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MLBTR Originals

How AL Teams Have Addressed Their Weakest Positions Of 2019

By Mark Polishuk | December 30, 2019 at 12:10am CDT

We took a look earlier tonight at what the National League’s teams have done to improve their weakest position (as per bWAR) from the past season, and now let’s turn our attention to the 15 American League clubs….

Angels (Catcher, -0.7 bWAR): Amidst signing Anthony Rendon and bringing in pitching, the Halos have also been looking for catching help in trade talks and free agent negotiations, with potential targets Jason Castro and Robinson Chirinos still among the remaining available names.  The search for catching has yet to bear fruit, however, leaving Los Angels with Max Stassi and Anthony Bemboom as its current backstop tandem, and hardly an improvement over even the position’s meager 2019 output.  First base was another negative (-0.1 bWAR) position last year, though the Angels are hoping Tommy La Stella keeps up his strong hitting while moving to the primary first base role, and anything can be mined from Albert Pujols in the declining slugger’s 20th Major League season.

Astros (First base, 2.4 bWAR): This is an ideal time to point out that the idea of a “weakest position” is all relative, as the Astros win the prize for the best “worst” position in all of baseball.  Houston would be perfectly happy with a repeat performance from Yuli Guerriel, and utility options Aledmys Diaz and Abraham Toro are on hand to back up the position.

Athletics (Designated hitter, 0.3 bWAR): After signing Khris Davis to a two-year, $33.5MM extension covering the 2020-21 seasons, the A’s couldn’t have been pleased to see Davis post the worst season of his seven-year career.  With just a .220/.293/.387 slash line and 23 homers, the bat-only Davis was a sub-replacement player himself and almost dragged the entire DH spot down with him into negative-bWAR territory.  Oakland can only hope that Davis gets back on track in 2020, or else the low-payroll A’s might find themselves in the awkward position of having to bench their highest-paid player if the club is in another pennant race.

Blue Jays (Right field, -0.1 bWAR): Speaking of highly-paid players coming up short, the Blue Jays received nothing from their right field spot despite the regular presence of Randal Grichuk, who signed an extension in April that guaranteed him $47MM in new money over the next four seasons.  While Grichuk didn’t hit much in 2019, he also wasn’t solely responsible for the lack of right field production, as the likes of Billy McKinney, Brandon Drury, Socrates Brito, and even Eric Sogard and Cavan Biggio all saw time in right while Grichuk was used in center.  It isn’t yet known if Grichuk will remain in right field or again be needed in center, but regardless, Toronto will need Grichuk or another right field option like Derek Fisher to be much more productive.

Indians (Designated hitter, 0.7 bWAR): While the Tribe will technically be keeping the DH spot open for multiple players, it’s probably safe to assume that Franmil Reyes will get the bulk of action at the position.  Acquired from the Padres as part of the Trevor Bauer blockbuster at last year’s trade deadline, a full season of Reyes’ power potential should give Cleveland the extra thump they were missing at DH last season whenever Carlos Santana was at his customary first base spot.

Mariners (Center field, -0.5 bWAR): It’s been a pretty quiet winter overall for the Mariners, and with the youth movement on, the M’s aren’t likely to bring in veteran help to either support or supplant Mallex Smith as the regular center fielder.  The Mariners will hope that Smith can improve on a lackluster 2019 that saw him take big steps backwards both offensively and defensively, with youngsters like Jake Fraley or Braden Bishop on hand to step in should Smith continue to struggle.

Orioles (Relief pitching -0.5 bWAR): As you might guess, the O’s bottomed out at numerous positions, including negative bWAR measures in left field (-0.4) and center field (-0.1).  The decision to deal Jonathan Villar to the Marlins in a virtual salary dump indicates that Baltimore won’t be spending much of anything on its MLB roster in 2020, so any relief additions will be low-cost veterans and minor league signings.

Rangers (Catcher, -2.0 bWAR): Good news for the Angels, as they didn’t have nearly the worst catching corps in the AL West!  Jose Trevino, Jeff Mathis, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Tim Federowicz are all still in the organization, however, with Nick Ciuffo’s minor league deal representing the only new addition.  Like the Angels and probably every other catcher-needy team still on the market, the Rangers have had talks with Chirinos and Castro.  Either would bring some type of stability to a position that was a major weak link for Texas in 2019, even while the club’s more heavily-publicized needs in the rotation and at third base have drawn more attention thus far in the offseason.

Rays (Catcher, 0.7 bWAR): Speaking of teams that need catching help, the Rays have seemingly spent years on a perpetual hunt for backstops, and now just saw Travis d’Arnaud depart for a two-year contract with Atlanta.  This leaves the Rays with Mike Zunino and Michael Perez, and since this combo wasn’t good enough for 2019, Tampa Bay is likely to continue looking throughout the winter.  They’re not equipped to sign Chirinos or Castro if it comes down to a bidding war against most well-heeled clubs, so a trade might be the Rays’ better bet.

Red Sox (Second base, -0.2 bWAR): The newly-signed Jose Peraza is probably Brock Holt’s replacement in the utility infield role, and the keystone looks like it’ll be Peraza’s primary source for playing time given how Boston is mostly set around the rest of the diamond.  Peraza will have to rebound from a poor 2019 campaign, as will re-signed utility infielder Marco Hernandez.  Former top prospect Michael Chavis is a more promising name in the mix, though for now it seems like the Red Sox will mostly deploy him at first base.  The x-factor is Dustin Pedroia, who is hoping for a midseason comeback after missing virtually all of the last two years due to knee injuries.  It isn’t exactly the most inspiring collection of second base candidates, though the Sox don’t have much to spend as they seem largely focused on getting under the luxury tax line.

Royals (First base, -1.9 bWAR): Ryan O’Hearn’s rough season leaves first base as an open question for Kansas City heading into 2020, though the addition of Maikel Franco at third base has shuffled the infield deck.  K.C. could go with a lefty/righty platoon of O’Hearn and Ryan McBroom, or Hunter Dozier or Whit Merrifield could now factor into the first base mix when they’re not in the outfield.  There’s room for the Royals to add an inexpensive first base bat if they aren’t fully prepared to go with the kids.

Tigers (Catcher, -2.2 bWAR): Detroit fielded the worst collection of position players in baseball last season, as the 0.2 bWAR generated in center field and in right field represented the team’s best positions.  The Tigers addressed second base (-0.9 bWAR) by signing Jonathan Schoop and first base (0.1 bWAR) by inking C.J. Cron, and for their biggest need behind the plate, another veteran free agent was acquired in Austin Romine.  The longtime Yankees backup has quietly hit .262/.302/.428 with 18 homers over the last two seasons and 505 plate appearances, and he’ll now get his first real crack at a regular starting job.  There’s no real downside in these one-year deals for Romine, Schoop, and Cron, as the Tigers inch their way back towards respectability.

