Post Free Agency Power Rankings
Jan 11, 2016 22:51:07 GMT -5
Angels GM (Derrick) and Jeff (Former Rangers GM) like this
Post by Ken Rosenthal on Jan 11, 2016 22:51:07 GMT -5
NEW YORK - Ken Rosenthal here, reporting the first of many power rankings to come for the 2016 season. The Free Agency period has all but ended with pitcher Chien-Ming Wang finding a home as we near the middle of January. I'll have to say from an outsiders perspective this was one of the more bustling Free Agency periods in recent history... a good sign for the league for certain.
Although things always do change in the final months, weeks, and days before Opening Day via trading, the teams are somewhat set as the league heads into its sixth season.
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Group 6: The Next Year's Draft Prospects Fan Club
#30: New York Mets (30)
There aren't many positive things to say about the Mets at this point... except that they'll likely have a lot of draft picks again and will have a great farm system. Would have liked to see New York spend their money on a pitcher that isn't coming off an injury (Brandon McCarthy). But then again, they're in full blown rebuilding mode and big spending a pitcher might not be wise at this point.
#29: Toronto Blue Jays (29)
Two names: Jose Abreu and Yasmany Tomas. HUGE acquisitions for the team north of the border... but also a HUGE amount of money spent on the two sluggers, a combined $54 million. Both players are going to have a huge usage rate... perhaps above 50% combined?
#28: Chicago White Sox (25)
How can a team with some good young players and potential not get a single player in free agency?! I really thought they had a chance to become a middle of the pack team with the cap room they had. Can someone help me out with this one...? I'm at a loss. All hail Kris Bryant.
#27: Cleveland Indians (23)
There was a much needed change at the top, as long time GM Michael Terelli stepped down after many unsuccessful years in the AL Central. Unfortunately... it was after Free Agency was over, and Cleveland didn't really have a chance to improve themselves. Hopefully the Han-Ram trade pays off for them... they need a break.
#26: San Francisco Giants (28)
The Giants acquiring of nearly 2,000 points in Frazier, Upton, Cabrera, and Sabathia might suggest that the Giants are ending their rebuild early in search of competing in a difficult NL West as early as this season. However, the recent dealing of outfielder Alex Rios to Miami may suggest otherwise for the near future.
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Group 5: The So-So's... The Not-so-great's... the Okay's.
#25: St. Louis Cardinals (22)
Call me crazy for putting the team with Kershaw and Greinke this low, but if you look at the roster, what else is there? I think with the way this team is set up, a win only happens against a solid team if the four-headed monster of rotation goes off... big time. Condolences to the Cardinals for having to navigate free agency with the mystery of how much the two aces would go for.
#24: Colorado Rockies (26)
They added depth and improved the bullpen... but nothing big enough to convince us they'll be much better than last season. Somehow depth always seems to win you a few games... think the Atlanta Braves of the past few years. If anything, we get to watch Stephen Piscotty, who played out of his mind once getting called up last season.
#23: Seattle Mariners (21)
The rainy-city Mariners held onto outfielder Yasiel Puig and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, two musts for a team currently reliant on star power. Wisely, Seattle is slowly making a transition from relying on a few players to a more healthy deep team. It's going to take time though, and as a result Seattle will take a dip for a season or two.
#22: Boston Red Sox (29)
Meanwhile in Boston... the Red Sox added Jorge De La Rosa, Jason Hammel, Mat Latos, Jake Peavy to their rotation AND retained Ervin Santana. While the offense is still a work in progress, we can at least take this team a little more seriously this season. Bravo to the job this team did during free agency.
#21: Houston Astros (18)
I just don't think the Astros quite did enough so far this off-season... granted their resources are limited. At least they were able to cash in on their restriction tag to retain Cespedes. If they're shooting for another .500 season, they may very well get it, but something is going to have to change if this team wants to move to the next level.
#20: Atlanta Braves (20)
The story is the same in Atlanta, depth with not a lot of big names. The move to retain Morales at a low price was terrific, but I think a shake up is coming for the Braves after years of vacillating above and below .500 with no real "success"... which is a loose term I suppose.
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Group 4: The close yet still... kinda far.
#19: Minnesota Twins (24)
Two big grabs for the Twins in free agency, Edinson Volquez and Francisco Liriano. GM Austin is hoping to continue his success from one Central division to another. He'll have to keep making smart moves and drafting well to ensure the Twins regain their form from a few years back. Sleeper pick for the division perhaps...? Maybe?
