St. Petersburg, Fla. ? There’s no doubt in Lou Piniella’s mind.

The Tampa Devil Rays will be better this season, the manager insists, even if escaping last place in the AL East for the first time in franchise history seems like an unrealistic expectation.

In a division dominated by the high-spending New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Piniella’s young team also is chasing the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, who improved this winter.

“I’m supposed to be optimistic as a manager. But I like our club. I really do. I’ve managed enough years in the big leagues that I’m not going to be fooled,” Piniella said. “This is the year we leap toward baseball respectability. Then you go from there.”

Despite having money to spend in free agency for the first time in four years, the $10 million the Devil Rays invested in upgrading the roster merely increased the club’s payroll to about $23 million — still the lowest in the majors.

The everyday lineup should be better with the addition of outfielder Jose Cruz Jr., first baseman Tino Martinez and second baseman Rey Sanchez. The bench is stronger with Robert Fick, Geoff Blum and Eduardo Perez, and the pitching has a chance to be improved, too.

With 63 victories last season, the team won eight more than the year before while trying to identify a core of young players the team can build around for the future.

Outfielders Rocco Baldelli and Carl Crawford, designated hitter/outfielder Aubrey Huff and catcher Toby Hall are a major part of that nucleus.

Baldelli and Crawford, each 22 years old, combined for 361 hits last season, the most by teammates that young since Boston’s Ted Williams (21) and Bobby Doerr (22) combined for 366 in 1940.