Team Outlook

The Atlanta Braves are in full-blown rebuilding mode. As they look for temporary solutions to fill out the big league ranks while their impressive prospect depth develops, they have a whopping 12 newcomers on the 25-man roster.

Shelby Miller, Andrelton Simmons and Cameron Maybin were the latest trade casualties, and the team also cut ties with Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn despite them being the two highest-paid players on the team.

This year will be all about player evaluation ahead of the opening of the new stadium next season, making guys like Hector Olivera, Jace Peterson, Matt Wisler and Arodys Vizcaino the ones to watch as they look to cement their place in the team's long-term plans.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

Already expected to have one of the youngest rotations in baseball, the Cincinnati Reds will begin the season with Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen, John Lamb and Jon Moscot all on the disabled list.

That led to the late-spring additions of Alfredo Simon and Dan Straily, and the team also scooped up reliever Steve Delabar after the Toronto Blue Jays cut him loose.

The pitching staff may look like a major weakness, but the offense still has a chance to make some noise—and that's especially true if guys like Devin Mesoraco and Jay Bruce can bounce back from disappointing 2015 performances.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

After losing 89 games in 2014 and 99 games last year, the Philadelphia Phillies may finally be ready for an upturn in 2016, but contention is still a long way off.

While they'll start the season with a number of short-term placeholders up and down the roster, more than a few highly regarded prospects are expected to arrive on the scene over the upcoming season, which should provide some excitement for the future if nothing else.

Jeremy Hellickson gets the Opening Day nod on the mound, and Charlie Morton joins him in the rotation as those two will look to rebuild some value and turn themselves into viable trade chips ahead of the July deadline.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The Colorado Rockies bolstered what was the worst bullpen in baseball last year with the additions of Jake McGee, Chad Qualls and Jason Motte (who starts the year on the disabled list), but they didn't make a significant addition to the rotation.

That said, Tyler Chatwood and Jordan Lyles both flashed the potential to be useful starters before battling through injury-plagued seasons a year ago. With those two back healthy, Jorge De La Rosa and Chad Bettis back atop the staff and Jon Gray still working his way toward reaching his potential, the pitching has a chance to be improved this year across the board.

However, it still doesn't look anywhere near good enough for the Rockies to contend. They will have plenty of offensive firepower once again this year, though, and rookie shortstop Trevor Story will look to add another wrinkle to the lineup after hitting .340 with six home runs this spring.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

They may not have a true ace to front their staff, but the Milwaukee Brewers do have some useful starting pitching depth that should allow them to avoid the NL Central cellar and remain somewhat competitive as they continue to rebuild.

Adam Lind, Francisco Rodriguez, Jean Segura and Khris Davis became the latest trade chips to be moved this offseason, and it wouldn't be surprising to see catcher Jonathan Lucroy follow them out the door in the year to come.

Following the trade of K-Rod and a knee injury to left-hander Will Smith, the hard-throwing Jeremy Jeffress begins the season in the closer's role with all of one career save to his credit. Speedy Keon Broxton also emerged as the surprise winner of the starting center field job after the team acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for first baseman Jason Rogers.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The big battle for the San Diego Padres this spring came at the back of the starting rotation, where there were two spots up for grabs behind Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner.

Brandon Maurer and Robbie Erlin looked like the early favorites going into camp, but it wound up being swingman-turned-starter Drew Pomeranz and prospect Colin Rea who will round out the staff to begin the season.

This Padres team certainly enters the season with substantially less buzz than it did a year ago after a busy offseason revamping the roster, but there's still talent here, and that's especially true if Wil Myers can put together a healthy and productive season in the middle of the order.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

It was an odd end to spring training for the Baltimore Orioles, between trying to decide what to do with Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim and the somewhat surprising release of Miguel Gonzalez, who agreed to a $5.1 million salary in arbitration.

With Gonzalez gone and Kevin Gausman opening the season on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis, young right-handers Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson will both begin the year in the rotation and be stuck once Gausman returns.

Adding Pedro Alvarez and Mark Trumbo in the offseason should mean a ton of home runs for an Orioles team that already ranked third in the league in that category a year ago, but it's hard to see them making a legitimate push at contending in the AL East with that rotation.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

Perhaps this is a harsh ranking for a team that has the best player in baseball in Mike Trout anchoring its lineup and a starting rotation that appears to have some solid depth, despite veteran C.J. Wilson beginning the season on the disabled list.

