2048-49 Offseason: State of the Team
 

The current state:

https://i.imgur.com/qKvMlWc.png

Outlook for 2049:

The main news is that the owner has decided to cut payroll a bit as we're looking at $160M. That won't be a huge problem as Doug Johns and Dave Frick's big numbers come off the books, as well as the $15M Satoshi Sato was making. These are the projected salaries:

https://i.imgur.com/a2bkbXx.png

This crew adds up to $151M and there are a few I plan on moving. Jose Carrasco doesn't warrant $12M and while as great as Tomas Laboy was this year in a sub role $9.4M is really pricey for him. Akio Suzuki's $2.4M could go as well as we have a suitable replacement in Alvaro Alejandre at Durham as well as up-and-comer David Morales. I'd like to rid myself of Dan Anderson and his $4M but I'm not sure anyone takes him after his terrible 2048. The position-by-position outlook:

C-Bocardo returns with one of the backups I just mentioned.

1B-Vinny Rodriguez had a very good year and exceeded his ratings/projections so I might sell high since I have several options here including his talent doppleganger at Durham, Eric Wilson, a lefty hitter with very simliar ratings. If Laboy is kept he could start here too.

2B-Juan Davila will finally get the everyday job after three years of apprenticeship including an excellent season last year which he carried over into the playoffs.

SS-Yuji Morioka slides over from 2B to take over from Dave Frick. He doesn't quite have Frick's Gold Glove but is still rated an above-average defensive SS.

3B-Luis Barela is all I need to say. He's in the final non-option year of his $37M/season deal, next year he could opt out.

IF-Someone needs to take Davila's backup IF role. It could be Tony Olivo although he's not great defensively. Josh Sprouse is Olivo's polar opposite, incredible glove but horrible bat. We might go outside to fill this role too especially if Laboy leaves.

LF-Mario Saro is the incumbent.

CF-Chris Parham excelled in his first season as a full-timer with us and while he wasn't Dan Gregory or Kevin Crater he was good enough to win a title.

RF-Alex Duran finally gets off the bench to play every day after putting up huge numbers as a reserve. The only catch is that he doesn't hit lefties that well, so we could use a RH platoon partner.

DH-Jose Castillo is back again and he could also use a RH partner which often was Laboy last year.

Also we need to find a place for this guy, who no longer has anything to learn in the minors:

https://i.imgur.com/cvYASKn.png

We've been nursing him along for 7 years since he was a 16-year-old and he's ready to rake in the majors. He had one of those "very good but probably a bit bored in the minors" seasons with Durham but he should be in the lineup. Two issues though: He's not really a CF and a mediocre corner OF at best, and he's a lefty hitter with a platoon split and we already have lefty hitters with platoon splits at LF (Saro), RF (Duran) and DH (Castillo). I might entertain trading Duran and/or Castillo to make room for Morales.

Morales can serve as a backup OF if nothing else, and Tony Olivo can also serve as a backup OF too, giving me a RH bat that can slip into the lineup.

Rotation: Bookhart, Rose, Delgado and Riley return and with Chad Gardner a rental leaving via free agency, we'll need a 5th starter. Chris O'Brien failed in that role last year but could get another chance, as did Caleb Ramos the year before. It's possible we acquire a starter if we deal off one of the hitters I talked about trading as well. An outside possibility is Angel Roig, whom we signed after he cleared waivers with Toronto last year and pitched at Durham. He's mostly been used in MLB as a reliever but had 5 decent starts with the Bulls late in the year.

Bullpen: We won't be as deep this year, with Carrasco likely dealt and especially from the left side with mainstay Sato leaving. Falcon will be the closer again, Abelaldo Gray and Mel Mejia can set him up. I'm looking for Tim James, who looked good in the playoffs, to step into a high-leverage role as well. Tony Pasillas was very good as well last year and hopefully Dan Anderson can bounce back a bit since we're likely stuck with him. Joe Clark, a veteran free agent we signed late last year, is also an intriguing arm.

Others: One-time prospect Steve Holt is more than ready for the bigs as he's a 60 contact hitter who can play a passable corner IF but he'll need Laboy gone to have a shot.

2048-49 Offseason, Part 1
 

So we made some trades of note to kick-start the offseason. First as promised Jose Carrasco's expensive arb number was dealt off:

https://i.imgur.com/KzQl5wr.jpg

Giddyup! We got an almost-as-good reliever for a fraction of Carrasco's salary. Navarro's ratings:

https://i.imgur.com/7bvmgun.png

Navarro had a 2.76 ERA in 55 IP with a 15/52 BB/K ratio and 0.6 WAR for the Pale Hose, and should give us solid middle relief with a chance to improve and graduate to a higher-leverage role.

Also as promised we dealt V-Rod:

https://i.imgur.com/cK8V4Yp.jpg

It was not the pitching help we were looking for but Viatoro is a guy whom I couldn't pass up:

https://i.imgur.com/RLUBrfS.png

I mean this guy is a perennial batting title contender and consistent 3.5 WAR producer, and still has one more year before he's eligible for arbitration (remember in my universe it went up to 4 years in the 2030s). He's a righty batter, which will restore some balance to our lefty-heavy lineup, and is a decent defensive 1B. He'll play there and DH some. I have no idea why my AGM was dead-set against the deal as the only thing I can think of is that V-Rod has 3 years left by arbitration instead of Viatoro's one, but other than that it's a clear win.

Meanwhile, the usual year-end wave of retirements saw a few former Rays hang up the cleats. Brad Jackson, who won a Cy Young for us in 2041 and four titles and then went on to win a Cy with Washington in 2045, is calling it a career after a torn flexor tendon caused him to miss most of 2048. Jim Gebers, who played 3B for us in the late 30s and was the 2036 AL Rookie of the Year, also retired as did Ken Neil, a once-promising lefty we thought would be our closer when we acquired him in 2039 from Oakland, but flamed out both injury-wise and effectiveness-wise and spent an injury-riddled career in Baltimore with one good season in 2041 (an AL-leading 45 saves and 2.4 WAR).

Awards season:

Gold Gloves: We were shut out.

Reliever of the Year: Satoshi Sato finished a close second to LA's Jake Cid, with Cid receiving 14 first-place votes and 95 points and Sato 11 and 75. Steve Falcon finished fourth with one (mine) and 40. Cid saved 46 games with a 2.36 ERA and 3.0 WAR so he was a deserving winner. In the NL, Cincinnati's Josh Moore took the honors after 33 saves with a 2.28 ERA and 2.2 WAR.

