  This is just one of the many great moves Friedman and company have made since taking over.  Don’t be surprised to see the Rays make a few more moves like this and then come into 2010 with their best team ever on the field.