However, outside of Trout, the lineup looks like one of the worst in the American League, and that's a scary proposition for a team that struggled to score runs a year ago. The Angels saw their production dip from an MLB-best 4.77 runs per game in 2014 to just 4.08 to rank 20th in the league.

Jered Weaver is another year older, Matt Shoemaker had a rough sophomore season and Hector Santiago posted a 5.47 ERA in the second half after making the All-Star team. So while the rotation looks deep, it's not necessarily in a position to carry the team.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The focus of the offseason for the Oakland Athletics was improving the relief corps, and rightfully so after they posted an AL-worst 4.64 bullpen ERA en route to converting 28 of 53 save chances and going 19-35 in one-run games.

That wasn't the only area they added pieces, as Khris Davis, Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso join the starting lineup along with a full season of Danny Valencia, who racked up 37 RBI in 47 games after being acquired off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays last year.

So while the offense and bullpen look to be improved, the starting rotation behind ace Sonny Gray is now the big question mark. Free-agent signing Rich Hill and young right-handers Chris Bassitt and Kendall Graveman will look to make a difference.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The Miami Marlins began the 2015 season with legitimate hopes of contending in the NL East, but instead finished a distant third in the standings at 71-91 amid a season of turmoil and injuries.

The additions of Don Mattingly as manager and Barry Bonds as hitting coach brought stability and excitement to the coaching staff, and then the team spent big to add a much-needed quality second starter in Wei-Yin Chen.

Marcell Ozuna, Martin Prado and Jarred Cosart are among the players capable of much more than they provided a year ago, while up-and-coming talents like catcher J.T. Realmuto and left-hander Adam Conley are also capable of making an impact.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

According to FanGraphs, the Chicago White Sox were the worst defensive team in the majors last year. Adding the likes of Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie, Jimmy Rollins and Austin Jackson to the mix should go a long way in improving that aspect of the game.

Lawrie and Frazier also represent significant offensive upgrades at second and third base, two positions that were black holes from a production standpoint a year ago.

It's still debatable whether the White Sox have enough pitching to contend in a deep AL Central, but this does look to be an improved team. A breakout season from young left-hander Carlos Rodon, who has a world of potential, could be the X-factor.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

A surprise contender into the second half last year, the Minnesota Twins were aided by a 32-21 start to the year and wound up going 51-58 the rest of the way.

So while their final record may not have been the best indication of how the team performed for the duration of the 2015 season, this is nonetheless a team on the rise with plenty of young talent on the offensive side of things, and a rotation capable of more than they showed a year ago that is set to receive a boost from top prospect Jose Berrios.

All of that said, Miguel Sano is the player to watch after he posted a .916 OPS with 17 doubles and 18 home runs in 335 plate appearances as a rookie. He's capable of breaking out as one of the game's top power hitters in his first full big league season.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The Tampa Bay Rays took a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, as ace Chris Archer struggled to command his fastball but still managed to strike out 12 hitters over five innings of work.

Archer fronts a starting rotation that should once again be a strength of the team, but this year's Rays will hope to get more help from an offensive attack that added Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison, Brad Miller, Steve Pearce and Hank Conger to the mix this offseason.

The bullpen is also in a state of flux once again, but no organization has proved better at piecing together a relief corps over the years than the Rays. With Jake McGee traded and Brad Boxberger on the shelf recovering from core muscle surgery, Alex Colome begins the season in the closer's role.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

New general manager Jerry Dipoto wasted little time putting his stamp on the Seattle Mariners organization. While the team didn't make any additions on par with the recent signings of Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz, it plugged holes up and down.

All told, there are 13 newcomers on the Opening Day roster, and that's not counting relievers Ryan Cook and Evan Scribner who will begin the season on the disabled list.

The term "post-hype sleeper" is generally applied to a former top prospect who breaks out later than expected, but the Mariners could be this year's post-hype sleeper team after entering last year among the AL favorites before falling flat.

They have a solid lineup top-to-bottom, good starting pitching depth and what looks to be an improved bullpen. In the end, it could be young players like Taijuan Walker, Ketel Marte and Tony Zych and their continued development that prove to be the difference.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

After a huge offseason that saw Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller added to the starting rotation, the Arizona Diamondbacks were dealt a huge blow over the weekend when it was announced that center fielder A.J. Pollock has a fractured elbow.

"It's frustrating because how amazing I feel like our team is, and they're still going to be great," Pollock said, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com.

