James Phillip Howell

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Height: 6' 0", Weight: 185 lb.

Born: April 25, 1983 in Modesto, CA
High Schools: Jesuit HS (Carmichael, CA), Jesuit HS (Sacramento, CA)
Schools: University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX), University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 1st round (31st pick) of the 2004 amateur draft.
Signed July 20, 2004. (All Transactions)
Debut: June 11, 2005 (Age 22)   vs. ARI 5.0 IP, 4 H, 8 SO, 2 BB, 1 ER, W
Teams (by GP): Rays/Dodgers/DevilRays/Royals 2005-2013
2013 Contract Status: Signed thru 2013, 1 yr/$2.85M (13) (details) [*]
Service Time (01/2013): 6.007, Free Agent: 2014 [*],
    About biographical information

• 5/20 MLBTradeRumors: Eric O'Flaherty To Undergo Tommy John Surgery: Braves left-handed setup man Eric O'Flaherty visited Dr. James Andrews today, and it was determined that he will indeed undergo...
• 5/20 Baseball Analytics: Don Mattingly is nearing the end, and that's no bull: Warming up in the bullpen is the next manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Whether, or when, the reliever manager gets the call,...
• 5/20 MLBTradeRumors: Trade Market For Lefty Relievers: Having lost veterans Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty to elbow injuries, the Braves are expected to be in the hunt for a lefty...
• 5/19 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Braves 5, Dodgers 2: And That’s How You Get Swept: When the heavens opened to cause a 33-minute rain delay in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Dodgers leading 2-1 —...
• 5/19 Baseball Analytics: The Fernando Rodney Difference: It is uncommon for the Tampa Bay Rays to have a reliever to lead the team in saves for successive seasons. Rays Saves leaders...
• 5/16 Tomahawk Take: Series Preview: Dodgers at Braves, L.A. Views:   After losing the series to the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1, the Braves head back home to face the Las Angles Dodgers.  The...
• 5/14 Sports Talk Florida: Matt Moore Looks For 7th Win As Rays Open Series With Red SoxRays Matt Moore looks to become the first Rays pitcher in franchise history to open the season 7-0....
• 5/9 MLBTradeRumors: Relief Trade Candidates: The Cardinals and Red Sox are among the contenders who may be looking for relief help come July.  Others with bullpen issues...
• 5/8 Rays Colored Glasses: The Last Time the Rays’ Bullpen Was This Bad: The year was 2007 and for the first time, the Devil Rays’ rotation had two anchors it could rely on to keep the team in...
• 5/7 Lasorda's Lair: The Dodger Pitching Staff Is Not Getting The Job Done: The Dodgers have always been a team that has revolved around great pitching. From the legends of Sandy Koufax, and Don Drysdale,...
• 5/5 Feelin' Kinda Blue: Dodgers hurting and their reluctance to recall Scott Van Slyke is curious: The Dodgers are hurting -- big time. Adrian Gonzalez has been scratched the last couple games, Jerry Hairston needed stitches...
• 5/5 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: The Day After: Now What?: Yesterday, it was Hanley Ramirez landing on the disabled list with Dee Gordon coming to replace him. Now, Jerry Hairston might...
• 5/1 MLBTradeRumors: Highest Ground-Ball Rates Among 2014 Free Agents: Yesterday, Tim Dierkes took a look at the hardest-throwing pitchers in the upcoming 2014 free agent class. While we're dealing...

• 4/30 Lasorda's Lair: Skip Schumaker Relief Pitcher???: In case you weren’t around to watch last night’s Dodger game, Skip Schumaker pitched last night. No it’s true. I promise...
• 4/25 Through The Fence Baseball: Too early for predictions, unless you’re a ticked off Dodgers fan: Okay, 20 games of the 2013 MLB season have been etched in the record books, and it’s way too early to make projections or predictions....
• 4/24 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Mets 7, Dodgers 3: Now That’s a Gut Punch: This is Josh Wall. He’s about to give up a walkoff grand slam to Jordany Valdespin. As you might imagine, Wall isn’t...
• 4/22 Lasorda's Lair: Blue Ponderings During Off-Day, Billinsley, Offense, Kemp, Base Running: So the Dodger losing streak is finally over. That was a particularly nasty one. Six in a row, seven of their last eight, and swept...
• 4/9 Lasorda's Lair: San Diego Embarrasses Dodgers In Petco Opener: Dodgers 3 10 0 Padres    9 11 0 WP-Gregerson-1-0 LP-Belisario-0-1 HR-Venable-1-Uribe!-1   Games like this one make it very...
• 4/8 Rays Colored Glasses: Jeff Niemann Set for Shoulder Surgery, Puts Rays’ Pitching Success in Perspective: Injuries to our favorite sports players are a unique phenomenon that we encounter in our lives. For many things, it’s relatively...
• 4/7 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Dodgers 6, Pirates 2: I’m Really Going To Miss the Pirates: For the first four hitters of today’s sellout matinee against the Pirates, there was concern. Hyun-jin Ryu had allowed Starling...
• 4/6 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: So How Are the Dodgers Going to Make Room for Chad Billingsley?: Chad Billingsley is scheduled to make his season debut for the Dodgers on Wednesday in San Diego, since he had no problems in...
• 4/5 MLBTradeRumors: Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Dodgers: Not surprisingly, the Dodgers issued the biggest contract of the offseason and spent more than any other club. Major League...
• 4/4 Lasorda's Lair: The Dodgers Pop Out and Drop First Series of the Season: Dodgers 3 7 2 Giants 5 6 1 WP- Lincecum (1-0) LP- Beckett (0-2) S- Romo (2) HR- Sandoval (1), Pence (1) Other than Clayton Kershaw‘s...
• 4/1 Sports Out West: Dodgers place Ted Lilly, Chad Billingsley on disabled list: The Los Angeles Dodgers have trimmed down their roster to the final 25 players by placing pitchers Ted Lilly and Chad Billingsley...
• 4/1 Lasorda's Lair: Dodgers Set 2013 Opening Day Roster: The Dodgers announced their 2013 opening day roster. There was quite a few surprises. The Dodgers will be using an eight man bullpen...

• 3/28 Lasorda's Lair: Final Round Of Cuts Looms For Dodgers: The Dodgers have some decisions to make, and they are running out of time. The deadline to set 25 man rosters for the start of...
• 3/25 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: The Welcome Return of Zack Greinke: For the first time since March 1, Zack Greinke is on the mound in a Cactus League game for the Dodgers, facing off against Wade...
• 3/25 Lasorda's Lair: Dodgers Release Mark Lowe; Gregg and Moylan Remain: The Dodgers released right-hander Mark Lowe on Sunday, which means that the last two non-roster pitchers remaining in camp are...
• 3/24 Lasorda's Lair: Dodgers Manhandle Pale Hose 10-4, Puig Collects Three More Hits: White Sox  4   3  4 Dodgers    10 12 0 WP-Ryu-2-2 LP-Peavy-0-2 The Dodgers litterally manhandled the Chicago White Sox...
• 3/19 Lasorda's Lair: Dodgers Rout Oakland With One Long Puig Alert: Oakland 1 6 1 Dodgers 7 13 0 WP-Capuano-1-1 LP-Straily-1-2 HR-Puig-3-Hairston-1-Cespedes-2 The entire Dodger game this afternoon...
• 3/19 TheFantasyFix.com: Do Blown Saves Tell us anything for Fantasy Baseball?: To try and ascertain whether blown saves have a negative impact on saves and/or value, I pulled every relief season since 2009...
• 3/18 Through The Fence Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers preview: Deep pockets deliver division title: To put last season into context for the Los Angeles Dodgers, we need to consider two main areas. The first is Matt Kemp. After...
• 3/18 Lasorda's Lair: From Closer to the Minors: Can Javy Guerra Work His Way Back?: The Dodgers have far too many pitchers as of right now, so it wasn’t completely surprising that the Dodgers would have to...
• 3/16 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: A.J. Ellis Gets Featured In the New York Times (Plus Saturday Lineups): You know who will never stop being awesome and still doesn’t seem to get enough credit for it outside of Dodger circles?...
• 3/16 Rays Colored Glasses: A Look at the Rays Season Projections With Jason Collette of Baseball Prospectus: Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Jason Collette of Baseball Prospectus about the upcoming season, and to get his thoughts...
• 3/13 Feelin' Kinda Blue: Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 27 - Greinke, Crawford, Cruz, WBC, Cano: On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) talk about everything going on in Dodger spring training before...
• 3/13 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Thoughts From The Last Day Without Dodger Baseball Until April: Real life has become extremely busy over the last few days, so we’re going to lightning round this business. Lists! The...
• 3/12 Inside the Dodgers: The Dodgers’ Carl Crawford is a hitting machine.: Carl Crawford was scheduled to face three live major-league pitchers Tuesday, teammates J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen and Brandon...
• 3/7 Lasorda's Lair: Stephen Fife Picks Up Win in Fun Exhibition Game vs. Team Mexico: Dodgers 10 12 1 Mexico 2 9 2 WP- Fife (1-0) LP- Rodriguez (0-1) HR- Pena (1), Ethier (1) I always enjoy when the Dodgers play...
• 3/6 Lasorda's Lair: Greinke Scratched From Start With Flu Bug, Fife Starts Second Game Of Split Squad: According to a tweet from Eric Stephen, Birdman Zack Greinke has been scratched from his scheduled start against team Mexico due...
• 3/6 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Split Squad Dodgers Playing Against Five of Their Own Players Because Spring is the Best: A sentence we don’t get to say all that often: in the next three days, there are five Dodger games. Another unusual statement:...
• 3/4 MLBTradeRumors: Quick Hits: MLBPA, Wainwright, Dodgers: One year ago today, the Orioles' signing of Miguel Gonzalez to a minor league contract became official. The move drew little...
• 3/2 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Saturday in Peoria, Featuring Future Dodgers Franklin Gutierrez & Casper Wells: It’s a **** shame that today’s game in Peoria against the Mariners isn’t televised — it can be heard on...

