Can’t keep up with the Rays, even with a scorecard
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Denard Span says he is taking things one day at a time, as one does in spring training, but baseball’s ultimate cliché takes on a deeper meaning within the confines of a camp like no other.
Span was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in December, not because the club had a specific need for the 33-year-old outfielder but merely because his salary facilitated the farewell of Evan Longoria, the only franchise player the team has known.
That stunning five-player swap with the San Francisco Giants would be the apex of almost any team’s offseason.
Instead, it was one of a dizzying array of moves by the Rays, a franchise that exemplifies this baseball winter that refuses to die.
They’ve turned over nearly half of their 40-man roster since the end of last season, and since pitchers and catchers reported to Charlotte Sports Park on Feb. 14, 11 players have been sent packing or welcomed into the organization in a quartet of deals.
Amid understandable player backlash, Rays general manager Erik Neander and senior vice president Chaim Bloom went on the offensive with an explanatory effort that has thus far calmed a confounded clubhouse.
That doesn’t guarantee a strong sense of security for anything that’s not bolted down.
“I won’t believe I’m a Tampa Bay Ray until I show up on opening day, and I’m running out for opening ceremonies,” says Span, a key member of playoff teams in Minnesota, Washington and San Francisco. “Until then, I’m thankful I have this uniform on — any uniform on.”
Coldhearted calculation is a survival mechanism for the Rays, who in the past decade have bucked their small-market status to win one American League pennant, reach the playoffs four times and post winning records in six seasons. Churn is the norm. Yet what transpired in a 72-hour period after camp opened was anything but normal — even the perpetrators can agree on that.
At a time the game traditionally sells hope and renewal, the Rays wielded a wrecking ball, trading one of their two 2017 All-Stars (outfielder Corey Dickerson), their No. 3 starter (Jake Odorizzi) and their 2017 team MVP (30-homer outfielder Steven Souza). Left behind was an odd mix of unproven prospects, befuddled veteran newcomers such as Span and two players on team-friendly, long-term contracts — pitcher Chris Archer and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier — suddenly granted clubhouse seniority in Longoria’s absence.
Neander, who at 34 is the youngest GM in baseball, realized he couldn’t hide in his office after what appeared to be a gutting of the roster. Instead, he invited Archer and Kiermaier inside. Along with Bloom, he explained the reasoning behind the deals, how they possibly make the Rays as good or better now while also casting an eye toward the future.
“While at times we’ve been willing to make moves that go against conventional wisdom or aren’t particularly popular,” Neander says, “we try to do everything we can behind the scenes to treat our players like human beings and treat them with respect, whether they agree with the decision or not.”
Archer and Kiermaier, duly impressed, aimed to spread that gospel around the clubhouse. While the emo- tional wounds aren’t far from the surface, Neander’s outreach certainly cleared the air.
“I feel very fortunate that I’m with an organization that actually takes the time to explain the moves to a couple guys,” says Archer, the two-time AllStar entering his seventh of a potential 10 seasons with the Rays. “I’m glad Erik and Chaim felt the need and importance to communicate to us.
“But after they explained it to us, you’re like, ‘At least they have a plan.’ ”
So what is that plan, and why would Neander further dismantle an 80-82 club that suffered free agent losses in starter Alex Cobb, slugger Logan Morrison and reliever Tommy Hunter?
Neander cites the ongoing desire to rebuild a farm system that was largely barren in 2015, the chance to earn similar production from players making less in salary and creating opportunity for younger talent.
That farm system, ranked 20th by
Baseball America in 2014, is now a consensus top five group. Neander is fond of pointing out that in what might be called the Tanking Era, the Rays remained competitive in three of the four years they built up their player development.
“We didn’t white-flag three seasons at the major league level in order to do that,” Neander says.