New Year's Resolutions for All 30 MLB Teams in 2016
For the Miami Marlins, the club's New Year's resolution is incredibly simple: Just don't trade Jose Fernandez.
While the Fish don't have to do anything at all, action will be required for the vast majority of major league squads if they're going to fulfill their respective resolutions.
The New York Yankees have built a wicked nasty pen, but the rotation still needs an ace. The San Francisco Giants still have some unchecked bullet points on their offseason shopping list, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have an enigma to solve.
There are also teams such as the Atlanta Braves who have to subtract—and subtract big. And one club has to halt a drought that has been going on for way too long.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
The Resolution: Cap off the crazy winter by boosting the pen
With the additions of Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller, the Arizona Diamondbacks just keep pushing their metaphorical chips into the center of the table.
With so much invested in 2016 already, chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and general manager Dave Stewart need to go all in and add an impact arm to the pen. According to Nick Piecoro of AZCentral Sports, a reliever is one of the remaining items on the D-backs' offseason shopping list.
And there are certainly prominent relief pitchers to be had.
As Adam Berry of MLB.com reported, the Pittsburgh Pirates are open to the idea of dealing Mark Melancon. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Rangers have already talked about the idea of moving Shawn Tolleson. Acquiring either one of those guys would allow the club to shift current closer Brad Ziegler into a setup role.
Atlanta Braves
2 of 30
The Resolution: Go full tank mode
Tanking is bad for the game.
It's not fun to watch a team such as the Atlanta Braves that is clearly punting on 2016 and stockpiling pieces for the future. But it's also not against the rules. What's more, as teams such as the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs have demonstrated, it's a viable strategy for building a contending club.
The Braves have already sent out Shelby Miller and Andrelton Simmons this winter. Surveying the roster, Freddie Freeman looks like the strongest trade chip left. However, a Freeman swap doesn't appear to be on the docket, as general manager John Coppolella explained to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution: "Coppolella reiterated that they're not trading Freeman, period. Said they "owe it to our fans to have some semblance of offense."
It's difficult to buy that line from Coppolella after looking at the way the front office has gutted the roster.
With the free-agent market for bats developing at a glacial pace, patience will be required before the Braves have the opportunity to cash in on Freeman. But with the team clearly in tank mode, Atlanta might as well go all in. Shipping out Freeman is the next logical step.
Baltimore Orioles
3 of 30
The Resolution: Beat Scott Boras at his own game
Super agent Scott Boras is renowned for his strategy of slow-playing the free-agent market.
Just think back to last winter when he waited around all offseason before securing a seven-year, $210 million megadeal for Max Scherzer in late January. Boras appears to be following the same playbook with Chris Davis.
Per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Boras and Davis didn't bite when the Baltimore Orioles offered the masher a seven-year, $154 million payout.
For the O's there are two ways to beat Boras at his own game. The first way is to give him a taste of his own medicine and wait out the market, ultimately snagging Davis at a price tag of $154 million or less.
The second way is to forget about Crush Davis altogether. Even at this relatively late juncture in the offseason, there are still all sorts of power options to be had. Baltimore could rummage through the bargain bin for a guy like Chris Carter or Pedro Alvarez or aim for a high-end slugger like Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton.
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Boston Red Sox
4 of 30
The Resolution: Get something out of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez
$39 million.
That's how much money the Boston Red Sox will be paying Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez in 2016. The Kung Fu Panda will cash in a $17 million check, while Ramirez will make $22 million. There's no other way to put it—that's an obscene amount of loot to be dishing out to two of baseball's biggest underachievers.
Even after Sandoval and Ramirez both turned in a dud of a debut in 2015, manager John Farrell is trying to take an optimistic approach with the duo. And why shouldn't he? It certainly won't help to antagonize the pair. Here's what the skipper had to say, via Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:
"Both, I think, will come in in better physical condition to maintain a level of performance deeper into the season. But I think, most importantly, they’ve lived Boston for one year, and they know the potential distractions that could be there and to remain focused on what they can control, and that is their work ethic, their preparation, and how they execute inside the lines.
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Fortunately for the Red Sox, the club doesn't need Sandoval and Ramirez to be the stars of the show. That billing will go to rising game-changers such as Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts and established vets such as Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz.