#18: Kansas City Royals (17)
I got the chance to interview Bill... and the vibe I got from him is that this team is headed for a rebuild. That being said, a rebuild for Kansas City is different than a rebuild for other teams... because Warnke knows how to draft and the farm is already pretty deep. Mark Buerhle could be a sleeper signing... averaging almost 14 points a game per start last season.
#17: Baltimore Orioles (19)
The Orioles once again added a conglomeration of players... most that weren't seriously looked at by other teams. I suppose this surprises none of us, as Natelli annually renews his supply of one year deals on players with a small chance to make an impact. Perhaps this is the year that it finally pays off, and the Orioles have a big season. But perhaps not.
#16: Pittsburgh Pirates (13)
It kills to lose Jose Abreu in free agency... but the Blue Jay simply had more money. The Pirates have four players with contracts worth $19m or more, and Evan Longoria makes $11.5m. It's obvious that depth is going to be hard to come by, but at this point depth is what Pittsburgh needs in order to be a dominant team in the league.
#15: New York Yankees (12)
Don't get my wrong... I like this team, there's a lot to like. Brantley, Cruz, and Castillo will be a nice unit in the outfield. The rotation is suspect, and the lineup needs to be filled out a bit more for New York to have a chance at a Wild Card or even the division. Keeping Cueto and Rondon was priority number one though, and the Yanks did that.
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Group 3: The possible playoff participants.
#14: Milwaukee Brewers (16)
I like this team, and it's been awhile since anyone has said that of Milwaukee entering a season. They swiped Rodriguez straight from Los Angeles and added a lot of depth to the roster that's fairly young. As is with any young talent, I suppose it's hard to know exactly how good... or... how bad they could be, but I think Milwaukee has put themselves in a good position looking towards this season.
#13: Detroit Tigers (13)
Detroit lost Pagan and Burnett retired... and there wasn't any cap room to make any other improvements. I think the Tigers will still be formidable next season because of Wainwright and Wheeler getting back into the rotation. Those guys can pitch... and if they pitch really well I'm definitely ranking this team too low.
#12: Los Angeles Dodgers (11)
What's up with all the "two solid player adds" on this list... the Dodgers join it. David Peralta and Colby Lewis. Both are great adds for the other team from Los Angeles. In my humble but expert opinion, it's time for the Dodgers to make a couple moves to be a true, major contender in the National League.
#11: Texas Rangers (7)
The defending champs at #11?!? Yep. The Rangers lost a lot this off-season... and I don't think Jacoby Ellsbury is going to fix all of your problems. The rotation needs WORK. This isn't the 2013 juggernaut that disassembled the rest of the American League. Texas will need to make some upgrades if they want to seriously go for a repeat.
#10: Washington Nationals (15)
While free agency wasn't incredibly productive for Washington, trading has been. The entire lineup (with the exception of a third outfielder) averaged more than 2.4 fpg last season, and the rotation of five all averaged over 11.5 fpg. While I could see rotational depth being an issue here... the bullpen is deep and this team could be poised to possibly steal the division from Philadelphia. The Nationals will likely be overlooked based upon a lackluster 7-12 record last season, but watch out for the squad from the nation's capital.
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Group 2: The Contenders. They're for real.
#9: Chicago Cubs (9)
Cubs fans must be incredibly puzzled as to how a team that made the playoffs last season failed to spend any of its $60m in cap space in an attempt to improve the roster via free agency. Chicago must have some sort of mystery plan that we're unaware of, but you simply can't count them out. The Cubbies may not be all that much better than the Group 3 teams... but they have $60m to work with, a lot can improve with that amount of money.
#8: Oakland Athletics (8)
A solid free agency period for the last season's AL West Champs. They picked up Chase Headley and Dustin Pedroia to improve the offense and were able to keep their prized ace for a reasonable price... that's how it's done. Did everybody catch that one? Just want to make sure nobody missed that wording perfection that was just typed. Thank you.
#7: Cincinnati Reds (10)
Cincy won the division last year, but it's apparent this team needed a little extra to take the next step in a loaded National League. Colon and Pagan were nice adds, but I think there needs to be a little more. The skimpy rotation depth is perhaps what's scaring me. Modesty does not speak positively to the amount of starting pitchers a team should have.
#6: Philadelphia Phillies (6)
The Phils stellar bullpen is the only reason that I put them this far up in the contenders group. An incredible bullpen is an underrated asset in this league, and the Cody Allen/Kenley Jansen duo is phenomenal. This team could really just use a little more depth in the lineup in case somebody goes down. I mean... it's baseball. SOMEONE is going to go down.
