January 17, 2005
Finding a Home
Roberto Alomar has reached an agreement with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, contingent on passing a physical. Alomar should be an improvement over Rey Sanchez. His back, however, wasn't in good shape over the winter. If Alomar has anything left, the Rays could have a very good offensive middle infield, especially if B.J. Upton lives up to his minor league numbers.
Isn't Lugo the starting SS?
Signing with the Rays is pretty much an admission that this is Alomar's last chance. He has apparently decided to chase 3,000 hits at the expense of sacrificing his lifetime .300 batting average. 3,000 hits is now 3 years' work at his current established performance level, so he needs a bounce back to have a realistic shot.
Alomar has been washed up for quite some time now, with or w/o injuries. If they get 140 games and a .750ops out of him I'd be amazed...
