B. Lowe's status and more offseason questions for Rays

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There is one critical question facing the Rays this offseason: How will they improve their offense?

“If we’re talking about getting back to where we’ve been the five years prior, we’re going to need to find a way to score more runs,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said Friday. “That’ll be a lot of our focus this offseason.”

Let’s look at five more questions the Rays must answer this winter, most of which play into the big one.

1. Will they pick up Brandon Lowe’s option?

With no pending free agents, this is the most immediate question for Neander. Lowe has a $10.5 million club option for next season, and the Rays must exercise it or buy out the slugging second baseman (for $1 million) within five days of the end of the World Series.

Lowe offers a ton of left-handed power at second base, and while he’s dealt with injuries, he figures to be a key part of the Rays' lineup and their clubhouse. Neander made it sound like an easy question to answer, especially considering their other needs.

“We talked about the need to score more than 600 runs. He wasn’t our problem,” Neander said. “We appreciate him. We always have. I can at least speak to the fact that he’s still here and he wasn’t moved at the [Trade] Deadline -- and some established players were -- as some sort of indicator and action for just how we feel about him.”

2. What will they do at catcher?

Neander made it clear that there's a need for a catcher -- presumably a right-handed hitter to pair with the left-handed-hitting Ben Rortvedt -- calling the position a “priority” this offseason. René Pinto and Alex Jackson didn’t work out in that role, and Rays catchers hit a combined .194/.272/.291 this year.

They could certainly use an upgrade behind the plate -- or at least someone to hold that spot down until prospect Dominic Keegan is ready to make the jump from Triple-A Durham.

The free-agent market will offer some possible stopgap backstops, including veterans like Elias Diaz, Kyle Higashioka, Jacob Stallings and Danny Jansen.

3. Will they trade from their pitching depth?

The Rays' starting options include Shane McClanahan, Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs, Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley, Zack Littell and Tyler Alexander, plus depth arms like Jacob Waguespack and Jacob Lopez. Drew Rasmussen might fit here, too.

In the bullpen, they could bring back right-handers Pete Fairbanks, Edwin Uceta, Manuel Rodríguez, Kevin Kelly and Hunter Bigge, plus potentially Rasmussen and others. Tampa Bay clearly has at least one too many lefty relievers: Colin Poche, Garrett Cleavinger, Richard Lovelady and the ascendant Mason Montgomery.

Will the Rays be willing to deal from (and potentially diminish) this position of strength to improve their offense? Can they move some depth while maintaining their high-end potential, or would they need to move bigger arms for more impactful returns?

4. Will they deal an infielder?

This may be counterintuitive, given the Rays' need for offense, but they might have too many infielders. The club could bring back Yandy Díaz at first base, Lowe at second, Taylor Walls at shortstop and Junior Caminero at third.

The Rays would still have to find at-bats for José Caballero, who can play anywhere, and Jonathan Aranda, whose injuries kept him from a bigger opportunity this season. Then they need to figure out where Christopher Morel fits best, how Richie Palacios slots into the infield/outfield mix and whether they want to give former top prospect Curtis Mead another shot.

Tampa Bay didn’t move Díaz or Lowe at the Trade Deadline. Would the team risk taking a proven bat out of its lineup to do so now?

5. How will they use Drew Rasmussen and Christopher Morel?

Rasmussen’s stint in the bullpen this season was mostly about getting him back on the big league mound in his return from a third major elbow procedure. He was a highly effective starter before his latest injury, and he has proven his ability as a two-inning power arm out of the 'pen.

It’s a good problem for the Rays to have, but probably one they must proactively answer this winter, so that the hard-working Rasmussen knows how to prepare for the season.

Meanwhile, Morel worked exclusively at second base immediately after joining the Rays. He improved with more reps, then he added left-field duties near the end of the season. The Rays want to limit his work to one position, but they believe he’s athletic enough to handle either.

This decision could be more reactive, depending on what Tampa Bay does this offseason. If the club adds an outfield bat, for instance, maybe Morel bounces back to the infield. If the Rays deal an infielder to free up at-bats there, perhaps he’ll work at second base. The club is optimistic he’ll bounce back offensively, and there's time to figure out his defensive home.