CarterHud

          With a 97-65 record, the Washington Nationals won the NL East in 2017, making the playoffs once again. Once again though, it was an NLDS exit for them, as the Chicago Cubs eliminated them. The team didn\’t need too much, but there was some work to do. Let\’s take a look at what they did this offseason.

         Notable additions: 1B Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Joaquin Benoit, RHP Jeremy Hellickson.

         Notable subtractions: LF Jayson Werth, 1B Adam Lind, RHP Matt Albers, RHP Edwin Jackson, LHP Oliver Perez, RHP Joe Blanton, C Jose Lobaton, OF Chris Heisey.

          What they did well: Nothing.

          What they did bad: Nothing, once again. They didn\’t do anything.

          Sneaky sleeper: With Joe Ross out, A.J. Cole will secure the 5th rotation spot. Now 26, Cole had a decent 3.81 ERA in 11 appearances, eight starts in 2017. That\’s pretty decent for a spot starter.

           Incoming outbreak: The backup infielder, Wilmer Difo stole 10 bases and hit .271 in 365 Plate Appearances. Plus, he\’s only 25. If someone goes down, then Difo to the rescue!

           Unsuspected slump: Since 2013, Matt Wieters hasn\’t been too good. In his first season in D.C., Wieters only hit 10 homers, and had a weak .225 batting average. With the addition of Montero, Wieters now has a better backup, which can\’t be good for his job.

            Blue-chip Bopper: Since I don\’t like Bryce Harper, let\’s talk about Trea Turner instead. Turner. At just 24, Turner stole 46 bases last season, and could break 50 this year. He also hit .284. His 11 homers is nothing to write home about, but Turner is still very good.

           Astounding ace: Baseball\’s best healthy pitcher, Max Scherzer won another Cy Young in 2017, with a 2.51 ERA in 200.2 innings, with 268 strikeouts. The man with a blue and green eye could capture a third Cy Young this season.

          Here\’s their projected lineup.

 SS Trea Turner (R)
 2B Daniel Murphy (L) (currently on 10 day DL)
 RF Bryce Harper (L)
 3B Anthony Rendon (R)
 1B Ryan Zimmerman (R)
 CF Adam Eaton (L)
 LF Michael Taylor (R)
 C Matt Wieters (S)
 Pitcher

       Here\’s their projected rotation.

 RHP Max Scherzer
 RHP Stephen Strasburg
 LHP Gio Gonzalez
 RHP Tanner Roark
 RHP A.J. Cole

  Brandon Kintzler (R) is their closer, with Sean Doolittle (L), Ryan Madson (R), Trevor Gott (R), Matt Grace (L), Shawn Kelley (R) and Enny Romero (L) in the bullpen (Sammy Solis, L, is currently on roster, but will probably be replaced when Murphy returns).

 C Miguel Montero (L), INF Wilmer Difo (S), OF Brian Goodwin (L) and OF/2B Howie Kendrick (R) are on the bench.

 Finally, for my prediction, I think the Nationals, a really good team, will make the playoffs in 2018.

 

         In a disappointing season for Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki and just about half the team, the Toronto Blue Jays finished 4th in the AL East with a 76-86 record, missing the playoffs. With Baustista facing free agency again, and the roster not looking sharp, the Jays had their work cut out for them this offseason. Let\’s take a look at what they did.

         Notable additions: RHP Seung-Hwan Oh, OF Randal Grichuk, INF Yangervis Solarte, SS Aledmys Diaz, RHP Tyler Clippard, LHP Jaime Garcia, RHP John Axford, OF Curtis Granderson, INF Gift Ngoepe, RHP Sam Gaviglo.

        Notable subtractions: RF Jose Bautista, 2B Ryan Goins, SS Darwin Barney, C Miguel Montero, OF Ezequiel Carrera, RHP Dominic Leone, Tom Koehler.

        What they did well: The Diaz and Solarte trades were nice. All their free agent signings are coming off rough seasons, but it\’s not like they got any big deals.

         What they did bad: Leone looks like he has a high ceiling in St. Louis, and is already auditioning for the closing role.

