Monday, October 13

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TAMPA -- This is bound to be a fascinating offseason for the Rays.  

They’re under new management, once again in search of a new ballpark. They’re planning to move back into Tropicana Field after a season outdoors. And they’re looking to rebound from their first consecutive losing seasons since 2016-17. 

Here are five questions facing the Rays in the months ahead. 

1. How quickly will new ownership move to secure a new ballpark?

This will be the franchise’s defining storyline in these early days under new ownership, because the group plainly stated that finding a long-term “forever home” is their top priority. 

Managing partner Patrick Zalupski was up front about what the Rays are looking for: A lot of land (more than 100 acres) and a “great location” in the Tampa Bay area where they can build a mixed-use development anchored by a new fixed-roof ballpark. But finding the right place is just one step, of course. There have been plenty of plans and proposals before. 

The real test will be how quickly this group can put together a deal, especially with the deadline they’ve set for themselves. Zalupski said the Rays intend to be in a new park on Opening Day in 2029, so time is of the essence. That means it’s another big offseason on the stadium front. 

2. How are the Trop repairs coming along? Will it be ready? How big of a deal is being back home?

Ah, Tropicana Field. The roof above, the turf below, 72 degrees every night, not a rain delay in sight. 

The Rays are planning to move back into their home dome in time for their home opener April 6. Earlier this week, the new owners and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said they were on track to have half of the 24 roof panels installed by the end of this week, putting them on schedule to have the roof replaced by the end of the year. 

That’s good news, obviously, but there will be much more work to be done once they move inside. (Plus, Ken Babby said the Rays will invest in upgrades like a new video board, sound system, etc.) It’s a pretty tight timeline, even with a season-opening road trip. 

Shifting into baseball mode, it’s worth remembering that last year’s roster was built to play 81 games at the spacious Trop, but instead wound up playing 81 outdoors at the cozy George M. Steinbrenner Field. Will their fly-ball pitchers and athletic position players be better suited to succeed at the Trop? 

3. How much will they shake things up?

Let’s move away from the high-level stuff and get into the work ahead of president of baseball operations Erik Neander & Co. 

Speaking last week during his end-of-season press conference, Neander ran through all the things that went right this year. For a 77-85 team, there was a lot. 

Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda broke out. Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe each had one of their best seasons. Chandler Simpson and Jake Mangum contributed as rookies. They didn’t have an injury in their rotation after Spring Training. Their bullpen had the second-best strikeout rate in baseball and the Majors’ second-best walk rate. They had a positive run differential. 

Yet there was Neander, listing all those developments … on Sept. 30, staring down a baseball-free October for Tampa Bay. How the Rays balance all that went well with their second straight losing record will be revealing. Do they just need a few minor tweaks and some better breaks? Or will there be more moves in store? 

“There's a lot of ingredients that suggest, with the right maneuverings from a roster standpoint, the right development from some players internally, that next year we won't be having this press conference in September,” Neander said. “That's how we're going to go about this offseason. That's our expectation.” 

4. What will they do at shortstop?

There are a handful of major questions the Rays must answer about their roster. Are they set with catchers Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes? How will they improve their outfield’s offensive production? Is the bullpen as much of a concern as it seemed at times this year? 

But the position to watch is shortstop. They went from having too many -- Ha-Seong Kim, Taylor Walls and José Caballero -- to playing top prospect Carson Williams most days down the stretch after an up-and-down season in Triple-A. 

Caballero was traded to the Yankees. Kim was claimed by the Braves. Walls was hurt. Williams flashed his defensive ability but struggled at the plate. 

Neander acknowledged shortstop is an area the Rays “need to spend some time on here early in the winter.” Their options seem pretty straightforward: Lean on Walls as their primary option, trusting his elite defense and baserunning will provide enough value; throw Williams back into the deep end and hope his talent takes over; or bring in another stopgap, like Kim last winter. 

5. Do they have enough starting pitching?

It was a remarkably healthy year for Tampa Bay’s rotation, with one massive exception: The nerve issue that kept ace Shane McClanahan off the mound for the second straight season. 

The Rays could have gone wire-to-wire with the same five starters (Ryan Pepiot, Drew Rasmussen, Shane Baz, Zack Littell and Taj Bradley) had they not traded Littell and Bradley. Still, they only had nine pitchers start games -- those five, Adrian Houser, Joe Boyle, Ian Seymour and opener Griffin Jax -- their lowest total since using only eight starters in 2017. 

Pepiot, Rasmussen, Baz, Boyle and Seymour are set to return. McClanahan will be ready for Spring Training, according to Neander. Jax could be stretched out like a starter. But the Rays know as well as anyone how quickly rotation depth can disappear. Do they need to bring in another veteran in the mold of Littell or Houser to provide some insurance?

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