Post-Free Agency Power Rankings
Feb 9, 2024 22:54:37 GMT -5
Orioles GM (Michael), Astros GM (Will), and 2 more like this
Post by Ken Rosenthal on Feb 9, 2024 22:54:37 GMT -5
Free agency has come and gone. The draft is underway. Teams are starting to size each other up and ponder their chances at winning the coveted BKDB World Series Championship. Here's where we stand with under two months to go before the start of the season.
Tier 1: The Favorite
Baltimore Orioles
Keep flying the banner. The Orioles easily have the highest projection heading into 2024. As the defending champions, they'll have a target on their back throughout the 2024 season. If they could add one more starting pitcher and upgrade 1B from Ty France, this would be my highest projected team ever entering a season.
Tier 2: The Contenders
Washington Nationals
Seattle Mariners
Chicago White Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
The best challengers to Baltimore this season. The Nationals are as deep as anyone and can add much more through the later rounds of the draft. Best depth in the rotation and bench in the league. Hard not to see them as the clear favorite in the National League. Seattle doesn't look quite as unbeatable in years past, but is still a clear World Series contender. I'd like to see 2B upgraded from Donovan Solano. Chicago would be my second highest projected team if they had someone to plug in at first base. They're right there. Toronto is just solid across the board. I'd love to see them get aggressive and go after a high-end bat.
Tier 3: Probably Playoff Bound
Milwaukee Brewers
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Arizona Diamondbacks
These teams are a clip above the rest of the teams seriously contending for the post-season at this point in the off-season. Milwaukee has Mookie Betts and a filled out roster. I'd like to see them add an arm to the rotation. They're a trade or two away from being the clear best threat to Washington in the National League. Colorado spent big in free agency and looks poised to make a leap up from 2023. The NL West is tough to project once again. They could use some bullpen depth. Detroit could definitely win the AL Central. They need to upgrade at C from Bethancourt, and Rojas should be improved upon at 3B. Arizona will be in the thick of the NL West race. I think the UT slot and bullpen could use improvement.
Tier 4: On the Bubble
San Francisco Giants
St. Louis Cardinals
New York Mets
Houston Astros
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Miami Marlins
Los Angeles Angels
Cleveland Guardians
Los Angeles Dodgers
Oakland Athletics
Only twelve teams make the playoffs. And by my count, we're already at nine before this tier. There's going to be a LOT of disappointed teams come August. The Giants are my favorite of this bunch. Love the moves the new GM is making. Rotation is THIN though. Will be right in the NL West mix. Cardinals are a step back from last season. They could use an arm and 1B upgrade to take a leap up. Could challenge for the NL Central. New York has finally arrived. Segura is terrible at 3B, but otherwise the lineup is good. One more arm would be great in the rotation. Would love to see a new team like the Mets in the playoffs. They haven't made it since 2012. Houston looks like the second best team in the AL West for now. They need to address the top of the rotation. I think Will finds a way to get this team into the post-season. The Cubs won 15 games last season, but appear likely to take a major step back. They have no one at catcher, and could use another rotation arm. The Reds have been cap strapped for forever, and are currently without a third baseman or third outfielder. You aren't making the playoffs without those. Miami has a filled out roster, but it's pretty vanilla. They need a high end starter for the rotation. The Angels are yet again without a second and third baseman. As good as your rotation may be, you won't find yourself in the playoffs without those. Even a guy ranked 20-30 at the position for each spot would vault them up this tier. Cleveland's magic may have run out. I love that they're still going for it though. Need to fill out the rotation more. The Dodgers got a wild card last year after a long playoff drought, but they're no lock to make it back to back years. They don't have a middle infield right now, which is really holding their projection down. Oakland is the lowest projected team in this tier, but the upside is exciting. A well below average rotation and thin bullpen is holding them back, but they have the sixth highest projected lineup.
Tier 5: No Man's Land
New York Yankees
Atlanta Braves
San Diego Padres
Texas Rangers
Tampa Bay Rays
They're not full on tanking. And they're not making the playoffs. So... yeah. The Yankees have had some drastic swings, but appear to be hunkering down towards a rebuild. Let's hope they commit to it. The playoff drought in the Bronx is at six years. Atlanta... is the epitome of this tier. I really want the Braves to be GREAT. We just haven't seen it. They need a rotation. San Diego appears headed for a rebuild, probably a good decision with where the NL West is at. I expect to see some trades, and for the Padres to drop to the bottom tier by the next update. Texas has the second worst projected rotation in the league, even behind teams clearly tanking. That's why they're down here. The Rangers have some nice building blocks, but not nearly enough to hope for the 2024 playoffs. Tampa Bay belongs in the bottom tier, but I put them up here because they've been a bottom tier team for... five seasons now. Eventually, the rebuild becomes no man's land. Would love to see more aggressive moves.
Tier 6: See You In 2025
Philadelphia Phillies
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Pittsburgh Pirates
Boston Red Sox
The Phillies have a higher projection than half the teams in the tier above, but they know this isn't their year and are committing towards this reshaping of the roster. They need to start focusing on building out a rotation over the summer if they're going to seriously try for the 2025 playoffs. Minnesota looks to be in rebuild mode. I'd like to see them ship off Machado and Darvish as soon as possible. Kansas City is a clear seller. They have the league's worst rotation. Bregman should be on the move in a month or two. Pittsburgh is the most aggressive rebuilding team in the league right now. Excited to see it come to fruition... someday. Boston has the league's worst offense... and they have Shohei Ohtani, which shows you just how awful the rest of the lineup is. Fortunately, a young rotation is just starting to take shape. But they're not close yet.
