Hinske on the trade block already? Dodgers Interested?

The LA Times is reporting this morning that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has been in contact with several teams about finding a short term, cheap replacement at 3B until Nomar Garciaparra is healthy. The article list Phillies 1B/3B Wes Helms(believable) and the Rays IF/OF Eric Hinske.

General Manager Ned Colletti has been speaking to other clubs about possible trades, targeting players with short and inexpensive contracts for what they expect to be short-term replacement duty. They are believed to be interested in Philadelphia's Wes Helms. Tampa Bay's Eric Hinske is also reportedly on the market.

This is the first time I've heard that Hinske is "on the market." Hinske is a pretty good platoon partner for Gomes and is the only option on the roster to back up Carlos Pena at first. I highly doubt the Rays will trade Hinske. If the Rays were actively shopping Hinske they wouldn't have sent Guzman down a day before doing it. Also Joe Maddon has already gone as far as naming Hinske the starting RF on Opening Day in Baltimore. If the Rays were thinking about trading him I doubt Joe would make such a move.

Rays May Be After ANOTHER Outfielder

In his blog today Buster Olney reports that since the Rays have tried, and failed, to sign Kenny Lofton that they may go after Coco Crisp.

"The Rays are searching for an outfielder who can hit left-handed, and now that they have tried and failed to sign Kenny Lofton, they are also taking a look at Coco Crisp; Tampa Bay is loaded with a wide range of pitching prospects, so it would seem that Boston could find a fit if it wanted to make a deal."

Ken Rostenthal of FoxSports.com gives us a little more on what happened between the Rays and Lofton:

The Rays offered him a major-league deal for more than $1 million, but Lofton wanted a salary more in line with some of his peers. Maybe he should just sign somewhere and prove himself again, but in Lofton's view, he has been there, done that, too many times throughout his 17-year career.

"From what I've done in the past, it should warrant me getting a real offer, a real understanding about what I've done on the field," Lofton, who turns 41 on May 31, said in a telephone interview. "I feel like I went out last year and did what I was supposed to do to show people that even though I'm at a certain age, I can still get the job done. Do people respect what I do on the field? It seems like maybe not."

I like Crisp better than Lofton, but I wouldn't want to trade a good pitching prospect for him. Especially to the Red Sox. Another issue with Crisp is his contract. The Rays would add about 11 million dollars on the books for Crisp. Thats a steep price for this team, especially for a part-time player.

Kazmir to DL?; Plus possible trade candidates and more

The 13-3 Rays finally have an off day on the field, but there is plenty to talk about off the field. It is all but official that Ace LHP Scott Kazmir will start the season on the DL. The word is there is no new injury or symptoms, but the Rays are just being over cautious with the 24 year old pitcher. Kazmir went through all his tests and threw bullpen and batting practices sessions with no problems, however the Rays weren't satisfied with his arm strength. They have decided to slow him down an bit and it seems he'll miss a start or two and return in Mid-April.

What does this means for the rest of the rotation? James Shields is now the opening day starter after improving his spring record to 3-0 yesterday with an ERA of 1.84. Matt Garza slides into Shields place at #2. The rest is a mystery, with four candidates(Edwin Jackson, Jason Hammel, Andy Sonnastine, Jeff Niemann) battling it out for three spots. From my own personal observations it looks like Jackson and Hammel are the front runners despite their up and down Spring performances. Just from the comments that Joe Maddon is making, and the amount of starts they are getting, I think you can put them in. That leaves Sonnanstine and Niemann for the last spot. Niemann has been strong this spring, but Sonnanstine has been better and has over 100 innings of Major League experience. I think Sonnanstine should be in the rotation no questions asked, but I believe the Rays are looking at him more as a reliever than a starter. Once Kazmir is healthy the Rays will be faced with a question on who they want to keep as the long reliever; J.P. Howell or Sonnantine?

More injury news, Shawn Riggans caught a break when he found out his hand didn't. Riggans said he thought his hand was broken, but X-Rays were negative and he plans to be back in action this week. Kurt Birkins will miss 5-7 days with a nerve problem, Chad Orvella is still sidelined with a shoulder problem. Carl Crawford(legs) is expected to play tomorrow and Andy Cannizaro(back) might play as well.

Quotes from The Heater:

"It just depends on when Kaz comes out and does this next throwing event, but there's a pretty good chance that he would not be available at the beginning of the season,'' Maddon said. "There's no rush on this whole thing. We believe he's fine. We just want to make sure that the arm strength is there and that we take care of this right now so that there is no lingering effect during the season. We just have to not give you a specific date right now but I don't think it's going to be very long.''

"I'd rather miss just a couple starts early in the year than miss a couple months during the year,'' Kazmir said. "I just want to make sure we get it right.''

Is a trade coming? There have been no real signs of a trade in the works, mainly just some speculation on possible candidates. Marc Topkin gives us a possible list including: Dave Dellucci (Indians), Gabe Gross (Brewers), Skip Schumaker (Cardinals), Reggie Willits (Angels) and, less likely, Reed Johnson (Blue Jays).

Reggie Willits is the name that stands out to me the most. He's young, athletic, good defensively, gets on base(.393 career OBP), can steal bases, and most importantly he's cheap and controllable for a few years. He is a switch hitter and can play all three OF positions. However, Halos Heaven is reporting that the Angels aren't shopping Willits and will be sending him to AAA to start the season. They do say Juan Rivera can be had for two A-level pitchers or a AA outfield bat and a Single A arm.

Rays interested in Joe Blanton?

Tim Dierkes of mlbtraderumors.com is reporting that the Reds, Twins and Rays are all possible destinations for Oakland A's RHP Joe Blanton, should the A's choose to trade him. How great would a front four of Kazmir, Shields, Garza and Blanton look? I'd be interested to see what the A's would want in return for Blanton. Would the Rays part with one of their own prized young pitchers in return for a little older but more proven Blanton?