Memo To Tampa Bay Management

Look, Tampa Bay, I want to like your team, I really do. You have a quirky, fun skipper in Joe Maddon. You reached the World Series last season in an improbable run. You have exciting players like B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford, a big home run threat in Carlos Pena, and solid pitchers like Matt Garza, James Shields, and Scott Kazmir. Plus, you have a legitimate superstar in Evan Longoria. (See, Evan, I didn't even make fun of your name this time.) But you demoted David Price at the start of the season, and now you're paying for this decision big time.

I know, I know. You'll tell me that it was the necessary move because Price needed to work on his pitches in AAA, and that he wasn't ready to be a big league starter every fifth day. I said it was hogwash then, and it's hogwash now. The man chosen to be the fifth starter, Jeff Niemann, has been predictably awful, and what's more, the presumptive fourth starter, Andy Sonnanstine, has been even more hideous. Sonnanstine got lit up for 7 runs in just 2 innings last night, and allowed 9 hits in the 2 frames the Baltimore hitters had the pleasure of seeing him in. Here is a quick look at the numbers being put up by Sonnanstine and Niemann...

• Sonnanstine 1-4 record, 7.27 ERA, 1.85 WHIP; 34 2/3 IP, 21 K, 13 BB
• Niemann 2-3 record, 5.65 ERA, 1.71 WHIP; 28 2/3 IP, 16 K, 18 BB

How much longer is this going to go on, Tampa Bay management? How much longer will you operate like a pathetic small market team, when you claim that you have every intention of putting your best team on the field in an attempt to get back to the World Series? You're telling me that David Price wouldn't pitch better than these two schmucks? (And I mean no offense to Sonnanstine and Niemann as people, but we're talking fantasy baseball here, and from that perspective, these are two schmucks, folks.) It's a slap in the face of every Rays fan that you are continuing to keep Price down just to stall his arbitration clock while running out these two guys for 40% of your team's games.

Your record is 15-19, Tampa Bay. You are 7.5 games out of first place already in the ultra-competitive AL East, and you now have the Blue Jays to contend with, in addition to the Yankees and Red Sox (whom you trail by 6.5 games, by the way). It is absolutely logical to say that keeping Price down has cost you at least two games in the standings already, and it's only May 12. If the media will not call you out, Andrew Friedman, that's fine, because I'm happy to do it myself. If you care at all about a serious attempt at winning the division again, you'll call Price up within the next 5 days. You can't afford to fall further back.

Oh, and for fantasy owners, if you have Price, hold onto him, because even if the Rays do the boneheaded thing (which is keep him at AAA until early June), he will still be worth it for you after that. If you see Price out there on your league's waiver wire, pick him up. His upside is absolutely that good.