Rays head into offseason confident in foundation for future

ST. PETERSBURG -- Much of the chatter coming out of the GM Meetings at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas this week will be about free agents and trade talks, who’s available and who isn’t going anywhere.

The reigning American League champion Rays say their offseason priorities are a little different. As they reflect on their five-game defeat against the Brewers in the World Series and formulate a plan to win three more games next October than they did this year, their primary goal is getting the most out of the players they know they’re bringing back.

“We went from 77 wins to 98, improved by 21 games, largely through a lot of internal development and the right free agents that we brought in. We need to double down on that development,” Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Tuesday afternoon at the GM Meetings. “Because we lost to a team that did exactly that last offseason, the last several years, and we need to make sure that that's our focus.

“And if we can find the right guys to supplement that group further, we're going to do it.”

The Rays have already lost some key contributors from the 98-win team that led the AL for most of the regular season and ran through the AL postseason field to reach the Fall Classic for the third time in franchise history. Starters Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta and center fielder Cedric Mullins are free agents.

But most of the Rays’ roster is set to return next year, including every hitter who played a meaningful role in Tampa Bay’s postseason run. The Trade Deadline addition of catcher Liam Hicks filled a need behind the plate and gave them another left-handed bat behind Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero. The emergence of contact-hitting speedster Chandler Simpson changed the dynamic of their lineup, and the arrival of Victor Mesa Jr. gave them another outfielder to build around.

It wasn’t enough to win it all this year, but it’s not a bad place to start. That’s why Neander has already made comparisons between where the Rays stand now and where the Brewers were this time last year.

“The most important thing that we're looking at is making sure we are doing everything within our power to help this group develop and take the next step forward,” Neander said. “One, because that is always going to be the driving force behind our success. And two, we just saw the benefits of that year over year, and we just went up against it in the World Series.”

Neander previously said the Rays feel good about the potential five-man rotation they could bring back next season in Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan, Griffin Jax, Ian Seymour and a healthy Ryan Pepiot, and they are set to return the bulk of a bullpen headlined by closer Bryan Baker, Deadline acquisition Tyler Wells and left-hander Cam Booser.

Neander also reiterated Tuesday that the Rays fully intend to keep Rasmussen, their ace, in the fold despite the inevitable trade rumors that will follow him and his $20 million salary this offseason. Having a younger, controllable -- and therefore more affordable -- position-player group could allow the Rays to spend more freely on their pitching staff.

“We want to win three more games than we did this year at the end. Not quite sure how that's possible next year without someone like Drew -- not just the talent, but what he means to the team,” Neander said. “So we're going about it this offseason trying to do everything we can for Drew to anchor our rotation in '27. That's where our expectation is right now.

“I think our roster, the way it's put together, where our expectations are for this team, make that possible. We'll see. Only one way to find out. We'll get to Opening Day, and we'll see who's taking the ball.”

This is the time of the offseason calendar typically dedicated to thinking big, laying the groundwork for future deals and getting to work. The Rays will do all that, of course. It simply would be out of character for them to be inactive.

But if they’re going to get where they want to go, celebrating and raising a championship trophy amid a rainstorm of confetti, they recognize that they need to repeat the formula that got them so close to their goal a few weeks ago.

“I feel like more often than not, the priority is like a particular profile, a player, style,” Neander said. “I think for us, it's really doubling down on the development of what we have and not getting too distracted by what's out there, but what we have.”