Boston just needs Sandoval and Ramirez to be complementary pieces—even if they're playing on superstar salaries.
Chicago Cubs
5 of 30
The Resolution: Don't get caught up in the hype
Thanks to the additions of Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist, the Chicago Cubs are among the unquestioned winners of the winter.
But a great offseason doesn't always translate to a great season.
Entering 2016, the Cubs still have questions to be answered. One major storyline to follow will be Chicago's outfield defense. Heyward is a wizard with the glove, but he's relatively new to center field. As Carrie Muskat of MLB.com noted, only 30 of his 781 starts have been in center, and he'll be flanked by a couple of outfield novices in Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler.
The biggest reason that the Cubs need to avoid getting caught up in the hype is that the team still plays in the savage National League Central. Chicago is on the rise, but the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates are still around to bully the upstart Cubs.
Chicago White Sox
6 of 30
The Resolution: Get one more bat
It's been a busy winter on the South Side.
Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago-Sun Times argued that the Chicago White Sox shouldn't shut it done just yet: "It wouldn’t make sense to add significantly to the lineup as they have with Todd Frazier at third base, Brett Lawrie at second base and Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro at catcher and stop there, would it?"
So who could that next target be? Per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago, the White Sox are still in the conversation for Alex Gordon and Yoenis Cespedes.
Gordon would be an especially strong fit for Chicago as he's not only highly familiar with the American League Central but would also provide the club with some much-needed help against southpaws. Last season, the White Sox posted the second-worst OPS (.645) against lefties in the bigs. Gordon clocked in with an .817 OPS.
Cincinnati Reds
7 of 30
The Resolution: Keep the fire sale going
The Cincinnati Reds are in a similar spot as the Atlanta Braves.
Losers of 98 games a season ago and having already dispatched Aroldis Chapman to the Bronx this offseason, the Reds are clearly building for the future.
As that rebuild rolls along, president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty will have to continue trimming the club's highest earners from the roster.
Two players who top that list are Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips. Bruce makes $12.5 million in 2016 and has a $13 million team option (with a $1 million buyout) for the season after that. Phillips is slated to earn $13 million in the upcoming season and $14 million in 2017.
Thanks in part to all that money, it won't be easy to unload either of those guys. In fact, Jocketty already tried to send Phillips to the Washington Nationals in a deal that ultimately went sideways, as Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported.
As far as Bruce is concerned, the Reds will likely have to be patient. With the free-agent market flooded with corner outfielders, the best opportunity to sell high on Bruce could come in July.
Cleveland Indians
8 of 30
The Resolution: Find a new offensive leader in the absence of Michael Brantley
Ranking No. 11 in the AL in runs, the Cleveland Indians offense was far from robust in 2015.
Unfortunately for the Tribe, the team won't have Michael Brantley to anchor the lineup when 2016 begins. Per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Brantley, who underwent shoulder surgery in November, won't be back on the diamond until May or possibly even June.
In the absence of Brantley, the Indians will need a new offensive star to lead the way. Jason Kipnis is one logical candidate to take on the role, but don't be surprised if Francisco Lindor steals that job in his sophomore season.
Since 2015 was the year of the rookie, Lindor's stellar campaign was somewhat lost in the shuffle. But his numbers were outstanding, as the shortstop slugged 38 extra-base hits in 99 games and logged a .313 average.
Colorado Rockies
9 of 30
The Resolution: Acquire some quality arms
In 2015, the Colorado Rockies pitching staff lugged around a 5.04 ERA, which unsurprisingly was the worst mark in the majors.
That ugly ERA makes it apparent that the Rockies need as much pitching as they can get. Dealing Carlos Gonzalez, who cracked 40 bombs in 2015, is one way to start acquiring those arms.
Naturally, a lot of teams are interested in that pop. According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Colorado has talked to the Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. Harding also pegged the San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals as potential landing spots for CarGo.
As Harding wrote, Colorado has "not found a match" yet. However, with so many possible suitors in play, there's no excuse not to.
Detroit Tigers
10 of 30
The Resolution: Find a quality bullpen contributor in the minor leagues
The late innings have not been kind to the Detroit Tigers.
Last year, the club's relief crew ran up the fourth-worst ERA in baseball. To help clean up that mess, GM Al Avila has traded for Francisco Rodriguez and Justin Wilson and has inked Mark Lowe as a free agent. But as Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press pointed out, the Tigers will also need to find some help on the farm.
