Change coming, but how much?

GM Chuck LaMar says a lot depends on team's budget for next season, something that won't be known for several weeks.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published September 27, 2002

NEW YORK -- Significant changes, general manager Chuck LaMar said Thursday, are coming to a Rays team that has lost more than 100 games for the second straight season.

But whether the changes involve a series of small moves, a renovation or a complete overhaul of the roster will depend on how much money ownership gives him to work with.

And whether the changes include replacing manager Hal McRae is a separate issue that remains a possibility.

"It's obvious we wanted to win more games, but it's my job to determine should we have won more games with the personnel that we have," LaMar said. "And what are we going to do about it. How are we going to make this club better in the offseason."

LaMar had a preliminary talk with managing general partner Vince Naimoli at Yankee Stadium before Thursday's game was rained out, but he said it could be several weeks before the 2003 budget is set.

"Any team that won as few games this year as we have deserves, at least on paper, looking at overhauling the club," LaMar said. "But, there's two things. One, some of that club is young players that we need to continue to show patience with, so it won't be a total renovation because we like a lot of the young players on this team. And the other is that you can't renovate something unless you know how much money you have to renovate it.

"There's going to be some immediate chances, I would think, next week in some of the personnel of this club. But the major decisions will be offseason decisions, baseball decisions based on how much money we have to spend, and I don't know that as of yet."

The season ends Sunday (or Monday if the Rays and Yankees have to make up Thursday's game), and LaMar said there are several issues, including a decision on McRae, that will be addressed promptly, perhaps in the first day or two afterward.

McRae is signed through next season but has said he would prefer a contract extension. Most of his coaching staff is not signed past this year.

LaMar, who spent last week meeting with his scouting staff and the past three days talking with McRae, will talk with Naimoli this weekend specifically about McRae and the coaches. Naimoli reiterated Thursday that the decision was up to LaMar.

"I told Hal today that I don't want this to linger," LaMar said. "He needs to know and his staff needs to know whether he's coming back next year or not. So it's not going to be a situation where I take two weeks to analyze the last 10 days.

"I think I owe him, because of everything that's circulated about whether he's coming back next year or not. I plan to let him and his staff know as soon as I can honestly look them in the eye and make a decision that they will be back or they won't."

McRae and LaMar met for several hours each of the past three days talking about the players and how to make the team better, agreeing that changes are necessary, and also discussing things such as how spring training should be set up, though McRae has had to do so without knowing if he will get to keep his job.

"He hasn't told me, but I'm here until I'm not here," McRae said. "We talked about present and we talked about future, but he hasn't said I will be back. And he hasn't said I won't."

Said LaMar: "He is the manager and he will be the manager to the end of the year and he will be evaluated, and is in the process of being evaluated, just like the scouts, just like the personnel, just like myself. Ownership I'm sure is evaluating me and if I got the most out of the money they gave me to use."

McRae recommended that the coaching staff should be retained, but "there was no "yea' or "nay.' He knows what I think but that doesn't necessarily mean that's what he thinks."

McRae, who will make $700,000 next season, said he would not press the issue and would wait for LaMar's call. "I'm not anxious," McRae said. "The coaches probably are, but I'm not."

LaMar said that it was possible several players could be released as soon as next week but that decisions on whether to retain the six arbitration-eligible players -- All-Star outfielder Randy Winn, first baseman Steve Cox, closer Esteban Yan and starters Ryan Rupe, Tanyon Sturtze and Paul Wilson -- probably won't be made for weeks.

LaMar said the organization-wide review is necessary. "This is not unique," he said. "Especially after going through the year we've gone through, I think everyone has earned the right to be evaluated."