ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Go ahead, pencil the Tampa Bay Rays into the playoffs again. You certainly won’t upset Joe Maddon’s confident bunch.

There may be teams with more star power and money, but none enters 2012 with loftier expectations than the Rays, who have earned postseason berths three of the past four seasons despite one of the major leagues’ lowest payrolls.

Maddon and his players have proven they can go toe-to-toe with the big-spending New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the rugged AL East, and they believe they have everything it takes – superior pitching, strong defense and an improved offense – to win it all this year.

”Expectations should be the fuel that we need to get this done,” said Maddon, who guided Tampa Bay to division titles in 2008 and 2010 before erasing a nine-game deficit last September to edge the Red Sox for the AL wild-card spot on the final night of the regular season.

After reaching their first World Series, where they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies four years ago, the Rays were eliminated by the Texas Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

With a projected starting rotation of James Shields, David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Jeff Niemann and rookie Matt Moore, and a lineup built around three-time All-Star Evan Longoria and bolstered by the offseason acquisitions of sluggers Carlos Pena and Luke Scott, Maddon and his players concede it would be a major disappointment to not play deep into October.

”We have all the necessary tools and pieces in place to really make an impact,” said Pena, the franchise career home run leader, who returns after spending last season with the Chicago Cubs.

”I love the idea of raised expectations. … It’s nothing to run away from, it’s a good thing,” Maddon said.

Executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who boosted the payroll by more than 50 percent to about $65 million, is comfortable with the attention the team has received from national media, too.

”I think our guys have gotten to the point with the culture that Joe has created in the clubhouse with our coaching staff that it’s not an impediment and it’s not an issue,” Friedman said. ”It’s not a risk factor that I think it might be other places.”

Maddon said a talented nucleus that includes B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings has the work ethic, maturity and resolve to not allow all the good things that are being said go to their heads.

Maddon was impressed with the number of players who participated in offseason workouts at Tropicana Field this winter and senses a commitment to do whatever it takes to ”get to the last game of the year – and win it.”

”Nobody just shows up any more. It is about winning,” said Maddon, who’s entering his seventh season with Tampa Bay, a perennial last-place team before his arrival in 2006. He signed a $6 million, three-year contract extension this winter that could keep him in the Rays dugout through 2015.

”I’m talking about a self-motivated group of people. It’s at the point now, I believe – and this is the optimal point to be – where everybody does their job,” Maddon added. ”You walk in the door. I don’t have to worry about motivating so and so and so and so. They’re self-starters, they’re self-motivators. That’s the way it should be.”

Despite struggling to score runs, the Rays won 91 games a year ago. Pitching and defense were the key, and that doesn’t figure to change this season.

Shields was a first-time All-Star who finished with a team-best 16 victories and 11 complete games. Price suffered from a lack of run support and went 12-13 with a 3.49 ERA after winning 19 games in 2010, but Hellickson took up the slack by going 13-10 with 2.95 ERA to capture AL rookie of the year honors.

”We place high expectations on ourselves, but we don’t really worry about what everyone’s saying. We just go out there and do our thing,” Shields said.

Tampa Bay got more than 1,000 innings out of its rotation a year ago, and Maddon is confident another 1,000-plus innings season would give the Rays an excellent opportunity to reach the playoffs again.

”Of course, they’re high-end guys that can win a lot of games and pitch to a low ERA, but there’s a lot of luck involved sometimes that you really can’t calculate,” the manager said. ”I like the idea of making the goal to pitch ‘X’ number of innings as a group. If they do, then that really takes a lot of heat off the bullpen, which makes the bullpen better.”

Tampa Bay took advantage of Boston’s monumental collapse last year to overcome a slow start in April and May to slip past the Red Sox for a postseason spot.

When the Rays assembled for spring training in February, Maddon stressed the importance of getting off to a better start this season.

”We prove to ourselves that we can come from behind and win … but it’s much better to do it from the other side,” Maddon said. ”I think that’s going to be paramount.”

DUNEDIN, FLA. - 

When the Tampa Bay Rays entered the visiting clubhouse Friday they didn’t look like they were headed for the batting cage.

Judging from their hair cuts they were ready for a mass or a WWE battle royal, steel-caged match.

Many Rays had their heads shaved Thursday in Port Charlotte to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation.

“Some asked to have their heads shaved, some, like me, asked for No. 1 clippers,” said Jose Molina sporting tiny sprouts of hair.

