Under the Orange Roof

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Tampa Bay Rays didn't make any splash plays immediately at the July 30 cutoff, but Steve Carney explains why he feels the front office has been ahead of the curve all year long when it comes to dealing for talent.  We also get into the weekend sweep of the Boston Red Sox that vaulted the Rays back into first place, and Steve and Red Sox Chief Base...

It's the final week of July, and the Tampa Bay Rays find themselves with the most pivotal of situations upcoming: a homestand with both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and the trade deadline approaching.  Steve Carney gets into the upcoming matchups plus goes through a number of players you have told him that you want to see the team go after before the deadline. Steve also gets into...

The Rays started the second half of their schedule in Atlanta, and Steve Carney discusses the weekend series win along with some of the possibilities that could be on the minds of the front office with the trade deadline now less than two weeks away. We also get into comments made by pitcher Rich Hill about the rules implemented during the pandemic, and how those comments could foreshadow the prob...

The Rays get a couple of days to rest and renew themselves as Major League Baseball gets ready to play the All-Star Game Tuesday in Denver.  Steve gives us some of the aspects he's most pleased with when it comes to the Rays, plus how they can improve what it has been lacking.  And while the best of the present are being celebrated, we also look toward the future of the franchise with th...

The Tampa Bay Rays finally had their road losing streak come to an end on the fourth of July, and Steve Carney discusses what he feels the team should be looking at as possible additions at the trade deadline, giving you two names in particular.  We also hear from catcher Mike Zunino on making his first All-Star team this year, and Steve explains why there is no one on the roster that is more...

The Tampa Bay Rays may have taken two out of three from the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend, but they also were able to succeed against Shohei Ohtani, who may be the most interesting player to watch in the sport.  Steve Carney tells you why he'll get consideration in both Cy Young and MVP voting, but also why he could likely be shut out of the awards.  We also get into the All-Star G...

Steve Carney begins the show by going through the brutal road trip through Chicago and Seattle, and how the team even lost the one game they won.  Hear Tyler Glasnow's full comments about what he believed help cause his elbow injury, and why Steve doesn't think the Rays won't be in a hurry to look outside the organization for pitching help. We then turn to top prospect Wander Franco, who will...

Steve Carney starts this week by congratulating the University of South Florida baseball team, who got within one step of making it to the College World Series for the first time in school history.  He then gets into what's being called a measuring stick of a series, as the Rays take the best record in baseball into the south side of Chicago to take on the White Sox, who have the second-best...

Steve Carney starts this week by wishing his alma mater the USF Bulls, good luck as they have advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time in school history.  He then gets into the changes that you'll see at Tropicana Field for this next homestand and what you could see coming back very soon to Rays games. We then welcome in former Rays first-round pick Richie Shaffer ( @rshaff8 ),...

It's been a strange week for the Tampa Bay Rays, who have dealt with the duality of incredibly good play on the field and lots of unwanted drama off of it.  Steve Carney goes into both sides of the equation and laments why even he has had to deal with the off-field issues more than the wins on-field. And Sports Radio WFAN host Danielle McCartan (@CoachMcCartan) joins Steve to talk about how t...

The Rays continue to keep winning.  Their streak is now up to 10 straight games, and Steve Carney discusses all the different ways they've been able to walk off the field victorious. Tampa Bay also had to make a difficult decision this week, trading shortstop Willy Adames to Milwaukee.  Steve explains why he feels the trade had to happen, but also remembers how much of a joy it was to co...

The Tampa Bay Rays find themselves on a four-game winning streak after sweeping the New York Mets over the weekend.  Steve Carney discusses the improving health of the club who got back pieces like Diego Castillo, Francisco Mejia, and Ji-Man Choi this week.  He also gets into Brandon Lowe's amazing disparity against left-handed pitching, and who could be on the short end of a possible ca...

The Tampa Bay Rays have finished off a stretch of playing 30 games in the last 31 days, but have continues to see more key contributors end up on the injured list.  Steve Carney discusses how the the Rays can continue to stay competitive in the American League East until the pendulum starts to swing the other way when it comes to injuries.  He also gives you his thoughts on Albert Pujols...

