Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times has the latest on the Rays' offseason plans. The highlights:
- The Rays are said to be interested in discussing a long-term extension with Carl Crawford. If the team does decide to move him, however, the Mets and Braves have expressed interest.
- The Rangers and White Sox are among the teams interested in acquiring B.J. Upton.
- Executive VP Andrew Friedman on his team's offseason targets: "We have a list of guys on other teams we have an interest in, and a list of free agents as well. And depending on how the market evolves on both fronts, it will go a long way toward shaping our thought process…. We feel like there are a lot of talented names out there."
- Smith notes that the Rays have a history of signing relievers who are coming off injuries or down years. He mentions Kevin Gregg and J.J. Putz as a couple of possibilities in that realm.
- The club could be open to bringing back Gregg Zaun and giving last season's catching platoon of Zaun and Dioner Navarro another try.