Per Sharp, manager Brad Ausmus tabbed Michael Fulmer as one pitcher who could aid the pen in 2016. The right-hander, who was the centerpiece of last summer's Yoenis Cespedes deal, should be a front-line starter down the line.
But the 22-year-old's immediate future should be as a late-inning stopper. In five seasons in the minors, Fulmer has shown a serious knack for piling up punchouts. In 76 appearances (75 as a starter), he has ripped off a ratio of 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
Houston Astros
11 of 30
The Resolution: Lock up Dallas Keuchel
The 2015 ERA king of the AL and the Cy Young Award winner of the circuit, Dallas Keuchel is a rising star at the Juice Box.
He's the kind of rising star that the Houston Astros need to keep around for as long as possible. With the 27-year-old set to enter his first of three arbitration-eligible seasons, this winter is the ideal moment for the sides to strike a multiyear deal. Per Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle, both Keuchel and the team "expect discussion" about the topic this winter.
At the very least, Houston should buy out Keuchel's arbitration seasons. But the club should also be aim to strike a pact that will keep him in Houston for even longer.
Kansas City Royals
12 of 30
The Resolution: Extend Eric Hosmer
Eric Hosmer is a franchise cornerstone.
He's young (26) and produces at the plate (.822 OPS in 2015) and in the field (three-time Gold Glover). He's also already become an October legend, as the first baseman has driven in 29 runs in his first 31 postseason contests.
Simply put, Hosmer, who makes $8.25 million in 2016 and is arbitration-eligible the year after that, is exactly the player who the Kansas City Royals should be signing up long-term.
As Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star argued, one of the primary reasons why the Royals shouldn't jump into the derby for Alex Gordon is to maintain the "financial flexibility" to sign "core players" like Hosmer.
Los Angeles Angels
13 of 30
The Resolution: Solve the conundrum in left field
Left field was a train wreck for the Los Angeles Angels last season.
In 2015, the players who patrolled that spot went yard a grand total of nine times. It's worth noting that free-agent left fielder Yoenis Cespedes went yard nine times in the month of September. Per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the Halos are one of the teams that are "in the mix" for La Potencia.
For now, though, the Angels are slated to trot out a platoon of Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava.
Los Angeles Dodgers
14 of 30
The Resolution: Solve the Yasiel Puig enigma
The 2015 season was a lost year for Yasiel Puig.
Thanks to an injured hamstring, the Cuban played in only 79 games and posted career lows in nearly every major offensive category. As Mark Saxon of ESPN.com wrote, getting Puig back to his 2013 and 2014 form is at the top of the to-do list for rookie manager Dave Roberts and his coaches:
"Presuming the Dodgers do, in fact, hold on to Puig, how he reacts to Roberts and the new coaching staff could largely determine the staff's success. After all, Puig is, on the surface, the perfect player for an organization that is trying to get younger, more athletic and less reliant on big, ticking-time-bomb contracts to win games.
"
For Roberts, getting to work on the Puig project will begin long before the team arrives in Arizona for spring training. According to Saxon, Roberts aims to have a "face-to-face" chat with the 25-year-old in Los Angeles later this month.
Miami Marlins
15 of 30
The Resolution: Don't trade Jose Fernandez
Even as Jose Fernandez's name swirls about in the trade winds, his agent Scott Boras doesn't expect the 23-year-old to change uniforms anytime soon.
"I talk to [Miami Marlins owner] Jeffrey Loria and I talk to [president of baseball operations] Mike Hill, and I think they realize that they have something," Boras said on MLB Network Radio, via Andrew Simon of MLB.com. "They have a Cuban-born player playing in Miami who is a brilliant talent. You couldn't ask for a better fit for all the parties in this situation."
Fernandez is a brilliant talent, indeed.
In his first 47 starts, the righty has recorded a 2.40 ERA and held the opposition to a .198 batting average. Then again, this is the Marlins, who Bleacher Report's Scott Miller described as a "three-ring circus that always is just one elephant short of going full Barnum & Bailey."
Last summer, when the Fish axed then-manager Mike Redmond, things got ugly in South Beach.
