The Tampa Bay Rays were one of the big winners of MLB's new 12-team playoff format, finishing third in the American League East but making the playoffs as the sixth seed. They couldn't capitalize on that opportunity however, falling to the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians in a two-game wild-card series sweep.
So what's next for the Rays? Here's a look at their notable free agents, trade candidates -- and three key questions for the franchise moving forward to 2023 and beyond.
Tampa Bay Rays
Notable free agents: SP Corey Kluber, OF Kevin Kiermaier (option), OF David Peralta, C Mike Zunino (option)
Zunino has been kind of a human boomerang for the Rays. He is released and eventually circles his way back to St. Petersburg. Maybe it'll happen again, or maybe the Rays will simply exercise their club option on him. Kiermaier, a career Ray, has a $13 million club option with a $2.5 million buyout, per Cots Contracts. Chances are he'll hit free agency, and it'll be interesting to see what happens as he is coming off an injury-plagued season. But it would definitely be strange to see him in another uniform.
Trade candidates: 2B Brandon Lowe, RP Jason Adam
Everyone is a trade candidate for the Rays if they see a chance to turn present value into greater future value. Lowe is under contract for a couple more seasons at a team-friendly rate, but that's also why a team deep in middle infielders might look to move him.
Extension candidates: OF Randy Arozarena, SP Shane McClanahan
McClanahan certainly doesn't look like a young pitcher whose future value is going to ebb any time soon. The Rays have churned out pitching in recent seasons, not only from their own development system but by acquiring players from other clubs and making them better. But McClanahan is special, and the Rays have to be tempted by the idea of a Tyler Glasnow-McClanahan rotation punch being locked down for a few seasons.
1. How can the team amp up the offense?
The easy answer here has always been to suggest the Rays splurge to add a high-quality designated hitter they can just plug into the cleanup spot every day without impacting the run-prevention engine that makes them hum. But it's not so easy, if only because Tampa Bay likes to leverage matchup advantages at the position and to use it as part of its load management program. Fifteen different players got at least one start at DH for the Rays this season. At the same time, the Rays simply did not score enough runs this season, with power being the biggest deficiency in the attack. A homer-hitting DH once again seems like a finishing piece for this club.
2. Who will be the veteran addition?
Seems like every winter, the Rays sign a name veteran starter to a reasonable, short-term deal. That veteran makes a contribution and moves on. Charlie Morton filled that role for a couple of seasons. Before that, it was Chris Archer. Last season, it was Rich Hill. This season, it was Kluber, who didn't have a great season, posting just an 84 ERA+ over 31 starts. The Rays need quality innings to stabilize a young rotation, especially with Glasnow entering his first full post-injury season. The Rays won't go for high-end talent but are likely to pluck someone you've heard of coming off an injury or a subpar campaign who is looking to build back value.
3. How will baseball's new rules impact the Rays' incessant pursuit of the marginal advantage?
Baseball's list of recent rule changes almost reads like a referendum against how the Rays run their ballclub. Pitch clock? No shifting? Limiting how many pitchers teams can carry? To some extent at least, baseball was moved to make these changes because smart teams figured out that the analytically optimized version of baseball wasn't really the most marketable version of the game. Where will the Rays find their next marginal advantage? Are there workarounds to the new rules? If so, this is the club that will figure them out.