MLB Offseason Power Rankings: Braves, Astros Moving Up
The MLB hot stove is teasing us at this point, with some teams being very active (thanks Seattle!) and some teams not making any moves. Here is a look at how each team’s offseason is stacking up according to WAR (Wins Above Replacement).
The goal of any franchise during the offseason is to add some players that will help you win baseball games, either in the coming season or in the future. With that in mind, I calculated each team’s WAR heading into this offseason, accounting for free agents to-be and trades made throughout the regular season, and came up with a total. Every other week during the offseason we revisit that total and add (or subtract) newcomers to the roster or players that have been traded away.
Then we simply rank the teams according to their new WAR total. It’s pretty basic, but it should give us an idea of how big some of the moves that are made this winter could be, and at the very least what the front offices are hoping will happen with each move. The process may not be perfect, but it’s a fun exercise to help us bridge the gap until opening day! Who knows, maybe we’l stumble on something by doing this.
Here are the moves that have happened since last time:
Blue Jays signed Kendrys Morales.
Yankees traded Brian McCann, released Dustin Ackley and traded James Pazos.
Tampa Bay traded Richie Shaffer and Taylor Motter to Seattle.
Angels added Andrew Bailey and Jesse Chavez.
Astros traded for McCann and signed Josh Reddick and Charlie Morton.
Oakland traded Danny Valencia to Seattle.
Rangers claimed Tyler Wagner off waivers.
The Mariners added Carlos Ruiz, Valencia and Pazos via trades, released Stefen Romero.
Neil Walker accepted the Mets Qualifying Offer.
Philadelphia acquired Howie Kendrick in a trade with the Dodgers and Jeremy Hellickson accepted a Qualifying Offer.
Atlanta signed Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey.
St. Louis signed Brett Cecil.
The Dodgers traded away Ruiz and Kendrick, bringing back Darin Ruf and minor leaguer Darnell Sweeney.
Let’s see how these moves affected the power rankings!
Previous: . Oakland A's. 30. team. 96. The only team in the bottom five to make a move was Oakland, and their trading of Danny Valencia dropped them even further behind the rest of baseball. On the bright side, the A’s and Managing Partner Lew Wolff parted ways this week, so there is a chance that Oakland could start spending a bit more each year and potentially even *gasp* re-sign a player or two. The main goal of the new suits will be to get the team a brand new ballpark in Oakland. 2017 will likely be on the shoulders of the A’s young talent.. 10.6 WAR
. 13.7 WAR. Previous: . San Diego Padres. 29. team. 127
28. team. 61. . 15.9 WAR. Previous: . Cincinnati Reds
27. team. 2. . 18.9 WAR. Previous: . Minnesota Twins
21.3 WAR. Previous: . Pittsburgh Pirates. 26. team. 4.
*As teams begin to make moves, everyone will have a little blurb about them but the majority of the teams here aren’t even involved in rumors at this point.
25. team. 7. . 21.3 WAR. Previous: . Kansas City Royals
22.0 WAR. Previous: . Milwaukee Brewers. 24. team. 76.
8. . 23.2 WAR. Previous: . Arizona Diamondbacks. 23. team
23.9 WAR. Previous: . Texas Rangers. 22. team. 126. The Rangers claimed Tyler Wagner, who made a brief appearance in Arizona in 2016. He tossed ten innings and held a 1.80 ERA (2.35 FIP) and had a decent strikeout rate (6.30), but his walk rate of 1.80 is solid. He adds a 0.4 WAR to the Rangers and becomes a depth option for the rotation.
