MLB Off-season Power Rankings
We are almost there baseball fans. It’s about time to pull out our favorite team’s cap and emerge from your NBA induced hibernation. With only 4 months until Opening Day and another month or so until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, the teams are starting to put finishing touches on their rosters, and with that we get a glimpse at how the teams will stack up this season. While there are still big name free agents to be signed (Has anyone heard from Jose Bautista?), the strength of all 30 teams is about set. Barring another blockbuster trade, here are my Off-season MLB Power Rankings.
#1–5
1. Cleveland Indians
Nope, this isn’t a typo. The Indians are the best team in the MLB - even more so after losing 4 games to 3 to the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. The Indians were able to cruise to the American League championship without two of their most dominant pitchers: Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar. Both were huge pieces in the Indians rotation until they were injured. What makes the Indians better is, not only a healthy season from those two pitchers, but the addition of Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion joins a loaded Indians line-up that already ranked in the top-10 last year for runs scored, RBIs, batting average, and slugging percentage. Adding Encarnacion to a lineup with Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, and Yan Gomes will definitely trouble opposing pitchers across the league. Oh yeah, and they get Michael Brantley back. The same man who finished third in MVP voting just three seasons ago. Top that off with two guys named Andrew Miller and Cody Allen and you have the recipe for a dominant team.
2.) Chicago Cubs
Fly the W Cubs fans. It’s been a long time coming but the Cubs finally won a well deserved World Series trophy. America’s Sweetheart Kris Bryant turned in a phenomenal season that earned him the NL MVP. He wasn’t the only one contributing though. The entire lineup, 1–9, made the World Series dream a reality. I’m expecting more solid seasons to come from the likes of Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Addison Russell, just to name a few of the Cubs’ elite youthful core. While the Cubs did lose Dexter Fowler and Jorge Soler to free agency and trade respectively, the Cubs should have no problem making a winning team out of Jason Heyward, Kyle Shwarber, and Jon Jay. Don’t expect Jay to make the same contributions Soler did though. Imagine if Jason Heyward begins hitting like he did 2–3 years ago. That would be a scary lineup that almost no rotation could touch. Speaking of rotations the Cubs own a pretty good one themselves. Two years ago Jake Arrieta was embarrassing the opposition and tossing no hitters like it was nothing.Even crazier is that this past year he wasn’t even the ace in the Cubs’ 5-Man-Rotation. Kyle Hendricks (not to be confused with the much less successful Kyle Kendrick) owned the lowest ERA in the MLB and his partner in crime Jon Lester was right on his heels. Both finished in the top three in Cy Young voting. This combination gave the Cubs the best overall rotation in the MLB, ranking first in ERA (they were at 3.15 as a team and the next closest were the Nats at 3.51…wow) and third in strikeouts. Wade Davis and Koji Uehara should do a decent enough job of replacing the Cuban Missile in the 9th inning. Overall this team is a powerhouse that will be dominating for a while. So get used to it.
3.) Boston Red Sox
Well it looks like things are starting to get scary again in Boston. Dave Dombrowski unloaded the team’s farm system to acquire one of the best pitchers in the league in Chris Sale. They already own the AL Cy Young Award Winner Rick Porcello and former winner David Price. That top three is enough to tear apart any lineup. Going from the 3rd starter to the 4th starter in the Red Sox rotation is like jumping off a cliff (or Mt. Everest) but we’ll gloss over that for now as they have many other pieces that should help fill those gaps. While the Red Sox no longer have an amazing farm system, they don’t need one. The 24 year old Mookie Betts finished a stellar 2016 season with a second place finish in the AL MVP voting. Behind him were other studs Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi, and Blake Swihart who all contributed to the team throughout the season. Throw everybody’s favorite “size doesn’t matter”, Dustin Pedroia, into the mix and you’ve got yourself a formidable lineup that should hand the bullpen a nice lead most nights. Craig Kimbrel and the gang of Tyler Thornburg, Carson Smith and Robbie Ross Jr. should be able to secure some wins. Emphasis on should. All bets are off when Joe Kelly comes in.
