If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. You can actually beat ‘em and still join them says Pat Burrell who has signed a two year, $16 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
On the surface this is a great deal for the Rays. They get another big bat in the lineup, and this bat can actually hit lefties.
Burrell doesn’t seem to benefit from the move as much as the Rays do. He’s moving to a park that is a bit tougher on hitters than Citizens Bank is (although they are pretty close) and he didn’t fare too well last season against American League pitchers (.200/.339/.400 with two home runs, three RBI), even though the sample size was limited at 15 games / 50 at-bats.
However, Burrell will now get to DH instead of playing the field which could be a benefit. Time will tell on that one.
Burrell’s 187.34 Average Draft Position won’t likely change too much with this move to Tampa. He’s still a 16th round pick who should hit between .250 and .260 and blast 25-30 home runs.
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