Silver Slugger: For a change we only had one winner, Luis Barela at 3B. Former Ray Jose Mendez beat out Doug Johns in RF despite playing only 113 games and another former Ray Jeff Googins beat out Dave Frick at SS despite hitting .213 (albeit with 32 HR).

Rookie of the Year: 2B Alex Barnes of the Yankees, who hit .347-16-79, was an unanimous winner in the AL. In the NL the top freshman was Arizona 1B Danny Saldana off a .312-14-69 season.

Cy Young: Minnesota's Josh Gosa won the AL award in an extremely close decision over Oakland's Andy Velazquez. Gosa had 15 first-place votes and 146 points to Velazquez's 14 and 136 and was 18-8, 3.28 with 5.5 WAR amassed from pitching an MLB-best 241 innings. The NL winner was Steve Weatherspoon of the Cardinals, a more decisive winner with 28 first-place votes and who went 20-7, 3.05 for the Cardinals.

MVP: It's unanimous!

https://i.imgur.com/oe1m2o0.png

It comes as no surprise of course and it's Barela's fifth MVP, after the first four came consecutively from 2042-45. Down-ballot Doug Johns finished 5th. In the NL the nod went to the elderly Jorge Robles of Milwaukee. The 37-year-old hit .285-41-142 with 5.9 WAR, taking 24 first-place votes.

November 18: Another big trade, with a division rival (although with 27 straight division titles, I'm not sure if we have division rivals anymore):

https://i.imgur.com/yqA54YJ.png

So long to Jose Castillo, who didn't want to settle in arbitration, was probably going to make $13M, and who can be replaced by Jon Morales. In return we get a lefty for the bullpen who can also start in Morris (we'll be down a lefty with Satoshi Sato leaving via FA), and a power-hitting prospect in Cole, who has a 70 potential HR tool. Morris is rated 65/65/60 as a reliever and the stuff is 50 or 55 as a starter. He also makes the minimum so we clear even more payroll. Castillo was a great power hitter in his years with us (130 HR in 4 years) and is a career .394 OBP guy, but doesn't hit lefties well and has no defensive value so we had to use him at DH. Alcoser was a half-star "make it work" guy so nothing lost there.

November 22: Signed SP Chad Gardner to a 2-year contract extension worth a total of $22,200,000.

With the money we saved on Castillo I decided to bring back Gardner. He's 36 and there's a bit of a risk involved, but he was a solid performer for us last year in both the regular season and the playoffs and enables us to return our Series-winning rotation intact.

Another trade, to save a few bucks and open up a spot for an up-and-comer:

https://i.imgur.com/nqbHeqI.png

Suzuki was a good backup after we signed him coming over from Japan, but was going to command $4M this year and he's not *that* good, especially when we have two prospects knocking at the door in Alvaro Alejandre and David Morales. Alejandre, our supplemental first-rounder in 2045, isn't going to be a star, but he should be a solid backup with 45-50 batting ratings across the board and more importantly, he's rated 75 on defense. He did hit 298/360/494 at Durham this year and if gets anywhere near that I'll be thrilled. Morales is the far better hitter, with incredible bat-to-ball skills (75/80 contact and 75/80 avoid Ks) but no power or eye (30 on both) and potential 65 on defense, and he was our supplemental 1st-round pick in 2047. Alejandre has to go on the 42-man so he's Nelson Bocardo's backup for now.

Meanwhile there wasn't a great market for Suzuki but we did get a defensive wizard at SS in Jackson, who had a 9.5 ZR in the minors. He doesn't have much of a bat but it's a bit better than the guy we already have with a similar profile, Josh Sprouse. Somehow he hit .318 in High-A but is only rated 45 for contact.

November 25: The arbitration/free agent filings took place and while things went about as expected...

https://media0.giphy.com/media/3o6Mb...=200w.gif&ct=g

Doug Johns accepted the $17M qualifying offer! I'm completely shocked that a guy who's averaged nearly 5 WAR/season for the last 7 seasons wouldn't want to see what's on the open market. While under normal circumstances a guy who's worth 5 WAR is a bargain at $17M, it does kind of throw a wrench into my carefully constructed roster plans as I was planning on an Alex Duran/Tony Olivo platoon in RF and having $17M more to spend, using a chunk of that on perhaps another elite reliever. Instead I now only have $7M to spend which is essentially nothing since I want to keep at least that amount if not more as a cushion. Dave Frick rejected his QO as expected, and I didn't make one to Satoshi Sato since I figured he'd take it. In fact I was thinking about seeing if Sato would come back for something in the $8-10M range but that's out the window for now. I may shop Johns to see what I can get or shop Tomas Laboy, who is making almost $9M after his arb award but I prefer Laboy's ability to play 1B/3B with a RH bat.

UPDATE: I just tried shopping Johns and nobody will offer me a prospect or a regular in trade. Is there something I'm missing here? He's rated 60 across the board in contact/gap/power and 55 eye/avoid Ks, has hit 35 homers in each of the last two years, knocked in 250 runs in that span and earned 10.3 WAR. He *used* to be considered a 2-way player but isn't any longer on his profile page, so it shouldn't be that quirk of the game that undervalues those guys. I guess I'll keep him and deal someone else. (By the way, I can't give away Dan Anderson and his $4M salary either, so no relief there). I probably wouldn't have signed Chad Gardner to that 2-year deal had I known a) Johns would take the QO and b) he'd be untradeable.

November 26: Alright, I just took $10M out of the player development budget (which was a whopping $36M) to give us more salary flexibility so now I have $18M available. It's a bit robbing Peter to pay Paul but this Johns move has messed things up.

December 10: Former Rays starter Tim Gates signed a 1-year deal with the Yankees. The 38-year-old will get $7.3M.

December 12: Well it turns out there was a market for Doug Johns after all:

https://i.imgur.com/VclwAIM.png

I started off shopping him with 40% retention and was able to work that down to 15% in this deal which also netted me a nice young bat. We now have more money some of which I will put back into player development. Here's the lowdown on Yamaguchi:

https://i.imgur.com/mK6Roza.png

The positives: 1) dude can rake as you can see from these minor league numbers as well as his short debut stint with Houston, 2) dude can run - although he didn't have that many steals in the minors he's rated 70 for basestealing.

