MLB: Five teams still stuck in no man’s land this offseason
Amidst a quiet MLB offseason, there are a handful of teams that find themselves in a pointless middle ground. It’s time they commit to a strategy.
There are four possible positions for an MLB team to be in each offseason: on the prowl for contention (preferred), restructuring for the present and the future (wise), rebuilding for the future (understandable), and stuck in no man’s land (regrettable).
Here’s each club’s current position:
On the prowl: Dodgers, Padres, Yankees, Braves, Mets, Nationals, White Sox
Restructuring: Rays, Indians, Royals, Astros, Red Sox, Reds, Giants
Rebuilding: Rangers, Pirates, Tigers, Orioles, Cubs, Mariners, Diamondbacks
There is also a “gray area” group consisting of playoff-capable teams that are either content with where they stand or lack the financial resources to join the prowl. The Marlins and Athletics meet both conditions, while the Twins and Blue Jays qualify as playoff teams that are either content or delayed in their efforts to improve.
If your team is one of the five that has yet to appear, that can only mean one frightful thing: they’re stuck in no man’s land.
From here, we’ll explain the dilemma that the five remaining clubs are in and how they can find direction.
Philadelphia Phillies
Payroll
$139,665,962 – (9th highest in MLB)
Contracts
Bryce Harper: 13 years, $330 million – signed February 2019
Zack Wheeler: 5 years, $118 million – signed December 2019
Andrew McCutchen: 3 years, $50 million – $15 million club option in 2022
Dilemma: The Phillies want to make the most of Bryce Harper’s prime, but their product is consistently inferior to that of top division rivals.
In 2020, Philadelphia had the top catcher in baseball and received tremendous contributions from Bryce Harper, Didi Gregorius, Rhys Hoskins, Aaron Nola, and Zack Wheeler. Yet, they finished third in the NL East with a 28-32 record. Despite a myriad of stellar performances, they could not overcome their league-worst bullpen and imbalanced starting rotation.
They have addressed their bullpen this offseason through several under-the-radar acquisitions, as well as a notable one in which they gained LHP Jose Alvarado from the Tampa Bay Rays. Per reports, the Phils are in the process of signing right-handed reliever Archie Bradley, also.
Philadelphia continues to pursue relief help, though their pursuits will be for not if they fail to re-sign J.T. Realmuto and bring in a reliable starting pitcher. (The Phillies have reportedly offered Realmuto five years worth at least $100 million.)
The question is, even if the Phillies accomplish those tasks, will they be good enough to win their division?
The Braves are legitimate World Series threats, the Mets and Nationals are on the verge, and the Marlins are no longer a team to overlook. The Phillies’ pursuit of the division crown will be far from easy, but what choice do they have other than to try and compete?
They’re not going to entertain any degree of a rebuild with Bryce Harper on their roster, and there’s no reason to stand pat as a major-market club with decent financial flexibility. The Philadelphia Phillies must start down the path to winning NOW.
Perhaps the new front office tandem of Dave Dombrowski (President of Baseball Operations) and Sam Fuld (General Manager) will steer them right.
How can the Phils flee no man’s land? Re-sign Realmuto; trade for or sign a #3 starter; add one more quality reliever; sign the most affordable shortstop out of Marcus Semien, Andrelton Simmons, and Didi Gregorius.
It might not be possible to do all of the above before April, but they can start from the top and explore from there.
St. Louis Cardinals
Payroll
$117,766,666 – (14th highest in MLB)
Contracts
Paul Goldschmidt: 5 years, $130 million – signed March 2019
Matt Carpenter: 2 years, $39 million – expires after 2022 season
Dexter Fowler: 5 years, $82.5 million – expires after 2021 season
Dilemma: The Cardinals are unwilling to spend despite having a modest payroll and having reached the postseason a year ago.
The St. Louis Cardinals might compare offseason spending to pulling teeth. For some reason, they don’t like to pay free agents or to make trades. But they’re not going to enhance their chances at a championship unless they begin to embrace such enticing tactics.
All that’s leaked from Cardinals camp this offseason is that they’re unsure whether or not to re-sign catcher Yadier Molina. They’ve hardly been “in” on a free agent or rumored as a trade prospect.
Are we missing something, or should the Cards be searching diligently for a couple of dynamite bats?
They finished fifth in the National League in 2020 with a 3.86 starters’ ERA and fourth with a 4.00 bullpen ERA. St. Louis was also one of the better defensive clubs in MLB.
The offense was their sole affliction, yet they haven’t expressed any intentions of scanning for help in that area. Free agents such as George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, Marcus Semien, and Justin Turner appear to be glaring fits. Still, the Cardinals keep quiet.
The front office can sit on its hands and conquer a dilapidated NL Central, but the team is stunting its growth by remaining unchanged.
