CarterHud

            In 2017, the Miami Marlins finished 2nd in the NL East, but they had a 77-85 record, which wasn\’t nearly good enough to make the playoffs. With new owners open to rebuilding, the Marlins had some moves to make this offseason. Let\’s take a look a what they did.

              Notable additions: 2B Starlin Castro, OF Cameron Maybin, OF Lewis Brinson, RHP Sandy Alcantara, OF Magneuris Sierra,1B Garrett Cooper, LHP Caleb Smith, RHP Jumbo Diaz, C Bryan Holaday, 2B Johnny Giovotella, OF J.B. Shuck, OF Scott van Slyke, SS Christhian Adames, INF Eric Campbell, OF Rafael Ortega.

               Notable subtractions: OF Giancarlo Stanton, OF Christian Yelich, OF Marcel Ozuna, 2B Dee Gordon, RHP Edinson Volquez, RHP Vance Worley, OF Ichiro Suzuki, 1B Tyler Moore, C A.J. Ellis, U Mike Aviles.

                 What they did well: They at least got value for Yelich, Stanton Ozuna and Gordon, like Castro, Brinson, Sierra and Alcantara. But….

                   What they did bad: They could of gotten way more for them. Clint Frazier for Stanton, Tyler O\’Neill for Ozuna. At least they did very well with the Yelich trade.

                    Sneaky Sleeper: Quietly their second best starter, Jose Urena had a great season, and led all Marlins pitchers in WAR. He had a 3.82 ERA and even though he only struck out on average six batters for every nine innings, he still allowed just 3.4 walks per nine innings. Not too shabby. He could be the incoming outbreak, but him and that guy are kind of interchangeable.

                       Incoming outbreak: Though he should be the Sneaky Sleeper, Derek Dietrich is the incoming outbreak. He\’s a guy who I like, and could hit 20 bombs on a lowly Marlins team. He got an extended amount of time in 2017, and hit 13 homers. I have faith in Dietrich.

                      Blue-chip Bopper: All his friends are traded. Push him to the block. That\’s the case for J.T. Realmuto, who is basically Lil Uzi. Realmuto hit .278 and 17 homers, and is a top four catcher in my opinion. Just Gary Sanchez, Buster Posey and maybe Willson Contreras are ahead of him.

                       Astounding ace: Well, with everybody gone, that will be Dan Straily, the only one to want to stay. Even though Urena has better numbers, I\’m going with Straily, who struck out 170 and had a solid 4.26 ERA in 2017. He\’s officially the ace of a lowly staff.

        Here\’s the Marlins projected roster, starting with their lineup.

 CF Magneuris Sierra (L)
 2B Starlin Castro (R)
 C J.T. Realmuto (R)
 1B Justin Bour (L)
 3B Miguel Rojas (R)
 RF Derek Dietrich (L)
 LF Lewis Brinson (R)
 SS J.T. Riddle (L)
 Pitcher

            Here\’s their rotation.

 RHP Dan Straily
 RHP Jose Urena
 LHP Adam Conley
 LHP Dillon Peters
 LHP Justin Nicolino

   Kyle Barraclough (R) is their closer, with RHP Brad Ziegler, RHP Junichi Tazawa, LHP Caleb Smith, RHP Odrisamer Despaigne and Drew Steckenrider (R) in the bullpen as well.

   C Tomas Telis (S), 1B Garrett Cooper, INF Brian Anderson and OF Cameron Maybin are on the bench.

   Finally, for my prediction, I think the Marlins, a team in the worst part of the rebuild, will not make the playoffs in 2018.

             Fueled by an outstanding start, the Los Angeles continued all the way to the top of the MLB in 2017, with a 104-58 record. Their rivals, the San Fransisco Giants, finished 40 (!) games behind them. The Dodgers eliminated the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago Cubs, and made the world series. But, they fell to the Houston Astros in seven games. Motivated for a title, the Dodgers had some moves to make this offseason. Let\’s take a look at their offseason.

              Notable additions: OF Matt Kemp, RHP Tom Koehler, LHP Scott Alexander, INF Donovan Solano, SHP Pat Venditte.

               Notable subtractions: RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, LHP Tony Watson, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, LHP Scott Kazmir, RHP Brandon McCarthy, INF Charlie Culberson, OF Andre Eithier, OF Franklin Gutierrez, OF Curtis Granderson.

                What they did well: The Kemp for Gonzalez, Kazmir, McCarthy and Culberson trade was made so the Dodgers could clear up money for this offseason.

                  What they did bad: They didn\’t use that money. Though Darvish struggled in the postseason, Morrow was excellent, and they didn\’t make too much of an effort to bring one of them back. You might say that they already had good enough pitching for them, but Darvish and Morrow both went to the Cubs, who have a better staff, in my opinion.

                     Sneaky Sleeper: Now a sleeper candidate for the starting left field role, Andrew Toles had his season cut very short due to a torn ACL. Now 26, Toles has been pretty solid in his short, 79 game career. He has a .294 batting average and eight homers plus 31 RBIs in 217 Plate Appearances. Toles is still young, and there is more to come from him.

                          Incoming outbreak: I don\’t know why, but I\’ve always liked Ross Stripling. He\’s a starter and a reliever at the same time. He reminds me of David Phelps in his Yankees days, but now he\’s a full-time reliever. He could be like another Yankee, Chad Green. Stripling has had an ERA in the high 3s in his first two seasons. But, I just have a gut feeling he can be this year\’s Alex Wood (and I liked Wood from his Atlanta days).

                          Unsuspected slump: In 2017, Kenta Maeda failed pretty much all of the expectations people had for him. He had a 4.22 ERA, and even though he had a similar K/9, he pitched less innings due to injury. This is a make-or-break season for Maeda.

                           Blue-chip Bopper: Yet again, Kyle\’s Brother had a great season. He hit 22 homers, had a .295 batting average, and had a .375 OBP. Oh, and by the way, his name is Corey Seager and he\’s good.

                            Astounding ace: this is easy, once again. Clayton Kershaw. Next.

             Here\’s the Dodgers projected roster, starting with their lineup.

 CF Chris Taylor (R)
 SS Corey Seager (L)
 3B Justin Turner (R)
 1B Cody Bellinger (L)
 LF Matt Kemp (R)
 RF Yasiel Puig (R)
 C Yasmani Grandal (S)
 2B Logan Forsythe (R)
 Pitcher

         Here\’s their rotation.

 LHP Clayton Kershaw
 RHP Kenta Maeda
 LHP Alex Wood
 LHP Rich Hill
 RHP Tom Koehler

    Kenley Jansen (R) is their closer, with Pedro Baez (R), Adam Libertore (L), Hyun-Jin Ryu (L), Josh Fields (R), Tony Cingrani (L), Yimi Garicia (R), Scott Alexander (L) and Ross Stripling (R) in the bullpen as well.

    C Austin Barnes (R), OF Andrew Toles (L), OF Joc Pederson (L) and 2B Chase Utley (L) are on the bench.

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

            After a big push at the waiver trade deadline, the Los Angeles Angels still finished in second place in the AL West, and missed the playoffs with an 80-82 record. With most of the team looking pretty ugly, the Angels had work cut out for them. Let\’s take a look at what they did this offseason.

             Notable additions: P/DH Shohei Ohtani, 2B Ian Kinsler, 3B Zack Cozart, OF Chris Young, C Rene Rivera, OF Jabari Blash, RHP Jim Johnson, RHP Noe Ramirez, LHP Ian Krol, LHP John Lamb, 1B Chris Carter, OF Rymer Liriano.

              Notable subtractions: 2B Brandon Phillips, RHP Ricky Nolasco, RHP Bud Norris, 1B C.J. Cron, 3B Yunel Escobar, OF Ben Revere, SS Cliff Pennington, RHPs Jesse Chavez, Yusmeiro Petit, David Hernandez, RHP Fernando Salas, OF Ramon Flores, OF Shane Robinson.

               What they did well: They pretty much won the offseason. Ohtani, the 23 year old Japanese two way star is nicknamed the Japanese Babe Ruth, and is on an international rookie deal. Kinsler and Cozart are two really good additions as well. They didn\’t lose anything, either. Kinsler and Cozart are better than Escobar and Phillips, and well, no more Ricky Nolasco!

