5 MLB Teams Poised to Make Big Noise in the Offseason Player Market
The offseason, especially the first few weeks after the World Series when every player is still technically available, is all about dreaming big. Hope springs eternal in November.
Yes, small moves can pay big dividends, and sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. Right now, though, everyone wants to focus on impact guys—guys whose signing would make headlines even in the non-sports world and whose jerseys would immediately start appearing on the backs of casual fans.
Of course, not everyone will land those guys. There are only so many difference-makers on the market or trading block and only so many clubs capable of pulling the trigger.
So who will it be? Which squads are most likely to make a significant splash between now and spring training, bolstering their rosters to either stay on top or vault into contention?
Let's take a look at five teams whose budget, trading chips or both position them to move and shake this winter—and turn big dreams into reality.
Baltimore Orioles
1 of 5
The Baltimore Orioles just won their first division title in 17 years and advanced to the American League Championship Series. And they did it without key injured players—Manny Machado, Matt Wieters—who should be back next season.
So this isn't a roster in need of an extensive overhaul. Still, as they look to maintain their hard-earned AL East supremacy, the O's can't afford to stand pat.
First off, they've got to make a decision on Nelson Cruz, who they inked to a one-year, $8 million show-me contract last offseason. Cruz belted 40 home runs and carried the offense at times; he's also going to turn 35 and is seeking a four-year deal and "big bucks," according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.
If Baltimore doesn't bring Cruz back, it'll have a big hole to fill in the middle of the lineup. Fortunately for the Orioles, that's their only glaring need; they're swimming in pitching depth and don't have many other weaknesses.
That means they can toss the bulk of their funds at a free-agent masher—designated hitter Victor Martinez would be a fine option if Cruz walks—or use their well-stocked farm system, ranked 12th overall by Baseball Prospectus, to engineer an impact trade.
Los Angeles Dodgers
2 of 5
When the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman as their new president of baseball operations, it signaled a sea change in L.A.
Friedman, a 37-year-old disciple of baseball's analytical new wave, built the Tampa Bay Rays into a winner through player development and smart signings, avoiding the overpay and the albatross contract.
"It's really important to do as much as you can to put yourself in the position to pay for what a player will do, not necessarily for what they have done," Friedman said, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
Translation: Baseball's highest rollers could soon tighten the purse strings.
Hang on a second, though. Friedman can talk all he wants about spending smarter; he'll still be expected to build an instant winner and get the Dodgers over the championship hump.
That'll mean filling holes in the rotation and possibly at shortstop, assuming Hanley Ramirez rejects the Dodgers' qualifying offer.
No matter who's calling the shots, it'd be unwise to discount Los Angeles as a player for any top-tier free agent. In the end, as Friedman told Hernandez, "When you're solving for talent, having star players is a critical part of having success."
New York Yankees
3 of 5
No list of offseason buyers would be complete without the New York Yankees. With Derek Jeter's farewell tour over and the controversial return of Alex Rodriguez from a performance-enhancing drug (PED) suspension looming, the Bombers need to field a winner.
They've got work to do. There are holes all over—in the infield, the rotation, the bullpen—and the expectation to succeed now is always heavy in the Bronx.
Then again, as Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News argue, "After spending more than $450 million last winter on [Masahiro] Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran, the Yankees aren't looking to add any more $100 million deals to their payroll, which ranked second behind the Dodgers last season."
That may be true. It's possible general manager Brian Cashman and company are finally taking the long view and trying to build something beyond 2015.
But no one ever got rich betting against the Yankees making an offseason splash. Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors predicts New York will sign ace hurler Max Scherzer and infielder Hanley Ramirez. That may be a bit too bold. But if at least one marquee free agent doesn't wind up in pinstripes, it won't feel like an offseason.
.png?w=256)
Chicago Cubs
4 of 5
If any team appears poised to make the leap from obscurity to relevance, it's the Chicago Cubs. Sure, they're coming off a last-place 73-89 season. And, of course, they're the most historically futile franchise in professional sports.
But Chicago also has a roster brimming with young talent and the No. 2 farm system in the game, per Baseball Prospectus. The future at Wrigley is bright.
Then they went and signed manager Joe Maddon in the first splashy move of the offseason, and suddenly the Cubs were linked to virtually every big-name free agent and potential trade target.
General manager Jed Hoyer tried to dampen expectations a bit, per Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com, but he admitted his club has "some payroll flexibility" and that "if the right things line up, we can have an active offseason."
"We want veteran leadership on the team," Hoyer said. "Whether that’s one person or 3-4 people."
Sounds like a buyer prepared for a shopping spree.
Boston Red Sox
5 of 5
Talk about your pendulum swings: After winning the World Series in 2013, the Boston Red Sox limped to a basement-dwelling 71-91 finish in 2014.
Expect a shakeup in Beantown.
Boston is pursuing switch-hitting third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who just won his third ring with the San Francisco Giants, per Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe, who reports, "The Red Sox have already made contact with Pablo Sandoval’s representatives, and a face-to-face meeting will take place at the general managers meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, next week."
Then there's Jon Lester, the stud left-hander whom the Sox sent to the Oakland A's at the deadline for Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes. Shortly after the deal was consummated, Lester indicated he'd be open to a return to Boston.
Now he's a free agent, and a reunion looks plausible on the surface. On the other hand, as Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com notes:
"Lester will probably be one of the two most sought-after free agent pitchers—along with Detroit's Max Scherzer—and his price will be significant, perhaps as much as $150 million or more.
The Red Sox, with approximately $110 million committed to their 2015 payroll, could afford such a contract, of course. But the organization has made it known that it remains dubious about committing those kind of dollars to players in their 30s (Lester will turn 31 in January—especially so for pitchers.
"
Still, expect Boston to at least test the waters on Lester—and an assortment of other big fish—as it attempts to swing back to the winning side.
.png?w=480)
