For Tampa Bay Rays, pitching is still the key
TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Rays have a lot of new faces, but starting pitching is still the most beautiful thing about the franchise.
For the cash-strapped organization that lives in the same division as the penthouse-dwelling Yankees and Red Sox, pitching is the great equalizer.
It doesn't guarantee manager Kevin Cash will not be reaching for the aspirin bottle every night because the bullpen took a few hits and the injury nightmares of last year still haunt the team.
The Rays brought in new players to improve their offense, but might have sacrificed too much defensively in the process.
It's a gamble, but the choices for the franchise are limited. The Rays enter the season with a payroll of about $66.3 million, which is dwarfed by its AL East rivals such as New York ($227.3 million) and Boston ($199.9 million).
The roster is draped in question marks. Even its starting rotation, which is the heartbeat of the team, is not a sure thing because two of its best pitchers, Matt Moore and Drew Smyly, dealt with injuries last year and no one knows if either can hold up for an entire season.
Chris Archer is the rock-star of the rotation. He possesses a wicked slider that could earn him a Cy Young Award. Moore has been having a Cy Young-like spring, and Smyly hasn't shown any signs of the torn labrum he suffered a year ago.
"He is going to be talked about as a special player, not just for the Rays, but for all of baseball. It's an honor for him to start the opener and he deserves it," Cash said about Archer.
Jake Odorizzi rounds out the top four and fifth starter Erasmo Ramirez will not be needed until May because of the Rays' schedule.
The good thing about the starting pitching is depth. Alex Cobb should be ready at mid-season, and Blake Snell, the phenom in waiting, will be a phone call away at Triple-A Durham.
But the bullpen is no sure thing and that was before closer Brad Boxberger had to undergo core muscle surgery that will keep him out several months. He led the American League with 41 saves, but struggled in the second half of the season.
"Obviously, it's a blow because he's so valuable to our team, to our staff and especially at the back of the game, but we have a number of guys who can try to fill the that void for the first month of the year," Cash said.
The Rays manager said he will rely more on the starters and ask them go longer while using a closer by committee approach.
Alex Colome could be the new Boxberger, but the Rays prefer to use him for multiple innings out of the pen. Xavier Cedeno is the top left-hander in the pen. Newcomer Danny Farquhar had 16 saves for Seattle in 2013. Ryan Webb is another new face with potential, and Steve Geltz had productive moments last season.
Evan Longoria and second baseman Logan Forsythe appear the only players certain to be in the lineup every day though Kevin Kiermaier could join that group because he is the best defensive center fielder in the Major Leagues.
At age 30, the popular narrative is that Longoria is not the hitter he used to be and has lost the bat speed that made him an all-star though his defensive skills are solid.
Kiermaier hasn't shown he can hit consistently for an entire season, but his strong surge at the end of last season showed promise that he could be a solid everyday player.
Forsythe will bat leadoff for the first time in his career and it's not certain how that will affect his success. He hit .281 last year with career highs in homers (17) and RBIs (68).
Cash said moving Forsythe to the leadoff spot was a difficult decision, but it made the most sense.
"The biggest reason is it allows one of our best hitters to get 75 more at-bats on the year. We want him up as much as possible and this is the best way to do it," Cash said. "We've got more thump at the top and more speed toward the back end of the lineup."
The Rays improved themselves at first base by obtaining Steve Pearce and Logan Morrison, who combined for 32 homers last year. They gave up James Loney, the best fielder of the trio, but he hit four homers last season.
Offense improved at shortstop with Brad Miller, but he is a risk on defense. The alternative to Miller is Tim Beckham, who is running out of time to reach his potential.
"A couple of spring training errors is not to change our opinion. Now to Brad's credit he did make some adjustments. He's done a really nice job staying consistent with that. We feel good about him," Cash said.
Curt Casali and Hank Conger will share the catching duties. Neither has played a full season in the big leagues, but Casali hit 10 homers last year in 101 at-bats and Conger had 11 in 201 at-bats..
The rest of the Rays outfield will be a combination Desmond Jennings, Brandon Guyer, Steven Souza Jr. and newly acquired Corey Dickerson, who would be Hall of Famer if he could play all of his career at Coors Field. Any of them can DH.
Jennings has been a disappointment and injury prone of late. Souza has struggled with the strike zone, which is why he struck out 144 times in 375 at-bats last. Dickerson is a question mark.
The Rays averaged 3.95 runs per game last season and add 21 homers to the catcher's position and 32 to first base, which should boost the offensive production. Still it all comes back to pitching.
Alan Dell, Herald sports columnist/writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter @ADellSports
This story was originally published April 3, 2016 at 12:22 AM with the headline "For Tampa Bay Rays, pitching is still the key ."