Kuzul

When the Tampa Bay Rays signed veteran catcher Jose Molina to a two-year deal worth $3.3 million following the 2011 season, they actually got much more than what the 37-year-old's numbers show.If you look at Molina's 2012 stats—81 wRC+, 0.8 WAR, 4 rSB and a -4.22 RPP—he doesn't seem like a very valuable player on paper. His career stats aren't much better.However, where Molina's value lies is in a part of catching that isn't calculated: The art of framing pitches.Although he may not be the superstar that his younger brother Yadier is, framing pitches is one thing that Jose does better than both of his brothers. In fact, he's probably been the best in all of baseball over the past few years.His pitch-framing wizardry has made a significant impact on the Rays, as well as other teams he's played with throughout his 14-year career. Tampa had the best pitching staff in the MLB in 2012, ranking first in ERA, ...

A David Price trade is pretty much inevitable; the question is: When? And with which team?The reigning Cy Young award winner could leave Tampa as early as this summer if the Rays fall out of contention, but he could possibly stick around for two or even three more years. My guess is that he's dealt this offseason, but when GM Andrew Friedman decides to pull the trigger depends on many factors.After mammoth contracts signed by other elite pitchers recently (Zack Greinke, Justin Verander and Felix Hernandez), the Rays clearly won't be able to afford Price long-term, which is why it's time for the Rays to search for potential trade suitors.Here are a few potential trade packages that should be able to pry Price from Tampa Bay.Begin Slideshow

The 2013 MLB season is now in full swing, and the Rays haven't had very good start to their year. Tampa Bay stands at 3-4 after the first week of baseball, dropping a couple of tough games but showing some bright signs as well.It's just the beginning of what should be an exciting year for this talented Rays team.Here are five things I've taken away from the first seven games of the season.Begin Slideshow

The weather is starting to warm up (in the wrong parts of the country), and people are starting to book their vacation trips to Arizona and Florida. Every baseball fan is starting to come out of hibernation and are ready for Spring Training to get started.We're going to see lots of speculating at who this year's World Series champions will be and whom the the front-runners for all the major awards are.Before one can talk about any of those things, we need to first know the teams that we are dealing with. Everyone knows that Joe Maddon loves to tinker with his lineups as much as any manager in the Majors, and chances are that the obvious lineup choices may not be the ones that he decides to choose. However, we're going to try to get into the mind of the skipper as best as we can.Will we see Wil Myers ...

Pitchers and catchers are slated to report to their spring training camps starting on February 11, yet top free agent Michael Bourn has yet to find a home.Agent Scott Boras has said all offseason that he is looking for a contract in the neighborhood of five years and $75 million for the All-Star center fielder. Teams that may have been interested in Bourn, such as the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies, have already filled their open positions through other free-agent signings or the trade market.The market for Michael Bourn has appeared to dwindle, and the likelihood that he will obtain the contract that Scott Boras is said to be looking for is becoming less and less with each passing day.The Tampa Bay Rays look to be going into the 2013 season with some combination of Desmond Jennings, Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist, Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer manning the outfield. With ...

This series will evaluate one team per day, starting on January 23, 2013 and ending on February 22, 2013 (the first game of spring training). It is based on last season's performance, offseason changes since and the author's outlook for the team in 2013. Please keep in mind that rosters can, and will, change before Opening Day. We start in the AL East and go in ABC order; next up, the Tampa Bay Rays. 2012 finish: 90-72 (third place, AL East) Notable additions:RHP Juan Carlos Oviedo, RHP Jamey Wright, OF Wil Myers, OF Jason Bourgeois, 1B James Loney, SS Yunel Escobar Notable losses:LHP J.P. Howell, RHP James Shields, RHP Wade Davis, OF B.J. Upton, OF Ben Francisco, 1B Carlos Pena, 2B Jeff Keppinger, DH Luke Scott Why they will improve this yearDon't they always? This team just finds a way to win.No matter the pieces they pull off the scrap heap, no matter the lack ...

If the Tampa Bay Rays want to make a power play in what is a very deep AL East, they should consider signing the top free agent left on the open market: Speedy center fielder Michael Bourn.Yeah, it's not often we get to say these things. The Rays aren't exactly the New York Yankees Los Angeles Dodgers, after all.However, ESPN's Jayson Stark hears the Rays are looking for a center fielder, and he wonders if they might make a play for Bourn: I hear #Rays still looking around for a CF but not much out there. I wonder if they could be a landing spot for Michael Bourn. #justathought— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) January 18, 2013 Just so we're all on the same page here, this is just speculation, and it surely comes off a bit as crazy speculation. Like, hurry-up-and-put-him-in-a-straight-jacket crazy speculation.But it's not. Stark's thought process is actually defensible.Scott Boras is ...

After insisting on a three year deal but ultimately failing to land one, first baseman Adam LaRoche agreed to resign with the Washington Nationals for a two year deal with a mutual third year option.Now that the Nats have a permanent solution at first base and a full outfield after trading for Denard Span, it appears Washington is ready to field offers for Michael Morse.Morse enjoyed a solid 2012 season, batting .291/.321/.470 with 18 home runs. Hitting at least .289 in each of the last three seasons, Morse could certainly add a middle of the order bat to a team seeking an offensive upgrade.For a team like the Tampa Bay Rays that struggled offensively while third baseman Evan Longoria dealt with a hamstring injury for most of the season, Morse could help in this area.The Rays ranked just 27th in the MLB in batting average. While the Rays did acquire some decent ...

In baseball, holding the top pick in the draft has proven to be more of a curse than a blessing.Matt Bush's path from high school baseball star to MLB No. 1 overall pick by the San Diego Padres in 2004 to his current legal predicament is hurtful. Per ESPN, Bush is slated to serve a three-year sentence—in addition to time already served—for a DUI hit-and-run in March.The incident likely cost Bush his baseball career, nearly cost the victim his life and will undoubtedly change Bush's life forever. We can only hope the change is for the better.This case is not the only sad story about a former No. 1 overall pick. We've seen teams hit home runs with the selections of Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Joe Mauer. However, we've seen far more failures than successes from the top picks.Bush's story bears some resemblance to that of Brien Taylor ...

With Day 1 of the MLB Winter Meetings already behind us and Day 2 now in progress, Andrew Friedman and the Tampa Bay Rays have shown that they're not going to hesitate to pursue players on the free-agent or trade market.After being involved in a flurry of rumors on Monday, it looks as if the Rays could be pretty active in Nashville this week.With a handful of possible trade possibilities on the table and multiple teams contacting the Rays, here are five things the club should try to do over these next few days.Begin Slideshow