BY JACOB CLUTTER

J.Hop Times Sports Writer

  The Tampa Bay Rays lost one on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

   And it was a huge loss.

   Andrew Friedman, the Rays executive director of baseball operations since 2004, left the team Wednesday to join the Los Angeles Dodgers. Friedman is often credited with helping put together one of the most competitive teams in baseball while given one of the smallest payrolls.

   When Friedman joined the Rays, the team was still known as the Devil Rays. After he became the vice president, he took the worst team in baseball and turned it into a perennial playoff contender. The Rays made it as far as the World Series in 2008, losing to the Phillies.

   Friedman worked his magic this way: he signed talented young players to longer term deals (Evan Longoria, Wil Myers) so he could avoid giant salaries as the players got older. But sometimes, that didn't work. He was unable to keep such stars as David Price, Matt Garza, James Shields and Wade Davis.