4.) Washington Nationals
The Nationals are set up nicely for the coming season. Even though they gutted their entire farm system for Adam Eaton, this shouldn’t have any real effect on the team this year… unless one of their starting 5 goes down and they need Lucas Giolito or Reynaldo Lopez to fill in, wait nope, they have Adam Eaton for that now. While I don’t agree with the deal Mike Rizzo made for Eaton, it does allow Trea Turner to claim his rightful throne at shortstop. With a team that still has the boy wonder Bryce Harper (for now…) and the hitting guru Daniel Murphy, the Nats should have no trouble scoring runs. Max Scherzer is coming off a season which yielded him a Cy Young award, and Stephen Strasburg was healthy enough to turn in a very successful season himself. Tanner Roark was a pleasant surprise for the Nationals throwing over 200 innings with a superb 2.83 ERA and 172 strikeouts to go along with it. After that, Gio Gonzalez and a rotating door at 5 should put the Nats back into the top 5 rotations in the game. One huge glaring hole the Nats have neglected to fill is their 9th inning. I don’t know, maybe don’t trade 3 top prospects for a man who hit .284 last year with 14 HRs and get a closer instead so you don’t have to have Shawn Kelley closing games. That makes more sense to me, but hey I’m not the one getting paid the big bucks to make the trades.
5.) Texas Rangers
The Rangers have been consistently good for several years now and deserve the respect of everyone as a perennial World Series contender. They have the pieces in place to be in the playoffs next year. Rougned Odor had a successful season at 2nd base. The rest of the infield did as well. Adrian Beltre did what Adrian Beltre does and lead the team with his stellar offensive and defensive play. He is getting old though so the Rangers would be wise to find a replacement soon. Maybe throw Odor over at the hot corner when Jurickson Profar is ready? If Odor can throw the ball across the diamond as hard as he can throw hay-makers I think the Rangers will be okay. Cole Hamels lead the rotation as he is known to do, and I expect to see more of the same next year. What excites me for the Rangers next year is the return of Yu Darvish. If he can return to his past form, the Hamels-Darvish one-two punch will be as good as any in baseball. Sam Dyson, who was third in the AL in saves last year, does a serviceable job of closing out games as long as they aren’t already blown before they get to him.
#6–10
6.) Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers took a gamble with Rich Hill and Justin Turner, signing them both to multiyear deals. If these risks pay off as they did in 2016, the Dodgers are in for another successful year. Kershaw was absolutely filthy in the games he pitched, but an injury sidelined him and his Cy Young hopes along with it. The dominance we have come to expect from Kershaw will undoubtedly return in 2017. The resigning of Kenley Jansen gives them much needed power and stability in their bullpen, and Joc Pederson is just starting his MLB rampage. Do they have what it takes to beat the Cubs? Put frankly, no, But it should make for a fun NLCS in 2017.
7.) St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals had a quiet, solid year, per usual. They weren’t as dominant as they’ve been in the past, but the emergence of Carlos Martinez should help change that in 2017. A healthy Adam Wainwright won’t hurt either. Trevor Rosenthal has been a dominant reliever for years now, and his presence in the pen will help the Cards win loads of games. Aledmys Diaz had a solid rookie year. He and other young studs like Kolton Wong and Randall Grichuk will be staples in the St. Louis lineup and should add many wins for the team this coming season.
8.) Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander started pitching like Justin Verlander again! Where was he for the past two years? After a HUGE Cy Young snub, next year should hopefully entail more of the same success for Verlander. Behind him was Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer who turned in an excellent first campaign. More of the same, even with some expected regression, will help the Tigers thrive in 2017. Did we forget about Miguel Cabrera? The man is one of, if not the best, hitter to ever play baseball. In his 14 year career he has hit under .300 three times with his lowest average being .264 in his rookie year. This level of success is unheard of against Major League pitching. Cabrera, Kinsler, and Martinez will anchor the Detroit lineup and will be tough competition for any pitcher they face.
9.) San Francisco Giants
The Giants were another team that quietly had a good year last year. Their two leaders, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner each did what they’ve always done and turned in great years that put their team in the playoff chase. The addition of Mark Melancon to the back end of their bullpen will definitely add more wins this year. The rotation should certainly get the job done and hand the ball of to Melancon time and time again. Bumgarner, Cueto, Samardzija, and Matt Moore are a great foursome that will have lineups looking foolish all year. Hey maybe Matt Cain decides to pitch well again. That would be fun to watch.
