Did you miss the 2014 NL Preview? Well, I’m not here to point you in the right direction. Your loss.
AL EAST
1. New York Yankees
Last Season: The New York Yankees, the team of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Shane Spencer finished in FOURTH PLACE (!!!) in the AL East. It was a disastrous season, capped off by their biggest rival, the Boston Red Sox, winning the World Series. But if we have some perspective, the Yankees did finish 3 games above .500 and did play in the best division in baseball.
The Offseason: Nothing really. Except for signing Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Brian Roberts, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Japanese sensation Masahiro Tanaka. Other than that, not much.
Potential Breakout Player: The history of Japanese pitchers going directly to New York City is not one rife with great success. Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa set the tone and it’s a rather dull, whining tone. Not pleasant to listen to. I don’t think Masahiro Tanaka will be like that. I expect something much closer to Yu Darvish than Kei Igawa. Tanaka seemed to adjust well during the Spring and has a pitching repertoire more close to that of a number two starter (he’ll start the season as the Yankees number 4). It’ll also probably be helpful for him to have Hiroki Kuroda and resident weirdo Ichiro Suzuki in town to take some of the pressure of the Japanese media off of him. He’s a name we all know, but I expect him to be a contender for Rookie of the Year, which he shouldn’t be eligible for, but I digress.
Additional Comment: You can make a very good argument that the Yankees would be better off with light-hitting, swift-fielding Brendan Ryan at shortstop for the bulk of the season, rather than Derek Jeter, who at this point is both light-hitting and light-fielding. Obviously, in Jeter’s last season, that’s not going to happen. The Yankees are not going to be dominant up the middle, certainly. But there’s some depth there. Kelly Johnson, Jeter, Ryan, and Eduardo Nunez are the weakest part of this team. That’s not too bad, really. If you take what the Yankees did this offseason piece-by-piece, it’s all sort of confusing and weird. It almost reeked of desperation. But when you look at the whole, you’ve got something really impressive. An outfield built on speed (assuming Carlos Beltran is the DH), and two left-handed hitters (I know Beltran is a switch hitter, but he’s far superior from the left side of the plate) taking advantage of a short porch. Losing Robinson Cano seemed like a disaster at the time, but this looks like a team that was put together with a plan to win this year. And I think they will.
At Seasons End…: All will be right with the world and the Yankees will have won the AL East and Derek Jeter will be celebrated as one of the world’s great leaders, etc.
2. Tampa Bay Rays
Last Season: The Rays won the AL play-in game, before falling to the Red Sox in the Wild Card round.
The Offseason: They brought back James Loney and David DeJesus, brought in Ryan Hanigan, and brought back (after a stay in Oakland) closer Grant Balfour. Nothing they did was very sexy, but it was all very Rays-y. That is to say, it will probably work out.
Potential Breakout Player: Last year, it was Wil Myers. This year, I expect it to be Chris Archer. Archer had a very solid rookie season last year. He was 9-7 with a 118 ERA+, and a 1.12 WHIP, all great numbers for an at-the-time 24 year old rookie. And I’m surprised he didn’t get more publicity. I expect him to only get better, especially in the strikeout department.
Additional Comment: I am, of course, partial to the Washington Nationals’ rotation. And I acknowledge that any rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu is very good no matter who is filling out the other two slots. The same can be said for the team with Justin “Upton” Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, (I’m jealous. Deal with it.) and Max Scherzer. But Tampa Bay belongs in that conversation as well. Tampa is a team that could legitimately trade David Price and not necessarily skip too many beats. Currently, Jeremy Hellickson, coming off of a terrible season, is the odd man out. Hellickson, even coming off of the season he is, would be in about 15 other teams’ starting rotations. The Rays arms are young and dynamic. And the offense isn’t bad either, with Myers, Evan Longoria, and Ben Zobrist.
At Seasons End…: The Rays will be back in the play-in game and certainly in the hunt for a World Series. Just like they’ve always been (at least it seems that way now).
3. Toronto Blue Jays
Last Season: The Blue Jays were a dominant team from start to finish. I am, of course, talking about the sportswriter prognosticator season. They were, in fact, terrible, in the regular season. Injury plagued and underperforming, the Blue Jays were 2013’s biggest disappointment…
The Offseason: …so they did nothing!
Potential Breakout Player: Maybe I’m just really high on his great Spring Training and the fact that he’s got a wealth of talent, but after two full seasons in the Majors, I think Brett Lawrie is primed for a breakout this season. It’s hard for any player playing in Toronto to catch on nationally, and Lawrie isn’t exactly a sweet, humble guy with a cute media narrative, but I think he’s a name you’ll be hearing more of this season. And for good reasons, finally.
Additional Comment: As difficult as it will be for me, I’m not going to devote this entire section to Colby Rasmus, who I really, really like, even though he’s this generation’s great underachiever in many people’s eyes. The Blue Jays in third place is part me still feeling the after-effects of last Spring’s contact high I caught and part me looking at a roster with Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind and Jose Reyes and thinking, “that team is going to hit.” Can they pitch? It all falls on RA Dickey to me. The rest of the rotation is just a giant injury concern. I get that. But this offense, if healthy, has the potential to be historically good. It’s a big “if” but I’m willing to jump out on a limb because roughly 100 people in the world will read this post.
At Seasons End…: The Blue Jays will just miss the playoffs, finishing close to .500 due largely to their lack of starting pitching depth.
4. Baltimore Orioles
Last Season: The Orioles proved the doubters (me) wrong by finishing 3 games above .500, tied with the Yankees, but mourning an injury to their star player, Manny Machado.
The Offseason: They signed Grant Balfour to be their closer, which is interesting because if you’re paying attention, you’ll remember that the Rays did too. And, look, cloning Grant Balfour would be great because you’d get to hear double the f-words between pitches. And who doesn’t love f-words? At least the one that ends in some variation of “uck.” The other one, the homophobic one that slimey trolls use on the internet is a terrible word that should never be used. Anywho, the Orioles signed Balfour, got cold feet, gave him a physical that he magically failed, and watched as a division rival signed him. In addition to that debacle, the Orioles signed Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz. They both passed their physicals.
Potential Breakout Player: This seems like a “Not Applicable” situation, as I’ve spent the last two seasons watching Steve Lombardozzi and, well….yeah.
Additional Comment: I don’t hate their rotation, but they paid the Ubaldo Jimenez from the second half of last season and not the Ubaldo Jimenez who actually exists in this world. Ubaldo Jimenez is a guy who averages four walks per 9 innings for his career. His lowest single-season WHIP is a 1.15, which appears to be an outlier given his career WHIP of 1.34. There is really no evidence to indicate that Ubaldo Jimenez should be given a four year contract where he is paid $13 million per season. But this is the reality of baseball free agency in 2014.
5. Boston Red Sox
Last Season: They won the World Series.
The Offseason: They lost their leadoff hitter to their biggest rival and their starting catcher to the Marlins. They replaced them with Grady Sizemore and AJ Pierzynski. Oh, and they added Edward Mujica to their bullpen.
Potential Breakout Player: There’s a sarcastic jerk in me (who’d have guessed?) that wants to pick the team of doctors who will keep Grady Sizemore in one piece (named this morning as the Sox’ Opening Day starter in centerfield). Instead I’ll go with Allen Webster, who came over from the Dodgers in the Great Salary Dump of 2012 and was an abject disaster in limited Major League work last season. He continued to be an abject disaster in Spring Training, but my options for a breakout player with this team are fairly limited to him and Jackie Bradley Jr. who just lost a competition to be the team’s starting centerfielder to a 31 year old who hasn’t played 100 games in a season since 2009 and hasn’t played at all since 2011. So there’s that. (Xander Bogaerts doesn’t count as he’s already broken out in my book.)
Additional Comment: To look at the 2014 Boston Red Sox and think, “That’s a team that could repeat as champions” you either have to be 1.) Drunk or 2.) A Bostonian (and no, I’m not taking the easy joke bait that I just dropped into the blog pond). Really, there’s nothing about this team that says, “champion” or “playoff contender” or “good.” The middle of the lineup, with Pedroia, Ortiz, and Napoli is really only as good as the table-setter(s). That’s generally the case for any 2-3-4 hitter. Who is that table-setter here? Sizemore? Shane Victorino? Maybe it’s Will Middlebrooks and his career .294 on-base percentage? I don’t think there’s nearly enough balance in this lineup to make up for what is a really shaky rotation. Clay Buchholz doesn’t appear able to pitch more than 5 innings at a time. Felix Doubront is a “written in ink” starter despite being, well, Felix Doubront. Jake Peavy didn’t get younger this offseason. Jon Lester is like Ubaldo Jimenez from the left-side (no, really, take a look at his numbers). And if you’re going to look at John Lackey’s 2013 and think that’s what you’re going to get from him, take a look at those career numbers and tell me he’s not due for a precipitous fall back to Yawkey Way.
