1 Red Flag for Every MLB Team Heading into Opening Day 2022
The eve of any given Major League Baseball season is perhaps the only time of the year when fans of all teams can feel optimistic. It takes a special kind of ghoul to want to rain on their parades.
Well, we're feeling ghoulish today.
Rather than indulge anyone's optimism, we're going to point out one red flag for all 30 MLB teams ahead of Opening Day on Thursday. For contenders, these are points of concern that threaten to undercut their quests to win games. For non-contenders, we more so considered things that threaten their watchability.
We'll go division by division, starting in the American League East and ending in the National League West.
American League East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: Their Top Prospects Need More Time
This simply has to be the year when the end of the Orioles' rebuild comes into sight. That might have happened as soon as Opening Day if top prospects Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez had made the team out of spring training, but the former is recovering from a triceps strain and the latter is bound for Triple-A Norfolk. Far from the end of the world, of course, but a bummer nonetheless.
Boston Red Sox: The Pitching Already Looks Thin
After shopping in the bargain bin for pitching during the hot stove season, the Red Sox didn't look especially strong on the mound even coming into spring training. They then found out that ace left-hander Chris Sale is hurt again, this time with a rib injury that landed him on the 60-day injured list. Meanwhile, Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta were really Boston's only reliable arms during the exhibition season.
New York Yankees: Luis Severino Remains a Question Mark
Speaking of brand-name contenders with pitching issues, a No. 2 starter to slot behind Gerrit Cole is one of the things the Yankees neglected to add during the offseason. They were perhaps hoping Severino would fill that role from within, but he's barely pitched since 2019 and he remains a question mark even now. His spring was marked by an 8.22 ERA, arm soreness and intentionally reduced velocity.
Tampa Bay Rays: Their Lineup Was Looking Good
Unless the Rays can turn Isaac Paredes into a 30-homer slugger, they intentionally downgraded their offense when they acquired him from the Detroit Tigers for Austin Meadows on Monday. The pressure is more so on top prospect Josh Lowe to pick up the slack. If it takes him time to get going after hitting .190 during the spring, the Rays could lose crucial ground in what should be a nasty fight for the AL East crown.
Toronto Blue Jays: The Bullpen Still Looks Shaky
Good news, Blue Jays fans. At 12.1 percent, FanGraphs has your team's chances of winning the World Series as the best in the American League. Coming into spring training, though, there was room for doubt about how much the bullpen would aid that effort. With closer Jordan Romano dealing with a sprained ankle and would-be swingman Nate Pearson recovering from an illness, even more so now.
American League Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: Lance Lynn Is Already Injured Again
Even after all the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers did to catch up to them, the White Sox are still the favorites to win the AL Central again. Yet that has a lot to do with the strength of a starting rotation that is, well, less strong now after what happened to Lynn on Tuesday. The ace right-hander had surgery on the same knee that bothered him in 2021. This time, it could sideline him for two months.
Cleveland Guardians: The Offense Looks Mighty Suspect
This blurb was originally about Jose Ramirez's slow-moving extension talks, but so much for that now that he and the Guardians have a five-year, $124 million agreement in place, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Yet retaining Ramirez for the long haul doesn't mean much for the immediate future of Cleveland's offense, which was subpar in 2021 and then got no new members of note over the winter.
Detroit Tigers: Not the Best First Impression for Javier Baez
Even if they don't return to the playoffs, the Tigers might salvage a winning season if top prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene and newcomers like Meadows, Eduardo Rodriguez and Javier Baez come through in 2022. Yet the Tigers didn't get an early indication that Baez will be up to it offensively. The infamously free-swinging shortstop went 7-for-34 with neither a walk nor a home run in spring training.
Kansas City Royals: They Looked Half-Great During the Spring
The Royals having a solid spring seems like an annual rite of passage, and so it went this year as they won eight of their 16 exhibitions. Their league-best .931 OPS underscores how there should be excitement about an offense that's going to feature top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. Yet that offense will only be good for so much if the pitching is also there, so its league-worst 6.70 ERA during the spring isn't the best omen.
