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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Upton glad to still be a Ray

Posted Aug 29, 2011 by Roger Mooney

Updated Aug 29, 2011 at 06:39 PM

ROGER MOONEY
TORONTO B.J. Upton wasn’t relieved that he wasn’t traded by Monday afternoon’s deadline for a waiver trade because he knew that wasn’t a possibility.

“It was something I wasn’t even thinking about,” he said before tonight’s game with the Blue Jays. “It’s over with. I’m happy it’s over with and just go on to this last month and play baseball.”

Manager Joe Maddon said he never talked to executive vice president of baseball Andrew Friedman about Upton being moved to the undisclosed team that claimed Upton when the center field was placed on waivers Friday.

“I’m amazed at all the hubbub, because it’s a procedural thing that happens to a lot of guys,” Maddon said. “The unfortunate part or the unusual part is that information got out, leaked somehow, because that is supposed to be privileged information. Everybody should not be privy to that kind of stuff. When you are then this kind of thing happens. Everybody gets the waters tested, everybody gets thrown out there, and then you got them on the line, you pull them back in. There was all this concern about this, but there was really nothing going on.”

Upton said he would have been unhappy to leave the Rays at this time, because he truly believes they are headed back to the postseason this October.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said, “because I think this last month is going to be a lot of fun. It’s been fun all year. We’re very much in this race right now, and I want to be a part of it.”

Upton, who said Saturday he does think he will be traded in the offseason, said today he’s not thinking about anything other than being a Ray.

“The offseason will be the offseason if I happen to get a call then so be it,” he said. “But for right now I’m planning on finishing this last month and I’m going to approach the offseason like I’m coming back to Tampa.”