Decisions, Decisions

ST. PETERSBURG - There are still a few key decisions the Rays must make before Opening Day, but their overriding goal in navigating the Grapefruit League schedule that begins today is straightforward.

"The No. 1 biggest thing is to get through it healthy," executive vice president Andrew Friedman said.

The Rays already have lost the services of projected Opening Day starter Scott Kazmir for the time being after he strained his left elbow Tuesday, and they would prefer to stop the damage right there.

At the same time, they have to get the rest of their players up to speed for the season and sort out a few roster odds and ends. Both tasks will kick into a higher gear today when the Rays visit Sarasota to open their spring training schedule against the Reds.

Tampa Bay's starting lineup will include Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, Akinori Iwamura and Jason Bartlett - all of whom are expected to play the vast majority of games once the regular season begins - along with top prospect Evan Longoria.

Fans will come out to see them play, but the Rays' decision-makers will be focused on the pitchers slated to take the mound. Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine and Jason Hammel are in the mix for the final two rotation spots, and all will pitch today, as will bullpen contenders Grant Balfour and Chad Orvella.

Jackson will take the ball first, and it can't come too soon after two weeks of bullpen sessions and live batting practice.

"I'm ready to go," Jackson said. "I know it's not the season, but spring training's still pretty important to me. Unless you have a roster spot on lock, you pretty much have to be in game mode if you're trying to battle for a spot."

Jackson was in the same position last spring and beat out J.P. Howell for a rotation spot with a strong Grapefruit League showing. He then dropped his first eight regular-season decisions, proving there is as much art as science to making projections based on spring-training performance.

Friedman and Rays manager Joe Maddon have reiterated time and again that they try not to put too much stock in what happens in March when it comes to evaluating players, but they have to use something as a measuring stick.

The two open spots in the bullpen, in particular, very well could come down to who looks the best between now and the exhibition finale March 29. One long-relief spot probably will go to a starting pitcher who doesn't make the rotation cut, but the other job is wide open. One of the expected contenders, Juan Salas, isn't even in camp yet because of visa problems, and the Rays still don't know when he will arrive.

The other battle to watch will occur on the infield and come in two phases. First, the Rays must decide whether Longoria will open the season in the majors. If he doesn't - a decision that wouldn't be a surprise at the moment - they must determine who will hold down third base until his anticipated arrival sometime during the first half.

Willy Aybar is finally in camp after visa problems of his own and appears to be the top candidate, especially since he's out of options and can't be sent to the minors without passing through waivers. Joel Guzman also is in the mix, and the Rays must decide if Eric Hinske is a viable option at third.

"There's going to be some acute competition in different areas and it will permit us to focus on those spots," Maddon said.

Backup jobs at shortstop and catcher still officially haven't been nailed down, either, but Ben Zobrist and Shawn Riggans, respectively, look like strong bets at this point.

"For the most part, the groups are pretty much set, and I like that, I think it's a good thing," Maddon said. "The guys can prepare themselves appropriately mentally to get to the first day of the season because they know what's going on."