The shearing has raised $5,025 as 37 uniformed players plus 34 office staff got trimmed. Money should continue to flow in as the Rays took batting practice before playing the Blue Jays wearing yellow t-shirts which read “Fortune Favours the Bald” along with a ball cap and sun glasses atop it … like Rays manager Joe Maddon wears his glasses.

“Everyone talks about participating and doing something to help,” said Maddon, who was asked by Tampa Bay Lightning star Lecavalier to participate.

“This was more than a ball team having a social conscience, our guys really felt it. I can’t think of a more noble cause.”

Maddon told of talking with a grandmother at the hair-cutting ceremony: “She said she’s suffering twice … once for her daughter, a second time for her grand-daughter who has cancer.”

Even Rick Vaughn, not to be confused with Ricky Vaughn in the movie Major League, had less than a buzz cut. The Rays’ crack vice-president, Vaughn told of a child who had lost her hair during cancer treatment looking at Evan Longoria and others, saying “mom, the ball players look like me now.”

Maddon has always been known for team building whether it’s the all-black trip (where the Rays hit the road dressed like Johnny Cash) or their all-whites (for a visit to Miami). 

Those were fun, this is a worthwhile cause.

And while perhaps you’ve heard a moan or two — or 5,000 — from Jays fans about how they have to compete in the big bad American League East with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, you won’t hear it from Maddon.

The Rays reached post-season a year ago with the 21st highest payroll ($71.9 million US) when they finished ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

They ranked 29th ($41.9) when they won the division finishing ahead of both the Yanks and the Red Sox.

And they ranked 29th ($43.8) when they lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Not one time have I spoken to anyone in that clubhouse who has said ‘we don’t have enough money to spend,’ or ‘why didn’t we spend on this guy.’ It’s about who plays the game better,” Maddon said.

Rays general manager Andrew Friedman and scouting director R.J. Harrison deserve credit for assembling the talent on a budget. Maddon says there is another reason why the Rays have fared so well: Major League Baseball’s drug policy.

“The game has changed,” Maddon said. “Numbers have come down. We wouldn’t be able to afford a guy with 40 homers or 120 RBIs.

NICE TO MEET YOU TOO: Last August when the Rays came to the Rogers Centre Maddon placed a call to the man upstairs.

The Rays manager asked if Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos could come to his office.

“Alex walks in and I said right off ‘I don’t like you,’” said Maddon with a smile. “Alex and the Blue Jays are doing everything right. That’s why I joked I didn’t like him. He’s morphing the old (scouting) with the new (analytics).

“The Jays could be scary this year, they were scary last year.”

The Jays were still in the water on Lake Placid at 81-81 in 2011.

“There’s a big difference in wanting to win and believing you are going to win, I went through it with this club here,” said Maddon, who believes that in years to come teams won’t be defined by their managers.

“Used to be a manager would get fired, the GM would bring in a guy with a different philosophy. Now you’ll see the GM in control. If he makes a change he’ll bring in a manager who agrees with his philosophy.”

GAME ON: Travis Snider homered, his fourth, off Jhonny Nunez, but he also ran up the back of J.P. Arencibia when Elliot Johnson banged against the centre field fence trying to catch a Snider drive in the fourth.

Colby Rasmus scored on the play but the Rays threw out Snider heading back to first. “You have to run with your head up,” manager John Farrell told reporters

Yunel Escobar, Arencibia and Snider each had a pair of hits in the 5-0 win over the Rays.

Following up Ricky Romero, Chad Jenkins pitched three scoreless innings, while Jason Frasor and Andrew Carpenter worked a scoreless inning each.

The four Jays pitchers held the Rays to a bunt single by Brandon Guyer and a single to right by Chris Gimmenez. Longoria was held hitless in three at-bats.  

YOU’RE INVITED: Ken Carson, formerly the Jays trainer and travelling secretary, who moved south to run the Jays’ operations will marry Lillian Simmons on Aug. 11. And everyone is invited. Simmons and Carson will be wed at home plate at the Rogers Centre.

They’ve already invited the New York Yankees and the Jays to attend the Saturday afternoon game. 

Both parties have accepted.

Simmons and Carson are allowing the teams to use the field for a 1:07 first pitch as part of the reception. 

