Rays move McClung, Cantu at fine time
By Marc Topkin
Published July 29, 2007
ST. PETERSBURG - About time the Devil Rays traded Seth McClung.
And that has nothing to do with the big right-hander's pitching ability, which never quite matched his potential, nor his gregarious personality, which tended to exceed tolerable limits in the typical baseball environment.
And the same about Jorge Cantu, and lingering questions over whether his 2005 team MVP season was the aberration or his more recent unproductive play.
Since executive VP Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon took over after the 2005 season, they've talked a lot about sorting through the players that were here, evaluating which ones they thought could be part of the future and moving on without those who couldn't.
Now they seem to be doing something about it.
McClung clearly wasn't going to get much of another chance with the Rays. He'd been tried as a starter, a closer and a middle reliever and had a career 6.27 ERA. And when he got his ERA under 2.00 at Triple-A Durham (though still with 43 walks in 582/3 innings) and still didn't get a call to help the major leagues' worst bullpen, and given that his arbitration-driven salary was already $750,000 this season, it was time for him to go.
"Seth is the perfect example of that situation," Maddon said. "He was given plenty of opportunities. ... We just felt it was time to move on. We know what we have to make better for us to move to the next level within this division."
The same with Cantu whom, fairly or not, the Rays clearly had no use for. Friedman deserves some credit for getting something for them, though obviously at a reduced rate.
Of the players on the 40-man roster at the start of spring training 2006, 18 are off the roster. Of the players on the roster at the start of this season, six others are already gone. Getting rid of McClung and Cantu was the right move. And for others who appear to be out of the plans, there may not be much time left.
WHY NOT STU? We're sure Casey Fossum would love to have the Rays pick up his $3-million option for next season, but naming his newborn son Andrew?
"I knew I'd hear about that," Fossum said. "My wife wanted to use that for our first boy, and we've already used two A names (Aidan and Ava.)"
Said Maddon: "I thought that was kind of strange. I thought Joseph would have been a more appropriate choice, but Andrew's fine."
RAYS RUMBLINGS: CF Rocco Baldelli, out since mid May with a left hamstring strain, is slowly resuming all baseball activities, including baserunning, but it looks like it will be September before he's back in the majors. ... We're guessing the Red Sox didn't move from the Renaissance Vinoy, where all other teams stay, to the Don CeSar just because Manny Ramirez liked the pool better. ... Bizofbaseball.com reports the new team name was going to be Stingrays, but officials are concerned about it being twisted to Stink Rays. ... Should be an interesting scene Tuesday when former Rays bat boy Jesse Litsch returns to the Trop as Toronto's starting pitcher. ... Highest bids so far on mlb.com for the signed Rays Turn Back the Clock St. Pete Saints jerseys: $2,021 for Akinori Iwamura, $960 for Delmon Young, $755 for Scott Kazmir. ... ESPN's Jayson Stark (wrongly) predicted Ty Wigginton would end up getting traded nowhere. ... According to hittrackeronline.com, B.J. Upton's third-deck blast at Yankee Stadium on July 20 went only 420 feet; his second homer in that game is listed at 432 feet, ninth longest of the season by a Ray. ... Maddon praised backup C Raul Casanova for his "real professional effort" on and off the field, specifically in trying to mentor Dioner Navarro. ... Clever touch by the Yankees during last weekend's debacle, working Daniel Powter's Bad Day into the stadium song list. ... Eighteen days and counting left to sign top draft pick LHP David Price.