C East championship a year ago in McElwains first season -- wi

In a bleak landscape for pitching, the Tampa Bay Rays are awash in talented young starters with affordable contracts and several years of club control. Survey the available options and Tampa is an oasis of promise in a desert of back-end, complementary types.But, as the Aug. 1 deadline nears and speculation builds that Andrew Cashner and Jeremy Hellickson will soon be on the move, and Jose Quintana might be in play, and Rich Hill will be dealt if he can get past that pesky blister, the snippets of news out of Tampa Bay have been underwhelming.As each day passes without a match, potential trade partners are becoming more convinced that Tampa Bay will sit this deadline out.Several teams that have had conversations with the Rays have concluded theyre perfectly willing -- and leaning toward -- hanging on to their big assets and waiting to act during the winter, when they can engage with 29 MLB teams rather than a handful making playoff pushes. Although the Rays will probably trade Steve Pearce and could find a new home for reliever Erasmo Ramirez over the next few days, theres a growing sense in baseball circles that starters Chris Archer, Matt Moore, Jake Odorizzi and Drew Smyly will end the season where they started it.I think theyll take it to the offseason, said an official with a club in the starting pitcher market. Theyll get a lot of information now. Theyll find out whos really serious, and then theyll take the month of August to really scout that organization and see who they have a good fit with. Theres no urgency for them to do stuff now. They can set a price, and if they dont get it, theyll take it into the offseason and go from there.The Rays are 38-61 and 20 games out of first place in the American League East, and run-prevention issues have been a major culprit. Tampa Bays starters rank 15th in the majors with a 4.25 ERA, and, barring a late turnaround, this season will mark the first time since 2009 the Rays rotation has been above 4.00 as a group.Some factors are beyond the pitchers control. In one ugly stretch from late May to early July, outfielders Kevin Kiermaier, Brandon Guyer, Steven Souza Jr. and Desmond Jennings all landed on the disabled list. After posting an aggregate 44 defensive runs saved in 2015, Tampa Bays outfielders are at 12 this season. In addition, the Rays gave a significant amount of playing time to catcher Hank Conger, who flopped offensively and defensively before Tampa Bay optioned him to Triple-A Durham during the All-Star break.Even so, the numbers are still disappointing, particularly in the case of Archer, a preseason Cy Young candidate whose season has been a portrait in bizarre. Archer leads the American League with 155 strikeouts and is sixth in the AL with a 12 percent swinging strike rate. His fastball has held relatively steady at 94.2 mph, and his slider remains a major weapon. But his WHIP has risen from 1.14 to 1.35 this season, and he has consistently gotten himself in early trouble with an 8.59 ERA in the first inning. Win-loss totals can be deceptive, but Archers 5-14 record is nevertheless unsightly.As Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman and his group contemplate their options and decide whether they want to spring into action or wait, heres a pecking order of how things line up this winter -- in terms of how Tampa values the aforementioned four starters and the price potential suitors will be expected to pay:1. Chris ArcherHes 27 and is under team control for a total of $38.5 million from 2017 to 2021, assuming the Rays exercise the two club options at the back end of his deal, so it would take a monster package for Tampa Bay to consider moving him.For sake of comparison, Cole Hamels was 31 and had $82 million left on his contract when Texas acquired him for a package that included Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson and Jerad Eickhoff last July. So what kind of return would Archer command? If the Dodgers were to make a run at him, they would almost certainly have to part with Julio Urias. If Texas wants in on the action, the Rangers will have to think about surrendering Nomar Mazara or Jurickson Profar (or both). Archer is a top-10 pitcher when hes right and is one of the budding stars of baseball, so the Rays would be looking to make a killing.2a. Matt MooreMoore underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2014 and is working his way back to the form he showed when he wowed everyone with a 17-4 record and a 3.29 ERA in 2013. Moore has carved his ERA from 5.56 to 4.31 since June 7, and he has worked six innings or more in nine straight starts. He is signed to a five-year, $14 million deal with club options of $7 million in 2017, $9 million in 2018 and $10 million in 2019, so hes one budget-friendly left-hander.2b. Jake OdorizziSome clubs might prefer Odorizzi, an athletic right-hander