FRIDAY’S GAME

Jays 5, Rays 0

* Ricky Romero pitched five scoreless with 4 Ks

* Jason Frasor had a scoreless outing

* Two hits each for Yunel Escobar, J.P. Arencibia, Travis Snider

* Snider hit his 4th HR

FORT MYERS —
Carlos Pena made headlines in the offseason when the slugger re-signed with the Tampa Bay Rays after playing for the Chicago Cubs in 2011.

It wasn’t Pena’s only notoriety. He also had a critical presence in the Oscar-nominated “Moneyball.” Pena, played by actor Adrian Bellani, is the guy Brad Pitt trades for a pitcher, cash and soda.

After signing for one year and $7.25 million with Tampa Bay, where he starred from 2007 to 2010, Pena is looking to help manager Joe Maddon’s crew write its own Hollywood script. One that is even more dramatic than the Rays’ late-season playoff run last year.

One that ends with a World Series title.

“I’m excited about my team,” said Pena, who was 0-for-2 on Thursday in the Rays’ 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins in Grapefruit League action at Hammond Stadium. “Even though we understand we have a very good ballclub, we understand what it takes to win and focusing on the small things will give us the best chance to get to the playoffs, as clichéd as that may sound.”

Pena is the Rays’ all-time home run leader with 144. A No. 1 draft pick by the Texas Rangers in 1998, Pena was with five different organizations, including the Oakland A’s as depicted in “Moneyball,” before catching on with Tampa Bay, where he became a star.

In his four seasons with the Rays, the first baseman averaged 36 home runs and 102 RBIs and won a Gold Glove in 2008, the year the Rays made it to the World Series, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.

Before the 2011 season, Pena signed a one-year, $10-million contract with the Cubs, leading the Northsiders with 28 home runs.

Now that he is back with Tampa Bay and wearing his old No. 23, Pena doesn’t know who is happier — himself or his teammates.

“It was like an avalanche,” Pena, 34, said about his Rays welcoming committee. “There were like 1,000 simultaneous text messages coming in. My teammates were as excited as me that I was back. (Ben) Zobrist, (Evan) Longoria, Maddon … I can’t even name all of them … guys in the clubhouse. These guys poured out and welcomed me back.

“It feels great to be back with my teammates and old friends. I appreciate them in many ways. It’s just good to be back.”

The feeling also is mutual with the Rays front office, which values Pena’s contributions on and off the field.

A spokesman for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Pena was an electrical engineering major while at Northeastern University, taking after his father, Felipe. His brother Pedro earned a doctoral degree in genetic research, while brother Omar and sister Femaris also have postgraduate degrees.

“(We signed Pena) in part because of who Carlos is — who we know he is, as a clubhouse presence, as a leader, as a fan favorite — but mostly about the play on the field,” Rays President Matt Silverman said at the press conference announcing Pena’s signing on Jan. 25.

“He adds a dimension of power to our lineup we were missing last year,” Silverman continued, “and is a big part of our focus for this year, and we don’t take a step back on defense. That combination, along with who he is, gave us the courage to extend ourselves.”

Thursday was only the second game in which Pena has seen action this spring training. For the spring, the career .239 hitter is 0-for-4.

At this point, it doesn’t matter.

“I’m just glad to be back home,” Pena said.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP)—Stuart Sternberg doesn’t want to place
unrealistic expectations on his cost-conscious Tampa Bay Rays.

Even after an offseason in which he approved spending that boosted one of
baseball’s lowest payrolls by more than 50 percent, the owner is reluctant to
say he’d be disappointed if the club does anything less than win enough games to
make the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

That speaks more to how difficult it is to keep pace with teams that have
deeper wallets than what Sternberg feels the Rays are capable of accomplishing
after bolstering the offense with the addition of free agents Luke Scott and
Carlos Pena and adding veteran relievers Burke Badenhop and Fernando Rodney to
the bullpen.

“Our expectations are that we have a very very good team this year. Ideally
you’d like to say the best team we’ve put out. You never really know until we go
out there,” Sternberg said Tuesday during a visit to spring training.

“We’d like to win a lot of games. I can’t say if I expect to win 80 or
100,” he added. “You can never expect to make the playoffs. I don’t think any
team does that other than one or two of them.”

The Rays unexpectedly stretched a tight budget this winter, boosting payroll
from around $42 million in 2010 to about $65 million this year. Scott and Pena,
the franchise’s career home run leader who’s back in Tampa Bay after spending
last season with the Chicago Cubs, signed one-year deals that account for $13
million of that increase.