"Soon, players took to playing circus music in the clubhouse and on charter flights whenever anything they viewed as amateur enough to be endemic to the Marlins occurred," Miller wrote.
Jettisoning Fernandez, who remains under club control for three more seasons, would be far uglier than that.
Milwaukee Brewers
16 of 30
The Resolution: Build for the future even if that means subtracting from the present
The Milwaukee Brewers have the misfortune of playing in the fiercest division in baseball.
Last season, the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs ranked No. 1, 2 and 3 in wins, respectively. None of those clubs appears to be going anywhere in 2016, which means the Brewers are in a bind.
The powers-that-be know a ton of work needs to be done before the Brew Crew gets back into the postseason picture.
"In his annual open letter to fans, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio did not use the term 'rebuilding,'" Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported. "But he did ask for patience while he and general manager David Stearns 'take a step back and build more intensively from within.'"
That step back could entail selling high on one of the few remaining stars left on the roster. As McCalvy speculated, Jonathan LuCroy, who offers an impact bat at a premier defensive position, represents the most valuable bargaining chip of all.
Minnesota Twins
17 of 30
The Resolution: Add some strikeouts to the pen
The Minnesota Twins missed the second wild-card spot by three games last season.
One of the primary reasons that the Twins were left on the outside looking in was that the bullpen was suspect at best. The group ranked No. 10 in the AL in ERA and checked in with the fewest strikeouts in the circuit.
To improve those rankings (and the team's place in the standings), the Twins are going to need to snag a big-time reliever...like Shawn Tolleson. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Rangers engaged in trade talk involving Tolleson at the winter meetings.
With a 2.99 ERA and a 9.5 K/9 ratio in 2015, Tolleson would be the ideal sidekick to closer Glen Perkins.
New York Mets
18 of 30
The Resolution: Prove that the team doesn't need Yoenis Cespedes
Yoenis Cespedes isn't walking through the door.
Back on Christmas Eve, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports stuck a fork in that fleeting hope: "Sources say the Mets' foray into the Cespedes market was brief. And now it is over. (It may have been over for a while)."
The obvious question that follows is, Who fills the Cespedes-sized hole in the heart of the lineup?
The answer begins with David Wright. The Mets captain is embarking on his first full season since being diagnosed with a narrowing of his spinal column. So, suffice it to say that Wright is officially a wild card. But he's also set to earn $87 million over the next five seasons, which means he should get plenty of chances to prove he can produce in the middle of the lineup.
The answer ends with Michael Conforto. The 2014 first-round pick rocketed through the minor leagues before posting an .841 OPS and clubbing nine home runs in a 56 game stint in New York last season. Those are the kinds of numbers that suggest the future is bright for the 22-year-old.
New York Yankees
19 of 30
The Resolution: Land an ace
With the addition of Aroldis Chapman, the New York Yankees will sport a bullpen that is more dangerous than a band of Westerosi knights.
The big problem in the Bronx is that the AL East squad still lacks a front man for its rotation. According to Sweeny Murti of WFAN, the Yanks have the pieces to get a guy like Gio Gonzalez, Jose Quintana or even a true headliner.
"Or you could dare to dream and wonder if the Yankees can pull Chris Sale away from the [Chicago] White Sox," Murti wrote. "He’s an impact pitcher, an ace, a dominant lefty who rival execs tell me the Yankees certainly have the prospects to deal."
If those rival execs are correct, now is no time for GM Brian Cashman to be dreaming. Now is the time for Cashman to call Rick Hahn, his counterpart with the White Sox.
Oakland Athletics
20 of 30
The Resolution: Stop blowing late leads
The Oakland Athletics bullpen was a flat-out dumpster fire in 2015. As a group, the pen piled up 31 losses, which was tied for fourth-worst in the bigs.
The good news for Oakland is that the pen is going to look a lot different in 2016, as the team added Ryan Madson, John Axford, Liam Hendriks and Marc Rzepczynski this offseason.
As manager Bob Melvin explained to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the brain trust was following a highly specific plan as it revamped its relief corps:
"One of the things we probably didn’t have that some of the other bullpens had were hard throwers, guys that come in and miss bats, throwing 95, 96 miles an hour. We had a couple of guys, but it seems like most bullpens, every time that bullpen door opens up, someone is coming out of the bullpen throwing hard, so that was key.
