Rays ready for busy off season
Four days after the end of the World Series, the official off-season will begin in MLB and this is sure to be an important one for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Just in the past week, Hillsbourough County announced that after looking at around 12 potential sites, they have settled on the area of Ybor City as the potential home for a new Rays Stadium. The Rays will now have have nine months to give their approval to the new location. The Rays have been tenants of St. Petersburg since their entry into into MLB in 1998.
If the Rays should approve of the location, it is still far from a done deal. The county and the Rays will then have to figure out a way to pay for the stadium. The taxpayers? A hotel tax? Luxury tax? How much money will the Rays put out for the new stadium? All these questions will need to be answered once a decsion is made for a Stadium site.
On the field many of the Rays are arbitration eligible this off-season and with Stuart Sternberg hell-bent on cutting payroll expect to see a re-tooled Rays team in 2018.
Sternberg has been quoted that the payroll will be in the 70-75 million dollar range.
Alex Cobb is a free agent whose value has been estimated at $18 million dollars. There is no way that the Rays will pay him that kind of money. He is gone And will sign with another team in the off-season. Jake Orodorizzi is another of the Rays starters that could be traded. Ordorizzi made just over $4 million LY and is arbitration eligible. Although he had a so so season, Ordorizzi will get a raise which may be more than the Rays will be willing to pay, so a trade may happen for Ordorizzi.
Closer Alex Colome led the majors in saves with 47 this past season. Colome who has established himself as one of the top closers in MLB made $547,000 LY and is due for a big raise this off-season. Market value will be around $3 million. Will the Rays pay up? Doubtful. The Rays may go back to Brad Boxberger as he will come a bit cheaper than Colome. Boxberger made 1.6 mill LY and will not command that much of a raise after an injury-marred season.
Logan Morrison who made just over 2 mill LY will not be back. After the season he had, Morrison will get a contract over $10 million a year and that will put the Rays out of the running.
Peter Borjous, Steve Cishek, Sergio Romo, and Lucas Duda all acquired around the trade deadline as rent a players will not be back as they are free agents.
The Rays will rely on a mix of young players and 2nd and 3rd tier free agents to try to catch lightning in a bottle and field a competitive team in 2018. The Rays will continue to bring in free agents whose best years are behind them, or guys who were once good prospects, but injuries have derailed their careers and the Rays will give them a shot to get back on track.
Expect a lot of turnover on the roster this off-season. The Rays do have some guys at the minor league level whose time has come and will get a fair shot to make the 2018 team.