KR
Tier 1: The Favorite
Baltimore Orioles
Keep flying the banner. The Orioles easily have the highest projection heading into 2024. As the defending champions, they'll have a target on their back throughout the 2024 season. If they could add one more starting pitcher and upgrade 1B from Ty France, this would be my highest projected team ever entering a season.
Tier 2: The Contenders
Washington Nationals
Seattle Mariners
Chicago White Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
The best challengers to Baltimore this season. The Nationals are as deep as anyone and can add much more through the later rounds of the draft. Best depth in the rotation and bench in the league. Hard not to see them as the clear favorite in the National League. Seattle doesn't look quite as unbeatable in years past, but is still a clear World Series contender. I'd like to see 2B upgraded from Donovan Solano. Chicago would be my second highest projected team if they had someone to plug in at first base. They're right there. Toronto is just solid across the board. I'd love to see them get aggressive and go after a high-end bat.
Tier 3: Probably Playoff Bound
Milwaukee Brewers
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Arizona Diamondbacks
These teams are a clip above the rest of the teams seriously contending for the post-season at this point in the off-season. Milwaukee has Mookie Betts and a filled out roster. I'd like to see them add an arm to the rotation. They're a trade or two away from being the clear best threat to Washington in the National League. Colorado spent big in free agency and looks poised to make a leap up from 2023. The NL West is tough to project once again. They could use some bullpen depth. Detroit could definitely win the AL Central. They need to upgrade at C from Bethancourt, and Rojas should be improved upon at 3B. Arizona will be in the thick of the NL West race. I think the UT slot and bullpen could use improvement.
Tier 4: On the Bubble
San Francisco Giants
St. Louis Cardinals
New York Mets
Houston Astros
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Miami Marlins
Los Angeles Angels
Cleveland Guardians
Los Angeles Dodgers
Oakland Athletics
Only twelve teams make the playoffs. And by my count, we're already at nine before this tier. There's going to be a LOT of disappointed teams come August. The Giants are my favorite of this bunch. Love the moves the new GM is making. Rotation is THIN though. Will be right in the NL West mix. Cardinals are a step back from last season. They could use an arm and 1B upgrade to take a leap up. Could challenge for the NL Central. New York has finally arrived. Segura is terrible at 3B, but otherwise the lineup is good. One more arm would be great in the rotation. Would love to see a new team like the Mets in the playoffs. They haven't made it since 2012. Houston looks like the second best team in the AL West for now. They need to address the top of the rotation. I think Will finds a way to get this team into the post-season. The Cubs won 15 games last season, but appear likely to take a major step back. They have no one at catcher, and could use another rotation arm. The Reds have been cap strapped for forever, and are currently without a third baseman or third outfielder. You aren't making the playoffs without those. Miami has a filled out roster, but it's pretty vanilla. They need a high end starter for the rotation. The Angels are yet again without a second and third baseman. As good as your rotation may be, you won't find yourself in the playoffs without those. Even a guy ranked 20-30 at the position for each spot would vault them up this tier. Cleveland's magic may have run out. I love that they're still going for it though. Need to fill out the rotation more. The Dodgers got a wild card last year after a long playoff drought, but they're no lock to make it back to back years. They don't have a middle infield right now, which is really holding their projection down. Oakland is the lowest projected team in this tier, but the upside is exciting. A well below average rotation and thin bullpen is holding them back, but they have the sixth highest projected lineup.
Tier 5: No Man's Land
New York Yankees
Atlanta Braves
San Diego Padres
Texas Rangers
Tampa Bay Rays
They're not full on tanking. And they're not making the playoffs. So... yeah. The Yankees have had some drastic swings, but appear to be hunkering down towards a rebuild. Let's hope they commit to it. The playoff drought in the Bronx is at six years. Atlanta... is the epitome of this tier. I really want the Braves to be GREAT. We just haven't seen it. They need a rotation. San Diego appears headed for a rebuild, probably a good decision with where the NL West is at. I expect to see some trades, and for the Padres to drop to the bottom tier by the next update. Texas has the second worst projected rotation in the league, even behind teams clearly tanking. That's why they're down here. The Rangers have some nice building blocks, but not nearly enough to hope for the 2024 playoffs. Tampa Bay belongs in the bottom tier, but I put them up here because they've been a bottom tier team for... five seasons now. Eventually, the rebuild becomes no man's land. Would love to see more aggressive moves.
Tier 6: See You In 2025
Philadelphia Phillies
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Pittsburgh Pirates
Boston Red Sox
The Phillies have a higher projection than half the teams in the tier above, but they know this isn't their year and are committing towards this reshaping of the roster. They need to start focusing on building out a rotation over the summer if they're going to seriously try for the 2025 playoffs. Minnesota looks to be in rebuild mode. I'd like to see them ship off Machado and Darvish as soon as possible. Kansas City is a clear seller. They have the league's worst rotation. Bregman should be on the move in a month or two. Pittsburgh is the most aggressive rebuilding team in the league right now. Excited to see it come to fruition... someday. Boston has the league's worst offense... and they have Shohei Ohtani, which shows you just how awful the rest of the lineup is. Fortunately, a young rotation is just starting to take shape. But they're not close yet.
KR