With spring training just around the corner, I have to vent my feelings about what has taken place recently in the Tampa Bay Rays front office. I know a lot of you are not Rays fans or baseball fans, so please bear with me. Those who are Rays fans first, and baseball fans second will understand my feelings about what has taken place since the 2019 season ended.

For the Rays 2019’ s season ended on a sour note when they took the Astros to the brink in the ALCS before losing and ending their season. But it wasn’t really the end because the firestorm was about to blow up soon after with all the accusations of the Astros sign stealing in 2017 and beyond. It would also come to light that the Boston Red Sox had also been accused of the same thing in 2018 and with that came one major coincidence, Alex Cora. He was the Astros bench coach in 2017, and then moved on to become the manager of the 2018 Red Sox. He was also named as the mastermind behind the sign stealing and how it was done. No need to go into all the details as we have heard and read them all, they have been national news and it created a major buzz in and out of the sports world. We also know what the baseball commissioner did to the Astros for their role in this, as well as the Astros owner Jim Crane.  As I write this they are still investigating the Red Sox and  the rumored word is they have uncovered some “big things”..

But while all that has taken place, punishments and fines meted out and the Astros firing their manager and general manager and Cora stepping down as the Red Sox manager, the Rays unwittingly got pulled right into this black hole by both of those teams and it not only makes me angry, but it also hurts. I am also certain that hurt is being felt by the Rays and the fans as well.

First there were the Red Sox without a GM since they let Dan Dombroski go several months ago. The talk since his departure was that the new GM would come from within the Sox organization, where they had a number of very qualified people who could step right in and who were, in fact, running things after Dombroski was let go. These were people who knew the organization top to bottom and could right the ship. So what do the Red Sox one the Rays arch rivals do? They go out and hire the Rays Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, Chaim Bloom. Bloom had been with the Rays since 2005, worked his way up the ladder and was a big part of the Rays winning ways with Andrew Friedman, then Matt Silverman and Erik Neander. This move was a major blow to the Rays, not only that he was leaving the Rays, but going to an arch rival where there is no love lost between the two teams. Not to mention the Red Sox are still being investigated regarding the sign stealing situation and more.  That was like getting a knife in the back.

Then just a few days ago another of the top men in the Rays front office, James Click, who had taken over as Vice President of Baseball Operations, got hired away by none other than the Houston Astros. Like Bloom, Click began with the Rays in 2006 and worked his way up the ladder as a respected baseball man and was expected to work closely with Silverman and Neander in setting the future path of the Rays. Now he jumps into an unsettled situation with the Astros and along with Dusty Baker, will try to right that ship. I understand, given all the parameters, that the Astros did not want to promote from within, but there were qualified and experienced former GMs out there readily available that Crane could have interviewed and considered. But this was a deliberate slap in the face to the Rays by the Astros, who are fast becoming the most hated team in baseball not only because of the sign stealing scandal, but their outright arrogance about the whole mess they created..

It really hurts to lose two of your top executives in the space of three months and especially to the organizations they went to. The sting will be felt as spring training gets underway, but you can be sure that the Rays will not miss a beat and Click’s replacement will be an exceptional choice by owner Stu Sternberg. Just think back to when Andrew Friedman left for the Dodgers and Maddon left for the Cubs. Fans were worried about what would happen with the franchise and feared the worst with the loss of both of these major pieces of the Rays. This meant that Neander and Bloom had to step up and work with Silverman to help create the Rays team and farm system we have now, and did they ever! Kevin Cash took over as manager and we have seen what he has accomplished and how the Rays have risen since then. Now with Bloom and Click gone, you can bet the Rays organization will continue to “Rays Up”. The very best payback will be to beat both teams every time we play them.

Now let’s enjoy Fan Fest this Saturday and gear up for spring training and the 2020 season. It is going to be a fun time this year, one that will see the Rays headed to the post season, and dare I say it, the World Series!  GO RAYS!!

Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN