Reid Brignac becomes the new shortstop position holder for Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays will be in the league without a lot of old players, in 2011. The fact that some hitters from the squad have moved away leaves many fans to believe the team may not be eligible for the playoffs next season.
Though, those may be the concerns, it’s highly unlikely that the Rays would be throwing away their assets in the market to cut costs and reserve a major role in the coming season. The objective is clear for the management and it seems they are paving a way for a new team rotation in the coming years.
Carlos Pena recently signed on with the Chicago Cubs and it wasn’t a surprise to see the Rays let him go. The fact that his batting average crumbled in the last season led the way to his exile from the ball club.
A higher contract wage demand from Carl Crawford saw the Rays deny him a chance to return to the squad. The outfielder made his way to the Boston Red Sox team on a seven year long $142 million deal instead.
One of the players, who was wildly used for trading bait in the winter meetings, was none other than Jason Bartlett. The shortstop, who was a regular feature at the club, was taken out of the club and flung around the winter meetings. He is apparently going to San Diego Padres and that brings forward Reid Brignac for the shortstop role.
The player has been in the side for the past three years and it isn’t a surprise to see him come around. Manager Joe Maddon has confidence in him and sees him as the best squad member for the role. For the ball star, this could be an opportunity to develop into a world class player.
"Reid is one of the better fielders of the ball in the American League", said Rays’ manager Joe Maddon. "He fields the ball cleanly. He's not the fastest guy in the world but he really has good range, both sides. He's got a really accurate arm, and he's got Major League makeup. He's all that stuff.
Reid went on to say, “He still has to make some adjustments at the plate, although he did a lot better last year. But there is room for him to grow in that regard. But, yes, I think Reid Brignac has all the mental and physical abilities to be a good Major League shortstop as a starter, I believe that".
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