Rays could go in several directions at Meetings

ST. PETERSBURG — Based on how the Rays finished the 2015 season, the forecast for ’16 was bright. Instead, the Rays finished in the cellar of the American League East.

Now the front office must evaluate whether to view this season as an outlier, or if wholesale changes need to take place before 2017.

MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. The Meetings begin next Monday. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. ET.

Thus far this offseason, the Rays have traded infielders/outfielders Taylor Motter and Richie Shaffer to Seattle for Minor League prospects. Both were once considered top prospects, but each appeared blocked given the team’s other available options.

More telling in the Rays’ offseason to date were the number of players added to the 40-man roster. That list included right-handers Chih-Wei Hu, Austin Pruitt, Jaime Schultz, Ryne Stanek, and Hunter Wood, left-hander Jose Alvarado and infielders Willy Adames and Daniel Robertson.

Youth has served the Rays well, specifically young pitching backed by solid defense. Last season, the front office altered the model by building a team with less defensive abilities in favor of more firepower on offense. In short, that plan backfired. Now, the Rays appear to be preparing to augment their needs with a youthful injection from their farm …

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