5 MLB Teams Poised to Take Biggest Leap Forward in 2015 Wins
If MLB handed out "Comeback Team of the Year" awards, there'd be no shortage of contenders.
Every year, at least a few clubs drastically reverse their fortunes and infuse their fanbases with the most precious commodity in sports: hope.
Which teams will be in line for this nonexistent prize in 2015?
It's too early to say for sure. There are still big free agents to be signed and potential landscape-altering deals to be struck. Of course, once the games start, anything can happen.
But with what we know now, what squads appear poised to make the biggest leap forward next season?
To be clear, we're talking improvement, not supremacy. A team that went from, say, 75 wins to 85 would make the list, while a club that bumped up from 90 wins to 92 wouldn't.
With that in mind, here are five franchises whose fans can warm their January-chilled hearts with dreams of better days.
San Diego Padres
1 of 5
2014 Record: 77-85
Predicted 2015 Record: 86-76
The San Diego Padres and their new general manager, A.J. Preller, entered the offseason with one clear goal: to improve a moribund offense that scored the fewest runs in baseball.
And they've done exactly that, swinging deals for outfielders Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton and catcher Derek Norris.
That's a completely revamped outfield, plus a new backstop, in the span of a few months.
Of course, there's no guarantee the new arrivals will succeed.
Myers, the 2013 American League Rookie of the Year, is coming off an injury-riddled season with the Tampa Bay Rays. And Kemp, once among the most fearsome sluggers in the game, has battled a host of ailments that cost him 139 games between 2012 and 2013.
But San Diego doesn't need to become the '27 Yankees (or even the '98 Padres) to succeed.
They have a pitching staff anchored by budding aces Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner that posted the second-best ERA in the National League last season.
Throwing their home games in the pitcher's paradise that is Petco Park, the Friars' arms carried them to a respectable 77 wins in 2014.
If the bats come to life even a little, it's easy to imagine San Diego giving the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers and defending champion San Francisco Giants a run for their money in the NL West.
Texas Rangers
2 of 5
2014 Record: 67-95
Predicted 2015 Record: 81-81
There are teams that get hosed by injuries, and then there are the 2014 Texas Rangers.
After winning 90 or more games for four consecutive seasons, Texas doubled down last winter, signing outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to a seven-year, $130 million deal and acquiring Prince Fielder from the Detroit Tigers.
Then it all fell apart.
On Sept. 2, the day Texas was officially eliminated from playoff contention, nine players expected to be a part of the Rangers' Opening Day lineup and starting rotation had missed 20 or more games to injury, per Sports Illustrated's Cliff Corcoran.
Fielder was lost for the season with a herniated disc in his neck. Ace Yu Darvish was shelved with elbow inflammation. Choo suffered a bone spur in his elbow. And on and on and on.
The mere fact that the Rangers can't be that snakebit two years in a row should be cause for optimism. They haven't made any significant offseason splashes, but simply getting their existing roster back on the field should be enough for a notable upswing.
Add a farm system stocked with talent, and there are reasons for Rangers fans to crawl out from under the couch.
Still, with so much uncertainty about returning players and how quickly they'll hit their stride (if at all), it's tough to ticket Texas for big things. We'll split the difference and predict a big improvement but middle-of-the-pack finish.
Chicago White Sox
3 of 5
2014 Record: 73-89
Predicted 2015 Record: 90-72
Here's what Chicago White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams told CSNChicago.com's Dan Hayes on Nov. 18: "The only message we want to send at the end of the day is when our roster is complete, that people can dream again."
Dream away, Sox fans.
Chicago signed former New York Yankees closer David Robertson to bolster the bullpen and inked first baseman Adam LaRoche and outfielder Melky Cabrera to offer reigning American League Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu some much-needed protection.
It also engineered a trade with the Oakland A's that netted ace right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who joins southpaw Chris Sale to form one of the deadliest righty-lefty combos in baseball.
Add it all up, and you've got the makings of a bounce-back season on the South Side and possibly the White Sox's first trip to the postseason since 2008.
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Boston Red Sox
4 of 5
2014 Record: 71-91
Predicted 2015 Record: 88-74
How long does the high from a World Series win last? Ask Boston Red Sox fans, who watched their team hoist a Commissioner's Trophy in 2013 before suffering through a miserable last-place finish in 2014.
Things can only go up in Beantown.
There's reason to think they will. Boston opened the offseason by signing Pablo Sandoval, one of the most coveted hitters on the market and a beloved figure from his days in San Francisco, where he sold more than a few panda hats.
The Red Sox then snatched up Hanley Ramirez, with plans to slide him from shortstop to left field.
They also overhauled their starting rotation, which posted an unsightly 4.36 ERA in 2014.
Boston missed out on Jon Lester, who shunned his former club for the Chicago Cubs, but the Sox did acquire sinkerballer Rick Porcello from the Detroit Tigers for Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes.
In addition, Wade Miley came over in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Justin Masterson inked a one-year, $9.5 million show-me contract after an awful season with the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals.
That may not be enough. There are persistent rumors linking Boston with Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels, though according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia, "the Red Sox might be [the team] most in the background" of the Hamels sweepstakes.
Even if they make no further moves, the Red Sox look like a club that'll contend in 2015...and maybe recapture that high.
Chicago Cubs
5 of 5
2014 Record: 73-89
Predicted 2015 Record: 91-71
No one has suffered as long as Cubs fans, who haven't celebrated a championship in 106 years and counting.
Seriously, you've heard that before, but let it sink in: a century plus six more spins around the sun.
Now, though, Chicago may be on the verge of something special. In fact, Sporting News' Jesse Spector thinks this could be the year they end the Curse of the Billy Goat.
Spector cites Lester, the incoming ace, plus a bullpen led by Hector Rondon. Then there's incoming skipper Joe Maddon, who guided Tampa Bay to a run of success in the stacked AL East.
But, as Spector adds:
"The real reason to be excited, though, is the Cubs’ bountiful farm system, coupled with savvy trades, is starting to bear fruit for the lineup. First baseman Anthony Rizzo (acquired from the Padres when he was 22) and home-grown shortstop Starlin Castro are the cornerstones of the lineup, both legitimate stars entering their age-25 seasons. The fact that the Cubs were able to get significant action in the major leagues last year for Arismendy Alcantara, Jorge Soler and Javier Baez will help those players settle into their first full big-league campaigns. Eventually, Kris Bryant will be along as well.
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That's a lot of potential. Like all potential, there's no guarantee of immediate success. It's possible this team will take another season or two to ascend, if it ever does.
Here's betting it makes the leap sooner than later and takes home most improved honors in 2015.
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