MLB: New Year's Resolutions for All 30 Teams
New Year's resolutions for all 30 MLB teams are difficult to craft.
With the big time free agents starting to find homes and the trade market heating up, next year's teams are starting to take shape.
Technically, every team's 2011 New Year's resolution is to win the World Series in October.
But if you play in Pittsburgh or Kansas City, that probably doesn't seem too likely.
Now for the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies and a few other clubs, it's too easy to say their resolution is to win the title. So we'll try to add a little more suspense to it than that.
Washington Nationals
1 of 30
2010 record: 69-93 (28 games back)
Finish: Fith, NL East
Resolution: Identify a rotation
The loss of Stephen Strasburg set back the franchise at least two years and it's understandable that it would have problems filling his spot when he went on the DL.
But 14 different people started games for the club last season and only Livan Hernandez started more than 25 games.
John Lannan might be the man to hold down the second spot in the rotation, but if Jason Marquis cannot stay healthy and/or be effective, it will be a long season, no matter how much Jayson Werth contributes.
New York Mets
2 of 30
2010 record: 79-83
Finish: Fourth, NL East
Resolution: Find power from others besides David Wright
The Mets have never had a historic home run hitter: 41 is the team single season record, 252 the team career record.
But their power numbers in recent seasons has been atrocious. The last two seasons, only David Wright in 2010 has topped 20 home runs and only Wright, Daniel Murphy and Ike Davis have topped 50 extra base hits in the 2009 or 2010 seasons.
The pitching has been better (Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey, especially) but if they are going to contend at all against the excellent staffs in Philadelphia and Atlanta, it will be hard to manufacture runs station-to-station.
Forida Marlins
3 of 30
2010 record: 80-82 (17 games back)
Finish: Third, NL East
Resolution: Avoid a trade-deadline fire sale
Whether it was the Hanley Ramirez's outburst, firing Fredi Gonzalez, or recently dealing away Dan Uggla for very little in return, the Marlins don't seem to be that committed to winning.
And considering the fact that they were the ones who put postseason hero Cody Ross on waivers, the Marlins front office isn't making great strides. And signing Javier Vazquez isn't exactly a major free-agent victory.
With young arms like Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez, there might be an urge to get young prospects in return.
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Atlanta Braves
4 of 30
2010 record: 91-71 (6 games back)
Finish: Second, NL East (Wild Card)
Resolution: Don't fear the Phillies
Atlanta squandered a lead in the NL East down the stretch and now the Phillies have the best lefthander in the National League (Cliff Lee) to go along with arguably the best righthander in the National League, Roy Halladay. And with Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, it's clearly the best rotation in baseball.
The Braves rotation isn't nearly the equal of Philadelphia's. But it's still very good. Tim Hudson was once again an ace last year, and if Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjen's continue to develop, they can compete in a three-game series against Philly.
And because it was the Phillies lineup that was far better than the Braves' in 2010, the addition of Dan Uggla coupled with the loss of Jayson Werth levels the playing field significantly.
Philadelphia Phillies
5 of 30
2010 record: 97-65
Finish: First, NL East
Resolution: Don't tweak
The Phillies aren't quite turning into the Yankees and Red Sox of the National League, but they're getting closer to being the NL's "Evil Empire."
In the past two years they've acquired Cy Young winners three times (Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee twice).
And although they lost Jayson Werth, their roster is still remarkably stacked. If Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins stay healthy in 2011, they won't need to make any deadline moves to shore up the lineup.
Pittsburgh Pirates
6 of 30
2010 record: 57-105 (34 games back)
Finish: Sixth, NL Central
Resolution: Win 70 games
Obviously, it'd be nice if the Pirates could snap their horrific streak of non-winning seasons that now stretches 18 years. But they haven't even won 70 games since 2004.
Snapping that streak isn't completely out of the question. They have been fairly active in the free agency market: Today they signed Lyle Overbay and Matt Diaz. And if they deal Ryan Doumit for an arm, they could pull out of last place in the division.
Chicago Cubs
7 of 30
2010 record: 75-87 (16 games back)
Finish: Fifth, NL Central
Resolution: Deal Carlos Zambrano
Of all the New Year's resolutions, this might be the most difficult to pull off. But Cubs fans should hold out some glimmer of hope that a contender will bite near the trade deadline, especially if Zambrano continues to pitch the way he did in the second half of the season: 8-0 with a 1.58 ERA in 11 starts.
