AL East:
Baltimore Orioles: 5th Place
Previous Season 54-108 5th Place
The Baltimore Orioles ended the 2019 at the bottom of the AL East in 2019 and did not make many moves to be more competitive in the 2020 season. The Orioles did see the 4th largest win improvement with 7 game better record from 2018 to 2019. The Orioles added SS Jose Iglesias into the mix while losing INF Jonathan Villar. The Orioles are not going to be a contender in this division any time soon and it should be expected to see prospects get some appearances sooner rather than later. Don’t expect the Orioles to up their win percentage next year because It is going to be a year for development in Baltimore.
Toronto Blue Jays: Prediction 4th Place
Previous Season: 67-95 4th Place
The Toronto Blue Jays have a young promising roster, that had some holes. This offseason the Blue Jays reworked their struggling pitching staff with SP Hyun-Jin Ryu who is coming off a career year with a 14-5 record and 2.32 ERA. The Jays also added SP Tanner Rourke, and SP Chase Anderson. Toronto did not stop there, they replaced 1B Justin Smoak with 1B Travis Shaw. Shaw has seen a decline in production the past two years but had tremendous 2017 Season where he hit 31 HR and logged 101 RBI. The team also added RP with Anthony Bass.
The focus of this season is going to be productive development from the young players. The roster is filled with talent under the age of 25 such as C Danny Jansen, 2B Cavan Biggio, 3B Vlad Guerrero Jr, LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr., 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez. Look for a significant win improvement in a very tough division. They are going to show signs of what is to come in the coming seasons as well as close the gap to .500.
Boston Red Sox: 3rd Place
Previous Season: 84-78 3rd Place
The Red Sox shocked the MLB world this winter with a trade not many saw coming. The Red Sox traded the face of the franchise, RF Mookie Betts (2018 MVP, 4X All Star, 4X Gold Glove, Batting Title ML PoY, 3X Silver Slugger, Wilson Overall DOP) to the LA Dodgers for an up and coming outfielder, Alex Verdugo. This trade also included David Price. David Price is set to earn $30 Million this year.
OF Alex Verdugo has the potential to be a strong lead off hitter who is only 24 years old. Verdugo made a huge leap in his progression last year going from 86 plate appearances to 343. In those 343 plate appearances, Verdugo batted .294 with a .342 OBP. With spots now open in the outfield, Verdugo has another opportunity to take a big step in his first campaign with Red Sox.
David Price struggled in the 2019 campaign holding a 7-5 record with 4.28 ERA. The Red Sox wanted to move this contract off the books and did so. Price was replaced with SP Martin Perez who agreed on a deal for $6.5 Mil and was 10-7 with a 5.12 ERA. The Red Sox also Added RF Kevin Pillar. Pillar is not going to be Mookie Betts, and he is not expected to be. Pillar batted .259 with 21 HR and 88 RBIs. He had a strong Spring Training batting .355 over 12 games with 5 runs. The Red Sox did not stop adding talent, they also acquired INF Jose Peraza who knocked in 33 RBI in 2019. The duo of Peraza and Jonathan Arauz are likely to split time at Second Base. Arauz is going to be looked at to fill big shoes left from Brock Holt who was the main man at Second who is now gone.
The offense of this team is still stacked up and down the lineup led by SS Xander Bogarts, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., and DH J.D. Martinez. In order for Boston to make the jump back into the playoff picture, the team will need increased performance from young guys such as OF Andrew Benintendi, 3B Rafael Devers and INF Michael Chavis who all saw a healthy amount of time against major league pitching before their 25th birthdays. Starting pitching will be the biggest question mark for this team, with Price and Porcello both gone there is going to be a lot of pressure on Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Martin Perez. If the offense is rolling the team should be able to compete for one of the top spots in the division, but in a shortened season, batting slumps could hurt this team.
Tampa Bay Rays: 2nd Place
Previous Season: 96-66 2nd Place
The biggest offseason move for the Rays was the addition of the most coveted foreign talents of the year, OF Yoshitomo Tsutsugo who received higher offers from other teams but took less money to sign with Tampa Bay. Tsutsugo hit 255 Homers, 795 RBIs and held a .372 On-Base Percentage in his 10-year career in Japan. There is concern as to how developed his fielding will be when he arrives in the majors and we will most likely see him at the DH more often than not. With the departure of OF Tommy Pham and RF Avisail Garcia this is a good situation for Tsutsugo to shine. The Rays also added RF slugger Hunter Renfroe who nailed 33 Home Runs and brought in 64 RBIs in the 2019 season and OF Randy Arozarena who could be a young impact player for Tampa Bay. Arozarena he has started off spring training hot batting .400 with a .586 OBP in his 29 plate appearances. Manuel Margot is another outfielder who has been brought into the mix that can bring in runs and has already logged nearly 1400 at bats with 33 homers and 130 RBIs. His Batting Average and OBP could be a concern sitting at .248 and .301 respectively but he is only 25 and is going to be challenged to improve on this with the amount of new outfield talent that has been brought in.