• 2/27 The DoubleDay: None of Your Business: Kyle DrenonBaseball is a business.  Sometimes tough calls have to be made, but some owners are making decisions that spread...
• 2/27 Lasorda's Lair: Dodgers and Giants Tie in First Clash of 2013: Dodgers 8 10 1 Giants 8 11 0 HR- Bond (1), Pill 2 (2), Castellanos (1) The Dodgers and their reigning world champion foes met...
• 2/26 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Juan Uribe Is Just Too Good to Be True At This Point: The Dodgers are currently up on the Giants, 5-3, in the top of the fourth inning of today’s spring training game in Arizona....
• 2/26 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Ned Colletti on “Clubhouse Confidential”: Yesterday, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti sat down with Brian Kenny of MLB Network for a chat as part of “Clubhouse Confidential”....
• 2/17 MLBTradeRumors: Cafardo On Arroyo, Wang, Perez, Dodgers, Oswalt: The Rays shed about $28MM of payroll this winter between B.J. Upton, James Shields, Carlos Pena, Jeff Keppinger, J.P. Howell,...
• 2/16 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Opening Day Roster Contest: Win a Brooklyn Dodgers Hat: This morning in Arizona, the Dodgers will conduct their first full squad workout of the spring. Spring training is in full swing,...
• 2/13 Call to the Pen: The Los Angeles Dodgers Offseason: Will Big Money Mean Big Results?: The Los Angeles Dodgers had an active offseason following a cataclysmic ending to 2012. In March 2012, the Guggenheim Partners...
• 2/12 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Pitchers & Catchers Report; Life Worth Living Again: It’s been just over four months since the Dodgers last took the field, and while they managed to add Zack Greinke, Hyun-jin...
• 2/11 Lasorda's Lair: Dodger Spring Training Home Opens For Business Tomorrow: Well folks, we made it. A long, tiring, and exciting off-season is now behind us. Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow! As Camelback...
• 2/9 Lasorda's Lair: Dodgers 2013 Player Projections Part Two: As a follow up to my hitter projections, below you will find the pitcher projections.  This proved to be quite a bit more challenging,...
• 2/8 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Dodgers Add Mark Lowe to Crowded Bullpen: Per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com — and, I might add, a fellow BU Terrier — the Dodgers have signed reliever Mark Lowe...
• 2/5 Rays Colored Glasses: Brandon Webb’s Retirement Shows Just How Lucky Rays Have Been: On September, 27th, 2008, Brandon Webb made his final start of a 2008 season that saw him go 22-7 with a 3.30 ERA in 226.2 innings...
• 2/4 Baseball Press: The World Baseball Classic Effect - Pitchers: Should Atlanta be concerned with Kimbrel pitching in the WBC? (US Presswire)As the baseball world prepares for the latest iteration...
• 2/1 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Heyman: Dodgers Still Looking at Relievers & Catchers, Apparently: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports referenced the Dodgers in a pair of somewhat interesting tweets today: #bluejays still in bullpen market....

