Major League Spring Training will be upon us in just a matter of hours now that a new collective bargaining agreement has been agreed to. There are still a number of needs to be addressed by the Rays, and plent of free agents still available to sort through. Let’s take a look at some of the tasks president of baseball operations Erik Neander will have to undertake while the big leaguers get ready to head for Port Charlotte.
A right-handed bat to balance the lineup in the infield
As things stand, currently there is just one true right-handed hitting infielder on the team’s 40-man roster (third baseman Yandy Diaz) after trading Mike Brosseau to Milwaukee. A right-handed hitter, preferably one that could play first and/or third base, could be a piece the front office finds necessary for 2022. However the right-handed hitting corner infield market has guys who will likely either be well out of the Rays’ price range (Kris Bryant), or gamble due to age (Albert Pujols) or lack of performance (Phil Gosselin). Perhaps the most interesting idea comes in the form of former Ray Tommy Pham, who told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he would be willing to play first base in order to increase his value. That’s the sort of nugget that Neander and the Rays love to hear.
As always, relief pitching
Rays radio broadcaster Dave Wills is fond of saying “When you think you have enough pitching, go out and get some more arms,” and 2022 is no different. Even though 22 of the 40 men on the Major League roster are pitchers, some will end up going on the 60-day injured list on the first day of camp to open up roster spots, like starters Tyler Glasnow and Yonny Chirinos and reliever Nick Anderson. There are plenty of names that the team is already familiar with still available (right-handers Collin McHugh, David Robertson, and Shawn Armstrong from this past season, Brad Boxberger and Steve Cishek from seasons past), but my eye is drawn to perhaps the tallest of the bunch: right-hander Dellin Betances.
Betances has dealt with a myriad of injuries over the last three seasons, limiting him to just 13 1/3 innings total since the end of the 2018 season. He missed most of 2019 with a shoulder impingement before he tore his Achilles tendon in his first appearance on September 15. He then struggled on the mound in 2020 before dealing with another shoulder impingement in 2021.
If his velocity is close to what we saw from him in 2018, Betances could have the highest ceiling of any potential signing, while McHugh would likely be the pitcher the front office could be most assured of his performance.
Dealing with the logjam in the outfield
There’s no easy way to put this: the Rays have too many outfielders right now. Even optioning Vidal Brujan and Josh Lowe to the minors leaves you with five players for three spots, with the team most likely listening to offers for everyone except reigning rookie of the year Randy Arozarena. Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who was reportedly the subject of plentt of trade talks at last year’s deadline, will make just shy of $12.2 million in the final guaranteed year of his contract that he signed back in 2017, more than any other player on the roster. Meanwhile, Manuel Margot heads into the final year of arbitration before free agency, and Austin Meadows, while he drove in 100 runs last year, could be sought after by 15 National League teams that now have a spot for a DH. Finally, he’s a crowd favorite and a hometown kid, but could the business of baseball lead Neander to trade Brett Phillips at what could be his high-water mark? We’ll find out very soon.