Majority of the pitching staff is returning and with how successful the youth pitching staff was last year I would be surprised to see any type of regression all around. SP Yonny Chirinos, SP Blake Snell, and SP Tyler Glasnow will be players to watch in the starting rotation. Outside of the overhaul of the outfield, the roster does not have many other major changes. I see the Rays fending off the Red Sox and should be in a good position to snag a Wild Card berth into the post season.
New York Yankees: 1st Place
Previous Season: 103-59 1st Place
When New York is healthy, they are the best team in baseball. This is one of the most exciting teams to watch with their ability to hit the ball out of the park at any point in the lineup. In 2019 the Yankees hit 306 home runs, and with former MVP Giancarlos Stanton and former Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge leading the way, this team should not have any trouble having another great season.
The team made a major move this winter, signing SP Gerrit Cole to a 9-year deal. Cole is coming off a career year winning 20 games with a 2.50 ERA. Due to Luis Severeno undergoing Tommy John Surgery, this is a major acquisition to the pitching staff that needed depth. With a team that can put up runs in bunches, Cole has the ability to improve his win totals and have another career year.
Despite the departures of SS Didi Gregorious, DH Edwin Encarnacion, and OF Cameron Maybin, this team should have no trouble creating offense. If New York can stay healthy through this short season they will win this division by a large margin. That is a huge if, however, showing their recent history of injuries. The shortened season could either be a blessing or a curse depending on who is on the DL after 60 games.
AL Central:
Detroit Tigers: 5th Place
Previous Season: 47-114 5th place
The Tigers added some weapons to their lackluster lineup. 1B CJ Cron and 2B Jonathan Schoop made their way across the division going from Minnesota to Detroit. The two combined for 48 Home Runs and 127 RBIs in 2019. The team also brought in C Austin Romine and OF Cameron Maybin from the Yankees.
On paper the team looks to be an improvement from the 47-win season in 2019, but the plan in Detroit is not to win the Pennant in 2020, but to develop their talent as much as they can. Detroit had the first pick in the MLB Draft this year and did not squander their opportunities. The team drafted Spencer Torkelson with the number one overall pick and added Dillon Dingler, Daniel Cabrera, and Gage Workman in the process. Detroit has vastly improved their farm system with these picks and with the Minor League season cancelled, there will not be opportunities for development in the farm system. The cancellation of the minors could lead to us seeing more prospects playing in Detroit this year, so the year is not completely wasted in terms of development.
Expect to see the Tigers at the bottom of the division once again with the presence of prospects getting some at bats throughout the year. The Tigers are clearly building for future success, so they won’t be spending much time trying to compete in the 60-game season.
Kansas City Royals: 4th Place
Previous Season: 59-103 4th Place
The Kansas City Royals were not a shark this winter during free agency. The Royals replaced 3B Cheslor Cuthbert with 3B Maikel Franco. Franco tallied 16 more RBI’s than Cuthbert in 2019 but Cuthbert had a slight edge in batting average.
As the team stands, their season will be similar to the Detroit Tigers. Develop the prospects. The Royals are not built to contend for a wild card position this season and I do not expect them to waste much time realizing that with only 60 games to play. Unless the Royals make a trade for a high-level player that could become available (Such as Nolan Arenado….) they will most likely be battling Detroit for the 4th spot in the AL Central.
Cleveland Indians: 3rd Place
Previous Season: 93-69 2nd Place
The Cleveland Indians’ offseason was in the spotlight due to the speculations regarding the face of their franchise, not Chief Wahoo, but their superstar Francisco Lindor. There has been a growing fear within the organization that the 4-time All-Star and 2-Time Gold Glove winner may not be interested in resigning in Cleveland following his current deal. There were rumors spreading that the team was listening to offers for the star-studded shortstop, but ultimately, he remains on the roster going into the season. The early success of this team could determine if he finishes the year on the team, but Cleveland attempted to bolster the roster to keep the window open to contend.
Two outfielders were brought into the fold creating an abundance of outfielders with Tyler Naquin and Oscar Mercado already on the roster. The Indians added Delino Deshields who held a .325 OBP as well as 24 stolen bases and 32 RBIs and Domingo Santana, a powerful right fielder who notched 69 RBIs and 21 homers last year.