The Cubs added Carlos Pena and are still going to try to compete. But if they can get anything decent in return for Z, they should.
Houston Astros
8 of 30
2010 record: 76-86 (15 games back)
Finish: Fouth, NL Central
Resolution: Don't finish dead last in the NL in home runs
In 2010, the Astros hit a league worst 109 home runs, 49 of which came off the bat of Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee.
They must find more power if they have any hopes of contending in the NL Central. Minute Maid Park isn't exactly a bandbox, but their numbers fell considerably in 2010. A year earlier they hit 142.
Increasing their totals in that stat won't make them a great team, but since they hit below .250 as a team and have just two decent starters, they have to find more runs in 2011.
Milwaukee Brewers
9 of 30
2010 record: 77-85 (14 games back)
Finish: Third, NL Central
Resolution: Keep Prince Fielder
Last season, the Reds went from a team more than a dozen games out to the division winner in the span of a single year. And they did it with a power-hitting first baseman.
Not only that, the Brewers lineup is fairly loaded. If they can get some more out of the rotation, there is no reason why they cannot chase the NL Central title.
But dealing away Fielder would effectively ruin that hope. Perhaps they'll be out of it at the deadline, so that might be the time to trade the impending free agent. But not before then and certainly not this offseason.
St. Louis Cardinals
10 of 30
2010 record: 86-76 (5 games back)
Finish: Second, NL Central
Resolution: Win More Road Games
Not surprisingly, the Cardinals were stellar at Busch Stadium. They went 52-29 at home. But they were 34-47 away from St. Louis. If they had just won even a few more games on the road, they would have probably won their fifth NL Central title in seven seasons.
Albert Pujols' bat travels well everywhere, but the pitching didn't. The team ERA on the road was 4.27, up from a 2.92 ERA at home.
Cincinnati Reds
11 of 30
2010 record: 91-71
Finish: First, NL Central
Resolution: Don't overwork Aroldis Chapman
Maybe the case of Stephen Strasburg will give the Reds and Dusty Baker a moment of pause when they plan their goals for Chapman in 2011.
According to the Sporting News, Chapman is hoping to become a starter in 2011.
"You get him ready to start," general manager Walt Jocketty said, "then see how things go in spring training. If we feel good about the rotation, we can always put him in the bullpen."
He'll definitely get a chance to start at least a few games and he'll wow everyone with his fastball no matter what. But they have to be careful not to over use him.
Arizona Diamondbacks
12 of 30
2010 record: 65-97 (27 games back)
Finish: Fifth, NL West
Resolution: Be more patient at the plate
Dealing Mark Reynolds to the Orioles will help reduce the team's league high 1,529 strikeouts (over 150 more then next highest team total). Their former third basemen did lead baseball in strikeouts the last three seasons, averaging over 212 per season. The same is true about Adam LaRoche, who will not be back next year either.
But the rest of the team wasn't exactly selective.
Justin Upton, Kelly Johnson, Chris Young, and Stephen Drew were all triple-figure strikeout artists. They don't have nearly enough power in their lineup to overcome all those whiffs.
Los Angeles Dodgers
13 of 30
2010 record: 80-82 (12 games back)
Finish: Fourth, NL West
Resolution: Declare a closer....early
There are three candidates for the spot that not so long ago earned Eric Gagne a Cy Young award.
Righty Jonathan Broxton was horrible in the second half of 2010, posting a 2-6 record and a 7.13 ERA after the All-Star break.
Hong-Chih Kuo, who they were hoping to have be a setup man, had to move into the closer's role, and since he did so well, he might make a good fit for the position.
Adding a little more confusion, the team just signed Matt Guerrier, who might fit either role.
Colorado Rockies
14 of 30
2010 record: 83-79 (9 games back)
Finish: Third, NL West
Resolution: Don't get off to a horrible start
In 2009, the Rockies opened the season with only eight wins in their first 20 games: They missed out on the NL West by three games.
A year later, they again played sub .500 ball in the month of April. And again, the NL West was too far out of reach at the end of the season.
With Ubaldo Jimenez as their clear-cut ace on Day 1, maybe they can avoid digging themselves an early hole in 2011.
