TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Arms Race Will Heat Up In Offseason

ADVERTISEMENT

By Marc Lancaster, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - One week of baseball remains for the Devil Rays, and after that a much-needed offseason break.

Next season is never all that far away, though, and the Rays' brain trust already is looking forward to the sights they'll see when the team reconvenes at the Naimoli Complex in February. Starting pitching always has been and always will be the cornerstone of any successful team, and the Rays are thrilled about the pure talent they already have at their disposal in that department - even if they don't make any major offseason additions.

'We feel like we have some flexibility on that front and some real good arms to consider,' executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. 'In fact, we feel strongly that next year in major-league spring training we'll have the best collection of arms this organization has ever had.'

It starts, of course, with Scott Kazmir and James Shields, both of whom solidified their standing as organization cornerstones this season.

Kazmir stayed healthy all season, showing no residual problems from the shoulder troubles that prematurely ended his 2006 campaign and finishing strong after struggling with his command early on. Shields took the big step forward after a promising debut last season, establishing himself as the best kind of workhorse - a starter capable not only of eating innings but also dominating the best teams in baseball with his stuff on any given night.

Though Edwin Jackson has spent the entire season in the rotation and Andy Sonnanstine and Jason Hammel each received an extended run, no one behind Kazmir and Shields is guaranteed a 2008 spot at the moment. Sonnanstine probably ranks highest on the depth chart of those three, but he doesn't have anything locked down.

'Obviously, the guys that got some experience at the major-league level this year go in with a head start,' said Friedman, 'but we're going to keep a very open mind as to how to round out the rotation.'

Jeff Niemann (12-8, 3.98 ERA at Durham) and Mitch Talbot (13-9, 4.53 at Durham) will get long looks next spring, as will J.P. Howell, who is in the middle of his third stint with the Rays this season in between putting together a nice campaign (7-8, 3.38, 145 strikeouts in 128 innings) with the Bulls.

The next tier down - not necessarily in talent level but in experience - includes Wade Davis (10-3, 2.50 between Montgomery and Vero Beach), Jake McGee (8-6, 3.15 with Montgomery and Vero Beach) and Chris Mason (15-4, 2.57 at Montgomery).

Any of those pitchers likely would need a spectacular showing in spring training to skip a level and debut in the big leagues, but stranger things have happened. A more likely scenario involves one or more of them following the formula used by Shields last year and Sonnanstine this year - getting a couple of months worth of very impressive starts at Triple-A and forcing their way into the rotation next summer.

The biggest name missing from the list so far, of course, is David Price. This year's top draft pick will see his first game action in a Rays uniform in spring training, so a spot on the Opening Day roster is highly unlikely. But it isn't out of the question that he could be deemed ready by midseason.

If the next wave of pitching prospects makes the kind of push expected of it, something obviously will have to give in the numbers. The Rays believe that kind of competition will only help another area that still needs shoring up - the bullpen. Most of those in contention for rotation spots, including those used as starters this year, could be slotted into the bullpen instead if necessary.

That goes back to the flexibility Friedman spoke about, and the trickle-down should be far more useful than some of what the Rays had to do this season, like dropping Casey Fossum from the rotation into the role of lefty specialist in the bullpen.

If it seems like the Rays have come quite a ways since April - remember, Jae Seo started the second game of the season after Kazmir pitched the opener - it's because they have. And the contrast with the group handed to Joe Maddon when he came aboard before the 2006 season is notable.

'From the first year to right now, the difference is incredible - the parts that we have to choose from now,' Maddon said. 'It's going to be a different kind of feeling.'

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT