The Rays fell to 4th place in the American League East, finishing the season with 80 wins and 82 losses. After missing the postseason for the first time since 2018, Tampa Bay baseball operations president Eric Neander spoke Friday about the need for more offensive power. He specifically pointed to catcher as an area the club must improve.
“We’ve got to find a way to get more out of that position than we’ve gotten this year,” Neander said (link via Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). “We definitely have to find a way to get better there. That’s going to be a priority in terms of where we put our mental energy throughout this winter.”
This isn’t a complete declaration that the Rays will add additional players from outside the organization, but it’s clear they will be scouring the market. Tampa Bay had one of the worst-hitting catchers in the majors. The Rays hit .194/.272/.291 out of position. Only the White Sox had a lower batting average. Tampa Bay was 24th in on-base percentage and 28th in slugging power (better than the White Sox and Marlins).
The Rays opened the season with Rene Pinto as the starting pitcher. It didn’t last long. Tampa Bay optioned Pinto after 19 games. He spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he hit .191 with a .257 on-base percentage. Ben Rotvedt, whom the Rays acquired from the Yankees on opening night, ended up getting the majority of the playing time. The left-handed hitter had a middle-of-the-pack batting average of .228/.317/.303 in 328 at-bats. In Tampa Bay, Alex Jackson was Rohrtvedt’s backup from early May until he was appointed in September. Jackson hit a career-high .122 in 58 games. Logan Driscoll, who was called up in September, also struggled with limited MLB work.
Like most clubs, the Rays have generally prioritized defense at this position. Rotvedt performed reasonably well as a receiver. Statcast rated his framing and blocking metrics as better than average. He also showed strong pop time, although his catch rate of 16.2% was below average. Rotvedt probably showed enough ability to hold onto a roster spot in the offseason. Since he doesn’t have any minor league options, the Rays will either have to keep him in the majors or make him available to another team before the season starts. Driscoll still has plenty of options and seems likely to start next season in the minors.
Jackson has already been selected as a minor league free agent after being granted waivers last month. Pinto remains on the 40-man roster, but his chances of holding onto that spot may be slim. He will not be an option next season. It’s unlikely the team will play things back with a tandem of Rohrtvedt and Pinto. The latter may be waived at some point this winter.
The free agent catcher class is light at the top. It’s not a big deal for the Rays, and it probably wouldn’t have been a big deal even if the market had been better. There are several right-handed backstops that should be available on one- or two-year deals. Kyle Higashioka, Carson Kelly, Danny Jansen, Jacob Stallings (his contract with Colorado includes a mutual option) and Elias Diaz are among the top options. Anyone in this group could be a realistic target to share time with left-handed hitter Rohrtvedt. Each should provide at least more offense than Jackson managed in that role.
