10 Key Roster Holes MLB Teams Will Fail to Fill by Opening Day
Opening Day of the 2015 Major League Baseball season is inching closer. In turn, teams are inching closer to "completing" their 25-man rosters.
Yes, the quotation marks on "completing" are necessary. Because while a complete roster technically means a roster without holes, every team is going to break camp with at least one notable hole on its roster.
But some holes will be more notable than most, and those are the ones we're here to talk about.
Ahead is a list of 10 key roster holes that look destined to go unfixed by Opening Day. In arranging these, my focus was on positions that teams needed to figure out coming into camp and have so far failed to do so. Barring a last-minute trade or surge from an in-house option, things figure to stay that way.
We'll go in order of how concerning each problem is. Step into the box whenever you're ready.
10. Boston Red Sox: No. 1 Starting Pitcher
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From the sound of things, you'd think the Boston Red Sox's lack of a No. 1 starter was a national crisis.
In fairness, the concern isn't totally overblown. Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley and Justin Masterson make for a foursome of good pitchers, but none can be called truly great.
And so far, none of the aforementioned names has looked decidedly ace-like this spring. Porcello has come the closest, but Baseball-Reference.com can show that the 2.70 ERA he took into Friday's action has been accumulated against roughly Triple-A-level competition.
As for what could change things, it's no secret Boston has been circling Philadelphia Phillies ace left-hander Cole Hamels for months. But it also seems like the two sides have been at an impasse for months, and according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox have all but ruled out an impact trade before the end of spring training.
Why is this roster hole all the way down here at No. 10? Mainly because the Red Sox have the pieces to cover for their lack of an ace. As Grantland's Ben Lindbergh noted in his AL East preview, the Red Sox figure to be the majors' best offensive team and one of its best defensive teams.
So though the Red Sox do lack an ace, for now, this is at worst a DEFCON 4 problem.
9. Arizona Diamondbacks: Starting Catcher
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In general, the 2015 Arizona Diamondbacks don't make much sense. They're lacking in talent, and they have some right pieces (see Tomas, Yasmany and Trumbo, Mark) in wrong places.
Nothing, however, is more baffling than their catcher situation.
Last year, the Diamondbacks had one of the league's better two-way catchers in Miguel Montero. But he's gone now, and in his place is Tuffy Gosewisch atop the depth chart. Yeah, that one. The 31-year-old journeyman with only 55 major league games under his belt.
If Gosewisch is known for anything, it's his defense. But Baseball Prospectus can show he wasn't much for framing strikes in 2014, so he may not be able to help Arizona's hodgepodge pitching staff. And though Gosewisch did carry a .300 spring average into Friday, it had come against roughly Triple-A competition.
Despite all of that, this is the guy Arizona is going to roll with. Arizona general manager Dave Stewart said in January that he wasn't interested in pursuing a trade for a catcher, and he more recently said that even an attainable upgrade like Dioner Navarro wasn't on his radar because of his price tag.
If there's a bright side here, it's that the Diamondbacks' catcher shortcoming isn't the only reason they're going to be a bad team in 2015. But without an upgrade at catcher, it's easy to see them being about as hopeless as most everyone expects them to be.
8. Minnesota Twins: Center Field
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The Minnesota Twins had something good going when Danny Santana found his way into center field in 2014, as he hit .319 while playing solid defense there.
But now Santana is back at his natural shortstop, leaving former top prospect Aaron Hicks to hopefully seize Minnesota's center field job.
If you're counting, that makes three chances for Hicks to establish himself as Minnesota's everyday center fielder. And so far this spring, his third effort is going about as well as his first two. He's hit under .230 with a sub-.700 OPS despite playing against roughly Triple-A-level competition. Couple that with what FanGraphs can show is a shoddy defensive track record, and he still doesn't look like the answer.
That's opened the door for Eddie Rosario and Jordan Schafer, who are less-than-promising options. Rosario has primarily been a second baseman and hasn't hit well this spring. Schafer has hit well, but he's also a career fourth outfielder who's struggled defensively in center field.
Given that Minnesota's pitching staff looks like the kind that will need as much offensive and defensive support as it can get, center field figures to make it difficult for the Twins to make a surprise run in the wide-open AL Central.
So yeah, it's a good thing Byron Buxton should be along next year.