One loss of the offseason to be noted is the departure of long time Starting Pitcher and fan favorite, Corey Kluber. Kluber had been in Cleveland for 9 seasons leading up to his departure. His career with Cleveland was nothing short of spectacular getting 3 All-Star nods in 2016-2018, as well as winning 2 Cy Young awards. Fans were stunned as the 2019 campaign started with an uncharacteristic 2-3 start with a 5.80 ERA as well as an early arm fracture that ended his season and streak of All-Star appearances. Fans did not expect this to be the last of the Kluber era in Cleveland, but it was as he was moved to the Rangers. Despite this, the Indians still have an outstanding pitching rotation. In 2019 Shane Bieber broke out as the best pitcher, winning 15 games and holding a 3.28 ERA with 259 strike outs. The rotation also includes 13-win, Mike Clevinger who posted a 2.71 ERA in 21 starts.
All around the Indians look to be in a good position heading into the 2020 season. There is a lot of pressure with the trade rumors and high expectations going into the season. It will be interesting to see how the team fairs early on; and if there are struggles, how long will Cleveland wait to pull the plug? This season will prove to be a pivotal one for the franchise as to which direction they plan to head for the future.
Chicago White Sox: 2nd Place
Previous Season: 72-89 3rd Place
The Chicago White Sox have been in a full blown rebuild since the trade of SP Chris Sale in 2016. Since then, it seems as if the rebuild has been working. The Sox saw one of the best year-by-year improvements in the league, winning 10 more games than the previous year. The team focused on competing in 2019, staying in more games than 2018 and working to improve young talent. The biggest player improvement the previous season was SS Tim Anderson. Anderson went from batting .240 in 2018 to winning the Batting Title with a .335 average. Another young prospect, 3B Yoan Moncada, also saw a large improvement going from a .235 average to .315. The 2019 White Sox brought up the slugging LF Eloy Jimenez from the Minor Leagues in 2019 and saw him bring in 79 RBIs and 31 Home Runs as a rookie.
The White Sox saw what they needed to in 2019 to pull the trigger to contend. After losing in the Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sweepstakes last winter, they were active again looking to add proven talent. The White Sox brought in more offense to go around the budding talent they have by signing C Yasmani Grandal, DH Edwin Encarnacion, RF Nomar Mazara, and 3B Cheslor Cuthbert. These four players alone combined for 269 RBIs and 90 Home Runs. The White Sox are clearly loading up the offense to support the young cast of pitchers they have.
The pitching staff of the White Sox was inconsistent at best, more or less terrible. With Carlos Rodon having Tommy John Surgery after 7 starts, and young flamethrower Michael Kopech out from Tommy John the previous year, the White Sox did not have much in the form of starting pitching. Outside of Lucas Giolito, every other starting pitcher had an ERA over 4.50. The White Sox have added some experience to the weak pitching staff however, adding SP Dallas Keuchel, SP Gio Gonzales, and RP Steve Chisek. Carlos Rodon set to come back as well; this pitching staff looks much better than 2019.
Considering the improvement in wins despite the year being a development year in Chicago, 2020 should be a year of results. The front office seems to be all in on a contender on the South Side. If the young players from last year can maintain their growth, the sky is the limit for the White Sox. The White Sox have gone under the radar, but they have slowly built something from what seemed to be nothing.
Minnesota Twins: 1st Place
Previous Season: 101-61 1st Place
The Minnesota Twins were by far the best team in the AL Central last year. The Twins were a complete team in every aspect. This year’s Twins team is going to have some new faces. The most notable addition to the club was the acquisition of 3B Josh Donaldson. Donaldson was a major contributor to the Atlanta Braves success in 2019 hitting 37 Home Runs and 94 RBIs. With Infielders C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop headed to new homes, this was a much-needed signing for the Twins.
The pitching rotation also underwent some changes. Starting Pitchers Kyle Gibson and Martin Perez are no longer with the team, as well as Relievers Ryne Harper and Sam Dyson. The Twins brought in as many pitchers as they lost, however. Two new starters will join the rotation with Homer Bailey, who has 1150 Career Strikeouts, and Rich Hill who had a 4-1 record with a 2.45 ERA in 58 innings and struck out 72 batters. They also added RP Tyler Clippard and SP/RP Kenta Maeda to help bolster the pitching squad.
The team still has plenty of weapons from the previous year such as C Mitch Garver, SS Jorge Polanco, 2B Luis Arraez and DH Nelson Cruz. With the new acquisitions and one of the best rosters on paper, the Twins should be able to retain their crown atop the AL Central. The Twins did not have many holes as the team stood going into the offseason and filled the ones they needed to as the offseason progressed. The Twins will win this division, but it will be closer than the 2019 standings. Watch out for the Twins as they should be able to make a solid post season run.