• 1/31 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Dodgers Attend Mark Lowe Throw Day; Sign Minor Leaguers You’ve Never Heard Of: This is what counts for news these days: #Dodgers, #bluejays, #angels, #tigers, #orioles, #brewers and #athletics were at Lowe,...
• 1/31 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: So Much For That Exciting January: On the final day of December, I wrote that “the Dodger offseason isn’t close to being over” and that between...
• 1/30 Lasorda's Lair: New Dodger Owners Are Keeping Their Promises To Dodger Fans: The new Dodger ownership is making good on their promises to Dodger fans. It’s a wonderful sight to see. We have come so far...
• 1/25 Lasorda's Lair: Three Sleepers That Could Make The Dodger Bullpen: The Dodger bullpen is a crowded place. The Dodgers have too many pitchers, and not all of them will make the opening day roster...
• 1/25 Lasorda's Lair: Stan Kasten Updates Dodger Fans Via Letter: If you haven’t yet read the letter written by Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten addressed to the fans, here it is in...
• 1/24 Feelin' Kinda Blue: Scott Elbert undergoes second elbow surgery, plus other Dodgers' news: Dodgers' reliever Scott Elbert on Wednesday underwent his second elbow surgery in four months. He isn't expected to begin...
• 1/24 MLB Injury News: Dodgers' Scott Elbert Undergoes Second Elbow Surgery in Four Months: Scott Elbert is no longer going to be ready for Opening Day.  At least it seems that way.  Elbert underwent surgery...
• 1/24 Lasorda's Lair: Scott Elbert Undergoes Second Elbow Surgery: The Dodgers announced today that left-handed relief pitcher Scott Elbert underwent a second elbow surgery on Wednesday. Elbert...
• 1/23 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Scott Elbert Goes Back Under the Knife: Elbow surgery on a pitcher is rarely a good sign. Having it done again, four months after it was done the first time, is generally...
• 1/22 MLBTradeRumors: Dodgers Notes: Koufax, Mattingly: The Dodgers have added to their pitching staff in a meaningful way this winter, signing Zack Greinke, Ryu Hyun-Jin, J.P. Howell...
• 1/22 Lasorda's Lair: The 2013 Dodger Bullpen is Going to Be Marvelous: The number of days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Camelback Ranch-Glendale, Arizona happens to be the...
• 1/20 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: RIP To Two Of Baseball’s Best: Saturday was a sad day in the baseball world, as Hall of Famers Earl Weaver and Stan Musial both passed away. Weaver, the former...
• 1/17 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Clayton Kershaw Is Going To Get All of the Dollars: As the Dodgers have gone on an unprecedented spending spree, there’s still the great white whale out there: the little matter...
• 1/16 Rays Colored Glasses: Ex-Ray Rafael Soriano Signs His Second Anti-Rays Contract: Congratulations to Rafael Soriano. For the second time in three years, the ex-Rays All-Star closer has signed a contract the likes...
• 1/15 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Dodgers | J.P. Howell's incentives: Los Angeles Dodgers RP J.P. Howell can make an extra $750,000 in incentives this year based on relief outings; $75,000 for 50...[+] games, $125,000 for 55 games, $150,000 for 60 games, $200,000 for 65 games and $200,000 for 70 games. He can also make an extra $300,000 based on number of innings; $50,000 for 50 innings, 55, 65 and 70 and $100,000 for 75 innings. Howell can make $700,000 based on games finished; $100,000 each for 30, 35 and 40 games and $200,000 each for 45 and 50 games finished.
• 1/15 Seedlings to Stars: Tampa Bay Rays’ Jake McGee A Cautionary Tale for Bruce Rondon, Detroit Tigers: All offseason, the Detroit Tigers have been adamant that they’re not going to sign a veteran closer like Rafael Soriano...
• 1/14 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: The Dodgers May or May Not Be Interested in Rafael Soriano, & Here’s How They Can Get Him: Buster Olney stirs the pot: Dodgers have been looking into possibility of signing Rafael Soriano, but it’s probably still...
• 1/14 MLBTradeRumors: Dodgers Have Looked Into Rafael Soriano: The Dodgers have already spent big on their bullpen this offseason, adding Brandon League on a three-year, $22.5MM deal and J.P....
• 1/13 MLBTradeRumors: Week In Review: 1/6/13 - 1/12/13: Here's the top news and stories that made headlines this past week at MLBTR... The Nationals signed Adam LaRoche to a...
• 1/12 Nolan Writin': Texas Rangers Bullpen: Tampa Bay Style: For the past couple of seasons the Texas Rangers have payed quite a bit of money in payroll to the bullpen, in return it was...
• 1/12 Rays Colored Glasses: Do the Rays Grow ‘The Beard’?: The last two offseasons, it’s been the exact same story for the Rays.  They have entered the offseason with a proven closer...
• 1/12 The Rays Today: Howell Signs With Dodgers: Posted in NewsJ.P. Howell is officially not on the Rays roster anymore, he signed a 2.85 million dollar contract with the Dodgers....
• 1/10 Feelin' Kinda Blue: Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 18 - Renovations, signings, Hall of Fame: On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (L.A. Dugout) and I talk about the Dodger Stadium renovations. We also...
• 1/9 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: David Price Named MLB 2K13 Cover, Kazmir, Howell Finalize Deals: The rewards keep coming in for David Price after his magnificent 2012 season. First the AL Cy Young, then a key to the city of...
• 1/8 MLBTradeRumors: Rizzo On Finding Middle Ground With LaRoche: Earlier today, the Nationals and first baseman Adam LaRoche reached agreement on a two-year, $24MM deal with a mutual option...
• 1/8 Rays Colored Glasses: Could Peter Moylan Be The Latest Bullpen Reclamation Project?: Even before J.P. Howell to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rays were rumored to be looking for arms in the bullpen. While there...
• 1/7 SoDo Mojo: At Bat Today: Seattle Mariners News for January 6, 2013: Not a lot has happened in Mariners-land, but around the Major League, there have been a few power plays. The Cubs signed a new...
• 1/7 StanGraphs: Free Agent Signing: The Dodgers Sign J.P. Howell, Do Something Right: I know the story sounds like a familiar one, but we swear it’s different this time. The Dodgers have signed a relief pitcher,...
• 1/7 Rays Colored Glasses: Unmatched Heart Turned J.P. Howell Into One of the Best Relievers the Rays Have Ever Seen: I remember watching the Rays on national TV in 2011 when J.P. Howell came to the mound and threw a fastball at 86 MPH. The broadcaster...
• 1/7 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: The Pregame Meal of a Major League Baseball Player: Have to give credit to pal R.J. Anderson of Baseball Prospectus & Rays blog The Process Report on this one, because earlier...
• 1/7 MLB Dirt: Baseball Notes for January 7, 2013: It’s now less than two months until pitchers and catchers report for spring training. We’ve finally gotten to the point of...
• 1/6 MLBTradeRumors: Week In Review: 12/30/12 - 1/5/13: Here's a look back at the news and stories that made headlines during the first week of 2013... Lance Berkman agreed to...
• 1/6 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: J.P. Howell Departs for Dodgers, Rays Among Best Bullpens, Chris Gimenez, Matt Joyce: It was back in June of 2006 that the Rays acquired a left-handed pitcher named J.P. Howell from the Kansas City Royals. Howell...
• 1/5 MetsToday.com: Dodgers Sign Howell and Other Updates: On random blogs and Twitter streams, it was reported that the Mets were interested in lefthanded reliever J.P. Howell. Well, scratch...
• 1/5 MLBTradeRumors: East Notes: Nationals, Yankees, Orioles, Victorino: The Nationals had their eye on left-hander J.P. Howell for quite some time but the Dodgers swooped in on him earlier today. ...
• 1/5 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Dodgers | J.P. Howell could make up to $4.05 million: Updating previous reports, Los Angeles Dodgers RP J.P. Howell can earn up to an additional $1.2 million in performance bonuses...[+] on his one-year, $2.85 million contract.
• 1/5 Call to the Pen: Dodgers Ink J.P. Howell to One-Year Deal: In a shocking development, the Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to spend money — albeit a much smaller amount in this instance...
• 1/5 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Dodgers | J.P. Howell financial details: Updating a previous report, Los Angeles Dodgers RP J.P. Howell's one-year contract is worth $2.85 million, plus performance bonuses....[+]
• 1/5 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Lance Berkman Considered A Possible Target For The Rays: A lot of outlets have looked at the Rays search for another hitter in the lineup, and one of the names that continues to be brought...
• 1/5 MLB Injury News: Los Angeles Dodgers Sign LHP J.P. Howell: The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed left-handed reliever J.P. Howell to a one-year contract worth $2.85 million, as reported...
• 1/5 District On Deck: Dodgers Sign J.P. Howell: Earlier today, news broke that free agent lefty reliever J.P. Howell signed a one-year dealwith the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal...
• 1/4 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Dodgers | J.P. Howell agrees: Updating a previous report, free-agent RP J.P. Howell (Rays) and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to terms Friday, Jan. 4. Terms...[+] of the deal were undisclosed, but the length is believed to be for one year.
• 1/4 Lasorda's Lair: Dodgers Sign Lefty J.P. Howell To One Year Deal: According to a tweet from Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers have signed left handed reliever J.P. Howell. According...
• 1/4 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Dodgers Add J.P. Howell to Bullpen: In not-at-all unexpected news: J.P. Howell is going to be the newest member of the Dodger bullpen, reports Dylan Hernandez. I...
• 1/4 Baseball News Source: Dodgers Reach Agreement with J.P. Howell: One-Year Deal $2.75 million: Howell will replace Randy Choate in the Dodgers bullpen The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached an agreement with free-agent left-hander...
• 1/4 Feelin' Kinda Blue: Reports: Dodgers to sign former Rays' LHP J.P. Howell to 1-year contract: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweeted the Dodgers a closing in on a 1-year deal with left-handed reliever J.P. Howell. "Source:...
• 1/4 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Dodgers | Nearing deal with J.P. Howell: The Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing a deal with free-agent J.P. Howell (Rays) on a one-year deal, although a contract still has...[+] not been finalized.
• 1/4 MLBTradeRumors: Dodgers To Sign J.P. Howell: The Dodgers have agreed to sign J.P. Howell to a one-year deal worth just under $3MM, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links)....
• 1/4 MLBTradeRumors: Dodgers Moving Towards Deal With J.P. Howell: The Dodgers are moving towards a one-year contract with J.P. Howell, reports Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter)....
• 1/4 MetsToday.com: Free Agents Left on Scrap Heap: Pitchers: We’ve covered position players left on the scrap heap, and now it’s time to look at pitchers still swimming around...
• 1/3 Reviewing the Brew: Brewer News: Club Signs Three New, but Minor Players: Since the Milwaukee Brewers’ acquisitions of Burke Badenhop, Tom Gorzelanny and Mike Gonzalez, Doug Melvin has pretty...
• 1/1 MLB Injury News: Rays Rumors: Tampa Bay Seeking Relievers: Tampa Bay Rays general manager Andrew Friedman has said he’s still looking for one or two relievers this winter, reports Joe...

