Want a sleeper in the Roy Halladay chase? How bout the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are 52-43, third in the AL East, but their run differential suggests they are much better than that. They Rays are +79, that’s four runs better than the second place Red Sox and ten runs better than the first place Yankees. The Rays are right in the race and could look to add pieces at the deadline.

The Rays opened this season with a payroll of just over $63 Million, up $20 million from 2009. It’s hard to say for sure if Andrew Friedman will be allowed to add payroll but my guess is that he could. The Rays are shedding a lot of salary in 2010, Percival, Bradford and Iwamura’s contracts all expire (assuming they are replaced by cheaper players in should clear about 11 million in salary next year.)  The Rays are one of the few teams that can afford to part with some of their elite level talent.

The Rays have two legitimate blue chippers in their farm system in Tim Beckham and Wade Davis. Davis, 23, is a power pitching right hander who projects as a front of the line starter. At AAA Davis has 3.22 ERA and 103 K’s (in 114 innings.) He’s only walked 47 and sports a 1.29 WHIP. Beckham was the number one overall pick just a year ago. He has all the tools to be an All-Star shortstop but at 19 might not be ready till 2011 at the earliest.

The talent doesn’t stop there. Desmond Jennings, a 23 year old center-fielder, is crushing at AA right now. He sports an impressive .326/.409/.509 line, with 36 steals. Reid Brignac is a 23 year old shortstop with impressive defensive skills and power. He’s currently at AAA hitting .287/.343/.458. Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson, Nick Barnese, Jake McGee and Kyle Lobstein are all very solid pitching prospects.

What’s more impressive is how young the Rays roster is in general. All of these players were under 25 as of Opening Day 2009.

David Price, LHP
B.J. Upton, CF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Scott Kazmir, LHP
Matt Garza, RHP
Dioner Navarro, C
Matt Joyce, LF

When you add it all up it’s seems curious that no one is linking the Rays to any of the marquee players that could be available in trades. What other teams could sacrifice marquee prospects without totally gutting their minor league system?

What if the Rays added Roy Halladay to a rotation already consisting of Shileds, Kazmir and Garza. Niemanan and/or Price could shift to the bullpenn, killing two birds with one stone. If the Rays offered Davis, Brignac and two of the Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson, Nick Barnese, Jake McGee and Kyle Lobstein group don’t the Jays have to take that offer?

Even scarier is the Rays potential to make Cleavland a “godfather offer.” What if the Rays could trade for both Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee. What if the Rays offered David Price, Tim Beckham and other lesser prospects for the pair. Wouldn’t the Indians have to consider it? And while losing elite prospects might be a tough sell for the Rays wouldn’t the Lee/V-Mart combo (under control for next year as well, plus compensation picks if they leave as free agents) put them over the top for this year and next?

The possibilities are endless just don’t expect Tampa to go away quietly into the night. They were not a one year flash in the pan and as a Yankee fan the scare the hell out of me.