Rays may open at home vs. Yankees

While the Rays hunt for free agents, baseball officials could alter their schedule.

NEW ORLEANS - The Devil Rays continued talks Friday with outfielder Carl Everett, several second basemen and some other free agents they hope to sign. Major League Baseball officials, meanwhile, are talking about a schedule change that could lead to the first sellout at Tropicana Field since 1998: an April 6 home opener against the Yankees.

The change, officially, would be to lessen travel fatigue after the Rays and Yankees return from the planned, though not-yet-official, season-opening trip to Japan. Both teams plan to fly back to the Tampa Bay area after the March 30-31 games in Tokyo to play a few exhibitions, then go to New York for a scheduled two-game series April 5 and 7.

But MLB officials are instead considering having the teams play first in St. Petersburg on April 6-7. With the combination of the opening day festivities and their most attractive opponent, the Rays could fill the dome for the time since the March 31, 1998, inaugural game. If the change is made, a two-game series (down from four to accommodate the Japan games) scheduled for Tropicana Field the following week would be shifted to New York.

The trip to Japan has not been formally announced, and may not be until next week, apparently because Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner has not signed off on it. Rays managing general partner Vince Naimoli said Friday he was not aware of any hitches or problems with the trip.

The pursuit of Everett remains the Rays' top priority, though that could change soon as Everett gets other offers and the Rays explore other options to add a big hitter to the middle of their lineup and seek to fill other holes, such as second base.

The Rays on Tuesday made an offer, believed to be for one year plus an option for a total of about $6-million, and said they initially would negotiate exclusively with Everett. As talks continue, agent Larry Reynolds is determining what other teams might be willing to pay for Everett, who made $9.15-million last season.

"To use the proverbial, "Negotiations are ongoing,' would probably be fitting at this point," general manager Chuck LaMar said. "We knew when we started this there were quite a few hitters out there, we've already mentioned two others (Juan Gonzalez and Jose Cruz), and there's others that will make this club better.

"If for whatever reason during the negotiations I feel like we are not going to reach an agreement, then I have to start at least negotiating for some of the other players."

Manager Lou Piniella said the Rays want to sign the hitter first because they will then know what complementary players they need and how much they have left to spend from the $7.5-million or so they have remaining for additional players. If they can't afford Everett, Cruz is likely to be a more realistic option than Gonzalez, though both are attracting interest from numerous clubs.

Among the other holes the Rays hope to fill, the second base spot may take priority. LaMar described the position Friday night as "open," but it may not stay that way for long.

The Rays have had discussions about bringing back Marlon Anderson (who otherwise would be non-tendered Dec. 20), but are considering other options, specifically Todd Walker, who hit .283 with 13 homers and 85 RBIs for Boston; Pokey Reese, who missed most of Pittsburgh's season with a left hand injury, and Rey Sanchez, who hit .250 for the Mets and Mariners.

The Rays don't know yet if they can afford both the hitter and second baseman they prefer, so they are pursuing multiple scenarios. For example, they may only be able to afford Walker if they sign Cruz, who should be cheaper than Everett.

If they don't get an offensive second baseman such as Walker, they may instead seek improvement at third base, such as Houston's Geoff Blum, who may be traded or non-tendered.

They are also seeking a veteran backup catcher (Brook Fordyce? Eddie Perez?), a left-handed reliever (Mark Guthrie? Kent Mercker? Ron Villone?), and a reserve middle infielder (Chris Gomez?).