The Devil Rays are shifting Brendan Harris to second base to replace Ty Wigginton.  He is a natural second baseman on defense so this should make the defense in the middle infield better for the D-Rays.  Harris has been a surprise with the bat this season as he is hitting .303 (.809 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 8 homers and 41 RBIs in 90 games this year.  Josh Wilson (.287 avg, .721 OPS) and Ben Zobrist (.159 avg, .378 OPS) will split the playing time at shortstop for the time being.

The Devil Rays knew that they had to make a move for some bullpen help and that’s exactly what they did yesterday when they traded Ty Wigginton to the Astros for reliever Dan Wheeler.  Wheeler will have a good chance of supplanting Al Reyes as the closer of the Devil Rays…..and soon.  Wheeler was having a rough season for the Astros this season but the Devil Rays feel that re-uniting him with his old pitching coach in Houston (Jim Hickey) will rejuvenate him.  Wheeler has pitched in 45 games this season for the Astros and he was 1-4 with 11 saves, a 5.07 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.  He has pitched 49.2 innings this season and he has allowed 46 hits, walked 13 batters and whiffed 56.  His numbers all look good except the ERA so look for him to do a good job for the Devil Rays with a little improved luck.  Wheeler pitched for the Devil Rays from 1999-2001 and things didn’t go well but he turned his career around in the National League.  Wheeler has now pitched in 302 games (9 starts) in his major league career and he is 12-21 with 25 saves, a 3.99 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.  In 381.2 career innings Wheeler has allowed 376 hits, walked 122 batters and whiffed 344.

Ty Wigginton re-established himself as a major leaguer in his two years with the Devil Rays.  In 220 games with the Devil Rays, Wigginton was 226 of 822 (.275 avg) with 102 runs scored, 40 homers and 128 RBIs.  Wigginton has played in 98 games this season for the D-Rays and he was hitting .275 with a .787 OPS.  He was 104 for 378 with 47 runs scored, 16 homers and 49 RBIs.  The Devil Rays will miss Wigginton’s bat as Josh Wilson will likely replace him at second base…..but they had to do something about their horrible bullpen.

The Devil Rays finally did something for their fans when they demoted Shawn Camp to the minors that way they don’t have to watch him pitch lousy anymore.  In 50 games this season for the Devil Rays Camp was 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP.  Camp has tossed 40 innings this season for the Devil Rays and he has allowed 63 hits, walked 18 batters and whiffed 36.

Jorge Cantu has been upset all season long with the way the Devil Rays have treated him and I don’t blame him.  After all, he was the D-Rays Team MVP as recently as 2005 when he played in 150 games and he hit .286 (.808 OPS) with 28 homers and 117 RBIs.  However, this season Cantu started the season in the minor leagues and he hasn’t done much with the D-Rays in his limited opportunity.  In 25 games this season with the D-Rays Cantu is 12 for 58 (.207 avg, .501 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 4 RBIs.  Cantu finishes his career with the Devil Rays having played in 332 games.  In those games Cantu was 338 for 1,242 (.272 avg, .756 OPS) with 142 runs scored, 44 homers and 200 RBIs.  The Devil Rays also traded Shaun Cumberland and cash to the Reds for lefty reliever Brian Shackelford, right reliever Calvin Medlock and future considerations.  Cumberland was playing in AA ball for the D-Rays.  In 99 games he was 87 for 354 (.246 avg, .651 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 6 homers, 34 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.

The D-Rays added some much needed relief pitching in this deal.  Shackelford will likely pitch will the D-Rays really soon.  He was struggling a little bit in AAA this season but the Rays are desperate for help.  He has pitched in 41 AAA games this season and he was 0-5 with 1 save, a 4.96 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.  In 32.2 innings he has allowed 34 hits, walked 13 batters and whiffed 14.  Shackelford has had some success in the majors as he is 2-0 with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in 63 career games.  He has thrown 46 innings in the majors and he has allowed 39 hits, walked 19 batters and whiffed 32.  Calvin Medlock will also get a chance soon with the Devil Rays.  He is a 24 year old righty who has split time between AA+AAA ball.  In 42 games this season in the minors Medlock is 4-3 with 2 saves, a 3.39 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP.  In 63.2 innings in the minors this season Medlock has allowed 52 hits, walked 19 batters and whiffed 76.

The Devil Rays have finally given up on Seth McClung who has failed as both a starter and a reliever for them.  McClung pitched 3 seasons for the Devil Rays covering 85 games (37 starts) and he has compiled a 17-24 record with 6 saves, a 6.27 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP.  In 251 innings with the Rays McClung allowed 259 hits, 40 homers, walked 155 batters and whiffed 176.

In return for McClung the Devil Rays received righty reliever Grant Balfour.  Balfour has had multiple surgeries in his past which has prevented him from establishing himself at the major league level.  Balfour pitched in 3 games for the Brewers this season and it didn’t go too well.  He was 0-2 with a 20.25 ERA for them.  In 2.2 innings he allowed 4 hits, walked 4 batters and whiffed 3.  What excited Devil Rays officials was how well Balfour has pitched in the minor leagues this season.  Balfour worked in 32 AA+AAA games this season and he was 1-1 with 7 saves, a 1.87 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP.  In 43.1 innings minor league innings Balfour only allowed 25 hits, walked 15 batters and whiffed 68.  Look for the Rays to give Balfour an extended audition in their bullpen.