• 12/31 MLBTradeRumors: AL East Notes: Yankees, Pimentel, Santos, Orioles: It was on this day in 1974 that the first real "free agent" signing in modern baseball history was made by (who else?) the...
• 12/31 MLBTradeRumors: AL East Notes: Pimentel, Santos, Morse, Orioles: It was on this day in 1974 that the first real "free agent" signing in modern baseball history was made by (who else?) the...
• 12/31 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Looking For Relief Pitching: The Rays are looking to add another reliever or two, Tampa Bay executive VP Andrew Friedman tells Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. ...
• 12/31 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: The Dodger Offseason Isn’t Close To Being Over: It’s been a slow week or so for the Dodgers and most every other team in baseball because of the holiday break, since so...
• 12/30 MetsToday.com: Will Mets Sign a Major League Free Agent?: While reading this story on the lowered bonds for Citi Field, one tidbit jumped out at me: the Mets are the only team this winter...
• 12/30 MLBTradeRumors: NL East Notes: Nationals, Howell, Harper, Mets: Links out of the National League East.. The Brewers' signing of pitcher Mike Gonzalez will have a direct bearing on whatever...
• 12/30 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: St. Pete Mayor Election Looms Large for Rays, Torra Signs with Nats, J.P. Howell Next?: I don’t think any Rays fan who lives in St. Petersburg wants to talk local politics right now. But come next November, they...
• 12/28 MLBTradeRumors: NL East Notes: Howell, LaRoche, Crisp, Marlins: Happy 60th birthday to former Mets third baseman Ray Knight, whose World Series MVP performance in 1986 helped lift the Amazins...
• 12/28 District On Deck: Mike Gonzalez Signs With Milwaukee: This afternoon, Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal broke the news  that lefthanded reliever and former Nat Michael Gonzalez had...
• 12/28 mlbreports.com : The Tampa Bay Rays: The Pitchers 1998-2012: Part 3 Of A 5 Part Article Series: Friday, December.30, 2012 Note from Chuck Booth:  I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into...
• 12/28 MLB Injury News: Nationals Need Lefty Relief Help, Interested in J.P. Howell: With Mike Gonzalez signing with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Washington Nationals are left to wonder where their bullpen stands....
• 12/25 MLBTradeRumors: Remaining Free Agent Strikeout Relievers: There are more than 40 unsigned free agent relievers at this stage of the offseason, but not all of those relievers are strikeout...
• 12/22 District On Deck: With Gorzelanny Gone, Where Can Nats Find Lefties?: In 2012, the Nationals’ need for left-handed relievers was filled by Tom Gorzelanny, Sean Burnett, and Michael Gonzalez,...
• 12/21 MLBTradeRumors: Olney On Saunders, Hairston, Hanrahan, Howell: In today's column, Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looks at the best second-tier and third-tier free agents remaining. ...
• 12/19 Cubbies Crib: Cubs Attempting To Court J.P. Howell: It’s starting to feel like all I ever talk about is pitching with the Cubs these days…. But I digress. J.P. Howell...
• 12/19 Phillies Nation: Phillies Eying Left-Handed Howell?: Pop quiz: Which lefty reliever would you rather have? (2012 stats listed, 2013 aged season listed) - Player A: 52 IP, 14.02 K/9...
• 12/19 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: So Long, Ely-Mania: John Ely Traded to Houston: This morning, I heard through the grapevine that the Dodgers were close to trading John Ely to an unnamed team for an unnamed...
• 12/19 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Rays Finalize Roberto Hernandez Contract, Matt Bush Finalizes Plea Deal: On the same day where the Rays concluded negotiations with a pitcher on a 2013 contract, one of their former pitchers put the...
• 12/19 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: MLB | Five teams interested in J.P. Howell: The Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers are interested in free-agent...[+] RP J.P. Howell (Rays).
• 12/19 MLBTradeRumors: At Least Five Teams Interested In J.P. Howell: The Nationals, Phillies, Cubs, Mariners and Rangers are all interested in free agent reliever J.P. Howell, reports MLB.com's...
• 12/7 District On Deck: Washington Nationals Make Dan Haren Signing Official: All of the worries surrounding the Dan Haren physical could be put away for now as the Nationals announced that he passed his...
• 12/6 District On Deck: Angels Reach Deal With Sean Burnett: MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports that left-handed pitcher Sean Burnett has reached a deal with the Angels for two years...
• 12/6 District On Deck: Do The Nationals Really Need Another Lefty In The Bullpen?: A lot of the talk going around is that the Nationals need to get another left-handed pitcher in the bullpen, maybe even trading...
• 12/5 MLBTradeRumors: NL Central Notes: Brewers, Cubs, Cardinals: Today in NL Central news, the Cardinals reached a three-year agreement with lefty reliever Randy Choate, the Pirates traded for...
• 12/5 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Nationals | Interested in J.P. Howell: The Washington Nationals are interested in signing free-agent RP J.P. Howell (Rays) as they look to add another lefty reliever....[+] Howell appears to be very interested in joining the Nats, too.
• 12/5 Baseball News Source: Sean Burnett Headed West To Angels: Angels add another piece to their restructured bullpen today Los Angeles Angels signed free-agent left-hander Sean Burnett to...
• 12/5 MLBTradeRumors: NL East Links: Pagnozzi, Haren, Howell, Phils: The NL East has been involved in multiple headlines today, with the Nationals signing Dan Haren to a one-year deal and the Marlins...
• 12/5 District On Deck: J.P. Howell, Future National?: Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that left-handed pitcher J.P. Howell has expressed interest in playing for the Nationals next...
• 12/4 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Free Agents Looking to Return, Could the Rays Acquire Yunel Escobar or Jason Kubel?: The Winter Meetings are in full swing and the rumors are non-stop. The Rays are no exception. Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Rays...
• 12/2 MLBTradeRumors: Central Notes: Reds, Chicago, Brewers, Pirates, Twins: Here are the lastest news and notes from the NL and AL Central divisions: Sources tell FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi and...

• 11/18 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: MLB | Multiple teams pursuing J.P. Howell: Free-agent RP J.P. Howell (Rays) said multiple teams have expressed interest in him this offseason but he is unsure when he will...[+] make a final decision. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim could be one of the teams pursuing him.
• 11/17 MLBTradeRumors: "Handful" Of Teams Interested In J.P Howell: Free agent left-hander J.P. Howell told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times that there are "a handful" of teams interested in...
• 11/16 Rays Colored Glasses: What’s The Cubs’ Rebuilding Strategy? Emulating the Rays: The Chicago Cubs have a long way to go before they can return to relevancy in baseball. They lost 101 games in 2012 and aren’t...
• 11/14 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Price or Rodney for Cy Young?, Jose Molina, Ticket Prices, Will Rhymes, J.P. Howell: The day has finally come. Tonight we will find out whether Rays lefty David Price will take home the 2o12 American League Cy Young...
• 11/13 MLBTradeRumors: Olney's Latest: Broxton, Guthrie, Hunter, Mariners: In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney lists some free agents who are trending upward as the market begins to...
• 11/7 Blog Red Machine: Reds and Free Agency: Bullpen Help From the Left Side?: Kind of strange having that as a headline, and I’m not referring to anyone’s political stance. Here’s where...
• 11/4 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Rays Make Qualifying Offer to B.J. Upton, Add Frank De Los Santos to 40-Man: The Rays carried out a couple of moves that will affect their 2013 season and beyond. With B.J. Upton set for free agency, the...

• 10/31 MLBTradeRumors: Offseason Outlook: Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays, one of the few teams with pitching to spare, have needs at multiple positions this coming offseason. Guaranteed...
• 10/30 Baseball News Source: Rays Exercise Option on James Shields – $10.25 million: The Rays have more decisions to make this week The Tampa Bay Rays have informed RHP James Shields they are picking up his $10.25-million...
• 10/29 El Maquino: GIANTS WIN, SAN FRAN BURNS: > About an hour after the Giants won the World Series last night, I googled, “san francisco riot” half expecting...
• 10/28 Rays Colored Glasses: Will the Rays Go After Matt Capps?: The Rays’ bullpen could be heading towards a time of transition with Joel Peralta, J.P. Howell, and Kyle Farnsworth all...
• 10/26 Rays Colored Glasses: Ticket To The Trop: Cowbell Craziness: It’s exciting, it raises the energy level in Tropicana Field, it can even bring the crowd to their feet, it’s two of the most...
• 10/17 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays 2012 Positional Review: Relief Pitcher: When Kyle Farnsworth got injured at the beginning of the season, the Rays bullpen appeared to be in a state of flux. Only J.P....
• 10/9 Rising Apple: Which Southpaw Relievers Will the Mets Target?: As the Mets continue to formulate their off-season plan of action for 2013, one of the things on Sandy Alderson’s to-do...
• 10/7 Rays Colored Glasses: Looking At The Rays’ Free Agents: The offseason is here for the Rays and it has yet to be determined which direction they will choose to go. Trades may lead to...

• 9/24 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: J.P. Howell’s Incredible Play, Rays Clubhouse, WBC: With a runner on 3rd and 2 outs in the 7th inning of Sunday’s game, J.P. Howell made an incredible game-saving play. If...
• 9/23 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 153: Hellickson, Bullpen Shuts Down Jays as Rays Win 5th Straight: The Rays are now bowing out. They’re going for it, and if they keep playing like this, nothing will stop them. Jeremy Hellickson...
• 9/23 Kings of Kauffman: Royals Starting Pitcher Debuts Through the Years: Pre-Jake Odorizzi Edition: On September 23, 1970 a scowling lefty took the mound for the Kansas City Royals to make his major league debut. After seven innings,...
• 9/21 SOX & Dawgs: Video: Jose Iglesias Hits First Career Home Run: Lost in the shi*storm that was Thursday night's loss for the Boston Red Sox was the fact that shortstop Jose Iglesias hit his...
• 9/21 SOX & Dawgs: Video: Jose Iglesias Hits First Career Home Run: Lost in the shi*storm that was Thursday night's loss for the Boston Red Sox was the fact that shortstop Jose Iglesias hit his...
• 9/16 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 146: Moore Off, Offense Gets Too Little, Too Late as Rays Lose Series to Yankees: For the second straight game, the Rays managed a late rally. And for the second straight time, they lost. Matt Moore looked great...
• 9/13 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 143: Rays Stunned By Orioles in 14-Inning Thriller to Complete Sweep: It was beautiful baseball. Maybe that is even amplified by the feeling that every Rays fan is feeling right now. Every obstacle...
• 9/12 The Baseball Haven: Recent Material, 9/12: I’ve been writing for Bleacher Report and I’ve added another site, Wahoo’s on First. These are the most recent...
• 9/7 Rays Colored Glasses: Birthday Boy Wade Davis An X-Factor for the 2012 Rays: At the end of spring training, Jeff Niemann was named the Rays’ 5th starter with Wade Davis heading to the bullpen. Since...
• 9/6 WahoosOnFirst: Why the Indians Should Sign J.P. Howell: Earlier this week, we made the case for the Cleveland Indians to sign Brandon McCarthy and Melky Cabrera in the upcoming offseason. Today...
• 9/5 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Niemann in Trouble, The Plan for Chris Archer: Jeff Niemann‘s shoulder injury that caused him to leave his last start was not supposed to have been serious. Unfortunately,...
• 9/2 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Ben Francisco Acquired, Suarez, Rhymes DFA’d, Niemann Up in the Air: The Rays have been busy the past few days, swinging a trade before the August 31st waiver trade deadline, designating two players...
• 9/1 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 133: Rays Keep Composure to Win Niemann’s Return: It’s the worst feeling in the world. You know something bad is going to happen. You wonder if you’re just a pessimist,...

