9 best players to suit up for both LA and TB

When the Dodgers and Rays face off to start the World Series on Tuesday night, there will be many interesting connections between the clubs. Despite entirely different approaches to roster building, they were the two best teams in the Majors in 2020, making this only the fourth time in the Wild Card Era that each league's top seed will face off for the championship.

Dodgers president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, was the Rays' GM the last time Tampa Bay was in the Fall Classic.

And the Dodgers even had three former Rays on their NLCS roster in relievers Jake McGee, Adam Kolarek and Dylan Floro. (David Price would be a fourth, though he has yet to suit up with the team after opting out of the 2020 season.)

Those aren't the only players to have suited up for both clubs, though. Fifty-eight players have played for both Los Angeles and Tampa Bay, and we've narrowed that list down to nine of the most notable. Chances are, they're going to have a harder time figuring out who to root for than you will.

Let's go in alphabetical order:

Wilson Álvarez

LA: 2003-05, 14-12, 3.53 ERA, 239 2/3 IP

TB: 1998-2002, 17-26, 4.62 ERA, 377 2/3 IP

Álvarez was the first pitcher to sign with the then-Devil Rays and was the first to throw a pitch for the new expansion team, too. The veteran starter was a steadying presence on those early Tampa Bay teams, though injuries were a constant issue and they forced him to miss all of 2000-01.

After leaving the Rays, Álvarez signed with Los Angeles, where he had one of the best seasons of his career in '03. He posted a 2.37 ERA while starting 12 games and appearing in nine more in relief. After another solid year in '04, Álvarez struggled in '05 before retiring at the end of the season.

Carl Crawford

LA: 2013-16, .278/.320/.400, 9 HR, 1,119 PA

TB: 2002-10, .296/.337/.444, 105 HR, 5,395 PA

Crawford was a bonafide superstar and Rays legend thanks to his blend of speed, defense and a solid bat. He led the Majors in steals and triples four separate times, and is the franchise's all-time leader in hits, triples and stolen bases, and is second to Evan Longoria among position players in WAR.

Unfortunately, Crawford wasn't the same player when he joined the Dodgers. Sent to L.A. from the Red Sox along with Adrián González, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto in 2012 as part of a salary dump, Crawford struggled with injuries over the final four seasons of his career. After playing only 99 games across 2015-16, the Dodgers released the outfielder with two years left on his contract.

Still, he had his moments, including when he hit three home runs in the 2013 NLDS against the Braves to help L.A. advance to that season's NLCS.

Mark Hendrickson

LA: 2006-07, 6-15, 5.01 ERA, 197 2/3 IP

TB: 2004-06, 25-31, 5.05 ERA, 451 1/3 IP

Hendrickson did it all! Not only did he play for both the Rays and Dodgers, but the 6-foot-9 lefty also played in the NBA and CBA.

Hendrickson joined the Rays before the 2004 season after being part of a three-team trade and soon became an essential starter for the team. The towering lefty led the team in innings pitched from 2004-05.

The next year, he was traded to the Dodgers along with Toby Hall in exchange for Dioner Navarro and Jae Weong Seo. Hendrickson took on a swingman role in L.A., and he played in the postseason for the only time in his career in the 2006 NLDS against the Mets.

Edwin Jackson

LA: 2003-05, 6-4, 5.50 ERA, 75 1/3 IP

TB: 2006-08, 19-26, 5.08 ERA, 380 2/3 IP

Of course Jackson is on this list. How could he not? Jackson played for an MLB-record 14 teams in his big league career, but it all began with Los Angeles.

Baseball America ranked Jackson among their Top 100 prospects three times, and he was just 19 years old when he made his big league debut for the Dodgers. Unfortunately, Jackson struggled in limited appearances across three seasons, and he was traded to Tampa Bay for bullpen help before the 2006 season.

Though Jackson's numbers weren't much better with the Rays, he was a member of the 2008 American League champion Rays and pitched two innings in the World Series against the Phillies that fall.

Scott Kazmir

LA: 2016, 10-6, 4.56 ERA, 136 1/3 IP

TB: 2004-09, 55-44, 3.92 ERA, 834 IP

After joining Tampa Bay following one of baseball's most lopsided trades in history, the southpaw quickly became the Rays' ace as they transformed from cellar dwellers to the annual contenders they are today. Unfortunately, Kazmir often dealt with injuries in his career, limiting his effectiveness and eventually leading to his trade to the Angels in 2009.

