Which non-playoff teams can become contenders in 2020?

The 2019 season is over, and the offseason is officially underway. Before the hot stove heats up, let’s look at which MLB teams can compete in 2020.

This offseason, contenders are looking for ways to retool their rosters in order to put them over the hump, the bottom feeders of the league are finding ways to catalyze their rebuilds, and others are in search of new managers. What they all have in common is a busy front office. Next year, they all hope to be celebrating a championship instead of watching from home.

There a few MLB teams that are gearing up to take the next steps to become legitimate contenders in the upcoming MLB season. Some are at the end of long rebuilds, while others have faced years of disappointment. Regardless of their past misfortunes, these handful of teams have promising, talented rosters, and their front office has put them in a prime position to make offseason moves that will elevate them to the next level.

As the offseason heats up, we will have a better idea of who will be contenders and who will be pretenders next season. However, this is baseball, so no one ever really knows what the future holds. Nobody expected the Red Sox to miss the playoffs following a dominant run the 2018 World Series title, and even fewer people expected the Nationals to win the World Series. But for now, the 2019 season has come to a close, and the offseason has officially begun. Before the hot stove heats up, let’s look at which MLB teams are the best positioned to take the next step and become legitimate contenders in 2020.