There's no timetable for his return, but he is hoping to be back in 2016.

Someone will now need to fill in offensively to help Paul Goldschmidt and David Peralta shoulder the load offensively, but there's no replacing Pollock, who was a 7.4 WAR player a year ago.

That injury is enough to bump the Diamondbacks to third among the trio of NL West contenders, but this team is still capable of making noise with its improved pitching staff and the best hitter in the National League in Goldschmidt.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

Remember, we're ranking teams based on where they stand at this very moment, and after an injury-riddled spring training, the Los Angeles Dodgers are left looking like a middle-of-the-pack team to begin the year.

The big storyline following the loss of Zack Greinke in free agency was that this year's team would actually be in a better position thanks to improved starting pitching depth. But when the dust settled on the preseason, it's unproven 26-year-old Ross Stripling rounding out the rotation.

If Yasiel Puig bounces back...if Kenta Maeda makes an impact...if Corey Seager lives up to lofty expectations...if Joc Pederson plays like he did in the first half last year...there are simply too many ifs tied to the Dodgers' hopes of contending for another NL West title right now for them to rank any higher.

However, there's still the potential for this to be a top-10 team if things fall into place.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

On the strength of the best starting rotation in the American League and a subtly improved offense, the Cleveland Indians should be able to make some noise in the AL Central and AL wild-card races this season.

In a somewhat surprising decision, Trevor Bauer will begin the year in the bullpen and Cody Anderson will be slotted alongside Josh Tomlin at the back of the rotation. Then again, Anderson went 7-3 with a 3.05 ERA and 1.106 WHIP in 15 starts as a rookie last year, so he's by no means an unknown.

While the team patiently awaits the return of Michael Brantley from offseason shoulder surgery, it'll rely on newcomers Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, Marlon Byrd and Juan Uribe to help provide an offensive spark.

Rookie Tyler Naquin could also help jump-start the offensive attack after winning the starting center field job on the strength of a .397 average and 10 extra-base hits this spring.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The New York Yankees didn't spend a dime in free agency, but they did add a trio of potential impact players via trade in Aroldis Chapman, Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks.

After ranking second in the majors in runs scored last year, the offense looks to be in good shape once again as long as they can avoid injury.

Jacoby Ellsbury (.220 BA, .593 OPS) and Brett Gardner (.206 BA, .592 OPS) are both looking to rebound from dreadful second-half performances, and Alex Rodriguez will try to fight off Father Time for another year.

It's the starting rotation that will determine how good this Yankees team can be, as there's a ton of upside on their staff but an equal share of bust potential. At the very least, Luis Severino will need to take that next step forward, and both Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda will need to stay healthy.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

There was no shortage of storylines in Boston Red Sox camp this spring, but the two big takeaways are the knee injury that will sideline Eduardo Rodriguez to start the year and the team's decision to go with Travis Shaw over Pablo Sandoval at third base.

Rodriguez turned heads as a rookie when he went 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA and 1.290 WHIP over 21 starts, and the hope was that he could emerge as a solid No. 2 behind David Price in the rotation.

A knee injury has him on the DL to begin the year, though, and he's expected to be out until mid-May, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.

As for the third base battle, Shaw (.338 BA, .887 OPS) deserved the job over an out-of-shape Sandoval (.204 BA, .639 OPS) based on spring performance, and perhaps that will light a fire under the guy the team paid $95 million for last winter.

The additions of Price and Craig Kimbrel to the pitching staff and the continued emergence of Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts as bona fide stars should make the Red Sox a significantly improved team in 2016.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The Pittsburgh Pirates bested the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 on Opening Day behind a terrific start from Francisco Liriano, who struck out 10 and allowed just three hits over six scoreless innings of work to earn the victory.

Jon Niese, Juan Nicasio, Ryan Vogelsong, Kyle Lobstein, Cory Luebke and Neftali Feliz are all newcomers to a pitching staff that ranked second in the majors with a 3.21 ERA last year, and that personnel transition will go a long way in determining how good this team can be in 2016.

Nicasio could be the real X-factor in that group, as he struck out 24 over 15 scoreless innings of work in spring training to push his way into the starting rotation. At any rate, top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon are expected to factor into the pitching staff at some point as well.

