The Starting Nine: Prospects, contracts and catchers

9 - Easing into the bigs

Desmond Jennings is the outfielder in waiting. Jeremy Hellickson is the pitcher in waiting. Jake McGee? He's the pitcher waiting to resume his career after missing most of the past two seasons because of reconstructive surgery in his left elbow.

Those are the top three prospects in the Rays organization if you don't include Wade Davis, who made six starts for the Rays last September.

They are the near future, and thanks to an already stocked major league roster, they each will continue to hone their craft at Triple-A Durham this season.

But first, they will enjoy the good life of a major league spring training camp and receive the opportunity to display their skills to Rays manager Joe Maddon and his coaching staff without the hype and pressure that surrounded David Price last spring and Evan Longoria in 2008.

"To think they're going to come out of camp and have a significant impact, I think that's really laying a lot on them right now," Maddon said. "I don't anticipate that."

Hellickson, a 6-foot-1, hard-throwing right-hander, should be the first choice to join the rotation should there be a need for a replacement this summer.

Maddon said he kept tabs on Hellickson's progress over the years through the daily minor-league reports left on his desk and conversations he's had with Dick Bosman, the Rays minor-league pitching coordinator.

The reports were, to say the least, very encouraging.

In five minor league seasons, Hellickson is 37-13 with a 2.71 ERA, 507 strikeouts and 100 walks. Those totals include a 6-1 record and a 2.51 ERA in nine starts at Durham last summer.

Now, Maddon is anxious to see Hellickson pitch in person, which he will during the first few weeks of the exhibition season.

"I always like to watch their demeanor, how they're handling the situation," Maddon said of watching young pitchers. "Who knows if it's going to get hot in a negative way, if he's going to have a bad outing, how he responds to that? That's always more interesting than if he had a good outing. I want to see delivery. I heard he's got great command. He's a pitcher. You talk to him, he's really an interesting fellow. He's quiet in a way. I just want to see the performance, I want to see all that in a game. But the guys rave about him who've had him."

Jennings, the Double-A MVP last season, could see time in the Rays' outfield this season should there be an opening created by injury or trade.

Maddon remembers watching Jennings play during an Instructional League game in September of 2008 played at Tropicana Field. Maddon was actually watching left fielder Carl Crawford, who was trying to play his way back into shape for the postseason, but Jennings managed to catch Maddon's eye in one 180-foot run.

"I remember him scoring from second base on a base hit with a good secondary lead, a good turn at third base," Maddon said. "I remember watching that. If you're really scouting a game, if you watch a guy, the detail he has with his base running, good lead, good secondary lead, good turns, indicating maybe some good instincts on the bases. That always speaks to the rest of his game. If you see that out of a position player, probably they do a lot of good things in the other areas with their defense and positioning, their footwork, etc. When I saw him score from second base that one time, everything they've been telling me about him made sense."

Jennings has posted a .305 average across four minor-league seasons. He split 2009 between Montgomery and Durham. Combined, he had 31 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs, 62 RBIs and 52 stolen bases.

McGee is the farthest away of the three, having thrown 30 innings near the end of last season.

The 6-3, 230-pound lefty was making a steady rise through the organization until he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow 15 games into the 2008 season. What followed was surgery and 14 months of rehab, which ended late last season when he returned to the mound, pitching first for the Gulf Coast League Rays and then the Class-A Stone Crabs.

"The fact he was able to throw in a game last year toward the end of the season, I think, eased his mind going into the offseason at bit," Maddon said. "He thinks by the end of this spring or the beginning of the season, he'll be back to the velocity that he had in the past."

As for making it to the big leagues this season, Maddon said that might be a stretch.

"I really haven't evaluated that," Maddon said. "He's coming off of an injury, a bad injury, and he's missed a lot of time. He, for me, I would almost believe he has to go out and pitch right now. He's not really pitched at a high level. You're asking a lot of a young man like that to just have him come off of all that adversity and to come and help you on the major league team, so, I don't know. I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm saying it's unlikely."

While 30 innings isn't much of a test, McGee did prove he still has his control, striking out 40 batters and walking just 12 in those 30 innings. For his career, McGee has 593 strikeouts and 214 walks in 515 innings.

The trio will be worth watching in March, but the time will come to say goodbye as they head back to minor-league camp.

"You just want to make sure these guys are ready," Maddon said. "When they're that good, you don't want to miss on that."

8 - Dollars and Sense

The one-year, $7.25 million contract the Rays gave closer Rafael Soriano is proof the team's front office is loading up for a run at another World Series.

But what happens if the Rays fall off the playoff pace before the trade deadline?

First baseman Carlos Peña ($10.125 million this season), left fielder Carl Crawford ($10 million) and designated hitter Pat Burrell ($9 million) are each in the final year of contracts.

Given the Rays' financial history, it's hard to believe they can re-sign Crawford or Peña, let alone both. Team president Matt Silverman already said this year's payroll of $71 million is already stretched past its limit.

How long will the Rays wait before dumping salary to give them more flexibility in the coming years, not to mention the prospects they will surely receive in return for an All-Star left fielder and a power-hitting first baseman who tied for the league lead in home runs last season?

"We extended last year, we're over-extended heading into this year," Silverman said. "We'll see the effect of this in the future. But for now we're focused on what Rafael can add to us in 2010."

7 - Now catching ... who?

Dioner Navarro or Kelly Shoppach?

It will be one of the two.

Navarro is coming off a down season. So is Shoppach, but the Rays traded for and committed more than $5 million over the next two seasons to Shoppach.

It appeared as if Navarro was on his way out after the Rays acquired Shoppach from Cleveland, but Maddon said he is looking forward to having on his roster a pair of catchers capable of being big league starters.

"With those two guys, spring training is really important to have them both play and really try to figure out by the end of camp exactly how we're going to do this," Maddon said.

Maddon said he will use the entire exhibition season to determine how much each plays.

"People see this strictly as a platoon," Maddon said, "but Navi is a good right-handed hitter, so that's the rub. If it was purely that Navi was better left-handed and Kelly purely hit lefties, it would be obvious. But it's not obvious based on Navi's past.

"And Navi for the most part, has been one of the better throwers in league, too, in regards to stopping the running game. So there are all kinds of little items to be considered. I'm hearing Shop is good at preparation and handing the staff, so all these things we need to see to make a good evaluation."