Tampa Bay Rays (41 days until Opening Day)
Yesterday we posted a list of 10 questions we wished the media would ask the Rays. One of those questions dealt with the future of the shortstop position for the Tampa Bay Rays.

• In an ideal world, is Jason Bartlett the Rays starting shortstop in 2009?

One topic that has yet to be addresses by the team or the media is what are the team's plans beyond 2008.

Earlier this off-season, the Rays, knowing they needed an upgrade in defense, targeted Bartlett of the Minnesota Twins. What his acquisition means to the Rays in 2008 was addressed yesterday by Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman.

Maddon suggests that Bartlett is "one of the top five" shortstops in the American League. Executive vice president Andrew Friedman says "he has a chance to be among the best in the game."

"The trickle-down effect a shortstop can have on your pitching staff is immense," Friedman said. "You're talking about more pitches for your starting pitcher, which prevents him from going deeper in the game, which taxes your bullpen more, which affects you the next night because your bullpen is tired."

The Rays control Bartlett's contractual right for the next four years, and his arbitration figures should be relatively cheap. So. Is Bartlett the long-term answer for the Tampa Bay Rays? More specifically. Will Jason Bartlett be the starting shortstop in 2009?

With the new emphasis placed on defense, especially up-the-middle, Bartlett is deemed as very important to the future success of the Rays. It is easy to imagine that he will not have to hit very much to secure his role as long as he continues to play gold glove-caliber defense. Bartlett posted a .339 OBP in 2007. If he can improve that to .360-.370, that should be enough to secure his future with the Rays.

But there is one small problem with that scenario.

Sitting down in the minors is, Reid Brignac, one of the top shortstop prospects in baseball. Presumably, he will spend the 2008 season at AAA Durham, and if he stays on schedule he should be ready to make his major league debut as early as this September, but certainly by next Spring.

If Bartlett is the future shortstop of the Rays. What do the Rays do with Brignac? Third base is spoken for by Evan Longoria. Two of the outfield spots are taken (Carl Crawford and BJ Upton) for at least the next three years. Right field is an option if his arm is strong enough. But the Rays will have Fernando Perez knocking on the door soon and Desmond Jennings right behind him. Oh. And there is that guy Rocco Baldelli.

The more likely scenario is to trade Brignac. If the team meets following the 2008 season and feels that Bartlett has done enough to be the starter in 2009, we could be faced with a scenario in which the Tampa Bay Rays trade a prospect for veteran help.

Boy. The times. They are a changin'.

Rays need Bartlett to become a nuisance [St. Pete Times]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• If you have not yet answered our "Tampa Bay Rays Confidence" survey, please do so HERE. [Rays Index]
  
• Dioner Navarro reported to camp yesterday after being excused to be with his ailing mother. Navarro claims that a more strenuous off-season workout regimen has him in the best shape of his life. [Herald-Tribune]
• Bill Chastain takes a look at how Dioner Navarro has adjusted to just the latest turmoil to hit his family. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  
• Joe Maddon commented on the chances of seeing David Price pitching for the Rays in 2008. "No, it's not a stretch...If everything breaks well for him this summer, he'd be somebody we'd consider." In other words, they won't rule it out, but it is not very likely. [Tampa Tribune]
• Tyler Hissey has a solid interview with David Price, in which he discusses expectations for the upcoming season and his newfound celebrity status. [Rays Digest]
• Troy Percival wore a shirt in practice yesterday that compared the Rays top three pitchers to the Atlanta Braves talented young trio of the early 90's, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. [Bradenton Herald]
• One More Dying Quail takes a look at PECOTA projections for the Rays from the past five years. Lou Piniella consistently out-performed the projection, while Joe Maddon's Rays have seriously under-performed. This year PECOTA is projecting 82 wins. [One More Dying Quail]
  
• John Heyman lists the top 11 GM's in baseball. While not in the list, Andrew Friedman is named as one of the "up-and-comers". [SI]
  