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7. Atlanta Braves: Left Field
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Coming into the spring, the Atlanta Braves' biggest weakness appeared to be at second base. But with Jace Peterson catching fire and Alberto Callaspo coming around, the question mark has faded.
Which makes you wonder: Might Peterson or Callaspo be able to play left field?
There's a parallel universe somewhere out there where Eric Young Jr. has eased concerns over Atlanta's left field job with his hot spring (.321 average and five steals). But in this universe, the Braves need him to fill in for an injured Melvin Upton Jr. in center field.
That leaves the left field hole to be filled by the likes of Jonny Gomes, Zoilo Almonte, Kelly Johnson, Todd Cunningham and Joey Terdoslavich. The only one who's having a strong spring is Terdoslavich with an .845 OPS. But since that's come against Triple-A-level competition, take it with a grain of salt.
The Braves are going to try and work with what they have. As Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported, Braves skipper Fredi Gonzalez is eyeing a "soft platoon" of Gomes and...well, somebody else.
In all, Atlanta's left field situation has the makings of both an offensive and defensive black hole. Given that the Braves already figured to be worse off in both departments after trading Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Evan Gattis over the offseason, that's not a good thing.
6. Tampa Bay Rays: Second Base
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In human Swiss army knife Ben Zobrist, the Tampa Bay Rays had one of the best players in the business locked into second base a few months ago. But when they traded him, they set themselves up for a spring competition that would feature some unspectacular names.
And right now, things at second base don't look much better.
Nick Franklin seemed to be the de facto favorite for the Rays' second base gig at the start of the spring, but he struggled to the tune of a .515 OPS before suffering an oblique injury. Meanwhile, former No. 1 overall pick Tim Beckham has continued a pattern of underwhelming play with a .487 OPS this spring.
That puts the position in the hands of Logan Forsythe. That doesn't look so bad if you focus on his .933 spring OPS, but that's the result of a power surge he can't possibly sustain. With a career .646 OPS and hit-or-miss defensive metrics to his name, in reality, he's not much of a solution.
With second base talent scarce around the league, the Rays don't have much choice but to roll with Forsythe. If he lives up to his regular-season track record, they'll find themselves champing at the bit to get Franklin back from injury. But that may not be until close to June, according to Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune, and his own track record doesn't highlight him as an obvious solution.
Fortunately for the Rays, they're more solid elsewhere in their lineup than they get credit for. But in an AL East that figures to be hotly contested, not having a solution at second base could be a costly problem.
5. Los Angeles Angels: Back End of Starting Rotation
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The Los Angeles Angels went out on a limb when they traded Howie Kendrick. Sure, they were giving up a strong everyday second baseman, but they stood to shore up the back end of their starting rotation with top prospect Andrew Heaney.
So far, the returns haven't been good. Heaney has pitched to an 8.36 ERA and been hit to a .362 average, a performance reminiscent of his underwhelming major league cameo with the Miami Marlins in 2014.
The writing is on the wall that Heaney could benefit from additional seasoning, but the Angels are short on better options. Hector Santiago has a 4.50 ERA and a pedestrian 6-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio this spring. And though Nick Tropeano owns a solid 3.48 ERA, he also has more walks than strikeouts in 10.1 innings.
The Angels might still be able to make a move...but don't count on it. Besides there not being much available on the starting pitching market, they're short on both prospects and financial leeway. They really have no choice but to move forward with what they have.
Fortunately for them, their offense and bullpen look more than good enough to make up for any weakness at the back end of their rotation. But with the Seattle Mariners poised to rise to power in 2015, it's possible that not having a solid No. 5 could be what leaves the Angels short of a second straight division title.
4. Chicago White Sox: Back End of Starting Rotation
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The Chicago White Sox were thin on starting pitching depth to begin with this spring, and then staff ace Chris Sale went down with a right foot injury. He's going to miss the (very) early portion of the season.
The good news is that top prospect Carlos Rodon has been better than they could have possibly imagined, as his 19-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12.1 innings captures just how dominant he's been this spring. Factor in how he's done it against close to MLB-caliber competition, and he looks even better.