AL West:
Seattle Mariners: 5th Place
Previous Season: 68-94 5th Place
The Mariners were slightly worse than the Anaheim Angels the previous year only finishing 4 games out of the 4th spot in the AL West. But Seattle did not do much to try and move up the leader board in 2020. The biggest take away from the offseason in Seattle was that they added players with some cool names (Patrick Wisdom, Kendall Graveman, and Nick Margevicius). The Mariners also added a reliever who struggled in 2019 but had a fantastic 2018 season in Yoshihisa Hirano.
There is not much to be expected from Seattle in 2020. Following the departures of INF Tim Beckham, RF Domingo Santana, and SP Felix Hernandez, I would expect Seattle to dedicate the season to development. Without the Minor Leagues to use to develop players this year, expect to see the Mariners to give some appearances to younger players to build down the road. The Mariners will finish the season at the bottom of the AL West once again.
Texas Rangers: 4th Place
Previous Season: 78-84 3rd Place
The Texas Rangers were a middle of the pack team last year, finishing just below the .500 mark. The Rangers did not make many moves to change their standing in the division.There most notable area of improvement was to their starting rotation. The team added 2X Cy Young pitcher Corey Kluber who has been a proven talent but is coming off an injury to his throwing arm and struggled prior to his injury last year. The pitching staff also gained two other starters in Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles. The Batting Order will also be shaken up this season following the losses of CF Delino Deshields, INF Logan Forsythe, RF Nomar Mazara, and RF Hunter Pence who accounted for a quarter of the team RBI’s last year. The team brought in a few new batters however adding 3B Todd Frazier who brought in 67 RBIs and C Robin Chirinos who was able to bring in 58 RBIs.
The Rangers are going to be depend on strong seasons from 2B Rougned Ordor, LF Willie Calhoun, and OF Joey Gallo. Joey Gallo made his first All-Star appearance in 2019 with his breakout season at age 25 and will be expected to continue his upward trend of production. Willie Calhoun also had a career year, tripling his at bats from 2018 and becoming an everyday player for the Rangers. With the addition of a few veteran hitters, and solid growth on the current roster, the team should be on pace to replicate their success at the plate.
The determining factor of how much better the Rangers will finish in the standings will rely on the new-look pitching staff. The upside for them is going to be the track record of their new pitching acquisitions. At their best, the pitching rotation is one of the best in baseball. But the players they have added struggled in the 2019 campaign and look as if they are on the back end of their career. If the starting rotation can play near their potential, they will surpass the .500 mark on the year, but time will tell how they look on the field.
Houston Astros: 3rd Place
Previous Season: 107-55 1st Place
Everybody knows what the story for the Houston Astros this offseason was. If you do not, just google it, I am not going into detail about that. The biggest changes in the offseason for the Astros was the shakeup in management bringing in James Click as General Manager and Dusty Baker as Clubhouse Manager. The team lost some key pieces to their success as well, most notably their Ace Gerrit Cole who had a career year in 2019 but was taken away by the New York Yankees. Along with Cole, the Astros saw SP Wade Miley, RP Will Harris, and CF Jake Marinsick find new homes.
The Astros have been the powerhouse of the AL West for 3 consecutive years, but with instability within the organization and a new Manager brought into the mix, it will be interesting to see how the season plays out for the Astros. With Houston being in the media for the wrong reasons, they were not a coveted destination for new players, and with holes being created in the pitching rotation, it looks unrealistic to see the Astros gain their 4th consecutive AL West title. The Astros still have a very talented lineup with 2B Jose Altuve, 3B Alex Bregman, and SS Carlos Correa and strong pitching talent including SP Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke, but situations outside of the roster leave the reigning AL West champions in a vulnerable situation.
Anaheim Angels: 2nd Place
Previous Season: 72-90 4th Place
The Anaheim Angels were nothing short of a major disappointment throughout the 2010s. The team drafted and extended the best player in baseball, 3X MVP Mike Trout, and have not been able to build a contender around him. Cheers to a new decade, and what can be a fresh look with a superstar entering the prime of his career.
Mike Trout gained some more help to the lineup with the addition of 3B Anthony Rendon. Rendon has been one of the most improved players in baseball, showing significant progression in each of his 7 seasons. Rendon batted .319 with an On-Base Percentage of .412. Rendon also tallied 126 RBI’s in the 2019 season. Rendon is a major addition to this lineup and will be a major contributor for the foreseeable future. The Angels also added some talent in the pitching department bringing in SP Julio Teheran and RP Ryan Buchter.
The Angels are hoping their streak of underperforming will be left in the last decade and this will be a start to a new beginning. With the lineup lead by DH/P Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon, and Mike Trout, the potential is high in Anaheim. Pitching is still a concern for this roster, but the hope is the spectacular offense can outweigh this concern. Anaheim has the tools to make a significant change in the win column and I expect them to finally have the breakout season the fans have been waiting for.
