This is what happens when you give up on your team

The moment I heard about the Scott Kazmir trade, I knew this was what we were going to be left with.

Argue about the prospects. Argue about the money. Argue about the future. Argue all you want, but this is what happens when you give up on a a team: The team gives up on you.

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of blame to go around.  We can blame Joe Maddon. We can blame the Carlos Pena injury. We can blame the bullpen. But ultimately, the slide started the day the Rays front office secretly traded Scott Kazmir to another contending AL team.

Maybe ownership learned a valuable lesson this year. Maybe they learned the value of a "team" over the value of "money." I'm not asking them to break the bank to compete. I'm not even asking for trading deadline additions. All I'm asking is that the Rays front office give this team the chance to win.  That chance was clearly taken from them and their play on the field shows.

One game so far in September

In case you're keeping track, the Rays have only won 1 game in September. And with one more game at New Yankee Stadium and a 3 game set at Fenway this weekend, the Rays may not be able to get back on track until Monday at the earliest.

This team's slide is verging on disgraceful.  I hope Andrew Friedman and Stu Sternberg are taking notes. This is what happens when you show a team you don't have faith in them. Any September attendance bump was lost with this losing streak. 

I know that some will argue that this slide was inevitable. That the Yankees, Tigers, and Red Sox are just better this year, but I'll argue over and over again that trading Scott Kazmir to the Angels led the Rays to where they are now. I've said it over and over again: Dumping Kazmir for prospects sent a message to the team that management thought this team didn't have a chance of making it back to the World Series. While no player will ever come out and admit it, their play on the field speaks volumes.

The Rays don't have much to play for now. It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks. Will the Rays have some pride and play out the season on a strong note? Or are they going to keep thinking about the golf course and the fishing hole?

Have we seen the last of Carlos Pena in a Rays uniform?

Is that it for 'Los? That was the first thought I had when I got word that Carlos Pena may be lost for the season. My mind imediately drifted to a time when his smiling face may not be the starting first baseman for the Rays.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't want to see Carlos gone. I don't want to see the team trim payroll at the expense of decent Rays. But if recent history has taught us anything, the Rays are a cold and calculating organization. They're going to run the numbers and come up with a formula. That formula will be the deciding factor on whether the Rays keep Pena or send him packing.

Time will tell. I'd like to think that the Rays front office takes more into consideration that just the numbers. But, if not, we very well could've seen the last of Carlos Pena in a Rays uniform.

Since the Rays aren't bothering, why should I?

Today I'm going to forgo my usual column about the Rays. I figure if they don't have to show up, why should I?

The Rays are 3-6 since trading Scott Kazmir.

Robo-Los tries to exorcise Scotty Kazmir

Look what I arrived in the newsroom this afternoon: Robo Los. Kids going to the Trop on Sunday will get Robo-Los.

Robo-Los wasted no time taking over my desk and working to exorcise any ghost of Scotty Kazmir. He knocked some sense into the bobblehead with a piledriver. Robo-Los said [in best Arnold Terminator voice], "We're going to smack around the Boston Red Sox tonight!"

Go Rays! Beat Boston!

Pending Implosion?

If you thought the past few games were rough, get ready. It could get worse.

When a middle reliever starts questioning game strategy after a heart-breaking loss, you can just feel the implosion coming. The comments in question came from Grant Balfour, who gave up the game-winning 3-run homer to Placido Polanco.

Balfour said, "They come out and say can I pitch around him. I don't want to pitch around Granderson to be honest. I feel like I'm pitching on the defense them. I wish I never even got that in my head."

It sounds like the players aren't too happy with management these days. And that's the part of the equation that ownership didn't figure when they decided to trade Scott Kazmir. In order for this team to be successful, the players have to "believe." That was the rallying cry last year. Now, the Rays have put some doubt in their players head. They don't believe. They're not drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid.

John Romano of the St. Pete Times wrote a column this morning about the impact of losing players on the team from last year to this year. He talked to Johnny Gomes, Cliff Floyd, and Eric Hinske.  I think Hinske (who's on his way to another AL East Division crown) had the most telling quote of the piece.

