Promising MLB Spring Training Storylines That Will End Poorly

Now that pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training, we're slowly but surely leaving the rumor mill behind and entering the heaven that is the 2015 season.

After one of the more active offseasons in recent memory, there are a lot of new faces in new places. We had previously dormant franchises, the Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres, become three of the most active teams. Three of our normal big spenders, the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals, lived up to their reputations, signing the biggest deals of the offseason.

Which of these promising storylines will live up to the hype?

Boston Red Sox Lineup, Rotation Overhaul

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

The Boston Red Sox were the American League's second-worst scoring team on the road last season, so something had to be done to fix their offense.

Spending $183 million on Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez certainly was one way to go, but was it the right answer?

According to FanGraphs, the Red Sox got the third-worst offensive production from their third basemen last season in terms of WAR. You'd think, for $95 million, that Sandoval would represent a huge upgrade. But the San Francisco Giants were still below average last year, generating a minus-6 offensive WAR with Panda.

Granted, this is just one picture, but for a player with a history of weight issues, Sandoval showing up looking like this only raises concerns.

Ramirez will hit, but for how long? He's averaged 116 games played per season since 2011, and he's moving to a position at which he's never played a professional inning in his 10-year career. Why not sign Nelson Cruz for nearly half the price?

Even with its lineup overhaul, Boston should have used its money to either bring back a familiar face in Jon Lester or go out and acquire an ace such as Cole Hamels.

Rick Porcello is a great arm—and one of the more underrated pitchers in baseball. Despite being just 26 years old, he's already piled up 76 career wins, winning 10 or more games in each of his six professional seasons. Porcello had a career-best 3.43 ERA last year.

Wade Miley, not to mention his 3.31 career ERA on the road, is another underrated arm who will greatly benefit from leaving the bandbox that is Arizona.

However, the rotation still has a lot of questions.

Which Clay Buchholz will show up in 2015? Can Justin Masterson bounce back from a down season? What if Miley struggles in his transition from the National League to the American League? Can Porcello settle in as Boston's "ace" after years of pitching with lesser expectations behind Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer?

Despite the questions, Boston may be in luck. The AL East is weaker than it has been in recent memory.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles lost a bunch of talent this offseason. The New York Yankees have one of their worst rosters in 20 years. The Toronto Blue Jays added some thump to their lineup, but will they ever have enough pitching?

The Red Sox should be the favorites to win both their division and the American League pennant this season. The Philadelphia Phillies completely misplayed the Cole Hamels market, so it's still possible that Boston can acquire an ace.

But until they do, I'm not buying the hype.

Chicago Cubs' Hopes of Winning NL Central

Paul Beaty/Associated Press

“We’re going to win the NL Central,” claims Anthony Rizzo, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.

"You have to come in with the mindset that we're going to the World Series," Jon Lester told reporters, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

"Without a doubt, we're going to make the playoffs next year," manager Joe Maddon told reporters, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

For a team that has not made the playoffs since 2008 and has not won a World Series since 1908, these are awfully bold comments from Rizzo, Lester and Maddon.

The Chicago Cubs made a lot of smart moves this offseason, including the Lester signing, trading for Dexter Fowler and hiring Maddon as their manager.

They have the top farm system in baseball, and their best prospect, Kris Bryant, should make his MLB debut early in 2015, potentially as the starting third baseman on Opening Day.

However, this is a team that won just 73 games last season (its highest total since 2010). The Cubs are still at least a year away. For the first time in a long time, though, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Cubs, and it should have the rest of the NL Central trembling.

Nationals' World Series Hopes

David Goldman/Associated Press

For the Washington Nationals, this season will boil down to two things:

1. The bullpen
2. Matt Williams

With their rotation and loaded lineup, the regular season should be a cakewalk for the Nationals in the weak NL East. No matter what their general managers say, the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are rebuilding. The Miami Marlins and New York Mets have talented young rosters, but they're both a year away from being serious contenders.

The Nats should flirt with 100 wins in 2015.

When looking at the playoffs, however, they lack what the 2014 World Series teams had in spades: managerial experience (Bruce Bochy) and a dominant bullpen (the Royals' three-headed monster). Now, Ned Yost did manage his way into the World Series and almost won, so anything is possible, but Williams was completely overmatched in his series against Bochy last October.

He'll need to either improve or just stay out of the way for the Nationals to win.

The bullpen is the prime concern with this team. Relievers can be very fickle from year to year, so trading away two-time All-Star Tyler Clippard is a big loss. Rafael Soriano struggled mightily in the second half of last season, but he's been one of the game's best closers over the past five years. Losing his experience will hurt as well.

Former first-round pick Drew Storen has tons of talent, but he has a very limited history of playoff baseball, and it isn't good. Offseason addition Casey Janssen is a nice pickup, but having pitched his entire career in Toronto, he's never been entrenched in playoff baseball before.

How will he handle the pressure? 

The Nationals are my favorite to have the best record at the end of the regular season, and Odds Shark agrees, listing them as the preseason favorite to win the World Series. However, the Nats have some big holes that need to be fixed if they want to win the World Series.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked. 

To talk baseball or follow the latest rumors, check in with me on Twitter: @ZPetersel.