I wrote about Russ Canzler a bit back, so I don’t think that he really elicits further discussion… well, beyond the fact that he’s been DFA’d by the Yankees, and does seem to fit the Rays needs for a right-handed outfielder/first basemen with pop in his bat. That, and I think Andrew Friedman would be foolish to let him slip by the wayside again. Carlos Lee is on the free agent market as well. It has been speculated that a late-spring acquisition is likely. I digress.

On to bigger and better things, Reid Brignac. (editors note: you will never hear us use the phrase on to bigger and better things as it pertains to Reid Brignac again, I promise.)

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Reid Brignac is on the trade bubble. Stephen Vogt and Dane De La Rosa are also two DFA candidates, as the Rays attempt to make room on the 40-man roster for their three newest acquisitions, Kelly Johnson, Luke Scott, and Kyle Farnsworth. There hasn’t been a clear indication of whether Tampa Bay is trying to put together some sort of trade package or not. Lord knows that Reid Brignac, alone, isn’t very enticing. After posting a .288 BABIP/.227 BA/.268 OBP/.317 SLG/.585 OPS/60 wRC+ slash line over the last six seasons, I can’t imagine that there are any teams beating down the door to get their hands on Brignac.

I also wanted to remind everyone, the window to ask Noah Pransky any Rays centric questions is still open. We’ll stop eliciting questions Tuesday, February 5th.

Finally, below is a timeline of key dates. Spring Training is just around the corner!

Rays Key Dates