San Diego Padres
15 of 30
2010 record: 90-72 (2 games back)
Finish: Second, NL West
Resolution: Trade Heath Bell
MSNBC.com reported from the winter meetings that general manager Jed Hoyer was "unlikely" to trade their All-Star. And since they gave up Adrian Gonzalez a few weeks ago, it might not be a great PR move for the club.
But if they can get a bat in return for dealing their 33-year-old closer, it will make the club better now and in the long run.
The club was near the bottom of all the major offensive cateries even with Gonzalez. Now that they lost him and Miguel Tejada, they are going to struggle to score.
San Francisco Giants
16 of 30
2010 record: 92-70
Finish: First, NL West, World Series Champs
Resolution: Don't change a thing
They probably had to make a move to upgrade at shortstop, so the acquisition of Miguel Tejada was a must.
But after that, they should do whatever they can to keep in tact the team that just won a World Series.
They are moving in that direction, re-signing Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell.
But they don't need to tweak and tinker any more. Pablo Sandoval may have had a bad season last year, but he is young and, if he gets in shape, he will rebound in 2011.
Baltimore Orioles
17 of 30
2010 record: 66-96 (30 games back)
Finish: Fifth, AL East
Resolution: Don't finish last in the AL East
Manager Buck Showalter has a habit of leaving a team before they become a contender: first the Yankees of the mid 1990s, then the Diamonbacks of the late 1990s, and, finally, the Rangers a few years back.
But last September he showed that perhaps he will actually be there when the franchise wins a pennant.
It's certainly going to take more than a 34-23 end to the regular season. But the Orioles have brought in Mark Reynolds and, perhaps, Adam LaRoche.
It will be difficult to leap over the Blue Jays, which have a lot of talent, but they should get a few more wins with the Rays roster collapsing.
Toronto Blue Jays
18 of 30
2010 record: 85-77 (11 games back)
Finish: 4th, AL East
Resolution: Win 90 games
Only in the AL East could a team finish eight games over .500 and still finish in fourth place in the division.
They probably don't have a chance of usurping the Yankees and the revamped Red Sox, but they can still have a moral victory by winning 90-plus games for the first time since their last World Series team.
Jose Bautista and Vernon Wells got them close last year. Now they need one of their young arms to come through.
Boston Red Sox
19 of 30
2010 record: 89-73 (seven games back)
Finish: 3rd, AL East
Resolution: Win the AL East
With Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez now in Boston, and a healthy Josh Beckett, the Red Sox should be the favorite to win the pennant in 2011.
And they can certainly achieve that goal by winning the wild card and running through the AL postseason
But it is a bit strange that this club, that is such a frequent playoff team, has one only one division title since 1996.
They can make things a little bit easier in the ALDS and ALCS by taking back the division lead and not having to contend elsewhere.
New York Yankees
20 of 30
2010 record: 95-67 (one games back)
Finish: 2nd, AL East
Resolution: Find A Reliable Third Starter
The Yankees are paying A.J. Burnett a lot of money so they should pitch him as much as they can to see if he's worth it.
But assuming Andy Pettitte does not return, there isn't much to the rotation after C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes. No wonder they went so hard after Cliff Lee.
Maybe Joba Chamberlain is that next man up, or maybe it's Ivan Nova.
Tampa Bay Rays
21 of 30
2010 record: 96-66
Finish: 1st, AL East
Resolution: Finish .500
After winning their second division title in three seasons, you'd figure that the outlook for this once moribund franchise would be bright.
But given the mass exodus from Tampa (with potentially more to come), an 81-81 season in 2011 would be a fairly stunning achievement. They still have Evan Longoria and David Price, but that roster probably can't compete against the Evil Empires in New York and Boston.
Kansas City Royals
22 of 30
2010 record: 67-95 (27 games back)
Finish: 5th, AL Central
Resolution: Keep Zack Greinke
The club's asking price for 2009 AL Cy Young winner is pretty high. And it should be.
Although he had a pretty mediocre 2010, he's only 27 years old.
Unless it's a handful of prospects and a major league ready player, it might not be worth dealing him. Greinke still has to draw a crowd to Kauffman Stadium when he pitches. And the addition of Jeff Francoeur isn't enough to please the long-suffering fans.
