Playing Panic or Patience with MLB's Most Inactive Contenders

The good news for MLB's most inactive contenders—like the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers—is that it's not even Christmas yet, which means there's still plenty of time to shop.

The bad news for those clubs is that the offseason hasn't gone to script—at least not yet.

As the baseball world prepares to shut down for the holiday season, this is the perfect time to survey the league and figure out which contenders can afford to be patient and which ones should be hitting the panic button.

The squads that fall on the "patient" side of the equation have prominent needs that can be readily filled either via free agency or the trade market. But the teams that land in the "panic" camp have some major weaknesses and happen to be playing in fiercely competitive divisions.

Baltimore Orioles

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Key Departures

• C Steve Clevenger

For the Baltimore Orioles, the concern doesn't surround who's already departed Camden Yards this offseason, but rather who could be set to depart in the coming weeks.

The O's re-upped with setup man Darren O'Day, but lefty Wei-Yin Chen, outfielder Gerardo Parra and first baseman Chris Davis all remain unaccounted for on the free-agent front.

Without question, Crush Davis is the headliner of that group. As Jon Heyman of CBS Sports put it, the club is currently "engaged in a staredown with [the] star slugger," who has so far passed on the team's $154 million offer. But there is no lack of power bats to consider if Davis does end up heading out the door.

As Heyman noted, Baltimore has checked in on Carlos Gonzalez, Justin Upton and Pedro Alvarez. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, Yoenis Cespedes has also made the short list of big bats the team "has engaged with."

It could be a stressful holiday season for executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette as he continues hunting for a middle-of-the-order hitter. But at least he has plenty of options to chose from as he embarks on his last-minute shopping.

The Verdict: Patience

Kansas City Royals

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Key Departures

• SP Johnny Cueto
• RP Ryan Madson
• UTL Ben Zobrist

There's no question about it—losing Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto is going to hurt.

But there's still a lot to like about the Kansas City Royals, as Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star wrote: "Even with Zobrist gone, and [Alex] Gordon likely gone, the Royals return six of their nine starting position players and eight of the 11 pitchers who appeared in the World Series. [Ryan] Madson is replaced by Joakim Soria, and the Royals are searching for a starting pitcher to replace Johnny Cueto."

And Gordon isn't gone just yet. From Gordon to Justin Upton to Yoenis Cespedes, the free-agent market is flooded with big-name outfielders. As Mellinger noted, that can only help the Royals' negotiating position: "They believe that supply and demand is on their side and will reward patience, if not with Gordon, then with others."

The market for starters—the club's other primary need—is another area in which patience could be rewarded. The free-agent front is still flush with options, and general manager Dayton Moore has proved to be a master of buying low on lottery tickets.

The Verdict: Patience

Toronto Blue Jays

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Key Departures

• SP David Price

Suffice it to say that J.A. Happ stepping in for David Price isn't exactly an ace-for-ace swap.

But even with Price jumping ship for Fenway Park, there should be lots of optimism surrounding the state of the Toronto Blue Jays' starting staff entering 2016. The most compelling reason is that the club will have a full season of Marcus Stroman, who was flat-out nasty in October.

As general manager Ross Atkins explained to the Canadian Press, via Sportsnet, there's still a chance that additions could be made to the team's stable of arms.

"We are going to stay open-minded, and if there is a way that we can creatively just add depth to our pitching or fortify our pitching staff, we'll do it," Atkins said. "But it's definitely not limited to the bullpen. I think it's just more likely that that's where we can add."

One option for the Jays to consider is to shift Aaron Sanchez into the starting rotation and go after a top-flight reliever. Last season, Sanchez threw daggers out of the pen, sporting a 2.39 ERA in 30 outings as a reliever.

This offseason, there is no shortage of prominent relief arms on the trade block. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports listed Aroldis Chapman, Mark Melancon, Andrew Miller, Drew Storen, Jonathan Papelbon, Brad Boxberger and Jake McGee as relievers who could be dealt.

The Verdict: Patience

Los Angeles Dodgers

Richard Vogel/Associated Press

Key Departures

• SP Zack Greinke
• 2B Jose Peraza

Just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ERA king Zack Greinke bolted town, the proposed trade for Aroldis Chapman fell apart after a report of an alleged domestic violence incident surfaced, and a problem with a physical derailed the signing of Hisashi Iwakuma.

But the biggest issue for the Dodgers isn't that both their rotation and bullpen are still in need of major help. The biggest issue for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the rest of the brass is that their chief rivals—the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants—have both gotten significantly better.

The upstart D-Backs stole Greinke away from Southern California and added Shelby Miller to the top of their rotation. The Giants also dramatically improved their staff by importing Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.

At his introductory press conference, Cueto explained exactly why he's heading to AT&T Park: "It's a team of champions," the right-hander said, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Right now, Los Angeles doesn't have a team—or especially a rotation—of champions. There's still time for that to change, but it's going to take a blockbuster.

Lyle Spencer of MLB.com last week speculated about a potential trade target who would fit that description: "Everyone talking about possible Jose Fernandez deal for Dodgers, but Sonny Gray just as intriguing given A's history. Proven in October."

Gray was the second runner-up in the American League Cy Young Award race, and Los Angeles needs to reel in a starter of his caliber to salvage what has been a disastrous offseason.

The Verdict: Panic

St. Louis Cardinals

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Key Departures

• RF Jason Heyward
• SP John Lackey

It's never wise to doubt the St. Louis Cardinals, but it sure has been a rough offseason for the Redbirds.

The three-time reigning National League Central champions watched as the Chicago Cubs snatched a couple of their key cogs in Jason Heyward and John Lackey. The Cards also lost out in the David Price derby, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Then there are all those injuries.

Lance Lynn is out for the season after Tommy John surgery, Randal Grichuk underwent sports hernia surgery last week and Yadier Molina had to have his balky left thumb operated on a second time. The Molina storyline is especially worth monitoring.

According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, general manager John Mozeliak said Molina may not be ready for the start of the season: "The biggest question will be: When will he swing a bat? They don't feel like any of this should affect how he catches or when he can catch, but to have him ready by Opening Day, [swinging] will really be the test."

The Cardinals had better hope Molina's pesky thumb starts cooperating. With the pitching staff looking like it will be less experienced and potentially weaker than it was last season, a healthy Molina behind the dish will be the linchpin for the club in 2016.

The Verdict: Panic

Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on BaseballProspectus.com.

If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.