Twins (First base and left field, 2.0 bWAR): Even the weakest links on the Bomba Squad were still pretty powerful, as Cron hit 25 homers as Minnesota’s primary first baseman and Eddie Rosario swatted 32 home runs in left field.  Cron, however, was non-tendered and the Twins have floated Rosario’s name in trade talks, so the club clearly feels improvement can be found.  Super-utilityman Marwin Gonzalez can handle either position in a pinch and is currently slated for first base, though with the Twins in the hunt for Josh Donaldson, Miguel Sano could find himself shifted from third base across the diamond to first.  If Rosario was dealt, Minnesota could continue its big-game hunting by getting into the Marcell Ozuna chase for the left field vacancy, or just rely on Gonzalez until star prospect Alex Kirilloff is potentially ready to make his big league debut later in the season.

White Sox (Right field, -1.8 bWAR): Chicago only had a cumulative 0.0 bWAR for its outfield as a whole (second-worst total in the majors), with right field being the biggest culprit.  While Nomar Mazara hasn’t been too far above replacement level himself during his four years in the majors, the White Sox are hoping that the newly-acquired right fielder will be a post-hype breakout now that he has landed in a new environment.  A right-handed hitting platoon partner for Mazara could still be pursued, though the Sox are reportedly more focused on bullpen additions than outfielders right now.  The Sox also had a negative bWAR (-0.4) from their designated hitters in 2019, though that position has been firmly bolstered with the signing of Edwin Encarnacion.

Yankees (Designated hitter, 1.8 bWAR): Another position that is only a “weakness” in relative terms, given how the Yankees got great contributions from all over the field despite an almost unimaginable string of injuries.  With these health concerns in mind, obtaining an actual full-time DH probably won’t happen, as New York will want to cycle multiple players through the designated hitter spot for the sake of partial rest days.  Giancarlo Stanton is the likely candidate to receive the majority of DH time in the wake of his injury-filled 2019 season.

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MLBTR Originals

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How NL Teams Have Addressed Their Weakest Positions Of 2019

By Mark Polishuk | December 29, 2019 at 7:14pm CDT

Despite all of the free activity we’ve seen to date, a look at the calendar reveals that we’re not yet even halfway through the offseason, so there’s still plenty of time for teams to shore up obvious areas of need.  In this post, we’ll look at what each of the 15 National League teams have done so far to upgrade their weakest positions from the 2019 season (as determined by bWAR).  As you might expect, we ignore the DH category while dealing with NL clubs.  The breakdown…

Braves (Catcher, 0.1 bWAR): Brian McCann’s hot start gave way to a lackluster second half, and Tyler Flowers offered some elite pitch-framing but little else either offensively or defensively.  With McCann now retired and Flowers re-signed, Atlanta made a splash by signing Travis d’Arnaud to a two-year, $16MM deal.  It isn’t a huge investment, though the Braves are betting that d’Arnaud’s strong 2019 performance with the Rays is a sign that he has put his past injury woes behind him.  d’Arnaud was the top non-Yasmani Grandal free agent catcher available, so Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos made a decisive move to not just shore up his own backstop situation, but also remove d’Arnaud as an option for the many other clubs in need of catching help.

Brewers (Shortstop, -0.3 bWAR): After consecutive seasons of sub-replacement level play, Orlando Arcia is no longer Milwaukee’s top option at shortstop, though the former top prospect was retained on an arbitration-avoiding $2.2MM contract for the 2020 season.  It seems like Arcia will lose playing time to, ironically, another former blue chip prospect who has also struggled to hit MLB pitching.  Luis Urias was acquired as part of a four-player trade with the Padres, as San Diego decided after 302 plate appearances over parts of two seasons that Urias wasn’t their second baseman of the future (Fernando Tatis Jr. obviously has shortstop spoken for at Petco Park).  It should be noted that Urias is only 22 years old, and he has posted strong averages and on-base numbers in the minors, so it is certainly still possible that his bat can blossom with a change of scenery.  The Brewers also added veteran utilityman Eric Sogard as part of their near-total infield overhaul, and while Sogard is probably better suited for second or third base at this point in his career, he can provide further depth at the shortstop position.

Cardinals (Right field, 1.4 bWAR): Dexter Fowler and Jose Martinez handled the bulk of right field duties last year, with Fowler rebounding after a dismal 2018 season and Martinez taking a significant step back at the plate after posting impressive numbers in 2017-18.  Fowler’s hefty contract and no-trade clause makes him unlikely to be dealt, so he’s probably the favorite to return next season unless the Cards move him to left field as part of a wider outfield shakeup.  St. Louis has a lot of outfield candidates but are short on true everyday players, so the picture could become a lot clearer if the Cardinals move an outfielder or two to address other needs.  Star prospect Dylan Carlson could end up seeing some time in right field in 2020, though the Cards are probably likely to initially try him out as a center fielder as he makes his Major League debut.

Cubs (Second base, 0.0 bWAR): Addison Russell was non-tendered and Ben Zobrist is a free agent, leaving Nico Hoerner, David Bote, Ian Happ, Daniel Descalso, and the newly-acquired Hernan Perez as options at the keystone.  The Cubs would love it if one of their in-house candidates (particularly a former top-100 prospect like Hoerner or Happ), claimed the job, though Happ could also be considered for center field, another position of need — Cubs center fielders combined for only 0.2 bWAR in 2019.  There’s a ton of uncertainty surrounding these positions and around the Cubs as a whole, yet Chicago’s offseason seems to be at a standstill based on the twin factors of a payroll crunch and Kris Bryant’s service-time grievance.  Bryant’s case won’t be decided until January at the earliest, leaving the Cubs unsure of how to market one of their biggest trade chips as they look to cut salary by any means necessary, even if that means moving established stars like Bryant, Willson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo, etc.

Diamondbacks (Right field, 0.0 bWAR): Steven Souza Jr. spent the entire 2019 season on the injured list, leaving Arizona to have to make do with veteran Adam Jones taking the bulk of right field playing time.  Souza was non-tendered and Jones is off to Japan, so the D’Backs went with another experienced option by signing Kole Calhoun to a two-year, $16MM deal.  Long a solid performer over his career with the Angels, Calhoun badly struggled in 2018 before bouncing back to hit .232/.325/.467 with 33 homers over 632 PA last season.  In Arizona native Calhoun, the D’Backs hope they’ve found the reliable right field solution that they thought had been acquired in Souza two offseasons ago.

Dodgers (Relief pitching, 1.2 bWAR): Though the bullpen as a whole posted some very good numbers in league-wide categories, the twin concerns of Joe Kelly’s inconsistent year and Kenley Jansen’s uncharacteristically average season left L.A. fans with major questions at the back of the pen.  One possible solution has already been added in Blake Treinen, who was an elite closer in 2018 but was non-tendered by the A’s after a rough 2019 season.  A Treinen who approaches his 2018 form could single-handedly be all the late-game help the Dodgers need, though expect the club to bring at least a couple of new relievers into the mix, at least on minors deals.

Giants (Second base, 0.5 bWAR): Now that the Joe Panik era is over in San Francisco, the Giants hope that youngster Mauricio Dubon can thrive as a regular second baseman.  Dubon will be complemented by infielders Donovan Solano and newly-acquired Zack Cozart, picked up in a salary dump from the Angels.  The keystone is far from the only problem facing the Giants, as it was one of a whopping seven positions that posted a collective bWAR of 1.4 or lower, and the Giants’ 3.2 starting pitching bWAR was the third-lowest in the league.

