The face of the franchise Evan Longoria was shipped out of town to the San Francisco Giants to save a few extra dollars. The Rays took their rebuild to an even uglier level when they designated Corey Dickerson for assignment after the team traded for C.J. Cron. Dickerson was the Rays representative for the All-Star Game and was released for nothing. If you thought their star defensive center fielder Kevin Kiermaier was going to keep quiet, you were highly mistaken.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times caught a sound bite from the Rays outfielder:
“I am 100 percent frustrated and very upset with the moves. No beating around the bush. It’s one of those things that makes you scratch your head, you don’t know the reasoning why. And then you see the team’s explanation and still it’s just like, okay, well, so be it.”
Jake Odorizzi was also sent out of town to the Twins shortly after the Cron deal. Only the Rays would straight up release an All-Star caliber player to save a few dollars. The Rays can now hang their hats on Denard Span who has been washed up the past few years. He was the key piece to the Longoria trade with the Giants.
Chris Archer could be the next Ray dealt. Tampa ranked last in attendance and really no one goes to their games. The Rays are looking for a new stadium that the ownership group hopes can make it feasible to keep the team in Tampa. With the Marlins also reaching new lows, maybe baseball just simply can’t work in Florida. The Montreal Expos are definitely looking to get back in the action and could be part of the relocation process if the Rays continue to embarrass themselves.
