Post by Mike (Tampa Bay) on Jan 22, 2015 20:13:54 GMT
January 22, 2015 Volume 1, Number 1
Tampa Bay Times: Sports Update
By: Ray Finkel
FREE AGENCY FEEDING FRENZY
TAMPA BAY, FL- Under new team President Mike Sones the boring winter offseason has been anything but for our Devil Rays. The 34 year old businessman has done some aggressive shopping with owner Stuart Sternberg's money with the hopes that a little investment now will pay dividends on the diamond. I had a chance to speak with Mr. Sones on the phone this morning and ask him a few questions about his new role and new acquisitions for our beloved Rays, but before I cover his responses let's catch you up on the deals. The major deals came in the form of two slugging first basemen, Jose Abreu and Edwin Encarnacion to the tune of $120 Million Dollars over 5 years and $45 Million over 3 years respectively. Additional pickups include former all star 2nd baseman Jason Kipnis, former Silver Slugger Billy Butler, One-time Astros Rookie of the Year Chris Johnson and finally Catcher Hank Conger, also formerly of the Houston Astros.
Here are the highlights of the conversation I had this morning with one Mr. Mike Sones, GM and President of Baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays:
Ray: It has been an aggressive showing for you so far in Free Agency. Tell me about your thought process going into this offseason.
Mike: Well, as a leader I believe you need to model the behavior that you expect from your team. I expect them to put it all out there and be aggressive on the field, so that's the approach I'm taking in the front office! All kidding aside, I felt it was important that this team have an identity immediately. Taking a look at the players available and the possibilities in front of me, I had the chance to add not one, but two players that can single handedly decide the fate of a game with one swing. Jose Abreu took the league by storm last year and at the age of 27 instantly established himself as a force. With a blank slate in front of me I knew he was a player I had to have, no matter the cost.
Ray: So tell me where Edwin Encarnacion fits in.
Mike: Edwin is a fantastic player. Very consistent, very powerful. Again, someone that can change the course of a game all by himself. By having a couple of guys like this we are dangerous; always dangerous and always are in a game. I love Edwin as a player, and as Jose is developing and getting used to the league Edwin will be a great mentor to him.
Ray: You took a gamble on Jason Kipnis, to the tune of 7.5 Million dollars a season. That's an expensive mistake if it doesn't work out.
Mike: Jason is a great baseball player. Great fielder, great make-up guy, good hitter, good power and speed. He was an All-Star a couple years ago. He's only 27 years old, just getting into his prime. He was injured last year and had a down season. How is that a gamble? I'm excited for this core group of hitters we have put together and what they are going to bring to the team. We also signed Billy Butler, who over his career is one of the top hitters in the game, Chris Johnson is a career .280 hitter with a .321 avg two seasons ago so this team has a strong foundation already. We also signed Hank Conger to do..you know...Hank Conger things. So that's nice.
Ray: How do you see the remainder of free agency going for the Devil Rays?
Mike: Just great. There's a lot of awesome talent available, I'm excited to see what deals we can make. We also have the amateur draft coming up this week, so we've been preparing for that. A lot of exciting names in the pool, the future is bright. We are going to have to have free sunglasses night at the Trop.
Ray: Ok then. Thank you for your time and good luck this offseason, I hope to talk to you soon.
Mike: Pitchers and Congers report to Port Charlotte on February 22nd. Keep an eye on it, I think you'll like the product we will be putting on the field this year.
Tampa Bay has locked up the majority of its infield players, however Sones has already spent almost 45% of his salary cap for this season doing so. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the offseason plays out and how he intends to fill the roster.
Tampa Bay Times: Sports Update
By: Ray Finkel
FREE AGENCY FEEDING FRENZY
TAMPA BAY, FL- Under new team President Mike Sones the boring winter offseason has been anything but for our Devil Rays. The 34 year old businessman has done some aggressive shopping with owner Stuart Sternberg's money with the hopes that a little investment now will pay dividends on the diamond. I had a chance to speak with Mr. Sones on the phone this morning and ask him a few questions about his new role and new acquisitions for our beloved Rays, but before I cover his responses let's catch you up on the deals. The major deals came in the form of two slugging first basemen, Jose Abreu and Edwin Encarnacion to the tune of $120 Million Dollars over 5 years and $45 Million over 3 years respectively. Additional pickups include former all star 2nd baseman Jason Kipnis, former Silver Slugger Billy Butler, One-time Astros Rookie of the Year Chris Johnson and finally Catcher Hank Conger, also formerly of the Houston Astros.
Here are the highlights of the conversation I had this morning with one Mr. Mike Sones, GM and President of Baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays:
Ray: It has been an aggressive showing for you so far in Free Agency. Tell me about your thought process going into this offseason.
Mike: Well, as a leader I believe you need to model the behavior that you expect from your team. I expect them to put it all out there and be aggressive on the field, so that's the approach I'm taking in the front office! All kidding aside, I felt it was important that this team have an identity immediately. Taking a look at the players available and the possibilities in front of me, I had the chance to add not one, but two players that can single handedly decide the fate of a game with one swing. Jose Abreu took the league by storm last year and at the age of 27 instantly established himself as a force. With a blank slate in front of me I knew he was a player I had to have, no matter the cost.
Ray: So tell me where Edwin Encarnacion fits in.
Mike: Edwin is a fantastic player. Very consistent, very powerful. Again, someone that can change the course of a game all by himself. By having a couple of guys like this we are dangerous; always dangerous and always are in a game. I love Edwin as a player, and as Jose is developing and getting used to the league Edwin will be a great mentor to him.
Ray: You took a gamble on Jason Kipnis, to the tune of 7.5 Million dollars a season. That's an expensive mistake if it doesn't work out.
Mike: Jason is a great baseball player. Great fielder, great make-up guy, good hitter, good power and speed. He was an All-Star a couple years ago. He's only 27 years old, just getting into his prime. He was injured last year and had a down season. How is that a gamble? I'm excited for this core group of hitters we have put together and what they are going to bring to the team. We also signed Billy Butler, who over his career is one of the top hitters in the game, Chris Johnson is a career .280 hitter with a .321 avg two seasons ago so this team has a strong foundation already. We also signed Hank Conger to do..you know...Hank Conger things. So that's nice.
Ray: How do you see the remainder of free agency going for the Devil Rays?
Mike: Just great. There's a lot of awesome talent available, I'm excited to see what deals we can make. We also have the amateur draft coming up this week, so we've been preparing for that. A lot of exciting names in the pool, the future is bright. We are going to have to have free sunglasses night at the Trop.
Ray: Ok then. Thank you for your time and good luck this offseason, I hope to talk to you soon.
Mike: Pitchers and Congers report to Port Charlotte on February 22nd. Keep an eye on it, I think you'll like the product we will be putting on the field this year.
Tampa Bay has locked up the majority of its infield players, however Sones has already spent almost 45% of his salary cap for this season doing so. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the offseason plays out and how he intends to fill the roster.