In a spring of renewal, Rays more interested in 'refreshing' than 'rebuilding'
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Kevin Cash walked from the clubhouse with a bat in his right hand and a grin on his face, another day and a whole spring about to be tackled. He made the short trek to a practice field on this chilled Friday at Charlotte Sports Park, an offseason of change finally in the past, and it was time to get down to business.
The new Tampa Bay Rays manager joined a handful of other early arrivers for stretches and a light workout under the late-morning sun, three days before pitchers and catchers hold their first official drills in those familiar caps and that familiar uniform scheme. Yet little about the moment felt the same as last year.
"It's not that cold out here," right-hander Alex Cobb said while dressed in full uniform, a light jacket in his right hand as he moved through the 47-degree air. "Babies."
In these opening visuals of a new season, the Rays insist they are refreshing themselves, not restarting, after the departures of Joe Maddon, Andrew Friedman, Ben Zobrist and more. Some voices, most notably third baseman Evan Longoria, have dubbed the coming campaign a "refreshing" year, not a rebuilding one.
The difference between the two words is more than semantics. The distinction speaks to the ambition behind the Rays' outlook for 2015, a year in which many observers have already left Tampa Bay for dead.
No Maddon? No Friedman? No Zobrist? No David Price? No chance, some say.
The Rays, of course, see things differently.
"I like to call it a reloading of the team and the organization," said Matt Silverman, the Rays president of baseball operations. "We were able to bring on a number of new players in our organization at the major-league and at the minor-league level that are going to provide value and impact for years to come. At the same time, the talent level at the major-league team is very high. It was high last year, and we had high expectations and didn't perform as we expected. Our internal expectations are still very high because of the players that we have, and we're looking forward to a better season this year."
It's clear that Silverman holds the opinions of so-called experts in the same regard as pitches from used car salesmen. Friday, he was quick to point out that some of baseball's big minds tagged the Rays as potential World Series contenders last spring, only to see those predictions choke in the black smoke of a 77-win season.
Basically, he views the preseason bantering by voices from afar worthy of a mute button. It would be worrisome if he didn't hold that opinion.
But the doubts from the prickly pundits are understood, even justified.
It would be more comforting for most on the outside if the Rays had proven assets in key roles. Instead, they're banking on Cash's potential as a first-time manager. Instead, they're trusting catcher Rene Rivera and designated hitter John Jaso to produce more runs. Instead, they're hoping Steven Souza becomes the well-rounded outfielder they anticipate he can be. Instead, they're relying on Nick Franklin and Logan Forsythe to become answers in the middle infield.
"We have pieces here," outfielder David DeJesus said. "We're refreshing it. We're not starting over. But we're starting to put things (together) differently and tinker with things. Starting with the GM to a new manager, there are going to be little things that they like to do that are different than what Joe liked to do. That will be the refreshing of it. But we're not starting over."
Still, it was impossible to walk throughout Charlotte Sports Park on Friday and not think about the change. A year ago, there was the news conference with Maddon and Friedman seated near the eccentric manager's "Cousin Eddie" RV. There was the introduction of Maddon's "Eat Last" slogan and the buzz that accompanied Price's arrival in the Rays clubhouse after an offseason of trade talk. There was familiarity in place.
A year ago, it was easy to think, "If all the pieces fit, and if health cooperates, then yeah, these Rays can go far."
This spring, though, the refresh must come with a reintroduction. The Rays know there's some excitement in reinvention. The feeling will become more real as a greater number of players trickle in next week before the first full workout on Feb. 28.
But even with the refresh, there's still that pride in trying to prove doubters wrong with the odds stacked against them against rich rivals in the American League East. There's still that pride in trying to play the role of the plucky underdog that scraps, claws and finds a way, however possible, to compete for a postseason berth.
"The simple question is: Would you rather come into an organization that didn't have the structure in place already?" Cash said. "We're fortunate to be walking into ... a team that has everything in order and is looking to expand."
Friday's sights were more movement in the expansion, and for those already here, they know the doubts are out there beyond their comfortable clubhouse. They refuse to buy the dire predictions. They don't want to hear the rebuild talk.
For now, with spring's possibility still alive, a refreshed perspective is good enough for them.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
