"When the Tampa Bay Rays lost so many key players over the winter, it was natural to wonder just how dull things would be this season at the Trop. It won't be dull, though. The Rays ensured that by signing Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, deals that will be made official around noon today.

Manny will say stuff and hopefully provide some power, because that's what he does.

Damon will likely steal some bases and generate some offense, because that's what he does. Well, maybe not so much with the steals - he has 23 combined in 288 games over the last two seasons after swiping 29 in 2008 with the Yankees. He also had double-figures in home runs for eight consecutive years before falling to eight in 2010. To be fair, that season was spent at cavernous Comerica Park in Detroit.

That leads me to the key question here. The Rays are more interesting today, but are they better?

In my opinion, yes they are.

Some fun stats to gnaw on: Damon hit .301 with a .408 on-base percentage last year in the "late and close" stat - defined as a plate appearance in the seventh inning or later with the game either tied, his team ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck.

The Tigers also used him as the designated hitter a lot, but Manny will primarily fill that role here.

Good thing.

In 397 at-bats with Detroit as a DH, Damon hit .254 with a .336 OBP. Put him in left field, though - which the Tigers did for 33 games and 116 at-bats - and his average jumped to .328 and his OBP to .426.

He can hit leadoff, although the numbers suggest he may be better batting second. That would likely bracket Evan Longoria out of the No. 3 spot with Damon and Manny, providing at least some protection. Manager Joe Maddon would still need a leadoff hitter in that situation, but that's a column for another day.

Likewise, Damon's defensive liabilities as left fielder are just something the Rays will have to live with. There is only one Carl Crawford and he is in Boston now. At this point, the Rays have to do the best they can because Desmond Jennings, Crawford's designated successor, needs another season in Triple A."