Marlins (Outfield, -2.0 bWAR): While the right fielders generated 1.2 bWAR, Miami had the league’s worst left field (-1.4 bWAR) and center field (-1.8 bWAR) production.  Combined with the -0.5 bWAR from the bullpen and -0.1 bWAR at second base, that makes it a total of four sub-replacement positions for the 105-loss Marlins.  There’s clearly a lot of work to be done, though the Fish are making an honest effort to improve by adding several veteran players, including their recent agreement with Corey Dickerson on a two-year, $17.5MM contract.  Dickerson should instantly revive the moribund left field situation and add a proven bat to the Miami lineup.

Mets (Center field, 0.2 bWAR): Rumors continue to swirl about New York’s interest in Starling Marte, though the Mets have already made a lower-level center field improvement in acquiring Jake Marisnick from Houston.  Even if a Marte trade with the Pirates doesn’t happen, a full and healthy season from Brandon Nimmo with Marisnick spelling him against lefty pitching and as a late-inning defensive sub should give the Mets some long-awaited stability up the middle.

Nationals (Relief pitching, 0.1 bWAR): The Nats captured their first World Series title despite season-long bullpen issues, and the club has yet to do much to its relief depth besides inking Fernando Abad and Kyle Finnegan to minor league contracts and re-signing Javy Guerra.  With more pressing questions to address in the infield, the District might wait until later in the winter to pursue more veterans on low-cost deals.  Daniel Hudson is being targeted for a reunion, though it may depend on whether or not Hudson can find his desired multi-year contract elsewhere.

Padres (Catcher and first base, -0.2 bWAR each): With $99MM still owed to Eric Hosmer, there isn’t much San Diego can do at first base besides hope that Hosmer rebounds from a subpar 2019 campaign.  As for catcher, stay tuned, since the Padres’ seemingly nonstop trade explorations include a desire to improve behind the plate, with defensive specialist Austin Hedges more likely to be dealt than Francisco Mejia.  (Austin Allen was already traded to the Athletics as part of the swap that brought Jurickson Profar to San Diego.)  Even if no further trading takes place, some improvement could happen from within, as Mejia hit well despite battling injuries last year and was a consensus top-35 prospect heading into the season.

Phillies (Third base, 0.6 bWAR): Maikel Franco was non-tendered, leaving the hot corner open for Scott Kingery to finally claim a regular position in Philadelphia’s everyday lineup.  It’s probably safe to assume Kingery will still do his share of bouncing around the diamond, however, especially if Philly adds another part-time infielder (beyond Josh Harrison or T.J. Rivera) or if top prospect Alec Bohm forces his way into the picture partway through the season.

Pirates (Right field, -0.7 bWAR): Shoulder problems limited Gregory Polanco to only 42 games last season, so Pittsburgh is hoping that a healthy Polanco is enough to turn right field around in 2020.  It remains to be seen how actively the Bucs will shop for any veteran depth as a backup option, as speculation persists that new GM Ben Cherington could take the Pirates into a rebuild.

Reds (Second base, -0.6 bWAR): The Reds headed into the offseason intent on adding some major pieces to what they hope will be a contending team, and to that end they went big (if in a surprising manner) in solving their second base problem.  Cincinnati’s four-year, $64MM deal with Mike Moustakas was notable for being the biggest free agent deal in club history, and a guarantee far beyond any projections for the Moose’s latest sojourn into free agency, as he landed only modest one-year deals in each of the last two winters.  After spending virtually all of his career at third base, Moustakas played 47 games at second base for Milwaukee last season and apparently impressed the Reds enough to make him their long-term answer at the keystone.

Rockies (Center field, -1.0 bWAR): Left field was just behind with -0.9 bWAR, while the outfield as a whole combined for 0.4 bWAR, the third-lowest total of any outfield in baseball last year.  Colorado is another team mired in payroll problems, trying to figure out how to improve not just the outfield, but several sub-standard positions despite a lack of available funds.  Trading Nolan Arenado is the nuclear option that the Rockies may or may not be willing to explore in order to both free up payroll and add some talent to address Colorado’s many needs.  In terms of the outfield, the Rox might juggle some combination of David Dahl along with Sam Hilliard, Garrett Hampson, and Raimel Tapia in left field and right field, with Ian Desmond also still on hand and looking for his long-awaited Rockies breakout.

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MLBTR Originals

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Free Agent Faceoff: Castellanos Vs. Ozuna

By Connor Byrne | December 28, 2019 at 12:45am CDT

The elite class of free agents – those capable of landing significant multiyear contracts – has shrunk to almost nothing since the market opened at the beginning of November. Third baseman Josh Donaldson, who could wind up with a contract in the $80MM vicinity (if not more) before next season begins, stands out as by far the No. 1 player available. For the most part, impact players without teams are a lot harder to find thereafter, though there are a couple other hitters who should join Donaldson in cashing in during the coming weeks.

Outfielders Nicholas Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna entered the offseason as two of the top outfielders sans contracts. Almost two months later, they’re still looking for jobs. At the outset of the winter, MLBTR predicted a four-year, $58MM guarantee for Castellanos and a three-year, $45MM guarantee for Ozuna. Several teams have been connected to the two since, but neither player has found an offer to his liking. Now, it’s worth wondering who’s the more desirable player of the pair.

Castellanos, who will turn 28 in March, broke out with the Tigers in 2016 and has been a well-above-average offensive player since. During that four-year, 2,454-plate appearance span spent with the Tigers and Cubs, Castellanos slashed .286/.336/.504 with 94 home runs, a 6.5 percent walk rate and a 22.3 percent strikeout rate en route to a 121 wRC+ (meaning his production came in 21 percent above the average hitter’s) and 9.7 fWAR.

As has been covered time and again, Castellanos’ defensive limitations have somewhat offset his work at the plate. Castellanos couldn’t hack it at third base, which led the Tigers to move him to right field late in 2017. He has also endured no shortage of troubles in the outfield, having accounted for minus-35 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-25.7 Ultimate Zone. Although Castellanos did show some improvement last season, he still stumbled to a minus-9 DRS with a minus-5.2 UZR. So, if you’re adding him to your team, you’re probably not expecting much in the field.

On the other hand, DRS (plus-28) and UZR (plus-28.3) have given high marks to Ozuna in the outfield (primarily left) since his career began with the Marlins in 2013. Dating back to then, Ozuna has batted .273/.329/.455 with 148 homers (112 wRC+), a 21 percent strikeout rate against a 7.5 walk percentage, and 20.3 fWAR over 3,861 trips to the plate divided between Miami and St. Louis.

The 29-year-old Ozuna has been a more valuable player overall than Castellanos, though the latter has closed the gap in the past couple years. Castellanos was clearly the more productive batter in that span, as his 126 wRC+ trumped Ozuna’s 108 mark. But both players have been perennial Statcast favorites, evidenced in part by Castellanos’ .364 expected weighted on-base average and Ozuna’s even better .382 figure from 2019.

