MLB Teams Most Likely to Score Monster Offseason Hauls
Sifting through all the rumors and whispers that take place during an MLB offseason can be tiring, but there are often trends we can draw conclusions from with the reports we hear during the winter.
A trend that usually ends up being pretty accurate is discovering which teams plan to be active and which don't. The teams that are involved in various discussions wind up with impressive offseason hauls more times than not.
Over the next few slides, we'll look at a few teams that are poised for significant upgrades this winter.
Some of those improvements have already happened. The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox have already shown their commitment to upgrading this offseason with trades for Andrelton Simmons and Craig Kimbrel, respectively. Despite those trades, don't expect Billy Eppler and Dave Dombrowski to stop adding to the roster.
Of course, the Los Angeles Dodgers and that near-$300 million payroll will be factors this winter. L.A.'s division rivals in San Francisco will also spend in hopes of returning to the postseason, while the Chicago Cubs will try to build off a magical 2015 season.
Whether it's through large free-agent contracts or trades centered around impressive prospects, the following teams are ready to do whatever is necessary to qualify for the postseason and, ultimately, the World Series.
San Francisco Giants
1 of 5
2015 was in fact an odd year, meaning that the San Francisco Giants weren't supposed to repeat as World Series champions.
All joking aside, the Giants will enter the offseason with a chance to significantly upgrade an already talented roster. Due to three World Series titles in the decade, San Fran has seen its payroll increase dramatically. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports believes the club has $30 million-$40 million to spend this winter:
"Even with that $137 million already on the books, San Francisco has a good $30 million to $40 million to spent this winter, assuming a slight payroll increase. (Evans indicated payroll will increase at the GM Meetings last week.) Furthermore, the team is shedding pricy commitments to Peavy ($15 million), Angel Pagan ($11.25 million) and Sergio Romo ($9 million) next offseason.
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OK, so where will that money go? A key area that needs addressing is the starting rotation. The Giants are in desperate need of another front-line starter to pair with ace Madison Bumgarner and would like to add another reliable starter for depth purposes.
"The Giants have an unquestioned ace in Madison Bumgarner but want to pair him with another top-of-the-rotation presence," Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News said. "They also need to re-sign Mike Leake or add another capable innings-eater who could slot next to Jake Peavy in the middle of the rotation."
San Francisco ranked second in MLB in WAR this past season. The everyday core of Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Joe Panik and Matt Duffy is ready to win in 2016.
Because of that, expect San Fran to be aggressive in its pursuit of starting pitching upgrades.
Los Angeles Angels
2 of 5
The Los Angeles Angels got the offseason party started with the eye-opening acquisition of former Atlanta Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons.
The Halos paid a pretty price for Simmons, packaging top prospects Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis for the defensive whiz. Now left with a relatively barren farm system, the Angels will have to improve through the free-agent market.
"Now that they have dealt away their top two prospects, they don’t have many chips left to deal, so they’ll most likely have to make improvements from the free-agent market," Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register said. "If they do make a trade, it won’t likely be for a long-term, impact player."
Simmons will help the Angels prevent runs—no player has saved more defensive runs than him since 2012—but new general manager Billy Eppler must now look to upgrade the club offensively.
L.A. ranked 20th in runs scored in MLB this season. Outside of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun, the Angels struggled to field a lineup that consistently supported an underrated starting rotation.
The Angels have serious holes in both corner outfield spots, which makes names like Alex Gordon, Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes and Gerardo Parra potential impact signees. Eppler could also look to address the third base position via trade, as a player like Trevor Plouffe could come cheap in terms of a prospect package.
The Angels have the tools in place to reclaim their AL West crown, but don't expect Eppler to sit tight after trading for Simmons. L.A. has the funds to continue to add to its everyday lineup, and will do so over the coming months.
Los Angeles Dodgers
3 of 5
Come on. You didn't expect the $300 million team to be quiet, did you?
Yes, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be players this winter. While the club did show admirable restraint by holding onto top prospects Corey Seager and Julio Urias at the trade deadline this past season, money has never been an issue. As long as that World Series title continues to elude them, the Dodgers won't be afraid to cut the check.
