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Rays Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:07:17 PST

The Rays had already decided they had good enough alternatives at second base that they weren't going to pick up the $4.85 million option to keep Akinori Iwamura.

But that didn't make saying goodbye any easier.

"It's tough to put into words what Aki's meant to this organization," executive VP Andrew Friedman said. "I like cite this example a lot when talking about the (organization's) transformation from '07 to '08, how selfless Aki was when we sat him down at the end of '07 and talked to him about moving to second base.

"And essentially his comment was, 'Whatever it takes to help the team win.' And I think all of his teammates saw that and really respected that, as did the organization.

Rays announce staff additions (AP)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:11:53 PST

The Tampa Bay Rays have made several staff additions for the 2010 season. The team announced Thursday that Bill Evers will join Jim Hoff as minor league field coordinator. Matt Quatraro will join Steve Livesey as hitting coordinator, and Dewey Robinson has been hired to join Dick Bosman as pitching coordinator.

Rays trade 2B Iwamura to Pirates (AP)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:19:41 PST

The budget-conscious Tampa Bay Rays saved some money and added some promising bullpen help Tuesday night when they traded infielder Akinori Iwamura to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Jesse Chavez. The Rays held a $4.85 million option on Iwamura for next season, but did not intend to pick it up because of the depth they have at second base.

Rays close to trading Iwamura to Pirates (SportingNews.com)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:16:43 PST

The Tampa Bay Rays eased their middle infield logjam a bit today by agreeing to trade Akinori Iwamura to the...

Game 3 of World Series starts after rain delay (AP)

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:30:44 PDT

Game 3 of the World Series between the Yankees and Phillies started Saturday night after a rain delay of 1 hour, 20 minutes, the second consecutive year wet weather affected the schedule in Philadelphia. In a light mist, Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels threw the first pitch to Derek Jeter at 9:17 p.m.

Large-market teams dominate baseball this year (AP)

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:07:01 PDT

Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio thought about the teams in baseball's final four this year -- all large-market clubs -- and wondered whether there would be room for his franchise anytime soon. "We don't know if that's a trend or just an aberration," he said. "The disparity among the clubs appears to be widening." Baseball's four league championship series...

Baseball's big bucks: Large-market teams open wallets, get plenty to show for it (The Canadian Press)

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:44:30 PDT

PHILADELPHIA - Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio thought about the teams in baseball's final four this year - large-market clubs all - and wondered whether there would room for his franchise any time soon.

Rays to cut some 2010 tickets by 40 percent (AP)

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:09:44 PDT

The Tampa Bay Rays say they are holding the line, and in some cases, dropping the price on nearly 40 percent of tickets for next season's games at Tropicana Field. The team unveiled its 2010 ticket structure on Thursday. Prices range from $8 to $175, depending on seat location, the opponent and day of the week.

Yankees overpowered by Utley, Lee (Yahoo! Sports)

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:59:00 PDT

Chase Utley hit two homers, Cliff Lee struck out 10 in a complete game and the Phillies won the opener 6-1.

Rays re-sign OF Gabe Kapler (AP)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:51:40 PDT

Outfielder Gabe Kapler has re-signed with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team announced a one-year deal on Tuesday. The 34-year-old Kapler played in 99 games this season, batting .239 with eight homers and 32 RBIs. Kapler played all three outfield positions for the Rays. He initially signed with Tampa Bay last January and has also played with Detroit, Texas, Colorado, Boston and Milwaukee during parts of 11...

Players staying warm with cold-weather headgear (AP)

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:47:35 PDT

Joe Maddon looked into his locker during the bitter cold 2008 postseason and saw an unfamiliar piece of equipment: a fleece-lined baseball cap with ear flaps. "I know that a lot of the old baseball guys probably would not approve, but it didn't matter," the Tampa Bay Rays manager recalled Thursday.

Rays hire Derek Shelton as hitting coach (AP)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:49:31 PDT

Derek Shelton has been hired by the Tampa Bay Rays as the team's hitting coach. The 39-year-old spent the last five seasons in the same position with the Cleveland Indians. The move Wednesday fills a spot on manager Joe Maddon's staff that opened when Steve Henderson was fired. During Shelton's time with the Indians, Cleveland ranked fifth in the major leagues in runs and seventh in team...

Yankees confident in short-rested Sabathia (Yahoo! Sports)

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:45:00 PDT

Despite last year's meltdown for Milwaukee, CC Sabathia is being counted on to step up in Game 4 of the ALCS.

Have some baseball to go with your turkey (AP)

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:41:49 PDT

Global warming is going to ruin baseball's postseason -- unless Bud Selig and his TV partners do it first. That highly unscientific theory came to me at the World Series last October on an ice-cold night in Philadelphia, right after the commissioner took the unprecedented step of suspending Game 5 between the Tampa Bay Rays and the host Phillies in the sixth inning.

Report: Venezuela to exhume MLB pitcher Gonzalez (AP)

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:37:12 PDT

Venezuelan authorities reportedly will exhume the body of former major league pitcher Geremi Gonzalez to probe whether he was killed last year by lightning, as an autopsy determined, or was the victim of a deadly robbery. Prosecutors in the western city of Maracaibo plan to exhume the corpse Oct. 29 at his family's request, the newspaper Diario Panorama said Friday, citing unidentified judicial...

Cubs sending Bradley to Rays for Burrell? (Yahoo! Sports)

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:32:05 PDT

The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs are supposedly talking trade about unhappy outfielder Milton Bradley,...