#4: Texas Rangers
Marcus Semien and Corey Seager add a lot to this team especially with some other good prospective bats either in the lineup already like Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia. Along with young guys on the way up in Josh Jung and Sam Huff. That gives them two potentially top 30 players in baseball in one lineup, matched up with four other good to great hitters that could create one of the better lineups in baseball.
One thing I don’t understand is why they traded away Joey Gallo if this is the direction the team was planning on going. The argument I guess is that they did not know they would sign Seager and Semien six months ago but they could have also just waited until the offseason to trade Gallo. One of the biggest problems still left for this team is their outfield, which having Gallo as a fantastic hitter and one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball would have solved.
The rotation still looks really iffy, even after the Jon Gray signing. Dane Dunning looks like he could be okay, not sure if he has top-end potential though. Spencer Howard was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies last season and did not pitch very well to start but looks like there could be a higher ceiling based off his past in the minors.
The number two overall draft pick in last year’s draft, Jack Leiter, could move through the minors pretty quickly but will probably need to work out his arm to ensure he can handle pitching a full major league season. Cole Winn could be an option as he had a solid year in Double-A and moved up to Triple-A at the end of the year. If all goes well, he could be in the Majors by the midway point of the season.
If this team is looking to flip this rebuild into contender status, they are going to need some top-end pitching, which could be found in free agency with guys in Carlos Rodon or bringing Clayton Kershaw home to Texas. They could also look to the trade market for Frankie Montas, Sonny Gray, or take a risk with former All-Star Patrick Corbin if the Nationals will take on a lot of his contract. They have some trade chips now in Justin Foscue, Ezequiel Duran, and Josh Smith as they are now blocked up the middle from their new signees.
The lineup looks like it could be set for the future more so than anything else here. Its holes are pretty deep ones but could be filled fairly easily with average talent. The rotation is what holds this team back from being one of the brighter teams in the future. That could turn around fairly quickly with a breakout season and a big move.