At Seasons End…: The city and fanbase that loves narratives more than anyone else won’t really have one. They’ll have a sub-.500 baseball team, they’ll want John Farrell fired and replaced by Bobby Valentine (okay, maybe not Bobby Valentine), their aging roster will be a year older, and all of the goodwill and duck boats and silly Jonny Gomes antics will be gone. I’m not saying they’ll be closer to the 2012 Red Sox. This is still a 76-win team in a really tough division, but they’ll be a far cry from last year’s narrative-driven run to the World Series of Narratives.
AL CENTRAL
1. Detroit Tigers
Last Season: By the hair of their chins, the Tigers won the AL Central, allowing them to avoid playing in the MLB Pay Attention To Us Play-In Game. They won their Wild Card series over Oakland, before ultimately succumbing to the Red Sox in the ALCS.
The Offseason: The Tigers had a rather interesting offseason. First, they traded Prince Fielder and his enormous contract to the Texas Rangers for their malcontent, whiny, overpaid second baseman Ian Kinsler. Then, a few weeks later, they traded their number 3 starter, Doug Fister, for a utility infielder (Steve Lombardozzi), lefty reliever Ian Krol, and middle-of-the-road prospect Robbie Ray. Then, earlier this week, they traded Lombardozzi for the aged Alex Gonzalez, who they intend to play at shortstop even though he played first base last year for the Milwaukee Brewers. Oh, and I almost forgot they signed Joe Nathan to close out games. It was a busy offseason in Detroit, unlike elsewhere in the AL Central.
Potential Breakout Player: Nick Castellanos finally gets the opportunity to play full-time in the Majors, now that Miguel Cabrera has moved across the diamond. Castellanos has long been the Tigers prized prospect, one they prized so much they attempted to move him to a corner outfield spot just to get him some playing time. Lost in the Fielder trade and the money saved was the benefit of giving a player of Castellanos’ skill and potential his shot.
Additional Comment: The Tigers are far from a perfect team. There are question marks in left field and shortstop, certainly. And we can all sit around and wait for Rick Porcello to develop into the stud pitcher we expected, or we could go out and get some delicious burgers. Verlander, Scherzer, and Anibal Sanchez are a lethal 1-2-3, especially considering the other 4 rotations in this division, all of whom would take any of those three and instantly make them their ace. But Detroit is not a perfect team. That said, this division, much like the NL Central and NL West and NL East should be a runaway. The gap between the Tigers and the Royals is large, at least in terms of elite talent.
At Seasons End…: The Tigers will have coasted into the playoffs, again. And if there’s a fourth starter they can rely on (Porcello or Drew Smyly) they might get back to the World Series. Without that though, I think they come up just short.
2. Kansas City Royals
Last Season: 2013 had to be a joy for Royals fans. The team didn’t make the playoffs but they finished with a better record than the New York Yankees. That had to be incredibly satisfying.
The Offseason: Omar Infante and Jason Vargas. That’s the list and that’s as much time as we’re going to spend on that.
Potential Breakout Player: There probably aren’t enough words to describe how excited I am to watch Yordano Ventura pitch. Ventura’s spring, against very good talent, was absurdly good (1.77 ERA, sub-1.00 WHIP, 0 HR allowed (in the Cactus League!). I could go on, but I’m focusing too much on Spring Training. Ventura possesses the sort of fastball that makes Joel Zumaya blush. Ventura also possesses a potentially solid curveball and a changeup. He won a rotation spot fairly early on and for obvious reason. He’s not a conventional starting pitcher by any stretch (he’s under 6’0”). That said, he’s my pick for American League Rookie of the Year.
Additional Comment: I remain very high on the Royals. The minor league system is brimming with talent, starting with 18 year old shortstop Raul Mondesi Jr. and running through a list that includes pitcher Kyle Zimmer, shortstop Christian Colon, and centerfielder Bubba Starling (who I’m not going to give up on). And the Major League team is very good offensively. Alex Gordon is everything I want in a baseball player. Eric Hosmer is coming off a season that saw him start to realize his great potential. Billy Butler is just a consistent hitter (in the nicest way possible). Mike Moustakas struggled last season, but still adds a great deal of pop, and when healthy, Salvador Perez is one of the best hidden secrets in baseball behind the plate. What keeps the Royals at a distance from the Tigers is rotational depth. Put it this way, as excited as I am for Yordano Ventura, he’s a risky gamble to be your number two option.
