MLB Franchises on the Cusp of Becoming Perennial Contenders
The future of baseball is looking unusually bright in Chicago.
Both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox are among the group of MLB franchises that are on the verge of cementing their status as perennial contenders. What follows is a look around the league at five teams whose window of opportunity is about to open up.
The idea behind this list is to focus on emerging contenders, which means that clubs that have been in playoff contention in recent seasons weren't eligible to land a spot. Three primary factors were taken into consideration during the ranking process:
- The strength of the team's minor league system
- The composition of the big league roster
- Whether or not the team has the money to keep its core intact
Two of the spots in the top five go to the Chicago clubs, but there's also room in the rankings for a couple of rising stars in the National League East.
New York Mets
1 of 5
The Farm
The New York Mets check in with the fourth-best minor league system in baseball, per ESPN's Keith Law. The headliner for the Mets is right-handed starter Noah Syndergaard. After spending the 2014 season in Triple-A, the 22-year-old should arrive in Queens at some point this summer where he'll join a starting staff that is already loaded with high-upsde arms.
The Big League Roster
The greatest reason for optimism when it comes to the Mets' future is the team's stockpile of starters. The pitchers on New York's starting staff don't offer the same name recognition as the Washington Nationals' rotation of aces. However, the likes of Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey will help vault the squad into the playoff chase during the upcoming season.
The Financial Situation
The Mets have't made a lot of big-money splashes in recent offseasons. As result, the team has all sorts of financial flexibility. Only four players will be on the books following the conclusion of the 2015 season.
Chicago White Sox
2 of 5The Farm
The Chicago White Sox claimed the No. 12 spot in the farm-system rankings, per Keith Law of ESPN. The White Sox's prospect who is most likely to make the fastest impact on the South Side is lefty Carlos Rodon.
As Steven Goldstein of the Chicago Tribune explains, Rodon's future is as a starter, but the White Sox could choose to expedite the 22-year-old's arrival tat U.S. Cellular Field by using him as a reliever in 2015. For his part, Rodon is simply worried about pitching.
"I'm just focusing on getting better. They tell me what to do, I show up and I pitch. That's how I look at it."
Rodon definitely showed up last summer. After the White Sox selected the pitcher with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft, Rodon climbed all the way from rookie league to Triple-A.
The Big League Roster
Thanks to the acquisition of Jeff Samardzija, Chicago has one of the most imposing rotation trios in the majors. Lefty Chris Sale is a perennial American League Cy Young Award contender and Jose Quintana has quietly established himself as a highly reliable No. 3 starter.
The team's lineup is also looking dangerous. This offseason, the White Sox added Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche to a middle of the order that already includes Jose Abreu. Last season, the Cuban snagged the AL Rookie of the Year Award and ended up fourth in MVP voting. This year, Abreu will be a leading contender to win the MVP honors.
The Financial Situation
The White Sox broke out the checkbook this offseason.
The AL Central squad brought in Cabrera, LaRoche and closer David Robertson. The most important aspect of those signings is that none of those moves is going to hamstring the team's ability to make future additions. Of the three signings, the most lucrative was the four-year, $46 million deal handed to Robertson.
Arizona Diamondbacks
3 of 5The Farm
After the major league rotation posted the fourth-worst ERA in 2014, there's no debating that the Arizona Diamondbacks need pitching and a lot of it.
Fortunately for the NL West club, that's exactly what the farm system will be providing in the upcoming seasons. Per MLB.com, the D-backs have three starters on the top 100 prospects list. Leading the way is Archie Bradley, who ranks as the No. 15 prospect in the minors.
The Big League Roster
At Chase Field, the D-backs have all sorts of power. Paul Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo are the club's most established power threats, but Yasmany Tomas will be the most intriguing player to watch out for in 2015. The Cuban has unreal pop, as you can see in the video above.
The Financial Situation
By signing Tomas to a six-year, $68.5 million deal, the D-backs demonstrated that the team is willing to make the required investments to climb back into contention. There's also a lot to like about the new brain trust in the desert. Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa and general manager Dave Stewart are already doing an excellent job re-shaping a club that racked up 98 losses in 2014.
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Miami Marlins
4 of 5
The Farm
The Miami Marlins' minor league system has been weakened in recent months, as Andrew Heaney, Anthony DeSclafani and Brian Flynn have all been shipped out in a busy winter of trades. Even with those departures, the Fish still have two players on MLB.com's top 100 prospects list. Starter Tyler Kolek ranks No. 27, while catcher J.T. Realmuto checks in at No. 70.
The Big League Roster
After winning 77 games in 2014, the Marlins are looking like a dark-horse playoff contender in the upcoming season.
With Jose Fernandez recovering from Tommy John surgery, Henderson Alvarez will anchor the rotation. The owner of a 2.65 ERA last season, Alvarez is one of the most underrated starters in the NL. This offseason, the club has also added quality veteran arms in Mat Latos and Dan Haren.
Miami's outfield is also worth a mention. Two-time All-Star Giancarlo Stanton leads the contingent, but left fielder Christian Yelich and center fielder Marcell Ozuna have also impressed. In 2014, Yelich won a Gold Glove Award, while Ozuna connected on 23 home runs.
The Financial Situation
The Marlins don't exactly have a track record of spending money.
However, that would appear to be changing after the team dished out a 13-year, $325 million deal to Stanton. If team owner Jeffrey Loria has enough money that he can pay Stanton like a mint, there should be enough cash to go around when it's time to re-up stars like Fernandez.
Chicago Cubs
5 of 5The Farm
There's no team in baseball that can match the Chicago Cubs' minor league setup.
According to ESPN's Keith Law, the Cubs have the best farm system in the majors. Six of the team's players landed a spot on MLB.com's top 100 prospects list. Of the six, outfielder Albert Almora is the lowest ranked at No. 57.
The Big League Roster
The Cubs have made an array of additions to the major league squad this offseason. Jon Lester and Jason Hammel have been brought in to bolster the rotation, while veteran position players like Miguel Montero, David Ross and Dexter Fowler have all joined the mix.
Even with all of those acquisitions, the most important move was the decision to bring in Joe Maddon as the club's new manager. With the Tampa Bay Rays, Maddon guided the team to at least 90 wins in six of his final eight seasons.
The Financial Situation
The Cubs' front office have been planning ahead. The team should have plenty of money to spend in the upcoming offseasons, as Chicago has already signed a number of cornerstone players to club-friendly deals.
Shortstop Starlin Castro is in the midst of a seven-year, $60 million deal, while first baseman Anthony Rizzo is playing on a seven-year, $41 million contract. Then there's Jorge Soler's deal. The outfielder still has six seasons left on a nine-year, $30 million agreement.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All videos courtesy of MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on BaseballProspectus.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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