Every single time I watch B.J. Upton play I think he should be way better than what he is. Upton has played in 123 games for the Rays this year and he is 100 of 429 (.233 avg, .735 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 13 homers, 46 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. He has now played in 636 games in his six years with the Rays and he is 606 of 2,328 (.260 avg, .757 OPS) with 359 runs scored, 62 homers, 272 RBIs and 160 stolen bases. I’m beginning to think that Upton might be as good as he’s going to get right now. If that is indeed the case then the Rays should trade him over the winter.

The Rays have signed 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder Brad Hawpe. Hawpe played in 88 games earlier this year for the Rockies and he was 66 of 259 (.255 avg, .776 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 7 homers and 37 RBIs. He has now played in 816 games in his seven years in the majors and he is 749 of 2,673 (.280 avg, .866 OPS) with 372 runs scored, 118 homers, 464 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. This was a good signing for the Rays as Hawpe gives them another solid bat.

With Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann returning this week the Rays have sent 23-year old righty starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson to A-ball to learn how to pitch in relief with the idea of using him in the pen in September. Hellickson was outstanding in his first taste of the majors for the Rays. Hellickson started 4 games for the Rays this year and he was 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP. Hellickson pounded the strike zone when he was with the Rays whiffing 25 batters while only walking 4 in 26 1/3 innings pitched. He also missed a lot of bats (only 16 hits allowed) due to his great change of speeds (93 mph fastball, 83 mph change and a 73 mph curve with a big break). The Rays want to watch Hellickson’s workload (hence the switch to the pen) this season while still using him in September.

The Rays have signed 37-year old starter/reliever Ramon Ortiz to a minor league deal. Ortiz pitched in 16 games (2 starts) earlier this year for the Dodgers and he was 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. He has pitched in 274 games (212 starts) in his 10 years in the majors and he is 85-82 with a 4.93 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Ortiz still has a good arm so maybe the Rays will call him up when rosters expand in two weeks if he pitches well in the minors.

The Rays have signed 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Bobby Livingston to a minor league deal. Livingston has pitched in 26 games (17 starts) this season for three AAA-teams and he is 3-9 with a 6.22 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. He has also pitched in 13 games (10 starts) in his major league career and he is 3-3 with a 6.31 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. The Rays don’t really need another starting pitcher so don’t be surprised if they switch him to relief in the next couple of weeks.