                What they did bad, my column:

                 Sneaky Sleeper: If I asked you who led the Angels in WAR, and finished eighth in the league in that category, you\’d guess Mike Trout, like an educated baseball person. But, I guess most educated baseball persons (don\’t judge my grammar, it\’s for fun) are wrong. The player who was the right answer is Andrelton Simmons, who had a 7.14 WAR. He had lots of help from his defensive WAR of 4.17, which led the league. The runner-up there? Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart, who had a 2.82 defensive WAR. Simmons is undoubtedly our generation\’s Ozzie Smith.

                  Incoming outbreak: At age 25, Parker Bridwell finally got some MLB time, with a 3.64 ERA in 21 appearances, with 20 of them being starts. Though his strikeout numbers are low (5.4 K/9), Bridwell is still good enough to be in their rotation this season.

                   Unsuspected slump: After a promising 2015, Kole Calhoun has been unable to match his numbers in two seasons since. He hit 26 homers in 2015, but has hit 18 and 19 in the next two seasons. Also, despite a 15 point raise in batting average from 2015 to 2016, Calhoun\’s BA dropped 27 points to .244 in 2017. Not very good. Let\’s face it. Calhoun has fallen in his prime, an odd thing to see.

                     Blue-chip Bopper: Well, this is easy. I don\’t think I need explaining when I say Mike Trout, Mike Trout and Mike Trout. he\’s just simply baseball\’s best player.

                     Astounding ace: Since we don\’t know what to expect from Shohei Ohtani, I\’ll go with someone else instead. Though his last two seasons were cut short, Garrett Richards has been great since 2014, when he posted a 2.61 ERA in 168.2 innings. If Richards can finally stay healthy, you\’ll see his full potential.

          Here is the Angels projected roster, starting with their lineup.

 2B Ian Kinsler (R)
 SS Andrelton Simmons (R)
 CF Mike Trout (R)
 LF Justin Upton (R)
 DH Albert Pujols (R)
 3B Zack Cozart (R)
 RF Kole Calhoun (L)
 1B Luis Valbuena (L)
 C Martin Maldonado (R)
Also, DH Shohei Ohtani (L) will get a lot of lineup time
                 Here\’s their projected rotation.

 RHP Garrett Richards
 RHP Shohei Ohtani
 LHP Andrew Heaney
 RHP Parker Bridwell
 RHP Matt Shoemaker
 LHP Tyler Skaggs
 RHP JC Ramirez
 Obviously, one (probably Ramirez or Bridwell) will be moved to the pen.

    Blake Parker (R) is their closer, with Cam Bedrosian (R), Keynan Middleton (R), Jose Alvarez (L), Jim Johnson (R), Luke Bard (R) and Ian Krol (L) are in the bullpen.

     C Rene Rivera (R), OF Chris Young (R), INF Caleb Kowart (S) and OF Eric Young (S) are on the bench.

      Finally, for my prediction, I think the Angels, a team that improved drastically over the offseason, will make the playoffs as the second wild card team in the American league.

          Most 1st overall picks are superstars. The New York Islanders owned the 1st pick in the 2009 draft, and chose the right player. Now their captain, John Tavares has been amazing since being drafted. The now 27 year old Mississauga native has scored 31 goals and 38 assists for 69 points in 69 games. In his NHL career, all with the Islanders, Tavares has scored 266 goals and 340 assists for 606 points in 656 games. Just this past Sunday, Tavares passed John Tonelli for 5th on the Islanders all-time assists list, with his 340. The top 4? They are Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies and Mike Bossy, who all have their numbers retired by the team. Tavares\’ 91 will be retired soon after he retires. Still the centerpiece of the team, Tavares\’ contract is up after this season, and he hasn\’t come close to signing a extension yet, creating lots of media speculation.

           At teammate Anders Lee\’s kancer jam, I was able to talk to John about the future and more.

           Carter LaCorte (me): What do you think it will be like playing in two arenas next season?

           John Tavares: It\’ll be different, but two arenas, I\’ve played in before, obviously. I think it will be pretty familiar to be back at the Colisuem soon.

