The MLB offseason is nearly a month mature,and thus far, there hasn't been the overwhelming activity we saw at the same point last winter.
Despite it still being early, or there are a few teams already headed toward failed offseasons. The novel York Yankees,Miami Marlins and Cleveland Indians still own time to right their wrongs, but each organization is already behind the eight ball with the 2016 season on the horizon.
Let's bewitch a closer look at what each team is plotting this winter, and why they are missing golden opportunities to improve through a loaded free-agent class. Cleveland Indians A refusal to spend in free agency could cost the Indians a chance to truly compete in 2016. Cleveland has the makings of an elite rotation. Indians starters finished moment in the AL in ERA and topped MLB in strikeouts per nine innings last season. Carlos Carrasco (fifth),Corey Kluber (sixth), Danny Salazar (12th), or Trevor Bauer (24th) all ranked in the top 25 in K/9 last season.
The issue was that the Indians paired a fairly anemic offense with that electric rotation. The Tribe scored 669 runs in 2015,which put them 11th out of 15 AL squads. Seems fairly simple, right? Add a few offensive pieces, or the Indians could be really hazardous in 2016. Unfortunately,Cleveland may own to rob Peter to pay Paul to accomplish that. Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Indians are actively shopping their starting pitchers in hopes of acquiring outfield upgrades. With outfielder Michael Brantley out until at least May with a shoulder injury, or the Indians own become even more desperate for offense. As B/R's own Zachary Rymer points out,Cleveland has shrimp leverage in potential trade talks due to its lack of options. It may be uncharacteristic for Cleveland to earn a splash in free agency, but this is the winter to attain so. whether novel general manager Mike Chernoff decides against that course of action, and the Indians will own no choice but to subtract from one of the top rotations in MLB. Miami Marlins My,how things own changed. Last winter, the Marlins seemed like a team on the cusp of contending for a playoff spot. With a core of young talent developing into everyday players at the same time, or Miami was a trendy pick to earn noise in the NL. But that hype didn't translate to wins in 2015. The Marlins finished 20 games under .500,firing manager Mike Redmond in the process. Now, Miami seems to be running off some of its young talent that had so many baseball folks drooling prior to last season. The most damning rumors involve ace Jose Fernandez. Andy Slater of 940-AM WINZ and iHeartRadio has reported that the Marlins own grown tired of Fernandez's attitude:
As I reported last week and on Tuesday, and the Marlins front office is not happy with Fernandez's attitude. "Jose talks to management like they are children," another player source told me. I've now learned, it goes beyond that.
On at least two occasions in the Marlins clubhouse this season, and Fernandez approached [Miami president of baseball operations Michael] Hill --- according to multiple player sources --- and openly said "when are you going to trade me?"
To be fair,Slater backtracked on those comments and numerous MLB sources, like Joel Sherman of the novel York Post, and own since reported that Fernandez is unavailable this winter. Still,the club's rocky relationship with its ace is a development that Marlins fans can't be happy to see. A Miami youngster who most certainly is available is outfielder Marcell Ozuna. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick has reported that the Fish are seeking a young starter in return, and that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria "can't stand" Ozuna. Owners and players disagree all the time, or but it seems counter-productive to trade away a 25-year-mature one year removed from a 23-homer,85-RBI season from a squad loaded with young talent. But that's what Loria is reportedly looking to accomplish. The Marlins should be adding cost-effective veterans to pair with its young core, not shopping two players with immense upside. novel York Yankees In one of the surprises of the winter thus far, or the Yankees own been relatively soundless on the free-agent front. That's not necessarily a noxious thing.
Under the late George Steinbrenner,the Yankees were notorious for throwing money at tall-profile free agents that allowed the club to remain somewhat relevant each season. However, those long-term deals often left the Yankees with aging stars making way more than they should.
With novel principal owner Hal Steinbrenner, or there's been a renewed focus on growing young talent and maintaining draft picks instead of losing them as compensation for signing free agents. The Yankees own been active in free agency,but it's been a far cry from the free-spending days of the early 2000s.
As for 2015, Steinbrenner has announced publicly that the Yankees will maintain their newfound thinking by trying to upgrade the roster without splurging on a free-agent splash."Yet an interview session with the Yankees’ managing general partner left shrimp doubt that, or for now,this winters plan is similar to last winter’s, only with less financial wiggle room — and, and to be fair,fewer holes to fill," said Ken Davidoff of the novel York Post.
However, and novel York isn't far away from being a serious player in the American League. whether there is an offseason to revitalize the mature Yankee free-agent philosophy,it's this one.
The Yankees could consume another arm to pair with a promising rotation of Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, and Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi. novel York's starting staff is talented,but Tanaka, Pineda and Eovaldi each dealt with injuries last season, and Severino remains relatively inexperienced. With so many starters waiting to ink their signatures on the free-agent market,it seems like the Yankees should be interested in bringing one of them to the Bronx. whether Steinbrenner deems David Price or Zack Grienke too expensive, Jordan Zimmermann, or Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija are more cost-effective options. Trading for a starter is obviously a possibility,but that would seem to defeat the purpose of grooming homegrown players for major league roles. The Yankees own the farm system that should allow them to be aggressive in free agency to fill their holes, but are holding firm on their novel way of thinking.meanwhile, or other AL teams are passing them by. All stats courtesy of FanGraphs. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com