Minnesota Twins: The Injury Bug Still Has It Out for Alex Kirilloff
Elsewhere on the topic of exciting offenses, duos don't get much more dynamic than Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton and Minnesota's projected starting nine doesn't really let up after them. Kirilloff, however, has already run into injury trouble in the form of knee soreness. At least it's not his wrist this time, but it's still not an ideal situation for a player who has serious breakout potential if healthy.
American League West
3 of 6
Houston Astros: They Can't Withstand Any Pitching Injuries
It's hard to believe that Houston's rotation featured Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke just three years ago. But now the latter two are gone, and Verlander is a 39-year-old who's made exactly one start over the last two years because of Tommy John surgery. With Lance McCullers Jr. also slow to recover from a flexor tendon issue, Houston's once-vaunted rotation is a house of cards going into 2022.
Los Angeles Angels: Anybody Seen Mike Trout?
Storylines aplenty came out of Angels camp, including Shohei Ohtani doing Shohei Ohtani things, Jo Adell teasing a breakout and Justin Upton getting DFA'd. Trout, on the other hand, wasn't really heard from. It's arguably good enough that he's fully recovered from last year's calf strain, but a 4-for-18 showing with no home runs isn't exactly the spark that the Angels wanted to see from him this spring.
Oakland Athletics: Oh, Come On
Seriously, you want us to pick just one red flag for the A's? Impossible. Per FanGraphs, five of their eight best players from 2021 are gone now. Perhaps the only question is how much longer the other three—Frankie Montas, Sean Murphy and Tony Kemp—will stick around in their own right. If any or all of them do indeed leave, an already very bad team will get even worse.
Seattle Mariners: Ken Giles' Return Will Have to Wait
The Mariners were plenty fun in 2021. In 2022, they might even snap their 20-season playoff drought if new additions like Robbie Ray and Jesse Winker and top prospects like Julio Rodriguez all pan out as well as they should. They were also hoping to have Giles closing games after he missed 2021 due to Tommy John surgery, but that will have to wait for at least a couple weeks as he recovers from a finger injury.
Texas Rangers: Not the Best First Impression for Corey Seager and Marcus Semien
It's doubtful that the Rangers will be good after losing 102 games in 2021, but they'll at least be watchable if Seager and Semien live up to their contracts. They will if they hit like they did last season, but they didn't take an encouraging on-ramp to that eventuality this spring. They collected 13 hits in 65 at-bats between them, with Seager striking out seven times against just one walk.
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National League East
4 of 6
Atlanta: That Outfield Could Really Use Ronald Acuna Jr.
Though the division looks deeper than it was in 2021, Atlanta is still positioned as the team to beat in the NL East. Yet the defending champs are poised to open the season with something of a Franken-outfield, particularly if Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario take a while to break out of their spring slumps. But as much as Acuna would help things, Atlanta must also be careful not to rush his recovery from a torn ACL.
Miami Marlins: The Offense Remains a Question Mark
The Marlins ranked second-to-last in runs per game in 2021. Yet rather than rush to sign one or two heavy hitters, they hedged and added two notoriously streaky batsmen: Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler. Even if those gambles may yet pay off, it's not the best sign that they couldn't prevent the Marlins from being the worst offensive team of the spring to the tune of an MLB-low .665 OPS.
New York Mets: The Injury Scares Have Already Started
Though the Mets looked good on paper coming into spring training, it was also no secret that their roster came with more injury vulnerability than most. Especially on the mound, where their starting pitchers are decidedly on the older and more fragile sides. So, go figure that Jacob deGrom is already out with a bad shoulder and that fellow ace Max Scherzer has a rickety wheel by way of a tight hamstring.
Philadelphia Phillies: The Defensive Doubts Aren't Going Away
The Phillies were a lousy defensive team in 2021, racking up minus-20 outs above average to rank 24th in baseball. But by signing Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, you might say they committed to the bit. Manager Joe Girardi may think the team's defense will be just fine. But both on paper and in reality, it sure doesn't look like that will be the case.
Washington Nationals: Their Spring Training Has Been Just...[Cringe]
Nationals fans are advised to look over here, where we have Juan Soto ranked as the best player in all of baseball. Give it a good long look. Yeah, keep looking. Because the longer you look, the less likely you are to remember that the team lost 97 games in 2021 and subsequently went just 4-11 and was notably the butt of a 29-8 drubbing during the spring.
