I have a hard time seeing the Tampa Bay Rays beating out either the Yankees or the Red Sox with the team they have right now. That’s why I’m calling for them to make some bold deals and get back into the fray in the A.L. East. I would start off by dealing righty starting pitcher Jeff Niemann to the Colorado Rockies for center fielder Dexter Fowler. He would take over as the new starting CF because I would then deal B.J. Upton, Andy Sonnanstine and Kelly Shoppach to the Washington Nationals for set-up man Tyler Clippard, catcher Jesus Flores, 1B Chris Marrero and outfielder Roger Bernadina. Flores would take over as John Jaso’s new platoon mate in place of Kelly Shoppach. Clippard would be the ideal set-up man for Kyle Farnsworth. Bernadina would be a backup in the outfield, likely playing in LF most of the time. Marrero would go to AAA and he would be called up by the Rays to possibly help them at DH when Johnny Damon plays LF. I would then deal lefty reliever J.P. Howell to the Seattle Mariners for shortstop Jack Wilson, rookie 1B Mickey Wiswall and cash. Wilson would immediately be the Rays’ starting shortstop which would tighten up the defense and Wiswall would go to the minors. The Rays would then call up lefty Jake McGee to replace Howell in the bullpen. The final deal would be trading 2B Sean Rodriguez to the Tigers for righty reliever Ryan Perry. Perry would give the Rays another power arm to develop. These deals would improve the chances of catching both the Red Sox and Yankees in the A.L. East.

If I were running the Tampa Bay Rays I would be calling the Nationals right now. The Nationals want B.J. Upton and I think there is a deal to be made there. I would offer Upton and Kelly Shoppach to the Nationals for set-up man Tyler Clippard, 1B Chris Marrero, C Ivan Rodriguez and outfielder Roger Bernadina. Clippard would step right into the set-up role for the Rays in front of Kyle Farnsworth. Bernadina would replace Upton in CF if the Rays decided not to call up Desmond Jennings to replace Upton. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez would enter a platoon with John Jaso behind the plate. Chris Marrero would give the Rays a 1B of the near future. If the Rays can’t get that kind of deal I look for them to make smaller moves. I would expect that they would call the Cubs about Geovany Soto. I also think that a shortstop like Mike Aviles, Jack Wilson or Clint Barmes would appeal to the Rays if they could get one of them for the right price. Regardless of what the front office of the Rays’ are thinking right now, they need an upgrade at both catcher and shortstop.

The Tampa Bay Rays have 12 free agents heading into this winter so they have a lot of decisions to make. They have stated that they are going to slash the payroll big time. With that in mind here is what I think they are going to do with these 12 guys:

Carl Crawford: 29-year old lefty swinging outfielder Carl Crawford is the best player in Rays’ history. He played in 154 games for the Rays last season and he was 184 of 600 (.307 avg, .851 OPS) with 110 runs scored, 19 homers, 90 RBIs and 47 stolen bases. VERDICT: The Angels & Red Sox are going to come hard after Crawford so I see no way that he could possibly be on the Rays in 2011 and beyond.

Rafael Soriano: 30-year old righty closer Rafael Soriano was outstanding for the Rays this year. He pitched in 64 games (0 starts) for the Rays last season and he was 3-2 with 45 saves, a 1.73 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. He only gave up 36 hits in 62 1/3 innings while walking 14 batters and whiffing 57. VERDICT: The Rays are going to let Soriano walk as he’s going to get a deal for 3-4 years worth $10 million bucks per year.

Carlos Pena: 32-year old lefty swinging 1B Carlos Pena is one of the most popular players on the Rays. He has good power and he has a great glove at 1B. Pena played in 144 games for the Rays last season and he was 95 of 484 (.196 avg, .732 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 28 homers and 84 RBIs. He whiffed 158 times last season which is way too many. VERDICT: Unless Pena is willing to play for $3-$4 million bucks a year I think the Rays will let him walk.

Joaquin Benoit: 33-year old righty reliever Joaquin Benoit was amazing for the Rays last year. He pitched in 63 games (0 starts) for the Rays last season and he was 1-2 with 1 save, a 1.34 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP. He only allowed 30 hits in 60 1/3 innings while whiffing 75 batters and walking 11. VERDICT: The Rays should offer Benoit $3-$4 million bucks a year and a chance to close. I believe that he would stay with that kind of offer.

Grant Balfour: 32-year old righty reliever Grant Balfour had a great year for the Rays. He pitched in 57 games (0 starts) for the Rays last season and he was 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. VERDICT: Balfour will likely be another casualty of the cost cutting the Rays are about to do this winter. I would at least attempt to bring him back on a semi-decent deal if I were in charge.

Dan Wheeler: 32-year old righty reliever Dan Wheeler was solid for the Rays last year. He pitched in 64 games (0 starts) for the Rays last season and he was 2-4 with 3 saves, a 3.35 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. The Rays have a $4 million dollar club option on Wheeler for 2011 with a $1 million dollar buyout. VERDICT: I don’t think Wheeler is worth $4 million bucks. But if all of the other relievers leave I wouldn’t be shocked if the Rays picked up his option.

Randy Choate: 35-year old lefty reliever Randy Choate was effective when the Rays limited him to facing just left handed hitters. Choate pitched in 85 games (0 starts) for the Rays last season and he was 4-3 with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. VERDICT: I would re-sign Choate for another year as long as it’s for a reasonable price.

Rocco Baldelli: 29-year old righty swinging Rocco Baldelli is a fan favorite but he just can’t be counted on due to his health. Baldelli played in 10 games for the Rays last season and he was 5 for 24 (.208 avg, .615 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base. VERDICT: I would let Baldelli walk.

Brad Hawpe: 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder Brad Hawpe didn’t do well for the Rays after coming over from the Rockies. He played in 103 games for the Rockies & Rays last season and he was 73 of 298 (.245 avg, .758 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 9 homers and 44 RBIs. VERDICT: He’s gone!

Gabe Kapler: 35-year old righty swinging Gabe Kapler played in 59 games for the Rays last season and he was 26 of 124 (.210 avg, .578 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers and 14 RBIs. VERDICT: I wouldn’t re-sign Kapler.

Chad Qualls: 32-year old righty reliever Chad Qualls was awful for both the Rays & D-Backs this year. He pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the D-Backs & Rays this year and he was 3-4 with 12 saves, a 7.32 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. VERDICT: Coach Hickey couldn’t fix Qualls and I wouldn’t waste any more time with him.

Brian Shouse: 42-year old lefty reliever Brian Shouse was signed to a minor league deal but he never made it back to Tampa. Shouse pitched in 23 games (7 starts) in Rookie+A+AAA-ball this year and he was 0-3 with 3 saves, a 4.15 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. VERDICT: He won’t be back in 2011.

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.

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.