He said, "The one thing that the guys upstairs on the computers can't assess is clubhouse chemistry. They can look at all the numbers they want, but chemistry in the clubhouse is a huge deal."

I think he's right. Chemistry and belief are something that the Rays need to place a premium on if they're going to compete with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.  This year, both are in short supply. Unfortunately, the team could use a little bit before facing the Red Sox this week.

Here are some things I noticed in the Rays 4-3 loss to the Tigers:

• Niemann still battling. Give credit to the starting pitcher yesterday. He battled like a champ for 7 innings.  Niemann is the one guy who seemingly still believes. He did exactly what he was supposed to, giving the Rays shut down innings and matching Tigers' ace Juster Verlander pitch for pitch. He gets to do it again on Friday.
  

• Aki-san homer. I've got to be honest, I didn't realize Akinori Iwamura hadn't hit a homer all year. It was good to see him go opposite field yesterday.
  

• Red Sox aren't discounting the Rays. The Red Sox are ready to put the wild card chase to bed this week. They shuffled their rotation so the Rays would get a rotation of Lester, Beckett, and Buchholz. The Red Sox have the chance to pretty much end the Rays wild card chances this week.  Andy Sonnanstine will get the nod on Tuesday.
  

• September call-ups. Expect to see some additional faces starting Tuesday.  Sonnanstine, Perez, a catcher, Wade Davis and a couple of others could be joining the team.  This is the depth Andrew Friedman was talking about when he said they could afford to trade Scott Kazmir. We'll see on Tuesday.
  

More reaction from the Kazmir deal

Now that the dust has settled a bit and Andrew Friedman has had time to give his reasoning, it's time to take another look at the Friday deal that sent Scott Kazmir to the Angels for 2 prospects and a player to be named later.

Let's start with how the Rays handled the trade. The Rays were way behind the curve from the get go on this one. News first broke via an Angels beat writer on MLB.com and spread like wildfire via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.  So instead of getting a call from the GM, reporters hearing about the rumors had to confront Kazmir who actually asked if they were "joking." Joe Maddon didn't have anything to say. In fact, the team said there wouldn't be an announcement until after the game. Even though he was all but gone, there sat Kazmir next to David Price on the bench during Friday night's game.

 

Following the game, the Rays sent out a press release making it official without giving any sound.  We got a couple of quotes from Andrew Friedman in the newspaper and then the message started taking shape.

"We have depth in starting pitching," executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "And while it would be a great luxury to keep a deep reserve there, our budgetary constraints as a low-revenue club dictate that we allocate our resources to bolster areas where we may not be as deep and make sure that we can expand our competitive window."

That quote makes perfect sense, unless you're talking about a team that was just 3.5 games behind the wild card leader at the time the trade was made. If you take them at face value, that means the Rays place their "budgetary constraints as a low-revenue club" over being successful on the field.  That's where my problem lies.

I'm fine making moves to help make budget and keep the payroll down. I applaud ownership for what they've been able to do so far.  I'm fine with tough off-season moves. I'm fine with not picking guys up during before the trade deadline. But this trade, at this time, just tells me that the budget trumps giving the team a chance to win.

The Rays can talk all day and night about "future" considerations when it comes to trading Kazmir. But, they're discounting the fact that they may not always be in a playoff race. This is only the second time in the history of the team that the Rays have contended so late. You can have all the talent in the world, but a couple of ill-timed injuries, a rough schedule, or a division opponent getting red hot all make it tough to contend year in and year.  Just as last year was special, this year is special.Why waste it by unloading Kazmir right now? I have no doubt there are teams that would be willing to take on his salary next year for the chance to see the Kaz of old.

Despite what people keep writing, the Rays did not have to make that trade on Friday.  That trade could've waited until the off-season. But the Rays had a willing partner that was willing to absorb the rest of Kaz's salary this year, so they made the move. They save money on this year's payroll and say that Andy Sonnanstine and Wade Davis will do a fine job of replacing Kaz in the rotation.