While Sternberg said he didn’t anticipate the payroll climbing by more than
$20 million, he nevertheless felt compelled as a competitor and a fan of the
game to spend more to give the team a better chance of remaining competitive
with the big spending New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the AL East,
arguably baseball’s toughest division.

“Everybody knows the challenges in the division. You can never assume
you’re going—or even think you’re going—to make it into the postseason given
the heft and the abilities of the teams we’re competing with,” Sternberg said.

“If I was spending three-X what we are now, I would tell you I have an
expectation to make the playoffs,” the owner said. “But to be in the American
League East and spend 60 some odd million, which is still a 50 percent bump from
last year, I have no right … to expect we’ll make the playoffs. I do expect
we’re going to win a lot of baseball games.”

Sternberg reiterated his belief that what Tampa Bay has been able to
accomplish with limited financial resources—win two AL East titles, make it to
the World Series in 2008 and the playoffs three of the past four seasons—can’t
be sustained long-term without eventually getting out of Tropicana Field and
into a new ballpark that will boost revenue.

While he’s encouraged that there has been dialogue among region politicians
and business leaders about the need for a new stadium that “I also think it’s
going slower than it can be.”

“We’ve got to figure something out. This can’t go on for decades,” said
Sternberg, who took control of the team in 2005 and has helped transform it from
a club that had never finished with a winning record into a championship
contender.

“Why you want more revenue is to give yourself a better opportunity to
compete. We are competing without the revenue. That is not an endless cycle,”
the owner said. “I don’t mind the difficulty of doing it. I like the challenge.
That’s all fine and dandy, but you want to have a ray of hope that we can
sustain this. And we have to this point. It’s been very fortuitous, we’ve been
very fortunate.”

Sternberg said he remains optimistic that baseball can succeed in the Tampa
Bay area. He the willingness to boost the payroll this winter “shows the faith
we have in this market.”

“If I didn’t think it would work, we wouldn’t be spending what we’re
spending here to win,” the owner said. “I think winning … and continued
success gives us the best chance to ultimately put us in a position to have this
sustainable.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—A career backup with two World Series rings,
Jose Molina is excited about having an opportunity to become an everyday catcher
with the Tampa Bay Rays.

At least as regular as you reasonably can expect at age 36.

The brother of a couple of other two-time World Series winners, Bengie and
Yadier Molina, signed with the Rays this offseason. Manager Joe Maddon envisions
a healthy “J-Mo” starting somewhere between 80 and 90 games as the Ray chase
their fourth playoff berth in five years.

Molina says he preparing as if he’s going to play 162, even though he’s
never appeared in more than 100 during parts of 12 seasons with the Cubs,
Angels, Yankees and Blue Jays.

“I’m ready to catch 162 every year, not just this year. Every year. Because
you never know. If the starting catcher gets hurt, you have to come in and be
ready to do your job,” Molina said Tuesday, the first day of spring training
for Tampa Bay’s pitchers and catchers.

Known more for his defensive skills than his offense, Molina started 44
games as a backup to Toronto rookie J.P. Arencibia while batting a career-best
.281 with three homers and 15 RBIs.

He has been the toughest catcher to steal against in the majors over the
past four seasons, throwing out 62 of 170 runners (36.5 percent). He was
sixth-best a year ago when he threw out 12 of 36 for a 33.3 percent success rate
that enticed the Rays, already one of baseball’s top defensive teams.

Maddon has known Molina since the manager’s days as the Angels’ bench coach.
The Rays declined a $3.2 million option on incumbent starter Kelly Shoppach
after losing in the divisional round of the playoffs in October and traded John
Jaso to the Seattle Mariners the following month.

Molina signed a $1.8 million, one-year contract with the Rays on Nov. 28.
Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos, who’ve played a combined 42 games in the
majors, are competing for the backup job.

Molina won World Series rings with the Angels in 2002 and 2009 with the
Yankees. Bengie also part of the Angels championship team in 2002 and won again
with the San Francisco Giants in 2010. Yadier helped the St. Louis Cardinals win
titles in 2006 and 2011, meaning one of the Molina brothers has won each of the
past three World Series.

Overall, at least one of the brothers has played in seven of the past 10
postseasons.

The Rays pitching staff is eager to work with Molina, who’s continuing a
tour of the AL East following stints with the Yankees from 2007 to 2009 and the
Blue Jays the past two seasons.

“He’s got a lot of knowledge back there, a lot of innings back there. …
He might be the best receiver in the game. I can’t wait to throw to him,”
right-hander James Shields, a 16-game winner in 2011 said.

