Keeping up with the Yankees is going to be tough and with that in mind I think the Rays need a thumper at DH and another lefty reliever for the pen. I would go after Adam Dunn of the Nationals. I would offer them lefty starting pitcher Alex Torres, righty starter Aneury Rodriguez, catcher Dioner Navarro and outfielder Matt Joyce. I think the Nationals would take that offer not knowing if Dunn will re-sign with them after the season. Then I would call up the Cleveland Indians and offer them Andy Sonnanstine straight up for lefty reliever Rafael Perez. I think the Indians would take that deal with the idea of starting Sonnanstine who is from Ohio. Getting Perez would allow Randy Choate to only pitch to lefty hitters which is his most effective role. Making these two trades would put a scare into the Yankees.

Wade Davis has been struggling and he’s also being mentioned as a trade chip for the Rays right now. If the Rays decide to trade Davis or replace him in the rotation look for the Rays to promote Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson was the Rays’ #2 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. Hellickson has started 18 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 11-2 with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has only given up 94 hits in 105 2/3 innings this season while whiffing 104 batters in AAA this year. Hellickson also has outstanding control as he has only walked 26 hitters this year. The Rays really think that Hellickson is ready to join the rotation but they will need to make a move before giving him his first chance at the show.

The Tampa Bay Rays started the season really hot, got into a slump and then finished the first half strong. They are 54-34 on the season which has them in second place in the A.L. East, only two games behind the Yankees. They would be the Wild Card team in the A.L. if the playoffs started today. The Rays have had some pleasant surprises and some disappointments in the first half of the season and here’s a look at them:

Pleasant Surprises: Offensively, rookie 26-year old lefty swinging John Jaso has been the biggest surprise for the Rays. Jaso has played in 57 games for the Rays this season and he is 48 of 175 (.274 avg, .771 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 3 homers, 29 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. His play is the reason that Dioner Navarro is playing in AAA right now and the Rays hope Jaso keeps up the good work in the second half of the season. 27-year old righty starting pitcher Jeff Niemann always seems to get overlooked. He got snubbed for the Rookie of the Year Award in 2009 and he certainley deserved to be on the All-Star Team this season but won’t be pitching in it. Niemann has started 18 games for the Rays this season and he is 7-2 with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He has only given up 94 hits in 117 innings this season which is outstanding. The surprise isn’t that he’s pitching well…..it’s just how well that he is pitching. 24-year old David Price had a disappointing 2009 season but you wouldn’t know it watching him this year. Price has started 17 games for the Rays this year and he is 12-4 with a 2.42 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has only given up 95 hits in 115 1/3 innings this season as he has been “The Man” for the Rays this year. If he has a second half like his first half he will without a doubt win the Cy Young Award in 2010. When the Rays signed 32-year old righty reliever Joaquin Benoit to a minor league deal over the winter they weren’t expecting much. Benoit has been outstanding this season as he has worked himself from the minor leagues to be the set up man for the Rays. Benoit has pitched in 29 games (0 starts) this season for the Rays and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 0.65 ERA and a 0.51 WHIP. He only gave up 10 hits and walked only 4 batters in 27 2/3 first half innings this year for the Rays while whiffing 40 batters. Those are eye popping stats!

Disappointments: 25-year old righty swinging CF B.J. Upton certainly has athletic talent but he’s still not a good baseball player. He is lazy and it seems like he’s not interested in changing his approach at either the plate or in the field. Upton should be hitting the ball on the ground but he thinks of himself as a power hitter…..which he is not. Upton has played in 83 games for the Rays this season and he is 67 of 291 (.230 avg, .715 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 7 homers, 31 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. No one has ever doubted his talent but Upton is regressing as a baseball player to the point that the Rays seem willing to deal him. 30-year old Jason Bartlett was outstanding in his first two years with the Rays but this year he has been banged up and unproductive. Bartlett has played in 69 games for the Rays this season and he is 56 of 242 (.231 avg, .649 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 2 homers, 33 RBIs and only 4 stolen bases. Bartlett, like Upton, could be on the trading block for the Rays due to how well Reid Brignac played while he was out of action. 26-year old catcher Dioner Navarro was so awful this season that he is in AAA playing for the Durham Bulls right now. Navarro played in 37 games for the Rays this season and he is 22 of 105 (.210 avg, .576 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. I don’t see him getting back to Tampa any time soon. Pat Burrell was the starting DH for the Rays at the start of the year. He played in 24 games for the Rays and he was 17 of 84 (.202 avg, .625 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers and 13 RBIs. The Giants have signed him and put him in the field…..and now he’s hitting the ball.

When the Rays traded 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Scott Kazmir to the Los Angeles Angels last August 29th the skeptics dogged them saying that they were just dumping salary. But Kazmir has been pretty awful for the Angels this season. He has pitched in 16 games (all starts) for the Angels this season and he is 7-8 with a 5.98 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. In that trade with the Angels for Kazmir, 25-year old Sean Rodriguez was the player to be named later. He has played in 67 games for the Rays this season and he is 57 of 208 (.274 avg, .743 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 6 homers, 30 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Rodriguez is pretty much the starting 2B for the Rays right now and he is an asset both in the field and with a bat in his hands. The Rays also got 22-year old lefty starting pitcher Alex Torres and 22-year old lefty swinging 3B Matt Sweeney from the Angels for Kazmir. Torres has started 17 games in AA-ball this season and he is 8-3 with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He has a very nice upside. Matt Sweeney is struggling so far in the minors for the Rays this year. He has played in 74 games in A+AA-ball so far this season and he is 60 of 266 (.226 avg, .659 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 7 homers and 37 RBIs. This trade looks like a big win for the Rays.

The Tampa Bay Rays are 49-33 on the season which has them in second place in the A.L. East, 2 games behind the Yankees. The Rays are only 1/2 a game ahead of the Red Sox for the A.L. Wildcard right now. The Wildcard is not the goal so with that in mind the Rays will likely be on the hunt for a difference maker at the trade deadline. The Rays really need a big bat to help the offense and I think that’s the #1 need. I would target either Prince Fielder or Adam LaRoche. Fiedler would cost the Rays a lot but he would give the team a legit cleanup hitter to bat behind Evan Longoria. Adam LaRoche would likely cost a lot less in terms of players and he always has a strong second half of the season. I also think either Luke Scott or Jose Guillen would make sense if the Rays want to go that route. I hear whispers that the Rays are on the fringe of talking about Cliff Lee. The Mariners are said to be very interested in B.J. Upton. If the Rays could move Upton while getting a pitcher the caliber of Cliff Lee that would be a no brainer to me. While I don’t think the Rays need another starting pitcher you have to listen when Cliff Lee is getting talked about. The Rays also need a second lefty in the bullpen but they might have fixed that need with the recent signing of Brian Shouse. It will be interesting to see how many chips the Rays push to the middle of the table.