The negatives: 1) he has zero defensive value and is a DH-only, 2) he's a lefty swinger who doesn't hit lefties very well, 3) he's not a good clubhouse guy, and 4) he's "fragile" as you might have surmised from his limited number of games played last season.

He'll start the year at Durham and we'll see how it goes but the main thing was getting rid of Johns and the unexpected $17M contract he got from accepting the QO.

December 22: Time for the Rule 5 draft. I only added Alvaro Alejandre to the 42-man even though I have a couple of more spots open. It was an actual Rule 5 Draft with 18 players taken over four rounds and we did lose a couple players, both veteran hitters. OF Chris Payne, our supplemental 1st round pick all the way back in 2039 who's now 28, was taken by Baltimore. He's been at Durham the last couple of years hitting a combined 37 homers and has 60 power but offers little else. The other was a familiar name who was once a regular for us before being traded away and came back to spend a couple of years with Durham himself. That would be 33-year-old Ben Hill, who hit .302 with 26 HR for us in 2039 before being dealt to Columbus in a deal for Jordan Perez. Hill ended up washing out of majors and we signed him to a minor-league deal in 2047 which I might have mentioned earlier. Anyway, he hit 282/361/505 with 20 HR at Durham last year and is still rated 60 contact and 60 power but cannot play the field so we'll see if Houston, which selected him, makes him their DH. My best guess is we get at least one of, if not both, these guys offered back next year.

The first overall pick in the draft was RP Joel Byers, whom you may remember spent some time with us this past season after coming over in a minor deal from San Diego before flopping badly enough that we released him. Arizona had signed him to a minor league deal shortly thereafter but didn't protect him and he was grabbed by Seattle.

December 27: One-time Rays reliever Ed Pretty, who saved 101 games over the last 3 years for Atlanta, signed a 2/18.6 deal with the Dodgers.

2048-49 Offseason, Part 2
 

January 3: And there he goes. Dave Frick, our SS of the last 7 years, signed a massive 6/228 deal with St. Louis, making him the highest-paid player in baseball at $40M next season ahead of former teammate Luis Barela at $37M. A Gold Glover on whom you can count to hit 10~ homers a year (he's hit 10, 10, 9, 11 and 10 the last 5 seasons) and drive in 70 (he's knocked in 79, 72, 73, 70 and 57, with last year curtailed by injuries). We will net a compensatory 1st round pick for his signing.

Also reliever Doug Combs, who pitched for us from 2041-44, has signed a 1/2.7 deal with the Dodgers.

January 6: The Hall of Fame voting is in, and a former Rays star is enshrined:

https://i.imgur.com/H0fyEf7.png

Congrats to Nate Clark, who spent the first seven years of his career and put up his biggest numbers with the Rays from 2027-2033, getting rings in 2029, 2030 and 2033. His career stats:

https://i.imgur.com/sXZhn0k.png

Unfortunately he was the only inductee:

https://i.imgur.com/MSMjHDF.png

It's another close-but-no-cigar season for Shohei Ohtani, and Jasson Dominguez, whom we traded to the Yankees in 2026 to acquire Clark (after we acquired him from the Yankees in 2020 and then re-acquired him in 2028, playing alongside Clark for several years) also remains agonizingly close. Voters weren't impressed with the first-year class as one-time Texas ace Victor Presas had the best showing at 36.7%. And it's the end of the road for Rafael Devers who never could get over the hump.

January 21: Another trade:

https://i.imgur.com/DvWGNkc.png

Found a taker for Dan Anderson and we only had to retain $1.4M. And in return we get Ramirez, a righty-hitting 1B who has 50 contact, 60 gap power and 70 HR power. He hit .288-26-85 for Columbus in 2047 before being relegated to a reserve role last year with 10 HR in 186 AB. He's 30 and out of options, so he could make the team and be the DH against lefties.

January 22: Another day, another trade:

https://i.imgur.com/VmgqHER.png

Adios Caleb Ramos, who was lousy for us last year as a swingman although his ratings are still decent. He was going to be a free agent after 2049 and we have too many pitchers projected for the roster as it is, plus we needed a backup middle IF who can hit better than Josh Sprouse. So two birds with one stone and all that as we added Morales, who can play 2B and SS (not spectacularly, but competently) and hit .313 with 33 SB at AAA last year. He has no power but can get on base and obviously run. Also we swapped starting pitcher prospects in the deal and we got the better one in Ruiz who projects as a 5th starter with 50-55 ratings whereas See-to will probably never have better than 35 control to go with decent but not great stuff.

January 28: Signed free agent 1B/3B Kelvin Owens to a minor league contract with a major league option.

I think this might be the second(?) time we had a domestic scouting discovery from an independent league and we signed Owens to a deal with an option that pays him $3.6M if he makes the big club (which he probably won't):

https://i.imgur.com/MBYZ1n2.png

I say "probably not" but he does give us the option of trading Tomas Laboy, who's our only credible 3B backup right now (although Tony Olivo could fake it there for a bit).

February 25: Old friend Seth Williams signed a 2/23 deal with Minnesota after playing out his option in Detroit last year after we traded him there.

March 26: Omar Rodriguez, who once won an MVP with us in 2037 with a 10-WAR season and spent the last 10 years in San Francisco after we traded him there, now will play for a third team at the age of 40, signing a $6.7M 1-year deal with Milwaukee.

2049 Opening Day Roster & Preseason Predictions
 

No injuries of significance in the spring, so that box checked. In cutting down the roster we had to waive Tristan Goulet and Josh Sprouse as they were out of options but I'm confident we'll get them back. The roster:

C-Bocardo, Alejandre
1B-Viatorio
2B-Davila
SS-Morioka
3B-Barela
IF-R.Ramirez (1B), I.Morales (2B/SS), Laboy (1B/3B)
LF-Saro
CF-Parham
RF-Duran
DH-Jon Morales
OF-Olivo (can also play 1B/3B)

Olivo is slated to platoon with Duran in RF and Laboy with J.Morales at DH.

SP-Bookhart, Rose, Gardner, Riley, Delgado
LR-S.Morris, Roig
MR-Pasillas, Jose Morales, Navarro, J.Clark
SU-Mejia, Gray
CL-Falcon

Yes we have three Morales-es on the roster and had a fourth in Spring Training with catching prospect David Morales.

