While the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros do battle in the 2019 World Series, other clubs around the MLB are planning for the offseason.
Although teams such as the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs have decided on their managers for the 2020 campaign, a number of teams are still searching for the best managerial candidate.
Some teams–such as the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants–are looking for the direction as they begin to rebuild. Others, like the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, will be under more pressure to win immediately.
Regardless, a number of clubs face a potential reckoning this winter. The sheer number of contract extensions given to stars throughout the league has lessened the amount of talent that will be available on the free agent market, but multiple clubs need to add impact pieces if they hope to take the next step forward.
Here are the five MLB teams under the most pressure this winter:
Sure, the Dodgers have won seven straight National League West division titles. They have one of the more enviable talent pools in baseball, with youngsters like Walker Buehler spearheading the rotation and Cody Bellinger developing into an MVP candidate in just his third season.
However, as successful as the Dodgers have been during this decade, they have failed in October. Los Angeles was the overwhelming favorite to win the National League this season, but they endured another heartbreaking collapse against the Nationals in the NLDS. So, what now?
There is no doubt that the Dodgers should be able to win with the current roster. They led the league in ERA and topped the NL in runs scored. Yet, they consistently shrink in the playoffs.
Are their failures on manager Dave Roberts? Possibly. Roberts faced endless criticism for his handling of the bullpen in Game 5 of the NLDS, when he had a predetermined order that included Clayton Kershaw and later elected to leave Joe Kelly in for a second inning.
But Roberts is hardly the only figure worthy of blame. Bellinger had a woeful series, and he has been a rather obvious sore thumb in the lineup in each of the last three postseason runs. A.J. Pollock was excellent over the last few months of the regular season upon his return from injury, but he struck out in 11 of his 14 plate appearances during the NLDS. Kershaw is a shell of his former self.
This winter, the Dodgers face the potential loss of Hyun-Jin Ryu in the rotation and Kenley Jansen (who can opt-out of his final two years) in the bullpen. Most of their core is intact, but the current roster construction also makes it apparent that Los Angeles will rely on the likes of Dustin May and Gavin Lux, amongst other, to make strides.
Can the Dodgers create enough payroll flexibility to sign Anthony Rendon or Gerrit Cole? Will they merely look to add bullpen pieces for next season?
Whatever the answers may be, it is clear that the Dodgers are under pressure to make any move necessary to get over the hump and win the World Series in 2020.
4. New York Mets
The Mets stunned the baseball community by going for broke at the trade deadline.
Instead of looking for trade partners for talented arms like Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard, the Mets reloaded by trading for Marcus Stroman. The team responded by going 34-21 after the All-Star break, narrowly missing out on a Wild Card berth.
New York fired manager Mickey Callaway after two tumultuous seasons in which Callaway was criticized for his bullpen management and frequently clashed with the media. There are a number of candidates under consideration for the job, but insiders believe that the Mets are looking for a candidate with experience.
This is a club built to win now. The starting rotation is elite, with Jacob deGrom and Syndergaard leading the way and Stroman growing more comfortable in the Big Apple. Similarly, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil dazzled in the lineup and made the Mets more prolific from an offensive standpoint.
Still, there are a number of questions heading into the offseason. Wheeler will be a free agent and is sure to be one of the most prized arms on the market. The bullpen is still a major question mark especially given the seasons that Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia had, and the Mets are paying top dollar for Yoenis Cespedes and Robinson Cano, both of whom have struggled to stay on the field in recent years.
Likewise, there are question marks in the outfield. Is Brandon Nimmo regarded as the centerfielder for the future? Can J.D. Davis replicate his success from this past season? The Mets were–by most analytics–one of the worst defensive teams in baseball last season. Will they add some more reputable defenders?
New York has been one of the better second-half teams in baseball over the course of the last two seasons. The talent is clearly there, but now they need to fully commit to winning now and reaching the postseason for the first time since 2016.
3. Los Angeles Angels/San Diego Padres
These two teams find themselves in pretty similar situations. And since they are both on the West Coast, why not pair them together? (Only cheating a bit, here)
The Angels are hoping that Joe Maddon can energize the club similarly to how he helped the Chicago Cubs break out and win 97 games in 2015. They have the best player in the game in Mike Trout, and Shohei Ohtani will be back in all of his two-way glory in 2020. How will the Angels supplement their superstars?
