MLB Non-Playoff Teams Poised to Become Real Contenders This Offseason
There has been no shortage of parity around Major League Baseball in recent years, and that was never more true than this past season.
The Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs all reached the playoffs after missing out the previous season.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants went in the other direction, as they all missed the postseason after reaching October in 2014.
With the offseason in full swing and teams already working to improve for 2016 and beyond, the MLB landscape figures to be shaken up once again between now and the start of spring training.
What follows is a look at five teams who missed the playoffs in 2015, but are poised to become contenders this coming season.
As their rosters currently stand, each of these teams appears to be one or two key pieces short of contending, and they have the payroll flexibility or tradeable assets to address those areas of need.
If all goes according to plan as far as addressing their offseason shopping list is concerned, look for all five of these clubs to be in the mix for a playoff spot in 2016.
Arizona Diamondbacks (79-83, Third in NL West)
1 of 5
Offseason Shopping List
- No. 1 starter
- Proven closer
- Setup reliever
2016 Outlook
The 2015 season may not have looked like a successful one for the Arizona Diamondbacks on the surface, as they finished the year below .500 at 79-83, which left them 13 games back in the NL West standings and 18 back of the second wild-card spot.
However, those 79 wins represented a 15-win improvement over the previous season, when they had the worst record in baseball, and this club is undoubtedly heading in the right direction under the front office tandem of Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa.
Offensively, they already have a terrific core in place led by legitimate stars Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock, as well as the likes of David Peralta, Ender Inciarte, Welington Castillo and Yasmany Tomas.
The pitching staff is a different story, though. Here is a quick look at where the team's pitchers ranked this past season:
- Team: 4.04 ERA (17th in MLB)
- Starters: 4.37 ERA (23rd)
- Relievers: 3.56 ERA (13th)
There is no shortage of options to fill out the starting rotation right now.
Patrick Corbin, Archie Bradley, Rubby De La Rosa, Chase Anderson and Robbie Ray would likely make up the staff at this point, while Josh Collmenter, Zack Godley, Allen Webster and top prospects Aaron Blair and Braden Shipley are also in the mix.
Notably lacking from that group is a proven staff ace, and while it's fair to assume Corbin could take a step forward another year removed from Tommy John surgery, a front-line starter is still no doubt their most glaring need.
Unloading Jeremy Hellickson and his projected $6.6 million salary in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies gives the Diamondbacks some extra money to work with, so expect them to make every effort to land that elite arm this winter.
The bullpen will also need to be addressed. Veteran Brad Ziegler held his own stepping into the closer's role, but the team would benefit from adding a more prototypical ninth-inning arm as well as another proven setup arm to pair with Ziegler.
Overtaking the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West or one of the three NL Central contenders for a wild-card spot won't be easy, but the Diamondbacks are on the right track heading into 2016 if they can add a few impact pieces to the pitching staff.
Boston Red Sox (78-84, Fifth in AL East)
2 of 5
Offseason Shopping List
- No. 1 starter
- Proven closer
- More relief help
2016 Outlook
The Boston Red Sox have already pulled the trigger on one significant deal this offseason, shipping four prospects to the San Diego Padres for All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, and that move figures to be just the first of many aimed at upgrading the pitching staff.
An aggressive push to improve the offense with the signings of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez last winter while treating the starting rotation as a secondary need resulted in a last-place finish in the AL East and ended up costing general manager Ben Cherington his job.
Now Dave Dombrowski is in the driver's seat in the front office, and after adding one key piece to his bullpen, the focus will now shift to finding an ace to lead the pitching staff.
While there is still a wealth of talent down on the farm, expect that addition to come via free agency, at least the way Dombrowski tells it.
"My thought process is most likely any acquisition we'd make in the starting pitching would first happen as far as the free-agent field is concerned," Dombrowski told reporters after trading for Kimbrel. "You never know, but that would be my guess."
Adding someone from the group of David Price, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann or Johnny Cueto to a rotation that already features some combination of Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Henry Owens could give the team a formidable staff.
With the young duo of Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts leading the way offensively ahead of veterans like Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and the aforementioned Sandoval and Ramirez, the offense should be in good shape as is.
The bullpen could still use at least a couple more proven arms, though, as 40-year-old former closer Koji Uehara is really the only standout performer returning from a group that ranked 26th in the league with a 4.24 ERA last year.
Everyone figures to be chasing the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, but there's no reason the Red Sox can't climb right back into the thick of things with a few more pieces added on the pitching side of things.
Cleveland Indians (81-80, Third in AL Central)
3 of 5
Offseason Shopping List
- Corner outfielder
- Power bat
- Left-handed reliever
2016 Outlook
While the first two teams on our list are in desperate need of a few impact pieces on the pitching side of things, it's just the opposite for the Cleveland Indians.
Behind the rotation trio of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar and a bullpen that ranked fourth in the majors with a 3.12 ERA, pitching is a clear strength in Cleveland.
