Over at Rays Index they've been running a Dirtbag-O-Meter that monitors the daily fluctuations in Evan Longoria's stock. Will he make the Opening Day roster? Or will they send him back to the minors for more "seasoning"? Today Longoria's stock is way down...
Summary: With Willy Aybar nursing a sore hamstring, The Dirtbag started his fourth straight game. Longoria continues to play like a seasoned pro in the spring. The intentional walk yesterday was his tenth free pass of the spring. Only four players have more. He has a .477 OBP and a .719 SLG ... But none of this is going to be good enough. After reading the quotes above we are now resigned to the idea that The Dirtbag is probably starting the year in Durham. With a decision pending today or tomorrow, [Carl] Crawford sounds like he is bracing himself and the rest of the team. [Joe] Maddon sounds like the decision has already been made even if he is just conjecturing. [Carlos] Pena sounds like a realist and understands what is about to happen ... It sucks. We just hope the Rays don't finish a couple of games short of the playoffs, because Longoria is worth a couple of wins over two months compared to Aybar or [Joel] Guzman or [Eric] Hinske.
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Two opinions:
1. Management wants Longoria to open the season in the minors, if only because it might save the franchise a few million bucks down the line.
and
2. Management really, really wishes Longoria wasn't doing
quite so well this month.
But of course he's doing exceptionally well, and if he's not manning third base on Opening Day a lot of people are going to wonder why. You know what else doesn't help management? It doesn't help when reputable analysts suggest
the Rays will win 88 games this season. Granted, that was before Scott Kazmir went down, but still: If not for optimistic projections, nobody would care about a couple of wins over two months.
Kazmir did go down, though, and the Rays remain a long, long shot to win 88 games, let alone challenge the big boys for a spot in the playoffs. If they send Longoria down, they're going to lose some good will among their players and their fans. If they don't send him down, they might lose a few million dollars when it's time to get Dirtbag's signature on a long-term contract.
So what should they do? This might be a good time to go after the good will.
Rob Neyer