            CL: You just played in your fifth all-star game. Does the weekend ever get old?

            JT: No. When you\’re named an all-star you are having a good season. It\’s great to be organized with that group of players there. To grow up hoping for that opportunity, it\’s great to be there.

             CL: What\’s it like being back here at Anders\’ second kan jam?

              JT: It\’s great. People are raising a lot of money for a great cause. He\’s a great guy and a great teammate, so I\’m happy to support him.

               CL: If you could name the NHL team in Seattle, what would you name it?

                JT: I have no idea. I would think it would have to do with something with the area. Like how the Islanders became the Islanders.

              

             A horrible finish ruined the 2017 season for the Kansas City Royals, who finished third in the AL Central with a 80-82 record, missing the playoffs. The Royals needed to have a great offseason, with stars Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas all facing free agency. Let\’s take a look at what they did in the offseason.

               Notable additions: 1B Lucas Duda, CF Jon Jay, RHP Wily Peralta, OF Michael Saunders, Ricky Nolasco, 3B/OF Cody Asche, INF Ryan Goins, RHP Blaine Boyer, OF Tyler Collins.

                Notable subtractions: 1B Eric Hosmer, CF Lorenzo Cain, LHP Jason Vargas, LHP Mike Minor, LHP Scott Alexander, RHP Joakim Soria, RHP Peter Moylan, RHP Trevor Cahill, RHP Chris Young, OF Melky Cabrera, DH Brandon Moss.

                 What they did well: not much. They were able to get a steal on Moustakas, who signed a one year deal for $6.5 million. That\’s about it.

                  What they did bad: The entire team is gone. It seems like everybody left, but Moustakas and Alcides Escobar, who re-signed. They made some trades to help them, but nothing major, like a Danny Duffy move.

                   Sneaky sleeper: With Jorge Bonifacio suspended, someone else will go here. That\’s where Whit Merrifield comes in. Merrifield secured the starting second base job in 2017, hitting 19 homers, having a .288 batting average, and stealing 34 bases on top of that. The Royals may be bad, but that\’s no reason for Merrifield to not be noticed.

                    Incoming outbreak: In his rookie season, Jake Junis was quietly good for both the Royals and my fantasy team. Junis had a 4.30 ERA in 98.1 innings, and with the departure of Vargas, Junis is now their second or third best starter.

                   Unsuspected slump: The starting shortstop and leadoff hitter, Alcides Escobar played in 162 games for the second consecutive season, and the third year in four years. But, his all-around game is falling, especially his specialty of stealing bases. The former 30 base stealer nabbed just four bases in 2017, the same amount he stole in 38 games in 2009. If he lost his speed, he\’s lost his game.

                   Blue-chip Bopper. With everybody gone, Mike Moustakas goes here. Moustakas broke the Royals\’ single season home run record in 2017 with 38. Though his surgery from two years ago is slowing him down, he\’s still their best hitter.

                    Astounding ace: After the tragic passing of Yordano Ventura before last season, Danny Duffy took the realms of being their ace, and had a 3.81 ERA in 146.1 innings. He\’s not that great, but it\’s the best they got.

      Here is the Royals\’ projected roster, starting with their lineup.

 SS Alcides Escobar (R)
 2B Whit Merrifield (R)
 3B Mike Moustakas (L)
 C Salvador Perez (R)
 1B Lucas Duda (L)
 LF Alex Gordon (L)
 RF Jorge Soler (R)
 DH Cheslor Cuthbert (R)
 CF Jon Jay (L)

        Here\’s their rotation.

 LHP Danny Duffy
 RHP Jason Hammel
 RHP Jake Junis
 RHP Ian Kennedy
 RHP Wily Peralta

   Kelvin Herrera (R) is their closer, with Brandon Maurer (R), Nate Karns (R), Brian Flynn (L), Blaine Boyer (R) and Sam Gaviglo (R) in the bullpen as well.

   C Cam Gallagher (R), OF Paulo Orlando (R), INF Adalberto Mondesi (S) and C Drew Butera (R) are on the bench.

   Finally, for my prediction. I think the Royals, a team on the decline, will not make the playoffs in 2018.