But even if the White Sox pull an anti-Kris Bryant and put Rodon in their season-opening rotation, it will still look weak at the back end. They'll need a fourth starter behind Rodon, Jeff Samardzija and Jose Quintana, and John Danks, Hector Noesi and Brad Penny impress neither from a recent track record perspective nor a spring training performance perspective.
Sale's return will not solve the problem, as a lacking fourth spot would become a lacking fifth spot. And looking further down the line, it's going to be difficult for the White Sox to find a substantial upgrade on the trade market. After their busy offseason, they're lacking in prospect depth and financial flexibility.
Of course, the White Sox will be digging themselves an even deeper hole if they shy away from throwing Rodon into the fray. One way or the other, the back end of their rotation looks like something that could hold them back in the chase for the AL Central title.
3. Toronto Blue Jays: Relief Pitching
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Relief pitching was not a strength of the Toronto Blue Jays' in 2014, as FanGraphs WAR ranked their relief production 26th overall. Things figure to be even worse in 2015, as FanGraphs projects them to finish 29th in relief WAR.
Looking at what the Blue Jays are dealing with now, this doesn't sound the least bit surprising.
Though the Blue Jays were often rumored to be circling relief help over the winter, they never actually found any. And after demoting former All-Star Steve Delabar to the minors this week, the key figures at the back end of their bullpen figure to be Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup, Miguel Castro and Roberto Osuna.
That isn't an especially pretty picture.
Cecil is darn good, but he only recently returned from a shoulder injury. Loup isn't known for being overpowering, and hasn't been this spring with only one strikeout in six innings. And though Castro and Osuna are having strong springs, their combined experience in the majors amounts to a big, fat zero.
If there's hope, it's in the possibility of Toronto making a trade for Phillies veteran right-hander Jonathan Papelbon. But at last check, that was unlikely, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
The Blue Jays appear intent on going into the season with what they have, which is all the more risky in light of how they're likely to need strong relief work with Marcus Stroman out for the year with a torn ACL.
2. Detroit Tigers: Relief Pitching
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Once again turning to FanGraphs WAR, we find that no bullpen was worse than the Detroit Tigers' in 2014. That should come as no surprise to anyone who watched it go to work last October, as Detroit's pen didn't feature a single pitcher capable of overpowering hitters.
As the Tigers head toward 2015, they unfortunately appear destined for more of the same.
Joe Nathan is still entrenched as Detroit's closer, but his spring (5.79 ERA and 12 hits in 9.1 innings) is reminiscent of last year's career-worst season. Next to him, Bruce Rondon, Ian Krol, Al Alburquerque and Joba Chamberlain have also been underwhelming.
One guy who's presumably not worried is Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski, who is seemingly never worried about his bullpen. He's had good excuses for that in past seasons, as the Tigers have typically featured enough offensive firepower and studly starting pitching to make up for their weak relief pitching.
But the status quo may not work as well this year. With Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello gone, Detroit's starting staff is weaker than usual. And with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez both coming off injuries, its offense may not be as strong.
So for once, Detroit's bullpen looks like a real problem rather than just an inconvenience.
1. Texas Rangers: No. 1 Starter
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Though the Boston Red Sox have a definite need for a No. 1 starting pitcher, it's not the glaring hole that some are making it out to be.
The Texas Rangers are in a different boat. They also lack a true No. 1 starter, and they truly need one.
The Rangers lost one of the best in the business when Yu Darvish's elbow quit on him, and it makes for a bad look on a rotation that didn't look all that strong to begin with. FanGraphs projects the Rangers to get fewer WAR out of their starters in 2015 than all but two other teams.
To this end, Derek Holland and Yovani Gallardo have the goods to be beacons of hope. But they haven't been this spring. Holland has been injured, and Gallardo has been knocked around to an 11.32 ERA and .362 average. He also has just a 6-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 10.1 innings.
A trade for Cole Hamels sounds like a potential cure for what ails the Rangers, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com seemed to classify that as a long shot recently. The Phillies are willing to bide their time, and the Rangers apparently aren't desperate enough to try and change their minds.
They should be, though. The Rangers don't have the talent elsewhere to cover for the loss of a player as good as Darvish. The longer they wait to act, the sooner their 2015 season could start to look like their woeful 2014 season.
Note: Spring stats courtesy of MLB.com, and are current through play on Thursday, March 26. All other stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted/linked.
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