Tampa Bay Rays Seating Chart

For the Tampa Bay Rays, the big question is how this team will respond following such a dream season in 2008.

Tampa Bay went from never finishing above last place in the American League East to reaching the World Series in just one season, an incredible transformation.

Now with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox both making a number of offseason moves to strengthen their respective clubs, the question remains whether Tampa Bay can still remain on top.

They certainly have the nucleus to be a World Series contender for many years to come with young stars such as Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza.

The Rays did a great job putting together their starting lineup, including a great blend of power and speed that also includes a lot of good fielders. It's tough to find a weakness anywhere on the diamond.

Their starting rotation was always a major question mark, but the Rays made a huge upgrade before the start of last season when they traded talented outfielder Delmon Young to the Minnesota Twins for Garza.

The team also has benefitted from the continued development of both Andy Sonnastine and Edwin Jackson, two young pitchers who have improved as they have gained more experience at the big league level.

The Rays did add some pop to their lineup in the offseason, signing outfielder Pat Burrell with the intention of using him as their designated hitter.

While they did sign Burrell, they lost outfielder Rocco Baldelli to the division rival Red Sox. I was surprised to see the Rays let Baldelli go given how long they stuck with him through his injuries. He produced big-time in the playoffs last year and was finally healthy, so you would think they would have hung onto him.

Baldelli is from the New England area, so returning home to Boston was the perfect match for him. The outfielder was so grateful for the support he received from Tampa fans that he took out an ad in the newspaper to thank them.

It will be interesting to see how the Rays play this year given the expectations that have been placed upon them, but I don't think the trip to the World Series was a fluke. This team has a ton of talent and good chemistry and should be a factor again in 2009.