Unfortunately, Los Angeles will pay close to $63 million for Albert Pujols, Justin Upton and Zack Cozart next season, and they already have $115 committed to next season before arbitration raises. That said, there are indications that they will be major players in free agency.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tabbed the Angels as the “overwhelming favorite” to sign Cole–who is an Orange County, CA native–this winter. Los Angeles could also pursue positional upgrades like Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu and Marcell Ozuna while potentially seeking a reunion with Howie Kendrick.
The Angels are one of the most scrutinized teams in baseball because they have failed to win with Trout. But now that he is under contract for the next decade-plus, the Angels have to be aggressive in building around him and winning in the process.
San Diego still has the best farm system in baseball. The Friars also have a pair of bona fide superstars in Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack. General manager A.J. Preller asserted his desire to win now by signing Manny Machado last winter. What will they do for an encore?
The Padres will not be in the market for Anthony Rendon, but they will certainly be in the market for Cole or any of the other marquee starters–Wheeler, Ryu, Madison Bumgarner and possibly Stephen Strasburg–in free agency.
Is the young talent enough to put them over in 2020? Luis Urias has really struggled in his early showings, and arms such as MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino are still a few years away. Taylor Trammell is toolsy, but he has been disappointing in the major leagues.
San Diego will be looking for better seasons from the likes of Machado, Eric Hosmer and Manuel Margot, but they clearly need to add pieces to bolster the lineup and the rotation.
2. Chicago Cubs
When the Cubs broke through to win their first World Series in 108 years in 2016, they were thought to be a dynasty in the making. But each of the past three seasons have been more disappointing than the last.
Chicago missed the postseason for the first time since 2014 this year, and the team parted ways with Maddon at the end of the regular season.
On Wednesday morning, the Cubs announced that they were hiring former catcher David Ross to be the next manager. Ross fits the billing of recent managerial hirings in terms of being a former player with little to no managing experience, a model that has been successful for clubs like the Minnesota Twins (Rocco Baldelli), New York Yankees (Aaron Boone) and Washington Nationals (Dave Martinez) in recent years.
The question is, what kind of team will Ross be managing?
Cubs president Theo Epstein hinted at a potential reckoning if the team failed to make the playoffs in 2019, and now that reckoning has arrived. Would the Cubs really trade one of their core pieces, like Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras or Javier Baez?
Chicago ranked dead-last in contact rate in 2019 and often relied on the home run to win games. There are a number of relievers that will be free agents, and the starting rotation is aging. The Cubs are also handicapped by a large payroll while possessing one of the worst farm systems in baseball.
Needless to say, the onus is on Epstein to work around the infrastructure and make tangible upgrades. The Cubs are rumored to be a potential landing spot for a marquee starter, particularly if they can find a trade partner for left-hander Jose Quintana.
But there are also some intriguing veteran options (Kendrick, relievers like Daniel Hudson, Will Harris and Joe Smith) in the free agent market whom could be major difference-makers in 2020.
The Cubs have found their manager for the future. Now, they have to put a winning product on the field.
1. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies were supposed to be the toast of the National League East. General manager Matt Klentak was hailed after an offseason that included trading for J.T. Realmuto and signing the likes of Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson. Owner John Middleton was vocal about his “World Series or bust attitude.” This was supposed to be the best Phillies roster in over a decade.
Yet, Philadelphia barely scraped the .500 mark and were once again done in by the same old problems: suspect rotational performances, a lack of bullpen depth and no answer at the leadoff spot.
After multiple years of disappointment, arms like Vince Velasquez, Nick Pivetta and Jerad Eickoff may not be the solution in the rotation. Jake Arrieta is only growing older, and Drew Smyly is hardly reliable.
There are reasons for optimism. McCutchen was exactly the kind of leadoff man that the Phillies so desperately needed before he suffered an ACL injury, and Scott Kingery is finally beginning to validate the unprecedented contract that he signed in March of 2018.
Still, there will be a ton of pressure on Klentak this winter. Middleton already went against the wishes of the front office by firing manager Gabe Kapler. It would seem that everyone will be held accountable should the team fail to make the playoffs again.
Can the Phillies reassert their dominance in the market? They have depleted their farm system in recent years, so it would seem that free agency offers the only viable solution in terms of making upgrades.
Pitching will be the top priority in the City of Brotherly Love. Klentak has to get creative in order for the Phillies to be successful next season and beyond. Does he have a few more shockers in store?
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