Friedman on the news of the day

Posted Feb 9, 2009 by Marc Lancaster

Updated Feb 9, 2009 at 09:31 PM

Andrew Friedman addressed some of the day’s happenings in a conference call with the beat writers not long ago. The highlights:

* Bradford initially had discomfort in his elbow during the playoffs and had an MRI at that time, but no structural damage was revealed. The team thought rest would do the trick, but Bradford experienced soreness and swelling on the third day of his throwing program and got it checked out, ultimately leading to the surgery.

Despite his loss, the Rays feel like they’re pretty well covered with all the relievers they have stockpiled this offseason.

“One of the things that was most important for us going into this winter was to have a number of candidates for the bullpen,” Friedman said. “Injuries happen; they’re part of the game. That was an area that we felt like we had some exposure early in the winter, so we aggressively addressed that, in our mind, and we feel like we’ve got a lot of very capable candidates and some very good pitchers who won’t make our team.”

* Regarding Troy Percival, Friedman said it’s “not clear” where he is with his rehab, but things are “progressing.” Friedman said Percival has thrown off the mound a couple times and said he “feels great.” Nonetheless, the Rays are eager to get him into camp and get a firsthand look before figuring out exactly where things stand. Friedman expects Percival to report to Port Charlotte within the next couple of days.

* On the Brian Shouse front, Friedman said the team is still going over the medical exam results, but “I have no reason to think that it won’t happen.”

I imagine part of the delay here is the Rays’ need to make a corresponding move to clear a 40-man spot for Shouse. Still, expect it to happen at any time.

* On Morgan Ensberg, the Rays believe he has “great upside and he’s a player we’ve liked a lot in the past.” They have talked to him about playing the corner outfield spots in addition to first and third, but haven’t spoken yet about him playing second, a possibility the player mentioned to ESPN.com today.

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