• 8/31 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Start September Call-Ups With Ramos, Thompson, Brignac and Gimenez: On September 1st, major league active rosters expand to 40 players. Players will come up at different times as minor league seasons...
• 8/21 Baseball News Source: AL Recaps – Rays Move Closer to Yankees With Win over Kansas City: Kansas City 1  - Tampa Bay 5  - Jeremy Hellickson cruised through seven innings allowing one run on six hits to lead Tampa...
• 8/21 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell untouchableTampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell extended his franchise-record scoreless streak to 25 2/3 innings Monday, Aug. 20....[+] Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell extended his franchise-record scoreless streak to 25 2/3 innings Monday, Aug. 20.
• 8/20 Motor City Bengals: Playoff Contender: Tampa Bay Rays: Over the next couple weeks, I intend to take a look at some of the teams that are vying for a playoff spot along with the Detroit...
• 8/20 Rays Colored Glasses: Is J.P. Howell Back?: For two years, J.P. Howell was one of the best relievers the Rays have ever seen. Between 2008 and 2009, J.P. Howell went 13-6...
• 8/19 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 119: The Comeback: It’s hard enough for Rays fans to watch a game starting at 10 PM EST and stay awake. And after the way the game started,...
• 8/13 Baseball News Source: Fernando Rodney Shooting for Record Books in Tampa Bay: To some people, Tampa Bay’s Fernando Rodney is considered an odd bird, partially because he entertains teammates with bird...
• 8/11 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell ties franchise record: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell has thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings, tied with Fernando Rodney for the longest stretch in...[+] franchise history.
• 8/11 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Henry Wrigley Gets Award, J.P. Howell Scoreless: Henry Wrigley was named the Topps Minor League Player of the Month for July, as he batted .370 with three home runs and 18 RBIs....
• 8/9 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 111: Lobaton, Longoria Lead Rays To Sweep: The Rays offense exploded and Matt Moore continued a streak of dominant performances by the rotation as the Rays capped off their...
• 8/7 Baseball News Source: Rays – Best Pitching – Worst Hitting – Post All-Star Break: Since the All-Star break the Tampa Bay Rays have had the best pitching staff in all of Major League Baseball. At the same time,...
• 8/5 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Pitching Dominance, Hak-Ju Lee: How good has the bullpen been recently? Over the last 48 innings they pitched, the bullpen has given up only two runs and have...

• 7/21 The Rays Today: Rays Bullpen Has Been Lights Out: Posted in Alex CobbCesar RamosDesmond JenningsJ.P. HowellJeff KeppingerJose LobatonNot only has J.P. Howell been playing really...
• 7/21 The Rays Today: Cobb Hopes To Keep Things Going: Posted in Alex CobbB.J. UptonDesmond JenningsJ.P. HowellLuke ScottAlex Cobb will be taking the mound tonight against the Mariners....
• 7/21 The Rays Today: That Was A Long One: Posted in B.J. UptonBen ZobristCarlos PenaJ.P. HowellJames Shieldstonight’s game took 14 innings before Ben Zobrist was...
• 7/19 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Notes: Laughable Rumors, Competitive Balance, Incredible Stories: Rays fans and baseball fans across the country got on edge when they heard Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweet this: The #RedSox...
• 7/16 Did The Tribe Win Last Night?: Tribe Survives Series Opener, Pestano Slams Door; Indians 3, Rays 2: By Mike Brandyberry Zach McAllister worked in and out of trouble better than his counterpart Alex Cobb and the Indians were able...
• 7/16 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 90: Cobb Flounders As Rays Drop Opener to Indians: The Rays’ season in a nutshell: Alex Cobb allows a flyball to Shin-Soo Choo originally ruled a home run. B.J. Upton notices...
• 7/5 Rays Colored Glasses: Rays Reclamation Projects: Nathan Haynes: Nathan Haynes could never put it all together even after he arrived in Tampa Bay. But in a season of miracles, Haynes provided...

• 6/26 The Rays Today: Rays Start Strong But Can’t Finish: Posted in Carlos PenaEvan LongoriaJ.P. HowellKyle FarnsworthEven though Carlos Pena started the game well scoring on an error...
• 6/26 Redbird Rants: What Should We Do Now?:   A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about trading Carlos Beltran for prospects.  I would like to start off by saying...
• 6/25 Rays Colored Glasses: The Rays Closer Carousel: If it seems as though the closer position has been a carousel during the Joe Maddon era of the Rays, it would be because it has....
• 6/25 PaulLebowitz.com: The Truth About The Yankees’ Home Runs: The simple stupidity of the Yankees being criticized for relying on the home run ball speaks for itself. Are they supposed to...
• 6/24 The Rays Today: Conrad Comes Through For The Rays: Posted in J.P. HowellWade DavisBrooks Conrad is proving he was worth the pick up, he had two 2 run doubles against Cliff Lee in...
• 6/24 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 72: Rays Slam Lee, Phillies, Clinch Doubleheader Sweep: Thus far in 2012, Cliff Lee is 0-4. Unbelievable. He really hasn’t pitched that bad all season, posting a 3.48 REA and 3.13...
• 6/23 Rays Colored Glasses: Game 70: Keppinger Clutch in Return, But Comeback Comes Up Short as Rays Fall to Phillies: When players return from the DL, you don’t know what you’re going to get. Sometimes they’re still not 100% and...
• 6/19 Rays Colored Glasses: What Has Happened to J.P. Howell?: It really was not that long ago. We remember it clearly. J.P. Howell wasn’t … [visit site to read more]What Has Happened...
• 6/14 The Rays Today: Mets Sweep The Rays: Posted in UncategorizedThe Mets got the sweep in this afternoons game, even though the rays were able to load the bases in the...
• 6/14 The Rays Today: The Rays Lose Second Game In A Row By At Least 8 Runs: Posted in UncategorizedTonight’s game was game #62 meaning there is 100 games left in the season, and the rays have slipped...
• 6/12 MetsToday.com: Series Preview: Mets vs. Rays: The Mets continue their journey through the gauntlet that is their June schedule with a 3-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays...

• 5/30 The Rays Today: Sam Fuld Warms Up Against The Brewers: Posted in Uncategorized  Last year in an interleague game against the Brewers outfielder Sam Fuld took the mound for a few...
• 5/25 MLBTradeRumors: 2013 Contract Issues: Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series: Eligible For Free Agency (6) Carlos Pena - Pena isn't hitting...
• 5/22 James Smyth Broadcast: All-Time Bluefield Team - Jim Johnson: When our next entry on the All-Time Bluefield-to-the-Bigs Team is the fourth or fifth-best guy in the bullpen, you know you have...
• 5/10 The Captain's Blog: Are the Rays for Real? Shedding Light on Tampa’s Hot Start: The Tampa Rays will take the field tonight at Yankee Stadium tied for the best record in baseball, but they aren’t winning the...

• 4/15 FanSided: Luck Check: Do the Rays Have a Serious Bullpen Problem?: Thus far this season, the Rays a 4-4. What would there record be if it weren't for the ineffectiveness and almost ineptitude of...
• 4/6 Baseball Press: Under the Radar - Mixed Leagues: Will Joel Peralta get the first crack at saves for the Rays? (US Presswire)Each week, Baseball Press will be providing some...
• 4/5 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Claim John Gaub: The Rays have claimed left-hander John Gaub off of waivers, the Cubs announced. The Cubs also announced that they placed right-hander...

• 3/22 Roto Think Tank: 2012 CBS A.L.-Only Results: Relievers: Tonight marks the final post in my position-by-position analysis of last month's CBS Analyst A.L.-only auction. As I've done in...
• 3/6 MLBTradeRumors: AL East Notes: Rays, Howell, Yankees, Hendry: Here's a look at some items out of the AL East.. The Rays believe that J.P. Howell is worth their investment after an up-and-down...

• 2/21 WasWatching: Best Years By Closers In Their Final Season: It’s an interesting list - Rk Player WAR GF SV Year Age Tm G IP ERA ERA+ 1 Jeff Zimmerman 3.4 53 28 2001 28 TEX 66 71.1...