The preseason predictions are in and they are bit down on us, only projecting us for the second-best record in the AL. They're calling for a big rookie season from Jon Morales though:

https://i.imgur.com/AKiAYKc.png


Next up: We open the season at home with 4 games against Toronto.

April 1-4, 2049: vs Toronto (4)
 

It was a great Opening Day:

https://i.imgur.com/AKMl0pn.png

Yuji Morioka celebrated his full-time to SS replacing Dave Frick by hitting two homers and the Rays scored early and often in beating Toronto 8-3 in the 2049 lid-lifter. A couple of new faces came through as well with rookie Jon Morales and new acquisition Juan Viatorio each going 2-4 in their debuts. While Greg Bookhart wasn't his sharpest, he was good enough for the win and Angel Roig pitched a couple of scoreless innings against his former teammates.

Game 2: The offense came through again, scoring 7 times in their final 3 at-bats to lift the Rays to a 9-4 win over Toronto. Chris Parham, who drove in 3 in total, had a 2-run double in the 6th to tie it, and Tomas Laboy drilled a 3-run homer (#1) in the 7th to win it. Juan Viatorio was 3-5 with a double and RBI as well. Dave Rose pitched well but his own fielding error cost him in the 6th when Toronto scored 3 unearned to take a 4-2 lead and chased him from the game. He finished 5.2 8 4 1 0 7 and the win in relief went to Willie Navarro, who went 1 1/3 scoreless in his Rays debut.

Game 3: No comeback needed today as the Rays went to 3-0 behind a strong Chad Gardner outing and six early runs in a 10-1 blasting of the Blue Jays. Gardner demonstrated why he's worth the big 2-year extension he got by going a solid 7 6 1 1 0 5 for the win. They took advantage of the wildness of Toronto starter Jim Chamberlain (who walked 6 in all) to score 3 times in the 2nd and then in the 4th reigning AL MVP Luis Barela blasted his first homer of the year, a 3-run shot. Juan Davila later added his 2nd homer and Yuji Morioka drove in a pair to give him 6 in the season's first three games.

Game 4: A disastrous 4th inning which saw Toronto score 8 times led to the Rays tasting defeat for the first time in 2049 despite a furious comeback as they fell 10-9 to Toronto. Bob Riley got through the first 3 innings with only one run allowed but just couldn't get anyone out in the 4th as a parade of Jays got hit after hit, and then Tony Pasillas was just as bad, giving up two more runs of his own and it was 9-2 Toronto. Riley took the loss with a brutal 3.1 9 7 7 1 4 outing against his former club. But big deficits don't faze the Rays, especially at Publix Park, and they fought back thanks to some unlikely heroes. Rookie catcher Alvaro Alejandre made his MLB debut and homered in his first at-bat, something I'm pretty sure hasn't happened with a Ray in all the years of this save. He also added a 2-run double to give him a 2-3, 3-RBI day. Ismael Morales made his Rays debut and was 2-4 with a 2-run triple, and rookie Jon Morales hit his first MLB homer with a 2-run shot in the 6th. They made it 10-9 in the 7th but couldn't push across the equalizer in the final two innings. Angel Roig was impressive again keeping Toronto at bay with 3 1/3 hitless innings with 5 strikeouts.

Team record: 3-1. Next up: The White Sox come to town for 3 games.

April 5-7, 2049: vs Chicago White Sox (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays' offense was held in check for the first time this season as the White Sox eked out a 2-1 win at Publix Park in the opener. Luis Barela singled home a run in the 1st and it looked like business as usual but that would be all they'd get. Melvin Delgado went 5.2 4 1 1 1 4 in a solid start while Steve Morris allowed the winning run in the 7th to take the loss.

Game 2: Order restored at Publix Park as the Rays scored 7 times in the first 3 innings to take a 9-4 win over the White Sox. Yuji Morioka and Juan Davila each had 2-run homers, the third of the season for both while Tomas Laboy added his 2nd. Greg Bookhart went to 2-0 with another just-good-enough performance at 5 6 3 3 1 4.

Game 3: Credit to Chicago as they once again held the Rays to a solitary run to take the series with a 3-1 win. In fact it was 3-0 until the 8th when Yuji Morioka took over the team lead in homers with a solo shot, his 4th. Dave Rose (0-1) was decent at 5 6 2 2 2 8 but received no support.

Team record: 4-3, already 3 games behind 7-0 Baltimore. Next up: A day off then the opening homestand concludes with 3 against the 2-4 Red Sox.

April 9-11, 2049: vs Boston (3)
 

Game 1: For 6 innings it looked like the Rays' inexplicable scoring woes would continue as they were behind 4-0 to Boston but they quickly turned it around with the tying runs in the 7th and three more in the 8th to take a 7-4 win at Publix Park in the opener. Chad Gardner was decent at 6 7 3 3 1 7 but was unsupported before some unheralded Rays got the offense going. Tony Olivo belted a 2-run triple in the 7th and the deciding hit came off the bat of new backup MI Ismael Morales with an RBI single breaking the tie in the 8th. Chris Parham then added a 2-run double to provide insurance. Abelaldo Gray (1-0) got Mel Mejia out of an 8th-inning jam and picked up the win while Steve Falcon struck out the side in the 9th for save #2.

Game 2: After being tattooed in his opening start Bob Riley bounced back with 7 shutout innings as the Rays routed the Red Sox 10-0. Riley (1-1) was an excellent 7 5 0 0 0 6 and Tony Pasillas went the final two for the combined shutout. There was offense aplenty with Juan Viatorio slugging his first Rays homer, a 2-run shot in the 2nd to get them on the board, Mario Saro added a 2-run homer (#3) and Jon Morales hit his 2nd with the bases empty. Tony Olivo contributed a 2-run single and RBI double among his 3 hits as well.

Game 3: Melvin Delgado had a nightmarish first inning, giving up 6 runs all with two out in the first inning including a grand slam, but the Rays overcame that early chasm and put double digits on Boston again, winning 10-7. Delgado continued to struggle in the 3rd and was pulled after a brutal 2.1 8 7 7 1 2 outing which saw the Rays down 7-1. But the bullpen shut out the Sox the rest of the way including 2 scoreless from Angel Roig (1-0) who earned his first Rays win when they came back and Steve Falcon saved again, his 3rd. Backup 1B/DH Ruben Ramirez, making only his second start of the year, went deep twice for his first two Tampa Bay homers and drove in 3, and the Rays were beneficiaries of some unusually wild Boston pitching in the 3rd when four consecutive batters were walked with the bases loaded to get them within 7-6 almost immediately after falling far behind.

