Interview with Tampa Bay Rays President Matt Silverman

When the Tampa Bay Rays visited Disney's Wide World of Sports for their three game regular season series with the Toronto Blue Jays, I was able to meet the Rays' team President Matt Silverman, who was gracious in answering a brief Q and A interview for later. Thank you Mr. Silverman.

The following is a question and answer interview with the President of the Tampa Bay Rays, Matt Silverman.


The new ownership group came into the Tampa Bay area with a plan on how to turn this franchise around and becoming a viable major league team. Ownership first addressed Tropicana Field itself, changed the front office decision makers, the coaching staff, and attempted to become more fan friendly. As a whole, has the feedback from the public been as positive as you'd hoped for? And with attendance?

We are thrilled to be part of the Tampa Bay community. Our organizational philosophy is really bearing fruits on the field this season, but the process has been ongoing since our ownership change in October 2005. We took many fresh, new steps to provide a great environment for fans to enjoy a game and establish ourselves as a community partner. The interest level in the team is on the rise, and we can only hope that it manifests itself in attendance. Having packed crowds really makes a difference to our players. It creates a real home field advantage.


Which statement better describes the Rays' philosophy towards winning;

Would it be "win it all now, be the front runners, and worry about the future later, no matter the cost", or would it be "lets try and win 90 games every year, be competitive, and once in a while maybe get a shot at winning it all"?

Andrew Friedman has consistently said that we want to be an organization that can sustain winning, season after season. To do that, we have to keep one eye on the present and one eye on the future. We do not have the financial resources of higher revenue clubs, but, with a focus on player development and with continued investment in the talented player we’ve acquired or developed, we believe we can compete year in and year out.

What would you like to say to the naysayers that are constantly dwelling on past failures and prior ownership?

We are the Rays, not the Devil Rays. We are committed to being a quality corporate citizen, to putting a great product on the field, and to providing the best possible environment for fans to enjoy the game of baseball. The naysayers should give the organization another try—hopefully they’ll recognize the differences.

And to those that say "you can win some now, and maybe for a few years, but will never be able to maintain winning nor keep the great players because this is a small market team"?

It certainly won’t be easy, but we believe it can be done. The first step is creating an environment in which players want to play. The long term signings of James Shields, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, Dan Wheeler, Scott Kazmir and Carl Crawford are evidence of that. They have chosen to be Rays. If we can continue to draft and develop top players, we should be able to continue adding to our already talented and exciting team.

The new stadium proposal that is underway has been receiving great support from the national media. Clearly, this unique waterfront stadium as designed would become the beacon for the city of St Pete. Is there a timetable as to how long is the ownership group willing to lobby the local government, the media, and residents to get this project done?


We believe the design for a waterfront ballpark in downtown St. Pete will give us the most beautiful stadium in Major League Baseball. It would be a great source of pride for St. Pete and Tampa Bay, and it could be a part, along with the redevelopment of Tropicana Field and its parking lots, of a new wave of growth for St. Pete. We are focused on getting the ballpark on the ballot for November. If all goes well, we’ll be playing regular season baseball on the waterfront in 2012.


And if the proposal is not accepted by either deadlines and/or taxpayers , would there ever be consideration for a Tampa location?

We put forth this proposal because we believe the historic Al Lang Field site would be a great location for the long-term home of the Rays. If the new ballpark effort does not proceed, our long-term lease at Tropicana Field would remain in place.


The ownership group disappointed many fans when the Rays' payroll went down last year. Rampant thoughts of "new guys in town, but nothing has changed" were everyday criticisms. Knowing what was on the horizon, was that an intentional plan at the time, by choosing not to invest in any significant free agents and thus waiting for the youth to further their development?

Before the 2006 season, Stuart Sternberg said our payroll would rise 10%-15% annually. That’s a target, but so much of it depends upon the players in-house and the particulars of the free agent market. Over the past two seasons, we were able to determine our needs and how to address them. We also were able to provide many young players the chance to get valuable experience at the Major League. Two of the beneficiaries, Dioner Navarro and Edwin Jackson, have gotten off to great starts this season. The experiences they gained the past couple of seasons certainly have contributed to that.