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Hendriks is one reliever who matches that description perfectly and could prove to be sneaky good for the AL West team. Last year, the righty racked up 71 strikeouts in 64.1 innings of work, and his two-seam fastball clocked in at an average speed of 95 mph, per MLB.com.
Pittsburgh Pirates
21 of 30
The Resolution: Prove everyone wrong
For a team that tallied the second-most wins in baseball in 2015, the Pittsburgh Pirates don't garner much respect.
A recent article on MLB.com, which laid out the upcoming campaign for the St. Louis Cardinals, was titled "Cards set sights on holding off [Chicago] Cubs in 2016."
The Cubs, winners of 97 games a season ago, are a scary team—no doubt. But don't write the Bucs off—even if Pittsburgh hasn't been dominating the offseason headlines like the Cubs have.
Pittsburgh still has one of the most dynamic position players in the game in Andrew McCutchen, an unheralded but effective rotation led by Gerrit Cole and a pen that sported the lowest ERA in baseball a season ago.
Spring training is still way out on the horizon, and the Pirates have already been relegated to the role of underdog. But watch out, because that's one dangerous underdog.
Philadelphia Phillies
22 of 30
The Resolution: Let the kids play
For the Philadelphia Phillies, 2016 is all about the kids.
After racking up 99 losses a season ago, this year isn't about contending for the playoffs—it's about building the core for the future.
That core includes the likes of Maikel Franco, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Odubel Herrera, who all contributed to the squad in 2015. The core also includes farmhands like J.P. Crawford who are still climbing the ranks.
Clubs never want to promote a prominent prospect too soon. And Crawford, who MLB.com dubbed the fifth-best player in the minors, is the definition of prominent. Still, if the shortstop torches Triple-A early in the campaign, the Phils shouldn't hesitate to summon Crawford to Citizens Bank Park this summer.
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
The Resolution: Sell big
With the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants all jockeying for the top spot in the NL West, the San Diego Padres need to face the cold reality that 2016 is going to be a rough year at Petco Park.
With the Pads looking like the fourth-best team in their own division, cashing in on some assets is the savvy play. As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted via Twitter during the winter meetings, the brass is not unaware of that reality: "Rival exec: Padres 'aggressive,” will listen on anyone, including [Tyson] Ross."
On the trade front, the 28-year-old Ross is San Diego's biggest chip and could net a ransom in return. The right-hander has posted a 3.26 ERA or lower in each of the past three campaigns and still has three years of club control.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
The Resolution: Keep the even-year tradition going
With the additions of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, it sure looks like the San Francisco Giants are gearing up for yet another fabled even-year run.
Even after giving out $220 million to Cueto and the Shark, the Giants aren't necessarily done spending just yet. As team broadcaster Mike Krukow sees it, Yoenis Cespedes could be the next star to arrive at AT&T Park.
"Could he fit there? Absolutely," Krukow said on KNBR 680, via CSN Bay Area. "The book on Cespedes is that he's a good teammate. He's proven that...there's no complaints about what type of teammate he is. ... I wouldn't be surprised at anything right now with the way things have happened so far this offseason."
Admittedly, that sounds more like speculation than inside info from Krukow. Still, bringing Cespedes to San Francisco would make a lot of sense, as the right-handed slugger would offer some thump that is seriously lacking. Last season, all the Giants outfielders totaled 38 homers. Cespedes hit 35.
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
The Resolution: Just end the drought already
Having last appeared in October in 2001, the Seattle Mariners are the reluctant owners of the longest playoff drought in baseball.
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports provided a bit of context to explain just how extensive the dry spell has been, noting that 2001 was the rookie season for the now 42-year-old Ichiro Suzuki and the first year of the post-Alex Rodriguez era in the Pacific Northwest.
New GM Jerry Dipoto has certainly been working overtime to finally end the wait. According to the calculations of ESPN's Jayson Stark, the exec has swung nine trades involving 32 players, made three waiver claims and landed eight free agents.
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
The Resolution: Trust the process
The offseason hasn't gone to script for the St. Louis Cardinals.
John Lackey and Jason Heyward both bolted to Wrigley Field, Lance Lynn will miss all of 2016 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, and Yadier Molina recently underwent a second operation on his thumb.
