• MATT SILVERMAN - President, Tampa Bay Rays
• ANDREW FRIEDMAN - Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations
• JOE MADDON - Manager, Tampa Bay Rays

Matt Silverman, President Andrew Friedman, Executive Vice President

With a 2010 payroll of $72 million, President Matt Silverman and Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman made some crafty moves in the off-season — picking up pitcher Joaquin Benoit, who became one of the top middle relievers in baseball, for $750,000 in base salary and Rafael Soriano, the American League saves leaders last season. While attendance is not what management would like, it's also not a barometer of the team's standing in the community, which has come a long way since the young executives took over. Manager Joe Maddon — a big believer in crunching stats and tweaking his lineup according to how each player matches up against an opponent — took the team to the playoffs for the second time in three seasons in a division where the Yankees' payroll is $207 million and the Red Sox's is $161 million.

— John Annunziata

Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays manager [Photo: St. Petersburg Times]