According to a report from Danny Knobler at Sportsline, the Tampa Bay Rays may be willing to trade shorstop Jason Bartlett, whom they acquired last offseason from the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Delmon Young in a trade that also brought starting pitcher Matt Garza to Tampa Bay. Barltett batted just .286 with one home run for the Rays, but his stellar defense at shortstop was seen as a big reason the Rays went from worst to first in the AL East and eventually made it to the World Series. For his efforts, Bartlett was voted team MVP.
Why would the Rays be willing to part with such a valuable commodity? According to Knobler:
"[I]t's actually not that hard to understand why they would move him. One of the Rays' top prospects is shortstop Reid Brignac, who played at Triple-A Durham in 2008. Also, the Rays took another shortstop, Tim Beckham, as the top overall pick in last June's draft."
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Okay, all you Ray fans. Don't all post at once.
hyperRevue
Total Comments (12521)
although not so stellar D in the playoffs and the series....
conch
Total Comments (68)
I would not trade him, why mess up a good thing?
.talkingNYsports.com
New York , NY
Total Comments (112)
If we could get him back in a Twins uniform, I say they should trade him. We'll even give back Delmon Young...
CplBigsocks
Cheektowaga, NY
Total Comments (37)
Pros-
team MVP could inflate his value
SS has some depth in organization (Brignac and 2008 top pick Tim Beckam)
Not too many quality SS on the market, could increase his value
Cons-
He's cost controlled for years
Coming off of a down season offensively and defensively (according to some metrics)
Fantastic defense helped the team get where it was last season
I say trade him if you can get something good back. They don't need pitching and need OF depth, could net a couple good prospects or a solid RF/DH
staplemaniac
Gainesville , FL
Total Comments (2)
Keep him one more year and then shop him. I dont think Brignac is ready yet. It would make more since to trade Brignac than Bartlett anyways. Brignac has more value and Beckham is going to be up in 2 years anyways.
burly2185
Brandon, FL
Total Comments (1)
dumbest thing ive ever heard. the twins are not gonna trade delmon for previously discarded schmutz. young might have disappointed this past year, but he still hit .290 with double digit hrs and steals, in only his 2nd mlb season. with the twins glut of OFs, they would certainly listen to proposals for delmon (or cuddyer, preferably), just not for a broke hitting/solid defender/team guy shortstop. they already have one of those and his name is nick punto.
agille
Chicago , IL
Total Comments (1)
Don't trade him. You have to trade Brignac. Bartlett is under team control and Beckham is a few years away. By the time Bartlett's contract is up Beckham will be in St. Pete ready to play.
FLsFinest
Total Comments (215)
Can't trade him. Brignac I hear isn't as good as they once though. Beckham is still 2-3 years away. Rays have enough bats in the order to keep this defensive minded SS. Plus, they keep together one of the top defensive infields in the majors.
JB:
Fair Lawn, NJ
Total Comments (2269)
since when is batting .286 "just .286", especially from a SS???
badluck shleprock
Bakersfield , CA
Total Comments (190)
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