The main reason for optimism when it comes to the Redbirds is that no team in baseball is better at filling the gaps with in-house candidates than the Cards.
On the pitching front, Marco Gonzales is one arm to watch out for. The lefty disappointed in 2015 (4.69 ERA in Triple-A last season), but the 23-year-old and 2013 first-round pick still has tremendous upside.
As for the bats, Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk are at the top of the list. Neither of those players can cover as much ground as Heyward did in the outfield, but both Piscotty and Grichuk can downright rake. Piscotty hit .305 with an .853 OPS in 63 games in 2015. Meanwhile, Grichuk was an extra-base hitting machine. In 103 games, the 24-year-old tallied 23 doubles, seven triples and 17 home runs.
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
The Resolution: Cash in on Jake Odorizzi
As far as trade chips are concerned, there's nothing more valuable than a young, controllable starter.
The recent Shelby Miller swap underscores that point. In that deal, the Atlanta Braves got a big league regular in Ender Inciarte, a 2013 first-round pick in Aaron Blair and the 2015 No. overall selection in Dansby Swanson. In addition to parting ways with Miller, the Braves also sent minor league righty Gabe Speier to the desert.
In Jake Odorizzi, the Tampa Bay Rays have a controllable right-hander of their own who compares favorably to Miller.
- Miller in 2015: 3.02 ERA, 205.1 IP, 7.5 K/9
- Odorizzi in 2015: 3.35 ERA, 169.1 IP, 8.0 K/9
Per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been in talks with the Rays about Odorizzi. One advantage that Odorizzi has over Miller as a trade piece is that while Miller becomes a free agent after the 2018 season, the Rays starter can't hit the market until the end of the 2019 campaign.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
The Resolution: Plan for the worst when it comes to the rotation
The Texas Rangers know just how fragile a starting rotation can be.
Yu Darvish missed all of 2015 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, and Derek Holland made only 10 starts due to a bum shoulder. GM Jon Daniels told Jon Morosi of Fox Sports and MLB Network Radio that Darvish "is on track to rejoin" the staff by mid-May. Per Morosi, Daniels added that he'd like to add some "depth" to the group.
With the rotation already entering the season at less than 100 percent, that's a shrewd decision from Daniels. One guy who could help Texas in that department is Doug Fister.
The right-hander is coming off an underwhelming campaign, as he pitched his way out of the Washington Nationals rotation by posting a 4.60 ERA in 15 starts. But based on his resume (he put up an ERA of 3.67 or lower from 2011 to 2014), Fister would be an intriguing buy-low target.
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
The Resolution: Get a big arm for the pen
The Toronto Blue Jays know just how expensive it is to acquire a No. 1 arm on the free-agent market.
After all, the Jays recently lost second-half hero David Price to the Boston Red Sox after their AL East neighbors handed the lefty a $217 million check. In comparison, acquiring a bullpen ace can be had at a relatively reasonable cost.
So, here's what the Jays need to do: shift setup man Aaron Sanchez back to the rotation and go after a late-inning star. One reliever who fits that description is Mark Melancon.
Based on the way Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington is talking, Melancon is available.
"We've never had to trade Mark," Huntington said, per Adam Berry of MLB.com. "It's always been [a question of] if we're better with him with us, or if we think it's a better move for the organization to move him elsewhere, and that still applies."
With incumbent closer Roberto Osuna already on the roster, importing Melancon to the Rogers Centre would give the reigning division kings a nasty one-two punch at the end of ballgames.
Washington Nationals
30 of 30
The Resolution: End the dysfunction
The scene last September when Jonathan Papelbon attempted to choke out Bryce Harper in the dugout was a microcosm of the Washington Nationals' wildly frustrating campaign in 2016.
It's difficult to say if the Nats, who finished seven games behind the New York Mets in the NL East, endured more problems on the field or off it. One of those problems that might not be going away is Papelbon.
Fighting with the MVP-to-be is generally a flawless strategy for getting a one-way ticket out of town, but dumping Papelbon won't be easy. As David Brown of CBS Sports pointed out, the closer can block a trade to 17 different teams.
Fortunately for the Nats, their new manager Dusty Baker is just the guy to clean up the rot in the nation's capital. With 20 years of experience as a big league skipper, he has the ability to command the respect of any clubhouse—even one including Papelbon.
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.
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