MLB Divisional Power Rankings Based on Wave of Hot Stove Action
A flurry of offseason moves has undoubtedly shifted the balance of power around the league. Major League Baseball has had as busy a winter as any in recent memory.
Last season, the AL West and NL Central were the deepest divisions in baseball. Each had three teams vying for a playoff spot into the final month of the year.
The NL West and AL Central both featured two playoff teams, including the eventual pennant winners, but were undoubtedly weak at the bottom.
Finally, the AL East and NL East were both one-team races, as the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals cruised to their respective division titles by double-digit games.
With an offseason of roster shuffling already well under way, let's take an updated look at where all six divisions rank, moving from weakest to strongest.
The rankings will be based on how deep each division is top to bottom, taking into account how their five teams stack up to the rest of the league as a whole.
6. AL East
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Once the most talented division in baseball by a decent margin, the AL East featured just one team with more than 85 wins last season. The Baltimore Orioles ran away with the division title by a 12-game margin.
With Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis departing in free agency, the Orioles could have a hard time scoring runs at the same rate they did a year ago. Their starting rotation is still solid top to bottom, though, and another step forward from young right-hander Kevin Gausman could help offset some of the lost offense.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox have both improved significantly this winter and look to be gearing for a legitimate push toward unseating the Orioles as division champions.
The Blue Jays added Russell Martin, Josh Donaldson and Michael Saunders to an offense that already featured Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes.
However, the Toronto rotation is still average at best and will be relying heavily on young right-handers Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. The bullpen could also use at least another proven arm or two after ranking 25th in the league last year with a 4.09 ERA and likely losing closer Casey Janssen in free agency.
The Red Sox cleaned house at the trade deadline last year and have moved quickly to retool the roster for a bounce-back season. Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval were added to the lineup, while Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson will lead a new-look rotation.
They are still lacking a bona fide ace, but there is enough talent on the roster for them to improve significantly from their 71-91 finish this past season.
At this point, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays look to have their work cut out for them if they hope to make a legitimate run at the postseason.
The Yankees pitching staff is a huge question mark from a health standpoint, though adding Nathan Eovaldi was a solid move. The Rays have the pitching, even after trading David Price, but their offense is still significantly lacking impact bats, and trading Wil Myers won't help any in 2015.
5. NL East
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The NL East featured just one team with a winning record last year, as the Washington Nationals went 96-66 to claim the division title by an impressive 17 games.
Their current core group has yet to find success in the postseason, but they have as much talent as any team in baseball. The Nats also have no clear holes on the roster once they figure out who plays second base this coming season.
They could be faced with some tough decisions as far as whom to keep among upcoming free agents Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Ian Desmond, but provided they are all still around for the upcoming season, they should again be overwhelming favorites to win the division.
Behind the Nationals, the Miami Marlins look ready to make a move after contending into the second half this past season, as they have gone all-in this offseason on building a contender around superstar Giancarlo Stanton.
They added Dee Gordon, Michael Morse and Martin Prado to the mix offensively, while bringing in Mat Latos to a starting rotation that already looks strong. Miami will have young ace Jose Fernandez back sometime around midseason.
The return of Matt Harvey and addition of Michael Cuddyer has the New York Mets poised to contend after a 79-83 finish this past season, and they have as much pitching depth as any team in the league.
Offensively, they will need David Wright to return to his All-Star form, Lucas Duda to duplicate his breakout performance and Cuddyer to stay healthy, but the pieces are there for them to be at least average behind their impressive staff.
After a disastrous 7-18 final month of the season, the Atlanta Braves have had a busy offseason, dealing upcoming free agents Justin Upton and Jason Heyward for an impressive return of controllable young talent. They may take a step back in 2015, but they are better positioned for the long term.
The Philadelphia Phillies have finally accepted the need to rebuild, something they should have started doing a couple of years ago. It remains to be seen how many more pieces they will be able to move, with Cole Hamels being their most intriguing trade chip, but either way, they look like a clear last-place team.
4. AL West
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The AL West was the best division in baseball last year, even with the Oakland Athletics' late-season collapse, as the Los Angeles Angels had the best record in the league and the Seattle Mariners finished one game out of the playoff picture.
The Angels again look to have as complete a roster as any team in baseball top to bottom. While losing Howie Kendrick hurts, they have enough offensive talent to again be one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.
Adding young pitchers Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano gives them some much-needed rotational depth, while Cesar Ramos fills their need for a left-handed bullpen arm. The team will need 2014 breakout star Garrett Richards to bounce back strong from knee surgery, though.
The Mariners finally found the right-handed power bat they have been missing offensively when they signed Nelson Cruz to a four-year deal, and with Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager in the middle of the lineup and a full season of Austin Jackson in the leadoff spot, their offense should be improved.
J.A. Happ joins the rotation as the No. 5 starter, and they will be relying heavily on young arms James Paxton and Taijuan Walker. It's also imperative that Hisashi Iwakuma bounces back from a rough second half, while the bullpen will need to again be a strength as well.
The Athletics and general manager Billy Beane have been wheeling and dealing this offseason, retooling the roster by unloading Josh Donaldson, Jeff Samardzija, Brandon Moss and Derek Norris while adding Brett Lawrie, Ike Davis, Billy Butler, Marcus Semien and Jesse Hahn.
Reworking the roster has worked for the A's before, but it's hard not to think the team is headed for a step backward in 2015.
