Johnny, Manny . . . and Vlad?
Johnny Damon has made seven career appearances at first base, none since 2008, none as a starter. The Rays have not indicated he will play any position but left field. But let’s play the what-if game.
What if the Rays grew comfortable with Damon at first, creating room for one more offensive piece? And what if that offensive piece was free-agent designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero?
The Rays’ current first-base options are Dan Johnson and Casey Kotchman. But imagine a lineup that had Damon at first, Manny Ramirez in left field and Guerrero at DH.
Interesting, to say the least.
The Rays, mind you, have given no indication that they are considering such a plan. Guerrero seems more likely to sign with the Orioles, or maybe the Angels or Blue Jays. But stranger things have happened.
The Tampa Bay front office is progressive, routinely considering every available big name. Few expected the team to sign Damon and Ramirez. But the Rays, playing in the AL East, understand the need to take occasional risks.
Using both Damon and Ramirez in the field would be a considerable risk, a 180-degree departure from the team’s previous defense-first philosophy.
Kotchman, though, could replace Damon in the late innings. Sam Fuld, another outstanding defender, could substitute for Ramirez. If there is any manager who could make such an arrangement work, it’s the ever-creative Joe Maddon.
The Rays have other needs — another reliever, a backup infielder. But Guerrero would make a bigger impact than any other player they could acquire.
If the Rays could land Guerrero for, say, $5 million, they would have three potential Hall of Famers — Damon, Ramirez and Guerrero — for the shockingly low price of $12.25 million combined.
Granted, Ramirez might throw a fit if the Rays paid Guerrero more than twice his new $2 million salary. But they already cut such a deal with Damon, didn’t they?
The Orioles appear a cleaner fit for Guerrero — they play on natural grass, not artificial turf, and would require less defensive shuffling to accommodate him. The Rays, though, offer a greater chance to win.
Damon at first? Ramirez in left? Maybe those are just two square pegs in round holes. But if the goal is to outscore the opponent, the Rays might want to explore the idea. If they haven’t already.
— Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi
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Vlad will sign a 1 year deal with the Baltimore Orioles for 1 year 3.5 million with incentives that could take the deal to 6 million probably before the 7th of the month.
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It really took two of you tto come up with this bonehead idea that has no chance of happening?
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I can't see that this idea will ever come to fruition. Kotchman playing first is a huge defensive stance and anything further than that will be a blur. Shelton should have his work cut out for him this season to fix his(Kotchman) mechanics. To much of an average thing may be the Rays demise. All this seems to be a huge Gamble as it is.
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Seriously? And monkeys might fly out your butt bla bla bla. First of all, as a Yankees fan PLEASE do this. Please do. Manny in left would A. be friggin horrible and B. would break down in about one month (kind of like he did in L.A.) Remember Crawford talking about how nice it would be to get onto grass for 81 home games a year? That turf will shred his knees in no time. Secondly, Damon at first? That is funny. The guy is a guy who never played OF defense for crap, he just hussled his butt off. I would LOVE to see Tampa go down this road. It would be a comedy...of errors.
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Hey Ken you're getting goofy'er everytime! Damon at 1st? what a joke. He has no defensive skills and Manny at left is even worst. The reason Tampa got them so cheap is because their washed up. No one else would touch them. Vlad could very easily return to the Angels where he never wanted to leave in the first place. He just needed a wake up call and hit pretty good for the Rangers. Angels will platoon Abreu & Vlad at DH.
