The offseason has quieted down as it normally does with February on the horizon (Four weeks until pitchers and catchers report!!!) but there are still plenty of teams that have positioned themselves for big things in 2015. I’ll take a look at a team from each division that has decided 2015 is going to be their year. We begin in the American League West.
AL West: Seattle Mariners
When Seattle decided that Nelson Cruz was going to be their big offseason acquisition, a lot of that had to do with the fact that right-handed power had become somewhat difficult to come by. Even for a man entering his Age 35 season, you’re still talking about one of the most prolific power hitters in baseball right now. And yes, the 4-year, $57 million price is large, but remember this rule of thumb for free agent contracts: You’re not looking for value over the entire course of the contract so much as you’re looking for as much value as you can get at the BEGINNING of the contract.
The move was made for obvious reasons. The ascension of Kyle Seager to near-superstar status (with his $100 million extension proving that further) and Robinson Cano still being in his prime means the Mariners needed help to take advantage of the window their offensive core has provided them with. On top of that, they have a Top 5 pitcher in baseball in Felix Hernandez heading a very good staff, and one that has an opportunity to get better in the back end with young talent like James Paxton and Taijuan Walker stepping up.
The division is incredibly competitive this year. The Angels have the best player on the planet and finally broke out last year. The A’s figured out how to retool without losing much ground. Texas can’t be hit by the injury bug that badly two years in a row. The Astros have decided now is the time to push forward with their youth movement. If there was any time for the Mariners to make their move in the AL West, this is their year.
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
It’s weird to think that a team that won 73 games is going all in for 2015, but the White Sox made plenty of moves this offseason that has made the league stand up and take notice. Marquee signings include David Robertson as the team’s new closer, Melky Cabrera as the team’s new left fielder, Adam LaRoche at 1B/DH and trading for Jeff Smardzija to become a #2 behind Chris Sale. GM Rick Hahn has been lauded highly for his moves since taking over as GM at the end of the 2012 season, but this is his best work yet.
The moves coincide with Jose Abreu’s incredible rookie year, and while the White Sox aren’t known for their young talent right now, Abreu along with Sale, Jose Quintana and Adam Eaton is a pretty good start on a very solid core. There’s even a really good chance that Shark re-signs after this season or signs an extension with his known love for Chicago.
The division itself is probably more wide open than you think, too. Detroit’s pitching staff is a major question mark and that offense is another year older. Cleveland looks like they’re going in the right direction but the players who broke out last year have to show they can do it again. Kansas City is coming off a World Series berth, but there are big time questions about a lot of the players who starred in the playoffs last year. Hahn might have something here with the idea of a big step forward for the White Sox this year.
KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 29: Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants slides into third base in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals during Game Seven of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium on October 29, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
AL East: Boston Red Sox
You were expecting someone else? They added Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and completely revamped their pitching staff and still have the prospects where a trade for Cole Hamels or Jordan Zimmerman (or even Stephen Strasburg, which is downright scary) is possible. Also, just in case they feel the need to spend the money, James Shields is still out there on the free agent market. Maybe like the Giants have their even year magic, the Red Sox could have some odd year magic?
Thanks to the fine people over at Fangraphs, the Red Sox are projected to have the fourth highest wins in baseball next year, and are only behind the Mariners in projected wins. The projection systems that are out there are notoriously safe, and while 88 wins seems low, remember the amount of talent the AL East has this year. Between Boston, Baltimore and even teams like Toronto and New York (Tampa Bay remains to be seen), there is going to be a lot of competition for wins in that division. Boston, however, is the team best set up to win right now.
There are a couple caveats for the Red Sox this year: Mookie Betts has to show he’s the real deal in center, Xander Bogaerts has to step up (although he’s not going to have too much pressure on him with the new offensive additions) and they still need to figure out their right field situation via trades. Also, while that pitching staff is revamped, guys like Wade Miley, Justin Masterson and Rick Porcello profile as #3-#4 starting pitchers and the incumbent ace, Clay Buchholz, is maybe a #2 on his best day. That’s why the trades for the aces seem like a good idea, although Ben Cherington has been reluctant to include any of their top talent, such as Betts, Henry Owens and Blake Swihart. That’s what makes the Red Sox so scary: They might not be at the peak of their powers just yet.