• 1/22 MLBTradeRumors: MLBTR Originals: There was no shortage of news this week but MLBTR also delivered a great deal of original content and reporting.. The Nationals...
• 1/17 Rays Colored Glasses: Arbitration Deadline Passes; Deals for Upton, Price, and Badenhop: The deadline to sign arbitration eligible players before heading to arbitration hearings passed at 1 PM today. The Rays had five...
• 1/17 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell signs: Updating a previous report, the Tampa Bay Rays avoided arbitration with RP J.P. Howell by signing him to a one-year, $1.35 million...[+] deal.
• 1/16 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | Close to deal with J.P. HowellThe Tampa Bay Rays are close to signing RP J.P. Howell to a one-year deal worth $1.35 million to avoid salary arbitration....[+] The Tampa Bay Rays are close to signing RP J.P. Howell to a one-year deal worth $1.35 million to avoid salary arbitration.
• 1/2 Rays Colored Glasses: Please Tell Me J.P. Howell Isn’t Really as Bad as He Was in 2011: It’s hard to find any player in the big leagues who performed worse than Rays lefty reliever J.P. Howell in as many games....

• 12/12 Baseball Musings: Players A to Z, J.P. Howell: J.P. Howell pitches in relief for the Tampa Bay Rays. Howell returned from shoulder surgery that forced him to miss all of the...

• 11/14 Brotherly Glove: Farewell, Sweet Patrick: Nothing is set in stone, but it seems likely that Pat Burrell has played his final major league game. The right foot ailment that...

• 10/19 MLBTradeRumors: Offseason Outlook: Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays will work within their budget in an attempt to boost their offense, but they don’t intend to sacrifice run prevention...
• 10/3 My Pinstripes: Baseball Digest | For Napoli, The Price Was Right: The pitcher is tall and lean, fluid and precise; a baseball magazine cover boy. The batter is average looking, the guy next door...
• 10/3 Baseball Musings: Napoli Knocks: Mike Napoli breaks up David Price‘s shutout in the top of the seventh as he follows an Adrian Beltre single with a home...

• 9/30 Neurotic Sports Fan: ALDS Preview: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers: In past years, the Wild Card races has been boring: the Yanks win their respective divisions and the Sawx win the Wild Card, many...
• 9/21 B-R Blog: Rays fall again in the day game (Wednesday, 9/21/11): Yankees 4, Rays 2: We knew it wouldn't be easy for Tampa to catch Boston while playing 7 of their last 10 games against the Yankees....
• 9/14 The Golden Sombrero: Changeups and **** A Southpaw’s Perspective for 9/14/11: -  Congrats to Tim Wakefield on his 200th win.  Dude is 45 (2nd oldest pitcher to ever record 200 wins btw) and throws a flippin’...
• 9/14 B-R Blog: Recapping Tuesday 9/13/11: No margin for error: On a night when both wild-card leaders won, each pursuer blew a lead in the bottom of the 7th with an ace on the hill and 2 outs...

• 8/30 MLBTradeRumors: Arbitration Eligibles: Tampa Bay Rays: We've covered the Orioles, Red Sox, and Yankees; now it's time to look at Rays players who will be arbitration eligible after...
• 8/18 PaulLebowitz.com: MLB Draft Dollars And The Strategy Of Spending: Why do I get the feeling that with all the talk about clubs spending, spending and spending some more in the MLB Draft, that 2011...
• 8/17 MLBTradeRumors: Yankees, Phillies Seek Veteran Lefty Relievers: The Phillies and Yankees are searching for veteran left-handed relievers, reported ESPN's Jayson Stark yesterday.  Let's take...
• 8/12 YankeeAnalysts.com: Series Preview | Yankees vs. Rays IV: Beating Shields: The Rays come back to Yankee Stadium for a three-gamer this weekend, and while a set against the Rays is always fun, this one...
• 8/7 Rays Colored Glasses: Longoria Ties it Late but Rays Lose in Extras to the A’s: David Price, was quite literally, always in trouble today. In all five innings that he started, the leadoff man reached. He was...
• 8/7 T Van Poppel RC Ret Plan: Live Blogging: A’s @ Rays Game 114: 3:34PM EDT: Wild pitch and DeJesus scores (looked a bit more like a passed ball mind you on Shoppach)! A’s lead 4-3. 3:30PM...

• 7/29 PaulLebowitz.com: Politics And Baseball: Watching this burgeoning disaster/insurrection of the Republican Party in the battle over the debt ceiling and I think back to...
• 7/29 MLBTradeRumors: AL East Notes: Yankees, Niemann, Howell: Every American League East team except the Orioles has a winning record. We've already checked in on the Red Sox and Blue Jays tonight,...
• 7/27 MLBTradeRumors: Trade Reaction: Rasmus, Jackson, White Sox: On the off-chance you missed it, the Blue Jays, Cardinals and White Sox announced a pair of major trades today. The Blue Jays...
• 7/23 Royally Speaking: Highest single season SO/9 rates by left-handed starters in Royals history: Play index doesn't differentiate between starting and relief appearances so I set the criteria to players who started in 60% of...

• 6/29 The Process Report: Daily Process: Johnny Damon Has More Hits Than Ted Williams: James Shields failed to record a complete game for the first time in a while, and only went seven innings. He struck out 10, walked...
• 6/26 Rays Colored Glasses: Longoria, Upton Powers Rays Past Astros 14-10: June 26, 2011 A: Houston Astros Attendance: 23,965   Rays (44-34) 3 0 1 1 0 2 0 4 3 14 19 1 Astros (28-51) 1 2 2 2 0 0 1...
• 6/25 The Process Report: Regarding Selling: Buster Olney has a new blog up on ESPN, and within notes the Rays have “sent signals” suggesting they are open to trades....
• 6/24 The Process Report: Francisco Rodriguez Open To Rays Trade: With the New York Mets nearly 10 games out of first place, it should not surprise anyone if they start selling off assets. Aside...
• 6/12 The Process Report: Daily Process: Rays Offense Outlasts Orioles in 9-6 Win: The Rays and Orioles picked up their seesaw battle on Sunday after a back and forth extra-inning affair on Saturday. The Rays...
• 6/12 Yanks Go Yard: Rays Avoid Rain, Beat O’s 9-6: June 12, 2011 A: Baltimore Orioles Attendance: 22,032 Rays (35-30) 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 9 14 1 Orioles (30-33) 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0...
• 6/12 The Process Report: Daily Process: Zobrist & Kotchman Lead Attack In Rays 7-5 Win: The Rays and Orioles traded blows in the latter stages of Saturday’s game before Tampa Bay landed the knockout punch(es) in...
• 6/10 The Process Report: Kyle Farnsworth Improving With Age: Kyle Farnsworth looks like a closer. Standing a solid 6-foot-4, the right-handed reliever routinely hits the mid-90s with his...
• 6/6 MLB Dirt: Boxscore: Game 59: Not only does today mark one of the biggest blogging days of the year for me… it’s also an insane work day. I’ll...
• 6/5 Yanks Go Yard: Rays’ Bullpen Melts Down Against the M’s: June 5, 2011 A: Seattle Mariners Attendance: 28,947 Rays (30-29) 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 6 12 0 Mariners (31-28) 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 4 X 9...