• Rays Digest worries that Troy Percival may not be dependable considering his injury history. Still they feel that his presence in the locker room alone is worth having him around. [Rays Digest]
• Rarely do we go to another baseball blog and say "Damn, we wish we thought of that." That is not to say that we are so great. Rather, we think there is a lack of originality in ideas out there. Well it happened yesterday. David Chalk over at Bugs & Cranks has begun his preview of every major league team. Original? Only if you consider that the preview will take each team and compare them to the Tampa Bay Rays. More specifically, Chalk will tell us why each team "Ain't $#!T Compared To The Devil Rays". First up is the Pittsburgh Pirates. Chalk will work his way up from the worst teams to the best teams. We are really curious, how long it will take before it becomes difficult to make/believe the argument. It could take a while this year. Oh, and yes. Chalk is sticking to his guns and will keep the Devil in Tampa Bay. [Bugs & Cranks]
• Rays of Light turns the spotlight on BJ Upton. [Rays of Light]
  
• The New York Daily News previews the Tampa Bay Rays. Not sure we take anything they say seriously. Jesse Spector says Carl Crawford "might be the best leadoff hitter in baseball." Hmmm? Well. By our count, CC was the leadoff hitter in six games in 2007 and the assumption is that Akinori Iwamura will resume the role in 2008. [Daily News]
• Breaking Balls takes a look at the recent trend of locking up young players to long-term deals. While the practice may be more wide-spread, it is hardly new. The Indians rode this method to sustained success in the 90s. Interestingly they seem to think the trend suggests that these deals are more likely to be given to good defensive players and high strikeout pitchers, such as James Shields. [Breaking Balls]
• Eephus Pitch names Rays minor leaguer Brooks Badeaux their baseball player name of the week. [Eephus Pitch]
  

Durham 9, Columbus 8. After three straight strong starts, Jason Hammel was knocked around last night. He gave up 6 hits and 5 walks in 4 innings that led to 5 runs. Tim Corcoran pitched 3 scoreless innings as the Bulls rallied. Joel Guzman went 2-5 with his first home run and Shawn Riggans added his second. Jorge Cantu went 3-4 with a walk and Elliot Johnson added two doubles.

Birmingham 3, Montgomery 2. Fernando Perez went 2-4 with 4 stolen bases. Mike Prochaska gave up only 1 hit in 5 scoreless innings.

Vero Beach 7, Jupiter 6. Greg Dupas without giving up a hit, but the Rays rallied in the bottom of the 9managed to blow a 2-run lead in the 9thth with walk-off RBI single by Erold Andrus.

Augusta 9, Columbus 0.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM....

• Last year's high-A club, the Visalia Oaks, had quite a collection of talented hitters. Do you know who was named the team MVP? The California League MVP, Reid Brignac? Nope. #3 overall pick Evan Longoria who tore up the 3 levels last year? Nope. Catcher John Jaso (.308-10-55)? Nope. Patrick Breen (.282-21-63)? Nope. Try Fernando Perez. Perez had one heck of a season, that was a bit overshadowed by some of the bigger names on the team. He hit .307 with 33 steals and a minor league-leading 123 runs scored. He also had a very solid .398 OBP...With all the outfielders at the major league level and the top prospects at other positions, Perez has been kind of lost in the shuffle. But after, reading his "Player Journal" this week at MILB.com it is hard not to root for this kid. We have been around the game long enough to get a sense of when a player "gets it" and when they don't. Fernando Perez "gets it" as well as any minor leaguer we have ever heard.
  
• Evan Longoria is the only player to have played every game for the Biscuits. Yet somehow the Dirtbag is still a wimp. OK, must be a joke.
• Jason Pridie had been strictly a center fielder before this season. Last night he started in right for the first time, and he started in left earlier this season.
  
• Poor Brooks Badeaux. It's not good when you are still in AA and a former coach says that you will be a good coach if you stay in the game. You don't mind it after 10 years in the majors, but not so much when you are still in AA.