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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.
