Rays play it safe (and cheap) in demoting top prospect
Written by: Brainiac
What happened: The Tampa Bay Rays are demoting 3B Evan Longoria.
Why you might care: Longoria is arguably the top prospect in baseball. The 22-year-old hit .262 this spring with 3 homers, 10 RBIs and 10 walks.
But the Rays said from the start the decision will be based on more than just his performance in the games, citing intangibles and subjective topics. Plus, they've pointed out that he has had only 104 at-bats above the Double-A level, and noted how well Milwaukee's Ryan Braun did after starting last season in the minors while Kansas City's Alex Gordon struggled while starting the season in the majors.
Longoria said he wasn't disappointed but "a little bit let down.'' He said the Rays didn't give him a timetable for a return. Willy Aybar is the likely starter in the interim.
Still, many feel the organization is doing this to save money: Longoria’s arbitration clock won’t start ticking until he comes to the majors. It’s smart business sense, but this type of thing pissed off former Rays top prospect Delmon Young and his attitude never improved.
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