At Seasons End…: The Royals will more-or-less be in the same place as they were last year at season’s end. But the barometer is pointing straight up for this team. The addition of Kyle Zimmer and a quality free agent starter might have this team in the hunt for a pennant in 2014.
3. Cleveland Indians
Last Season: Terry Francona did as Terry Francona does; he took over a struggling team and got them to the play(in game)offs. And not even a good team.
The Offseason: The only thing of real interest is that the Indians decided, in order to give Yan Gomes more playing time, to move Carlos Santana from behind the plate to third base, which is a transition that always works well whenever any team tries it (which is never).
Potential Breakout Player: Danny Salazar performed well in limited time last season, keeping his ERA below 3.20, and producing a quality K/BB ratio for a 23 year old. He was so good, the Indians started him in their play-in game.
Additional Comment: I don’t have much to add really. I think the Indians are a subpar baseball team that overperformed last season. An injury (who’dda guessed?) to Michael Bourn won’t help the team’s ability to produce runs. The lineup is okay. Jason Kipnis is a nice piece, if not an entirely inconsistent one and Carlos Santana is a very good hitter who will be badly miscast as a third baseman. The pitching isn’t great. Justin Masterson appears to have turned some corner and while he’s not a true staff ace, he’s a good pitcher. But outside of him and Salazar, this team lacks the depth to be a true contender. Even with Tito.
At Seasons End…: Indians fans will be that much closer to watching super-prospect Francisco Lindor play shortstop every single day. And that will be a joy. This season won’t be. I’d say they’ll be a few games under .500 but never really in any hunt.
4. Chicago White Sox
Last Season: As bad as the Cubs were, the White Sox were worse. And unlike the Cubs, they had one of the worst minor league systems in baseball.
The Offseason: They didn’t get any closer to winning in 2014, but they took a couple of nice strides towards improving their future, thanks to the generosity of Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers. The White Sox sent out closer Addison Reed and ended up with their future centerfielder in Adam Eaton and, at the very worst, a good stopgap solution at third base in Matt Davidson.
Potential Breakout Player: Like with a lot of what the Diamondbacks do, I didn’t understand trading Adam Eaton. He’s a really nice addition to a team that doesn’t seem terribly keen on guys who get on-base. Eaton does and plays a very good defensive centerfield. He’ll get hardly any notice on the South Side this year because the White Sox will be so bad, but he’s one for the future.
Additional Comment: Outside of Chris Sale, who is very good, even though his arm will one day snap into pieces, the White Sox rotation is an absolute mess and the bullpen isn’t really much better. Nor is their offense. Let’s save some time, shall we?
At Seasons End…: Let’s just say, it won’t be pretty in Chicago.
5. Minnesota Twins
Last Season: They won 66 games and that seemed like a pleasant surprise.
The Offseason: They brought in Ricky Nolasco to be their ace and Phil Hughes to be, um, something.
Potential Breakout Player: I don’t know that he’s going to get much time outside of September, but Byron Buxton is the next super-duper star of baseball. He’s a true five-tooler in the mold of Mike Trout and he’s waiting in the wings. The Twins system is fairly loaded (though an injury to second base prospect Miguel Sano will keep him out for the season) so it may just be a matter of time before they’re back contending, but even if they’re 26 games out when they call up Buxton, he should be a must-watch from the get-go.
Additional Comment: I continue to not understand the logic behind giving out long-term deals to middling pitchers. The Twins locked up Nolasco through 2018, because when there’s a pitcher with a career 94 ERA+ who has only pitched in the National League before, you just have to pay him $12 million annually. Likewise for Phil Hughes who is signed through 2016 and will earn $8 million per season. If someone in the Twins front office thinks that signing Nolasco and Hughes will fill the seats at Target Field and/or make the Twins a contender, I’ve got some beautiful oceanfront property in Serbia to sell them.
At Seasons End…: The Twins will challenge the Astros for the title of “Worst Team in the American League” and Ron Gardenhire will continue loving the Japanese women’s soccer team.
AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California Angels
Last Season: The Angels expected the addition of Josh Hamilton would help guide them back to the playoffs and potentially to the World Series. Instead, the Angels secured themselves a mid-first round draft pick in 2014.
The Offseason: A few years ago, the Angels traded highly regarded prospect Tyler Skaggs and others for Dan Haren. This offseason, they got Skaggs back by trading a guy who couldn’t get on base at a better than 30% clip. Baseball! The Angels also acquired David Freese from the Cardinals in exchange for Peter Bourjos, allowing Mike Trout to play his natural position of centerfield, where he will win all of the Gold Gloves.
