ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – During his season-ending briefing with the media in early October, Erik Neander, the Tampa Bay Rays’ president of baseball operations, cited two areas of immediate attention.
While the catching position needs direct upgrade, Neander set his urgent sights on a larger question and that is the plight of the offense. In the past, the Rays were noted for scoring and banging home runs. In 2024, bats fell miserably silent, and the numbers turned ugly.
Consider –
- The Rays averaged 3.73 runs per game, fewest in team history
- 147 home runs were third fewest in the majors
- Averaged 0.91 home runs per game, lowest in club history
- Hit .212 with runners in scoring position, worst in the majors
- In 68 games, the team scored two or fewer runs, most in club history
- Led the AL with 21 wins without a home run
- Had six wins without an extra base hit
All of which help dump the Rays (80-82) under 500 for the first time since 2017. In that season, Tampa Bay also finished at 80-82.
“If we want to get back to where we were in the past five years, we need to find ways to score more runs,” Neander said. “That will be a great deal of our focus this off season.”
In the power area, the Rays fell upon desperate times.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe topped the club with 21 round-trippers and appeared in 107 games during an injury-plagued season. By September, Lowe began to fill in at first base for Yandy Diaz, who hobbled through the final weeks of the season on injured knees.
At this point, Neander could not commit to Lowe for the 2024 season. For $10.5 million, the Rays could pick up his option ($1 million buyout) and for 2026, the cost of picking up an option is $11.5 and $500,000 buyout.
Lowe was the only hitter to reach the 20-homer mark and Jose Siri, with a season .187 batting average, was second with 18 homers.
In dire need of electricity at the plate, the Rays could turn to Christopher Morel, a utility player brought over from the Chicago Cubs in a mid-season deal. Though he hit .191 with Tampa Bay, Neander, for one, believes Morel could be the missing link.
Morel was on the Rays’ radar screen for some time, and just before the 2024 trade deadline, Neander orchestrated the deal. In acquiring Morel, who will 26 years-old during the 2025 mid-season, the Rays dealt third baseman Isaac Paredes to the confines of Wrigley Field. Morel finished under hitting under .200 and Paredes finished 20 points lower (at .223 in 52 games with the Cubs) after leaving the Rays (hit .245 in 101 games).
“In terms of that deal, with marquee players going in each direction, each did not perform for either club to the level I expected,” Neander said. “I don’t think anyone anticipated that, right?”
Morel banged home runs in each of his first two games with Tampa Bay and then drilled only one over the final two months of the season. He finished with three homers and drove on only nine runs in 173 plate appearances for the Rays.
At the same time, there were periods of adjustment and transition, according to Neander. Still, Neander is the first to recognize both the maladies of the past and potential for the future.
“After those two homers in his first two games here, the ball just did not go his way,” Neander said. “(Morel) had a disappointing year with the Cubs the previous season and there were signs underneath that he was really unlucky with the balls he hit in play. Coming over here and not finding success can weight on you.”
Still, the physical attributes of success remain part of Morel’s DNA.
“Physically, the bat speed, the impact, and all of the ingredients are still there,” Neander added. “I think an off-season to get away and reset a little bit will be beneficial, and I think that 30-homer power is very much in there. Sometimes, it takes that first off-season to become familiar with that environment.”
Coming over from the Cubs, Morel demonstrated versatility as the Rays placed him at third, second. the outfield and as the designated hitter. For his part, Neander is confident Morel will eventually find his place in the middle of the line-up. That, however, remains on one condition.
Going forward, Morel needs to demonstrate the capability of that 30-home run potential that currently is just a blimp on his radar screen.