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ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander has repeated a point throughout the offseason, from their earliest acquisitions through the Winter Meetings and after a pair of future-focused trades on Dec. 19.
“A lot of right now is about just trying to figure out how to get as much talent in the organization now [or] later, ideally an optimal combination of both,” Neander said last month. “And we'll work our way toward being as functional as possible as we hit camp and march toward the end of March.”
In other words: With Spring Training still a month away and their season opener on March 26 in St. Louis, the Rays’ priorities are broader than how their Opening Day roster fits together. Make deals that make sense first, then figure out how it all fits later.
From a roster-building standpoint, it’s understandable. There are plenty of free agents still out there and trade candidates waiting to be moved. Stuff happens during Spring Training. Roster crunches get resolved in camp. The season doesn’t start tomorrow.
But we here at MLB.com are bound by no such practical concerns! It’s the first full week of the new year, so why not take a shot at projecting how the Rays’ Opening Day roster could shake out if the season did, in fact, start tomorrow?
This may be the only thing we get right here: It won’t look exactly like this on March 26. But it’s still a useful exercise to evaluate which parts of the roster need to be addressed, where they might be set and potential position battles that could play out in Spring Training.
Here’s a too-early, position-by-position look:
Designated hitter (1): Yandy Díaz
Díaz was the Rays’ DH for 114 games last season, which contributed to him playing a career-high 150 games. He hit better as a first baseman than when DHing, but keeping him in the lineup should be the goal.
Catchers (2): Hunter Feduccia, Nick Fortes
This is the same duo the Rays acquired before last year’s Trade Deadline and introduced down the stretch. While Fortes is better known for his work behind the plate, there are some metrics that suggest Feduccia is due for somewhat of an offensive bounce-back. They could use it.
First base (1): Jonathan Aranda
If not for a frustrating injury on July 31, Aranda’s All-Star season might have received even more attention. But he’s earned this spot, having established himself as a legitimate big leaguer and a heart-of-the-order hitter alongside Díaz and Junior Caminero.
Second base (1): Richie Palacios
This is the biggest question on the position-player front. Palacios is their top internal candidate, but Neander also noted he must “prove healthy” after missing time with injuries the past two years. He’s a patient hitter with speed and an athletic defender, although he’s versatile enough to fit in a super-utility role if the Rays find someone else for this job.
Shortstop (1): Taylor Walls
The Rays have long expressed their appreciation for Walls’ defense at shortstop, and their options are limited. Walls, top prospect Carson Williams (32 games), newly acquired infielder Tsung-Che Cheng (two games) and Palacios (two innings) are the only players on the roster with MLB shortstop experience. They could at least use more depth, unless they think Williams is ready for regular big league work or Cheng’s speed and defense is enough to handle a utility role.
Third base (1): Junior Caminero
Can he repeat what he did last year? Can he be even better?
Outfielders (5): Cedric Mullins, Josh Lowe, Jake Fraley, Chandler Simpson, Jonny DeLuca
Mullins was brought in to provide some pop and stability in center field. Beyond that, there could be some competition in Spring Training.
The Rays have repeatedly expressed their belief in Lowe, even after consecutive subpar years. They signed Fraley to a Major League deal, which exhibits a certain level of confidence. Simpson has game-changing speed and elite contact ability, although his defense is still a work in progress. DeLuca is another quality defender in center and a right-handed hitter, which makes him unique in this group. Palacios and new prospect Jacob Melton are other names to consider here.
Utility (1): Ryan Vilade
Vilade has played first, second, third and the outfield the past two years, so he can back up almost anywhere. He has struggled at the plate in his limited MLB exposure, but he hit .290/.378/.511 with 17 homers and a sub-20% strikeout rate in Triple-A last year. The recently acquired Justyn-Henry Malloy could handle a similar right-handed-hitting, corner-utility job, but Vilade gets the nod because he’s out of Minor League options and Malloy is not.
Starting pitchers (5): Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Steven Matz, Ian Seymour/Joe Boyle
If McClanahan gets through camp healthy and looks like the ace we saw in 2022-23, he’ll be a huge addition atop the rotation, even with whatever workload limitations he might carry.
Rasmussen and Pepiot are coming off career-high workloads, with Rasmussen pitching at his usual elite level and Pepiot bound to benefit from a return to Tropicana Field. Matz will be given every chance to start after signing on as a free agent. The last spot could go to Boyle, Seymour, Yoendrys Gómez, Jesse Scholtens or perhaps a late addition.
Relief pitchers (8): Griffin Jax, Garrett Cleavinger, Edwin Uceta, Bryan Baker, Hunter Bigge, Steven Wilson, Kevin Kelly, Yoendrys Gómez
There won’t be a designated closer in this post-Pete Fairbanks bullpen, but there are a lot of candidates to pitch in high-leverage situations. Jax, Cleavinger, Uceta and Kelly have done plenty of that work for the Rays, and Baker and Wilson have handled big spots before as well.
Gómez is out of Minor League options and will compete for a spot in the rotation, but he would also make sense as a multi-inning arm in the early going. There’s some depth here, too, with the likes of Mason Englert, Cole Sulser, Osvaldo Bido and Joe Rock.
One potential concern with our projection: Cleavinger is the only left-hander. In a matchup-based bullpen, it would help to have at least one more.