Team record: 7-3. Next up: We begin our first road trip of the season with 3 games in Toronto.

April 12-14, 2049: at Toronto (3)
 

Game 1: Juan Davila to the rescue as the 2B homered with two out in the 9th (#4) to send it to extras and then had a key single in the 11th moving Yuji Morioka up to 3rd where he scored from on a wild pitch to give the Rays a 3-2 win at Rogers Centre. Davila also singled in the Rays' first run as part of a 3-hit day. Greg Bookhart was solid in a no-decision (6 8 2 1 0 1) and Steve Falcon went 2 1/3 on 29 pitches to win his first decision of the year.

Game 2: Dave Rose had a rough time of it and the Rays fell 6-3 to the Jays. The righty dropped to 0-2 after a 5 9 4 4 2 5 outing which saw him yield a pair of homers. Juan Davila stayed hot with a 2-run homer (#5).

Game 3: The Rays needed extras to win for the second time in this series, taking a 6-3 decision over Toronto in 11 after blowing a 3-0 lead in the 9th. Juan Viatorio's 3-run blast, his 3rd hit of the game and 2nd homer of the year, was the difference and made a winner of Angel Roig (2-0), who went the final 2 1/3. Chad Gardner was brilliant for the third time in three starts at 7 6 0 0 0 6 but with Steve Falcon still tired from his lengthy outing in the opener, Abelaldo Gray coudn't close the deal in the 9th when the Jays mounted a 2-out rally to score 3 times including miscommunication on an infield pop that prolonged the inning. Earlier Juan Davila homered for the third straight game (#6) as part of another 3-hit day; he's off to a cool 391/509/891 start.

Team record: 9-4. The Orioles were swept so the Rays have regained their rightful position alone in first. Next up: An off-day then 3 games in Boston.

April 16-18, 2049: at Boston (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays rolled into Fenway to face the Red Sox, off to a miserable 2-10 start, and let the hosts walk one off in the bottom of the 10th to lose 4-3. The winning blow came courtesy of a former Ray, Randy Rappaport, with a walk-off homer against Steve Morris (0-2). Getting the win for Boston was another former high Rays pick, Jonathan Melendez. Bob Riley was decent in a no-decision (6.1 8 3 3 1 4) and Yuji Morioka had a 2-run homer (#5) which sent us to extras.

Game 2: Melvin Delgado did not have it today and the Rays dropped another one to Boston 7-3. The righty dropped to 0-1 with a horrendous 2.2 7 7 7 3 3 outing. Juan Davila was 2-5 with an RBI triple for a rare Tampa Bay bright spot.

Game 3: Tomas Laboy's 2-run pinch-homer (#3) in the 8th inning enabled the Rays to avoid an ignominious sweep in Fenway as they took a 5-3 win in the finale. The blow made a winner of Mel Mejia (1-0), who was charge with a blown save in the 7th after giving up the game-tying hit. Steve Falcon closed it out for save #3 and Greg Bookhart turned in a decent 5.2 8 2 2 1 5. Mario Saro was 3-4 with a steal and an RBI double.

Team record: 10-6. Next up: We're back home for 4 vs Baltimore who is tied with us atop the AL East.

April 19-22, 2049: vs Baltimore (4)
 

Game 1: The Rays scored 6 runs early and made a 6-5 lead stand up for five innings to take the opener from Baltimore and move into sole possession of first in the AL East. Mario Saro had the big hit, a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 4th that made it 6-5, his 4th of the year as part of a 3-hit day. Yuji Morioka continued his blazing start to the year with a 2-run shot (#6) and Dave Rose (1-2) hung around long enough for the win at 6 6 5 3 0 9 with Mel Mejia recording his first save with Steve Falcon fatigued.

Game 2: Things were a little easier today for Tampa Bay as they scored in six of their eight at-bats and beat the Orioles again 8-3. Luis Barela had a big day with a 2-run shot in the first, only his 2nd of the year, and a 2-run single later. Yuji Morioka can't stop homering and hit his 7th while Jon Morales was 2-4 with 2 RBI. Chad Gardner (2-0) beat his former team with a decent 5 8 3 3 1 7 performance. One sour note though: former Oriole Juan Viatoro tore a hamstring and is out 4-5 weeks.

April 21: Placed 1B Juan Viatoro on the 10-day IL, recalled OF Chris Kidd from AAA Durham.

We didn't need to call up a 1B since we have Ruben Ramirez and Tomas Laboy plays there as well, so we brought up Kidd since we really don't have anyone to cover CF effectively when Chris Parham needs a breather. Kidd is a 60-rated CF and is a good singles/gap hitter who could take over for Parham someday as he's only 24.

Game 3: The Rays clubbed six homers, scoring 11 runs - and lost - as a Coors Field or vintage 1970s Wrigley came unfolded with Baltimore taking a 19-11 win. They were up 7-3 after 3 innings on homers from Jon Morales (#3) who had a 4-hit day, Nelson Bocardo, who hit his first two of the year, Chris Parham (#1) and Tomas Laboy (#4). But Bob Riley (1-2), with an even bad-by-Tampa-Bay-standards defense behind him, couldn't hold the lead and was battered to the tune of 3.2 9 9 5 1 0 and the relievers behind him were just as bad. Ruben Ramirez came off the bench to hit a pinch-homer in the 9th, his 3rd. And to add injury to insult Yuji Morioka, who was already nursing a sprained knee, hurt his thumb and will go on the IL to get him fully healthy.

April 22: Placed IF Yuji Morioka on the 10-day IL, purchased the contract of IF Josh Sprouse from AAA Durham.

Josh Sprouse is back up once again to bring his toothpick of a bat but Gold Glove-caliber defense to the team. Ismael Morales will take over as the everyday SS while Morioka mends.

Game 4: Heartbreak for Tampa Bay as Steve Falcon (1-1) surrendered a 10th inning homer for the first run he's allowed this year and the Rays fell 6-5 to Baltimore in 10 innings, ending up with a series split and falling back into a tie with the Orioles atop the division. The Rays trailed this one 5-3 before they fought back with Mario Saro's 5th homer evening things up in the 8th. Jon Morales homered earlier (#4) while Melvin Delgado struggled a bit at 6.1 7 5 4 1 4.

