FanHouse Brian Shouse

FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Tampa Bay Rays.

Although they ended up falling short at the end, 2008 was the year of the Rays. After being the butt of jokes for the first 10 years of its existence, Tampa Bay turned an impressive collection of baseball talent into an impressive team, finally assembling a competent bullpen, and utilizing some position shifts to put a much improved defense on the field. With the pieces in place, everything came together, and the Rays increased their win total by 31 games on their way to winning both the AL East and AL pennant.

All in all, 24 players were offered arbitration by last night's midnight deadline, including 15 Type A free agents and nine Type B. Players are classified using a rating system created by Elias Sports Bureau to determine the level of compensation a team receives if a player refuses arbitration and signs elsewhere.

Most of the time, Type A free agents are elite players who are all but certain to refuse the offer in anticipation of receiving multiyear offers on the open market. This year's Type A free agents to receive offers include: A.J. Burnett, Orlando Cabrera, Juan Cruz, Brian Fuentes, Orlando Hudson, Raul Ibanez, Derek Lowe, Darren Oliver, Oliver Perez, Manny Ramirez, Francisco Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Mark Teixeira and Jason Varitek.

If any of those players refuse arbitration to sign elsewhere, their new teams will have to cough up two draft picks as compensation. That said, most of them are so talented that the prospect of losing a draft pick or two won't intimidate interested suitors. In other words, if you're favorite team is committed to signing Manny, losing a measly draft pick or two won't stop it. But for older players who only have one or two productive seasons left (Oliver, Varitek: I'm looking at you), losing draft picks is something worth thinking twice about.

Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that the Brewers' biggest worry was a vaguely controversial scoring decision that may or may not have cost CC Sabathia a no-hitter? It wasn't yesterday, but it was only two weeks ago that the Brewers held a 5 1/2 game lead over the field in the NL wild-card race. Today, it's all gone after a double-header sweep at the hands of the Philies.

With the sweep today, the Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Brewers that's brought them back from an exile nearly as deep as the one they bounced out of last year to win the NL East. In the first game today, they fell behind 3-1 early before four runs in the seventh off of Guillermo Mota and Brian Shouse. In the nightcap they jumped all over Jeff Suppan and cruised to a 6-1 lead behind a complete game from Brett Myers.

And the Brewers? They can't do anything right at the moment. They draw the Cubs (six games), Pirates, and Reds for their final 12 games while the Phillies have six against the Braves and one series with the Marlins and Nationals. Don't look now, but in two weeks the Brewers have gone from the overwhelming favorites in the NL wild-card race to decided underdogs.

Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Today, we talk with David Hannes from Brewers Bar, ESK from The Wisconsin Sports Bar, and Brad and Matt from Chuckie Hacks.

The Brewers are certainly primed for success over the next several years here with their young core of players. At what point do you say, "Screw the next couple years talk, this team is good enough to win now!" Have you reached that point for the 2007 season?

David from Brewers Bar: GM Doug Melvin, Owner Mark Attanasio, and Manager Ned Yost have been saying "we can win this year" all season, and I think most fans have, too. The fast start convinced almost every Brewers fan that the team had what it needed to win the division and even make it to the World Series. I think trading away Will Inman and two other prospects for Scott Linebrink solidified that the Brewers management wants to win now, and the fans are still thinking that way.

I wonder how long the Reds and Brewers are going to battle for first place at the top of the NL Central this year. My gut tells me "not long," but watching this division play so far... I don't know. This could get to be a regular thing. The Reds staked their claim to the top of the division tonight with a convincing 11-5 win over the Brew Crew, scoring nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings to erase a one run deficit.

It was quite hard finding just one Red star from the night to be honored with the nice always present picture in the top right corner. I mean, Ryan Freel went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, but he's already got his picture up there once today. Josh Hamilton was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, Ken Griffey Jr. ripped two doubles and had two RBIs and Brandon Phillips had two hits (including a triple) and drove in three runs. That's some production from the top of the lineup right there (Adam Dunn was the lone exception at the top, going 1-for-5 with three strikeouts). I think Phillips is the winner tonight, for no reason except that his RBI triple in the eighth to bring home the Reds' 11th run brought the following reaction from Cincy Post beat writer C. Trent Rosecrans in his liveblog of the game:

Brandon Phillips' triple scores Griffey. 11-5. If Phillips was hustling, he would've had an inside-the-park homer. Wonder if he'll get benched.

Do not call out the wrath of Jerry Narron, C. Trent.

For the Brewers, Brian Shouse, Greg Aquino, and Elmer Dessens are the goats in this one, as they did most of the lead-blowing. At the plate, Bill Hall stayed hot with three hits and two runs scored and, well Dave Bush drove in two of the team's five runs on the evening, so clearly things could've been better at the plate for the Brewers.

With this being goofy schedule week, the two teams were only playing a two game series and they're each moving on to another two game series with divisional opponents with the Brewers going home to host the Pirates and the Reds going to Houston to face the Astros.

Previously at the Fanhouse
Jerry Narron Will Not Tolerate the Reds' Slacking