As for this winter, it remains to be seen just how that money will be spent. The Dodgers have a decision to make on free agent Zack Greinke, who has been linked to virtually every team with deep pockets. Does L.A. want to shell out a near-$200 million, long-term contract for a pitcher over 30 with Clayton Kershaw already on the roster?
As you can see, it's not a cut-and-dry decision.
That's especially true when you consider the starting pitching depth on the market. If the Dodgers decide to move on from Greinke, David Price could become a target. L.A. also has the option to buy two starters for the price of one.
"The Dodgers might be able to get, say, (Yovani) Gallardo and (Marco) Estrada for the same money as Greinke or Price," Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times said. "They said the issue in not trading for Price, (Johnny) Cueto or Cole Hamels at the deadline was a reluctance to surrender top prospects, and no prospects are required to sign free agents."
While Estrada has since re-signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, Shaikin's point holds true. The Dodgers don't have to tie themselves up in huge, big-money contracts with so many options available to them on the market.
Whatever L.A. decides to do, the rotation will be better than it was a year ago. For a team that seemingly prints its own currency, there's no point halting the spending when you're this close to a championship.
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Chicago Cubs
4 of 5
In 2015, the Chicago Cubs watched as their core of youngsters matured into impact everyday MLB players. Chicago won 97 games, and advanced to the National League Championship Series with NL Manager of the Year Joe Maddon leading the way.
The Cubs hinted they'd be factors in the NL for the foreseeable future when they inked left-hander Jon Lester to a long-term deal last winter. Lester and the incredible Jake Arrieta helped their rotation finish with the third-best ERA in MLB this past season.
As good as the combination of Arrieta and Lester was and can be moving forward, a lack of rotational depth hurt the Cubs in the playoffs. Because of that, Maddon, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer have made starting pitching a top priority this winter.
"Hoyer reiterated the Cubs' plans to 'cast a wide net' for pitching, so they won’t just talk to just one or two but with many, even if their clients are low on the Cubs' wish list," Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com said. "Industry speculation still has David Price as a top target, while Jordan [Zimmermann] and Jeff Samardzija remain on the radar. All three of their agents are at the meetings. The Cubs won’t stop there. They’ll look for value in terms of depth pickups as well."
The Cubs won't just talk to free-agent hurlers, either. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has also reported that the Cubs would be willing to trade Javier Baez or Jorge Soler for rotational upgrades.
"Moving one of those hitters only would make sense if the return was a pitcher of similar age, service and talent," he said. "The risk for the Cubs in addressing their pitching needs solely through the free-agent market is that they could end up with an old rotation quickly."
Like the Boston Red Sox, the Cubs have the money and young talent that will allow them to be active in both the trade and free-agent markets this winter. Whatever Epstein, Hoyer and Maddon decide to do, the Cubs will enter 2016 as a favorite to reach the World Series due to their upgrades this winter.
Boston Red Sox
5 of 5
Due to deep pockets and an even deeper pool of young talent, the Boston Red Sox always figured to be players this winter.
That's already proven to be true. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made the move of the offseason thus far, acquiring closer Craig Kimbrel for an attractive package of prospects. With Kimbrel and Koji Uehera on board, Dombrowski has solidified Boston's late-inning options before the calendar turned to December.
But Dombrowski and the Red Sox won't be satisfied with the four-time All-Star. According to various reports, Boston is linked with virtually every front-line starter on the market, and the baseball world expects Dombrowski to act on one of those rumors.
"After acquiring All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel on Friday night night in a trade that cost the Red Sox four minor leaguers, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski guessed his next big move would be to find a No. 1 starter on the free-agent market," Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reported.
If you listen carefully, you can hear Red Sox fans celebrating that news. While Kimbrel does make the team better, starting pitching doomed the club in 2015. Boston starters ranked 24th in ERA, and used 12 different starters throughout the season.
So who is on Domwbrowski's radar? Boston has the resources to sign either David Price or Zack Greinke, but a tandem of Johnny Cueto and Zimmermann isn't a terrible consolation prize.
Regardless, the Red Sox will be one of the most active teams in baseball this winter. No team has more cards to play when it comes to the combination of money and prospects to trade.
Stats courtesy of FanGraphs and accurate as of Nov. 18.
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