Oakland Athletics: 1st Place
Previous Season: 97-65 2nd Place
The Athletics have been one of the most consistent teams in recent years in the AL West. The A’s flirted with 100 wins two seasons in a row reaching 97 wins in both campaigns. They have phenomenal infield talent with heavy production from 1B Matt Olson, SS Marcus Semien, and 3B Matt Chapman. The A’s lost some talent with notable losses with INF Jurickson Profar and SP Brett Anderson.
They look to be in just as good of a position, if not better, to sustain their recent success. They were not a big-time player in free agency, but they did not need to be. The team has a solid young core, versatility up and down the roster, and a solid pitching staff. There is not much to be said about the Athletics other than that they are going to be a great baseball team this year. With Anaheim unable to prove they can live up to expectations, and the circus in Houston this winter, the Athletics are in prime territory to take the AL West for themselves.
NL East:
Miami Marlins: 5th Place
Previous Season: 57-105 5th Place
Fans in Miami have not had much to be excited about in the sport of baseball. The Marlins have seen players they had themselves go on to be major contributors on winning teams such as Christian Yelich and Giancarlos Stanton but have not seen a top prospect emerge of their own. It is tough to be a Marlins fan right now. But there was some activity from the front office who is seeing pressure from a frustrated fan base. The team broke out the checkbook to bring in some new faces to the 57-win team. The new additions include, LF Corey Dickerson, C Francisco Cervelli, OF Matt Joyce, INF Jonathan Villar, 1B Jesus Aguilar, RP Yimi Garcia, and RP Brandon Kintzler. In total, the Marlins brought an array of bats that totaled of 217 RBI last season and it looks as if the Marlins at least put some effort in to give fans something to look forward to.
Despite the new acquisitions, the Marlins are still in one of the toughest divisions in the MLB, and the new look roster is not much compared to what they will be playing against. At least this season will come with some excitement for Marlins fans with a team that will be in games, but the Marlins are surely set to finish last once again in the NL East.
Philadelphia Phillies: 4th Place
Previous Season: 81-81 4th Place
The Phillies changed the outlook of their franchise in the winter of 2018, adding arguably the most exciting player in baseball, RF Bryce Harper. But this did not directly translate to on-field success as they found themselves as a .500 team finishing as the 4th best team in the division. The team has a clear goal to bring in talent to build around their newly acquired franchise player. The Phillies starting rotation struggled last year outside of young ace, 26-year-old Aaron Nola. The Phillies added some help in this department bringing in SP Zack Wheeler who holds a career record of 44-38 and 3.77 ERA. They also added some fresh bats to the lineup bringing SS Didi Gregorius into the mix who notched 61 RBIS. The team lost some production to the lineup in 2B Cesar Hernandez, 3B Maikel Franco, and LF Corey Dickerson.
The Phillies are in a tough position in the NL East with the reigning World Series Champion Nationals and strong young core in Atlanta, but the Phillies are going to look for growth within their current lineup. The Phillies are going to hope to see growth from starting pitchers Vince Velasquez and Nick Pivetta to try and gain some stability in the rotation as well as improvement from 1B Rhys Hoskins and CF Scott Kingery. They seem to be a few pieces away from being a true contender in the division but there is talent to be found on this roster and they will be an exciting team to keep an eye on.
New York Mets: 3rd Place
Previous Season: 86-76 3rd Place
The New York Mets seem to be the forgotten team. Being in the shadow in their own city with the super team that is the Yankees, as well as being in the shadow of their own division with the powerhouse Nationals and Braves. The New York Mets are a good baseball team. The Mets have arguably the best young talent in the MLB in 1B Pete Alonso. Alonso was a first year All-Star as well as Rookie of the Year batting .260 with 120 RBI and a league leading home run total of 53. Along with Pete Alonso, the Mets also have another young stud in Amed Rosario who had 72 RBI and 19 SB with a .323 OBP. These two are great foundational pieces for the future, but it seems as if the Mets are ready to compete now.
The Mets have put together a dangerous rotation of starting pitchers adding Michael Wacha, and Rick Porcello. With a staff that already includes Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, these additions make the Mets a very tough team to hit against. The pitching staff as a whole had a down year in 2019, but these four pitchers that will be in the rotation have the potential to win a large amount of games if they can be a fraction of what they were in the past. A few relievers were also brought into the mix this offseason with Dellin Betances and Brad Brach adding bullpen depth.
The Mets are going to make a big jump this year in win percentage. If they were not in the same division as the Nationals and Braves, they would be a good pick to be division champs in 2020. The Mets will be very competitive among the top 3 teams in this division and could make a dark horse run for this division. This is a year that the Mets can get out of the shadows and into the limelight. The Mets are going to come into the season with a chip on their shoulder and continue to get better this year. Watch out for the Mets. They have built a strong team in New York.
