Rays claim Snelling, release Witasick

The Rays claimed outfielder Chris Snelling off waivers from the Oakland Athletics and released pitcher Jay Witasick, according to a team news release.

Here is the release:

"The Rays claimed Australian outfielder Chris Snelling off waivers from the Oakland Athletics. To clear room on the roster, the club released right-handed pitcher Jay Witasick.

Snelling 25, batted a combined .246 with one home run and seven RBI in 30 games last season for the Washington
Nationals and Athletics before suffering a season-ending left knee injury on May 10 (underwent surgery on July 3).

He was the Nationals’ Opening Day leftfielder and hit .204 in 24 games before being traded to the A’s on May 2 for
outfielder Ryan Langerhans. He started each of his first six games with Oakland at the time of the injury.

Snelling spent his first eight professional seasons in the Seattle Mariners organization, reaching the major leagues in
2002 at age 20. Injuries have limited him to 582 professional games over nine seasons, including 89 at the major
league level, where he holds a career average of .240 with six home runs, 19 RBI and a .357 on-base percentage.

That includes a .375 career mark at Tropicana Field (6-for-16) with a home run. He owns a career average of .311 in
the minor leagues, hitting .300 or better each of his first seven seasons.

He would be the third Australian native to play for the Rays joining current right-handed pitcher Grant Balfour and lefthanded
pitcher Damian Moss (2004). He represented the Aussies in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.''

Comments

[Ray]

Uh, what? Rays on the cheap again, go figure. And they wonder why I'm thinking about dropping my season tickets.

[Bob R.]

What possible objection can anyone have to signing a potentially good bat? Every team trolls the wires looking for talent; it has nothing to do with spending money or making other moves. The best teams find useful players this way as Boston did with Ortiz or Oakland with Durazo et al. And now KC seems to be improving with picks like Soria while TB found Pena that way.

Of course other decisions are necessary, but it makes little sense to turn a positive into a negative as if the only proper approach is to sign expensive players.

[Ray]

Potential good bat? With the following:

"career average of .240 with six home runs, 19 RBI and a .357 on-base percentage."