Tampa Bay Devil Rays Worried They Might Be Cut During Spring Training

ST. PETERSBURG, FL—Members of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays team, coaching staff, and front office expressed concern Tuesday that they might not be one of the lucky 30 teams invited to participate in the 2006 Major League Baseball season. “There’s a lot of good teams out there, and most of them have been around a whole lot longer than we have,” Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “The Yankees, the Red Sox, the Angels—you know they’re all going to make this year’s league. I guess we just have to try our hardest, put some money into this club, and prove that we belong out there with those other teams.” Opposing managers throughout the AL agree that, while the Devil Rays may someday make a decent big-league ballclub, it’s probably best that they get some experience first by starting the season in Triple-A.