“From what I’ve heard from other players on other teams, his game-calling
is superb. And from what I’ve seen (from the opposing dugout), his receiving is
unreal,” Shields added. “He gets strikes that might not be strikes on a normal
basis with other catchers. … He knows how to catch. Any time you put a Molina
back there, you should be in good business.”

Tampa Bay’s recent success, winning two division titles and making the
playoffs three of the past four seasons, was a factor in Molina’s decision to
sign. So was a talented starting rotation and solid bullpen that are part of the
reason the Rays believe they have an excellent chance of getting back to the
postseason.

“Everybody in the league knows it’s a great pitching staff, and they’re not
afraid to pitch. You start learning that more when you play 18 games against the
same team,” Molina said, alluding to the time he’s spent in the AL East.

He’s just as eager to begin to get to know the starters and relievers are to
work with him.

“I need to learn all of them. … That’s what spring training is for, to
work with them, talk to them regarding what they like to do, what they expect,
where they want me behind the plate,” Molina said. “Some guys want the catcher
to be in the middle, other guys want you on the corners. I think just talking to
them will be a good beginning.”

The catcher said he doesn’t have any preconceived notion of how many games
he can—or will—play. He stressed that whatever Maddon decides is fine with
him.

“The manager will do whatever he wants, and I will respect it,” said
Molina, who hasn’t started consecutive games behind the plate since August 2010.
“He got his way of thinking. I won’t change that. I can’ change that. I’ll be
ready every day. If he puts me in the lineup every day, I’ll be there.”

Molina started 81 games for the Yankees in 2008, when he appeared in a
career-high 100. Most of his playing time came while Jorge Posada was sidelined
with a shoulder injury.

“I don’t think you want to push him much further than that because you
don’t want to break the guy. I would say that’s a legitimate number, right
around 80 to 90 games,” Maddon said, adding that he’s confident Molina will
flourish in the role he figures to play in Tampa Bay.

“He’s played on some pretty good teams, caught some pretty good pitchers. I
know how he operates. I know how much pride he takes in what he does back there.
… One thing about him, even back in the day, he always wanted to be considered
more of a regular, everyday player as opposed to a backup.”

(Reuters) – The Tampa Bay Rays sorted out their catching needs for the 2012 Major League Baseball season by signing veteran Jose Molina to a one-year deal, the team said Monday.

The $1.5 million deal includes a club option to bring the 36-year-old Molina back in 2013 for the same salary, according to a report posted on the team’s website.

Free agent Molina, an accomplished defensive catcher, hit a career-high .281 last season with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Jose has been one of the best defensive catchers in baseball over the past decade, and his presence will bring even more stability to our defense, and he will be a great asset to our young pitchers,” said Rays General Manager Andrew Friedman.

Tampa Bay had created an opening for a veteran catcher by trading catcher John Jaso to the Seattle Mariners Sunday for reliever Josh Lueke, after earlier deciding not to pick up a $3.2 million club option to retain Kelly Shoppach.

Those moves left the Rays with only young catchers Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos on their major league roster.

Over his career, Molina has thrown out 153 of 410 attempted base stealers for a 37.3 percentage that ranks fourth best among active catchers who have played a minimum of 500 games.

The Rays witnessed his throwing ability first-hand in April when Molina, while playing for Toronto, threw out four Tampa Bay runners attempting to steal in the first four innings.

Molina has played in parts of 12 seasons for the Cubs, Angels, Yankees and Blue Jays with a .241 career batting average.

The native of Puerto Rico comes from a family of big league catchers. Older brother Bengie played 13 seasons before retiring after 2010, while younger brother Yadier has spent his eight-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals and won his second World Series ring with them last month.

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Sunday, November 20, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays appear to have crossed one thing off their offseason checklist, as they’re reportedly close to a deal with free agent C Jose Molina.

If and when the deal becomes official, possibly this week, it’s a move that would make sense for Tampa Bay.

Molina, 36, has been a backup primarily during his 12-year career, but he fits well with the kind of catching platoon the Rays desire. He’s very strong defensively, ranking fourth among active catchers by throwing out 40 percent of attempted basestealers. He handles pitching staffs well, which is important with the Rays’ prized rotation. Molina has a wealth of experience in the American League East, having played for the Yankees and Blue Jays the past five years, and could be a valuable mentor for rookies Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos. He has won two World Series, one with Anaheim in 2002 along with Rays manager Joe Maddon, who is a big fan.

