Start of Spring Training Power Rankings

Even though it's 20 degrees outside and it snows every other day, Spring is in the air.  The players rejected MLB's proposal to delay the start of the season, so Spring Training will begin this week as scheduled.  (I'm not feeling the seven-inning doubleheaders and free runner in extra innings sticking around this season, but that's a separate issue.)

So, with Spring Training on the horizon, I figured now was as good a time as any to take a look at how the teams stack up after all of the offseason moves.  Of course, there are still some big names out there, so things could easily change.  But here's how I see things right now as everybody prepares to head to Florida and Arizona...

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: There's no reason not to put the defending champs at the top.  They lost some of their depth guys, but also took one of their strengths--the rotation--and made it a whole lot better.  Not many teams can add the reigning Cy Young winner and slot him in as the No. 3 starter, then take another Cy Young winner who sat out last season and insert him at No. 4.  Meanwhile, the best starter in the rotation may be the one guy without a Cy Young--Walker Buehler.

2. San Diego Padres: It's quite possible that the two best teams in baseball both play in the same division.  I've been high on San Diego for a while, and the Padres don't show any signs of going away anytime soon.  Their one area of concern was the starting rotation, so they swung a pair of trades for Yu Darvish and Blake Snell within a few hours of each other.  If they can stay healthy, the rotation suddenly isn't so much of a problem anymore.

3. New York Yankees: The Yankees get this spot almost by default since both of last year's ALCS participants became weaker this offseason, with Tampa Bay trading people away and Houston getting hit by free agency.  They didn't touch their lineup, but revamped their pitching staff using a high-risk, high-reward strategy with Corey Kluber and Jamieson Taillon.  Re-signing Masahiro Tanaka would've been nice and his decision to go back to Japan may end up hurting, but Kluber and Taillon are definitely an upgrade over James Paxton and JA Happ.

4. Toronto Blue Jays: Just like the NL's two best teams may be out west, the AL's two best may both be in the East.  Because the Blue Jays have loaded up!  They traded for Marcus Semien, signed George Springer, and added a closer in Kirby Yates.  And don't forget about all of their young talent, some of which might end up in bench/utility roles because of how deep they've suddenly become.

5. Atlanta Braves: Atlanta didn't do much in the offseason and didn't need to do much.  They did, after all, take the Dodgers to seven games in the NLCS last season.  The one big addition they did make was Charlie Morton, who only makes their rotation that much stronger.  They also re-signed Marcell Ozuna.  That would've been a big loss had he gone elsewhere.

6. New York Mets: How can you tell the Mets have a new owner with a completely different approach?  What they did in the offseason, that's how!  The Mets were linked to every big-name free agent, and they pulled off the ultimate coup with the Francisco Lindor trade...with Carlos Carrasco as essentially a throw-in.  I don't think they're done wheeling and dealing either.

7. Washington Nationals: Frankly, the Kyle Schwarber signing didn't make much sense to me.  They're a National League team signing a guy who should be a DH!  Then they made the Josh Bell trade, which was brilliant.  A switch-hitting power bat that they were sorely missing last year.  Meanwhile, they took advantage of Cleveland's purge and added Brad Hand to the bullpen, and they got Jon Lester on the cheap to be their No. 4 starter.

8. St. Louis Cardinals: This ranking is this high almost entirely because of one move.  The Rockies decided they didn't want to pay Nolan Arenado anymore.  The Cardinals said "OK, we'll take him," and instantly made themselves the NL Central favorites.  More importantly, Arenado gives Paul Goldschmidt the lineup protection he didn't have in either of his first two seasons in St. Louis.

9. Minnesota Twins: We're in for an AL Central dogfight between the Twins and White Sox.  I give Minnesota the slight edge because they've won the division two years in a row and don't show any signs of a let up in 2021 (getting to play 38 games against the Royals and Tigers will certainly help both of them).  Andrelton Simmons is their biggest lineup addition, while JA Happ slots into the No. 4 spot in the rotation.  Both are upgrades.

10. Chicago White Sox: Now that the White Sox are finally here, don't expect them to go anywhere.  In fact, the 2021 White Sox may be even better than the 2020 edition, especially if they fill their DH spot.  It's the improvement on the pitching end that has me the most excited, though.  Lance Lynn, who was the No. 1 starter in Texas, slots in at No. 3, and signing closer Liam Hendriks was huge, too.  Of course, there's still a big question mark surrounding the White Sox, and that's whether Tony La Russa still has it after so long out of the dugout.

I'm not saying these are the only 10 teams capable of winning the World Series this season.  I'd just be surprised to see it be somebody outside of this group.  Especially since the plan is to go back to a normal, 162-game season with 10-team playoffs this year, the stronger teams will definitely distinguish themselves.

Meanwhile, just like most seasons, there are some teams that simply aren't trying.  There are those like the Red Sox, who aren't really trying but aren't actively tanking either.  Then there are the five who occupy spots 26-30 in my power rankings: Baltimore, Colorado, Detroit, Kansas City and Pittsburgh.  The Pirates and Rockies, especially, are making no effort to be competitive.  The Orioles, Tigers and Royals should all be marginally better this season, but they've still got a long way to go.