Countdown to Opening Day - 19: Rays postseason chances left with Maddon

In this 30-day series, theScore's MLB editors will preview the 2015 season with an in-depth look at some of the significant numbers - statistical milestones, jersey numbers and general miscellanea - poised to pop up throughout the campaign.

Following an 85-loss season that saw them finish 19-games back in the division, the Tampa Bay Rays experienced a number of offseason departures that could have serious implications for the future of the franchise. 

It all began at the non-waiver trade deadline when David Price was sent to the Detroit Tigers, continuing the organization's reluctance to pay its stars. 

General manager Andrew Friedman - the architect of four postseason teams -was the next to go, chasing the money west to run the excruciatingly rich Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The team continued its winter purge by cutting ties with 2013 AL Rookie of the Year Wil Myers and nine-year Ray Ben Zobrist, but the resignation of Joe Maddon, arguably the best manager in baseball, is the one move that'll reverberate around the empty seats at Tropicana Field for years to come. 

Maddon's presence in the clubhouse helped the Rays average 91 wins in the six years prior to last year's fourth-place finish, despite operating with minimal finances. 

Now, rookie manager Kevin Cash and new general manager Matthew Silverman are left to pick up the pieces of a franchise that had so much success after a decade of miserable results. 

The Rays' biggest problem from last season will carry into 2015 as the lineup lacks impact bats outside of Evan Longoria, who saw his OPS drop to a career-low .724 last season. An offense that ranked last in the AL in runs scored in 2014 will likely struggle to score once again as the front office did little to upgrade over the winter. 

* Denotes new addition

The new regime was handed a talented rotation, however, that should carry the load for the team much in the way it has in the past. But injuries this spring to Drew Smyly, Alex Cobb and Alex Colome could derail Tampa's biggest strength. 

The Rays finished with a losing record for the first time in seven seasons in 2014 and the losses over a long winter have them poised to finish near the bottom of the division once again.