Non-Playoff Teams Who Could Go the Distance Next Season
While two teams reach the World Series, only one ultimately goes the distance, winning the four games necessary to sit atop the baseball world...at least until next year's Opening Day rolls around.
Not reaching the playoffs, much less the Fall Classic, fills players and fans alike with a deflating feeling, one that makes everyone involved believe that their combined efforts over the past six months were nothing more than a gigantic waste of everyone's time.
In some cases, that might be correct. But for the five teams we're about to take a look at, nothing could be further from the truth. For these clubs aren't as far away from making a serious run at baseball's ultimate prize as some may believe.
We'll not only look at the talent these teams still have under contract, but the reinforcements that could be on the way, both from within the organization and elsewhere. From returns to health to full seasons of top prospects and potential free-agent additions, optimism should run high about their chances in 2016.
Boston Red Sox
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Boston tends to do things bigger than most, so it came as little surprise that the Red Sox went out and added arguably baseball's best executive, Dave , to oversee what will be a crucial offseason in .
With a farm system teeming with talent, pockets as deep as any other team and an already established core of talent on the big league roster, building the Red Sox back into a World Series contender won't take nearly as much work as you'd it expect it would for a last-place team.
For even with Toronto and New York entering the offseason in far better shape than Boston, the AL East will once again be wide-open for the taking in 2016.
Adding at least one front-line starter is a necessity, as is figuring out what to do with Hanley Ramirez. Is he a first baseman? A designated hitter? A trade chip? Granted, the Red Sox would have to pick up much of the $68 million left on his deal and package him with some of their young talent to a deal.
But it's not impossible, and neither are Boston's chances of contending for a World Series crown in 2016.
Minnesota Twins
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Minnesota posted its first winning record since 2010 this season, remaining in contention until the bitter end, ultimately falling three games shy of a playoff berth. That's a mighty impressive feat for a team that was coming off four consecutive 90-loss campaigns.
Even more impressive is that the team's turnaround came under the watchful eye of a first-year manager (Paul Molitor), who relied heavily on a pair of first-year players (Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano) to deliver in the clutch.
With full seasons ahead for Rosario and Sano, not to mention Byron Buxton, who is still considered one of the premier prospects in all the land, the future is bright for a Minnesota lineup that finished eighth in the AL in runs scored (696). A jump into the top five is certainly a distinct possibility in 2016.
That uptick in offense will only help a rotation that will get a full season from veteran starter Ervin Santana, who missed the season's first half due to a performance-enhancing drugs suspension. Santana and company are likely to be joined by top pitching prospect Jose Berrios, giving the Twins a far more formidable pitching staff.
While catching the Kansas City Royals atop the division may not be in the cards, the Twins are in excellent shape to not only contend for a wild card berth in 2016 but make some significant noise in the playoffs once they get there.
San Francisco Giants
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In case you're new to baseball (or are suffering from selective amnesia), allow me to remind you of a simple fact: The San Francisco Giants own the baseball universe in even-numbered years. The Giants won the World Series in 2010...and in 2012...and in 2014.
Which means only a fool (or a Dodgers fan) would bet against the Giants playing deep into October in 2016.
The biggest upheaval in San Francisco could be in the rotation, where Tim Hudson has retired and Mike Leake and Tim Lincecum are eligible for free agency. But Madison Bumgarner and Jake Peavy remain, and there's mutual interest in getting new deals done with both Leake and Lincecum.
Of course the Giants could look outside the organization for another arm, as Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal was the latest to report the team's interest in signing Washington's Jordan Zimmermann as a free agent.
If manager Bruce Bochy has his way, veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd, a late-season addition from the Cincinnati Reds, will be catching the harmless fly balls to left field that the team's pitching staff generates.
"Byrd has done a great job for us. I love how he plays," Bochy told the San Jose Mercury News (h/t Fox Sports). "For a guy who's 38, he plays like he's 28. He takes care of himself. He's a threat at the plate. He's got a knack for knocking in runs. He's a joy to have, really. He comes to play every day."
With a full season of Byrd, a healthy Hunter Pence and the bulk of an offense that scored 696 runs, the fifth-highest total in the National League returning, we could be talking about how San Francisco's offense, and not its pitching staff, powered the team's pursuit of its fourth World Series crown in seven years.
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Seattle Mariners
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While there will undoubtedly be changes coming to Seattle as new general manager Jerry DiPoto prepares to oversee his first offseason in the Emerald City, the Seattle Mariners' core—Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Felix Hernandez and Kyle Seager—will remain intact.
“The greater likelihood is, we’ll focus on those four guys, and Taijuan Walker, as the core we’re trying to build around," DiPoto told the Seattle Times' Larry Stone. "And we’ll have to be more creative in finding ways to augment that group, rather than using that group to build a new program.”
Infusing a lineup that struggled to put runs on the board with another elite run-producer (Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton fit the bill) would go a long way toward fixing what ailed the Mariners this season, as would re-signing free-agent starter Hisashi Iwakuma, which is something DiPoto labeled a priority.
A healthy Iwakuma (and James Paxton) joining King Felix and Walker in the rotation would give the Mariners a potentially outstanding group, and adding an established arm or two to the bullpen would help ensure their efforts don't go to waste.
There's work to be done this winter for sure, but none of Seattle's holes are so deep that they can't be filled. So long as ownership doesn't severely limit DiPoto's ability to add payroll, the Mariners have the talent necessary to be right in the thick of the preseason favorite conversation come next spring.
Washington Nationals
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Matt Williams and his entire coaching staff are gone, Ian Desmond, Doug Fister, Denard Span and Jordan Zimmermann are expected to follow them out the door, and either Drew Storen or Jonathan Papelbon figure to be in a different bullpen come Opening Day 2016.
But despite all that turnover, the Washington Nationals return a strong squad that's capable of finally reaching its potential.
Likely 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper anchors an offense that will be bolstered by having a healthy Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth to begin the season. Trea Turner, one of the top shortstop prospects in baseball, adds another dimension to the lineup with his speed and ability to get on base.
On the hill, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez still lead the way for a rotation that is still among the best in baseball and could welcome one of the game's premier pitching prospects, Lucas Giolito, into the fold.
While the Nationals have holes to fill before 2016 rolls around—Harper is lobbying for the club to add a pair of bats this winter—they also have an aggressive GM in Mike Rizzo and ownership that's willing to spend.
No matter what moves Rizzo makes this winter, sleeping on the Nationals heading into 2016 would be a major mistake.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through October 6. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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