The Rays proved to me on Friday something that I didn't want to believe: they're the same team they always were. My eyes were opened up a bit and the luster of the "Rays" has worn off.  This team considers the budget more than they do going to the wild card. Last season caught them off guard, just as it did the fans. They thought a couple of well-placed pieces could get them over the top. Instead they were left realizing they had too much money tied up in a team that wasn't in first place. So, they sold.

"This decision goes against every bit of passion in a competitor's soul"

Normally this time of day, I'm writing a recap of the previous night's game.  But since the players decided to take the night off in honor of Scott Kazmir's last game, I'm not going to justify that garbage with a post.  Not that I blame them. If management seems to think 3.5 games are too much to overcome, why shouldn't the players.

Maybe I'm not the most sophisticated of fans. Maybe I don't care about the "business" of baseball.  Maybe I have too much of a "win now" philosophy.

I think John Romano summed up my thoughts in his column from the St. Pete Times this morning:

"This decision goes against every bit of passion in a competitor's soul. When you have a chance to win, you do whatever possible to take advantage. By completing this deal, the Rays have sent the opposite message."

That's where the problem lies for me. The message.

Other sites are looking at the bright side of the deal.

The Rays Party chooses to look more at the "Rise of Wade Davis" as opposed to the loss of Kazmir. I agree, that's one way of looking at it. But if Wade Davis was a better option than Kaz, he would've already been here. No matter how you look at it, Davis is not going to push the Rays over the hump and in to the playoffs.

The guys over at DRaysBay say this deal really didn't affect the Rays playoff chances too much one way or the other.  They say that this deal kills any notion that the Rays front office cares about public perception.  And finally, they're excited to see what the front office can do with extra cash in the off-season.

Like I said, I understand the Rays playoff chances weren't the greatest. But fan reaction isn't the only thing to consider.  The Rays also have to consider the reaction of their own players and players around the league.  This kind of move shows a front runner mentality that won't be easily overcome. And maybe this kind of move will be more common than you think. There's no guarantee that the Rays won't try to move Carl Crawford this off-season.

Bye-bye, Scotty. Bye-bye, season.

Shocked. That's the emotion I felt when I heard the first rumblings of the Scotty Kazmir trade. Why trade Kazmir? Why now? Why trade a starter when the wild card is still up for grabs?

The mechanics of the trade are simple. The Rays moved the franchise's all-time wins leaders for 2 prospects.  The Anaheim Angels get Scott Kazmir. The Rays get left-handed pitcher Alex Torres, third-baseman Matt Sweeney, and the ever popular "Player to be Named Later." To boil it down: The Rays, in the middle of a playoff hunt, traded for prospects.

To say I'm upset about this turn of events is an understatement. The Rays were getting ready to face a do or die stretch of their season.  They are still in a playoff hunt.  They were 3.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox with 6 games remaining against them. And instead of facing the stretch head on, management trades one of the starting pitchers. Not only that, they trade a starting pitcher that's actually looked good his last couple of starts. Kazmir was someone who could actually help the team now.

As it stands now, it looks like the Rays' front office threw in the towel. I know that some are saying the Rays were looking toward the future. I know that some say the Rays are just selling high. But, I say they're giving up. Does anyone actually think the Rays couldn't get an AA pitcher and a single-A 3rd baseman in the offseason?  Why the rush?

Of course, Andrew Friedman and company could have a master plan.  They say they don't make moves in a vacuum. But, if that's the case, they handled today real poorly.  The rumors started flying hours before the game and we didn't get official word until after the game with a short press release saying a bunch of things we already knew. Kazmir had to find out from reporters in the locker room before the game!

And even if I do accept the premise that this was "just business," what about the team? Think about the message this kind of move sends to the team.  To me, the team looked shell-shocked. They didn't want to be there. If Scotty gets sent west, who's next? We're all one team. Right?

I hope this is more than just a salary dump. But, to be honest, something really stinks here.  This is only the 2nd time the Rays have ever contended this late in the season and here we are doing the same thing we did before last year. To me, it's as if the curtain has been pulled back on the wizard.

Rally Hawk!

This guy got it going last night! Let's see if he can do it again.  The Rays are looking for a win streak tonight against a tough lefty!  Make sure you share this with your friends... and if you're not signed up for the Rays Revolutionary facebook page,  what are you waiting for?