Bottom-line production aside, Castellanos and Ozuna have shown themselves to be pretty durable throughout their careers. Since his first full year in 2014, Castellanos has put up seasons of 148 games or more five times (including 151 in 2019). While Ozuna did miss 32 games because of broken fingers last season, he does have four years of 148-plus games on his resume.

Castellanos and Ozuna have looked similarly valuable of late, though the comparison between the two is admittedly imperfect. After all, they do line up at different positions, and Castellanos – unlike Ozuna – had the benefit of reaching free agency without a qualifying offer hanging over his head. Still, as the two top outfielders on the market, it at least makes some sense to group Castellanos and Ozuna together. Which player would you rather sign?

(Link for app users)

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Free Agent Faceoff MLBTR Originals Marcell Ozuna Nick Castellanos

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Remaining Needs: NL Central

By Jeff Todd | December 27, 2019 at 10:17pm CDT

We’re nearly halfway through what has been a vastly more active offseason than we saw in either of the past two winters. We’ve already checked in on the NL East, AL West, and AL Central. Next up: the National League Central.

Chicago Cubs

Welp … it’s hard to know what to say here. If the baseball operations department is as hard up for cash as reports indicate, then it’s difficult to pinpoint opportunities that ought to be pursued. To this point, the Cubs have made only the cheapest of additions — Hernan Perez, Ryan Tepera, Brandon Morrow, Trevor Megill — while exploring significant trades — Kyle Schwarber? Willson Contreras? Yu Darvish? Kris Bryant?! Anthony Rizzo?!?! — that could set the stage for greater roster maneuverability. We don’t know where talks stand, but there’s no indication that a blockbuster is close to happening.

If and when the Cubs are able to free some resources, then they’ve certainly got holes to be filled. The team ought to bolster the back of the rotation, add one or more pieces to a highly uncertain bullpen mix, improve in center field, and figure out a way to put another big bat in the lineup. No doubt such a swap would accomplish one or more of those goals. Trouble is, any deal involving a highly paid, core player would create another opening — or, at least, inject some new uncertainty. It’s a tight balancing act that will put president of baseball ops Theo Epstein and co. to the test.

Cincinnati Reds

Sensing some vulnerability at the top of the division and tired of bringing up the rear, the Reds are pressing hard to win now. The club has done all it can in the rotation and filled its second base opening by signing Mike Moustakas. But it rather clearly hasn’t reached a stopping point if it really wants to maximize its chances at a 2020 postseason bid.

The Reds have irons in quite a few fires. They’ve already shown they can pull off a significant swap, having added Trevor Bauer at over the summer. But that cost a top prospect in Taylor Trammell, so it may be hard for the club to give up more significant young talent in trades. Trouble is, what’s left in free agency may not perfectly suit the Reds’ needs. Adding Nicholas Castellanos, Marcell Ozuna, or Corey Dickerson could make some sense, but the club has options in the corner outfield mix and may not see enough marginal gain to justify the cost.

What this team needs most is star-level performers up the middle. Nick Senzel is a valuable asset but may be mis-cast as a center fielder. Tucker Barnhart has a sterling defensive reputation behind the dish but doesn’t do much with the bat. And shortstop Freddy Galvis is better suited to utility work for a team with designs on winning a division. It’s possible to imagine marginal improvements in these areas through the addition of quality, semi-regular players — Shogo Akiyama, Jason Castro, Jose Iglesias — but that will also mean pushing other useful players off of the roster. Swinging a blockbuster may prove tricky, but will surely be the focus of the rest of the winter. It also wouldn’t hurt to add a veteran setup arm.

Milwaukee Brewers

Roster churn is all part of the plan for GM David Stearns. The value-hunting Milwaukee baseball operations department didn’t chase the market on several departing free agents, preferring instead to seek the next buy-low opportunities while also swinging a pair of notable asset-shifting trades. The initial additions look solid from a value perspective. And they’ve been so voluminous that it’s fair to wonder how much work is really left to be done.

The Brewers aren’t overly focused on pitching roles, but could probably still stand to add arms. Hurlers such as Corbin Burnes, Brent Suter, Eric Lauer, Freddy Peralta, and Jake Faria could operate as short-outing starters, long-inning relievers, or as typical one-inning bullpen arms. That’s a fine strategy, but it’s one that depends upon digging up as many cost-efficient assets as possible. And it’s arguable the club ought to punctuate the unit by finding a way to add another premium pitcher to go with top starter Brandon Woodruff and ace reliever Josh Hader.

The Brewers currently project to come in well under last year’s $120MM+ payroll level. But you can bet they won’t spend money just to use up their budget. Stearns may at this point largely sit back, building out trade scenarios and scanning the bargain bin for finds.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Incoming GM Ben Cherington finds himself in a position not so different from the one that Stearns inherited a few years ago in Milwaukee. The Bucs don’t spend much, but they do have legitimate talent at the MLB level and in the upper levels of the pipeline, much like the pre-2016 Brew Crew. Cherington may follow the paths of Stearns and (former Cherington understudy) Mike Hazen of the Diamondbacks, both of whom have to this point found success — if not postseason glory — by eschewing both dramatic rebuilding and wild spending phases in favor of diligent, value-oriented roster maneuvering.

Presuming that sort of conceptual approach … well, we still don’t know what to expect. Cherington may not blow things up, per se, but he also surely won’t hesitate to move high-quality veteran players when it makes sense. Center fielder Starling Marte, reliever Kone Kela, and starter Chris Archer are the most obvious candidates; utilityman Adam Frazier and righty Joe Musgrove have reportedly drawn interest. If the trade offers meet or exceed the prices being paid in free agency, maybe Cherington will unleash an early-2020 onslaught of deals. But he really doesn’t have any veterans that he absolutely must move this winter.

As for additions, the team needs a long-term catcher first and foremost. It hasn’t settled on players at the 4-5-6 positions, but has plenty of internal options at or near the majors. Improving the rotation and bolstering the bullpen are theoretically desirable, but the focus will be on achieving value coming off of a rough 2019 campaign. Other buy-low desires will be dictated by which (if any) players are moved out via trade.

St. Louis Cardinals

At the moment, the Cards look exactly as they did when the 2019 season wrapped up, except without outfielder Marcell Ozuna and with lefty Kwang-Hyun Kim stepping into the shoes of Michael Wacha. There are, as always, a dozen or so outfield possibilities on hand. Perhaps it’s not unreasonable to expect some number of them — including, eventually, top prospect Dylan Carlson — to fill in adequately for Ozuna. This mix worked to the tune of a division title in 2019, so there’s no particular reason to think it can’t succeed again.

It’s a bit difficult to pick out a remaining free agent (Josh Donaldson aside, anyway) and say that the St. Louis roster would be improved drastically through that player’s addition. Sure, the team would rather have Nicholas Castellanos than not, but at what price would it make sense over the existing pieces? If there’s a specific position that feels unresolved, it’s probably center field and its questionable combination of Harrison Bader, Randy Arozarena, and Lane Thomas. But that’s precisely the wrong area to add this winter, with the aforementioned Marte leading a meager list of good possibilities.