It's Steve Carney's birthday, and the Tampa Bay Rays have given him the gift of a great pitching matchup tonight in Anaheim between Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani.  Plus the minor league schedule gets going this week, and Steve explains why it might be longer than you think before Wander Franco makes the jump to the big leagues. And Bally Sports Sun's Doug Waechter ( @dougwaechter10 ) stops...

It was a roller coaster of a weekend for the Tampa Bay Rays, and Steve Carney discusses how the team saw two long streaks get snapped against the Toronto Blue Jays, but also got a positive glimpse of the future. Bally Sports Sun analyst Orestes Destrade also visits the show for the first time, as he and Steve talk about the feeling of fans being at the ballpark, what Joey Wendle has done to become...

It was a good weekend to be a Rays fan, as they finish a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in the Bronx beating three different pitchers in three different fashions.  Steve Carney also gives you his take on Rays ownership's address of the St. Petersburg City Council and why he's not a fan of the split-city proposal.  Then we turn to your questions as the monthly mailbag contains q...

It was a rollercoaster week for the Tampa Bay Rays, culminating with the Major League debut of pitcher Brent Honeywell after three and a half years away and four elbow surgeries.  Hear who the right-hander credits in keeping him on course in the nearly 1,300 days between games that counted.  And actor Ellen Adair (@Ellen_Adair), host of the podcast "Take Me In To The Ballgame," joins Ste...

The 2021 regular season is upon us, and Steve Carney starts by going through the Rays' first weekend in South Florida, detailing the good, the bad, and the otherwise.  He also shares his thoughts on Major League Baseball's decision to move this year's All-Star Game out of the city of Atlanta.  Finally, our friend and host of the 3 Dog Thursday podcast TJ Rives (@BucSidelineGuy) joins the...

It's the final episode of the 2021 Spring Training season, which means Steve Carney has his final Tampa Bay Rays roster projection and who he believes will be on the baseline for Opening Day on April 1 in Miami.  He also has a reminder for how you can get a free subscription to MLB.tv Premium before he is joined by WDAE's Jay Recher (@jayRecher) and Sports Talk Florida's Steve Kinsella (@Stev...

We're another week closer to the start of the regular season, and another potential injury to a big piece of the infield has thrown Steve Carney's projections into disarray.  We take a look at what Ji-Man Choi missing the start of the year could mean for the guys who would have to take his spot at first base.  Plus, the NFL has a new TV rights deal that includes a number of streaming par...

We are only a couple of weeks away from the start of the 2021 regular season, and Steve Carney discusses how the biggest obstacle players may have to deal with this year isn't the health and safety protocols, but the grind of going through a six-month, 162-game slate dealing with the protocols.  He talks with infielder Brandon Lowe about what sort of preparations he's made for going back to a...

The first full week of Grapefruit League games are in the books for the Tampa Bay Rays, and Steve Carney brings you the good, the bad, the ugly, and the otherwise from the early goings.  He also opens the mailbag for the first time, taking your questions on social media follows, the future home of the club, and the prerequisites for getting to the big leagues as a pitcher and position player.

The Grapefruit League has begun, and Steve Carney talks about what he saw from the first game of the year.  Plus he gets into what he has seen and heard from baseball's top prospect, Wander Franco, and we hear from the team's 2015 first round pick Garrett Whitley on why he feels the work on the social justice front isn't anywhere close to being done.  Steve is then joined by CBS News anc...

Pitchers and catchers have reported to Port Charlotte, and on top of getting to talk with players an manager Kevin Cash and players on a daily basis, we'll get a chance to see the first iteration of the mock Opening Day roster.  Plus Fangraphs writer and sabermetric wizard Jason Collette joins the show to talk about how he got into next-generation statistics and how he thinks the American Lea...

The Tampa Bay Rays are within a week of heading to Port Charlotte for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  This week, they re-introduced the community to a familiar face, as pitcher Chris Archer officially returned to Tampa Bay.  Steve Carney discusses the one-year deal he agreed to, plus you hear both Archer and general manager Erik Neander discuss the right-hander'...