When we first spoke at Disney's Wide World of Sports back in April, you stated that the Rays were very close to becoming competitive. Did you ever envision a stand alone hold on first place in the middle of May 2008, and has this fast start by the team surprised even you?

Coming into Spring Training, we were very excited about the ballclub. The organization was optimistic, but no one really knew what to expect. Our success to date has come despite some early season injuries. We’re even more excited to see what a healthy Ray ballclub can do the rest of the way.


With the considerable wealth of talent currently on hand in the Rays' minor league affiliates, one could draw comparisons of the current Rays' organization to that of say, the Atlanta Braves of the early 1990's, or the Baltimore Orioles of the 1960's. Was there a previous franchise model that was chosen to follow, prior to taking ownership control?

I wouldn’t say that we follow the model of any single organization. We certainly have learned lessons from observing other organizations, but each organization faces its particular circumstances and challenges.

If the Rays' are still in the pennant race by late July, is there a temptation and/or desire to trade minor league prospects for a veteran player(s) for a potential stretch run?

We don’t feel we have any major needs, but we always want to maintain flexibility so that we could add potential pieces should the need arise and the cost (in terms of talent exchanged) make sense.

Rocco Baldelli is still attempting to return to baseball. Being one of the primary faces of this franchise and so well respected in the community, it surely has been devastating to both Rocco and the Rays' that he unable to play at this time. If, by some misfortune, that his recovery is not successful enough for him to continue playing, would the Rays' be able to find a place for him in another role assuming he would want to?

Rocco’s focus and ours is on getting Rocco back on the field. He’s making progress and we’re going to do everything we can to aid him in his efforts.

The Disney series against the Blue Jays seemed to be another success with the exception that there were still some empty seats throughout the stadium. By and large though, players, fans, and the media all liked the experience. Are the odds of returning next year greater than 50/50, or less than 50/50?

We really enjoyed the Orlando series and reaching out to fans in that part of our region. It is too early in the scheduling process for next season to determine the odds of returning. Whether we return to Disney or not, we will continue to work diligently to extend the Rays into Orlando and Central Florida. They’re critical to our growth as a franchise.



What changes there would you like to see if the Rays' were to return?

We’re undefeated at Disney—why change a thing?



Comparisons could be drawn to the Rays' relationship to Orlando, and that of Baltimore and Washington during the late 1970's. After the Senators moved to Texas for the 1972 season, the Orioles began to televise and broadcast games on DC affiliates several years later. The foothold in the region did not take until the late 1970's though. Once it did however, the Orioles saw attendance jump significantly while attributing upwards of 25% of their total attendance to the DC area.

Is that the plan with Disney and the Rays? And do you envision other mini road trips to other regions in Florida, such as Jacksonville, Ft Meyers, etc?

We are determined to become a truly regional ballclub with support from throughout the State of Florida. We want the Rays to not only be Orlando’s team, but also Fort Myers’ team and Gainesville’s team. If we can capture the hearts of our region and extend our reach throughout the state, we’ll be able to prosper.


There is significant frustration in Orlando concerning the broadcast partners of the Rays', in that they are very much unavailable to most of the region. FSN-Florida has an ongoing dispute with Britehouse cable and it's 800,000 subscribers, and is unavailable on their cable system, and WHOO 1080 am, which has a too weak signal to be heard over the air in most of the region after dusk.

The FSN/Brighthouse dispute keeps more than half of the Rays' games from being seen by nearly a million subscribers regionally. The alternative then, would be to listen to the game on the radio, but, for most, is an impossibility as well.

Do the Rays' have any plans on addressing these issues in the future, so that "out of sight, out of mind" doesn't take hold in the area?

We are working hard each season to expand our partnerships with television and radio affiliates throughout the state. We are determined to do what we can to make sure that everyone who wants to watch or listen to a Rays game in the region has the ability to.



Finally, as President of the Rays', is this your dream job, or would you rather be a player?

Like most kids, I dreamed of playing in the Major Leagues, but that dream was vanquished well before I made it to high school. I’m much better suited for this position than any position on the field.