Who are MLB's most improved teams in 2018?
Craig EdwardsESPN INSIDER
The offseason is finally over, and teams are again playing games that matter -- and will matter come the pennant races in September. Every team was presented the opportunity to improve itself with an active trade market and a slow free-agency period that allowed any team the ability to bring in more talent. Not every team took advantage. Here are the teams that did the most with that opportunity while also considering the potential for internal improvements over what clubs brought to field last year.
5. Houston Astros: So how does a team coming off a 101-win season and a World Series championship get better? Last year, the Astros began the season with a rotation of Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers Jr., Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers. Musgrove and Fiers combined for 43 starts with an ERA and FIP above 5.00 while in the rotation. This season, Keuchel, McCullers and Morton are back, but Musgrove and Fiers are replaced by Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.Verlander was acquired last season but made only five starts before the playoffs. Cole might not be the ace from 2015 and half of 2016, but at worst he's an above-average innings-eater. Factor in Keuchel, McCullers and Morton averaging only 23 starts each, and the highly competent Brad Peacock in reserve and the sixth-best rotation by fWAR from 2017 should be the best in all of baseball in 2018.On the offensive side, the Astros' two worst hitters to receive a decent amount of playing time last year were Carlos Beltran and Nori Aoki, who combined to be more than a win below replacement level last season. Distributing their plate appearances to Evan Gattis, Derek Fisher, J.D. Davis and perhaps top prospect Kyle Tucker, and the lineup might improve over last year's club. A full season of Carlos Correa -- who managed a five-WAR year in just two-thirds of the season -- would be another added boost. The Astros possess what some might consider an embarrassment of riches, but I highly doubt they are blushing.
<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
4. New York Yankees:
The Yankees received their first bit of good news when Masahiro Tanaka chose to opt-in to the final three years of his contract. Then they brought back CC Sabathia on a reasonable deal. Later on they traded for Brandon Drury, a player who can play second and third as the team eases in great prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar. Then, as the slow offseason left many free agents looking for work, second baseman Neil Walker fell into their lap at a bargain rate. They also did one other thing.While the above-mentioned moves are nice, the Yankees landed the acquisition of the offseason in trading for Giancarlo Stanton. The reigning National League MVP is moving to the American League after a 59-homer season worth seven wins, per FanGraphs' WAR. The Yankees received merely average offense from designated hitter last season and with Stanton and Aaron Judge rotating in for even some of the time, the offense is going to be helped quite a bit. The team now has incredible depth in the outfield even with Aaron Hicks out for some time because of a rib injury. The Yankees didn't need Stanton to be a good team, but they do need him to be a great team, and that's what the club looks like right now.
3. Philadelphia Phillies:
After winning 102 games in 2011, the Phillies dropped to a .500 team in 2012 and lost at least 89 games in each of the next five years, including a 96-loss campaign a year ago. The team finally looks on the verge of breaking out of its rebuild. Rhys Hoskins played only 50 games last season, but his 18 homers would have put him on a 50-plus homer pace over the course of a full year. He already looks like a middle-of-the-order slugger. J.P. Crawford lost some of his prospect luster with a so-so 2016 and a slow start to last season in the minors but caught fire in his last 65 Triple-A games with a .279/.391/.533 slash line. He held his own in a brief promotion at the end of the year, and will try to continue to improve this season.In addition to full seasons from Hoskins and Crawford, the team is also wasting no time with prospect Scott Kingery, putting him on the Opening Day roster after inking a long-term contract extension. Kingery, Crawford and Hoskins figure to add to a core that includes an emerging ace in Aaron Nola and solid contributors in Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez.The internal improvements will help the club, but the team showed it was willing to supplement its rebuild with key outside additions. Carlos Santana is one of the more consistent hitters in baseball, getting at least 600 plate appearances in each of the past seven years and putting up an on-base percentage of at least .350 every time. In a lineup full of uncertainty and youth, Santana figures to be a rock. On the pitching side, the team waited out the free-agent market and brought in former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta. The former Cub and playoff hero lost a bit of velocity last season raising concerns about his ability going forward, but he still put together a solid season and should do the same this year as the team waits for its pitching prospects to be ready to contribute. They also signed Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek to help the back end of the bullpen. Last season, the Phillies were vying for a top draft pick. This year, a wild-card run isn't outside the realm of possibilities.