Later, after returning to the Majors after pitching in independent ball, Kazmir signed a three-year deal with the Dodgers in 2016. He was an effective option in the back of the rotation -- and even defeated the Rays in a return to the Trop -- but a hip injury flared up that summer. After being activated from the injured list, Kazmir pitched one inning on Sept. 23, and hasn't been seen in the big leagues since.

That doesn't mean another comeback isn't in the cards, though. Kazmir pitched in the independent Constellation Energy League organized by the Sugar Land Skeeters this summer.

James Loney

LA: 2006-12, .284/.341/.423, 71 HR, 3,378 PA

TB: 2013-15, .291/.337/.393, 26 HR, 1,637 PA

Loney was a solid role player for both teams, and he had his fair share of highlight-reel success, too -- even if he never lived up to the dreams fans had for him given the hot start to his career.

Loney immediately started hitting when called up to the Dodgers in 2006. He even recorded a four-hit, two-homer, nine-RBI game against the Rockies on Sept. 28. The next season, Loney hit .331 in 96 games, while blasting a career-high 15 home runs. Perhaps that set expectations too high, as he looked on the brink of stardom. Instead, after four straight years of declining performance, Loney was sent to the Red Sox in 2012 as part of the Crawford deal.

The next season, Loney signed with the Rays and put up his best numbers since his rookie season. He hit .299 with 13 home runs and was an important part of the Rays' Wild Card winning-team. Unfortunately, his pattern with the Dodgers continued in Tampa Bay, and he was released before the 2016 season.

Fred McGriff

LA: 2003, .249/.322/.428, 13 HR, 329 PA

TB: 1998-2001, 2004, .291/.380/.484, 99 HR, 2,399 PA

The Crime Dog came so close to hitting 500 homers. If he pulled it off, it would have been thanks to this season's World Series contenders.

The Rays tried to jumpstart their way to being competitive by bringing in big-name stars like McGriff, Wade Boggs and José Canseco in their early seasons as an expansion team. That didn't work out well except for McGriff, who experienced a career resurgence with his hometown team. He hit 97 home runs in three-and-a-half years, earning him a trade to the contending Cubs in 2001.

After another 30-homer season with the Cubs, the slugger joined the Dodgers for the 2003 season -- only 22 home runs shy of 500. Unfortunately for McGriff, he struggled and hit only 13 home runs with L.A.

He rejoined Tampa Bay the next season to make one more go at the mark, but age had fully caught up with him. After hitting just two dingers with a .181 average, the Rays released him that July, ending his career seven homers shy of 500. Still, his 99 home runs rank seventh all-time in Rays history.

Hideo Nomo

LA: 1995-98, 2002-04, 81-66, 3.74 ERA, 1,217 1/3 IP

TB: 2005, 5-8, 7.24 ERA, 100 2/3 IP

The Tornado! Nomo was a baseball sensation when his funky, twisting windup and unhittable fastball/forkball combination led the right-hander to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1995 with the Dodgers. Perhaps even more amazing than his rookie season was when he threw a no-hitter at Coors Field the next year. How does that even happen?

Unfortunately for Dodgers and Rays fans, Nomo struggled with injuries later in his career. Following shoulder surgery, Nomo posted an 8.25 ERA with Los Angeles in 2004, and then made only 19 starts with a 7.24 ERA with the Rays the next season.

Manny Ramírez

LA: 2008-10, .322/.433/.580, 44 HR, 892 PA

TB: 2011, .059/.059/.059, 0 HR, 17 PA

Ramírez was a revelation when he joined the Dodgers after being dealt from the Red Sox. (Notice a theme here?) The left-field stands became Mannywood, and fans flocked to the park in Ramírez cosplay. His performance even earned him a bobblehead and, sure enough, Ramírez hit a pinch-hit grand slam on the day it was handed out:

Meanwhile, it's OK if you've completely memory holed Ramírez's time in Tampa Bay. Ramírez played only five games with the Rays and picked up just one hit in 17 at-bats before he abruptly retired following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing drug.