20. Chicago Cubs
Marcus Stroman on the mound and Seiya Suzuki patrolling the outfield will be fun to watch at Wrigley Field. Picking up Wade Miley on waivers from the Cincinnati Reds and adding former Reds reliever Mychal Givens in the back end of the bullpen as well could be sneaky moves that help the Cubs compete in the National League Central. But is there enough firepower to keep up with their two biggest rivals in the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals?
19. Texas Rangers
Texas showed it wasn’t afraid to spend this offseason, and spend it did with the biggest contract handed out all season (10 years and $325 million) to Corey Seager. He and Marcus Semien will provide a power-hitting, defensive-minded combination up the middle all season that will put some excitement back into the mix after finishing in last in the American League West last season with 102 losses.
18. San Diego Padres
San Diego has the talent to compete in the National League West, but completely came undone last season as they finished closer to fourth place in the division than second. The Padres will start the season without Fernando Tatis Jr. after an offseason injury and the health and depth of the rotation is still a concern. Of the five starters to begin last season in San Diego’s rotation, only Joe Musgrove didn’t spend time on the injured list.
17. Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout and the Angels haven’t been to the postseason since 2014. Will this finally be the year the Halos break through? Can Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen provide a boost to the rotation? The Angels rebuilt the back end of their bullpen, which should be a strength for the team, which has plenty of star power in a healthy Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
16. Minnesota Twins
Carlos Correa and Gio Urshela will be featured in a retooled left side of the infield in Minnesota, and Sonny Gray, acquired in a trade with the Reds, and Gary Sanchez, brought over in a deal with the New York Yankees, brings new faces to the battery. The Twins are part of a tougher American League Central on paper. Will the offseason deals help them keep pace and in the postseason hunt?