2. Milwaukee Brewers:
The Brewers surprised a lot of people last season on their way to an 86-win season and nearly a playoff berth. Surprising seasons from Travis Shaw and Domingo Santana along with a monster first half from Eric Thames propelled the offense. Jimmy Nelson put in an ace-like performance, Zach Davies, Chase Anderson and Brent Suter were solid, and Corey Knebel was lights out in the ninth inning. Heading into the offseason the team did have some concerns.Nelson was hurt to end the season. Thames faded in the second half, hitting only eight of his 31 homers after the break, rendering him an average hitter. Though Shaw and Santana were good all season, repeating those performances isn't a given. Keon Broxton took the bulk of the playing time in center field and struck out in 38 percent of the time, the most in baseball among players with at least 400 plate appearances.The club responded by signing the best free-agent center fielder in Lorenzo Cain and trading for the best center fielder available in Christian Yelich. Both Cain and Yelich represent defensive upgrades with high-contact skills -- a rarity in the Brewers' lineup -- and the ability to get on base with great frequency. An 86-win team just added to their team by adding two players better than any it had on the team in 2017. Ryan Braun provides outfield depth and insurance at first base in case Thames' second half repeats. The club also addressed some of their rotation depth concerns by bringing in Jhoulys Chacin and Wade Miley, hoping that quantity can cover until Nelson returns. The Brewers' run surprised last year. This year, contention is expected.
1. Los Angeles Angels: The Angels moved quickly to try to improve upon an 80-win team. First, they ensured Justin Upton's September wouldn't be his only time as an Angel, signing him to a five-year deal. Then the team -- lacking in starting pitching -- received the gift of winning the bidding for Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani. While Ohtani had a rough spring, his talent is undeniable, bolstering a rotation full of health and innings concerns after receiving little recent production from Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker and Andrew Heaney. Ohtani, plus a little bit of health for the other starters, should vastly improve a group that was one of the worst five rotations in baseball a year ago.Los Angeles also revamped its infield, both offensively and defensively. The superb Andrelton Simmons was flanked by Yunel Escobar and Danny Espinosa last season with the weak-hitting Cliff Pennington also seeing a fair amount of time. The Angels will improve upon the replacement-level production at second base with the steady defense and solid hitting of veteran Ian Kinsler. The 35-year-old might not be what he once was, but he'll be a major improvement over Espinosa and Pennington.While there were some quality third basemen available over the winter, the club opted to fill its hole with shortstop Zack Cozart. The good-fielding shortstop should be great at third base and while he might not hit .297/.385/.548 the way he did in 2017 with the Reds, he should be a big improvement over Escobar. The Angels get a huge head start in talent over all MLB teams with Mike Trout, and they are finally back in a position to capitalize with a supporting cast trying for the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
5. Houston Astros: So how does a team coming off a 101-win season and a World Series championship get better? Last year, the Astros began the season with a rotation of Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers Jr., Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers. Musgrove and Fiers combined for 43 starts with an ERA and FIP above 5.00 while in the rotation. This season, Keuchel, McCullers and Morton are back, but Musgrove and Fiers are replaced by Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.Verlander was acquired last season but made only five starts before the playoffs. Cole might not be the ace from 2015 and half of 2016, but at worst he's an above-average innings-eater. Factor in Keuchel, McCullers and Morton averaging only 23 starts each, and the highly competent Brad Peacock in reserve and the sixth-best rotation by fWAR from 2017 should be the best in all of baseball in 2018.On the offensive side, the Astros' two worst hitters to receive a decent amount of playing time last year were Carlos Beltran and Nori Aoki, who combined to be more than a win below replacement level last season. Distributing their plate appearances to Evan Gattis, Derek Fisher, J.D. Davis and perhaps top prospect Kyle Tucker, and the lineup might improve over last year's club. A full season of Carlos Correa -- who managed a five-WAR year in just two-thirds of the season -- would be another added boost. The Astros possess what some might consider an embarrassment of riches, but I highly doubt they are blushing.
<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
The Yankees received their first bit of good news when Masahiro Tanaka chose to opt-in to the final three years of his contract. Then they brought back CC Sabathia on a reasonable deal. Later on they traded for Brandon Drury, a player who can play second and third as the team eases in great prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar. Then, as the slow offseason left many free agents looking for work, second baseman Neil Walker fell into their lap at a bargain rate. They also did one other thing.While the above-mentioned moves are nice, the Yankees landed the acquisition of the offseason in trading for Giancarlo Stanton. The reigning National League MVP is moving to the American League after a 59-homer season worth seven wins, per FanGraphs' WAR. The Yankees received merely average offense from designated hitter last season and with Stanton and Aaron Judge rotating in for even some of the time, the offense is going to be helped quite a bit. The team now has incredible depth in the outfield even with Aaron Hicks out for some time because of a rib injury. The Yankees didn't need Stanton to be a good team, but they do need him to be a great team, and that's what the club looks like right now.