What the Cards could use more than anything, it seems, is something we’ve mentioned previously with regard to this roster: to consolidate some of their solid MLB assets into really good ones. As it stands, only Paul DeJong finished the 2019 season with 4 or more fWAR (in his case, driven by glovework). Getting quality for volume is a tricky thing to pull off; it’s more or less what the team attempted, with still-questionable results, in last year’s Paul Goldschmidt deal. But it’s what president of baseball ops John Mozeliak ought to be seeking to swing — at more or less any area of the roster — over the next two months.

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MLBTR Poll: How Good Are The Angels?

By Connor Byrne | December 27, 2019 at 9:15pm CDT

Coming off their fifth straight non-playoff season and their fourth consecutive sub-.500 campaign, the Angels were expected to be one of the majors’ most active teams this winter. They haven’t disappointed.

Not only did the Angels sign free agency’s No. 1 position player – former Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon – to a seven-year, $245MM contract, but they’ve also strengthened their much-maligned starting rotation. Granted, the Angels’ acquisitions of ex-Oriole Dylan Bundy and former Brave Julio Teheran haven’t bowled anyone over, but at least the two of them have shown themselves to be durable, major league-caliber starters in recent years. That’s more than can be said for the majority of starters the Angels have run out over the past couple seasons.

With Rendon in the mix, an Angels position player group that finished 2019 middle of the pack in fWAR (16th) and runs scored (17th) suddenly looks imposing. Rendon and three-time AL MVP-winning center fielder Mike Trout could be the best one-two punch in baseball. Beyond them, there’s shortstop Andrelton Simmons, designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, left fielder Justin Upton and second baseman David Fletcher. Brian Goodwin’s the team’s starting right fielder for the moment, but his days at the top could be numbered with super-prospect Jo Adell not far from making an impact in the bigs.

While the Angels clearly have a legitimate offensive core, there are concerns, namely at catcher – which they need to address before the offseason’s out – as well as at first base. Unfortunately for the Angels, they could be stuck with a deteriorating Albert Pujols (he of the bloated $29MM salary) playing a key first base role.

Meanwhile, even with Bundy and Teheran in the mix, the Angels’ rotation still appears to need work. Neither one of those right-handers is a world-beater. Ohtani, a fellow righty, has front-end ability, but he only threw about 50 innings in 2018 before Tommy John surgery kept him off a mound last season. Like Ohtani, Andrew Heaney, Griffin Canning and Patrick Sandoval – although promising – haven’t really established themselves so far. Another problem for the Angels: They don’t seem likely to land a bona fide front-end type before the season, as Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg and Zack Wheeler are gone from free agency, and nobody’s aggressively shopping a No. 1 or 2 starter via trade.

Elsewhere, there’s a case the Angels need to better their bullpen, which finished last season in mediocre territory. Aside from claiming righty Mike Mayers from the Cardinals last month, they haven’t done much to address that area. Hansel Robles, Ty Buttrey, Noe Ramirez and Cam Bedrosian will all be back, however, and the Halos should get a full year from Keynan Middleton after he missed most of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

It’s hard to argue that the Angels haven’t taken significant steps forward this offseason. Plus, the two front-runners in the AL West – the Astros and Athletics – have been pretty quiet since last season ended. That said, after going 72-90 and finishing 35 games back of the Astros and 25 behind the A’s in 2019, the Halos still look as if they have more ground to make up if they’re going to be any better than a third-place team in 2020. With $20-some million left in spending room before they reach the first level of the luxury tax, the Angels just might make another splash or two before the offseason’s out. Right now, though, how many games do you expect the Joe Maddon-led club to win next year?

(Poll link for app users)

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Trade Candidate: Matthew Boyd

By Connor Byrne | December 27, 2019 at 7:05pm CDT

Left-hander Matthew Boyd has been one of the most talked-about trade candidates in baseball dating back to last season, yet the Tigers haven’t been willing to part with him thus far. Boyd seemed to come up on MLBTR’s pages every day last July leading up to the trade deadline, though rumors centering on him have been few and far between this offseason. As of a few weeks ago, Tigers general manager Al Avila wasn’t “actively” looking to move Boyd, one of the most valuable players on a Detroit team that has little chance to push for contention in the near term.

Since that report on Boyd broke, the upper end of the free-agent class for starting pitchers has emptied out. Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dallas Keuchel and Cole Hamels, among others, have come off the board in recent weeks. That leaves … Alex Wood (?) as the best starter left in free agency. Needless to say, if you didn’t sign any of the top starters on the open market but still need help in your rotation, a trade’s likely your best bet at this point. So, there should be plenty of teams clamoring for Boyd.

As MLBTR’s Jeff Todd explained earlier this week, when combining trade value and trade probability, Boyd may be the likeliest starter in the game to wind up on the move before the season. As was mentioned before, the Tigers figure to stay close to the bottom of the league for at least a little while longer, which is one reason it makes sense to give up Boyd now. Likewise, the lack of better starters on the open market ought to help Detroit’s cause if it tries to deal him. The soon-to-be 29-year-old Boyd does have three seasons’ arbitration eligibility left, so the Tigers could be content to keep him. However, Boyd’s getting more expensive (he’s due a projected $6.4MM in 2020) and might be difficult to extend with Scott Boras as his agent.

All things considered, the next several weeks look like an opportune time for the Tigers to cash in Boyd. Keep in mind this is the same club that held once-coveted righty Michael Fulmer when several teams were interested in him, and after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March, his trade value’s almost nil right now. If the Tigers go the other way with Boyd, there should be plenty of teams willing to offer enticing packages. To name several examples, the Angels, Astros, Phillies, Padres, Dodgers and Braves were all reported to have expressed interest in Boyd over the summer. All of those clubs could still stand to add someone of his ilk to their starting staffs right now.

So, if you’re going to trade for Boyd, what would you be getting? Well, there’s nothing particularly impressive about his career 4.92 ERA/4.66 FIP across 645 1/3 innings. Similarly, neither Boyd’s lifetime 91.4 mph average fastball velocity nor his 92 mph mean from 2019 will scare anyone. But Boyd did find another gear last season in terms of generating swinging strikes, racking up strikeouts and limiting walks. Hitters whiffed on 14 percent of his pitches, up from the 9 to 10 percent range during prior seasons. Moreover, Boyd took down 11.56 batters per nine via the K and handed out free passes at a personal-best 2.43 per nine. In all, his 4.76 K/BB ratio ranked 10th in the majors, barely trailing NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom and placing him just above the likes of Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw.

Despite his K/BB brilliance, Boyd still concluded last season with an unspectacular 4.56 ERA/4.32 FIP over 185 1/3 innings. One problem? A lack of ground balls. Boyd induced grounders at a subpar 35.6 percent clip, which rivaled his lifetime mark (34.5) but also helped lead to an unpalatable home run tally. He surrendered long balls on 18.2 percent of flies, up from the 10 to 11 range over the previous two seasons. Of course, teams that are especially sanguine about Boyd could attribute those struggles to a leaguewide increase in HRs. As such, it may not have a negative effect on their interest in swinging a deal for him.

