Raising eyebrows instead of issues

Packing a wallet and hoping to pack a wallop, optimism and answers are easier to find.

ST. PETERSBURG - The most consequential question, of course, is the one that can't be answered yet: How many more games will the Devil Rays win?

But as the Rays open their seventh spring training this morning, with 40 pitchers and catchers expected to jog onto the field at the Naimoli Complex, there seem to be fewer questions than ever before.

"This," general manager Chuck LaMar said, "is the best baseball team we've ever put together going into spring training."

Having had money to spend for the first offseason since 1999, the Rays feel pretty good about what they did for about $10-million, adding 14 players to the 40-man roster, plus a few other potentially helpful veterans on minor-league deals, changing the makeup and the moxie of the team.

They think they've improved in all areas - pitching, offense, defense, bench, experience, leadership, you name it. But the most significant upgrade might be their depth. Where in years past decisions had to be made between veterans who were done, journeymen who never did it or kids they had to hope could do it, the Rays now have a handful of rising stars and at least steady, if not spectacular, big-leaguers at each position.

Manager Lou Piniella looks back to this time last year, when he and his staff knew only that they didn't know much about what they had.

"All of a sudden we go from a team that had a lot of questions to a team where there's going to be a lot of competition for jobs in spring training," Piniella said. "And that's the way it should be. This is a vastly improved baseball team.

"I like the way this thing has been put together. We have a good combination of experience and youth, a good combination of left- and right-handed pitching, a good combination of left- and right-handed hitting. I think we've improved our defense. We added depth to this thing. It's a nice ballclub. We're in a tough division, but this is a nice baseball team. It really is."

Piniella, who can speak with the fervor of a preacher on a hot Sunday morning, already has guaranteed the Rays won't finish last for a seventh straight season.

He also says the Rays are "the most improved team in the division - period." The Orioles, who acquired Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez, Rafael Palmeiro and Sidney Ponson, might quibble. So too might the Red Sox, who added Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke to an already-strong pitching staff.

But there is no dispute that the Rays are better.

And for the skeptics who look at the ruggedness of the AL East and say, "But . . . ," Piniella responds, "But what?"

"It's tough, it really is. The Yankees and Red Sox are the primos in baseball, especially in the American League." he said. "But you've got to play them. You've got to get to the point where we can compete with these teams and win our share of games against them.

"And why not start this year?"

That's a good question.

Here are 10 others to ponder as the Rays prepare for their March 30 opener in Tokyo.

Q : Okay, so what is the biggest unknown they face?

A: Probably the makeup of the starting rotation. The Rays are expecting returnees Victor Zambrano and Jeremi Gonzalez to be the top two starters, and Piniella has said rookie Doug Waechter and Mark Hendrickson have an "inside track" for jobs. But Paul Abbott and Damian Moss are strong candidates, Dewon Brazelton has made marked progress by going back to his old funky delivery and John Halama and Rob Bell can make strong bids.

Q : What about the bullpen?

A: Danys Baez was signed to be the power closer Piniella favors, with Lance Carter moving into a setup role. Trever Miller, who led the AL with 79 appearances last season, will be one of two lefties, with Halama a possibility for the other job. Jorge Sosa, coming off a strong winter, seems a front-runner for one of the middle relief spots, leaving two openings for more than a half-dozen legit candidates: returnees such as Travis Harper, Chad Gaudin, Jesus Colome; nonroster veterans such as Ken Cloude, Todd Jones and Mike Williams; starting candidates such as Abbott and Bell.

Q : How's the middle infield going to be?

A: Better, regardless of who plays where. The Rays were talking about moving Julio Lugo to second and playing Rey Sanchez at shortstop. More recently, Piniella said he was "leaning toward" keeping Lugo at short, where he has played most of his career, and putting Sanchez at second, where he was a regular in 2002. Friday, Piniella said he didn't know yet, that "there's some feelings either way" and he'd let it play out during the spring.

The Rays know Sanchez is smooth at either spot; they don't know where Lugo will be better. Another thing to consider: Top prospect B.J. Upton is likely to take over at shortstop sometime this season.

Q : Any other position battles?

A: There's some question about playing time at third, where switch-hitter Geoff Blum and right-hander Damian Rolls are expected to share time, and two veterans on minor-league contracts, Deivi Cruz and Fernando Tatis, could make it even more interesting. Otherwise, there probably will be a platoon of sorts at first between Tino Martinez and Eduardo Perez, and possibly some competition between Brook Fordyce and Robert Fick for spare time behind the plate.

Q : Say again, why is Fred McGriff here?

A: Basically the Rays did McGriff a favor. Nine homers short of 500, the 40-year-old Tampa native couldn't find a job. The Rays signed him to a minor-league deal so he could come to camp and work out. He gives them protection against an injury, but more likely he'll end up with another team.

Q : Is there anyone who could be this year's Rocco Baldelli, making the jump from the minors with a strong spring?

A: Outfielder Joey Gathright, who many say is the fastest player in pro ball, could make a case, but there doesn't appear to be room for him right now. Sometime during the season, Gathright, Upton and even 2003 top draft pick Delmon Young all could be in the big leagues.

Q : How much further along is Baldelli, and Carl Crawford for that matter?

A: Both are way ahead of the game. They know now what it takes to play a full season in the majors, and what they have to work on to get better, and how to do it. Both reported early in tremendous shape and are ready for more.

Q : What's the batting order going to look like?

A: Crawford will be at the top, and Piniella has talked of putting Baldelli in the second hole for a blazing 1-2 combo, but that's not certain. If Aubrey Huff takes over the cleanup slot, that could leave Jose Cruz third and Tino Martinez/Eduardo Perez fifth, with Julio Lugo, Geoff Blum/Damian Rolls, Toby Hall and Rey Sanchez filling out the rest. Another option would be to hit Lugo or Blum/Rolls second, Baldelli third and Cruz sixth. Piniella will keep tinkering until he gets the best combo.

Q : Is Josh Hamilton going to come to spring training?

A: Don't know. He told the Times last month he wants to, but the Rays say he first has to get approval from MLB, which isn't a good sign. Whether that means he is facing a suspension or disciplinary action remains to be seen because neither Hamilton, the team nor MLB will say what the issues are, or the timetable for a decision.

Q : We've heard all about the new players, but who's likely to have the most impact?

A: Cruz, a gifted athlete who had a 30-homer, 30-steal season in 2001 and won a Gold Glove last season, could blossom into a star, quieting critics who say he hasn't realized his potential. The Rays think pitcher Mark Hendrickson, the 6-foot-9 former NBA player, could develop into a big winner.

But Baez might have the most impact of all. The Rays signed him to be the dominant power closer, hoping he can notch 35-40 saves a year and allow the other relievers to be assigned specific roles.