Maddon on depth: "Durham should be happy"

Rays manager Joe Maddon slyly heaped a load of expectations on the Durham Bulls and manager Charlie Montoyo.

The Rays, before Friday's spring game with Toronto, still had 35 players in their major league camp.

Whittling the list to 25 for the start of the regular season is a chore, he said.

"There are some really good baseball players out there who are making it hard," Maddon said. "Whatever we choose, there's going to be a lot of depth in Triple-A, too.

"Durham should be happy."

Maddon said he and general manager Andrew Friedman had already "had some singularly good discussions" over the roster. He expects to have it settled soon.

"It's all Andrew's fault for putting this together," Maddon said. "It's a sign of how good a job our scouting department has done. There are so many good players out there."

There are still seven non-roster invitees in camp. Pitcher Erik Bedard has said he will opt out of his contract rather than go to the minors. Catcher Mayo Acosta, who was with the Biscuits last year, isn't a threat to make the Rays.

There are six players still in camp who can't be sent to the minors without the Rays having to risk losing them. They're out of minor league options, according to mlbtraderumors.com.

Outfielder Brandon Guyer spent all of last season at Durham. Pitcher Josh Lueke spent most of the season with the Bulls. The other four -- pitchers Chris Archer, Jake McGee and Cesar Ramos and outfielder Matt Joyce -- were mostly (or entirely) in the big leagues last year.