5 big offseason questions facing the Rays

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Aside from a few staff changes, it’s been a quiet couple of weeks for the Rays since they were swept from the postseason in the American League Wild Card Series. That will change in the coming days, as the end of the World Series will bring about the start of a busy offseason for Tampa Bay.

Soon, the Rays will have to address a lineup in need of more thump, a pitching staff with more options than available jobs and a young talent base that regularly tests the limits of their 40-man roster. And they’ll have to do it all with their eyes set on a fifth straight postseason appearance next year -- ideally a longer one than this season brought.

We’ll dive into the details next week. For now, here are five questions facing the Rays this offseason.

1. How will they create more offense?
Some improvement will happen organically with better health from Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe and others. The Rays also need young players like Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda to improve after getting their first extended looks in the Majors this year.

Granted, they’ll only need to do enough to support what’s likely to be an excellent pitching staff headlined by aces Tyler Glasnow and Shane McClanahan. But looming over everything the Rays do this winter will be the need to bolster a lineup that took a step back this year and went missing in the end.

2. Whom will they trade?
This is just a reality of the way the Rays do business: Key players get traded. David Price and Evan Longoria, Blake Snell and Willy Adames, Joey Wendle and Austin Meadows, so on and so forth. Those deals often work out fine, but they’re always tough in the moment.

Could the Rays move Randy Arozarena? He’s still affordable and has as much ability as anyone, but he’s run hot and cold -- and he could bring back a big return. Could they part with Yandy Díaz, such a key part of what they do? Could their lineup afford the loss of either? Might they have another surprise in store?

3. What will they do at first base?
It seems likely Ji-Man Choi, who’s projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $4.5 million next season, will be playing elsewhere after his strong first half gave way to a .164/.272/.293 line in the second half.

That would create an opening at first, which the Rays could fill by adding a bat or changing another player’s position. The latter is a possibility to resolve their infield logjam, as Isaac Paredes and Vidal Bruján are out of options and they like Aranda’s bat. Perhaps they could get into the mix at first base, especially Paredes and Aranda; at second, with Brandon Lowe shifting to first; or at third, with Díaz playing first.

4. Is there a big splash in store?
The Rays made a real run at Freddie Freeman and talked about other big names when the lockout lifted. They pursued Max Scherzer at the 2021 Trade Deadline and reportedly sought Kris Bryant and Craig Kimbrel, too.

None of those moves happened, but they exemplified the Rays’ willingness to make a big splash. Perhaps they already took their shot by extending Glasnow through 2024, a big commitment on top of Franco’s mega-extension, but maybe there’s another unexpected move looming.

5. Which young players will they prioritize?
By trading Wendle last year, the Rays showed their faith in Taylor Walls. When they traded Meadows, they bet on Josh Lowe. They counted on Shane Baz, Luis Patiño and others entering this year, too. Their offseason moves will show us how they feel about those players and the next wave of young talent.

Is there room in the outfield for Lowe? Is there room in a talented rotation -- led by Glasnow, McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs -- for Patiño? Where do Walls, Paredes, Aranda and Bruján fit? How close are top prospects like Taj Bradley and Curtis Mead?