And considering that Molina made just $1.2 million last year in Toronto, he falls in Tampa Bay’s price range. Foxsports.com reported the discussed Molina deal would be for one year plus an option for 2013. The Rays declined C Kelly Shoppach‘s $3.2 million option for next season, and though both sides were open for a reunion, a signing of the right-handed hitting Molina would end that.

Like Shoppach, Molina isn’t a big offensive threat (his career high is six homers), but he’s coming off a strong season in which he hit .281 for Toronto in 55 games; Shoppach hit .176 last year. The most games Molina has started in a season is 81 (in 2008 with the Yankees), but executive VP Andrew Friedman said early last week it was more likely the Rays would go with a platoon situation anyway.

“It’s just a demanding position,” Friedman said. “Basically a 100-60/62 (split). Who knows? We might get into a situation 80-80. It depends on the players involved.”

The Rays’ other options are Lobaton, whom they like but who was hampered by a knee sprain and hit .118 in 15 games last season; Chirinos, who showed flashes but likely needs more minor-league time; and John Jaso, who took a step back last year.

The signing of Molina wouldn’t be splashy, but it could be a solid one. Recent history has shown it doesn’t hurt to have a Molina brother on your roster, as they’ve played for the past three World Series champions (Jose with the Yankees in 2009, Bengie with the Giants and Rangers in 2010 and Yadier with the Cardinals last season).

PITCHING IN: It was a big week for the Rays rotation, with RHP Jeremy Hellickson winning American League rookie of the year Monday and RHP James Shields finishing third in the AL Cy Young voting Tuesday. And though there will be speculation all offseason that the Rays will trade from their surplus of starting pitching, Friedman maintained that’s not a foregone conclusion.

“It’s something that I expect that we’ll get a lot of inquiries,” Friedman said. “It’s not something that we’re flippant about. We’re not sitting in our internal meetings and talking about how we have too much starting pitching. Obviously if someone puts something forward that’s compelling, we owe it to everyone to talk through it. But I wouldn’t necessarily count on it.”

RAYS RUMBLINGS: The Rays are still looking at options at first base and DH as well as finding a couple of relievers. … The Rays remain interested in talking with DH Johnny Damon and 1B Casey Kotchman, and potentially bringing them back: “They are very prominent in our discussions right now as we’re going through things,” Friedman said. “I expect that will continue.” … According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, ex-Rays LHP Scott Kazmir will pitch in the Dominican Winter League with the Escogido Lions.

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com.

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Free-agent catcher Jose Molina(notes) has spent the last four and a half seasons in the American League East behind the plate for the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. Now it appears that he’s getting ready to spend another season in the division.

FOX Sports reports that Molina “is close to signing a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays that includes an option for the 2013 season.”

The 36-year-old, who has played on two World Series champs, could sign the deal “within the next several days,” the site notes. He batted .281 with three homers in 55 games for Toronto this past season.

Don’t forget to follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: FOX Sports

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Kirk Gibson and Joe Maddon won Manager of the Year awards Wednesday — one for overseeing a worst-to-first turnaround that lasted all season, the other after a frantic playoff push in the final month.

Gibson was a clear choice in the National League for guiding the Arizona Diamondbacks to the West title. A former MVP as a rough-and-tumble outfielder, Gibson was honoured in his first full season as a big league manager.

“I certainly had a vision,” Gibson said on a conference call during a vacation in northern Michigan, adding, “It’s certainly not all because of me.”

Maddon won the American League award for the second time. He was an easy pick after helping the Tampa Bay Rays overcame a nine-game deficit to beat out Boston for the wild-card spot on the last day. It was the biggest rally any team had made in September to claim a playoff berth.

“I like to think of it as a validation of the Rays’ way of doing things,” Maddon said on a conference call while visiting family and friends in Hazleton, Pa.

The results were announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The NL Cy Young Award winner will be revealed Thursday, with Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers the leading candidate.

Gibson and the Diamondbacks went 94-68, a year after he took over in midseason as Arizona went 65-97. Stressing fundamentals and details from the first day of spring training, the 54-year-old Gibson pushed his team into the playoffs, where it lost to Milwaukee in the 10th inning of the deciding Game 5 in the opening round.

Gibson drew 28 of the 32 first-place votes and got 152 points. He was the only manager in either league to be listed on every ballot.