All told, 2019 was a tale of two halves for Boyd. He recorded a terrific 3.57 ERA/3.38 FIP in advance of the All-Star break, which helped fuel one trade rumor after another, before plummeting to a 5.35 ERA/4.57 FIP thereafter. In retrospect, maybe the Tigers should’ve sold high on Boyd in July, but it still seems likely he’d bring back a quality return for the rebuilding club in the coming weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Taking Stock Of The First Base Market

By Jeff Todd | December 27, 2019 at 6:31pm CDT

We’ve seen a few teams plug needs at the first base position thus far. But others have unfilled openings — or, alternatively, could pursue upgrades as a means of plugging in some desired offense. On the supply side … well, if you just glance at the list of free agents, you may be disappointed. But a closer look shows quite a few more possibilities.

If you want an established bat coming off of a good season, you’ll have to head onto the trade market. Josh Bell of the Pirates and Trey Mancini of the Orioles are each 27-year-old, first-time arb-eligible sluggers. They’re the cream of the crop … unless the Cubs are open to listening to offers on Anthony Rizzo. There’s no clear indication of that, but the club has said it’s willing to consider anything and spurned Rizzo’s interest in pursuing an extension.

Prefer a rental? It’s not clear where the dealing will end for the Indians, but Carlos Santana and his $20MM salary could well be available (even if the Mariners are covering a piece of it already). He had quite a nice season last year, marrying typically exceptional plate discipline with a power rebound.

There are also a few other, subtler possible targets that aren’t true first basemen but could be seen as options there. Kyle Schwarber of the Cubs and free agent Nicholas Castellanos are each somewhat awkward in the corner outfield. But with their backgrounds coming in more challenging infield spots (catcher and third base, respectively), it stands to reason they’d be capable of wielding the leather at first.

Outside of Castellanos, free agency is a bit limited. Left-handed hitters Eric Thames and Mitch Moreland were each productive in 2019 and look like good options, particularly for clubs that have platoon partners in mind. Yonder Alonso and Matt Adams have had their moments in recent years but will each be looking to bounce back. Ditto Adams teammate Ryan Zimmerman, who’ll either re-sign with the Nationals or retire. Wilmer Flores is a bit of an under-the-radar possibility. He had a nice season with the bat last year but hasn’t been terribly valuable elsewhere in the infield. Perhaps he’d be seen as an option at first by some clubs.

If a team would rather land a younger, longer-term option, the Mets have a pair of possibilities on offer. Dominic Smith doesn’t appear to have anywhere to play in New York with Peter Alonso hogging all the action at first. While J.D. Davis is capable of playing third base or the corner outfield, which boosts his appeal, some teams would surely rather stash his bat (if they believe in it) at first base rather than exposing him to the more difficult defensive positions.

There are some other relatively youthful possibilities out there. The Mariners’ Daniel Vogelbach and Marlins’ Garrett Cooper have shown intriguing skills at times and ought to be available. The Rays have a loaded deck of lefty sluggers after signing Yoshitomo Tsutsugo. Indications are he’ll be used in the outfield and at third base, but it’s hypothetically possible the club could consider offers on Ji-Man Choi and Nate Lowe. Bounceback targets include Ronald Guzman of the Rangers and free agent Greg Bird.

Teams that would rather a veteran bat and aren’t afraid of talking big dollar signs have a few other candidates to consider. The Padres (Wil Myers), Giants (Brandon Belt), and Cardinals (Matt Carpenter, Jose Martinez) could all have interest in structuring deals. If the preference is for veteran depth without any commitment, then Mark Reynolds, Kendrys Morales, and Lucas Duda should all be available for little more than a non-roster invite.

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Remaining Needs: AL Central

By Steve Adams | December 27, 2019 at 4:02pm CDT

We’re nearly halfway through what has been a vastly more active offseason than we saw in either of the past two winters. We’ve already checked in on what’s left to do for the five clubs in the NL East and the five in the AL West. Let’s turn the focus to the AL Central as we continue moving through the game’s six divisions…

Minnesota Twins [Offseason Outlook]

Baseball’s most-improved team from 2018 to 2019 entered the offseason in need of a rotation upgrade, and nothing has changed on that front. Several months after broadcasting an intent to pursue “impact” pitching, Minnesota’s rotation is led by a familiar trio: Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi and Michael Pineda. Kyle Gibson has departed for the Rangers. Martin Perez signed with the Red Sox. The Twins’ rotation, at present, is thinner than it was for much of the 2019 season, and the top free agents are all off the board to other teams. The Twins will have to get creative in order to make good on that promise of adding an impact arm — particularly since few look to be clearly available on the trade market.

The other question facing the Twins is whether they’ll succeed in their ongoing pursuit of former AL MVP Josh Donaldson. Third base isn’t a “need” for the Twins, but penciling in Donaldson at the hot corner and shifting Miguel Sano to first base deepens the lineup while simultaneously improving the infield defense. And the Twins still have ample funds to spend, even after signing Odorizzi, Pineda, Sergio Romo, Tyler Clippard and Alex Avila. If they miss out on Donaldson, too, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine could be all the more motivated to line up an impact trade.

Cleveland Indians [Offseason Outlook]

The Indians might already have succeeded in their primary goal, as ownership looks intent on further paring back payroll after spending at club-record level in the wake of 2016’s World Series run. Gone is Corey Kluber, and the fact that Cleveland moved him for what is widely regarded as a light return (rather than hanging onto him and exploring the midseason market) suggests that clearing his salary was a key piece of the deal.

The Indians reallocated a bit of the money earmarked for Kluber when they agreed to terms with Cesar Hernandez to serve as the new second baseman. But it’s been radio silence from the Cleveland front office otherwise, despite the team’s reported desire for an outfield upgrade. (Delino DeShields, acquired in the Kluber deal, does not fit that description.) It’s tough to see the Indians ponying up for one of Nicholas Castellanos or Marcell Ozuna, but they could still try to play for someone like Corey Dickerson or perhaps explore a Yasiel Puig reunion. The trade market may be the likelier path.

One would expect that the main narrative around the Indians would be “how can they return to the top of the division,” but it’s instead on whether they’ll trade anyone else after clearing Kluber’s salary. Francisco Lindor’s name is dominating the rumor mill in recent weeks, and even Mike Clevinger has seen his name pop up. A deal of either player might not be likely but could bring back some MLB-ready talent (while creating another enormous hole to fill). At this point, Cleveland could stand to add an outfielder, a bullpen arm or another starting pitcher, but it’s not clear how much they’re willing to spend to do so.

Chicago White Sox [Offseason Outlook]

Far and away the most active club in the division — if not in all of baseball — the White Sox have overhauled a roster that now includes Yasmani Grandal, Edwin Encarnacion, Dallas Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez and Nomar Mazara (all after agreeing to an extension with Jose Abreu). You can debate the extent to which those moves have improved the roster, but there’s no denying that the South Siders will enter 2020 with a markedly better club (especially when considering the looming promotions of center fielder Luis Robert and second baseman Nick Madrigal).