The Texas Rangers will be counting on healthy seasons from Prince Fielder, Shin-Soo Choo and Derek Holland if they hope to contend. If those three can stay on the field, this team could make a huge turnaround.
The pitching staff still looks weak behind Yu Darvish and Holland, though, and they also have a hole to fill in left field.
The long-term rebuild continues for the Houston Astros, but they took a huge step forward this past season with a 19-win improvement over 2013. They are still probably a couple of years from legitimate contention, but there is reason to be excited for the future, as a wealth of young talent has them built for sustainable success.
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3. NL West
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The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants battled it out down to the final week of the regular season for NL West supremacy last year, and while the Dodgers won the division title, the Giants got the last laugh with their third title in five years.
New GM Andrew Friedman set to work quickly reshaping the Dodgers roster this offseason, and even with the losses of Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon, they still look like the most talented team in the division.
If Brandon McCarthy can pitch like he did down the stretch for the New York Yankees and Brett Anderson can stay healthy as the No. 5 starter, their starting rotation could be absolutely dominant.
The Giants have not been nearly as busy this winter, as they re-signed Jake Peavy and Sergio Romo but have yet to fill the offensive void left by departing free agents Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse.
The starting rotation is a big question mark behind ace Madison Bumgarner, and at this point, it looks like a lot is going to have to break right if they are going to have any chance of defending their title.
The wild card here is the San Diego Padres, who had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball last year but were undermined by what was by far the worst offense in the league.
Adding Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Wil Myers and Derek Norris gives them a completely different outlook offensively. Since they managed to acquire all of those guys without giving up any significant rotation pieces, there is reason to believe this team can legitimately contend for a wild-card spot.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have too much talent to put up the worst record in baseball again this year, though their starting rotation is still up in the air and lacking a true ace.
If Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas can make an impact anywhere near what Jose Abreu did for the Chicago White Sox last season, alongside Paul Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo, this offense could surprise.
It's the same story as always for the Colorado Rockies, as they have an impressive offense but don't appear to have the pitching to be serious contenders. A lot hinges on the continued development of prospects Jon Gray and Eddie Butler.
2. AL Central
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The Detroit Tigers have been the cream of the crop in the AL Central in recent years, as they have won four straight division titles, but the gap has undoubtedly closed between them and the rest of the division.
Even with Max Scherzer likely to sign elsewhere in free agency and Rick Porcello traded to the Boston Red Sox, the rotation has a chance to be a strength provided Anibal Sanchez is healthy and Justin Verlander can bounce back.
Re-signing Victor Martinez and adding Yoenis Cespedes to an offense that also includes Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler should again make them one of the better offensive teams in baseball.
The Kansas City Royals made an unexpected run to the World Series a year ago, and with a roster built around speed and defense, they should be in a position to succeed once again.
James Shields, Billy Butler and Nori Aoki were replaced by Edinson Volquez, Kendrys Morales and Alex Rios, and while losing Shields atop the rotation hurts, another step forward from Yordano Ventura could offset the loss.
No team has improved more this offseason than the Chicago White Sox, as they've added Melky Cabrera, Adam LaRoche, Jeff Samardzija, Zach Duke and David Robertson to a roster that was already on the rise with a good core of young talent.
A rotation fronted by Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Samardzija should be as good as any trio in baseball, and with Avisail Garcia healthy and Jose Abreu now protected by LaRoche, the offense should be a strength too.
The Cleveland Indians are talented but are still lacking a proven No. 2 starter behind AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, and they don't look to be all that different a team from the group that won 85 games a year ago. They should be competitive, but they may not quite be contenders.
Despite signing Ervin Santana, the Minnesota Twins still look to be a distant fifth in the division, as they continue to wait on their young talent to develop and become the core of the roster.
1. NL Central
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After both NL wild-card teams came out of the NL Central in 2013, the division was a tight three-way race once again this past season, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates both making the playoffs and the Milwaukee Brewers undone by a late-season collapse.
The Cardinals have enjoyed an unmatched level of sustained success of late, reaching the postseason in 11 of the past 15 seasons, and they should be in a great position to be playing in October once again.
Jason Heyward was added to shore up the hole in right field, while Jordan Walden, Matt Belisle and Mark Reynolds also fill secondary areas of need on what looks like a complete roster top to bottom. A healthy season from Michael Wacha will be key.
Losing Russell Martin is a blow for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but re-signing Francisco Liriano was a smart move. If A.J. Burnett can return to form after a down season in Philadelphia, the rotation could again be a strength.
The offense will be counting on a repeat performance from Josh Harrison, and buying low on Corey Hart could pay huge dividends, but they will again be carried by perennial MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen.
The Chicago Cubs won the Jon Lester lottery, and by also adding Miguel Montero, Jason Hammel and David Ross, they are undoubtedly the most improved team in the division.
However, expectations should be tempered, as there will no doubt be some significant growing pains with their young offense. They should have a ton of power, though, and with an improved pitching staff, it's not out of the question to think they could make a run at a playoff spot.
The Milwaukee Brewers return essentially the same team that was in first place in the division for most of the 2014 season, and adding Adam Lind to the mix at first base is definitely an upgrade. Their late-season tailspin has no doubt left them with something to prove.
After moving Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon at the winter meetings, the Cincinnati Reds are at a crossroad of sorts. They still have the pieces to contend if Joey Votto and Jay Bruce can return to form, but they could also continue selling with an eye on the future.
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