Major League Baseball

Rays won't always have this opportunity

Published Aug. 29, 2009 9:45 p.m. ET

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Ken Rosenthal

If the Rays played in any division but the American League East, there is little doubt what they would do with All-Star left fielder Carl Crawford this offseason.




Trade him.

Collect as many quality young players as possible. Maximize Crawford's value before he becomes a free agent at the end of next season.

But for the Rays, a low-revenue club playing in the same division as the big-money Yankees and Red Sox, the standard methods of retooling do not apply.

The psychology of team building is different in the low-rent district of the AL East. The Rays, like the Blue Jays and Orioles, operate with virtually no margin for error.

"You've got to pick and choose your windows," an executive from one of those clubs said. "And when you pick one, you've got to nail it. You can't miss."

The defending AL champion Rays, who visit the Tigers this weekend (Saturday, MLB on FOX, 4:10 p.m. ET), already are peeking out of a window that is rapidly closing.

Their trade of left-hander Scott Kazmir to the Angels for three prospects Friday night was an attempt to exploit a different type of window, one in which an erratic pitcher's value was again on the rise.

The Rays can replace Kazmir with pitchers from Triple-A; both Wade Davis or Andy Sonnanstine are expected to join the team shortly.

By moving Crawford, they would concede the 2010 season — and probably their best chance of reaching the playoffs in the next several years.

Yes, the Rays likely will listen to offers for Crawford this winter if preliminary contract talks yield little hope. But frankly, they would be acting more out of due diligence than an actual desire to make a deal.

Club officials were not simply amusing themselves when they pursued high-impact players such as Roy Halladay, Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee before the non-waiver deadline.

The Rays need to win now. Or, at least, very soon.

Their window opened last season, when they won more than 70 games for the first time, then beat the White Sox and Red Sox in the American League playoffs to reach the World Series.

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