Frankly, the heavy lifting is mostly complete for GM Rick Hahn and his staff — but don’t expect them to just sit back and wait for Opening Day. The Sox could still look to add a low-cost veteran in center or at second to bridge the gap to those aforementioned top prospects (and to serve as insurance, should they sustain an injury or struggle to adapt to the Majors). The team’s bench looks quite thin at the moment as well. In the bullpen, there’s little certainty beyond the top two names (Alex Colome and Aaron Bummer), so it’s only sensible to add a reliever or two to the fray as they look to build a deeper club capable of postseason contention. It’ll be worth keeping an eye out for some Spring Training extensions for younger players as well.

Kansas City Royals [Offseason Outlook]

The Royals have hired a new manager (Mike Matheny) and bought low on some former top prospects (Maikel Franco, Chance Adams). The signing of Franco and acquisition of Adams are both perfectly sensible moves for a rebuilding club to make, and a few more pickups along those lines wouldn’t be a surprise. But the Royals never figured to be aggressive in free agency this winter, as they’re clearly more focused on winning in 2021-22 than they are in 2020. There’s clearly room to add to the rotation or bullpen later in the offseason, should a good value present itself, but the Royals are also hopeful that several of their best pitching prospects will surface in the Majors in 2020.

Given the team’s current long-term approach, it’s surprising that the soon-to-turn-31 Whit Merrifield isn’t more available on the trade market. However, general manager Dayton Moore has steadfastly maintained that he expects Merrifield to be a part of the Royals’ next competitive club and has resisted all offers dating back to last offseason. The Royals locked Merrifield up to a very affordable extension last winter, and the club could conceivably explore long-term arrangements with the likes of Adalberto Mondesi or Jorge Soler this spring.

Detroit Tigers [Offseason Outlook]

Rebuilding or not, the Tigers opted to add some thump to their lineup earlier this month when they signed both C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop to matching one-year deals. Scooping up the Twins’ right-side infield tandem gives the Tigers some lineup depth and a pair of potential trade chips to flip this summer; a few other short-term moves along those lines could very well play out.

The pitching staff, in particular, looks ripe for short-term upgrades (both in the ’pen and in the rotation). A one-year flier on an Alex Wood or Jimmy Nelson type could pay dividends. Last year’s attempts at turning Tyson Ross and Matt Moore into coveted trade pieces didn’t pan out, but those results shouldn’t push the club away from trying what was a sound strategy once again.

The biggest question surrounding the Tigers is whether Matthew Boyd will be with the club to open the season. Boyd is widely known to be available and has drawn interest from plenty of clubs dating back to the July trade deadline. He’s controlled for another three seasons and emerged as one of the game’s premier strikeout pitchers in 2019, though home runs inflated his ERA. Some teams are surely hopeful, though, that if there’s a correction to last season’s juiced ball, Boyd can take another step forward and cement himself as a high-end rotation cog. There’s no urgency to trade him, but the Tigers will continue to explore the market to see if someone will overwhelm them.

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MLBTR Poll: How Good Are The White Sox?

By Connor Byrne | December 27, 2019 at 1:28am CDT

With the holiday season in full swing, this has been a fairly quiet week around Major League Baseball. If you’re a White Sox fan who happens to read MLBTR, though, we’ve had plenty of items relating to your favorite team over the past couple days. There has been Chicago’s one-year, $12MM agreement with first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, its reported interest (or lack thereof) in free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig and Mark Polishuk’s piece on the extension candidacy of stud center field prospect Luis Robert.

Even before the White Sox committed to Encarnacion, the majority of voters MLBTR polled Tuesday declared they were having the best offseason of all AL teams that finished below .500 in 2019. The White Sox defeated the Angels, Blue Jays and Rangers – teams that are also enjoying impressive offseasons – for that honor. Before Encarnacion jumped aboard, the White Sox added catcher Yasmani Grandal and left-handers Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez in free agency, re-signed 1B/DH/franchise favorite Jose Abreu and acquired outfielder Nomar Mazara in a trade with the Rangers.

Now, with the bulk of the White Sox’s winter work likely done, it’s worth asking how good this team looks on paper. Undoubtedly, Chicago had a high hill to climb coming into the offseason. The club was then fresh off a 72-victory campaign, its  11th in a row without a playoff berth and the seventh straight season in which it lost more games than it won. Maybe the White Sox aren’t quite playoff-caliber now, but considering the moves general manager Rick Hahn & Co. have made in the past month and a half, they should at least push the .500 mark next year.

With Encarnacion, Grandal, Abreu, Mazara, third baseman Yoan Moncada, shortstop/reigning AL batting champion Tim Anderson and left fielder Eloy Jimenez comprising the majority of their offense, the White Sox should be a bear to deal with for opposing pitchers. That’s without considering the forthcoming promotions of Robert and second base prospect Nick Madrigal, who could emerge as regulars in the early going next season.

Likewise, there’s no shortage of promise in Chicago’s rotation. If all goes according to plan, Keuchel and Gonzalez will act as sturdy veterans, Lucas Giolito will continue blossoming into one of the game’s premier starters, Reynaldo Lopez, Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease will quickly realize their vast promise, and Carlos Rodon will return to form after Tommy John surgery. Odds are that everything won’t go right, but that’s still a lot of talent crammed into one starting staff.

If there’s one area Chicago hasn’t really addressed this winter, it’s the team’s bullpen. The White Sox did claim flamethrowing righty Tayron Guerrero off waivers from the Marlins, but they’re otherwise in line to return a familiar cast of characters at the end of games. That isn’t quite cause for panic, though, as their Aaron Bummer-led relief corps largely earned middle-of-the-pack marks last season.

Although we still have several weeks before pitchers and catchers report, this already looks like a much-improved White Sox roster. In an AL Central division with multiple teams in full rebuilds (the Royals and Tigers) and two quality clubs that could take steps back (the Twins and Indians), perhaps Chicago can break through as one of the majors’ surprise playoff contenders in 2020. What do you think?

(Poll link for app users)

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Remaining Needs: AL West

By Connor Byrne | December 26, 2019 at 7:31pm CDT

With the offseason almost two months old, MLBTR is going through all 30 teams’ remaining needs by division. We started with the NL East. Now let’s move to the AL West, a division the Astros have won three years in a row. This has been a somewhat rocky offseason for the reigning pennant winners, which could create opportunities for at least one or two of the other teams in their division…

Houston Astros [Offseason Outlook]

The Astros’ nigh-invincible rotation has taken a couple serious hits since free agency opened, as all-world right-hander Gerrit Cole left to sign a record-high contract with the rival Yankees and back-end southpaw Wade Miley departed for the Reds. With Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke returning to man the top two spots, the front end of the Astros’ starting staff remains in better shape than most teams’. They’ll also get Lance McCullers Jr. back from Tommy John surgery, though the remainder of their rotation is decidedly less proven.