         Sneaky sleeper: He\’s starting the season in AAA, but Teoscar Hernandez played very well after coming over in the midseason Fransisco Liriano deal. He hit .261 with eight homers in just 95 PAs, opening up many eyes that thought he would be the starting RF (included mine). He wasn\’t but he\’ll get his chance this season.

         Incoming outbreak: For years, Yangervis Solarte bounced around the San Diego infield, playing multiple positions. He\’ll probably do the same for Toronto, but I think the 30 year old will be more successful.

         Unsuspected slump: Well, since Troy Tulowitzki is already injured, I\’ll go over to Devon Travis. Travis had a promising start to his career, but has had injuries in his path since, stopping him from really doing anything productive. In just 50 games last season, Travis hit just .259, stealing four bases. That\’s very low for his standards.

          Blue-chip Bopper: An upcoming free agent, expect even more Josh Donaldson trade rumors as the year progresses. In his three year career in Toronto, Donaldson has bashed 111 homers with 300 RBIs, plus hitting a decent .285 batting average. He\’s a superstar, even though injuries are starting to linger for him.

          Astounding ace: One of the few good things of the Blue Jays 2017 season was Marcus Stroman. Stroman had an ERA of 3.09 in 201 innings, showing everybody he\’s their official ace. Expect bigger things coming forward from Stroman.

           Here\’s their projected lineup.

 2B Devon Travis (R)
 CF Kevin Pillar (R)
 1B Justin Smoak (S)
 3B Josh Donaldson (R)
 DH Kendrys Morales (S)
 SS Aledmys Diaz (R)
 LF Curtis Granderson (L)
 RF Randal Grichuk (R)
 C Russell Martin (R)

           Here\’s their projected rotation

 LHP J.A. Happ
 RHP Marcus Stroman
 RHP Aaron Sanchez
 LHP Jaime Garcia
 RHP Marco Estrada

   Roberto Osuna (R) is their closer, with Aaron Loup (L), John Axford (R), Danny Barnes (R), Tyler Clippard (R), Seung-Hwan Oh (R) and Ryan Tepera (R) in the bullpen.

   C Luke Maile (R), INF Yangervis Solarte (S), INF Gift Nogoepe (R) and OF Steve Pearce (R) are on the bench.

   Finally, for my prediction, I think the Blue Jays, a team lacking lots of skill, will miss the playoffs in 2018.

        In a very forgetful year, the Texas Rangers tied with the Seattle Mariners for third in the AL West with a 78-84 record. They missed the playoffs, and traded Yu Darvish at the trade deadline. With the team facing a serious decision, the team had some moves to make. Let\’s take a look at what they did in the offseason.

        Notable additions: LHP Mike Minor LHP Matt Moore, RHP Jesse Chavez, RHP Doug Fister, RHP Tim Lincecum, C Juan Centeno, 1B Tommy Joseph, RHP Edinson Volquez, RHP Shawn Tolleson, OF/P Anthony Gose, INF Darwin Barney, RHP Kevin Jepsen, LHP Jon Niese, OF Destin Hood.

       Notable subtractions: OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Andrew Cashner, 1B Mike Napoli, RHP A.J. Griffin, RHP Tyson Ross, RHP Miguel Gonzalez, RHP Jason Grilli, LHP Dario Alvarez.

       What they did well: Moore and Fister were much needed additions to their rotation. Plus, Mike Napoli is out of town.

        What they did bad: Nothing, besides released Bartolo Colon.

         Sneaky sleeper: Jonathan Lucroy had a horrible season until his midseason trade to Denver, but his backup, Robinson Chirinos had a pretty good season. Despite driving in just 38 batters, Chirinos still mashed 17 homers, pretty good for a catcher.

        Incoming outbreak: The main part of the Darvish trade, Willie Calhoun, one of baseball\’s top prospects, probably won\’t start the season with the team, but the 2B/LF has a very good chance to play a lot this season. After playing in 13 games last season, Calhoun will open many eyes this season, trust me.

