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.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Catcher was the most glaring hole on the Rays’ roster heading into the offseason, and they officially filled it Thursday by announcing the signing of free agent/familiar American League East foe Danny Jansen.

But the club’s most obvious area to improve remains the lineup that scored only 604 runs this past season, more than only the 121-loss White Sox. So far, all Tampa Bay has done to change the look of that group is trade Jose Siri, hand the center-field job to Jonny DeLuca and sign Jansen.

The Rays are aware they need to improve offensively, put together a group of hitters that can support what should be a strong pitching staff and ride that back into the postseason. But with the Winter Meetings over, there’s no guarantee they’ll make any dramatic moves in that direction.

“The best chance for us to improve our club, we felt, was in the catcher’s spot and one that ideally could help against left-handed pitching and that has a track record,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said during the Winter Meetings. “Beyond that, as we are right now, we’ll see where it goes.

“We like the mix as it is right now, but we’ll use the remaining couple of months to see if there’s anything else that can help us further.”

While it’s possible the Rays will find a way to add offense, standing pat might seem odd since that mix is mostly the same one that struggled at the plate for so much of last season. But Neander divided the club's returning hitters into three categories of players it doesn't want to block or otherwise bury: young bounce-back candidates, established performers and one ascending star.

Let’s go position by position to see how that holds up.

Catcher: The Rays will pair Jansen, who had a 120 OPS+ from 2021-23 before posting an 87 mark this year, with Ben Rortvedt, who started off hot last season (.745 OPS through June) before tailing off (.487 OPS after July 1). Defense is still key behind the plate, but Jansen is an offensive upgrade over last year’s right-handed-hitting catchers on paper.

First base: This spot belongs to Yandy Díaz, the 2023 batting champion who moved past a rough April this year by hitting .297/.355/.447 the rest of the way. He’s in the “established performers” category, with top prospects like Tre’ Morgan (Tampa Bay’s No. 10 prospect) and Xavier Isaac (No. 2) in the upper Minors behind him.

Second base: The Rays picked up Brandon Lowe’s club option because, when healthy, he’s capable of putting up power numbers that few second basemen can match. Despite the injuries Lowe has dealt with the past few years, he owns a career 125 OPS+. Another established, productive veteran.

Third base: This is the aforementioned ascending star: Junior Caminero. Neander referenced the former top prospect as someone who “could be a force.” Manager Kevin Cash dropped a “sky’s the limit” on him at his Winter Meetings press conference in Dallas. The Rays obviously want to see what Caminero can do.

Shortstop: The Rays still believe Taylor Walls is capable of more than his .188/.288/.293 slash line in the Majors. It’s worth noting they have sacrificed some up-the-middle defensive upside for offensive stability in center field and catcher, and this is another spot where they could do the same, but they also believe Walls is the best defensive shortstop in baseball. It seems more likely the club will try to get more out of him -- at least until No. 1 prospect Carson Williams is ready.

José Caballero is the likely utility man/backup shortstop. Although he didn’t hit much last season, Caballero led the AL with 44 stolen bases, provides quality defense around the infield and should get some outfield work to be even more versatile.

Outfield: The way the Rays’ roster is constructed, Christopher Morel looks like the primary left fielder, with DeLuca in center and Josh Lowe in right. We’ve covered the club’s belief in DeLuca -- Cash said he expects to see “some pop in that bat,” too -- and Morel and Lowe are the top bounce-back candidates.

Lowe returning to 2023 form, taking the step forward he anticipated heading into this year, would go a long way. So would Morel finding the 30-homer, 84-RBI pace (per 162 games) he set during his time with the Cubs. Morel and DeLuca will be backed up by the left-handed-hitting Richie Palacios, who impressed the Rays with his plate discipline and tough at-bats before an ill-timed injury cost him most of the last two months of the season.

Contact-hitting, base-stealing No. 4 prospect Chandler Simpson could join the mix next year, too. But if there’s a place to inject some offense, it would seem to be here or …

Designated hitter: The Rays will most likely rotate players through this spot, as they often do, but the one hitter we haven’t mentioned yet is Jonathan Aranda. The 26-year-old seemingly has been waiting for his opportunity for years while completely dominating Triple-A pitching, and he provided another glimmer of hope by posting an .813 OPS with five homers in 26 games for Tampa Bay down the stretch. Aranda can play first and second base, making Díaz and Brandon Lowe options at DH when he’s in the field, and should benefit from playing 81 home games with Steinbrenner Field’s short right-field porch.