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=81944478948&ref=mf

A streak starts with one

Before you can start a win streak, you have to win the first game.  The Rays went into Minnesota and got the series off to the right start. Now, they have to really get the streak going with another win against a tough lefty. 

Here's some of the things I noticed tonight:

• The 3-4-5 batters came through with a... gulp... 2 out rally in the 1st inning.  Longo got it started with a hit.  Pena tripled him in. And Pat the Bat knocked in Pena. Maddon couldn't have drawn it up any better.
  

• The more I watch Jeff Niemann, the more I'm convinced that the Rays didn't really trade Edwin Jackson.  Niemann, like Jackson, seems to be teetering on the edge at all times.  Some of those times he teeters toward letting the other team have a big inning.  Other times, he seems to be able to pitch his way out of the big jams.  I'm sure Sonnanstine is now on notice that he's on the hot seat when it comes to David Price.
  

• After the game, Carlos Pena told Todd Kalas that the team is just trying to keep it simple and have fun.  He believes if they keep doing that, the wins will come.
  

• The bullpen was able to keep the Twins from mounting a comeback.  Broadcast analyst Brian Anderson said the bullpen looked just like it did last year.  It was good to see them get the chance to do their job.

• I'm going to draw on the karma of Polk County Ray Hawk Fan.  I'm going to repost it tomorrow night.  Maybe he can overcome the karma of Steve Carlton tomorrow night.

• Check out my new header.  Let me know what you think about my new design.  You can find me on twitter at www.twitter.com/m_weber or just leave a comment at the bottom of the page. While you're at it don't forget to sign up for my RSS feed. If you don't know what I'm talking about just punch in your e-mail address and you'll get all my posts delivered right to your inbox. Don't worry, I won't spam you.
  

The No-hitter that wasn't: Yankee Karma Edition

The first six innings of the game were dominated by talk of the no-hitter that wasn't. After a rough start, Garza pitched a heck of game only to be overshadowed by A.J. Burnett and his first six innings of no-hit ball. The Rays bats went up against a pitching machine in A.J. Burnett. Maybe tonight's game was a bit of Karma payback for the Rays raising the banner and rubbing the Yankees' faces in it.


After the game, Joe Maddon said he's still happy with the way the team is playing. It was a special night and both starting pitchers had great games.


Here is what I noticed today:

• Credit Dewayne Staats for doing everything he could to jinx A.J. Burnett. He started early in the game talking "no-hitter" this, and "no-hitter" that. He was sending the jinx vibe from the booth.

• Matt Garza keeps form. Outside a tough beginning to the game and a mistake to the red hot Nick Swisher, he kept the Rays in the game.  That's tough when the guy in the other dugout is throwing a no hitter. Garza took momentum from Burnett by striking out Molina to end the top half of the 7th.

• Can't draw it up better than the bottom of the 7th. CC battles to get an opposite field hit to break up the no-no. Longo & Pena follow with base hits. And Pat Burrell delivers something that we didn't see a lot of last year... the sacrifice fly.  Navi's strike-out and Pena's pick-off ended the inning on a lower note.  But, it was still great to see them put it together after 6 innings of getting dominated.
  

• Yankees took advantage of what I considered a questionable ball call by the umpire score a run the same way the Rays did. Gardener should've been rung up on a breaking ball, instead he gets a pass and then gets a hit. Good job by Jeter and Teixeria to get the runner over and sacrifice him in.
  

• I though Joe Girardi had a tough decision in the bottom of the 8th. I thought Burnett was looking tired, but Girardi decided to run him out there versus the bottom of the Rays order. He came through much the way he had all night.

• Gardner the Ray Slayer! I can't believe the night that guy had. For all the talk of Nick Swisher, maybe someone should look at that guy!

• Tip your cap to the Yankees for coming back after an embarrassing loss last night. Their offense picked Burnett up when he wobbled a bit.  Any time you can tack on 4 insurance runs in the eighth inning you're doing something right.

• I hope Wheeler's performance tonight isn't cause for concern. i don't think Howell pitched that bad. But, Wheeler did not look good at all against Gardner and Jeter.