After quiet Winter Meetings, what's next for Rays?

SAN DIEGO -- The Rays were relatively quiet amid a frenzy of free-agent activity, making only a few minor moves, but they welcomed everything else that came along with the in-person return of the Winter Meetings.

“Going back into the Winter Meetings and getting used to the cadence and everything that happens at these events is a little different,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “It's a different pace. It's a different amount of sleep. It's different, but a lot of conversations. … Whether things happen here or not, it certainly serves as a catalyst for activity just by being all in the same place.”

What have the Rays done? What could be next? Let’s take a look.

Deals done
The Rays handled some business before the Winter Meetings began, agreeing to sign starter Zach Eflin to a three-year, $40 million contract that should be announced after his physical early next week.

On Wednesday, the Rays traded lefty reliever Brooks Raley to the Mets for pitching prospect Keyshawn Askew, then filled his spot on the 40-man roster by acquiring right-hander Kevin Kelly, the Rockies’ selection in the Rule 5 Draft, for cash considerations.

Trading Raley -- who has one guaranteed year and a club option left on his contract -- was a product of the Rays’ desire to balance out their bullpen, which still has three left-handed options in Colin Poche, Jalen Beeks and Garrett Cleavinger.

“To have four really high-quality left-handed relievers, we were looking for a way to balance that out,” GM Peter Bendix said. “This was the way that we found to do it, and we got a pitcher back that we like a lot.”

Biggest remaining needs
1. A veteran left-handed bat
The Rays are still interested in acquiring a veteran lefty hitter to add balance and depth to their lineup. Free agent Michael Brantley looks like the best fit on the market, although there are other options available, including Brandon Belt, Michael Conforto and Joey Gallo.

2. First base
It’s possible the Rays could handle this from within, mixing and matching with players like Yandy Díaz, Brandon Lowe, Isaac Paredes, Jonathan Aranda and, eventually, Curtis Mead or Kyle Manzardo. That might be more likely than signing a free agent like Belt or Dominic Smith. But it’s still a need to address, even if the answer is just changing someone’s position.

3. Opportunistic upgrades
The Rays are still looking for ways to upgrade different parts of their roster, even if there’s not an obvious need to fill. They are interested in A’s catcher Sean Murphy, for instance, who would likely come at a sizable cost in terms of young players but would also greatly strengthen a position held by Christian Bethancourt and Francisco Mejía.

Rule 5 Draft
The Rockies selected Kelly from the Guardians in the Rule 5 Draft, then the Rays sent Colorado cash considerations to add the 25-year-old righty to their bullpen mix. Last season, Kelly recorded a 2.04 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 22 walks in 57 1/3 innings over 48 outings between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.

Kelly throws from a non-traditional angle and has some deception in his delivery, somewhat like Rays reliever Ryan Thompson, making him a tougher challenge for right-handed hitters than lefties.

“He’s somebody that, from the right side, has ingredients to get both righties and lefties out,” Bendix said. “I think he's more prepared currently to get right-handers out, and that's something that we are looking for. … It's part of the balancing out of our bullpen.”

The Rays also lost left-hander Jose Lopez, who was picked by the Padres in the Major League phase. Lopez broke out this year, putting together a 2.43 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings over 42 appearances as he reached Triple-A Durham.

In the Minor League phase, the Rays selected Orioles right-hander Hector Perez, Pirates righty Enmanuel Mejia and Yankees righty Nelson Alvarez, while they lost shortstop Pedro Martinez to the Phillies and catcher Michael Berglund to the Guardians.

GM’s bottom line
“I think we're happy with what we've been able to accomplish over the course of the winter so far, but it's still early. And there's no deadline; that's a good thing and a bad thing. I think there's still things that we are hoping to accomplish for the rest of the winter that we haven't yet, but [we’re] happy with kind of the steps that we've made to this point.” -- Bendix