5 takeaways from Rays' end-of-season press conference

ST. PETERSBURG -- Sitting alongside manager Kevin Cash on the club level at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander attempted to explain what led to a fourth straight season that ended in the playoffs, and the second straight season that ended far too early.

Tampa Bay has come to expect postseason baseball, which is an achievement in and of itself. But the Rays’ ultimate goal of winning a World Series remains unfulfilled.

“If this season happened in 2018, 2019, there's a different feeling than it being our fourth consecutive trip and our earliest exit of the four,” Neander said. “We're really proud of that winning culture. … With that, our expectations are higher than the season that just concluded here.”

Here are five takeaways from the Rays’ end-of-season press conference:

1. They recognize the need to improve on offense
The Rays scored 4.11 runs per game, down from 5.29 last season. They had a .686 OPS overall. Their .630 OPS batting left-handed was third-worst in the Majors. No team struggled more against elite velocity.

It all caught up with them in the end. They scored once and struck out 29 times over 24 innings in their American League Wild Card Series loss to the Guardians.

As pleased as they are with their pitching, the Rays will work to improve their lineup. They’ll need better health from mainstays like Brandon Lowe and growth from young players like Josh Lowe, but they could also use a veteran hitter to fortify the group.

“I don't think it's in us to just stand pat and assume things will get better,” Neander said. “There's an acknowledgement that, our standards offensively, we want to raise them -- and that includes taking a look at the group we have and figuring out ways to do that.”

2. They know better health is imperative
The Rays had 31 players spend time on the injured list this season. According to Spotrac, the 2,296 days they lost to injuries were the third-most in the Majors. They won’t use it as an excuse, but it was the story of their season.

“It's a season I don't think ever was fully in sync the way we would have liked to,” Neander said. “Certainly there were more injuries that we encountered on both sides of the ball than what we've ever experienced.”

It had an outsized impact on their lineup. Brandon Lowe and Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay's biggest power threats last year, combined for 389 plate appearances this season. Star infielder Wander Franco was limited in many of the 83 games he played. The list goes on.

The Rays hope their misfortune on the position player front was an anomaly, Neander said, adding they “believe that moving forward, that’s something that can be remedied and addressed and improved upon.”

3. They’ll keep Kiermaier and Zunino in mind
The Rays only have four big league free agents set to hit the market: David Peralta, Corey Kluber, Zunino and, once they decline his $13 million club option, Kevin Kiermaier.

They acquired ready-made replacements in catcher Christian Bethancourt and center fielder Jose Siri, both of whom they praised for their defensive abilities and offensive improvements, but Neander said they will remain in contact with Zunino and Kiermaier as the respected veterans enter free agency.

Said Neander, on Kiermaier: “There’s still conversations I need to have with him about where he's at and what's important to him moving forward. … He’s meant a lot to us, and we'll make sure we treat him with the respect he deserves.”

Neander added on Zunino: “We've long talked about Z and how important he's been to this group and the success we've had, and him being back there is also something that we missed as well. … If there's something that makes sense moving forward, I'm sure we'll talk about it.”

4. They really like their pitching
Can you blame them?

The Rays’ 2023 rotation will start with Tyler Glasnow, Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs. Before a possible veteran addition, the rest of the group could include Yonny Chirinos, Luis Pati?o, Ryan Yarbrough or Josh Fleming … with the team's No. 1 prospect Taj Bradley waiting in the wings come midseason. They will also bring back a deep bullpen headlined by Pete Fairbanks and Jason Adam, with a healthy J.P. Feyereisen (0.00 ERA in 22 appearances) rejoining the group.

“There's plenty of reasons to see optimism when we look ahead,” Neander said. “I think the biggest one to point to with respect to that is our pitching.”

5. They don’t expect major coaching staff changes
Cash said the Rays should have an announcement soon regarding who they’ll promote to replace longtime bullpen coach Stan Boroski, who retired at the end of the season. There could be another hole to fill if they lose bench coach Matt Quatraro, who will likely be a candidate for some of the many managerial openings around the league.

Otherwise, the Rays like their staff and aren’t planning significant changes.

“We'll see how the offseason unfolds,” Cash said. “But if we have that entire staff coming back coming into Spring Training, I think we'll all be very excited.”