Of course, the team is also waiting on the return of Jung Ho Kang from the leg injury he suffered in September, and the addition of David Freese on a one-year, $3 million deal to serve as a stopgap will give them plenty of flexibility once Kang is back in the lineup.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

No team was a bigger disappointment in 2015 than the Washington Nationals, who were the odds-on favorite to win the World Series after adding Max Scherzer to a rotation that was already one of the best in baseball.

A rash of injuries to key players and a healthy amount of underperforming from the rotation left them on the outside looking in when the playoffs rolled around, but there's still a ton of talent on this team and a new hand on the wheel in manager Dusty Baker.

Daniel Murphy, Ben Revere and a foursome of relievers headlined the team's offseason additions, but the biggest addition could be a healthy Anthony Rendon. The 25-year-old finished fifth in NL MVP voting in 2014, but injuries limited him to just 80 games last year.

With a revamped bullpen, a healthy lineup and prospects like Lucas Giolito and Trea Turner ready to provide second-half reinforcements, there's a lot to like about the Nationals once again this year. It's just a matter of whether they can turn talent into wins.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

I'm admittedly higher on Detroit than most, but after the Tigers added Justin Upton to an already talented lineup, signed Jordan Zimmermann to bolster the rotation and finally addressed the bullpen, there's no ignoring that they're a vastly improved team.

Victor Martinez (.245 BA, .667 OPS) and Anibal Sanchez (10-10, 4.99 ERA) are both coming off of rough seasons, but they are still capable of star-caliber production. Rebound seasons from those two could prove equally impactful.

Then there are young players like James McCann, Nick Castellanos and Daniel Norris—who will eventually join the rotation once he's recovered from a spine injury—who are capable of taking a step forward.

Everyone in the AL Central is chasing the defending champion Kansas City Royals for now, but expect the Tigers to be in the playoff mix after falling to the cellar a year ago.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

It was just one game, but a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates where they managed just five hits and didn't score their lone run until the ninth inning was not exactly what the St. Louis Cardinals wanted to see out of an offense that has been questioned all offseason.

No matter how you slice it, second-year outfielders Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk are going to have to improve offensively, especially with Jhonny Peralta sidelined until midseason with a thumb injury.

That being said, this is a Cardinals team that led the majors with a 2.94 team ERA last season without ace Adam Wainwright for most of the year, and pitching is once again going to be its strength.

Top-to-bottom, the Cardinals' starting rotation may be better than any team's outside of the New York Mets. While they still need someone to step into the right-handed setup role, the bullpen looks strong once again as well.

Remember, this was a 100-win team in 2015, and there's a reason it's been to the playoffs in 12 of the past 16 seasons.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

Opting against simply relying on their even-year magic to continue, the San Francisco Giants had a busy offseason as they added Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to the starting rotation and Denard Span to the top of the lineup.

There was an obvious need for reliable starting pitching behind Madison Bumgarner last year, and a move back to the National League and a pitcher-friendly park should benefit both Cueto and Samardzija, who are more than capable of being front-line arms.

As for Span, he played in only 61 games last season while battling a hip injury that eventually required surgery, and that took a significant bite out of his free-agent value, as he wound up signing a three-year, $31 million deal. If he's back to 100 percent and stays that way, he could be the steal of the winter.

Hunter Pence and Matt Cain also fall under the category of injury question marks. While the team does have a viable replacement for Cain in Chris Heston, keeping Pence on the field will be key.

To that point, the Giants were 34-18 (.654) with Pence in the lineup last year, compared to 50-60 (.455) without him.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The Houston Astros' big offseason addition came at the back of the bullpen when they sent a package of five players to the Philadelphia Phillies for closer Ken Giles. He could make a world of difference anchoring a bullpen that was still a weakness at times last year despite vast improvement.

However, an equally big impact could come in the form of a healthy season from George Springer, a full season of deadline-addition Carlos Gomez and two extra months of Carlos Correa, who debuted last June.

Tyler White won the first base battle this spring after hitting .353 with three home runs and 12 RBI, but top prospect A.J. Reed will likely debut in 2016.

Aside from their propensity to strike out, there's no clear weakness on this Astros club, and that didn't stop them from making the playoffs a year ago. The Texas Rangers are the team to beat in the AL West to open the year, but that may not be the case for long.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

A red-hot 41-22 finish to the season earned the Texas Rangers the AL West title last year, and they appear to be in good position to defend their crown with one of the most complete rosters in baseball.

Adding Ian Desmond to play left field means they won't need to rely on anything from Josh Hamilton, a good approach given his injury history and general ineffectiveness over the past few seasons.