         Unsuspected slump: Once one of baseball\’s best aces, Cole Hamels is slipping. With a weak 4.20 ERA in 148 innings, Hamels is starting to fall into the \”average\” group right above the \”below average\” group.

          Blue-chip Bopper: This would be where I write my Adrian Beltre paragraph. But, that is a Nomar Mazara. It always seems like Mazara has an insane start, slows down, and finishes with average numbers, like 20 homers and a .253 batting average, which he yielded in 2017.

          Astounding ace: Hamels again. They don\’t have anything better.

          Here\’s their projected lineup.

 CF Delino DeShields (R)
 SS Elvis Andrus (R)
 RF Nomar Mazara (L)
 3B Adrian Beltre (R)
 1B Joey Gallo (L)
 2B Roughned Odor (L)
 C Robinson Chirinos (R)
 DH Shin-Soo Choo (L)
 LF Ryan Rua (R)

          Here\’s their projected rotation.

 LHP Cole Hamels
 LHP Mike Minor
 RHP Doug Fister
 LHP Martin Perez
 LHP Matt Moore

 Keone Kela (R) is their closer, with Tony Barnette (R), Alex Claudio (L), Matt Bush (R), Jake Diekman (L), Jesse Chavez (R) and Jose Leclerc (R) in the bullpen.

 C Juan Ceteno (L), U Jurickson Profar (S), OF Drew Robinson (L) and OF Carlos Tocci (R) are on the bench.

 Finally, for my prediction, I think the Rangers, a team in need of pitching, will miss the playoffs in 2018.

        In a surprising but rebuilding season, the Tampa Bay Rays finished 3rd in the AL East with an 80-82 record, missing the playoffs. With decisions to make on franchise players Chris Archer and Evan Longoria, the Rays had some moves to make in 2018. Let\’s take a look at their offseason.

       Notable additions: 1B C.J. Cron, LHP Anthony Banda, RHP Dan Hudson, OF Denard Span, OF Carlos Gomez, U Rob Refsnyder, 3B Christian Arroyo, 2B Joey Wendle, RHP Dustin McGowan, RHP Evan Scribner, LHP Vidal Nuno.

       Notable subtractions: 3B Evan Longoria, 1B Logan Morrison, LF Corey Dickerson, RF Steven Souza Jr., RHP Jake Odorizzi, RHP Brad Boxberger, 1B Lucas Duda, OF Peter Bourjos, OF Colby Rasmus, C Derek Norris, RHPs Tommy Hunter, Steve Cishek.

       What they did well: They got a really good deal on Longoria, receiving back Arroyo and Span in a package.

       What they did bad: Souza, Morrison, Dickerson, Odorizzi, Duda and Boxberger for Nick Solak, Banda, Jermaine Palacios, Tristan Gray and Hudson. Boo!!!!

       Sneaky sleeper: Though he played in just half the season, Mallex Smith left a pretty good impact on the Rays, hitting .270, and swiping 16 bags. With Dickerson and Souza out of the picture, Smith will get his big shot in 2018.

       Incoming outbreak: Oh wait, Smith again. Okay, I won\’t be lazy. It\’s Jake Faria. When manager Kevin Cash announced the Rays would go with a 4-man rotation, with Matt Andriese going to the pen, he all but confirmed Faria\’s presence in the opening day rotation. Faria, 24, had a 3.43 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 86.2 innings in his first career season, 2017. Expect bigger things from Faria moving on.

       Unsuspected slump: The reason Denard Span was in the Longoria trade? The Giants didn\’t want him anymore, and were happy to dump him off to Tampa. Span hasn\’t stolen 20 bases since 2014, or hit .300 in a full season since then. Though his power numbers are spiking, Span wasn\’t the same player he has always been in San Fransisco.

       Blue-chip Bopper: With Longoria out of town, that will go to Wilson Ramos. Ramos is one of baseball\’s most underrated catchers, hitting 11 bombs in less than half a year. It\’s not great but it\’s the best they have.

       Astounding ace: They have a horrible offense, but Chris Archer is still around. One of baseball\’s top pitchers, Archer had another rough year, finishing with a 4.07 ERA. But, his 3.63 ERA in his career is very good. Archer is still a star.