After winning 102 games in 2011, the Phillies dropped to a .500 team in 2012 and lost at least 89 games in each of the next five years, including a 96-loss campaign a year ago. The team finally looks on the verge of breaking out of its rebuild. Rhys Hoskins played only 50 games last season, but his 18 homers would have put him on a 50-plus homer pace over the course of a full year. He already looks like a middle-of-the-order slugger. J.P. Crawford lost some of his prospect luster with a so-so 2016 and a slow start to last season in the minors but caught fire in his last 65 Triple-A games with a .279/.391/.533 slash line. He held his own in a brief promotion at the end of the year, and will try to continue to improve this season.In addition to full seasons from Hoskins and Crawford, the team is also wasting no time with prospect Scott Kingery, putting him on the Opening Day roster after inking a long-term contract extension. Kingery, Crawford and Hoskins figure to add to a core that includes an emerging ace in Aaron Nola and solid contributors in Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez.The internal improvements will help the club, but the team showed it was willing to supplement its rebuild with key outside additions. Carlos Santana is one of the more consistent hitters in baseball, getting at least 600 plate appearances in each of the past seven years and putting up an on-base percentage of at least .350 every time. In a lineup full of uncertainty and youth, Santana figures to be a rock. On the pitching side, the team waited out the free-agent market and brought in former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta. The former Cub and playoff hero lost a bit of velocity last season raising concerns about his ability going forward, but he still put together a solid season and should do the same this year as the team waits for its pitching prospects to be ready to contribute. They also signed Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek to help the back end of the bullpen. Last season, the Phillies were vying for a top draft pick. This year, a wild-card run isn't outside the realm of possibilities.
The Brewers surprised a lot of people last season on their way to an 86-win season and nearly a playoff berth. Surprising seasons from Travis Shaw and Domingo Santana along with a monster first half from Eric Thames propelled the offense. Jimmy Nelson put in an ace-like performance, Zach Davies, Chase Anderson and Brent Suter were solid, and Corey Knebel was lights out in the ninth inning. Heading into the offseason the team did have some concerns.Nelson was hurt to end the season. Thames faded in the second half, hitting only eight of his 31 homers after the break, rendering him an average hitter. Though Shaw and Santana were good all season, repeating those performances isn't a given. Keon Broxton took the bulk of the playing time in center field and struck out in 38 percent of the time, the most in baseball among players with at least 400 plate appearances.The club responded by signing the best free-agent center fielder in Lorenzo Cain and trading for the best center fielder available in Christian Yelich. Both Cain and Yelich represent defensive upgrades with high-contact skills -- a rarity in the Brewers' lineup -- and the ability to get on base with great frequency. An 86-win team just added to their team by adding two players better than any it had on the team in 2017. Ryan Braun provides outfield depth and insurance at first base in case Thames' second half repeats. The club also addressed some of their rotation depth concerns by bringing in Jhoulys Chacin and Wade Miley, hoping that quantity can cover until Nelson returns. The Brewers' run surprised last year. This year, contention is expected.
1. Los Angeles Angels: The Angels moved quickly to try to improve upon an 80-win team. First, they ensured Justin Upton's September wouldn't be his only time as an Angel, signing him to a five-year deal. Then the team -- lacking in starting pitching -- received the gift of winning the bidding for Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani. While Ohtani had a rough spring, his talent is undeniable, bolstering a rotation full of health and innings concerns after receiving little recent production from Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker and Andrew Heaney. Ohtani, plus a little bit of health for the other starters, should vastly improve a group that was one of the worst five rotations in baseball a year ago.Los Angeles also revamped its infield, both offensively and defensively. The superb Andrelton Simmons was flanked by Yunel Escobar and Danny Espinosa last season with the weak-hitting Cliff Pennington also seeing a fair amount of time. The Angels will improve upon the replacement-level production at second base with the steady defense and solid hitting of veteran Ian Kinsler. The 35-year-old might not be what he once was, but he'll be a major improvement over Espinosa and Pennington.While there were some quality third basemen available over the winter, the club opted to fill its hole with shortstop Zack Cozart. The good-fielding shortstop should be great at third base and while he might not hit .297/.385/.548 the way he did in 2017 with the Reds, he should be a big improvement over Escobar. The Angels get a huge head start in talent over all MLB teams with Mike Trout, and they are finally back in a position to capitalize with a supporting cast trying for the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