#5: Arizona Diamondbacks (4)
Arizona lost a bit of depth this off-season... which is probably good because they had a simply unfair amount of it last year. The team has run a nearly flawless off-season and will likely be one nearly flawless team come April. It'll be extremely interesting to see which of San Diego and Arizona wins the division. Something tells me it may come down to one of the final weeks to see who gets the coveted first-round playoff bye.
#4: Miami Marlins (5)
The only reason why Miami jumped Arizona is because of the Luke Gregorson signing. What a fantastic steal at 4.3m?! I'm still astonished more teams didn't try to bid higher for Gregorson, who will be one of the biggest pieces of the Miami puzzle this season. Other than that signing, Miami stood pat, retained their restricted free agents, and should be a really good team again this season.
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Group 1: The Best of the Best
#3: Los Angeles Angels (2)
The Angels lost Justin Upton, Francisco Rodriguez, Jason Hammel, AND Jake Peavy this off-season. All the reason to worry right? Wrong. It's easy to forget that the best team is Los Angeles also has one of the best farm systems in the league. There's no question that when the Angels need to... if they need to, make a few deals to regain what they've lost they'll be able to. Which begs the question... how do you beat this team?
#2 Tampa Bay Rays (3)
Tampa gets the nod over Los Angeles thanks to San Francisco paying handsomely for the services of Justin Upton. Perhaps the Rays go find another solid bullpen arm... but wow, it's hard to find a flaw in this team. Alex Cobb returns to an already stellar rotation that contains Cole Hamels and Chris Archer at the top of the bunch. A little extra for the teams hoping to overcome the might Rays this season: top shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford is due to make his debut this season.
(Here's to hoping the end Rays season doesn't feel like their star third baseman Nolan Arenado likely did after this.)
#1 San Diego Padres (1)
Yes. They're still the best team in the league. Yes. They signed a great pitcher in Dan Haren away from the Cubs. Yes. They likely will win the National League again. Yes? They're possibly a favorite for the World Series title. Any more questions? No? Thank you.
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A very early Projected Playoff Bracket Projection
American League:
#1: Tampa Bay Rays
#2: Los Angeles Angels
#3: Detroit Tigers
#4: Oakland Athletics
#5: Texas Rangers
#6: New York Yankees
National League:
#1: San Diego Padres
#2: Miami Marlins
#3: Cincinnati Reds
#4: Arizona D'backs
#5: Philadelphia Phillies
#6: Chicago Cubs
Although things always do change in the final months, weeks, and days before Opening Day via trading, the teams are somewhat set as the league heads into its sixth season.
Take a seat, grab your favorite snack, and enjoy some opinionated writing on your team. Preview rankings will usually be noted in parenthesis... but being this is the first of the season, previous ranks will come from last year's power rankings. Get it? Got it? Good.
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Group 6: The Next Year's Draft Prospects Fan Club
#30: New York Mets (30)
There aren't many positive things to say about the Mets at this point... except that they'll likely have a lot of draft picks again and will have a great farm system. Would have liked to see New York spend their money on a pitcher that isn't coming off an injury (Brandon McCarthy). But then again, they're in full blown rebuilding mode and big spending a pitcher might not be wise at this point.
#29: Toronto Blue Jays (29)
Two names: Jose Abreu and Yasmany Tomas. HUGE acquisitions for the team north of the border... but also a HUGE amount of money spent on the two sluggers, a combined $54 million. Both players are going to have a huge usage rate... perhaps above 50% combined?
#28: Chicago White Sox (25)
How can a team with some good young players and potential not get a single player in free agency?! I really thought they had a chance to become a middle of the pack team with the cap room they had. Can someone help me out with this one...? I'm at a loss. All hail Kris Bryant.
#27: Cleveland Indians (23)
There was a much needed change at the top, as long time GM Michael Terelli stepped down after many unsuccessful years in the AL Central. Unfortunately... it was after Free Agency was over, and Cleveland didn't really have a chance to improve themselves. Hopefully the Han-Ram trade pays off for them... they need a break.
#26: San Francisco Giants (28)
The Giants acquiring of nearly 2,000 points in Frazier, Upton, Cabrera, and Sabathia might suggest that the Giants are ending their rebuild early in search of competing in a difficult NL West as early as this season. However, the recent dealing of outfielder Alex Rios to Miami may suggest otherwise for the near future.
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Group 5: The So-So's... The Not-so-great's... the Okay's.
