Tampa Bay Rays Fate Unpredictable

By Samantha Russo — 3/9/2011
It was a rough offseason for the Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff. Last year’s bullpen was one of the best in the majors and Rays franchise history. Closer Rafael Soriano signed with the New York Yankees. The number two starter Matt Garza was traded to the Chicago Cubs and key setup reliever Dan Wheeler went to the Boston Red Sox. There seems to be a lot of uncertainty in the Rays bullpen. As of right now there is no closer and the only sure starter for Tampa Bay this year is David Price.
Rays coach Don Zimmer said “right now it’s just too early to really predict who’s going to be the closer or whether we’re going to have a closer. It’s tough when you lose your whole bullpen, which we did.”
The Rays still have about three weeks to make their final roster decisions before opening day. But players and coaches remain optimistic and confident in manager Joe Maddon’s ability to put together a solid team.