Potential Breakout Player: 25 year old rookie Kole Calhoun put together a really solid campaign in 50+ games last season, with an .808 OPS, a 128 OPS+, and absolutely no glove-work. Most people didn’t notice this, myself included, because the Angels were, outside of Trout, unwatchable. This year, people will notice.
Additional Comment: This team is a lot more than just Mike Trout, I guess, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate Trout at every possible opportunity. Trout is 22 years old and at this point in his career, his name belongs with players like Mantle and Griffey Jr. There’s no argument. We all get nostalgic for the past. It’s the Saturday Night Live way of thinking. Every previous iteration was better than the one we have now. It’s considered sacrilege to compare any player today to any great of the past. That’s all nonsense to me. The SNL part. The baseball part. All of it. Whether you’re an Angels fan, Dodgers fan, Nationals fan, Red Sox fan, Yankees fan, or Tigers fan, you should cherish how lucky you are to watch a player like Trout, as a baseball fan. He doesn’t need to be the posterboy for the Sabermetric movement. He doesn’t need to be the posterboy for any movement. He’s a once-in-a-generation player. Blink and you’ll miss him.
Additional Comment 2: This additional comment won’t include Mike Trout. The Angels find themselves here because they are the most balanced team in this division. Texas has an incredible offense. Oakland has a good starting rotation and very good bullpen. LA’s lineup isn’t as good as Texas’ and their pitching isn’t as good as Oakland’s. But if Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols are healthy this team will certainly compete for a division title.
At Seasons End…: LA will just barely hold off the Rangers in the race to avoid the play-in game.
2. Texas Rangers
Last Season: The Rangers pulled off the very difficult task of winning 91 games while still missing the playoffs after a late season collapse that saw them go 5-14 over a 19 game span in September.
The Offseason: It was eventful to say the least. The Rangers added, in my opinion, the prized offensive free agent in Shin-Soo Choo, while also trading malcontent Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder, thus freeing up a spot in their lineup for super-prospect Jurickson Profar.
Potential Breakout Player: It was Profar until a torn shoulder muscle this spring put him on the shelf until late June. Let’s pretend former relief pitcher Tanner Scheppers is going to be a really good starting pitcher and go with him then.
Additional Comment: An injury to Yu Darvish leaves the Rangers with few options in the starting pitching category, hence Scheppers’ opportunity. I generally like my teams built on balance, but the 2014 Texas Rangers are an exception to that rule. I think they’ll be slow out of the gate, certainly. But getting Profar back in late June, a healthy Darvish much sooner, and then any sort of contributions from Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis could be a real boon to the Rangers. This prediction might look really silly in mid-May, but I think the Rangers will pull things together and get guys healthy at the right time.
At Seasons End…: Texas will be in the World Series and we’ll forget that Tanner Scheppers started on Opening Day.
3. Oakland Athletics
Last Season: Oakland defied skeptics and won the AL West before succumbing to the Detroit Tigers in the playoffs again.
The Offseason: The Oakland offseason recap should start at the end, as they lost Jarrod Parker for the season to Tommy John surgery and AJ Griffin to a muscle strain that will leave him out for at least a month of the season. As for additions, the A’s added Scott Kazmir to the rotation, Sam Fuld to the bench, and Luke Gregerson and Jim Johnson to what was already a very good bullpen.
Potential Breakout Player: You could argue that he broke out last year, but I’m going with Opening Day starter Sonny Gray. The diminutive righty was truly excellent in his first go-round of the Majors and I don’t expect that to change this year. Gray could be a dark horse Cy Young candidate. And if you were going to give me 40:1 odds on him, I might consider making a $10 bet.
Additional Comment: Oakland is in a tough spot. Losing Jarrod Parker hurts because he’s replaced by 30 year old journeyman Jesse Chavez and/or failed Colorado Rockies prospect Drew Pomeranz. Losing Griffin for a month hurts for the same reason. The A’s need their pitchers to be healthy to contend because their offense just simply isn’t good enough to win them games. People expecting Josh Reddick’s 2013 to be like his 2012 were slapped rudely across the face when they saw what most of the rest of us expected come to fruition. Meanwhile, Yoenis Cespedes had a difficult time staying healthy/drawing a walk/not striking out. Without those two performing, a lot falls on the shoulders of guys like Josh Donaldson, who may have been a revelation last year or may have been the 2013 version of 2012 Josh Reddick. I lean more towards the latter. That’s why they’re here. Sorry, @wipps.
