Competition is good, competition for a roster spot is even better. For the first time in a long time, there will be lots of competition coming this spring among the Tampa Bay Rays outfielders as all will be vying for spots on the 25-man roster.
Tampa Bay Rays GM Erik Neander said via a conference call after the trade, that besides liking his defensive abilities and his speed, the team acquired Mallex Smith to “shake up” the group of outfielders already on the roster. I took that to mean that no spot was a given, that the players other than say Colby Rasmus and Kevin Kiermaier would compete for a spot on the roster and playing time.