That was the only major addition to the roster this offseason, but getting Yu Darvish back healthy and having Cole Hamels for a full season will make a world of difference for a starting rotation that has been a revolving door the past few seasons due to injury.

Offensively, a healthy Adrian Beltre should improve on what were diminished power numbers a year ago, while 22-year-old Rougned Odor has the tools to be one of the breakout stars of 2016 after turning heads in the postseason.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

Despite a late-game rally, the New York Mets dropped their opener to the Kansas City Royals by a score of 4-3 as Matt Harvey took the loss with eight hits and four runs (three earned) allowed over 5.2 innings.

Subpar first start from Harvey aside, the Mets starting rotation still appears to be the best in baseball by a wide margin, and it will only get better once Zack Wheeler returns from Tommy John surgery around midseason.

It was the offense that was an issue for much of last season until the Mets acquired Yoenis Cespedes and others at the trade deadline. Finding a way to re-sign Cespedes this winter solidified the Mets as favorites in the NL East and legitimate contenders to defend their NL pennant.

Keeping David Wright healthy remains a priority, but the additions of Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera have given the team enough infield depth that they are better prepared to be without Wright for extended time this year.

If there's one player to point to as a potential X-factor, it's outfielder Michael Conforto, who posted an .841 OPS over 194 plate appearances as a rookie. He's capable of emerging as an impact middle-of-the-order bat in his second season.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The Kansas City Royals proudly raised their World Series flag to kick off the season on Sunday Night Baseball, then went out and bested the New York Mets once again with a 4-3 victory behind a terrific start by Edinson Volquez.

With essentially the same lineup and a bullpen expected to be a strength once again despite the struggles of Joakim Soria on Sunday, it's Volquez and the rest of the rotation who will determine just how good the Royals can be.

Chris Young earned a full-time spot on the staff after serving as a swingman much of last season, and a fully healthy Kris Medlen joins him after splitting time between starting and relieving last year.

Those two join newcomer Ian Kennedy, who will eat up innings if nothing else, and flamethrower Yordano Ventura, who struggled at times last year but looked like an ace in going 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA over his final 11 regular-season starts.

There's no overlooking the Royals this time around, and while they may not be the World Series favorites, they're still as dangerous as any team in baseball if they can make it to October.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

The Toronto Blue Jays were simply on another level offensively last season, averaging 5.5 runs per game and scoring 127 more runs than any other team in baseball.

There's no reason to think things will be any different this year. With a full season of Troy Tulowitzki (assuming he stays healthy) and Michael Saunders taking over in left field, they could potentially be even more dangerous.

So with the offense obviously stacked, the question is whether or not they have the pitching to be considered serious World Series contenders after losing deadline pickup David Price in free agency.

Marcus Stroman now takes over as staff ace, and he was brilliant in the opener with eight strong innings. R.A. Dickey, J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez and, once he's healthy, Marco Estrada make up the rest of the staff. While it may not look great on paper, it's a group capable of being above average. That may be all they need in front of that offense.

Adding Drew Storen, Jesse Chavez, Franklin Morales and Gavin Floyd to the bullpen also gives them an added dimension. Storen is a viable closer option if something happens to Roberto Osuna, while Floyd and Chavez are both capable of going multiple innings or even starting if need be.

Opening Day Roster

Team Outlook

Already arguably the best team in baseball on paper heading into the offseason, the Chicago Cubs added Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey in free agency and immediately became the favorites to win it all in 2016.

That's a tall order for a franchise that hasn't hoisted the trophy since 1908 and is heavily reliant on a core of young position players, but it's impossible to ignore just how much talent the Cubs have assembled three years removed from a 96-loss season.

Adding Heyward and Zobrist gives a lineup prone to striking out a pair of solid on-base threats, while Lackey is the proven No. 3 starter the team was lacking when the playoffs rolled around a year ago.

The decision to re-sign Dexter Fowler means manager Joe Maddon will have his hands full trying to find enough playing for both Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler, not to mention Javier Baez who is expected to serve in a super utility role, but it's a good problem to have.

The Cubs arrived a year ahead of schedule last season and surprised some people, but it's a completely different ballgame being the favorites and having that target on their backs from Day 1. How they handle that pressure will determine just how good they can be, and the calming influence of Maddon at the helm will go a long way.

Opening Day Roster

All regular-season stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, while spring stats come via MLB.com.