#25: St. Louis Cardinals (22)
Call me crazy for putting the team with Kershaw and Greinke this low, but if you look at the roster, what else is there? I think with the way this team is set up, a win only happens against a solid team if the four-headed monster of rotation goes off... big time. Condolences to the Cardinals for having to navigate free agency with the mystery of how much the two aces would go for.
#24: Colorado Rockies (26)
They added depth and improved the bullpen... but nothing big enough to convince us they'll be much better than last season. Somehow depth always seems to win you a few games... think the Atlanta Braves of the past few years. If anything, we get to watch Stephen Piscotty, who played out of his mind once getting called up last season.
#23: Seattle Mariners (21)
The rainy-city Mariners held onto outfielder Yasiel Puig and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, two musts for a team currently reliant on star power. Wisely, Seattle is slowly making a transition from relying on a few players to a more healthy deep team. It's going to take time though, and as a result Seattle will take a dip for a season or two.
#22: Boston Red Sox (29)
Meanwhile in Boston... the Red Sox added Jorge De La Rosa, Jason Hammel, Mat Latos, Jake Peavy to their rotation AND retained Ervin Santana. While the offense is still a work in progress, we can at least take this team a little more seriously this season. Bravo to the job this team did during free agency.
#21: Houston Astros (18)
I just don't think the Astros quite did enough so far this off-season... granted their resources are limited. At least they were able to cash in on their restriction tag to retain Cespedes. If they're shooting for another .500 season, they may very well get it, but something is going to have to change if this team wants to move to the next level.
#20: Atlanta Braves (20)
The story is the same in Atlanta, depth with not a lot of big names. The move to retain Morales at a low price was terrific, but I think a shake up is coming for the Braves after years of vacillating above and below .500 with no real "success"... which is a loose term I suppose.
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Group 4: The close yet still... kinda far.
#19: Minnesota Twins (24)
Two big grabs for the Twins in free agency, Edinson Volquez and Francisco Liriano. GM Austin is hoping to continue his success from one Central division to another. He'll have to keep making smart moves and drafting well to ensure the Twins regain their form from a few years back. Sleeper pick for the division perhaps...? Maybe?
#18: Kansas City Royals (17)
I got the chance to interview Bill... and the vibe I got from him is that this team is headed for a rebuild. That being said, a rebuild for Kansas City is different than a rebuild for other teams... because Warnke knows how to draft and the farm is already pretty deep. Mark Buerhle could be a sleeper signing... averaging almost 14 points a game per start last season.
#17: Baltimore Orioles (19)
The Orioles once again added a conglomeration of players... most that weren't seriously looked at by other teams. I suppose this surprises none of us, as Natelli annually renews his supply of one year deals on players with a small chance to make an impact. Perhaps this is the year that it finally pays off, and the Orioles have a big season. But perhaps not.
#16: Pittsburgh Pirates (13)
It kills to lose Jose Abreu in free agency... but the Blue Jay simply had more money. The Pirates have four players with contracts worth $19m or more, and Evan Longoria makes $11.5m. It's obvious that depth is going to be hard to come by, but at this point depth is what Pittsburgh needs in order to be a dominant team in the league.
#15: New York Yankees (12)
Don't get my wrong... I like this team, there's a lot to like. Brantley, Cruz, and Castillo will be a nice unit in the outfield. The rotation is suspect, and the lineup needs to be filled out a bit more for New York to have a chance at a Wild Card or even the division. Keeping Cueto and Rondon was priority number one though, and the Yanks did that.
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Group 3: The possible playoff participants.
#14: Milwaukee Brewers (16)
I like this team, and it's been awhile since anyone has said that of Milwaukee entering a season. They swiped Rodriguez straight from Los Angeles and added a lot of depth to the roster that's fairly young. As is with any young talent, I suppose it's hard to know exactly how good... or... how bad they could be, but I think Milwaukee has put themselves in a good position looking towards this season.
#13: Detroit Tigers (13)
Detroit lost Pagan and Burnett retired... and there wasn't any cap room to make any other improvements. I think the Tigers will still be formidable next season because of Wainwright and Wheeler getting back into the rotation. Those guys can pitch... and if they pitch really well I'm definitely ranking this team too low.
#12: Los Angeles Dodgers (11)
What's up with all the "two solid player adds" on this list... the Dodgers join it. David Peralta and Colby Lewis. Both are great adds for the other team from Los Angeles. In my humble but expert opinion, it's time for the Dodgers to make a couple moves to be a true, major contender in the National League.