• 5/31 The Process Report: Daily Process: Joyce & Longoria Go Yard; Cobb, Peralta, Farnsworth Pitch In: On James Shields Day, Alex Cobb showed a Shields-like process in just his second major league start. The final line (6.1 IP,...
• 5/25 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Claim Jay Buente; Designate Rob Delaney: The Rays claimed righty Jay Buente off waivers from the Marlins and created a 40-man roster spot by designating pitcher Rob Delaney...
• 5/23 MLBTradeRumors: Contenders And Lefty Relievers: Athletics lefty reliever Jerry Blevins has been designated for assignment and is presumably available, leaving me to wonder which...
• 5/21 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell has successful return: In his first game of the year, Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) tossed one scoreless inning and recorded one strikeout...[+] Friday, May 20, against the Tampa Bay Rays. The appearance came one year and one day after he underwent shoulder surgery that kept him sidelined for the entire 2010 season.
• 5/20 Roto Think Tank: Gearing Up: A.L. Week 8, May 23-29: Rising UpDanny Duffy (6% owned last week; 27% this week)I wrote about Duffy a mere two weeks ago in this space. While I...
• 5/20 The Process Report: J.P. Howell Returns, Dan Johnson Exits: The best news of the day is that J.P. Howell is indeed back and that Rob Delaney was demoted for him. The big news from Durham...
• 5/20 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Designate Dan Johnson For Assignment: The Rays have designated Dan Johnson for assignment according to a team press release. Rob Delaney was also optioned to Triple-A,...
• 5/20 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell activated from DLThe Tampa Bay Rays have activated RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) from the 15-day disabled list....[+] The Tampa Bay Rays have activated RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) from the 15-day disabled list.
• 5/20 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell expected to be setup man: Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon expects to use RP J.P. Howell in the setup role in front of RP Kyle Farnsworth. RP Joel Peralta...[+] was setting up in the eighth previously. Peralta will still likely be used against right-handed hitters in the eighth. RP Robert Delaney will be optioned to make room for Howell on the roster Friday, May 20.
• 5/20 The Process Report: Abraham: Rays Attempted to Acquire Franklin Morales: After tonight’s game ended, the Red Sox acquired Rockies reliever Franklin Morales. According to the Boston Globe’s Peter...
• 5/19 The Process Report: The Return of J.P. Howell: Two very important things stand to happen in tomorrow night’s Rays-Marlins game. 1) Besides the obvious—it’s J.P. Howell,...
• 5/17 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell makes final rehab outing: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out two in 1 1/3 innings with Triple-A...[+] Durham Tuesday, May 17, in his final rehab outing. He is expected to rejoin the team Friday, May 20.
• 5/16 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell expected to return Friday: Updating a previous report, Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is expected to re-join the team Friday, May 20, after his...[+] minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham.
• 5/16 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell delayed: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell's (shoulder) last rehab outing with Triple-A Durham has been pushed back to Tuesday, May 17, due...[+] to a rainout. Howell can return to the team Friday, May 20.
• 5/14 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell might return Thursday: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) might be activated from the 15-day disabled list Thursday, May 19. He is on a minor league...[+] rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham.
• 5/13 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell to pitch Monday: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder), who allowed four unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning with Triple-A Durham Thursday,...[+] May 12, will make one more rehab appearance with Durham Monday, May 16.
• 5/13 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell nearing returnTampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is slated to return Thursday, May 19....[+] Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is slated to return Thursday, May 19.
• 5/11 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell makes rehab appearance: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) gave up no runs and one hit while walking one and striking out two in one inning with...[+] Triple-A Durham Wednesday, May 11. He will pitch again Thursday, May 12. He has given up no runs and seven hits while walking two and striking out 13 in 7 2/3 innings in his rehab assignment. He will make one more outing Sunday, May 15, and could then return to the team.
• 5/11 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell getting closer: Updating previous reports, Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) will throw consecutive bullpen sessions later this week, which...[+] manager Joe Maddon says is a sign he's close to returning.
• 5/3 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell moving to Class AAA: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder), who didn't allow a run on five hits while striking out nine in 4 2/3 innings with Single-A...[+] Charlotte, will make his next rehab outing with Triple-A Durham Thursday, May 5. He will make five appearances and could be back by May 16.
• 5/2 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell makes rehab appearance: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) allowed one hit in a scoreless inning Sunday, May 1, in a minor league rehab appearance...[+] for Class A Charlotte. He might be able to re-join the team in mid-May.

• 4/30 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell set for rehab appearance: Updating a previous report, Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is scheduled to join Triple-A Durham for a rehab appearance...[+] Sunday, May 1.
• 4/29 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell continues to progress: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) pitched a smooth inning in his third rehab appearance Thursday, April 28. He’s expected...[+] to make seven more appearances and hopes to return by the middle of May.
• 4/27 MLBTradeRumors: 2013 Free Agent Class Analysis: Our 2013 MLB Free Agent list has just been posted.  Since that post will be a permanent addition to the sidebar, comments on...
• 4/25 MLBTradeRumors: 2012 Contract Issues: Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series.  Here's what the team faces after the 2011 season: Eligible For Free...
• 4/20 COSFBA: Fantasy Baseball News and Notes from April 19th, 2011: Here are some fantasy baseball tidbits I picked up from games played on April 19th, 2011: DH Adam Dunn, CHW has two hits in...
• 4/20 B-R Blog: Mailbag: Pitchers whose first PA of a game came before their first pitch: B-R reader Blake had an interesting question this morning: "You folks are great at acquiring information like this, so I would...
• 4/13 The Process Report: The Future Process: Alex Torres and Alex Cobb: While Matt Moore and Chris Archer continue to climb the minor league ladder, the Durham combination of Alex Torres and Alex Cobb...

• 3/28 The Process Report: The Other Members of Montgomery’s Stacked Rotation: About a week and a half ago, I wrote about Matthew Moore and Chris Archer. The pair have since been moved to Double-A Montgomery...
• 3/26 The Process Report: Rays Nearly Settled on Final 25: We’ve covered every man and every battle in camp at some point or another so I’ll spare repeating the same things...
• 3/25 The Process Report: Getting to Know Cesar Ramos: Steve Slowinski had a nice graphic on the cosmetics of the probable Opening Day bullpen. Cesar Ramos is included and after a moment...
• 3/23 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell targeting May 1 for earliest return: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is targeting May 1 for his return, although The Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney reports...[+] Howell is aware it might be later than that. 'Now there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see it,' he said. 'I'm not stupid about it. I'm not going to rush. I would have before. A year ago I would have rushed it. But I've learned one month, if I don't give it that, it could cost me seven months and the pennant race. I want to be there when we win it all.'
• 3/9 The Process Report: The Opening Day Bullpen is Mostly Settled: If we assume Jake McGee will have a bullpen spot when the season opens, then the only question remaining is which right-hander...

• 2/25 MLBTradeRumors: Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays are next in our Offseason In Review series. Major League Signings Johnny Damon, LF/DH: one year, $5.25MM. Kyle...
• 2/17 The Process Report: Bautista and McGee: Jose Bautista signs an extension I’ve been a fan of Alex Anthopoulos’ doings in Toronto, but this one confuses me a bit. Bautista...
• 2/17 YankeeAnalysts.com: A look at the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays: Earlier this week, Larry wrote a great piece contemplating the strengths and weaknesses of the 2011 Oriole squad. Today, I’d...
• 2/16 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell won't pitch this spring: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is not expected to pitch in games this spring, according to The Tampa Tribune's Roger...[+] Mooney. 'I feel like I can go, but they say, 'Calm down, we got to build it, build it, build it,’' Howell said. 'I feel if they want to rush me they could. But they're saying early May is what we're shooting for, so this is kind of like Jan. 3 to me.' He will still throw bullpens every Monday and Friday with long toss sessions Wednesday.
• 2/16 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell not expected to pitch in exhibition games: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is not expected to pitching in any spring training exhibition games and likely will make...[+] a series of minor league rehab appearances in April, reports Mark Topkin, of the St. Petersburg Times.
• 2/11 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell won't return until at least May: Updating previous reports, Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) isn't expected to return until May or June from surgery on...[+] his left shoulder, MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports. Howell figures to join the mix in the team's potential closer-by-committee approach during the season.
• 2/7 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell could see save opportunities when healthy: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) could be used in save situations if he is able to make a successful return from shoulder...[+] surgery, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain.

• 1/31 Mets360.com: An interview with Mets LHP Taylor Tankersley: One of my freelance jobs is working as the official scorer for the Copperheads in the Coastal Plain League, a summer collegiate...
• 1/28 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Claim Rob Delaney: The Rays claimed minor league right-hander Rob Delaney off of waivers from the Twins, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the...
• 1/20 The Process Report: The Bullpen Steps: Writing too much about bullpens can be a fruitless, yet irresistible act. The volatility and liquidity lead to a state of mystery,...
• 1/19 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Look To Add Relief, Confident They'll Find Bat: Andrew Friedman told ESPN 1040 in Tampa Bay that he's 'confident' the team will find someone who will help them score before the...
• 1/15 NY Baseball Digest: Don’t Fear the 31st Pick: Upset about losing a draft pick for Rafael Soriano? Tyler Kepner of the New York Time has this message for you: .bbpBox26062294156836864...
• 1/14 The Sporting Hippeaux: Fantastic Thoughts: Rafael Soriano The Latest Premier Reliever To Settle For "Holds": Rafael Soriano disappointed his fantasy owners yesterday when he signed the largest set-up man contract in the history of the...
• 1/13 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell adds muscle: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell has added 20 to 25 pounds of muscle during the offseason, according to the St. Petersburg Times'...[+] Marc Topkin.
• 1/13 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell's rotator cuff fine: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) said his rotator cuff did not need to be operated on when he underwent surgery to fix...[+] his labrum last year, according to The Tampa Tribune's Tony Fabrizio. 'They thought it was labrum and rotator cuff, and if you have both, the odds of coming back really drop,' Howell said. 'So it was exciting news to hear that my cuff was clean and it was just the labrum. When it's one thing, you can really hammer it.' Howell is participating in rehab three days a week, throwing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He has also gained some weight and is up from 190 pounds to 195.
• 1/12 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell making progress: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is making good progress from shoulder surgery and is expected to be allowed to have a...[+] decreased workload during Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Bailey Stephens. Howell thinks he could be ready in late April. 'They want me to go down (to the Minors) and get my feet on the ground, I'm sure,' Howell said. 'If it was up to me, I'd be with them out of the gates. I feel like I can, but they've done this rodeo before and I haven't, so they're kind of holding my hand along the way. If it was up to me, obviously I'd be there Opening Day. Me being healthy and pushy, I think late April; if they get their way, mid-May.' He said he can get up to 90 percent during his throwing sessions.
• 1/12 MLBTradeRumors: Rays To Sign Kyle Farnsworth: The Rays have agreed to sign Kyle Farnsworth to a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The...
• 1/12 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | Six working out: Tampa Bay Rays SP David Price, SP James Shields, C John Jaso, RP J.P. Howell, P Andy Sonnanstine and OF Matt Joyce are working...[+] out at Rays prospect mini-camp Wednesday, Jan. 12, the St. Petersburg Times' Marc Topkin reports.
• 1/3 The Process Report: Adam Russell And Joel Peralta Observations: 1) Each of Adam Russell’s offerings included whiff rates above 11%. His mid-90s heater generated more empty swings than Grant...

