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TAMPA, Fla. -- Two months ago, president of baseball operations Erik Neander sat inside Tropicana Field to review the Rays’ disappointing season and directly acknowledged the club’s most glaring deficiency.

“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,” Neander said on Oct. 4, “and that'll be a lot of our focus this offseason.”

Hurricane Milton ripped off most of the Trop’s roof less than a week after Neander’s end-of-season press conference, turning the Rays’ future in Tampa Bay into the unexpected story of the offseason.

But the baseball operations staff’s desire to improve the roster has not changed. With the offseason in full swing and the Winter Meetings on deck, here are five places the Rays can hope to find more offense next season.

1. At home
The Rays’ move to Steinbrenner Field will present a number of challenges for the 2025 season, starting with the weather and the adjusted schedule, but there could be one benefit.

The Yankees’ Spring Training ballpark has the same dimensions as Yankee Stadium, and the ball could fly more in the warmer weather outdoors than it did under the Trop’s domed roof.

Although he admitted it would be “preposterous” to expect a total turnaround for the Rays’ offense as a result, Neander said he expects to see an uptick in offense with a more hitter-friendly environment. If nothing else, he suggested Steinbrenner Field will provide a mental lift for hitters accustomed to the Trop’s historically pitcher-friendly dimensions.

“Without question,” he said recently. “You know it’s more favorable, and sometimes that can take a little edge off, reduce a little anxiety, and just your approach and the quality of your at-bats can really improve without it just being about the batted-ball outcomes themselves.”

And with the short porch in right field, that’s especially true for...

2. Their left-handed hitters
The Rays hit just .225/.307/.360 when batting left-handed this past season, with the third-worst OPS in the Majors. They hit .225/.299/.358 and had baseball’s second-worst OPS against right-handed pitchers.

Some struggles were based on personnel. Brandon Lowe only played 107 games. Josh Lowe played 106, and the challenges of his injury-interrupted season were evident in his .241/.302/.391 slash line. Jonathan Aranda only had 143 plate appearances, and a second-half injury limited Richie Palacios to 316.

The change in ballpark should help them out, but better health would give the Rays a bigger boost, balancing their lineup and providing more punch against right-handed pitching. And they’d also benefit from a full season of…

3. Junior Caminero
The former top prospect held his own and showed what the hype was about during his late-season cameo with the Rays. He posted some eye-popping exit velocities and recorded a .724 OPS, no minor accomplishment considering the challenges other rookies faced as they adjusted to big league pitching.

Caminero still has room to grow, as you’d expect from a 21-year-old with 50 games of experience, but he also has the potential to swing a powerful right-handed bat behind Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe.

The third baseman had six homers, 18 RBIs and a 105 OPS+ in his 43 games with the Rays. In other words, he was twice as productive for Tampa Bay as…

4. Christopher Morel
As difficult as it was to trade All-Star Isaac Paredes in July, the Rays were thrilled to land Morel as part of the deal. He added to that excitement by going deep in each of his first two games … then had just one homer the rest of the way. As a Ray, Morel hit .191 with a .547 OPS and nine RBIs in 49 games.

Morel displayed some obvious flaws during his time with the Cubs, most notably a tendency to strike out, but he also had 60 home runs and 168 RBIs in 323 games for Chicago. Tampa Bay was betting on his power and run production carrying over, but his drop-off with the Rays was dramatic and unexpected.

There are plenty of theories as to why Morel took such a sizable step back. Maybe it was regression. Maybe he tried to do too much to prove something to his new team. Maybe the Rays’ defensive maneuvering -- switching him from third to second base exclusively, then mixing in some left field late in the season -- had an impact. Maybe it was just bad luck.

Whatever it was, the Rays are counting on Morel to bounce back in a big way next year.

“What I do know is physically, the bat speed, the impact -- all the ingredients are still there,” Neander said in October. “I think an offseason to get away from it, reset a little bit at 25 going on 26 years old, I think that 30-homer power is something that very much is in there.”

It remains to be seen where Morel will fit defensively moving forward. There seems to be more of a need in the outfield than at second base, although there’s still a chance they’ll pursue offensive help through…

5. Offseason additions
As noted previously, catcher is the Rays’ most glaring need and what Neander has called a priority.

The free-agent market isn’t flooded with front-line catchers to pair with Ben Rortvedt, especially with Travis d’Arnaud and Kyle Higashioka already off the market a week before the Winter Meetings begin. The best remaining options include Danny Jansen, Gary Sánchez and Carson Kelly.

The trade market, however, presents some intriguing alternatives. The Rays have the Major League pitching depth and Minor League talent to match up with most teams, and this story from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand lists four catchers among the top trade candidates from each team: Christian Vázquez (Twins), Mitch Garver (Mariners), Dalton Rushing (Dodgers) and Luis Campusano (Padres).

Given their defensive flexibility, specifically with players like Morel and Palacios, could they add an offensive-minded player at another position? (Joc Pederson would fit nicely as a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder/DH, although he’s sure to be in demand.) They already showed a willingness to sacrifice some defensive prowess for offensive stability, trading Jose Siri and turning to Jonny DeLuca as the regular center fielder. Could they do the same elsewhere?