Cleveland Indians
23 of 30
2010 record: 69-93 (25 games back)
Finish: 4th, AL Central
Resolution: Don't Trade Fausto Carmona
In 2008, the Indians traded their best pitcher, reigning Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia. In 2009, they traded their best pitcher, reigning Cy Young winner Cliff Lee as well as Carl Pavano. In 2010, they traded their best pitcher, Jake Westbrook. (And that doesn't even include Victor Martinez)
Today, NESN.com reported that rumors about him being dealt are growing.
The Indians aren't going to contend for the AL Central. But they haven't gotten much in return for those other deals. So why make this one?
Detroit Tigers
24 of 30
2010 record: 81-81 (13 games back)
Finish: 3rd, AL Central
Resolution: Improve The Back End Of The Rotation
Tigers starters collective ERA was 4.46 in 2010. That is one of the reasons why they only finished .500, despite having the fifth highest batting average in the majors.
Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer had good seasons, but the rest of the main starters (Armando Galaragga, Jeremy Bonderman, Ricky Porcello) combined for over an ERA over 5.00.
The bullpen isn't strong enough to overcome that type of sub par pitching.
Chicago White Sox
25 of 30
2010 record: 88-74 (six games back)
Finish: 2nd, AL Central
Resolution: Play .500 Ball In The Division
It's fairly remarkable that the White Sox had a shot at winning the AL Central in early September. They were pretty bad against their divisional rivals.
Overall they went 32-40 in the division, but that isn't as bad as the individual record: Against the Twins they went 5-13. Against the Tigers they went 8-10. Those are quality opponents so that might not be such a shameful record.
But what's most strange is that they went 19-17 against the bottom of the division, Cleveland and Kansas City.
If they had been able to grab a handful of wins against those two, they might have won the AL Central.
Minnesota Twins
26 of 30
2010 record: 94-68
Finish: 1st, AL Central
Resolution: Stay Healthy
Minnesota and Manager of the Year Ron Gardenhire did a fantastic job in 2010, considering the injuries they suffered.
During Spring Training, they lost their fine closer Joe Nathan for the entire year. Then they lost Justin Morneau to his concussion. With those two, maybe they defeat the Yankees in the ALDS.
Seattle Mariners
27 of 30
2010 record: 61-101 (29 games back)
Finish: 4th, AL West
Resolution: Find Some Power
Doing his best 1972 Steve Carlton impression, Felix Hernandez won the Cy Young in 2010, despite playing for the league's worst team.
And despite his 2.27 ERA he won only 13 and lost 12 of his 34 starts. It's not like they don't have any offense: Ichiro had his 10th straight 200-hit season. And Chone Figgins got on base a lot.
But they were dead last in the majors with 101 home runs. That's pretty terrible.....especially when you have a DH. Jack Cust will add a few more, but not nearly enough to make that total respectable.
Los Angeles Angels
28 of 30
2010 record: 80-82 (10 games back)
Finish: 3rd, AL West
Resolution: Improve Their Defense
The Angels probably regretted not bringing Vlad Guererro back in 2010: he had a great season with their division rival, the Texas Rangers.
But they probably didn't miss having another player on the roster who is a liability in the field.
The Angels committed 113 errors in 2010, second worst in the American League. And only shortstop Erick Aybar committed more than 12.
Across the board, they need to bring that total down.
Oakland Athletics
29 of 30
2010 record: 81-81 (nine games back)
Finish: 2nd, AL West
Resolution: Win 85 Games
After three seasons of sub .500 play, the A's improved enough to win as many as they lost.
Now, they need to take the next step and get closer to the 90-win mark, which could be good enough to win the AL West.
The rotation is very talented with Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, and Dallas Braden. And by adding Hideki Matsui, they'll finally have a reliable DH.
Texas Rangers
30 of 30
2010 record: 90-72
Finish: 1st, AL West, AL Pennant
Resolution: Re-sign Vlad Guererro
The Rangers brought Guerrero to Arlington on January 11, 2010. They may have to wait until after the New Year to do so again, but they still should bring him back.
The loss of Cliff Lee is terrible, but they were already in first place in the AL West before acquiring him on July 9. Certainly he made the team a World Series contender, but C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis are capable starters, and Tommy Hunter showed tremendous promise.
And while Josh Hamilton was the star, Guerrero may have been just as valuable, leading the club in RBI.
Without that production, they might not repeat as divisional champs and certainly not as AL champs.
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