Well, the Blue Jays are not playing in Toronto this year. An agreement to play in Pittsburgh was quashed by the Pennsylvania State government. So, where do they play in 2020? Dunedin? Buffalo? Do they just become a touring sideshow, pulling up to a random town on the eastern seaboard and breaking out the gloves?
There is no question that the White Sox have improved. Yasmani Grandal was a surprise acquisition, but Dallas Kuechel made perfect sense. Extensions were signed to keep the young core together for the long term. But the question remains – do the White Sox have enough pitching to contend?
The Padres are very similar to the White Sox. They have plenty of exciting young players, and made upgrades on their offense and in the bullpen. And, like the White Sox, there are questions about whether or not there is enough in the rotation. Their schedule will help, but the Padres are not there just yet.
The Reds did their heavy lifting to improve the rotation at the 2019 trade deadline in landing Trevor Bauer, but the offense was a question mark. That is not the case any more, with Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama providing a real leadoff hitter to the lineup, and Nick Castellanos. This could be the worst defensive team in the majors, but they could be very exciting as well.
At first glance, the Chicago Cubs should contend. The core from their 2016 World Series winning team remains, and the offense still has plenty of firepower. But the rotation is aging and a giant question mark. The end is coming for the Cubs, but they may have one last run left.