Ron Roenicke of the NL Central champion Brewers was second with three first-place votes and 92 points. Tony La Russa of the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals was third with the other first-place vote and 24 points. Voting was completed before the start of the playoffs.

The free-spirited Maddon added to the AL honour he won in 2008. The 57-year-old manager who likes to speak on a vast array of subjects beyond baseball never panicked, even when the Rays started out 0-6 this season after losing several players to free agency during the winter.

Tampa Bay won its final five games to earn its playoff spot on the final day of the regular season, then lost to Texas in the first round. The Rays reached the playoffs for the third time in four years.

“My goal has been to make the Rays into the next century’s Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals,” he said.

Maddon drew 26 of 28 first-place votes and had 133 points. Jim Leyland of the AL Central champion Detroit Tigers got the other pair of first-place votes and 54 points and Ron Washington of the AL champion Rangers was third with 31.

Gibson was a two-time World Series champion, winning with Detroit and the Dodgers. He was the fourth former MVP to win the manager award, joining Joe Torre, Frank Robinson and Don Baylor.

As a player, Gibson acknowledged he sometimes was “a little emotional … a little stupid.”

“As a manager, you can’t lose your composure,” he said.

Gibson and Bob Melvin (2007) have won the manager award with Arizona.

Maddon is the seventh multiple winner of the AL award. La Russa won three times in the AL and once in the NL.

Kirk Gibson and Joe Maddon won Manager of the Year awards Wednesday — one for overseeing a worst-to-first turnaround that lasted all season, the other after a frantic playoff push in the final month.

Gibson was a clear choice in the National League for guiding the Arizona Diamondbacks to the West title. A former MVP as a rough-and-tumble outfielder, Gibson was honoured in his first full season as a big league manager.

“I certainly had a vision,” Gibson said on a conference call during a vacation in northern Michigan, adding, “It’s certainly not all because of me.”

Maddon won the American League award for the second time. He was an easy pick after helping the Tampa Bay Rays overcame a nine-game deficit to beat out Boston for the wild-card spot on the last day. It was the biggest rally any team had made in September to claim a playoff berth.

“I like to think of it as a validation of the Rays’ way of doing things,” Maddon said on a conference call while visiting family and friends in Hazleton, Pa.

The results were announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The NL Cy Young Award winner will be revealed Thursday, with Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers the leading candidate.

Gibson and the Diamondbacks went 94-68, a year after he took over in midseason as Arizona went 65-97. Stressing fundamentals and details from the first day of spring training, the 54-year-old Gibson pushed his team into the playoffs, where it lost to Milwaukee in the 10th inning of the deciding Game 5 in the opening round.

Gibson drew 28 of the 32 first-place votes and got 152 points. He was the only manager in either league to be listed on every ballot.

Ron Roenicke of the NL Central champion Brewers was second with three first-place votes and 92 points. Tony La Russa of the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals was third with the other first-place vote and 24 points. Voting was completed before the start of the playoffs.

The free-spirited Maddon added to the AL honour he won in 2008. The 57-year-old manager who likes to speak on a vast array of subjects beyond baseball never panicked, even when the Rays started out 0-6 this season after losing several players to free agency during the winter.

Tampa Bay won its final five games to earn its playoff spot on the final day of the regular season, then lost to Texas in the first round. The Rays reached the playoffs for the third time in four years.

“My goal has been to make the Rays into the next century’s Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals,” he said.

Maddon drew 26 of 28 first-place votes and had 133 points. Jim Leyland of the AL Central champion Detroit Tigers got the other pair of first-place votes and 54 points and Ron Washington of the AL champion Rangers was third with 31.

Gibson was a two-time World Series champion, winning with Detroit and the Dodgers. He was the fourth former MVP to win the manager award, joining Joe Torre, Frank Robinson and Don Baylor.

As a player, Gibson acknowledged he sometimes was “a little emotional … a little stupid.”

“As a manager, you can’t lose your composure,” he said.

Gibson and Bob Melvin (2007) have won the manager award with Arizona.

Maddon is the seventh multiple winner of the AL award. La Russa won three times in the AL and once in the NL.

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Sunday, October 23, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays showed considerable faith in Reid Brigac at the start of last year, handing him his first starting job at shortstop.

They had reason to have confidence that, with Brignac’s impressive defensive skills, he could take over for former team MVP Jason Bartlett, who was traded to the Padres.