NL West: San Diego Padres
Yeah, I can’t believe this one either. With the trades for Justin Upton, Matt Kemp and Wil Myers, along with the additions of Derek Norris and Will Middlebrooks, the Padres figured out a way to increase their offense in a way that seemed unprecedented. Not known for having a lot of top-tier young talent in their farm system, the Padres somehow figured out a way to turn a team that had one of the worst offensive seasons in history into a respectable offense that has plenty of breakout possibilities.
But the real story of this team is going to be the pitching staff. Ian Kennedy had a big year in 2014 and Tyson Ross looks like a superstar in the making. Andrew Cashner looks like he’s on the cusp of figuring things out. Odrisamer Despaigne looks like a good piece at the back of the rotation. They did have to trade away Jesse Hahn in the Derek Norris deal, but they have plenty of options at the back of the order.
They don’t have a shot at the division championship with the Dodgers holding court and the Giants still good, if not potentially great. But this team definitely can make some noise when it comes to the Wild Card. It’s a lot of what ifs (Upton in a contract year, Myers fulfilling his promise and Kemp being free of injury to go along with the other guys they traded for) but this team at least matters in the short term and has built something that could help them be relevant in the long term.
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 15: Pitcher Jon Lester attends an introduction press conference by the Chicago Cubs on December 15, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
The obvious signing of note is Jon Lester, but the ancillary moves made have this team primed to do something big in 2015, so much that the Cubs are somehow a 14/1 favorite to win the World Series right now. They traded Luis Valbuena for Dexter Fowler to roam center, added Miguel Montero for a couple minor league pitchers and now can plug and play wherever they’d like with the best minor league system in all of baseball. Oh, and that new manager of theirs knows how to squeeze every little drop he can out his 25-man roster.
Minor League Player of the Year Kris Bryant steps in at third base, Javier Baez will get his shot at second base and Jorge Soler will take over full time in right field. In addition, Addison Russell sits waiting in the wings and could push Bryant to left field, the only spot in the starting line-up where the Cubs might be weakest. Russell could easily play third, or you could move Starlin Castro or Baez to third while putting Russell at second. The possibilities are endless.
The NL Central is also more wide open then you might think. The Cardinals are getting a bit long in the tooth, and while they always seem to have the talent to refill at will, there are plenty of questions across the board. The Reds are betting on their pitching holding up and Joey Votto returning to form, two things that aren’t set in stone. Pittsburgh has holes on offense and questions with their starters. Milwaukee is gonna take a step back this season. Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon comprise one of the most formidable GM/manager tandems in baseball. 2015 might just be the beginning of a prolific run for the Cubs.
NL East: Washington Nationals
We finish with the team that has done the most to make themselves the favorite in 2015, and it begins (and ends, really) with the Max Scherzer signing. Yeah, the idea of paying him $15 million per year through 2028 (!!!) might seem a bit nuts, but one look at that rotation answers the question of why he was signed in the first place. Scherzer, Strasburg, Zimmerman, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez is the best rotation in baseball by far. But it’s not just the pitching that makes them the prohibitive favorite.
The arrival of Anthony Rendon shored up the third base issue with Ryan Zimmerman, who moves to first base after Adam LaRoche signed with the White Sox. They then traded one of baseball’s best relievers over the past few seasons, Tyler Clippard for Yunel Escobar, who will take over as the regular at second base. Ian Desmond is second only to the incomparable Troy Tulowitzki for power at the shortstop position. And then the outfield of Jayson Werth, Denard Span and that Bryce Harper character rivals the best trios in baseball.
The only issue could be in the bullpen, as the departure of Clippard hurts them in the 7th/8th innings. Tanner Roark can slot in as the swingman, and there’s even the possibility of Lucas Giolito, the team’s top pitching prospect, coming in to help the bullpen or even take a spot in the rotation if the Nationals trade one of their starting pitchers. That being said, having this rotation as it stands for 2015 is Washington’s greatest attribute, and even if you do get players to help stockpile the future in a deal for Zimmerman, Strasburg or even Fister, the Nationals will have no better chance at a World Series crown than this year. No team has done more to make themselves the favorites for 2015, and on paper, there’s no team better as we look towards the beginning of the season.