       Here\’s their projected lineup.

 LF Mallex Smith (L)
 CF Kevin Kiermaier (L)
 C Wilson Ramos (R)
 3B Matt Duffy (R)
 2B Brad Miller (L)
 1B C.J. Cron (R)
 DH Denard Span (L)
 RF Carlos Gomez (R)
 SS Adeiny Hechavarria (R)

            Here\’s their rotation.

 RHP Chris Archer
 RHP Jake Faria
 LHP Blake Snell
 RHP Nathan Eovaldi

  Alex Colome (R) is their closer, with Matt Andriese (R), Sergio Romo (R), Jose Alvarado (L), Yonny Chirinos (R), Andrew Kittredge (R) and Dan Hudson (R) in the bullpen.

  C Jesus Sucre (R), INF Daniel Robertson (R), 2B Joey Wendle (L) and U Rob Refsnyder (R) are on the bench.

  Finally, for my prediction, I think the Rays, a bad team, will miss the playoffs in 2018.uj

          With one of the league\’s worst bullpens, the St. Louis Cardinals missed the playoffs in 2017 by finishing 3rd in the NL Central with an 83-79 record. With breakout star Tommy Pham and defined ace Carlos Martinez, the Cardinals still have a squad. Let\’s take a look at what they did in the offseason.

           Notable additions: CF Marcell Ozuna, RHP Luke Gregerson, RHP Dominic Leone, RHP Bud Norris, RHP Miles Mikolas.

           Notable subtractions: RHP Lance Lynn, RF Stephen Piscotty, LF Randal Grichuk, SS Aledmys Diaz, RHP Seung-Hwan Oh, RHP Trevor Rosenthal, LHP Zach Duke.

           What they did well: The Ozuna trade was pretty good for them, as they didn\’t give up top prospects Tyler O\’Neill or Jack Flaherty. No top 100 prospects were lost as well.

           What they did bad: They lost Lynn, Piscotty, Grichuk and Diaz for just Leone and some not great prospects.

            Sneaky sleeper: The Grichuk trade was the best trade they made that they were sellers in. Why? They received Dominic Leone, who could start the season as closer if Gregerson\’s injury keeps him out. Leone had a 2.56 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 70.1 innings for Toronto last season, and St. Louis sees him with his full potential. He\’s only 26, by the way.

           Incoming outbreak: In 2016, Alex Reyes came to the bigs hot, with a 1.57 ERA in 46 innings. Tommy John surgery kept him out of all of 2017, but he\’ll return in early May, where we will see him breakout.

           Unsuspected slump: Last season, we saw some regression from Matt Carpenter, who yielded a weak .241 batting average. His OBP was still .384, but Carpenter isn\’t the same player he was in 2015.

           Blue-chip Bopper: I guess Marcell Ozuna, but their one weakness is no one is really a star.

           Astounding ace: Carlos Martinez took the realms as their ace with a 3.64 ERA, plus 217 strikeouts in 205 innings. Especially with Adam Wainwright\’s decline, Martinez is the new ace in town.

           Here is their projected lineup.

 CF Dexter Fowler (S)
 RF Tommy Pham (R)
 1B Matt Carpenter (L)
 SS Paul De Jong (R)
 LF Marcell Ozuna (R)
 2B Kolten Wong (L)
 C Yadier Molina (R)
 3B Jedd Gyorko (R)
 Pitcher

            Here\’s their rotation.

 RHP Carlos Martinez
 RHP Adam Wainwright
 RHP Michael Wacha
 RHP Luke Weaver
 RHP Miles Mikolas

   Luke Gregerson (R) is their closer, with Dominic Leone (R), Tyler Lyons (L), Bud Norris (R), Matt Bowman (R), Brett Cecil (L) and John Brebbia (R) in the bullpen.

  1B Jose Martinez (R), INF Greg Garcia (L) and INF Yairo Munez (R) are on the bench.

  Finally, for my prediction, I think the Cardinals, an aging team, will miss the playoffs in 2018.