Baseball has lurched to the one-week mark until almost every
spring training camp opens, and of course you’re well-aware dozens of
unsigned players won’t be walking through those doors.
But never mind the unknown destinations of Bryce Harper,
Manny Machado and a cadre of others who can greatly improve your hometown nine.
At this point, we’re not even sure what entire teams are up to, despite having
more than 100 days to build a roster.
Who’s going for it? Who’s tanking? Who’s destined to
languish in the middle?
While all this can change with a couple expensive strokes of
a few pens, here’s a look at the apparent intentions of all 30 clubs, even
as future Hall of Famers wait to discover their permanent homes:
IN IT TO WIN IT (11)
RED SOX: The defending champs return nearly intact.
Even if they’re still down a bullpen arm, a dropoff from 108 wins is hardly
cataclysmic.
YANKEES: A decade removed from their last title and
still pinching pennies, the Bombers nonetheless got better with James Paxton,
D.J. LeMahieu and a true bullpen of death.
RAYS: Hey, everything's relative. The Rays
return a 90-win core, dropped a franchise record $15 million per year on
Charlie Morton and did their standard hunting and pecking on the fringe of the
roster.
INDIANS: They certainly need outfield help that may
yet come. But by not trading any of their dominant pitching, the Indians all
but ensured another crack at October.
ASTROS: And maybe Dallas Keuchel, against all odds,
comes back to them.
BRAVES: Haven’t yet “gone for it” in the bigger
manner some anticipated, but a $23 million rental of Josh Donaldson says
plenty.
PHILLIES: They’ll still get a chance to spend that
“stupid” money; the $74 million for Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson still
feels like mere prelude.
NATIONALS: Slowly but surely becoming the gold
standard for giving a damn.
BREWERS: More sock with Yasmani Grandal and more
fortifications to come.
CUBS: A terrible
winter for the Ricketts, but a good team still in place.
DODGERS: A.J. Pollock and Joe Kelly make them better
as several stars flee division rivals.
NEED SOME BREAKS (6)
TWINS: Nelson Cruz can nudge them over .500;
best-case outcomes from Jonathan Schoop, C.J. Cron and Michael Pineda might
make them contenders.
ATHLETICS: Must get repeat performances from lineup
and bullpen while hoping several rotation questions are answered positively.
ANGELS: If small bets on Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill
and Cody Allen pan out, Mike Trout may yet find himself in a playoff chase.
METS: Friends of the GM Robinson Cano and Jed Lowrie
make them better. Any pitching injuries could douse the good vibes quickly.
CARDINALS: Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Miller cost
them hardly anything. But does it feel like they just made up seven games on
both the Cubs and Brewers?
ROCKIES: Teams churn through relievers all the time
but deleting Adam Ottavino’s 112 strikeouts feels like a big deal.
WHAT ARE YOU
DOING?! (6)
WHITE SOX: Kelvin Herrera and Ivan Nova lend some
stability to the pitching staff. But until the Harper/Machado returns are in,
tough to say what their deal is.
RANGERS: You want to drop them right in the Tanking
Tank, then notice the top six hitters in their order are reputable, and that
they spent $30 million on Lance Lynn.
PIRATES: Augmented an 82-win club with Francisco
Liriano, Lonnie Chisenhall, Erik Gonzalez and Jordan Lyles. Raise it?
REDS: A fun dash for relevance as they add Yasiel
Puig, Alex Wood, Sonny Gray, Matt Kemp and Tanner Roark. Barring another move,
however, all but Gray will walk after this year.
PADRES: Still pointed toward 2020 with the signing of
rehabbing Garrett Richards. Still in play for Machado and Harper. One year
after the Eric Hosmer signing, another wild February on tap in Peoria.
GIANTS: All signs point to significant teardown under
new boss Farhan Zaidi. We won’t be fully convinced, however, until all the bigs
have found homes elsewhere.
WAIT ‘TIL NEXT YEAR –
AT LEAST (7)
BLUE JAYS: Any other division, and the holdovers and
kids on the way would make them a threat. Meanwhile, the natives are getting
restless.
ORIOLES: A long road to contention begins with the
knowledge that anything less than 115 losses is an improvement.
TIGERS: Might win a few more than expected since no
one seems to want Nick Castellanos.
ROYALS: Adalberto Mondesi leads off and Billy
Hamilton finishes – which is probably how you’d arrange them on a 400-meter
relay team, too.
MARINERS: Can GM Jerry Dipoto make this a quick fix?
MARLINS: J.T. Realmuto might as well look for
retirement properties in South Florida – he’s never getting traded, right?
DIAMONDBACKS: They’re not terrible, which makes you
wonder if the emotional fallout of dealing Goldschmidt was worth the return.
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