• 12/30 The Process Report: Report: Rays Hold Interest in Brian Fuentes: Source Again, no surprise that the Rays are after a potentially useful reliever. Even less so with Brian Fuentes, as the Rays...
• 12/26 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Notes: Bullpen, First Base, DH: The Rays find themselves in a difficult position as the 2011 season approaches. Forced to cut payroll, they've lost Carlos Pena,...
• 12/22 MLBTradeRumors: Offseason Spending Details By Team: MLB teams have made over $1.2 billion in salary commitments so far this offseason, according to data compiled by MLBTR. The seven...
• 12/19 MLBTradeRumors: Week In Review: 12/12/10 - 12/19/10: It's been a busy seven days since last Sunday. Let's look back at the top stories from last week: Doubters of a Cliff Lee...
• 12/18 NY Baseball Digest: The Insane Market For Relievers: The biggest surprise of the offseason has been the amount of A level spending on B and C level talent. Put aside the contracts...
• 12/16 MLBTradeRumors: Rays To Sign Joel Peralta: The Rays have agred to sign Joel Peralta for about $900K, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The Nationals non-tendered...
• 12/14 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell to miss at least a month: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is expected to miss at least the first month of next season and maybe longer, according...[+] to The Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney.
• 12/13 The Process Report: Tampa Bay Rays Re-Sign J.P. Howell: The J.P. Howell trade is one of Andrew Friedman’s finest. Howell flushed out as a starting pitcher (although I’m not sure...
• 12/13 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Re-Sign J.P. Howell: At least one of the Rays' free agent relievers is returning to Tampa Bay. The team re-signed left-hander J.P. Howell, according...
• 12/13 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell re-signs: The Tampa Bay Rays re-signed RP J.P. Howell to a one-year deal Monday, Dec. 13, according to the St. Petersburg Times' Marc Topkin....[+] Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
• 12/13 Fonzie Forever: Interesting 2011 Non-Tenders, Part 3: This is going to be the bullpen edition of my non-tender series, as it appears all the players I have left to profile are (coincidentally...
• 12/6 MLBTradeRumors: Rays Rumors: Howell, Johnson, Bartlett: The latest on the Rays, who are looking to re-build their bullpen and acquire a hitter or two: The Rays have progressed toward...
• 12/3 MLBTradeRumors: Interesting Non-Tenders: By our unofficial count, 50 players were non-tendered yesterday.  You can sort the decisions by team in our non-tender tracker. ...
• 12/3 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | Four non-tendered: The Tampa Bay Rays non-tendered RP J.P. Howell, RP Lance Cormier, 1B Willy Aybar and C Dioner Navarro Thursday, Dec. 2, making...[+] them free agents, according to The Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney. The team is optimistic that they will re-sign Howell.
• 12/1 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell won't be ready for start of season: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) will not be ready for the start of the 2011 season, according to the St. Petersburg Times'...[+] Marc Topkin. 'I don't know right now,' executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. 'He's been incredibly diligent in the rehab process, he is as motivated as he can be to get back, and I think all of us have learned not bet against him, but it's going to be difficult. It's going to be something that's hard to predict until he gets back on the mound and starts throwing pitches. I would definitely anticipate him missing some time, but I think it's hard to say whether that's coming back in May or July.'

• 11/30 The Process Report: Potential LOOGY: Tim Byrdak: Tim Byrdak turned 37 on Halloween. He’s short (5’11”) and doesn’t throw hard (career average: 89.7 MPH) while depending...
• 11/26 The Process Report: The Rays and Proven Closers: After a few days off, I planned on writing a piece countering all the talk about the Rays needing an experienced closer. Joe Posnanski...

• 8/30 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell moved to 60-day DLThe Tampa Bay Rays have moved RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list, according to CBSSports.com. ...[+] The Tampa Bay Rays have moved RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list, according to CBSSports.com.
• 8/25 MLBTradeRumors: The Closer Carousel: Last offseason, relievers Matt Capps, Octavio Dotel, Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Fernando Rodney, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde,...
• 8/25 MLBTradeRumors: Arbitration Eligibles: Tampa Bay Rays: A look at the Rays players who will be arbitration-eligible after the season... First time: Dan Johnson, Andy Sonnanstine...

• 7/19 MLBTradeRumors: The 2011 Rays And Carl Crawford: The Rays are willing to spend this season, but they're lowering payroll under $60MM for 2011. The upcoming payroll drop means...
• 7/15 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell optimistic for next season: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) said he is optimistic that he will be ready for the start of the 2011 season after undergoing...[+] shoulder surgery in mid May, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain. 'I'm planning on April 1,' Howell said. 'But, I mean, I planned to come back this year, so I'll just say when it's ready to go. There's no date set, but I'm hoping to be ready by Day 1.'

• 6/1 MLBTradeRumors: The Rays' Biggest Needs: The trade deadline is two months away, and it's time to start looking at the needs of contenders.  With the best record in baseball,...

• 5/20 MLBTradeRumors: Stark On Hanley, Royals, Astros, Rays, Pedro: Teams called about Hanley Ramirez after this week's drama, but the Marlins informed them that they have no interest in dealing...
• 5/19 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell undergoes surgery: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) underwent surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday, May 19, and the team is optimistic...[+] that Howell will be ready for the start of the 2011 season, according to The Associated Press.
• 5/19 MLBTradeRumors: Odds & Ends: Chat, Draft, Hanley: Links for Wednesday, as baseball's two best teams get ready to battle at Yankee Stadium... Chat today, 2pm CST. The first-year...
• 5/19 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell to undergo surgery: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his shoulder and will undergo season-ending surgery...[+] within the next few days, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
• 5/18 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell could miss rest of year: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is scheduled to visit with Dr. James Andrews Tuesday, May 18, and could miss the rest...[+] of the 2010 season if he is forced to undergo surgery, according to The Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney.
• 5/17 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell suffers setback: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) cut his simulated game short Monday, May 17, after throwing just 12 pitches, according...[+] to The Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney. 'He threw some pitches that looked kind of normal to me, and then all of a sudden he did not want to throw anymore,' manager Joe Maddon said. 'I asked him if he felt pain, and he had a hard time describing that to me, and I didn't want to press him on that.'
• 5/15 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell to throw simulated game Tuesday: Updating previous reports, Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) will throw his simulated game Tuesday, May 18, according to...[+] The Associated Press.
• 5/14 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell throws Friday: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) threw live batting practice for the first time Friday, May 14, but not at full speed,...[+] according to The Tampa Tribune's Tony Fabrizio. The next step for Howell is to throw a simulated game.
• 5/13 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell looking good: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) has been looking good during his rehab and is scheduled to throw batting practice Friday,...[+] May 14, according to the St. Petersburg Times' Marc Topkin.
• 5/13 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell update: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) will throw batting practice Friday, May 14, the Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney reports....[+] If that goes well, he'll throw a simulated game Tuesday, May 18.
• 5/5 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell throws Monday: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Monday, May 3, according to the St. Petersburg Times'...[+] Marc Topkin.
• 5/3 MLBTradeRumors: 2011 Contract Issues: Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays face two contractual options after the season: Reliever Dan Wheeler has a $4MM club option with a $1MM buyout. ...

• 4/28 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell to throw Friday: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) plans to throw 35-40 pitches Friday, April 30, and is targeting a return in about a month,...[+] according to The Associated Press.
• 4/28 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell to throw Wednesday: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is scheduled to make 25 to 30 'nice and easy' throws off a mound Wednesday, April 28,...[+] according to The Associated Press.
• 4/26 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell throws Sunday: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) threw at 60 feet on flat ground Sunday, April 25, according to The Associated Press....[+] He is expected to be out until mid to late May.
• 4/24 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Rays | J.P. Howell to throw off mound next week: Tampa Bay Rays RP J.P. Howell (shoulder) is scheduled to throw off a mound early next week, according to The Associated Press....[+] However, he is still expected to be out until mid to late May.