Predicting the 2013 Opening Day Lineups for Every MLB Team

For some teams, it is already time to look ahead to the 2013 season. Even the teams that will be playing long into October eventually need to plan for next season.

While a roster can change a lot over the year, teams hope that their Opening Day lineup is good enough to get them to the postseason.

There will be many trades and free agent signings before the 2013 MLB Opening Day as teams try to put together their ideal roster.

The following is guide to what 2013 MLB Opening Day rosters could look like for all 30 teams.

Arizona Diamondbacks

RF Chris Young

2B Aaron Hill

RF Anthony Gose

1B Paul Goldschmidt

C   Miguel Montero

LF Jason Kubel

3B Ryan Wheeler

SS Willie Bloomquist

P   Ian Kennedy

Justin Upton will be a popular trade candidate this winter and the Arizona Diamondbacks could find a buyer for him in the Toronto Blue Jays. Top prospect Anthony Gose could be the centerpiece of a deal and a big part of the Diamondbacks' future.

Atlanta Braves

SS Andrelton Simmons

LF Martin Prado

RF Jason Heyward

1B Freddie Freeman

CF B.J. Upton

C   Brian McCann

2B Dan Uggla

3B Juan Francisco

P Tim Hudson

It will certainly be strange seeing a Atlanta Braves' Opening Day lineup that does not feature Chipper Jones. However, the team will be fine moving forward.

While Atlanta will not re-sign Michael Bourn, they will go after B.J. Upton who can do a very good job in his place.

Baltimore Orioles

RF Nick Markakis

3B Manny Machado

SS J.J. Hardy

CF Adam Jones

LF Nick Swisher

C   Matt Wieters

DH Chris Davis

1B Mark Reynolds

2B Brian Roberts

P Wei-Yin Chen

After a surprising 2012 season, the Baltimore Orioles will certainly look to improve in 2013. Baltimore has tried to go after big name players in the past and failed (Mark Teixeira) but this time they could find success (h/t Buster Olney of ESPN). Signing Nick Swisher will be a huge move for the Orioles.

Boston Red Sox

CF Jacoby Ellsbury

2B Dustin Pedroia

1B David Ortiz

LF Cody Ross

3B Will Middlebrooks

DH Ryan Lavarnway

C   Jarrod Saltalamacchia

SS Mike Aviles

RF Bryce Brentz

P Jon Lester

After their mega-deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was clear that the Boston Red Sox' direction had changed. The team should make sure that they re-sign Cody Ross this winter and then give some of their talented youngsters, such as Bryce Brentz, a shot at winning starting spots out of spring training.

Chicago Cubs

RF David DeJesus

3B Josh Vitters

SS Starlin Castro

1B Anthony Rizzo

LF Bryan LaHair

C   Wellington Castillo

CF Brett Jackson

2B Darwin Barney

P   Matt Garza

There are a lot of young players that could be on the Chicago Cubs roster in 2013 and they are all deserving of a shot to show what they can do as the Cubs rebuild.

The biggest move that Theo Epstein will make this offseason will be finding a way to finally get rid of Alfonso Soriano and his bloated contract.

Chicago White Sox

CF Alejandro De Aza

2B Gordon Beckham

DH Adam Dunn

1B Paul Konerko

RF Alex Rios

C   AJ Pierzynski

LF Dayan Vicideo

SS Alexi Ramirez

3B Placido Polanco

P Chris Sale

The Chicago White Sox's likely will not undergo any major changes during the 2013 season. According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the White Sox will not pick up Kevin Youkilis' 2013 option. They still need someone to replace him and Placido Polanco would be a great fit.

Cincinnati Reds

SS Zack Cozart

CF Drew Stubbs

1B Joey Votto

2B Brandon Phillips

RF Jay Bruce

LF Ryan Ludwick

3B Todd Fraizer

C   Devin Mesoraco

P  Johnny Cueto

The Cincinnati Reds are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the National League Central once again in 2013. Ryan Ludwick has proven this year that he can be a big power bat and the Reds will likely pick up his option for 2013.

Cleveland Indians

2B Jason Kipnis

SS Asdrubal Cabrera

RF Shin-Soo Choo

C  Carlos Santana

3B Lonnie Chisenhall

CF Michael Brantley

LF Alfonso Soriano

1B Casey Kotchman

DH Juan Pierre

P   Justin Masterson

Big changes could be coming for the Cleveland Indians this offseason. Cleveland could acquire Alfonso Soriano—with the Cubs paying a large portion of his contract. This would make sense because it would allow the Indians to take a risk without giving up a major prospect or paying much of Soriano's deal.

Signing Juan Pierre to DH or play the fourth outfielder position would be a shrewd move for the Indians to make.

Colorado Rockies

CF Dexter Fowler

2B Josh Rutledge

RF Carlos Gonzalez

SS Troy Tulowitzki

1B Todd Helton

C  Wilin Rosario

3B Nolan Arenado

RF Tim Wheeler

P Brandon McCarthy

Josh Rutledge's success in the big leagues will help fill a big hole for the Colorado Rockies in 2013. He is expected to play some second base in September when Troy Tulowitzki returns from injury (h/t Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post).

