Joe Maddon Digging Into Rays' Rebuilding

by Marc Lancaster

Filed under: Rays, AL East, MLB Hot Stove, MLB Winter Meetings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Joe Maddon knows what it's like to be at or near the top in baseball. He has a World Series ring from 2002, when he was the Angels' bench coach, and his Rays teams have won the rugged AL East two of the last three seasons.

At heart, though, Maddon remains the type of guy who relishes underdog status. Aside from being a die-hard Arizona Cardinals football fan, he has maintained in certain regards a mentality that served him well during years spent on the back fields as a manager and instructor in the Angels' minor-league system.

This is part of the reason Maddon's trademark optimism has been bolstered, not diminished, by the rebuilding project and mounting odds the Rays face this offseason. Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena are gone and the Rays' bullpen is basically vacant while the Red Sox have added Adrian Gonzalez and the Yankees are working on Cliff Lee, but he doesn't seem concerned. In fact, in Maddon parlance, he kind of digs it.

 

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