And even after a disappointing season for Brignac, in which he hit .193 and was sent down to the minors mid-year, it appears Tampa Bay is willing to give him another shot to man shortstop. But he’s going to have to earn it.

“He’ll battle for the spot, absolutely,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I thought he made some really good adjustments when he came back up. Defense has never been an issue. I love his defense. It’s about making him more of a complete player offensively. I’m not just talking about getting hits, playing the situational game. Base running needs to be worked on a bit, too.”

Maddon has raved about Brignac’s hands at short, saying he’s a good enough shortstop (defensively, speaking) to win a World Series with. But after posting the eighth-lowest average among players with 200 at-bats or more, including just five extra-base hits, Brignac, 25, lost his job and was optioned to Triple-A Durham.

Brignac, as confident as any Rays player, said he grew up a bit in his stint back in the minors, and was very appreciative when he got called back up Aug. 10. He got a start in the American League Division Series.

Though Maddon praised Brignac for how he handled everything, he wasn’t ready to give him his everyday job back once he was recalled. Sean Rodriguez and Elliot Johnson got some starts there too against left-handers.

That could be an option again this year, or a veteran infielder could be brought in to compete in spring training (much like INF Felipe Lopez was signed to a minor-league deal last year to push for a bench role).

But it appears the ball will be in Brignac’s court. And he’ll need to bring his bat.

HOT STOVE: It comes as little surprise the Angels would express interest and interview Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman, like they did last week. And it is far from a shock Friedman would be their top choice for their open GM spot, as Foxsports.com reported. But it also seems like a stretch Friedman would leave the Rays for Anaheim; he hasn’t spoken like a man looking to go anywhere. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted, quoting one source, “(Friedman’s) not going.”

RAYS RUMBLINGS: Among all the interesting revelations in the convoluted compensation package for Theo Epstein, the Red Sox initially wanted Cubs RHP (and ex-Ray) Matt Garza to be included as compensation for Epstein taking over Chicago’s GM spot. … Rays 1B Casey Kotchman took a road trip last week with his father, long-time minor league manager and scout Tom Kotchman, and visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. “It was his idea,” Casey told baseballhall.org. “He wanted to go and I just said okay. But I’m glad he did.” … Among the Rays prospects in the Arizona Fall League this year are former top pick SS Tim Beckham and 2011 first-round pick OF Mikie Mahtook, both with the Surprise Saguaros. … Former Rays RHP Edwin Jackson is scheduled to start Game 4 tonight for the Cardinals against the Rangers. … RHP James Shields (Outstanding Pitcher), RHP Jeremy Hellickson (Outstanding Rookie) and Kotchman (Comeback Player) are finalists for Players Choice Awards, with winners announced Nov. 3.

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com

[Last modified: Oct 22, 2011 07:56 PM]

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By Bradley Woodrum

– Rays/Marlins Editor

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Oct 21, 2011 – Earlier today, Marc Topkin announced that Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson had won Baseball America’s prestigious Rookie of the Year award:

…[When] Hellickson strode up the mound, there wasn’t any indication he was pitching his first full season in the big leagues. Certainly not the way he handled the supposed pressures of having to face the AL’s toughest teams… Not the way he remained remarkably stone-faced on the mound regardless of the predicament. Not the way he managed his way through constantly tight games.

And, most obviously, not the way he pitched, posting a 13-10, 2.95 record with a .210 opponent average and 20 quality starts that were the best of all major league rookies.

Advanced stats indicate Jeremy Hellickson may have actually been striking out fewer batters than he should have, given his ability, but they also suggest Hellickson was no where near as elite as Craig Kimbrel, Michael Pineda, or Brandon Beachy.

Position players like Wilson Ramos and Danny Espinosa also put forth strong counter-arguments in the ROY race. However, giving credit where it’s due, Hellboy pitched 4 games against the dreaded New York Yankees (3 of them quality starts), 4 games against the vaulted Boston Red Sox lineup (2 quality starts), and 1 game against both World Series contenders, the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals (both quality starts).

All in all, congratulations are well-due to Jeremy Hellickson, who helped Rays fans say, “Matt Garza who?” and win an exciting Wild Card spot in 2011.

Read More: rookie of the year, Matt Garza (P – CHC), Wilson Ramos (C – WAS), Danny Espinosa (2B – WAS), Jeremy Hellickson (P – TAM), Craig Kimbrel (P – ATL), Michael Pineda (P – SEA), Brandon Beachy (P – ATL), Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals

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