who has less upside but has shown more consistency than Moore. He has three years of arbitration eligibility remaining, during which hes likely to earn a total payout slightly north of $20 million. Thats a reasonable sum for a pitcher who can slot right into the middle of a contending rotation. Performance-wise, youre going Odorizzi, said a National League executive. Moores got better stuff, but hes never put it together. Scouts will take Moore, but I think front offices will take Odorizzi.4. Drew SmylySmyly dealt with shoulder problems in 2015, and his 2-11 record, 5.42 ERA and 21 homers allowed have made this a summer to forget. Hes under club control for two more years, compared with three for Moore and Odorizzi and five for Archer. If teams are looking for a glimmer of hope, Smyly has 112 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings but the 12th-highest batting average on balls in play in the majors this season (.308). If the Rays move him, theyll be selling low on a 27-year-old, left-handed, potential bounce-back candidate.If the Rays decide to stand pat, theyll enter the winter with a starter contingent of Archer, Odorizzi, Moore, Smyly, highly regarded rookie Blake Snell and Alex Cobb, who is expected to return from Tommy John surgery next month barring a significant setback. Factor in Matt Andriese and Triple-A pitchers Jaime Schultz and Jacob Faria, and thats nine starters who could be in the mix in spring training. By moving one or two, the Rays can ease the congestion and deal from an area of strength to fill several needs.So why wait? For one thing, the timing is good. Although Tampa Bays starters look attractive now, theyre going to have even more appeal this winter against the backdrop of a colossally weak free-agent crop. Now that Stephen Strasburg is off the market, the top options include Clay Buchholz, Cashner, Ivan Nova, Hellickson, Hill, Jered Weaver and R.A. Dickey.As Rays beat writer Marc Topkin points out, recent history suggests the Rays are going to move someone soon enough. Since 2008, theyve traded away Edwin Jackson, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, James Shields, David Price and Hellickson. With the notable exception of Evan Longoria, every Tampa Bay player has to stay light on his feet and be ready for anything at the trade deadline.Could a sense of desperation prompt a potential suitor to panic and overpay in the next few days? Theres always a chance. But in the absence of that scenario, all is quiet on the Tampa Bay front. The Rays are poised to make a lot more noise this winter. Wholesale Shoes Ireland . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Shoes Ireland From China . 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Their football stadiums famously bound by water, perhaps its fitting that Tennessee and Washington are increasingly popular choices to rejoin college footballs high seas this season.The hype is understandable when you survey the two rosters. The Vols return 18 starters from a team that won its last six games a year ago and bring back experienced playmakers at most of the key positions, including nine players earning preseason All-SEC mention. The Huskies return 16 starters from one of the youngest teams in the country a year ago, led by super sophomores Jake Browning at quarterback and Myles Gaskin at running back, and bring back most of the key pieces from the Pac-12s top scoring defense.Both schools won national championships in the 1990s and bring back long (and painful) losing streaks to divisional rivals that span a combined 23 games. Tennessee has lost 11 in a row to Florida, the Vols last win coming back in 2004 when Ron Zook was coaching the Gators and future Hall of Famer Phillip Fulmer had yet to be forced out by his alma mater. Washington has lost 12 in a row to Oregon. The Huskies havent beaten the Ducks since 2003, and most of those games havent been close. Oregons 12 straight wins have come by an average margin of 23.5 points per game.So while expectations may be skyrocketing for the Vols and Huskies, the reality is this: For either program to be whole again, skids that began before high-definition television became popular in this country need to end.The fact that Washington was picked ahead of Oregon (and No. 2 behind Stanford) in the North Division last week at Pac-12 media days caused a few ripples, to the point that Washington coach Chris Petersen was almost cringing when having to discuss his clubs place as one of the preseasons darlings.He even referenced the Pokemon Go craze to describe the hype, and then playfully chided the media.Last year, the preseason hype was that we wouldnt win four games, and they were dead wrong, said Peterson, whose Huskies went 7-6, including a win over eventual Pac-12 South champion USC and a win over Apple Cup rival Washington State. So Im really scared that you guys are dead wrong again, because you