Atlanta Braves: 2nd Place
Previous Season: 97-65 1st
The Atlanta Braves were one of the most talented young teams in 2019. For those who do not know, the Braves had 7 players who saw regular action on the lineup who are 25-years and younger. Most notably All-Star CF Ronald Ocuna Jr. who batted .280 with 41 HR and 101 RBI as a 21-year old. The Braves were incredibly consistent the entire year despite their youth, winning nearly 100 games. The team stumbled in the NL Division Series falling 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals
The Braves added talent to their developing roster bringing in CL Will Smith, OF Marcell Ozuna, SP Cole Hammels, and C/1B Travis d’Arnaud. The Braves looked to add some more veteran presence to help continue the growth of their young squad and hope this can help take them deeper into the playoffs. The Braves did lose some talent this winter, especially with 3B Josh Donaldson heading to the American League. SP Julio Teheran and SP Dallas Keuchel also made a change in location this winter.
Despite the changes to the roster from this year to last, there is no question the Braves are going to be in close contention for the NL East title. It would be hard to think the lineup is not going to get better as the season progresses as the young guys filling this roster play much older than they truly are. It will be a coin flip between the Nationals and the Braves for this division and will be exciting to watch how close they are with such a short season.
Washington Nationals: 1st Place
Previous Season: 93-69 2nd Place
The Washington Nationals were the surprise team of the year in 2019. Despite not winning their division, the Nats made a spectacular post season run to become World Series Champions. The Nats have not sat back and accepted their spot on top but have instead tried to improve to continue their success. The Nationals most important move of the year was extending the contract of their franchise pitcher, Stephen Strasburg. On top of locking in their top player, they looked to add more depth to the lineup as well. Washington added 1B Eric Thames and SS/2B Starlin Castro. Castro is an interesting pick up as he was two different players in 2019 for the Marlins. Castro was one of the worst players in baseball through the first few months of the season, but ended up with a .270 BA, 22 HR, and 86 RBI. The Nationals also added some depth to the bullpen bringing in RP Will Harris who had a 1.50 ERA in 68 games, and RP Ryne Harper. One notable loss for the club was star 3B Anthony Rendon who signed with the Anaheim Angels this winter.
Despite the loss of Rendon, the Nationals lineup is still stacked. With breakout outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles and the retention of SS Trea Turner, the Nationals are still in a spot to continue to compete. The pitching staff was kept intact as well as they still have an outstanding rotation filled with Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Max Scherzer, and Anibal Sanchez. This roster is dangerous. The Nationals are hungry to prove they were not just a team that got hot at the right time, but one that is going to be a problem in this division for a long time. Washington is going to on top of the division by a small margin and continue their upward trend.
NL Central:
Pittsburgh Pirates: 5th Place
Previous Season: 69-93 5th Place
The Pittsburgh Pirates are not in a good position. The Pirates did not make any moves to grow this year, and it does not look like they are going to improve in win percentage. The Pirates lost OF Starling Marte this offseason and did not bring anyone in to replace them. This is going to be a throw away season for the Pirates as there is not an expectation to come anywhere near the other 4 teams in the division. Expect for young players and prospects to get some at bats due to the cancellation of Minor League Baseball.
Chicago Cubs: 4th Place
Previous Season: 84-78 3rd Place
The Chicago Cubs seem to be spinning their tires going forward. The team is filled with offensive talent with the incredible infield of SS Javier Baez, 1B Anthony Rizzo, and 3B Kris Bryant, Despite the combination of great fielding and hitting, the team has struggled to form a strong pitching staff. Starting Pitching was horrendous for the Cubs in 2019. After the Cubs signed Yu Darvish to a contract worth $126 Million, hoping he would become the ace to replace Jake Arrieta, Darvish has failed to perform. Darvish has a 7-11 record with a 4.16 ERA in his 39 starts for Chicago over the last two years. The Cubs also traded top prospect Eloy Jiménez to the South Side of Chicago for SP Jose Quintana, who had a 13-9 record with a 4.68 ERA and will now miss significant time this season with an off field injury to his throwing hand that required surgery. Overall, the entire pitching staff had a 3.46 ERA or higher last season, and the pitching options do not look strong moving forward.
The Cubs were unsuccessful in trying to gain the financials to add a significant player in the offseason and are set to start the 2020 season with the same roster as 2019. I do not believe there is much time left for the current roster in Chicago. If the Cubs struggle early, which is almost inevitable looking at the pitching staff, they will be forced to move some of the players that won them there first World Series in 108 years. It would be hard to believe following the 2016 World Series that the Cubs would not be able to continue to compete in the NL Central but bad contracts and trades have put the franchise in a tough spot that seems to have ended the Cubs championship window.