The Braves moves to sign Colon and Dickey didn’t gain a whole lot of attention, but they vaulted the Braves up five spots on this list and added a cumulative four wins to the team. They’re both getting up there in age, but between their experience and ability to eat innings, both should prove to be valuable additions both in the short and long term.. 24.7 WAR. Previous: . Atlanta Braves. 21. team. 17
6. The Phillies added Kendrick, which is an odd move. They have plenty of outfield options vying for playing time as is, and they’re going to need to see the field in order to develop. While <strong><a rel=. 26.1 WAR. Previous: . Philadelphia Phillies. 20. team
Previous: . Miami Marlins. 19. team. 82. The big rumor out of Miami is that they have their sights set on Kenley Jansen, one of the big name relievers on the market. With a decent enough starting rotation, the addition of Jansen would certainly keep them around the playoff hunt well into the season.. 27.9 WAR
108. If the Rockies were able to add a big bat to play first base, their offense could become literally unstoppable. The main focus this winter should be improving the bullpen, however.. 28.4 WAR. Previous: . Colorado Rockies. 18. team
Previous: . Tampa Bay Rays. 17. team. 21. . 28.9 WAR
29.3 WAR. Previous: . Baltimore Orioles. 16. team. 11.
Jesse Chavez could prove to be a solid add to the rotation, if he can avoid his usual second-half dip.. 29.4 WAR. Previous: . Los Angeles Angels. 15. team. 102
Seattle Mariners. 14. team. 62. It’s been a few hours since the Mariners have made a deal, so they’re due. So far their additions have been marginal upgrades, but that may be all that they need to reach the postseason.. 29.4 WAR. Previous:
New York Yankees. 13. team. 43. The Yankees’ trading of McCann took some WAR off the top, but not enough to take them out of the 13th spot on the list. The moves did drop them into a three-way tie in terms of WAR with the Mariners and Angels, however.. 29.4 WAR. Previous:
Previous: . Chicago White Sox. 12. team. 128. The White Sox are a bit top heavy in terms of how they accumulate their WAR total, with the majority of the production coming from 3-4 players. Perhaps trading either <strong><a rel=. 31.4 WAR
team. 71. The Dodgers don’t figure to be down this low for very long. They are either going to re-sign <strong><a rel=. 31.9 WAR. Previous: . Los Angeles Dodgers. 11
10. team. 39. . 33.5 WAR. Previous: . Toronto Blue Jays
The Tigers are an interesting case. Their main competition in the AL Central was the Cleveland Indians, and that doesn’t look like it will change moving forward. Cleveland is a young team while Detroit is aging, so despite the Tigers being close to a wild card spot in 2016, trading away some of their costly veteran talent may be their best shot at getting ahead of the curve.. 34.8 WAR. Previous: . Detroit Tigers. 9. team. 63
The Astros made an offensive upgrade at catcher with the addition of McCann, and also brought on another McHugh-esque pitcher in Charlie Morton. Josh Reddick will provide solid defense in the outfield at the very least, but finding playing time for everyone in a Tal’s Hill-less outfield will be a tricky proposition. If Houston is really going all-in, they could make a play for one of the big names on the trade block in <strong><a rel=. 36.7 WAR. Previous: . Houston Astros. 8. team. 135
3. The Mets have made one move this offseason, and that was extending Neil Walker a Qualifying Offer, which he accepted. Even without <strong><a rel=. 37.2 WAR. Previous: . New York Mets. 7. team
Previous: . St. Louis Cardinals. 6. team. 33. Brett Cecil has some upside out of the bullpen, and now that he’s with St. Louis will undoubtedly be a <strong><a rel=. 37.7 WAR
40. Once the Giants sign their big-name closer, they will be a serious threat to the rest of the league–Cubs included.. 41.3 WAR. Previous: . San Francisco Giants. 5. team
team. 90. . 44.3. Previous: . Washington Nationals. 3
team. 14. The Red Sox have a Papi-sized hole in the middle of their lineup, but should be able to fill that void one way or another. They should be the favorites in the American League heading into 2017, especially if they add one of the aces on the trade block.. 47.1 WAR. Previous: . Boston Red Sox. 2
1. team. 9. The Cubs are leading the way and that is without <strong><a rel=. 48.4 WAR. Previous: . Chicago Cubs