Rays Close to Signing Burrell

We have known for a while that Burrell was not going to resign with the Phillies, which is weird, especially as a Mets fan, because when you think about the Phillies over the past several years, Burrell is a name that stands out as a leader on that Phillies team, and now he is moving out of the NL to the AL. This is a good move for the Rays. Burrell doesn't have to play in the field, he can take the DH spot. I am a big fan of Floyd, but he is declining, and this is a good bat to pick up and make that tough lineup even tougher. He also fulfills another function that Floyd brought to the team in Veteran leadership. It is also interesting to have him on the team because he won a World Series ring against the Rays (he probably knows a lot of the downfalls of the Rays as a team).

The only downside of this signing for the Rays is that it still doesn't fullfill the Rays biggest need. Depending on where the place Price and how Percival heals, the Rays will need a closer, and there are a few still left on the market, like Hoffman. If the Rays get a closer to hold down that pen, then the team will be set (they also have internal options for closer, like Balfor, who is as good as anyone when he is on, and he plays with a lot of passion).

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