"From the look of things, Carlos Peña is not coming back to the Rays.

With Adam Dunn going from the Nationals to the White Sox, and with Adrian Gonzalez now heading to the Red Sox instead of elsewhere, Peña seems unlikely to return, probably headed to Washington to replace Dunn, with the Cubs and O's other possibilities.

And while the Rays may have wanted Peña back on certain terms, it will be good for them to know if he is indeed moving on, so they can, too, with other options.

The Rays prefer to operate on the lowdown anyway, but even if they wanted to share their strategy this offseason, it would be hard for them to name names.

That's not because they don't have a plan, but because they have several. The most telling wordsVP Andrew Friedman may have said at last week's pre-winter meetings media session were "patient" and "nimble."

The reality is the Rays have to be both, as they sort through myriad scenarios.

Part is financial, as, with payroll being cut, they weigh how much better they'd be with, say, a $50 million payroll vs. $35 million. And some has to do with the players - theirs and others - as they decide who is worth waiting for, who to be aggressive with, how to synchronize the dueling priorities of needs and wants."