However, the Indians were lacking offensive punch on their way to averaging a mediocre 4.16 runs per game.
Most notably, the team could use a right-handed-hitting power bat, as Cleveland tallied just 58 home runs from the right side of the plate this past season.
In fact, the last right-handed hitter to reach the 30-home-run mark in an Indians uniform was a 37-year-old Ellis Burks in 2002.
Ideally, that power bat would come in the form of an outfielder, as Michael Brantley will be manning left field once he returns from offseason shoulder surgery, but the rest of the outfield would currently be made up of some combination of Lonnie Chisenhall, Abraham Almonte, Jerry Sands and Michael Choice.
Breaking the bank on someone like Justin Upton could be a real game-changer for this franchise, but that's generally not been the organization's preferred approach.
That being said, Cleveland also has to be careful not to block the likes of Tyler Naquin, Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier, who rank as three of the team's top prospects.
Third base is also an area the Indians could address offensively, though Giovanny Urshela probably warrants another look despite hitting .225/.279/.330 with 15 extra-base hits in 267 at-bats as a rookie.
Finally, while the bullpen was terrific as a whole, there is a glaring need for a left-handed bullpen piece that will need to be addressed one way or another.
The Indians have been on the fringes of contention the past two seasons after their surprise run to a wild-card spot in 2013. While overtaking the Kansas City Royals will be tough, they should at least be in the wild-card mix if they can upgrade the offense.
.png?w=256)
Los Angeles Angels (85-77, Third in AL West)
4 of 5
Offseason Shopping List
- Left-handed hitter
- Third baseman
- Corner outfielder
- Second baseman
- Catcher
2016 Outlook
After winning an MLB-best 98 games in 2014, the Los Angeles Angels underperformed for much of the 2015 season before catching fire down the stretch with a 20-11 record in September and October.
That late push wasn't enough, though, as they finished one game behind the Houston Astros for the second wild-card spot.
The most glaring need this offseason is to find someone capable of producing from the left side of the plate, as left-handed Angels hitters posted a shockingly bad .236/.289/.356 line with just 78 doubles and 42 home runs this past season.
There are clear holes to fill at third base and in left field, and the team could also look for upgrades at second base and catcher, so there's no shortage of options to pursue to improve the offense.
Daniel Murphy looks like a potential target, while the versatile Ben Zobrist could also make sense, as he's capable of playing second, third and left field.
The team kicked off the offseason with a bang, swapping shortstop Erick Aybar and its top two prospects in pitchers Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis to the Atlanta Braves for defensive wizard Andrelton Simmons.
His defensive presence alone should help the pitching staff, which has a chance to be a strength behind a deep crop of starting pitchers that includes Garrett Richards, Hector Santiago, Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney, Matt Shoemaker, Nick Tropeano and Tyler Skaggs—whenever he's fully healthy.
That abundance of MLB arms could mean another significant trade at some point, but for now the focus appears to be on the free-agent class.
The Houston Astros' best baseball is still ahead of them, and the Texas Rangers will enter the 2016 season as one of the favorites in the American League, so the Angels have no shortage of obstacles in their division.
An improved offensive attack alongside Mike Trout would go a long way toward putting them right in the conversation for an AL West title, and at the very least it would make them significant players in the wild-card race.
San Francisco Giants (84-78, Second in NL West)
5 of 5
Offseason Shopping List
- Front-line starter
- Mid-level starter
- Corner outfielder
2016 Outlook
Change is coming for the San Francisco Giants, and it's necessary change if they hope to claw their way back into the National League playoff picture.
Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy and Chris Heston figure to fill three spots in the starting rotation this coming year, but the other two slots are very much up for grabs.
Ideally, the team would find a second front-line arm to pair with MadBum at the top, so priority No. 1 will be signing someone from that previously mentioned group of David Price, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann and Johnny Cueto.
How big of a blow would it be to the rival Dodgers if they could convince Greinke to make the jump?
From there, assuming the veteran Peavy is still capable of pitching like a No. 3/No. 4 starter in the final year of his contract, adding another second-tier starter to round things out should be enough to give the team a solid staff.
Re-signing Mike Leake is one option, but there is no shortage of capable middle-of-the-rotation arms on the market this winter, so they'll have plenty of options.
Turning the pitching staff back into a strength will be the key to the offseason, but the team could also be in the market for a significant addition on the position player side of things.
After declining their options on both Nori Aoki and Marlon Byrd, the Giants are currently slated to rely on some combination of Gregor Blanco and prospects Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson in left field.
Even if they are comfortable giving the young guys a chance, more outfield depth seems like a must after Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence both missed significant time to injury this past season.
The homegrown infield of Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford and Matt Duffy has become a clear strength of the team offensively, and Buster Posey remains an MVP-caliber player, so the offense is really not the issue.
It's the pitching staff that will have to improve if the Giants are going to return to the postseason and have any chance of keeping their even-year streak alive.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
.png?w=480)
