Jason is an avid sports fanatic who currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri. He recently graduated from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville with a BA in English. He enjoys writing about all sports, especially baseball, and also writes short stories in his spare time. They accomplished neither task.
Instead they rummaged through what was left of the free agent pool, signing second baseman Roberto Alomar, shortstop Alex Gonzalez, and the closest thing they could find to a bat with some pop in it, right-fielder Danny Bautista. They will join a team made up of mostly younger, but talented players.
This has been how the Devil Rays have operated in their short existence. Develop young talent and mix them with a lineup of "has beens" and under achievers.
But who can blame them?
The Devil Rays payroll is at $29 million, the second lowest in Major League Baseball. Yet, they did still reel off 12 wins in a row last June. However, when it came time to playing the Yankees and Red Sox, the Devil Rays were a dismal 9-29.
The Devil Rays ended up finishing in fourth place last season in the American League East, going 70-91, seven wins more than in 2003.
Tampa Bay continues to show improvement from season to season, drafting some of the best talent in the game.
Carl Crawford broke out onto the scene last season, hovering around the .300 mark, while leading the American League in steals. He has the potential to develop into one of the premier leadoff hitters in the game, if he isn?t already there. He just needs to learn how to draw more walks and step into more pitches to raise his OBP.
The Devil Rays plan to move Aubrey Huff, the heart and soul of the lineup, from third base to left-field with the addition of Gonzalez. Huff was the team leader in average, homeruns, runs batted in, and OPS.
However, Huff?s production could be hurt by Rocco Baldelli?s torn ACL, which will keep him out through at least mid-May.
The Devil Rays have put together a young, yet inexperienced pitching staff with a lot of potential. What they're missing is that veteran number one starter to help mold these youngsters into better pitchers.
Tampa Bay does have one of the top managers in the game today in Lou Piniella. Piniella, in his 18 year managerial career, has 1452 wins and is 23-21 in the postseason, including leading the Cincinnati Reds to a championship in 1990. Piniella has always had an eye for talent and is able to get the very best out of his players.
But even Piniella can?t convince free agents to come to Tampa Bay and take a pay cut to play in front of a half-empty Tropicana Field. And you can?t blame the fans for not packing the seats. It?s hard to get excited about a team that isn?t going to finish any higher than third place, and that?s if they are playing at their absolute best.
It?s just too hard to compete with the payroll and prestige of playing for two of the most storied franchises in the game, the Yankees and Red Sox. Players can showcase their talents in front of these large market teams and get paid well for doing it.
Just this winter, to no one?s surprise, George Steinbrenner opened up his pocket book and traded for Randy Johnson, while adding Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright to bolster their rotation. Johnson alone makes up almost 60 percent of the Devil Rays payroll.
The World Champion Boston Red Sox lost a key component to their team in Pedro Martinez. However, they lured Edgar Renteria away from the Cardinals, and signed David Wells and Matt Clement to help replace Martinez.
Even the Baltimore Orioles added Sammy Sosa to an already potent lineup. And the Toronto Blue Jays plan on raising their payroll significantly in the next few years.
Meanwhile, the Devil Rays will have to continue to rely on younger players and aging veterans to try and stay competitive in a powerful AL East.