Rays sell out Yanks, Sox spring games
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:03:00 EDT)
The Rays announced Wednesday afternoon that they have sold out two home Spring Training games at Charlotte Sports Park: March 7 vs. the Red Sox and March 22 vs. the Yankees.

Baldelli will join 'hometown' Red Sox
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:57:00 EDT)
Rhode Island native Rocco Baldelli is nearing an agreement to play for the Red Sox and return to his New England roots.

Rays sell Johnson to Japanese club
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:32:00 EDT)
Dan Johnson, who hit perhaps the biggest home run of the year for the Rays in 2008, has been sold to the Yokohama Bay Stars of the Japanese Central League.

Rays round out Minors coaching staffs
(Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:45:00 EDT)
The Rays announced the staffs for their Bowling Green and Hudson Valley clubs Wednesday to complete their Minor League staffing.

Rays ink six to Minor League deals
(Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:54:00 EDT)
The Rays announced Tuesday they have agreed to terms with six players, signing each to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The players include catcher Michel Hernandez, outfielder Jon Weber, left-hander Randy Choate, right-hander Julio DePaula, infielder Ray Olmedo and outfielder Ray Sadler.

Rays land power bat in Burrell
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:44:00 EDT)
Pat Burrell will provide the power bat the Rays have been looking to land. The free-agent slugger signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Tampa Bay on Monday.

Rays' resources limited after big signing
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:45:00 EDT)
Monday's signing of Pat Burrell to a two-year, $16 million deal will push the Rays' anticipated 2009 payroll to approximately $60 million, effectively shutting the checkbook for the remainder of the offseason.

Few tweaks needed for AL champs
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:33:00 EDT)
The American League champions continued to play baseball until almost November, which gave them less time to prepare for the new season. Fortunately for the Rays, less down time appears to be the only negative for the Rays in preparing to defend their title. Never in the history of the franchise have the Rays entered a season looking so equipped to play winning baseball.

Rays spring tickets to go on sale
(Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:06:00 EDT)
On Friday afternoon, the Rays announced the process for purchasing single-game tickets for Spring Training in 2009.

Future is now for talented Rays squad
(Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EDT)
Despite coming up short in the World Series, the Rays can look toward the 2009 season knowing they have turned the corner toward a bright future.

Nelson's deal with Rays official
(Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EDT)
The Rays officially announced the signing of Joe Nelson on Tuesday. The right-hander cleared the final hurdle by passing a team physical, which made official his one-year deal worth $1.3 million to join Tampa Bay.

Vaughn gets first crack at Hall ballot
(Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:46:00 EDT)
Greg Vaughn, who is on the ballot for the Hall of Fame for the first time, made hitting home runs look easy during a 15-year career that saw him hit 355 dingers in 15 seasons with Milwaukee, San Diego, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and Colorado from 1989-2003.

Rays enjoy remarkable turnaround
(Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
Newly named in 2008, the team formerly known as the Devil Rays transformed from a team always looking to the future to the Rays, a team that made it all the way to the World Series.

Balfour spending holiday Down Under
(Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
Since the Rays' season ended, reliever Grant Balfour got engaged, and he plans to spend Christmas in Sydney, Australia. He recently talked to MLB.com and shared some of his Christmas experiences.

Rays not panicking at Yankees' moves
(Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:13:00 EDT)
Though the Rays won the American League East in 2008, the Yankees were the one team in the division against which the Rays had a losing record. And now the Yankees seem to have reloaded for 2008.

Mailbag: What arms are in reserve?
(Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EDT)
With the Rays having traded away Edwin Jackson last week, who might they bring up from their farm to replace him? Beat reporter Bill Chastain answers this question and more in the mailbag.

Rays' Johnson to be shipped to Japan
(Sat, 20 Dec 2008 06:42:00 EDT)
According to a report in the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays are close to finalizing a deal that would essentially sell Dan Johnson to the Yokohama club in Japan.

Perez preparing for '09 in winter ball
(Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:48:00 EDT)
While most players in the Rays' organization are getting their rest or doing their conditioning for the coming season, a select few are playing Winter League baseball, while others have already finished their stints south of the border.

Rays announce Minor League staffs
(Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:45:00 EDT)
The Rays named their Minor League coordinators and on-field coaching staffs for the 2009 season on Friday. The Rays appointed two first-time managers in Brady Williams (Hudson Valley) and Jared Sandberg (Princeton), both of whom previously played in the Rays' organization.

Baldelli gets an updated diagnosis
(Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:40:00 EDT)
According to a report by WLNE-TV in Rocco Baldelli's native Rhode Island, Baldelli went to the Cleveland Clinic last week and received news that the doctors had misdiagnosed his illness.

'Thanks-mas' a big deal for Maddon
(Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:30:00 EDT)
Joe Maddon's "Thanks-mas" keeps on giving, and Tuesday night at the Bradenton Salvation Army the Rays manager kicked off this year's offering to some of the less than fortunate in the Tampa Bay area.