Team record: 12-8. Next up: The Angels come into town for 3 over the weekend.

April 23-25, 2049: vs LA Angels (3)
 

Game 1: Greg Bookhart went to 3-0 with an excellent performance and the Rays took a 5-1 win over the Angels in the opener at Publix Park. Bookhart went 6 7 1 1 0 4 and he was supported by Luis Barela, who drew a bases-loaded walk in the 3rd to put the Rays in front to stay and then added a 2-run homer (#3).

Game 2: Alex Duran to the rescue as his 3-run 8th-inning homer (#2) turned a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 Rays win. Solo homers from Chris Parham (#2) and Ruben Ramirez (#4) brought the Rays back from 2-0, but LA went ahead in the 7th. Dave Rose went 5.1 8 2 2 1 4, and although Angel Roig (3-0) gave up the go-ahead run, he got the win after going 2 2/3 with 6 whiffs with Steve Falcon handling the 9th for his 4th save.

Game 3: Chad Gardner couldn't keep the ball in the park and the Rays dropped the finale to the Angels 9-5. The righty, who had pitched very well this season coming into today, was blasted for four homers in a 5.2 7 8 8 0 2 outing that dropped him to 2-1. They did get homers from Jon Morales (#5), Alex Duran (#3) and Juan Davila (#7). Davila is off to a scorching start, hitting 410/511/795 after going 3-3 today, with the batting average and his 1.8 WAR leading in the AL.

Team record: 14-9. Baltimore dropped 2 of 3 over the weekend so we're in sole possession of first by a game. Next up: Time to hit the road with 3 in Oakland kicking off a 9-game road trip.

April 26-28, 2049: at Oakland (3)
 

Game 1: So close! Bob Riley took a perfect game into the 9th, got the first out, but then had a slow roller hit back at him that the runner just beat out before he got the next batter to hit into a double play, facing the minimum in a 1-hit shutout of Oakland which the Rays won by the slender margin of 1-0. In other words Riley had to be perfect, and he nearly was. He fanned 7 in the 91-pitch masterpiece and improved to 2-2. The lone run of the game scored when Tony Olivo came home on a double-play grounder hit by Jon Morales.

Game 2: The Rays had another near-gem tonight as Melvin Delgado took a 3-hit shutout into the 9th and was one out from completing it before giving up a homer and a double as Tampa Bay took a 6-2 win. The double scored off reliever Steve Morris so Delgado (1-1) finished 8.2 5 2 2 1 4, not bad after coming into the game with an ERA in double figures. Luis Barela was the star on offense, going 4-5 with a double, homer (#4) and 2 RBI and Tomas Laboy had a 2-run single in a 3-run first that got things going.

Game 3: Pitching was the name of the game in this series for the Rays and they swept Oakland with another shutout 5-0. Greg Bookhart (4-0) was tonight's spellbinder, going 6 5 0 0 1 7 and three relievers contributed a scoreless inning apiece to complete the whitewash. Luis Barela was the big man with the bat again, going 2-4 with an RBI single, solo homer (#5) and sac fly. Chris Parham also found the seats with his 3rd longball.

Team record: 17-9, 2 up on Baltimore. Next up: A day off then we travel to Texas to face the Dukes for 3 games in Austin.

April 30-May 2, 2049: at Austin (3)
 

Game 1: A bullpen meltdown cost the Rays in the opener as a potential 2-1 win became a 5-2 loss to the Dukes when Abelaldo Gray (1-1) and Steve Morris combined to allow 4 runs in the 8th. Dave Rose was a solid 5 5 1 1 3 4 and Juan Davila had a solo homer (#8) to put them in decent position before it all went wrong.

Game 2: The Rays bounced back to take a 5-3 win over Austin in the second game, getting a Ruben Ramirez sac fly in the 7th and a Luis Barela RBI single, his third ribbie of the day, in the 8th to break a 3-3 tie. Chad Gardner (3-1) got the win despite allowing a couple of homers in a 6 5 3 3 1 5 outing and Steve Falcon finished with a 1-2-3 9th for save #5. Barela had earlier homered (#6) along with Mario Saro, who led off the game with his 6th longball.

May 2: Activated SS Yuji Morioka from the 10-day IL, designated IF Josh Sprouse for assignment.

Game 3: The bullpen let them down again in a weird game that was scoreless through 6, saw the Rays take a 1-0 lead in the 7th on a Yuji Morioka homer before giving up 7 runs in the 7th, and then saw them come back with 5 in the 8th but just falling short in a 7-6 loss. Bob Riley, who came two outs from pitching a perfect game his previous time out, was brilliant again in holding Austin hitless through 4 1/3 and on one hit through 6. He gave up a hit to start the 7th and the pen came in and crapped the bed. Willie Navarro (1-1) gave up 2 hits and 2 walks getting only one out, and Angel Roig put another man on before giving up a 3-run homer as 7 runs scored, one charged to Riley who finished 6 2 1 1 1 7 and four to Navarro. The bats immediately responded with a big 8th, including another homer from Morioka with two men on giving him two on his return from the IL and nine for the year. They went down meekly 1-2-3 in the 9th though, and the series was lost.

Team record: 18-11, 1 up on Baltimore. Next up: Four games in New York against the Yankees.

Some monthly awards:

https://i.imgur.com/VzJxJ0p.png

Among AL hitters Davila is 3rd in AVG, 1st in OPS and 1st in WAR at 1.9.

Also on the farm:

https://i.imgur.com/3bjeXMT.png

Wilson is more than ready to play in the bigs but we have a glut of 1B (Laboy, Ruben Ramirez, Viatoro) already on the MLB roster.

May 3-5, 2049: at NY Yankees (3)
 

Game 1: Melvin Delgado, who missed out on a shutout by one out last time on the mound, got one today as the Rays blanked the Yankees 7-0. The righty improved to 2-1 after a rough beginning to the season with today's 9 5 0 0 0 5 gem on 120 pitches. All seven runs came in the first three innings with five of them scored in the first, capped by a bases-clearing double from former Yankee farmhand Chris Kidd, who added an RBI single later and went 3-4 with 4 RBI on the day.