Nolan Arenado is a talented prospect and he can win the starting third base job out of spring training.

Detroit Tigers

CF Austin Jackson

LF Andy Dirks

3B Miguel Cabrera

1B Prince Fielder

DH Victor Martinez

C   Alex Avila

SS Jhonny Peralta

2B Omar Infante

RF Quintin Berry

P   Justin Verlander

The Detroit Tigers should be favorites in the American League Central with the lineup that they will run out there every day. They have two of the top players in baseball in Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder and that certainly makes a big difference.

Houston Astros

2B Jose Altuve

SS Jed Lowrie

CF Fernando Martinez

LF JD Martinez

1B Brett Wallace

C   Jason Castro

RF Brian Bogusevic

3B Matt Dominguez

DH Mike Hessman

P  Lucas Harrell

The 2013 season will be another long one for the Houston Astros. They will try to give chances to a number of young players so they can see who they want to stick with moving forward.

Kansas City Royals

CF Lorenzo Cain

SS Alcides Escobar

LF Alex Gordon

DH Billy Butler

RF Wil Myers

3B Mike Moustakas

1B Eric Hosmer

C  Salvador Perez

2B Johnny Giavotella

P Ryan Dempster

It seems like 2013 could finally be the season that the Kansas City Royals contend for a playoff spot. The team should finally free Wil Myers and give him a chance to show off his powers in the big leagues.

Los Angeles Angels

CF Mike Trout

2B Howie Kendrick

1B Albert Pujols

DH Kendrys Morales

LF Mark Trumbo

SS Erick Aybar

C  Hank Conger

3B Albert Callaspo

RF Ichiro Suzuki

P Jered Weaver

Ichiro Suzuki played almost all of his career on the West Coast and he may go back there in the twilight of his career. The Los Angeles Angels already have a stellar lineup but adding Ichiro Suzuki could push them to the next level.

Los Angeles Dodgers

SS Dee Gordon

LF Carl Crawford

CF Matt Kemp

1B Adrian Gonzalez

3B Hanley Ramirez

RF Andre Ethier

2B Nick Punto

C   Tim Federowicz

P   Clayton Kershaw

The Los Angeles Dodgers underwent a drastic overhaul this season and their roster looks scary good. Carl Crawford could be ready to play on Opening Day in 2013 and if he can be the player that he once was then the Dodgers have to be the World Series favorites (h/t Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated).

Miami Marlins

SS Jose Reyes

2B Emilio Bonifacio

RF Giancarlo Stanton

1B Carlos Lee

LF Logan Morrison

CF Justin Ruggiano

C   John Buck

3B Kevin Youkilis

P   Josh Johnson

When the Miami Marlins opened their checkbooks during the 2012 offseason, things did not go according to plan. The Marlins could go after a player like Kevin Youkilis, who could be a great presence in the clubhouse as well as a producer on the field.

Milwaukee Brewers

RF Norichika Aoki

2B Rickie Weeks

LF Ryan Braun

3B Aramis Ramirez

1B Corey Hart

C   Jonathan Lucroy

CF Carlos Gomez

SS Jean Segura

P   Yovani Gallardo

When the Milwaukee Brewers plan for the offseason, their main focus will likely be their pitching. Following their acquisition of Jean Segura in the Zack Greinke deal, the Brewers lineup for 2013 is likely set.

Minnesota Twins

RF Ben Revere

C   Joe Mauer

DH Ryan Doumit

1B Justin Morneau

CF Oswaldo Arcia

LF Josh Willingham

3B Scott Rolen

2B Alexi Casilla

SS Jamey Carroll

P Carl Pavano

The Minnesota Twins will be looking for a way to contend in 2013, but it will not be easy for them. They could showcase some of their veterans early in the year and then trade them to give some of their younger players a chance.

New York Mets

SS Ruben Tejada

2B Daniel Murphy

3B David Wright

1B Ike Davis

RF Torii Hunter

CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis

LF Jason Bay

C   Kelly Shoppach

P   R.A. Dickey

Following the disaster that was the New York Mets 2012 season, they will try to undergo some changes. The core is there for the Mets, but they will need to spend some money on an outfielder to improve their lineup.

Torii Hunter getting towards the end of his career and he could be a short-term solution until some of the Mets' minor leaguers are ready.

New York Yankees

LF Brett Gardner

SS Derek Jeter

RF Shane Victorino

CF Curtis Granderson

2B Robinson Cano

1B Mark Teixeira

3B Alex Rodriguez

C   Francisco Cervelli

DH Brandon Laird

P   C.C. Sabathia

The one area that the New York Yankees will have to improve in 2013 is their outfield. Shane Victorino would be an outstanding replacement for Nick Swisher in the Yankees' lineup and keep them atop the American League East.

Victorino would slot into the number three spot to provide a nice mix of power and speed. Robinson Cano would slide to fifth and would possibly become an even bigger run producer.

