Under the Orange Roof

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Tampa Bay Rays didn't make any splash plays immediately at the July 30 cutoff, but Steve Carney explains why he feels the front office has been ahead of the curve all year long when it comes to dealing for talent.  We also get into the weekend sweep of the Boston Red Sox that vaulted the Rays back into first place, and Steve and Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom discuss the former Rays executive's role from a previous life that he thought would remain hidden forever.

It's the final week of July, and the Tampa Bay Rays find themselves with the most pivotal of situations upcoming: a homestand with both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and the trade deadline approaching.  Steve Carney gets into the upcoming matchups plus goes through a number of players you have told him that you want to see the team go after before the deadline.

Steve also gets into what may end up being the most important deadline deal the franchose has ever made, bringing in designated hitter Nelson Cruz.  He explains his initial trepidations on the deal, but then tells you what made him feel great about the acquisition.  Plus you'll hear from catcher Mike Zunino on what makes Cruz such a great teammate, and initial impressions from manager Kevin Cash on Cruz and Cruz on Cash.

The Rays started the second half of their schedule in Atlanta, and Steve Carney discusses the weekend series win along with some of the possibilities that could be on the minds of the front office with the trade deadline now less than two weeks away.

We also get into comments made by pitcher Rich Hill about the rules implemented during the pandemic, and how those comments could foreshadow the problems in negotiations between the league and Players Association in trying to take the next step in the business of the sport with a new collective bargaining agreement.

The Rays get a couple of days to rest and renew themselves as Major League Baseball gets ready to play the All-Star Game Tuesday in Denver.  Steve gives us some of the aspects he's most pleased with when it comes to the Rays, plus how they can improve what it has been lacking.  And while the best of the present are being celebrated, we also look toward the future of the franchise with the MLB Draft.  Hear from the two high-school prospects Tampa bay took on night one of the three-day event: shortstop Carson Williams and second baseman Cooper Kinney.

The Tampa Bay Rays finally had their road losing streak come to an end on the fourth of July, and Steve Carney discusses what he feels the team should be looking at as possible additions at the trade deadline, giving you two names in particular.  We also hear from catcher Mike Zunino on making his first All-Star team this year, and Steve explains why there is no one on the roster that is more fun to watch than outfielder Brett Phillips.

The Tampa Bay Rays may have taken two out of three from the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend, but they also were able to succeed against Shohei Ohtani, who may be the most interesting player to watch in the sport.  Steve Carney tells you why he'll get consideration in both Cy Young and MVP voting, but also why he could likely be shut out of the awards.  We also get into the All-Star Game fan voting and which Rays players could end up representing the American League in the Mid-Summer Classic, and Steve talks with infielder Joey Wendle about what adjustments big league players have to make when playing games at minor-league stadiums like Dunedin's TD Ballpark and Buffalo's Sahlen Field.

Steve Carney begins the show by going through the brutal road trip through Chicago and Seattle, and how the team even lost the one game they won.  Hear Tyler Glasnow's full comments about what he believed help cause his elbow injury, and why Steve doesn't think the Rays won't be in a hurry to look outside the organization for pitching help.

We then turn to top prospect Wander Franco, who will be making his big league debut Tuesday at Tropicana Field against the Boston Red Sox.  Steve gets into where he thinks Wander will play in the field, hit in the batting order, and whose spot on the 40-man roster he'll be taking.  

Steve Carney starts this week by congratulating the University of South Florida baseball team, who got within one step of making it to the College World Series for the first time in school history.  He then gets into what's being called a measuring stick of a series, as the Rays take the best record in baseball into the south side of Chicago to take on the White Sox, who have the second-best record.  We compare and contrast the two clubs as we get ready for the three-game series beginning Monday.

Steve then delves into the aspect of baseball the Rays do better than any other team in baseball: play defense.  We hear from infielders Brandon Lowe and Taylor Walls about how their defense helps remind them that there's more to the game than just standing in the box and swinging a bat.  Also, manager Kevin Cash talks about the team's outfield defense, and Steve gets into why Manuel Margot and Randy Arozarena may be the most unheralded outfielders defensively on the team.

Steve Carney starts this week by wishing his alma mater the USF Bulls, good luck as they have advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time in school history.  He then gets into the changes that you'll see at Tropicana Field for this next homestand and what you could see coming back very soon to Rays games.

We then welcome in former Rays first-round pick Richie Shaffer (@rshaff8), who explained a number of parts of his career, including the process of getting scouted and drafted, the one reason why he didn't sign until deadline day, getting the silent treatment on his first big league homer.  Richie also gives us his take on pitchers using foreign substances on the baseball and some of the other rules changes being worked on in the minors.  Plus, find out how he began writing science fiction and published his first novel "The Eight of Earth" and how his new baseball newsletter "The Cambio" came into being.

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It's been a strange week for the Tampa Bay Rays, who have dealt with the duality of incredibly good play on the field and lots of unwanted drama off of it.  Steve Carney goes into both sides of the equation and laments why even he has had to deal with the off-field issues more than the wins on-field.

And Sports Radio WFAN host Danielle McCartan (@CoachMcCartan) joins Steve to talk about how the Yankees are reeling after an awful weekend in Detroit and how fans in New York have started to admit that the Rays are the bigger rivalry team for them.  Plus we hear that the pulse of the sports fan in the Big Apple feels the American League East crown will likely run through Tropicana Field.