If life were a game of MVP 2K5...

The Rays could, with just a few moves and a lot of free agent $$, strike fear into the hearts of the rest of the AL East, gain an awful lot of national exposure and publicity...while also improving the on-field product dramatically.

Step 1: Do whatever it takes to get Joe Torre into the organization.

Make him a "Special Assistant" to his friend Zim, give him a special luxury box seat that happens to be next to Maddon in the dugout, change the uniforms so they look more like the Yankees (oh wait...), just do whatever it takes to get him in a Rays uniform. As overrated as I think he is as a manager, this step is absolutely essential for:

Step 2: Sign FA's Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada to similar two-year deals, roughly $25-30M each.

Sure you have to overpay, but it seems that these two want to continue playing for or near their friend Joe, and would fill two of the biggest holes on this roster with Hall of Fame-caliber players. They may be bound for declines in their numbers from this past season, but Mariano can still bring that wicked fastball of his and bumps the rest of the bullpen (Reyes, Wheeler, etc) forward one innng, and bringing Posada in to helping tutor his onetime protege Dioner Navarro, could also split DH duties every week or so with signing #3...

Step 3: Sign free agent OF/DH Barry Bonds, one year, $17M.

This may be the riskiest of all possible moves, but also the one with the greatest potential reward. Similar to the signing of Wade Boggs in '98, having Bonds in a Devi...er, Rays uni would provide all sorts of attention from the national media as he tries to pick up the 65 hits he needs for 3,000...but the upgrade from a DH of, say, Greg Norton to a Barry Bonds would considerably boost the lineup as well. Furthermore, does anybody think the "Three Amigos" (Delmon, Upton, and Dukes should he ever return) would try to pull any of their tricks if one of the greatest players of all time is sitting there in the clubhouse across from them?

Step 4: Sign P Curt Schilling, two years $20M.

May have to outbid the Phillies on this one ;)

Step 5: Re-up 1B Carlos Pena for 3 years, $39M.

The Rays received one of the most productive cheap seasons of all time from Pena in 2007. Show that you're willing to reward such an excellent season with a committment to him, even if you have to pay above market value, and show the rest of the team that if they break the team HR, RBI, and all those other records, that they will be part of a successful future for the franchise too.

Projected Lineup:

2B Iwamura
LF Crawford
CF Upton
1B Pena
C Posada
DH Bonds
RF Young
3B Longoria / Joel Guzman??
SS Harris / Velandia / Wilson

Pitching:

SP Kazmir
SP Shields
SP Schilling
SP Jackson
SP Howell / Niemann

RP Wheeler
RP Balfour
RP Witasick
RP Salas
RP Reyes
RP Switzer / Ridgeway
CP Rivera

Sure you'd have to at least double the payroll to do this, but it would be oh so glorious to see. Thoughts?