"The one thing Andrew Friedman was certain on heading into the offseason was this: He expected to receive a lot of calls from general managers searching for starting pitching.

And Friedman said he has.

A lot.

Most teams are looking to bolster their rotations. The Rays are among the few teams with the enviable position of having a set rotation at the major league level plus a pair of rookies waiting in the wings.

Friedman's goal this winter is to find offense, and one way toward that end would be to deal from a position of strength. But Friedman, the Rays vice president of baseball operations, doesn't sound too eager to part with a starting pitcher.

"We're certainly not flippant about the depth that we have on the pitching side," he said Thursday during a press conference to talk about baseball's annual Winter Meetings, which begin Monday in Dallas and run through Thursday.

For one, nothing reduces depth more than an injury, and the fear of any general manager is being forced to bring up a pitcher from Triple A who is not ready to start at the big league level.

For that reason, Friedman will not move a starter this winter unless the deal is too good to refuse, and for that to happen, the Rays will have to receive a player or players who can fill a need at the major league level.

"I'd be surprised if we did something that didn't help our 2012, 2103 team," Friedman said. "I wouldn't say it is impossible, but I would be surprised if that were the case.""