Griffey to the Rays Would be All Good

Perhaps the most emphatic sign that the Rays are a different kind of team this year is the news that Ken Griffey jr. is considering waiving his no trade clause should he be shipped to Tampa Bay.

No, he's not the Griffey of old. "...It was no accident that 600th homer came on a breaking ball," says a scout within Stark's latest rumblings column. But his name alone stamps a sort of certificate of legitimacy on this Rays season. More than his name, he'd be bringing experience to a pretty young and unproven clubhouse, and his bat, which with the extra games at DH, could prove that much more potent. Within that same Stark piece, another scout imagines, "You run him out there with his big smile and his sweet swing, and it's a drawing card. And even if he's slipped, you're putting another left-handed bat in the middle of that lineup. Could be scary."

This calls to mind the 2002 Expos. Shocked to find themselves in contention at the end of June, only months after being threatened with contraction, they traded for the best pitcher on the market, Bartolo Colon, and then for Cliff Floyd, similarly considered one of the best available bats ( a relative title if there ever was one). Colon went 10-4 with a 3.31 ERA, but Floyd couldn’t add as much on the offensive end and when the Expos saw two new teams leap ahead of them in the Wild Card standings he was jettisoned 19 days later. The Expos finished the season a respectable 83-79, but 9 games back of the WC Giants.

They took their shot and missed; they traded Colon that winter. But the Rays are in a very different position than the Expos. The Expos, toiling under Selig’s thumb, were, at best, in limbo, and at worst, just playing out the string. Their trades were a last gasp, a desperate reach for relevance.

Aside from the rare Cliff Floyd pinch hit, these Rays are every much the opposite of the 2002 Expos; they evoke freshness with their new name and new uniforms, and management has their eyes focused firmly on the future. They’re playing better ball than those Expos too, currently leading the wild card race.

The Griffey trade is not make or break for them, it can only have a positive outcome. Because even if the do finish out the playoffs, they’re almost sure to set a team record for wins (as we predicted here), and even without on-field results, the deal will surely be a marketing boon at the very least. More importantly the Rays are a team built for the long term: they have the 4th youngest roster in the majors and have been making a point of securing their young stars for years to come.* And while they’d never send a Colon-type package to the Reds, whatever youngsters they did send, they could afford to do so without sacrificing their long-term plans.

Hopefully they make the trade, make a splash, and do better with the pressure of expectations and winning than their 2002 counterparts.


* They just signed Kazmir, Shields, and RP Dan Wheeler to extensions, locked up Evan Longoria for 9 years, and still own the rights to Crawford and Upton for another 2 years+ each.

List - More "Critically Acclaimed" sports teams

This past week Bill Simmons described the Phoenix Suns of the past few years as a "critically acclaimed" team - teams that didn't win a championship but are remembered fondly outside of their own fan base for their particular style of play or other achievements.

Some teams we'd put in that category:


1998 Minnesota Vikings

This team rode one of the most explosive offenses ever - featuring Randy Moss as a rookie and a rejuvenated Randall Cunningham - to a 15-1 record and 556 points scored. An overtime loss to Atlanta in a great NFC title game prevented a dream Super Bowl matchup between them and the best Broncos team of the Terrell Davis era.


2000-03 Oakland A's

The original Moneyball organization probably had more of an influence on how baseball teams are run than any other in recent memory; they made the playoffs on a shoestring budget four years in a row but never got past the first round.


1987-93 Houston Oilers

Their run-and-shoot offense led by Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon and receivers Haywood Jeffries, Webster Slaughter, Curtis Duncan & Ernest Givens was one of the most fun units to watch in their day. While they made the playoffs seven years in a row in this period, they never made it to the AFC title game and are best known for being on the wrong end of the greatest comeback NFL history and Joe Montana's last signature playoff win.

1994 Montreal Expos

Had the best record in baseball when the strike hit, and the franchise never recovered. Their lineup featured an outfield of Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom and Moises Alou; their rotation included Pedro Martinez, Jeff Fassero (2.99 ERA that year), Ken Hill, and Kirk Reuter. Future World Series MVP John Wetteland and future 40+ saves guy Jeff Shaw in the bullpen.


1995 and 2001 Seattle Mariners

The 1995 team was 12.5 games behind the Angels in mid-August, took the division in a one-game playoff, and won a dramatic Division Series after falling behind 2 games to the Yankees, before losing to Cleveland in the ACLS.

The 2001 team won 116 games and had four All-Star game starters (Ichiro, John Olereud, Edgar Martinez, and Bret Boone). They lost the ALCS in five games to a Yankees team that one 21 fewer games than they did.