usually are.Its not that Petersen doesnt believe in his team. He would just rather not paint a preseason target on a team that still needs to learn how to win, and in truth, might still be a year away. As he pointed out last week, the Huskies were in every game they lost a year ago, with the exception of the Stanford matchup, and going from seven wins to championship contention is a monumental leap most teams dont make in a single year.Ultimately, though, the most telling gauge as to where the program is in Year No. 3 under Petersen will come on Oct. 8; Washington travels to Autzen Stadium to face Oregon, with the Ducks in the midst of an alleged downturn after having the audacity to win just nine games a year ago. Never mind that Mark Helfrich had his team in the national championship game the year before. And never mind that Washington has won nine games in a season just once (2013) since its Rose Bowl championship season in 2000.The door does appear cracked for the Huskies, who hardly need a history lesson in the Oregon-Washington rivalry, which really hasnt been much of one for more than a decade.If we go, you know, 10-1 or 13-1 or however many games we play, and that one loss is to Oregon, Washington senior defensive back Kevin King said, pausing and then sighing as if he didnt want to finish the sentence, that would be tragic.Yes, it certainly would be for those along Union Bay, wherre Washington last won a Pac-12 (then Pac-10) championship in 2000.ddddddddddddWe look at it like this is an opportunity that weve created for ourselves, King said. Special teams dont come around often, so weve got to seize the opportunity.As brutal as another loss to Oregon would be for Washington, another Tennessee loss to Florida might well cause a landslide on the banks of the Tennessee River.There hasnt been this much buzz, at least legitimate buzz, surrounding the Vols program since 2001. Coach Butch Jones, in his fourth season, has embraced the expectations and wisely so. Anything less than an SEC championship game appearance this season could make for a long winter on Rocky Top. The Vols won nine games a year ago, but three of their four losses came after they relinquished two-touchdown leads.And, yes, one of those collapses was at Florida, which rallied in the final minutes to stun Tennessee 28-27 on a 63-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-13 play.Floridas coach Jim McElwain reasoned afterward, I think theres a feeling deep down, you know, that we just dont lose to Tennessee, and they didnt.Its a feeling Florida players have trumpeted often this offseason as part of a Twitter spat that hopefully is just a precursor to what we will see on the field this Sept. 24 in Neyland Stadium.When the ESPN Football Power Index tabbed Tennessee as the top team in the SEC East this season, Florida defensive back Jalen Tabor took to Twitter to vent: Well make it 12 years in a row this year.Later, he went after Peyton Manning.Might as well bring the sheriff out of retirement, tweeted Tabor, who ironically enough was serving a one-game suspension last season and didnt even play against the Vols.Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd was quick to return fire with a tweet that read: 6-0, 190. Jst talkin for attention. Not gonna end well buddy.Tabor took aim at Tennessee again during the NBA Finals after Golden State routed Cleveland in Game 2. Tabor was discussing the Cavs loss on Twitter with teammate Quincy Wilson and tweeted: They aint trippin. They just cant hang, something like UT in the fourth lol.Even longtime Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley joined the fray when he compared the Vols to the Kardashians and wrote earlier this month that they had won another summer.And to Dooleys point, lost in all the hype surrounding the Vols is that Florida did win the SEC East championship a year ago in McElwains first season -- without a quarterback for much of the season and with a woefully inexperienced offensive line. The Gators are like a lot of other people around the college football world. They have to see it to believe it.Tennessee is Tennessee, and were Florida, Gators safety Marcus Maye said. So what you see out of that is what you get, and its been that way for a while.Jones message to his players has been that they need to own it, whether thats expectations, their style of play, the football program -- everything.Thats why you come to the University of Tennessee. Thats why you coach at the University of Tennessee, Jones said. You want those expectations.Tennessee and Washington are both trying to break strangleholds in their leagues. The past seven SEC championships have been won by Alabama, Auburn or LSU. The past seven Pac-12 championships have been won by either Oregon or Stanford.Shaking up those mini-monopolies will mean shaking off a pair of epic droughts.Only then will the Vols or the Huskies truly be back. ' ' '