Rays to hit ground running

Because of early Japan trip, roster decisions will come faster than usual and force some to make a quick impression.

ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays will open spring training Sunday with a sense of accomplishment over the moves they made in the offseason and a sense of anxiousness to see how it all looks assembled on the field.

There also will be a sense of urgency.

Because the Rays are going to Japan for a season-opening series with the Yankees on March 30-31, manager Lou Piniella said the timetable to make some important roster decisions will be accelerated and it will be important for some players, specifically pitchers, to show quickly in camp what they can do.

"We're going to have to make some decisions a little earlier than you normally do, especially with your starting pitching and how you put your bullpen together," Piniella said Friday at the annual prespring-training media session.

"I think it will be a little more important for a few of these guys, not all of them, to pitch a little better earlier than what you would imagine because of the time constraints we have. But we're going to come up with a good pitching staff."

By the time the Rays leave for Japan on March 25, they'll have to be down to the top 30 to 33 players and will have to submit a 25-man roster before the March 30 game. Details have not been finalized, so it is unclear if that will be their roster when they resume regular-season play April 6 or if they will be allowed to make additional changes.

The trip provides a considerable disruption to the normal spring training routine, but Piniella said he didn't know what effect it would have on his team.

"I might have to talk to Jon Gruden about that," Piniella said, referring to the Bucs coach whose football team opened the preseason early in Japan last summer. "It's good exposure for us, that's obvious. I think we're all excited about it. Playing the Yankees, a team with the dimension they bring. It starts the baseball season. It breaks up spring training. It's going to be kind of odd a little bit because we (leave March 25) and then we come back and finish spring training and then we start our season here. Let's see how if affects our spring training."

Piniella and general manager Chuck LaMar both expressed tremendous optimism over what they say is a significantly improved team.

"I don't think we've ever been as excited about the club we're putting on the field," LaMar said.

Also, LaMar said he is waiting for the commissioner's office to determine whether troubled outfielder Josh Hamilton will be allowed to report to spring training: "That decision will be made by them."