Tampa Bay Rays Bullpen was Key in 2008 Run, Again in 2010

The Tampa Bay Rays got to the 2008 World Series at least in part because of a vastly improved bullpen. They spent much of the offseason after that remarkable run working to improve that bullpen and finished third in the American League East in 2009.

Let's try that again.

"We appreciate how difficult it is," general manager Andrew Friedman says of maintaining an effective relief corps while contending in a division that includes the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

An 84-78 record probably proves the '08 pennant was no fluke but also leaves 19 games to make up on the World Series champion Yankees, 11 games on the wild-card Red Sox.

Enter Rafael Soriano, a would-be closer acquired from the Atlanta Braves after the season. There's no guarantee the hard-throwing right-hander automatically owns that job with Tampa Bay despite his 27 saves and 102 strikeouts in 75⅔ innings for the Braves last season.

"We want to get as many guys who can pitch in high-leverage situations as we can," says Friedman, who spent last winter adding Randy Choate, Lance Cormier and Joe Nelson to his 2008 bullpen that had a 3.55 ERA plus 52 saves from six pitchers.

"(J.P.) Howell and (Grant) Balfour were superhuman in '08," Friedman says. "Last year, they were just good -- no, really good -- but it's helpful when you get outstanding relief pitching."

Volatility is a common phenomenon in an era with increasing dependence on bullpen role players, especially after the high-volume workload necessary for a team to play through October. Rays manager Joe Maddon maneuvered through the '08 postseason without a declared closer and tried the same approach in '09, when nine relievers got saves. Howell emerged as the primary closer in the second half and led the team with 17 saves but also had eight blown saves, though most were in setup situations.

Howell still could be the lefty counterpart to right-handed Soriano in 2010, and most of Friedman's stockpiled relievers remain. That includes Balfour, Choate, Cormier, Balfour and Dan Wheeler, the de facto closer with 13 saves during the '08 stretch drive.

All of which will be crucial behind a starting rotation that probably will include 24-year-olds David Price and Wade Davis, two rising stars the Rays will avoid overworking at all costs. In fact, James Shields, 28, will be the oldest member of the rotation.

While Friedman lists improving the bullpen as his most glaring need, he knows he needs more from a still-emerging offense, one that jumped from ninth in the AL in runs in 2008 to fifth last season. And that with, as Friedman says, "three guys who really struggled."

Catcher Dioner Navarro, 25, tumbled to .218 from .295 in the championship season. So the Rays added Kelly Shoppach, who had a similar '09 tumble to .214 with the Cleveland Indians after hitting .261 with 21 homers.

The other '09 strugglers were center fielder B.J. Upton, the 25-year-old who hit .241 coming off shoulder surgery, and designated hitter Pat Burrell, whose 14 homers were a career low and .221 average his worst since 2003.

"We were challenged in consistently scoring runs," Friedman says.

But the growth had to come from somewhere, and it started with Jason Bartlett and Ben Zobrist, who joined third baseman Evan Longoria and left fielder Carl Crawford as All-Stars. Shortstop Bartlett had a breakout .320 season, and Zobrist played seven positions and hit .297 and 27 homers.

Zobrist's ability to handle second base when Akinori Iwamura was lost for most of the season with a knee injury also allowed Friedman to trade Iwamura to the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason for reliever Jesse Chavez, who Tampa Bay then moved on to Atlanta for Soriano.

Again, it all comes back to the bullpen.