Last week, I talked about the trials, tribulations, and future of Joe Mauer. We talked about the possibility of moving Mauer’s injured knee to third base, where the 20-year-old would see increased career longevity. A year ago, it would have been foolish to hint at Joe Mauer and B.J. Upton, once my top two prospects, playing the same position. Now, it’s quickly becoming a reality.

While it now appears the grounders Mauer was taking at third weren’t prepping him for a position change, the idea of having Upton make the A-Rod switch appears real. Lou Piniella, who promised to honor his contract in Tampa, has recently been boasting his 2004 shortstop, Julio Lugo. Called the ‘spark’ of the team, Piniella will lobby to management to pay Lugo the upwards of $3 million he’ll command next year. And moving Julio to second does not appear to be an option, rather move the 20-year-old to the hot corner.

For much of the season, the Devil Rays split the .614 OPS Geoff Blum and immovable Aubrey Huff at third. Upton’s arrival changed things, as once he showed his error-prone defense up the middle, Piniella shipped him further left. Blum also split time with Rey Sanchez at second (.617 OPS), shaping one of the worst combinations in the Majors. Luckily, the arrival of 22-year-old Jorge Cantu moved both Blum and Sanchez to the bench, where they should be destined until their retirements.

Before the season, not a lot of Major League production was expected out of Cantu or Upton. Cantu was a 22-year-old shortstop who had previously walked a total of 80 times in 1,979 total minor league at-bats. And Upton, while screaming of future success, only had 19 years and 105 at-bats above A-ball to his name. Despite having less career AA at-bats than Upton, Joey Gathright merited the highest expectations. And for good reason, because in 2003 the Devil Ray hit .334, and posted OBPs above .400 in both the California and Southern Leagues. But with an ‘All-Star’ in left and the world’s most overrated centerfielder, Gathright didn’t have much of a future with the team.

After 200 solid at-bats in AAA in 2003, Jorge Cantu began the 2004 season with the Durham Bulls. He would spend 98 games in the International League, before getting the promotion to the Majors. Cantu saw a power spike that led to a .274 ISO, even with the infielder hitting better than .300. Playing second, short and third, Cantu hit 56 extra-base hits, or almost one every six at-bats. His patience stayed pretty poor, as he walked just 16 times in 368 at-bats. But still, Cantu had posted his best OBP since 2000, and he presented a much better option than Rey Sanchez or Geoff Blum.

But as still remains the problem, B.J. Upton was never a better option for Lou Piniella than Julio Lugo. Not a better option, despite being a former #2 overall pick and harnessing five-tool attributes. Not a better option, despite an .878 AA OPS and .930 AAA OPS. So Piniella, always stubborn, moved Upton to third base, where he made just two errors all season. But take that with a grain of salt, as two errors still equals a low .914 fielding percentage.

And finally there was Gathright, who looked great after starting the season late with a hamstring injury. Gathright made an Upton-like tear through AA and AAA, but struggled a bit in the Majors. He did have a chance to play semi-regularly, with Rocco spending some time on the DL. I think, despite poor numbers this year, Gathright is ready to be a Major League contributor.

If the Devil Rays are seriously pondering a left side of Lugo and Upton, this will be a speed-first type team. Carl Crawford already adds an element to the game that few can match, and adding Gathright to that mix would make this the fastest team in the Major Leagues. To add Gathright, of course, would command the exit of fan-favorite Rocco Baldelli. Since writing a Devil Ray preview on Hardball Times, I have been open about my dislike for Baldelli. This came with a bunch of criticism from readers, but I still say that Rocco will not become a star.

But, there is no question his trade value is high. So when Carlos Beltran runs to New York City after the playoffs, exploit the same team that milked Brandon Backe for Geoff Blum. The Astros will have a big hole in center field, and would undoubtedly show interest in the cheap, but effective Baldelli. And, according to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros have shown a willingness to trade Morgan Ensberg. So screw re-signing Lugo and moving Upton, trade for Ensberg. They would also have the bargaining power to acquire one other Astro, thought doubtfully anyone significant.

But, with Ensberg in and Lugo gone, these are the players guaranteed of starting jobs next year:

C- Toby Hall
2B- Jorge Cantu
SS- B.J. Upton
3B- Morgan Ensberg
LF- Carl Crawford
CF- Joey Gathright
DH- Aubrey Huff

This would open up a lot of money for not just the re-signing of Jose Cruz, but possibly another player. With Tino Martinez off the books, would Richie Sexson consider playing in Tampa? In need of a power bat in the middle, maybe Piniella could convince owner Vince Naimoli to offer Sexson a three or four-year deal. I doubt offers will be fantastic for Sexson, which would work right into the Devil Ray plans.

And now, your 2005 Tampa Bay Devil Ray Opening Day batting order:

1. Carl Crawford- LF
2. Joey Gathright- CF
3. Aubrey Huff- DH
4. Richie Sexson- 1B
5. Jose Cruz- RF
6. Morgan Ensberg- 3B
7. B.J. Upton- SS
8. Toby Hall- C
9. Jorge Cantu

With that time, I would follow Lou Piniella’s suit, and guarantee they would finish out of the basement. Not only that, but the above lineup could likely be had for less than fifteen million dollars. And once that Delmon Young character comes up…could we be saying, “Your AL East Champs, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays”?

No. But maybe third place?