National League Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: The Rotation Could Be a Problem
There were others as well, but the Cubs rotation was certainly one of the bigger reasons why the team lost 91 games in 2021. It ranked dead-last in the National League in rWAR. It was fair to expect better things going into spring training, but then Kyle Hendricks pitched to a 9.53 ERA and Wade Miley developed inflammation in his left elbow. So, not great.
Cincinnati Reds: Luis Castillo's Stock Has Already Fallen
That was a decent team the Reds had last year, but they've since gone the way of the A's and parted ways with four of their eight best players. It'll be a sort of mercy whenever Castillo goes next, but that moment is on hold while he deals with right shoulder soreness. The longer he takes to fully recover, the more the Reds could be wishing they had cashed him in while they had the chance.
Milwaukee Brewers: Christian Yelich Still Looks Lost
The Brewers didn't need Yelich at his best to win 95 games and the NL Central title in 2021, yet the 2018 NL MVP's fall from grace was nonetheless visible throughout. Particularly, of course, as the team scored only six runs in the NLDS in a losing effort against Atlanta. In lieu of teasing a much-needed rebound, Yelich instead kept right on slumping as he went 8-for-30 with no home runs during the spring.
Pittsburgh Pirates: The People Wanted Oneil Cruz, Darn It
The Pirates are going to be awful in 2022, but they might have thrown their fans a bone by giving Cruz the same treatment that Lowe, Torkelson, Witt and Rodriguez have gotten elsewhere. That is, a spot on the Opening Day roster. But even though the slugging shortstop was putting on a show in spring training, the Pirates instead optioned him to the minors. It sure looks like a blatant case of service-time manipulation.
St. Louis Cardinals: Their Pitching Depth Is Already Being Tested
That's a good-looking team the Cardinals have. We especially like the defense, which was excellent in 2021 and right there again this spring. Yet the team's iffy pitching depth couldn't be ignored even going into spring training, and now ace starter Jack Flaherty and closer Alex Reyes are both recovering from shoulder injuries. What they say about how you can never have enough pitching will never not be true.
National League West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: They're Already Down a Key Regular
After a 110-loss season in 2021, the Diamondbacks are only going to contend in 2022 if literally everything and then a few more things go right. Their spring was not a positive sign, particularly where Nick Ahmed is concerned. The Gold Glove-winning shortstop came into camp hoping to break free of the shoulder problems that have bothered him in the past, but the opposite happened instead.
Colorado Rockies: This Will Only Work if Kris Bryant Is a Superstar
Even after adding Bryant as part of a last-minute shopping spree, the Rockies still have the National League's worst odds (0.3 percent) of making the playoffs in 2022. Those odds could tick up a bit if Bryant turns the clock back to his MVP-winning season of 2016, but he simply hasn't looked like that guy in recent seasons. Ditto for this spring, in which he notably posted a goose egg in the home run column.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger Still Isn't Hitting
As soon as the Dodgers signed Freddie Freeman, it was possible to see their lineup chasing all-time greatness in 2022. Especially, that is, if the MVP-winning version of Bellinger from 2019 shows up again. Yet that guy has been nowhere to be found over the last two seasons, and so it went this spring as he went just 5-for-36 with no home runs and 18 (!) strikeouts. But, hey, at least he found a stance he likes.
San Diego Padres: Injuries Are Already a Concern Again
Of all the things that caused the Padres to fall short of expectations in 2021, one that shouldn't be forgotten is all the trouble they had with injuries. To wit, they lost more days to the injured list than any other team. This spring unfortunately brought more of the same. Mike Clevinger has a knee injury and superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. will be out three months with a broken wrist.
San Francisco Giants: Their Aging Lineup Is Already Down a Man
Why were the Giants good enough to win 107 games in 2021? Lots of reasons, but largely because they squeezed a shocking amount of production out of their 30-and-over hitters. They'll need to do so again in 2022, which is arguably an unlikely feat just on its face. With slugging third baseman Evan Longoria now sidelined with a finger injury, it certainly hasn't become more likely since the start of the spring.
Spring stats courtesy of MLB.com. Other stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.
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