Jose Urquidy, Forrest Whitley, Rogelio Armenteros, Cionel Perez and Josh James are just a few in-house options who could start for Astros sometime in 2020, but there’s nothing resembling an established option after the Verlander-Greinke-McCullers trio. So, it would make sense for the Astros to seek a veteran from outside, though their desire to avoid the second level of the luxury tax ($228MM) could limit their options. As things stand, the Astros’ tax payroll’s already projected to check in at $237MM-plus, per Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. From that standpoint, the good news is that there’s no free agent remaining who’d cost an exorbitant amount to sign. However, that also means there’s no sure bet left on the open market. What about upgrading via trade? Two lefties – the Tigers’ Matthew Boyd and the Diamondbacks’ Robbie Ray – are among those who could be available, and both hurlers have drawn the Astros’ interest in the not-so-distant past.

Aside from the back end of its rotation, most of Houston’s roster looks as if it’ll once again enter next season in enviable shape. An exception could be at catcher, where the Astros probably won’t get much offense from Martin Maldonado, Dustin Garneau and Garrett Stubbs. Nevertheless, having re-signed the defensive specialist Maldonado for a two-year, $7MM guarantee, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Astros go into 2020 with their current behind-the-plate cast.

For Houston, the biggest question of all is whether it’ll face discipline in the near future for a scandal centering on alleged sign-stealing during its World Series-winning campaign in 2017. That’ll continue to be a major story to watch going forward, as it could have negative effects on president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow, manager A.J. Hinch and the organization as a whole.

Oakland Athletics [Offseason Outlook]

There may be no greater need in Oakland that at second base, a position Jurickson Profar failed to solidify last season (the A’s dealt him to the Padres earlier this winter as a result). For now, the A’s have several fairly untested in-house possibilities in Franklin Barreto, Sheldon Neuse, Chad Pinder and Jorge Mateo, but they’ve shown interest in addressing the spot from elsewhere. Former Athletic Jed Lowrie, now a Met, has come up as a potential trade acquisition. If healthy (no sure thing after an injury-ruined 2019), the switch-hitting Lowrie would at least offer some variety to a righty-heavy lineup. But if the A’s don’t pick up Lowrie or someone else via trade, they can still choose from several free agents, including Starlin Castro, Brock Holt, Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Scooter Gennett and ex-A Ben Zobrist, to name some players left on the market.

Elsewhere, the Athletics have at least considered adding a veteran backup catcher and more relief help. Matt Wieters has been on the radar as a possible reserve behind highly promising young backstop Sean Murphy. In the bullpen, the A’s had interest in a reunion with Blake Treinen before he signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Dodgers. They also eyed Sergio Romo prior to his re-signing with the Twins, and have looked at Royals lefty Tim Hill.

Texas Rangers [Offseason Outlook]

Credit to the Rangers for remaking their rotation this winter. What was previously a weakness now looks like a strength with new faces Corey Kluber, Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles following the terrific Mike Minor–Lance Lynn tandem. But where are the offensive reinforcements? The Rangers came into the offseason at least expected to take steps forward at third base, where Anthony Rendon was available and Josh Donaldson is still without a deal. They watched Rendon sign with the Angels for seven years and $245MM,however, and it doesn’t seem they’re serious players for Donaldson. Therefore, barring a trade for someone like Kris Bryant of the Cubs or Nolan Arenado of the Rockies, it doesn’t appear the Rangers will be making a blockbuster addition at the hot corner. Other than Donaldson, free-agent options (Todd Frazier?) don’t inspire a great deal of confidence.

Meanwhile, the Rangers’ offensive production from the catcher position was catastrophically low last season. Jeff Mathis put up a wRC+ of 2 (yes, you read that correctly), while Jose Trevino wasn’t a world-beater in his own right. But the Rangers are currently poised to enter next year with those two as their primary backstops yet again. Robinson Chirinos, a former Ranger they’ve shown interest in re-signing, is still out there. So is Jason Castro. On paper, either would give the team a much more credible starting catcher than it has at the moment.

Not to be forgotten, the Rangers aren’t in the best shape at first base, where Ronald Guzman fell flat for the second straight year. The 25-year-old Guzman still has a minor league option remaining, so the Rangers could sign a veteran (Eric Thames? Old friend Mitch Moreland?), demote Guzman and still keep him in the org.

Los Angeles Angels [Offseason Outlook]

As mentioned above, the Angels made one of the offseason’s most noteworthy splashes when they signed Rendon. Many expected the Angels to hand out a $200MM-plus contract this winter, but the popular belief was that money would go to a pitcher (Cole or Stephen Strasburg). The Angels struck out on Cole, Strasburg and $100MM-plus man Zack Wheeler (now a Phillie), but with Rendon in tow, they boast arguably baseball’s premier one-two punch of position players in him and the transcendent Mike Trout. The supporting cast behind those two isn’t bad, either, with DH Shohei Ohtani, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, second baseman David Fletcher and left fielder Justin Upton as quality complements. Furthermore, star outfield prospect Jo Adell gaining on a major league spot.

If there’s one serious issue among the Angels’ cast of hitters, it’s behind the plate. The only catchers on the Angels’ 40-man roster are Max Stassi and Anthony Bemboom, and that probably isn’t going to cut it. They have, however, shown interest in boosting their cause from outside. Either Chirinos or Castro (or, although it’s less likely, a trade for the Cubs’ Willson Contreras) would go a long way toward giving them one of the most formidable groups of position players in baseball.

Of course, as was the case when the offseason began, the Angels still need front-of-the-rotation help. Sure, they’ve done well to land Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran as competent innings eaters, and Ohtani will factor in again after missing all of 2019 (as a pitcher) while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning are still in the mix, which is a plus, but there’s no proven ace in the fold. Problem is that it may be too late to find one. Boyd, Ray, Chris Archer (whom new manager Joe Maddon knows from their time in Tampa Bay) and David Price (who still has three years and $96MM left on his contract) are among the top options on the trade market, but all come with question marks.

Fortunately for the Angels, they’re still more than $20MM under the luxury tax, so there’s room for them to make further upgrades even after grabbing Rendon, Bundy and Teheran.

Seattle Mariners [Offseason Outlook]

Unlike the other teams in their division, the rebuilding Mariners have very little chance to vie for a playoff spot next season. As such, one of their only real “needs” is to find a way to jettison more veterans and keep building for the future. The Mariners already got rid of one prominent player in catcher Omar Narvaez, whom they traded to the Brewers earlier this month, and third baseman Kyle Seager, outfielder Mitch Haniger and second baseman Dee Gordon are among those who could also find themselves on the outs in the coming months.

Meantime, general manager Jerry Dipoto has said the Mariners won’t be adding to their position player group before next season, but it would at least make sense to buy low on a pitcher or two, hope for a rebound(s) and try to flip him or them by the July trade deadline. Old pal Taijuan Walker has come up as a possible starting addition via free agency, and would join free-agent signing Kendall Graveman as a bounce-back candidate for the Mariners. Those are the type of arms they should be on the hunt for right now.

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