What a day for the Tampa Bay Rays franchise. They sign not 1, but 2 former Red Sox outfielders in 1 day. The Rays needed a hitter or 2 in their lineup to be a competitor in the AL East and in one fell swoop, they added 2 big names. Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez will be pulling on the Rays uniform in 2011. Take a moment and digest that thought. Two of the most loved and hated figures in recent memory with the Boston Red Sox will team-up together against the Sox in their own division. Without a doubt, face-to-face divisional games between the Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are going to be raised to a new level with this move. With the shock aside, let’s look at what this move really means for the Rays. (more after the jump)
Both Damon and Ramirez are past their prime. They are players who were huge contributors at the peak of their careers, but their numbers have suffered last season. Early today, I wrote a post with more detail about Damon, looking at his numbers last season and his career averages. His home run and average numbers dropped in 2010, but the Rays are hoping for a resurgence from the 37-year old. In the same vein, Manny’s 2010 season consisted of the worst power-outage of his career, as he hit just 9 home runs in 90 games, but he hit .298. The Rays are hoping Manny can maintain his high average, but return some of the power that strikes fear into opposing hitters.
Both of these signings have the potential to be excellent moves for the Rays, but they also could be flops. These guys are in their upper-30’s, which usually spells disaster for power and is the point in which bodies begin or continue to break down. Damon has shown signs of losing speed and range in the outfield, but hasn’t missed time due to injury, while Manny missed nearly half the season last year due to injury. Alone, Damon’s high $5.25 million salary would seem excessive, but added to Manny’s $2 million deal, $7.25 million for both guys is a solid deal, if they stay healthy. The Rays now have an impressive DH tandem, Manny against lefties and Damon against righties with the option to put them both in the outfield at different times.
Once the dust settles, this will likely be a decent move for the Rays, who appeared to be getting weaker this off-season, while the Red Sox and Yankees remained strong (or improved). What was beginning to look more like the past 2-team races in the AL East has now drastically reversed back into a 3-horse race. The Rays gained 2 players on the field, but also a ton of history and AL East experience at their backs. Will it help them make the playoffs in 2011? I’m not sure it’s enough…
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