10.) New York Yankees
Hear me out. The Yankees are a top 10 team in baseball. The club is starting to move in the right direction as they shed some old payroll and hoard young talent. This payoff should be coming very soon for the Yanks. There are several elite pieces in the farm system that are just about ready for their pin stripe debut in the Bronx. This year could be the year that Yankees fans get to witness the coming of the new core. I expect Clint Frazier and James Kaprielian to headline the youngsters as they arrive throughout the season. The Yanks are not short on MLB ready talent. Masahiro Tanka was the unsung hero of the 2016 season and should’ve been more in the Cy Young talks. His stuff is as good as any pitcher in the MLB, when it’s on, and he should return to spectacular form next year. After him however, the rotation gets a little fuzzy. Michael Pineda has the fastball and offspeed combo to pitch lights out every game, but statistically was one of the worst pitchers in baseball last year. I expect Joe Girardi and Larry Rothschild to team up to find a cure for whatever is wrong for Pineda. CC Sabathia enjoyed a nice return to form last year after several frustrating years. If he can keep working hitters with his newfound cutter, he should be a solid 3rd starter. After that it’s up to a crew of Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, Luis Cessa, and Chad Green to fill out the remaining spots. The Yankees’ lineup looks to be heading back to the good ole days of being the Bronx Bombers with Gary Sanchez at the forefront. Knowing Sanchez’s work ethic, I expect him to only build of off his success from 2016 and improve. In the bullpen, the Aroldis Chapman returns with the always dominant Dellin Betances at his side. Hey, if the starting rotation isn’t a success, just throw Betances for 2 innings and then Chapman for 2, that should work, right?
#11–20
11.) New York Mets
Man what a ride Mets fans have been on. All of the way from zero contention, to the World Series, and now to being on the edge of playoff contention. Their entire season will hinge on pitching. That’s it. Pitching.
12.) Houston Astros
The Astros made some nice moves this offseason. Acquiring Brian McCann and signing Carlos Beltran adds power to their lineup, and will let Evan Gattis do what he does best, hit bombs. If Dallas Kuechel (wow no one has uttered that name in a while) returns to his usual form, then the Astros will have a phenomenal team. Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, and George Springer headline a team of young bucks who are ready to take this organization by storm. This year may be the year that happens Astros fans.
13.) Seattle Mariners
It’s starting to look like the Mariners need to be looking to find help for Felix Hernandez. He is starting to age and it’s showing in his performance on the field. His ERA is rising while his innings are shrinking. This is not the type of correlation you want. The aging Robinson Cano is still very productive for the Mariners however. He is coming off a dominant season which should carry over into 2017 as it has in the past for Cano. Watching Jean Segura and Robinson Cano effortlessly turn double plays up the middle will be a pretty sight to watch in 2017.
14.) Colorado Rockies
The Rockies should be a lot better than they are. They have a ton of studs on their roster. DJ LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon both finished in the top 5 in the National League for batting average and Nolan Arenado finished tied for first in HRs and sat alone atop the RBI leader boards in the National League. Keep in mind they also have Carlos Gonzalez who is still productive himself. The addition of Ian Desmond to this lineup will without a doubt make it more volatile.
15.) Kansas City Royals
Wow, from a World Series win to playoff miss, that’s quite the turn around for the Royals. Yordano Ventura was not anywhere near as dominant as Royals fans were used to seeing. Hopefully this is just a fluke and he can turn it around for a productive 2017 season. The addition of Jorge Soler will help and they shouldn’t miss Wade Davis too badly. Kelvin Herrera and Joakim Soria should do an excellent job of holding down the fort in the late innings.
16.) Pittsburgh Pirates
Well this is awkward. Now the Pirates have to play makeup with Andrew McCutchen after a trade with the Nationals fell through. Garrett Cole leads a rotation with a lot of potential. Behind him are Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow, both who are primed for big debuts. The signing of Ivan Nova adds some stability and an innings eater to the rotation, given he stays healthy. I think the Pirates could use some work. If McCutchen’s off year wasn’t just a fluke, but a sign of things to come, the Pirates could be in for some real trouble. It remains unclear if Gregory Polanco can make the leap from promising youngster to franchise staple.
17.) Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays lost a HUGE chunk of their offense this off-season. While it’s not completely done that Bautista is gone, it looks like a reunion isn’t promising. That leaves Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson to do a lot of the heavy lifting offensively. As for the rotation, I don’t think the loss of RA Dickey will be catastrophic. They will need to find someone to eat up those innings though. If Aaron Sanchez returns to form and Marcus Stroman decides to put his money where his mouth is, then the Blue Jays may end up shocking people if they get good seasons out of their offensive players.