At Seasons End…: Oakland will miss the play-in game by the slimmest of margins and Billy Beane will retreat to his beautiful penthouse condominium (I’m just guessing) and come up with a plan that will somehow, against the odds and logic, keep this team in contention in 2015.
4. Seattle Mariners
Last Season: They finished 20 games ahead of the last place team in their division.
The Offseason: The Mariners made a few fringe, but high-upside moves, in adding Corey Hart and Logan Morrison. They also signed Fernando Rodney to be their closer. Other than that, not much.
Potential Breakout Player: The Mariners will call on a young, homegrown second baseman named Robinson Cano to carry the load offensively for them. I’ve had a difficult time looking up his numbers last season in AAA Tacoma, but it’s the PCL, so you have to assume they were very good. Cano should be a top of the order table-setter for the bevy of great power hitters on the roster such as…..and also….
Additional Comment: You could, maybe, get me to buy the argument that the Cano signing was a smart one for the Mariners. It would take a lot of double IPAs, but you could maybe do it. But if I’m not under the influence of alcohol, I think it’s an absurd contract for a team without an identity. No team in baseball has to travel as much every season as Seattle. Their closest division opponent is 800 miles away. Take a look at this infograph about baseball travel, if you’d like. Seattle is not a desirable place for free agent baseball players. It’s a desirable place for late-20’s hipster doofuses like myself who enjoy wearing flannel shirts, eating locally-sourced food, and drinking really bitter beers. The travel schedule, combined with the fact that no one east of Carson City (besides me and other Vin Scully aficionados) watches regular season west coast games, means that you play in a sort of black hole. Robinson Cano is now part of that black hole. The Mariners have two good young pitching prospects in Taijuan Walker (who will unfortunately start the season on the DL) and James Paxton. Other than that, their system is weak. Mike Zunino and Brad Miller are everyday players now, but neither has the sort of ceiling that you can pair with Cano to build something. Robinson Cano is a very good baseball player. But of all the ridiculous 8-10 year contracts handed out since the dawn of the age of TV money (and that includes Miguel Cabrera’s) Cano’s might be the most illogical. With the Angels, you could see that they were trying to get to the World Series with Pujols and overpaid to try to get a few of his peak years. The Tigers don’t want to lose the face of their franchise. The Tigers thought Prince Fielder and Cabrera would each club 50 homers and be best friends and win a World Series. With those teams, there was something sensible about their deals. With Cano, it’s just another example of how some teams really don’t have a plan for the present, never mind the future.
At Seasons End…: More of the same.
5. Houston Astros
Last Season: The Astros weren’t quite the worst team in the history of baseball, but they weren’t terribly far off either.
The Offseason: They signed Scott Feldman to a laughable contract (3 years/$30 million) that can only be a result of some mandate from the Major League offices to spend money. They also made a really smart trade to add Dexter Fowler.
Potential Breakout Player: On a (projected) 58 win team, there are no breakout players.
Additional Comment: I love what the Astros are doing. To me, in baseball you have two goals: contend for a World Series or build to do that in the future. Tampa Bay did that in the mid-2000s and it’s paid dividends. Milwaukee did that for a while before they lost Prince Fielder and gave up hope. The Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins are doing it now. To be a team like the current Milwaukee Brewers or the Philadelphia Phillies playing for absolutely nothing makes no sense at all to me. No one in baseball is rebuilding like the Astros. To the most casual of baseball fans (those who just look at the box scores and the standings), the Astros are a laughing-stock. But to anyone in the know, who follows this stuff more closely, the Astros are a model. They’re the Kate Upton of baseball models. Years of failure have paid off in the minor league system. No one comes close to Houston in terms of depth and upper echelon talent. From Carlos Correa, who will be a star shortstop soon, to Mark Appel and George Springer who will make their debuts this season, to pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. and Mike Foltynewicz, the Astros have talent galore and will again have the top pick in this June’s draft (expected to be North Carolina State southpaw Carlos Rodon). You might not want to watch them now, but the building blocks are in place in southeastern Texas and the Astros will soon be a force to be reckoned with. Just after they lose 100 games again.
At Seasons End…: See above.
AL Playoffs
Play-In Game: Texas over Tampa Bay
Wild Card Round: Texas over Detroit, New York over Los Angeles
ALCS: Texas over New York
AL Awards
MVP: Mike Trout (finally)
Cy Young: Justin Verlander
Rookie of the Year: Yordano Ventura
World Series
St. Louis over Texas (4-3)
Mid-Atlantic Bias 
