Like that 20 something year old kid who finally decides it's time to leave his parents basement, the Rays might be moving out of the one they've been occupying in the AL East since their inception to the league. Don't look now, but the Rays are looking like a franchise that's ready to get serious. Today was a great day for baseball as two small market teams made a huge trade for both sides.

Minnesota and Tampa Bay made a 6 player deal that sends starting pitcher Matt Garza, short stop Jason Bartlett, and AA right-handed pitcher Eduardo Morlan to the Gulf Coast in exchange for Rookie of The Year candidate Delmon Young, shortstop Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie. This is a great deal for both sides.

This came as a surprising move to me given the plethora of young outfield talent Tampa Bay has assembled. I thought that they would try to move Rocco Baldelli. Perhaps Minnesota was interested in Baldelli's services, but feared that the oft-injured center fielder would not hold up for an entire season playing on the artificial turf of the Metrodome.

In Young, Minnesota picks up a right-handed bat (albeit he does come with more baggage then just a suitcase) capable of replacing departed centerfielder Torii Hunter's spot in the Order. Only entering his second season, Young hopes to build on a rookie year in which he put up some very impressive numbers. Young started all 162 games for the Rays; batting .288 with 13 home runs, 93 RBIs and 10 steals. He is also blessed with an absolute cannon for an arm, which helped lead him to 16 outfield assists.

Minnesota can also use Jason Pridie in centerfield if they cannot make a deal for Boston's Coco Crisp, or fill the void through free agency. Pridi is a youngster with a positive upside.

Now onto the Tampa Bay side of the deal. Yes they did give up a very promising player, but they are getting what they need the most in return, another solid starting pitchier. The Rays can slot Garza (who projects to be the kind of pitcher capable of 15-18 wins with an ERA under 4.00) into the third spot in their rotation behind the blossoming James Shields and last years strike out leader and future Cy Young contender Scott Kashmir. Following in the four and five spots in the rotation would appear to be Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson.

Jason Bartlett is a good defensive short stop who is both unknown and underrated. Hopefully he will be the kind of defensive upgrade that will help the Rays finsh somewhere other then last place in fielding percentage.

Remember last year at the trading deadline the Rays management said they were looking to solidify their bullpen. They traded Ty Wigginton to the Astros for reliever Dan Wheeler, who will be returning for another season. Couple him with one of last years best surprises, closer Al Reyes, and the back end of the pen looks like they might be able to hold some leads. It is rumored that the Rays have interest in bringing free agent Troy Percival on board. One can only assume that Percival would want a closing job and Reyes would become a setup man. It remains to be seen if the newly acquired Morlan will be major league ready at some point during the 2008 season. If he is, look for him to jump into a middle relief spot. 

Don't forget the Rays can hit.  Out of the 30 teams in MLB they were 15th in runs scored last year, 16th in hits, 15th in batting average, 10th in slugging percentage and ranked 12th in OPS. As a team they also recorded 131 steals, good for third in the AL. Sure they rank in the middle of the pack in the Major Leagues but there are at least 15 other teams that would like to be ranked where they are. Keep in mind this is still a young team that can only get better.

When you break down their projected lineup it actually looks pretty scary 1-5. With one of the most overlooked players in all the game leading off, Carl Crawford is a solid defender and an absolute terror on the base paths. Last year Crawford posted a career best .315 average, and swiped 50 bases for the 4th time in his 6 seasons. The versatile B.J. Upton should follow him. Last season Upton was the proud owner of a .300 average and slugged .508.

Behind them there is the resurgent Carlos Pena. Who if he hits anywhere near the way he did last year (46 homers, 121 RBI, and .411 OBP) will certainly strike fear into the opposing pitching staff. Johnny Gomes has the kind of power capable of hitting 30+ homeruns. Akinori Iwamura will be entering his second season and will hopefully build on his rookie season in which he had to overcome the changes from the Japan leagues, and adjust to the ML schedule, traveling, and culture. He still hit .285 with 7 dingers and 35 RBI primarily from the lead off spot.

The rest of the lineup should be rounded out by Rocco Baldelli (if healthy), Dioner Navarro, Jason Bartlett, and youngster Evan Longoria.

No, they are not ready to overtake the Yankees or Red Sox this year, but as of right now I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they finished third in the AL East. But my hat goes off to the Rays management. On the same day they announced their plans to open a gorgeous waterfront stadium with a retractable roof capable of holding 34,00 people, they might have given people a good reason to fill it.