Dec 15
Now that the Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 Draft and the non-tender deadline have come and gone, let’s take another look at the 25-Man Roster Projection (notes and explanations on the projection can be found following the roster)…
Notes on the 25-man roster projection…
- LINEUP: The key to the lineup is Matt Joyce. Re-signing Gabe Kapler suggests the Rays want him to platoon in right with Joyce. That leaves Ben Zobrist to play second base. If Joyce is not ready, Zobrist could be in right and second base would include Sean Rodriguez by himself or part of a platoon.
- BENCH: Willy Aybar and Gabe Kapler are the locks. Again, assuming Matt Joyce is ready, that will allow Sean Rodriguez to inherit Ben Zobrist’s old role as Mr. Do It All. That leaves the second catcher. The Rays re-signed Dioner Navarro. But Kelly Shoppach hit .191/.313/.340 versus righties while Navi was actually worse at .183/.234/.255. The Rays figure to play 100-110 games versus right-handed starters in 2010 and that is a big hole no matter who is in the lineup. So, do the Rays trade Navi? Until they do, we have to assume he is the backup.
- ROTATION: The Rays are always looking to improve every aspect of the roster and that includes the rotation. If the Rays do find a veteran pitcher this off-season, Wade Davis will be back in Durham for more seasoning. But that seems like a long shot.
- BULLPEN: With the trade for Rafael Soriano and the new contracts for Lance Cormier and Randy Choate, six of the seven spots appear to be spoken for. The Rays will continue to look outside the organization to fill the seventh spot, but for now we give a slight edge to Andy Sonnanstine. Could also go to Dale Thayer, Mitch Talbot or even Winston Abreu who is on a minor league deal. Unless another reliever is added to the mix, this could be the only spot up on the roster up for grabs in spring training.