How can the Cardinals flee no man’s land? Find the zeal to sign an impactful free agent bat or two. That’s all it will take for them to become legitimate contenders.
Milwaukee Brewers
Payroll
$64,901,626 – (20th in MLB)
Contracts
Christian Yelich: 7 years, $188.5 million – signed in March 2020
Lorenzo Cain: 5 years, $80 million – expires after 2022 season
Dilemma: The Brewers are playoff capable; however, they’re far off the pace of NL powerhouses such as the Dodgers and Padres. They also have a farm system in desperate need of resuscitation.
Unlike their divisional foes from St. Louis, the Milwaukee Brewers have reason to pause and assess this offseason. They’re good enough to keep pushing for the playoffs, but do they have the personnel to make a run at a title? This question marks the fine line between buying and selling.
Milwaukee has laid low to this point. They’ve chosen to hold on to closer Josh Hader and center fielder Lorenzo Cain, plausibly their top two trade assets. At the same time, they haven’t dabbled in the free-agent market.
Truthfully, no man’s land is a justifiable environment for the Brew Crew. There is no reason for their front office to rush any decisions regarding their present or future.
The Brewers can let the first half of the 2021 season play its course, then determine whether it’s best to buy or sell come July. They won’t commit to a full rebuild with Yelich in his prime, though they could tentatively reset by dealing Josh Hader at the trade deadline for a pair of major league-ready prospects.
Colorado Rockies
Payroll
$124,208,333 – (11th highest in MLB)
Contracts
Nolan Arenado: 8 years, $260 million – signed February 2019
Charlie Blackmon: 6 years, $108 million – player options in 2022 and 2023
Ian Desmond: 5 years, $70 million – club option in 2022
Trevor Story: 2 years, $27.5 million – expires after 2021 season
Dilemma: The Rockies have loads of money in play, but they’re not winning games. They must decide whether to stick with their high-dollar players, and, if so, for how long.
The Arenado, Blackmon, Story era can only last for so long. Story will become a free agent at the end of this year, and both Blackmon and Arenado can opt-out of their contracts as early as 2022.
Colorado does and always has lacked the pitching to make the extraordinary contributions of its three mega-talents worth the while. It’s time to retire their elite offensive core, allowing a new focus on vitalizing their 29th-ranked farm system (according to Bleacher Report).
It’s time for the Rockies to rebuild.
The good news is they have the perfect players to swap for prospects. There’s long been a line of teams wrapped around the corner to acquire Arenado, who’s earned the lofty title of a “Franchise Player.” His contract is intimidating, but it won’t prevent a favorable return as long as the Rockies are willing to consume some of it.
Teams prioritize having a formidable shortstop in place at the start of the regular season. As such, there’s surely a current market for Trevor Story. Though, if Colorado can’t trade him by spring training, they can try again before the July 31st trade deadline.
How can the Rockies flee no man’s land? Trade Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, and any other big leaguers that can ignite a youth movement. Then let the rebuild unfold.
Los Angeles Angels
Payroll
$152,738,094 – (4th highest in MLB)
Contracts
Mike Trout: 12 years, $426.5 million – signed March 2019
Albert Pujols: 10 years, $240 million – expires after this season
Anthony Rendon: 7 years, $245 million – signed December 2019
Justin Upton: 5 years, $106 million – expires after 2022 season
Dilemma: The Angels want desperately to get the best player in MLB to the playoffs, but year after year, they fall well short.
The LA Angels don’t shy away from making bold moves. Unfortunately, their bold moves seem to work maybe half the time.
They deserve an A+ for signing Anthony Rendon as a cornerstone third baseman and an A+++ for drafting and developing Mike Trout. However, their contracts to Albert Pujols and Justin Upton have handcuffed them for years. Also, their prized acquisition of Shohei Ohtani has yielded poor results thus far.
Draw some of the Angels’ shortcomings up to bad luck, though the overarching metaphor for them is: they keep shooting themselves in the foot.
After finishing fourth in the AL West with a 26-34 record in 2020, the Halos have every reason to push the envelope this offseason. Their offseason search should begin and end with starting pitching. Angels’ starters produced a 5.52 ERA in 2020, tucking them away as the 29th-best rotation in MLB.
Acquiring a legitimate ace would be the most immediate remedy. That said, Trevor Bauer should be their primary target. The 2020 Cy Young projets as the most expensive player on the free-agent market, and while the Angels aren’t flush with cash, they must organize their funds to make room for Bauer.
dark. Next. Are we jumping to conclusions with the Rays?
How can the Angels flee no man’s land? Sign Bauer and transact for an established mid-rotation starter.
Los Angeles can’t keep sulking in the AL West. It’s time they take a big step forward.