18.) Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are in danger of losing their leading home run leader Mark Trumbo. This would be a big loss for them, as he was a large part of their offense. While they still have Manny Machado and Chris Davis, the offensive power sort of diminishes after that. With a flock of no names as their starting rotation, I personally found it crazy how they ended up with a playoff spot. Kevin Gausman and Chris Tillman have both sort of done well for the Orioles, we’ll see how long that lasts.
19.) Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are another team that shouldn’t be as bad as they are. They have the best player in all of baseball on their roster, and they have one of the best hitters to ever pick up a bat in Albert Pujols. What’s missing from this side of LA is a solid pitching presence. This need should hopefully be addressed for the Angels when they get Garrett Richards back from injury. Richards has the stuff to be a top of the line starter, let’s see if he can do it.
20.) Philadelphia Phillies
If you take your eyes off the Phillies they might surprise you. They’ve got a solid young core featuring Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera as well as a great young staff of pitchers with Vince Velazquez and Aaron Nola.
#21–30
21.) Miami Marlins
The loss of Jose Fernandez will be felt on and off the field for the Marlins. He was more than just their dominant ace. He was their leader, their identity, and their star. You can never replace a guy like him, but the Marlins are desperately in need of some pitching help from their rotation all the way to their closer. Maybe the Marlins will take a gamble and make a move for a guy like David Robertson.
22.) Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are not going to be playoff team. There is just too much talent in the National League. So why hold onto Braun? He’s been the hometown guy for years now, but I feel like his time in Milwaukee may need to come to an end. Like I said, the Brewers won’t be competing this year, so they should trade Braun while he is still productive, and it will yield them a nice prospect load in return.
23.) Atlanta Braves
This may be a little high for a team coming off of a 93 loss season, but I like the moves the Braves made this off-season. Adding veteran pitching in Dickey and Colon will not only help the rotation on the field, but it will also help to mentor the young talent they possess. I’m excited to see a full season of Dansby Swanson, and another year of power from Freddie Freeman.
24.) Chicago White Sox
The White Sox still hold David Robertson, Jose Quintana, Jose Abreu, and Todd Frazier after their blockbuster deals of the winter. Why keep them all? Go all in for 2021 and trade Quintana, Abreu, and Robertson for a mix a young prospects and MLB ready talent to keep the team somewhat competitive. And keep the Toddfather because he’s fun to watch in the Home Run Derby and fans like all that stuff.
25.) Tampa Bay Rays
In a market void of pitching talent and a price at an all-time high, it baffles me that the Rays haven’t already shipped out some big pieces for some big prospects. Do they think they can compete in the AL East with the power house Red Sox and the improving Yankees? I definitely don’t think it will happen for 2017, so why not prepare for the future battles?
26.) Arizona Diamondbacks
Ah the poor Diamondbacks. They were supposed to be contenders this year. What happened? Well they got a good year out of Yasmany Tomas, but outside of him there wasn’t really much to brag about. Greinke completely faltered and was nothing like he was with the Dodgers. Oh yeah and the Diamondbacks had Dansby Swanson. Now they have Shelby Miller who spent most of the year in the minors. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. I liked the Jean Segura trade. I think Taijuan Walker will be a great piece to build around in the future.
27.) San Diego Padres
We are just a couple seasons removed from the huge spending spree that took place in San Diego just a couple of offseasons ago, and what do the Padres have to show for it? Nothing. What do you expect when you fill a team will only home run hitters and completely neglect to create an infield?
28.) Cincinnati Reds
The Reds were once a powerhouse team in the NL. Those days seem like so long ago. Billy Hamilton is fun to watch fly around the bases, but besides that there isn’t really a lot going on in Cincinnati. The ship has sailed on trading Brandon Phillips. If the Reds weren’t so high on their asking price, Phillips would be someone else’s problem now.
29.) Oakland Athletics
The A’s haven’t done much since trading Donaldson and Lester. I’m thinking the A’s may want a refund on the Donaldson deal though. Brett Lawrie hasn’t won a batting title and an MVP award in the past two years (hint: Josh Donaldson did).
30.) Minnesota Twins
What is there to say about the Twins? They have a lot of top young talent about to breakthrough to the MLB and they already have Byron Buxton ready to produce. Brian Dozier has emerged as a power threat (???) and a solid second baseman. After that it’s pretty bleak. Not much to say about their pitching staff lead by Ervin Santana and Phil Hughes. Hang in there Twins fans, brighter days are around the corner.
