FanHouse Reid Brignac

Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

After Tim Lincecum missed a start, fantasy owners still in the championship race had to have been holding their collective breath. Now is not the time to lose your staff ace. His next start would be a test of his health. Last year's NL Cy Young winner took the hill Monday night against the wild card-leading Rockies, and he passed the test with flying colors. While the 4 free passes were a bit disappointing, Lincecum more than made up for that with a win, 11 strikeouts and just 1 earned run in 7 innings of work. He's back, and he'll be a force the rest of the way (now if only someone could convince him to get a freaking haircut).

The Rays' pitching staff took a pair of hits on Friday with the news that both Scott Kazmir and Troy Percival are headed to the disabled list. The Rays called up shortstop Reid Brignac and right-handed pitcher Dale Thayer to take their places on the roster. If reports are accurate, 2008 playoff hero David Price may not be far behind them.

Kazmir has a strained right quadriceps, which may have been contributing to his poor performances of late. Kazmir has allowed 14 earned runs in his last two starts, which lasted less than eight innings combined, and has a 10.89 ERA in May.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Who knew there was a hulking slugger waiting to bust out of Joe Mauer? After hitting his eighth jack in just 72 at-bats and driving in six RBI, the Twins catcher is putting all concerns to rest. Heck, he hit nine total home runs in 536 at-bats last season. So the "ailing" back is just fine, thank you very much, but is the power sustainable?

The Daily Jolt is a dose of baseball reality every weekday morning.

For a second there in the winter of 2007, it looked like the Yankees were truly reformed. They told Alex Rodriguez to get lost after he shamefully opted out of his mega-contract during the final moments of that year's World Series.

And though Hank Steinbrenner couldn't resist reversing course and welcoming Rodriguez back into the fold a month later for a jaw-dropping $275 million, they went to the Winter Meetings in Nashville and resolutely refused to deal any of their prized arms for very much available two-time Cy Young-winner Johan Santana.

Wondering which young players could have an impact in the majors this year? Let MLB FanHouse guide the way in Better Know a Prospect. In this edition we look at three players from the ridiculously deep Tampa Bay system.

David Price, SP: Is this cheating? For all the hype David Price got in the playoffs, the guy's thrown 14 innings in the major leagues during the regular season and 19 2/3 total if you include the postseason. But the Rays think highly enough of young Mr. Price that they traded Edwin Jackson away for Matt Joyce over the winter to slot him into the back of their rotation. That's quite a show of faith in a guy that only made 19 minor league starts before getting the call for the stretch run, but Price deserves it. In his sprint through the minors last year he averaged a strikeout an inning with a 2.30 ERA and a nearly 3:1 K/BB. And we all saw his electric fastball and nasty slider in the playoffs. Ladies and gentleman, meet the preseason front-runner for AL Rookie of the year.

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.


- The Jason Bay market appears to be heating up. Both the Rays and Cardinals have had serious discussions with Pittsburgh about acquiring the left fielder. Tampa Bay would seem to have the upper hand since it has the better farm system and does not play in the same division as the Pirates. GM Neal Huntington is believed to have asked for shortstop prospect Reid Brignac and pitching prospect Jeremy Hellickson, with Hellickson believed to be the sticking point. There is also late word that the Red Sox could jump into the Bay talks as part of a three-way deal that would send Ramirez to Florida, prospects to Pittsburgh and Bay to Boston.

There are some trades that just make too much sense to not happen. Tampa Bay is embroiled in a playoff battle and playing Eric Hinske, Gabe Gross, Johnny Gomes, and Cliff Floyd in right field. They're talking about using Rocco Baldelli there when he comes off the disabled list. The Pirates' entire organization is devoid of pitching talent. They have Jason Bay. The Rays have tons of young pitching talent. Maybe these two crazy kids should get together. Dejan Kovacevic's PBC Blog at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says they might:

The Pirates and Tampa Bay continue to discuss Jason Bay, a process that became deep yesterday, and two prospect names known to be in the mix on the Rays' end are shortstop Reid Brignac and pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.

[...]

Neglected to mention this earlier, but Tampa sure is making things sound as if something will get done. The Pirates? Not so sure but, as the notebook mentioned earlier today, about 50-50.

The Rays seem relutcant to budge with too much for Bay and the Pirates seem reluctant to move Bay without gaining several elite prospects in return, but this deal makes so much sense for both teams that it almost would seem crazy if they couldn't get something done. I mean, Jason Bay's middle name is Raymond. How much more perfect can this match get?

The "news" (read: rumor/speculation) that Evan Longoria could land some time at shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays got us Fantasy FanHouse people kind of excited. Nerdy? Perhaps. But it would still be freaking sweet. Especially when you consider how frustrating it is to see some of the game's best hitters underused at a certain position (sure it doesn't matter to real baseball, but whatever).

1. Alex Rodriguez, (3B to SS) -- Sadly, this is just logical and the Yankees should have done it when he came over and was a better offensive and defensive shortstop than Derek Jeter. Unfortunately, he just didn't possess the intangibles that Captain November True Yankee did, and we're left to wonder what might have been.

2. Alfonso Soriano, (OF to 2B) -- Sweet Lou actually played him at second once this year (right after I traded him), which was spicy, but the days of Fonsy challenging Chase Utley for top two bagger are long gone. Which is a shame, because it's not like a) he's great in the outfield or b) the Cubs can't just swap he and Mark DeRosa. Either way, Matt Murton gets jobbed. Good times!

3. Albert Pujols, (1B to 3B) -- Although he wouldn't surpass our fictional A-Rod (see above), he would be a stone cold lock at second overall if he played third base, as he has in the past. The defensive needs of the position would probably take more of a toll on his offense, so Pooey is probably better at first, but since we don't care about defense, it's nice to dream.

Get excited, city of Durham! For a few more months, well, actually a few more weeks, you will get to enjoy the presence and services of one of the hottest young hitters in baseball right now. Evan Longoria is being reassigned to Triple-A Durham, according to the Tampa Tribune.

Longoria said he wasn't necessarily surprised by the decision and 'had a feeling' it might be coming.

In addition, SS Reid Brignac also was reassigned to minor-league camp and will join Longoria in Durham.

If by "had a feeling" Evan meant "I know my bosses are cheapskates" then he couldn't possibly be more accurate. There's a huge salary issue with Longoria -- clearly a soon to be superstar -- because by leaving him at Durham for "more seasoning" for a few more weeks, the Rays get to start his arbitration and free agency clock a year later then they would if he started the season in Tampa.

It's certainly understandable from their point of view, because you want to protect your assets as long as you can, but at the same time, it definitely says something to the level of commitment for winning now: it's essentially nonexistent, even with a ridiculous core of young talent. And frankly, if I'm a Rays fan that doesn't live in Durham, I'm not particularly thrilled.