Oakland Athletics

CF Coco Crisp

SS Stephen Drew

RF Josh Reddick

LF Yoenis Cespedes

1B Chris Carter

DH Brandon Moss

C   Derek Norris

3B Josh Donaldson

2B Jemile Weeks

P Brett Anderson

The Oakland Athletics will have a big decision to make this offseason when it comes to Stephen Drew. It would not be that shocking to see the Athletics take a risk and pick up his option.

Philadelphia Phillies

SS Jimmy Rollins

RF Domonic Brown

2B Chase Utley

1B Ryan Howard

CF John Mayberry Jr.

C  Carlos Ruiz

3B Kevin Fransden

LF Darin Ruf

P  Roy Halladay

Even though they already have a massive payroll, the Philadelphia Phillies could be players this offseason. They may decide to let Placido Polanco go and let Kevin Fransden replace him. While this may not look like an outstanding offensive team, it will be the starting rotation that the Phillies will be relying on in 2013.

Pittsburgh Pirates

LF Starling Marte

RF Travis Snider

CF Andrew McCutchen

1B Garrett Jones

2B Neil Walker

3B Pedro Alvarez

SS Clint Barmes

C   Michael McKenry

P   James McDonald

Without many shortstops available on the market this winter, the Pittsburgh Pirates may be stuck with Clint Barmes. They will likely spend their money on building a strong bench and pitching.

San Diego Padres

SS Everth Cabrera

RF Will Venable

3B Chase Headley

LF Carlos Quentin

C  Yasmani Grandal

1B Yonder Alonso

CF Cameron Maybin

2B Jedd Gyorko

P Edinson Volquez

Chase Headley could be a very popular name this winter as teams are looking to improve at third base, but the San Diego Padres would be wise to hold on to him unless someone is willing to overpay.

San Francisco Giants

CF Angel Pagan

2B Marco Scutaro

3B Pablo Sandoval

C   Buster Posey

RF Hunter Pence

1B Brandon Belt

LF Michael Bourn

SS Brandon Crawford

P Matt Cain

The San Francisco Giants are going to have to do something this offseason to match the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first step would be reuniting Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn. Secondly, the Giants should look to retain Marco Scutaro to play second base for them.

Seattle Mariners

2B Dustin Ackley

LF Trayvon Robinson

3B Kyle Seager

C   Jesus Montero

RF Eric Thames

CF Michael Saunders

1B Justin Smoak

DH Alex Liddi

SS Munenori Kawasaki

P  Felix Hernandez

The Seattle Mariners would like to add some cost-controlled players to their roster, but that likely will not happen this offseason. The Mariners could look to make a big trade during the 2013 season.

St. Louis Cardinals

CF John Jay

RF Carlos Beltran

LF Matt Holliday

1B Allen Craig

3B David Freese

C  Yadier Molina

2B Kolten Wong

SS Rafael Furcal

P   Jamie Garcia

With Lance Berkman leaning towards retirement, the St. Louis Cardinals will need to decide between Allen Craig, Matt Carpenter and Matt Adams at first base (h/t Quinn Roberts of MLB.com). The team could turn to former top draft pick Kolten Wong to play second. 

Tampa Bay Rays

LF Desmond Jennings

CF Denard Span

RF Matt Joyce

3B Evan Longoria

2B Ben Zobrist

1B James Loney

DH Carlos Pena

C  Russell Martin

SS Hak-Ju Lee

P  David Price

With all of the struggles that the Tampa Bay Rays have had at shortstop this season, they may try to give top prospect Hak-Ju Lee a shot at playing the position. The big move that the Rays make this winter will be signing James Loney.

Tampa Bay has a number of pitching prospects and they could deal one to the Minnesota Twins to bring in Denard Span to replace B.J. Upton.

Texas Rangers

2B Ian Kinsler

SS Elvis Andrus

CF Josh Hamilton

3B Adrian Beltre

RF Nelson Cruz

1B Mitch Moreland

C Mike Napoli

LF Mike Olt

DH Jurickson Profar

P  Yu Darvish

Figuring out the Texas Rangers' Opening Day lineup is going to be an incredibly difficult feat for Ron Washington. The Rangers have more players than they have spots in their lineup.

Texas will do everything they can to retain Josh Hamilton this offseason and it should be enough to keep him in the Lone Star State.

Toronto Blue Jays

LF Rajai Davis

CF Colby Rasmus

DH Jose Bautista

1B Edwin Encarnacion

3B Brett Lawrie

RF Justin Upton

2B Kelly Johnson

C   J.P Arencibia

SS Adeiny Hechavarria

P Brandon Morrow

The Toronto Blue Jays want to make a big splash so that they can climb up the American League East standings in 2013 and they can do just that by trading for Justin Upton. He could cost them a package that includes Anthony Gose and Yunel Escobar.

Buster Olney of ESPN (Insider required) had previously mentioned that the Blue Jays are a possible destination for Upton.

Washington Nationals

SS Ian Desmond

CF Bryce Harper

3B Ryan Zimmerman

1B Adam LaRoche

LF Mike Morse

RF Jayson Werth

SS Danny Espinosa

C   Jesus Flores

P   Stephen Strasburg

The Washington Nationals are in a position where they do not need to make any big moves in the offseason. They are one of the best teams in the majors and they have a very bright future ahead of them.