St. Louis Cardinals: 3rd Place
Previous Season: 91-71 1st Place
The Cardinals were neck and neck with the Milwaukee Brewers for the entire year, finishing the season 2-games ahead for the division title. The Cardinals were not spenders in the offseason, focusing on the team they have and hoping for continue improvement from younger players. The team saw some familiar faces head out of town including SP Michael Wacha, OF Marcell Ozuna, and RF/1B Jose Martinez. The club is going to rely on younger guys such as IF Tommy Edman, CF Harrison Bader, SP Jack Flaherty, and SP Dakota Hudsen to continue to grow into foundational pieces moving forward.
With key pieces aging, such as Yadier Molina, Matt Carpenter, and Dexter Fowler, the team is banking on young talent to transition into larger roles. This can work very well or very bad for a team that was not active in securing depth incase this plan does not work out. With such a short season, and the typical slumps that young players tend to have, it will be difficult for the Cardinals to repeat as NL Central Champions. Nonetheless the Cardinals will be a player in the 2020 season but the success they had last year should not be the expectation moving forward.
Milwaukee Brewers: 2nd Place
Previous Season: 89-73 2nd Place
The Milwaukee Brewers had a slight downturn from 2018 to 2019 season falling out of the number one spot by just 2 games. Milwaukee had a tough end to the season being matched up against the Washington Nationals in the Wild Card game and having their season ended quickly. Milwaukee is still a talented team however as they have revamped the lineup. The Brewers brought in several consistent hitters such as RF Avisail Garcia, 1B Justin Smoak, INF Eric Sogard, and 2B/OF Brock Holt. The club also added some pitching as well bringing in SP Brett Anderson and RP David Phelps. The Brewers did lose some key pieces over the winter with C/1B Yasmani Grandal heading to the White Sox, along with 3B Mike Moustakas, OF Trent Grisham, SP Chase Anderson, SP Zach Davies, and SP Gio Gonzales all finding themselves on new rosters.
Despite the change in the lineup and rotation, the Brewers are still in a good spot to compete in 2020. They still have former MVP Christian Yelich, as well as impact players such as LF Ryan Braun and young 2B Keston Hiura who batted .303 in 2019. The pitching rotation is going to need solid seasons from SP Brandon Woodruff and SP Adrian Houser to get back to the top of the division. Milwaukee is going to make a push to get back to the position they held in 2018 but it is going to be tough to get past the new look Reds.
Cincinnati Reds: 1st Place
Previous Season: 75-87 4th Place
The Cincinnati Reds were the most active team in free agency this winter. The Reds spent a total of $165M to overhaul their lineup. The Reds are clearly looking to make a big change in their success this season. The biggest addition to the lineup is 3B Nicholas Castellanos. Castellanos tallied 100 Runs, 73 Runs Batted in, 27 Home Runs, while batting .289 with a .337 OBP. Castellanos is an impact player that can run up the score any given day. Along with the Castellanos signing, they added another strong bat in 3B/2B Mike Moustakas who hit 35 HR and 87 RBI in 2019. They also added 5-Time NBP All-Star CF Shogo Akiyama who totaled 122 HR, 257 Runs, and a .379 OBP in Japan. The addition of these three sluggers shows that the Reds are trying to bring in a high-powered offense to go along with their strong pitching staff.
The Reds pitching staff was led by Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, and Anthony DeSclafani in 2019. The Reds brought (or bought) in more help to an already strong rotation adding SP Wade Miley who had a 14-6 Record in 2019. The Reds also added RP Pedro Strop who has a career ERA of 3.21 as well as 548 Strikeouts in 501 Innings Pitched. The Reds pitching staff has talent all around and should be well suited for this short season.
The Reds are a different team than the 75-win team they were last year. It is going to be exciting to see how this team fits together with a shortened season and not much time to try out different lineups. Despite the batting order being completely overhauled, I still think the money was well spent in Cincinnati and they have gone from a member of the division to a contender in the division, Cincinnati fans have plenty to be excited about this season and have high expectations going forward.
NL West:
Colorado Rockies: 5th Place
Previous Season: 71-91 4th Place
The Colorado Rockies were hibernating during the winter and did not make many moves. There was plenty of noise coming out of Colorado however as there was speculation that All-Star 3B Nolan Arenado wanted to be moved from the club. Despite these rumors, Arenado will start the season in the lineup. Without much change to the below .500 roster it is a safe assumption that this roster will not look the same by the trade deadline. Expect Nolan Arenado to finish the season on a contending team and that the Rockies will try and fill the farm system to go toward a full rebuild. It doesn’t seem like there are many options for this club as it stands, and changes are inevitable moving forward.