#11: Texas Rangers (7)
The defending champs at #11?!? Yep. The Rangers lost a lot this off-season... and I don't think Jacoby Ellsbury is going to fix all of your problems. The rotation needs WORK. This isn't the 2013 juggernaut that disassembled the rest of the American League. Texas will need to make some upgrades if they want to seriously go for a repeat.
#10: Washington Nationals (15)
While free agency wasn't incredibly productive for Washington, trading has been. The entire lineup (with the exception of a third outfielder) averaged more than 2.4 fpg last season, and the rotation of five all averaged over 11.5 fpg. While I could see rotational depth being an issue here... the bullpen is deep and this team could be poised to possibly steal the division from Philadelphia. The Nationals will likely be overlooked based upon a lackluster 7-12 record last season, but watch out for the squad from the nation's capital.
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Group 2: The Contenders. They're for real.
#9: Chicago Cubs (9)
Cubs fans must be incredibly puzzled as to how a team that made the playoffs last season failed to spend any of its $60m in cap space in an attempt to improve the roster via free agency. Chicago must have some sort of mystery plan that we're unaware of, but you simply can't count them out. The Cubbies may not be all that much better than the Group 3 teams... but they have $60m to work with, a lot can improve with that amount of money.
#8: Oakland Athletics (8)
A solid free agency period for the last season's AL West Champs. They picked up Chase Headley and Dustin Pedroia to improve the offense and were able to keep their prized ace for a reasonable price... that's how it's done. Did everybody catch that one? Just want to make sure nobody missed that wording perfection that was just typed. Thank you.
#7: Cincinnati Reds (10)
Cincy won the division last year, but it's apparent this team needed a little extra to take the next step in a loaded National League. Colon and Pagan were nice adds, but I think there needs to be a little more. The skimpy rotation depth is perhaps what's scaring me. Modesty does not speak positively to the amount of starting pitchers a team should have.
#6: Philadelphia Phillies (6)
The Phils stellar bullpen is the only reason that I put them this far up in the contenders group. An incredible bullpen is an underrated asset in this league, and the Cody Allen/Kenley Jansen duo is phenomenal. This team could really just use a little more depth in the lineup in case somebody goes down. I mean... it's baseball. SOMEONE is going to go down.
#5: Arizona Diamondbacks (4)
Arizona lost a bit of depth this off-season... which is probably good because they had a simply unfair amount of it last year. The team has run a nearly flawless off-season and will likely be one nearly flawless team come April. It'll be extremely interesting to see which of San Diego and Arizona wins the division. Something tells me it may come down to one of the final weeks to see who gets the coveted first-round playoff bye.
#4: Miami Marlins (5)
The only reason why Miami jumped Arizona is because of the Luke Gregorson signing. What a fantastic steal at 4.3m?! I'm still astonished more teams didn't try to bid higher for Gregorson, who will be one of the biggest pieces of the Miami puzzle this season. Other than that signing, Miami stood pat, retained their restricted free agents, and should be a really good team again this season.
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Group 1: The Best of the Best
#3: Los Angeles Angels (2)
The Angels lost Justin Upton, Francisco Rodriguez, Jason Hammel, AND Jake Peavy this off-season. All the reason to worry right? Wrong. It's easy to forget that the best team is Los Angeles also has one of the best farm systems in the league. There's no question that when the Angels need to... if they need to, make a few deals to regain what they've lost they'll be able to. Which begs the question... how do you beat this team?
#2 Tampa Bay Rays (3)
Tampa gets the nod over Los Angeles thanks to San Francisco paying handsomely for the services of Justin Upton. Perhaps the Rays go find another solid bullpen arm... but wow, it's hard to find a flaw in this team. Alex Cobb returns to an already stellar rotation that contains Cole Hamels and Chris Archer at the top of the bunch. A little extra for the teams hoping to overcome the might Rays this season: top shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford is due to make his debut this season.
(Here's to hoping the end Rays season doesn't feel like their star third baseman Nolan Arenado likely did after this.)
#1 San Diego Padres (1)
Yes. They're still the best team in the league. Yes. They signed a great pitcher in Dan Haren away from the Cubs. Yes. They likely will win the National League again. Yes? They're possibly a favorite for the World Series title. Any more questions? No? Thank you.
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A very early Projected Playoff Bracket Projection
American League:
#1: Tampa Bay Rays
#2: Los Angeles Angels
#3: Detroit Tigers
#4: Oakland Athletics
#5: Texas Rangers
#6: New York Yankees
National League:
#1: San Diego Padres
#2: Miami Marlins
#3: Cincinnati Reds
#4: Arizona D'backs
#5: Philadelphia Phillies
#6: Chicago Cubs