ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays are expected to announce today that they have picked up Manager Joe Maddon's contract options for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
The move isn't a surprise, as principal owner Stuart Sternberg voiced his support for Maddon last week while the Rays were in New York.
'We feel pretty good about the way things are headed, and most importantly the way the players have responded,' Sternberg said then. 'You can see the enthusiasm they've still got, even given their place in the standings, and that speaks volumes to Joe and the staff and the players themselves.'
Maddon, 53, has a 119-184 record in two seasons leading the Rays, but wins and losses have not been high on the list of criteria the front office has used to judge his performance. Maddon was brought in before the 2006 season after three decades in the Angels organization to help remake the Rays from top to bottom.
The feeling now is that the worst of the growing pains should be over, with a solid core of young players in place and a string of pitchers who have posted strong minor-league numbers getting ready to join them.
That means the pressure will be on Maddon to lead the Rays to the next big step - out of the basement and into contention.
The future of the Rays' six coaches still must be determined. All are on contracts that expire at the end of this season, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see some staff changes made.
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