Game 2: Seems like it's feast or famine for the bats this year and today they were famished in a 2-1 loss. Ruben Ramirez's RBI double in the 7th was all they could manage, consigning Greg Bookhart who went 4.2 7 2 2 2 3 to his first loss of the season against four wins.

Game 3: The offense resumed feasting in the finale as the Rays took the series with a 10-1 win which featured Dave Rose as the latest Rays pitcher to just miss out, finishing one out shy of a shutout. Rose went 8.2 7 1 0 2 3 on 121 pitches, walking in a run during an inning prolonged by an error with two out but still improving to 2-2. Jon Morales and Luis Barela led the attack with both going deep twice and driving in three runs, giving Morales 7 and Barela 8 homers on the season. Juan Davila also knocked in a pair.

Team record: 20-12, now 3 up on Baltimore which was swept by the high-flying Detroit Tigers who are off to a 24-8 start and who just happen to be our next opponent, coming to Publix Park for 3. It'll be a good early-season measuring stick.

May 7-9, 2049: vs Detroit (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays got a couple of big homers in the 7th inning to take a 5-4 win in the opener at Publix Park over the hot 24-8 Tigers. With his team trailing 3-2, Mario Saro launched a 2-run shot (#7) into the RF bullpen to make it 4-3 and two batters later rookie Jon Morales went deep for the 8th time to provide an insurance run that would be cashed in after Detroit got one back in the 8th. Morales added an RBI single in the 1st. Chad Gardner had a shaky start, going 3.1 9 3 3 2 4 with 2 more homers allowed, the win went to Jose Morales (1-0) in relief, and Steve Falcon notched save #6.

Game 2: Luis Barela's sac fly in the 7th broke a 2-2 tie and the Rays edged Detroit once again 3-2. Bob Riley continued his good run of form, going 6 9 2 2 0 1 before giving way to Willie Navarro (2-1), who picked up the win with Steve Falcon saving again (#7). Back-to-back solo homers from Jon Morales (#9) and Barela (#9) in the 3rd erased an early 2-0 Tiger lead.

Game 3: The Rays made an early-season statement that the road to the World Series runs through Publix Park as they swept the previously high-flying Tigers with an emphatic 7-3 win which wasn't really that close. Melvin Delgado (3-1), who had a near-shutout and a shutout in his previous two starts, was in fine form again going 6 5 0 0 0 3. Things did get a bit dicey in the 9th as the Rays' bullpen had some issues but Mel Mejia retired the tying run at the plate in the 9th for save #2. Meanwhile the offense was led by Chris Parham who belted a 2nd-inning grand slam (#4), and Nelson Bocardo was 2-5 with his 4th homer.

Team record: 23-12, 3 1/2 games up on now-second place New York as Baltimore has dropped way behind after losing six straight. Next up: Those slumping Orioles visit for 3 games.

Jon Morales had a good week and the league noticed:

https://i.imgur.com/iPbV1ME.png

May 10-12, 2049: vs Baltimore (3)
 

Game 1: The opener was a typical Publix Park slugfest with the Rays coming out on top over Baltimore 10-8. Every time the Orioles tied it up or went ahead the Rays immediately answered, and Jon Morales had the big day among Rays batters, banging out 3 hits including an RBI single and a solo homer (#10) in the 7th which broke a 7-7 tie. Yuji Morioka added a 2-run homer in that 7th inning (#10) which proved to be the difference, and rookie catcher Alvaro Alejandre kept producing, going 3-4 himself with his 2nd homer while Juan Davila was 3-5 with 2 RBI. Greg Bookhart went 5 6 4 4 2 6 and Jose Morales (2-0) got the win despite losing the lead in the 7th when he allowed the three men Abelaldo Gray walked to score on a bases-clearing double by former Rays prospect Chris Payne, taken by Baltimore in last winter's Rule 5 draft. Steve Falcon picked up save #8 despite allowing a solo homer.

Game 2: Things were considerably calmer in the second game as the Rays took a 4-2 win thanks to a gem from Dave Rose. The righty improved to 3-2, going 8 4 2 2 3 6 and giving the bullpen a rest after yesterday's slugfest. Willie Navarro handled the 9th for his first Rays save. Yuji Morioka's hot start to 2049 shows no sign of ending as he hit HR #11 and Ruben Ramirez had a key RBI double.

Game 3: The Rays made it 7 straight wins and a sweep of Baltimore by walking off a 5-4 win on a 2-out solo homer from Ruben Ramirez (#5) in the 9th. It looked more like a repeat of Monday with the game 4-4 after 3 but the scoring dried up from there until Ramirez's blow. Chad Gardner pitched well outside of the 3rd when he allowed all 4 runs, finishing 6.1 8 4 4 0 7 and Steve Falcon (2-1) got the win after a scoreless 9th. Earlier Jon Morales launched a 2-run shot (#11) and Mario Saro went solo with #8.

Team record: 26-12, now 5 up on the Yankees as the natural order of things settles back in. Next up: An off-day then we travel to New York to face those Yankees for 3 games.

May 14-16, 2049: at NY Yankees (3)
 

Before I get into the recaps I have to share these consecutive emails I received regarding one of our farmhands, kind of a "how it started/how it's going" meme in action:

https://i.imgur.com/hVUx6Pp.png

https://i.imgur.com/71SRL5v.png

Game 1: The Rays and Bob Riley keep rolling as the team won its 8th straight game and the lefty had his fourth straight excellent start in a 3-2 win at Yankee Stadium. Riley (3-2) went 8 3 1 1 2 5 and has allowed only four runs in his last four starts covering 29 innings and more amazingly he's only allowed 15 hits in that span for a guy who usually gives up 200 hits+ a season. Juan Davila's 2-run homer (#9) in the 7th erased a 1-0 Yankees lead and Jon Morales added a bases-empty blast in the 8th (#12) which proved to be important when Steve Falcon gave up a solo shot in the 9th but still held on for save #9.

Game 2: Defense and the bullpen betrayed the Rays as they squandered a 5-1 lead and lost 7-6 to New York, seeing their win streak snapped at 8. Tomas Laboy had a pair of solo homers (#5 & 6) and Melvin Delgado was rolling through four but in the 5th a pair of errors led to 3 unearned runs and Delgado left with a weird 5 4 5 1 3 0 line. Steve Morris (0-3) then allowed a Delgado runner leading off the 6th to score and his own man scored when the guy he was traded for, old friend Jose Castillo, hit a 2-run homer off Willie Navarro in the 7th.

Game 3: The Rays blew a 4-run lead for the second straight day, with the bullpen the primary culprit but Mario Saro rode to the rescue and his solo homer (#9) in the 8th gave the Rays a 7-6 victory in the rubber match of the series. Yuji Morioka had a 2-run single to help lead the Rays to a 6-2 lead behind Greg Bookhart but the lefty put a couple of men on to start the 6th and Angel Roig proceeded to walk three men to force in both those runners and then in the 7th Mel Mejia put a couple men on whom Abelaldo Gray allowed to score to let the Yankees equalize. But Saro's homer made a winner of Gray (2-1) and Steve Falcon had a perfect 9th with two whiffs for his 10th save as the Rays are now 6 up on the second-place Yankees.

Team record: 28-13. Next up: Off to Houston for 3 where we reunite with old friends Doug Johns and Gordie Ager. The Astros are tied for first in the AL West with in-state rivals Texas at 24-17.

May 17-19, 2049: at Houston (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays jumped out to a 9-1 before the last guys out of the bullpen combined to allow 6 runs in the 8th and they had to hold on to a 9-7 win in the opener at Minute Maid Park. Yuji Morioka went deep twice to give him 13 and drove in 3, Tomas Laboy added a 2-run shot (#7) and Jon Morales was 3-4 to pace the offense. They supported Dave Rose (4-2), who was great at 7 4 1 1 2 8 before giving way to Tony Pasillas and Joe Clark, who weren't as they were hit hard in that 8th inning. As a result Steve Falcon had to come in for save #11 with a 1-2-3 9th.

Game 2: Tampa Bay and Houston played a marathon with the Rays ultimately prevailing 4-3 in 15 after getting 10 shutout innings from their bullpen. Ruben Ramirez hasn't played a lot this season since coming over from Columbus but when he has he's hit some big homers and tonight he blasted #6 in the 9th inning to tie the game at 3 and Luis Barela's RBI triple in the 15th won it. Jose Morales (3-0), the Rays' 6th reliever of the night, capped the brilliant pen performance with 2 1/3 shutout innings whiffing four for the win. Chad Gardner, who walked 5 men all season in his first 8 starts doubled that total after a 5 2 3 3 5 4 outing. Jon Morales supplied the rest of the offense with 3 hits including a 2-run homer (#13) in the first off former Rays ace Gordie Ager.

Game 3: The Rays finally got the rout they thought they were getting on Monday as they banged out 20 hits in a 12-1 hammering of Houston. Jon Morales had another 3-hit game with a 2-run homer and he's now tied for the MLB lead at 14, Juan Davila contributed a grand slam (#10) and Yuji Morioka drove in 3 including a 2-run double. The hit parade made a comfortable winner of the red-hot Bob Riley (4-2) who went 7 4 1 1 2 4, and Monday night's strugglers Tony Pasillas and Joe Clark each had a scoreless inning for some redemption.

Team record: 31-13. Next up: A day off as we remain in Texas to play 3 against the Rangers.

May 21-23, 2049: at Texas (3)
 

Game 1: The Rays keep rolling along, taking a comfortable 8-3 win at Globe Life Field over the Rangers in their series opener. Jon Morales continued his impressive rookie campaign by going 2-3 with a 2-run homer to give him sole possession of the MLB lead with 15, Mario Saro was 2-5 with a homer to lead off the game (#10) and Yuji Morioka singled in a pair of runs. Melvin Delgado's good run also continued as he improved to 4-1 with a 6.2 7 3 2 1 6 outing.

Game 2: Tampa Bay made it six wins on the trot behind an impressive outing from Greg Bookhart as they took Texas 4-1. Bookhart (5-1) was a solid 7 2 1 1 4 6, has yet to allow a homer this season, and is tied for the AL pitcher WAR lead at 1.8. Steve Falcon jangled some nerves by loading the bases in the 9th but pitched out of his own jam and recorded save #12. Most of the offense came courtesy of Alex Duran, who launched a 3-run homer in the 3rd (#4).

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep, winning their 7th straight and the 15th of their last 16 thanks to a 6-2 triumph over the Rangers. Yuji Morioka led the charge, hitting a 4th-inning grand slam (#14), giving him 40 RBI in 35 games as his blistering start to 2049 shows no sign of ending. Juan Davila added a late solo shot (#11) for some insurance and Dave Rose (5-2) was impressive at 6.1 6 2 2 0 9 for the win.

Team record: 34-13. Next up: We return home for 3 vs Philadelphia.

May 24-27, 2049: vs Philadelphia (3)
 

Game 1: Yuji Morioka can't stop hitting and he gave the Rays a 2-1 walk-off win at Publix Park against the Phillies by belting a leadoff homer (#15) in the bottom of the 9th to break a 1-1 deadlock. Chad Gardner was very good (7.2 7 1 1 0 5) and Luis Barela, who was on base all four times up, singled in the first Rays run. Steve Falcon (3-1) pitched the 9th for the win.

Game 2: Bob Riley was solid again and he got some early run support as the Rays cruised to their 9th straight win 5-2 over Philadelphia. Riley (5-2) pitched a typical Bob Riley game at 6 8 2 2 1 5 and Steve Falcon closed it out for save #13. His mates got him four runs in the first three innings with a solo homer from Jon Morales (an MLB-best 16th) and a 2-run shot from Luis Barela (#10) leading the way.

Wednesday's third game was rained out and postponed to Thursday, a scheduled off-day for both teams.

Game 3: Melvin Delgado had a rough start but the bats got him off the hook as the Rays completed the sweep with an 8-5 victory, their 10th straight and 18th in their last 19. Delgado was hit-prone going 4.1 10 4 2 1 1 and didn't have his best stuff but every time the Phillies scored the Rays answered. Nelson Bocardo did a lot of the answering, going 4-4 with a double and 2 RBI, Juan Davila launched a 2-run homer (#12), Yuji Morioka drove in two more runs and Chris Kidd had a steal and an RBI triple. Jose Morales (4-0) picked up the win in relief and Steve Falcon ended up figuring in all 3 games with the rainout involved, notching save #14.

Team record: 37-13. Next up: Arizona comes to town for 3.