San Francisco Giants: 4th Place
Previous Season: 77-85 3rd Place
The Giants have been one of those middle of the pack teams for the last 3 seasons, and this offseason did not do much to change that narrative. The Giants lost more than they gained this winter, pushing them closer to a rebuild than contention. The organization saw franchise SP Madison Bumgarner head to the other side of the division after 11 seasons in San Francisco. The Giants also lost CL Will Smith, RF Kevin Pillar, and C/1B Stephen Vogt all leave the club. The club however bring in some faces new and old with the acquisition of INF Wilmer Flores and fan favorite RF Hunter Pence.
The Giants are not going to be in the same realm as the Dodgers and Diamondbacks this year, but they are going to be better than the Rockies. As the roster is aging, expect this to be a victory lap as to what was in San Francisco the past decade which featured 3 World Series victories. The team will most likely slide in prospects towards the end of the season to get some development and make moves to build up the farm system for 2021. Expect the Giants to put up a fight and compete in games but they are not going to be a threat to the division.
San Diego Padres: 3rd Place
Previous Season: 70-92 5th Place
The Padres made some moves to move up the ladder for the 2020 season. This offseason saw the club add a few solid outfielders with the acquisition of Tommy Pham, who brought in 68 RBI with a .369 on-base percentage, and Trent Grisham who batted .231 with 24 RBI and .328 OBP as a rookie. The team also added INF Jurickson Profar and SP Zach Davies into the mix. The Padres are clearly looking to add more wins with a roster that already has 1B Eric Hosmer, 2B Ian Kinsler, and 3B Manny Machado.
It is surprising that the Padres were not more aggressive in reworking the starting rotation as the pitching staff did not have much success in 2020, but the pitching staff is very young and can easily take steps forward to get accustom to the Majors. This Padres team is going to be intriguing this year, the lineup can put up runs in a hurry and it is going to be on the pitching staff to improve upon a disappointing 2019. Expect the Padres to make a jump in win percentage as well as compete for the 3rd spot in the division.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 2nd Place
Previous Season: 85-77 2nd Place
The Diamondbacks are going to be an exciting team in the 2020 season. The Diamondbacks added a proven talent and a pitcher that rakes (even though there is a universal DH, he still rakes). This addition would be SP Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner is a 4X All Star, World Series MVP, and holds a career record of 119-92 with a 3.13 ERA, if he knows how to do anything (other than hit home runs), he knows what it takes to win. The addition of Bumgarner gives the Diamondbacks a huge boost in the rotation along with Alex Young and Luke Weaver who posted solid ERA’s in there starts.
The Diamondbacks did not only add Bumgarner, they also added RF Kole Calhoun, C/1B/OF Stephen Vogt, OF Starling Marte, RP/CL Hector Rondon, and RP Junior Guerra. The lineup of the Diamondbacks is not as star powered as the division rival Dodgers, but it is dangerous. The outfield is filled with talent with 25-year old Ketel Marte coming off his first All-Star Game, Adam Jones, and David Peralta. The team also has a proven slugger in Eduardo Escobar who hit 35 HR and 118 RBI.
The Diamondbacks are going to be extremely fun to watch in 2020. It will be interesting how close they can come to the Dodgers in the Divisional race. The additions all around should make the Diamondbacks a shoe in for a Wild Card position after the 60-game season. Depending on how the pitching staff plays outside of Bumgarner could be the difference maker as to the win percentage in 2020.
LA Dodgers: 1st Place
Previous Season: 106-56 1st Place
The Dodgers had the second-best record in all of baseball in 2019, sitting just one game behind the Astros. The Dodgers have been the best team in the NL West for 7 consecutive years but have failed to win the World Series every time. The Dodgers were a stacked roster moving into the winter, and then they made a trade. The Dodgers added MVP, 4-Time All Star, 4-Time Gold Glove winner RF Mookie Betts to the club in a trade with the Boston Red Sox. This is a major acquisition for one of the best teams in baseball. They also added SP David Price who will be sitting out the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. Outside of the Boston trade, the Dodgers acquired former All-Star SP Alex Wood who has a 53-43 career record. Two fan favorites headed out of town including SP Hyun-Jin Ryu and SP Rich Hill. But I do not think fans will be too upset after the major addition to the outfield.
The Dodgers current outfield is loaded with talent with Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger, and now Mookie Betts, the infield is also strong with 3B Justin Turner and SS Corey Seager. The pitching staff will include Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and Alex Wood to start the year. Nobody in the division is going to be able to catch up to the talent gap that the Dodgers have created this offseason. They will win the NL West by a hefty margin and could very well have their best chance at finally breaking through to win that World Series they have been going at for nearly a decade.
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