Tampa Bay Rays 2010 Primer

The Tampa Bay Rays tried to prove last year that their 2008 World Series run was more than just a chance occurrence. Unfortunately, injuries and non-performing assets made for a disappointing 84-win season, and leave the Rays wondering just how to retool.

The major change in Tampa was the addition of a true closer in Rafael Soriano. The right-hander shared ninth-inning duties in Atlanta, but should stay the course for the Rays, giving them something they haven't had for awhile. Twelve different Rays pitchers had save opportunities in 2009. The rest of the pitching staff looks extremely potent. Youngsters Jeff Niemann, David Price and Wade Davis show the talent and potential to work alongside veterans James Shields and Matt Garza in the rotation.

The Rays still scream small-market team with barely recognizable names and a payroll under $65 million. However, that payroll has tripled since 2007 and some of the more notable names, Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford, may be headed elsewhere at some point this year. How the Rays deal with this situation will go a long way towards determining their shot to reach the playoffs.

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Coming and Going

In: Rafael Soriano, RHP (trade); Kelly Shoppach, C (trade); Dan Johnson, 1B (free agency); Mike Ekstrom, RHP (waivers); Joaquin Benoit, RHP (free agency)
Out: Gregg Zaun, C (free agency); Akinori Iwamura, 2B (trade); Michel Hernandez, C (free agency); Brian Shouse, LHP (free agency); Gabe Gross, OF (released); Russ Springer, RHP (free agency); Chad Bradford, RHP (free agency)

Around the Horn

Right Field or Second Base? ...
The Rays have a roster logjam that's going to take some time this spring to figure out. There are two heralded prospects -- Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac -- looking for infield spots, of which the Rays appear to only have one. If one of them plays well enough to win a job, the Rays will be forced to move Ben Zobrist out to right field, a spot where he played 51 games in 2009. If neither shows up to take second base, Zobrist will play there and Matt Joyce will play right field.

Here's the Catch ...
After an eye-opening 2008, Dioner Navarro slipped in every way imaginable last year. His OPS dropped almost 200 points to .583, while his batting average fell from .295 to .218. That forced the Rays to trade for Kelly Shoppach, who has had troubles of his own. Shoppach's batting average dropped almost 50 points to .214 and his home run total was cut almost in half last year. A platoon doesn't make much sense as both catchers hit lefties hard and are next to useless versus right-handers. That leaves manager Joe Maddon with a tricky situation to sort out.

Trade Bait? ...
There aren't too many players more exciting than Carl Crawford. He's stolen 50 or more bases in five of his last seven years and batted above .300 in four of those. But, Crawford's contract is up at the end of this season, and it doesn't seem terribly likely the team will dish out the money necessary to keep him. For the Rays to trade him they are going to have to be out of any kind of playoff race and they'll have to receive an absolute boatload of prospects in return. If the Rays feel like they can make a run at the postseason, it would be hard to deal one of the team's best players. On the other hand, they'd be in danger of getting nothing for Crawford if he bolted for free agency.

Make or Break ...
Pat Burrell needs to put up or shut up, so to speak, this season. It could have been his neck injury, or maybe the trauma of switching teams, leagues and positions in 2009. For some reason, Burrell went from 33 home runs to 16 last year and his batting average suffered too.

Projected Opening Day Roster



2010 Outlook

It's almost criminal to have a good team like these Rays -- so close to becoming a perennial playoff team -- stuck in the American League East. That's the way life goes, though, and since they went all the way to the Fall Classic in 2008, it's gotten harder to use the division as an excuse. The pitching staff could be something special, maybe one of the best in baseball, and the team has already proven they can drive in runs with the best of them. If the Rays can solve the team batting average problem this year, there may be a spot for them in October. Don't bet against them, just yet.