Will he stay or will he go ....
Agent Dan Lozano confirmed to the Times Thursday night that the Devil Rays have offered shortstop Julio Lugo a long-term contract.
The Rays had been exploring the trade market for Lugo, but in the last few days have turned their attention toward signing the veteran shortstop, who leads the team with a .309 average and fills the important leadoff slot.
With a Monday 4 p.m. deadline for nonwaiver trades looming, the Rays and Lugo's representatives won't have time for extended negotiations. If the Rays don't sign Lugo, the Blue Jays are considered the most likely trade partners.
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Not an authority in baseball but I have observed the situation with Lugo as a prime reason we have no Team. It was my understanding that this new ownership had deeper pockets to place the Rays on a more even keel with the other teams. Not so apparently. I see players work hard and end up on the trading block making the players play for only themselves, forget the team concept. Lugo has been described as the heart of the Rays and I have to agree. Now we are talking trade? You have got to be kidding.
I have watched the Rays for years building for the Future with young players. Really? It seems more like bringing them up to trade more than play, letting the ownership spend as little as possible, just like the good old days.
Posted by: ron kline | July 28, 2006 at 07:58 AM
Had to laugh at the USA Today fallout .. this quote from Upton:
Upton: "I can't believe I'm here. The three of us thought we'd all be up in Tampa right now."
Okay, big guy. First things first, the team plays in St. Petersburg. Tampa is 25 miles away.
When you learn that, you'll be ahead of the rest of MLB ...
(I'm going to a Colorado Rockies/San Diego Padres game tmrw .. great, bad National League baseball. The park is nice though, we're riding our bikes to it.)
--chase
Posted by: chase | July 29, 2006 at 08:31 PM
Lugo is gone. Dumb, dumb. The team went into the toilet when Huff was given away. Now that Lugo has been sent out west, I'm guessing that the Rays will truly stink for the rest of the season. His replacement, Upton, has shown that he does not have the ability or the maturity to be at the MLB level.
Posted by: Just Joe | July 31, 2006 at 05:16 PM