30. Philadelphia Phillies-What isn’t wrong with the Phils? They are full of old players with bloated contracts, and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has yet to show he can trade any of his old veterans for some young talent. I’d be shocked if Cole Hamels is still on this team in August.
29. Arizona Diamondbacks-Paul Goldschmidt ranks among the best first-basemen in baseball but there just simply isn’t enough talent around him for it to matter.
28. Minnesota Twins-The return of Torii Hunter will not mark the return of the playoffs for the Twins. Nothing to see here.
27. Colorado Rockies-Have some solid hitters in Tulowitzki and CarGo, but they are rarely both healthy and could be traded at the deadline.
26. Atlanta Braves-The trading away of Jason Heyward showed the Braves are clearly in rebuild mode. Expect the second to last season at Turner Field to be a dull one.
25. Cincinnati Reds-Traded away two of their starters in Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon. Expect more of the same mediocrity from the Reds this year.
24. Houston Astros-They have a lot of young talent that could impress this year, but I still think they are a few years away from contending.
23. Texas Rangers-I still do not think they have recovered from losing 2 straight World Series a few years ago. Maybe a healthy Prince Fielder will help them, but I’m not counting on it.
22. Milwaukee Brewers-Adam Lind was a nice pickup, but there is no reason to think they can compete with the likes of St. Louis and Chicago in the NL Central.
21. Baltimore Orioles-I’ve counted them out twice the past two years and was proven wrong. I’m rolling the dice again as I just do not think their lineup will be the same without Nelson Cruz in it.
20. New York Yankees-It’s hard to be optimistic about the Yanks chances this season. The biggest story of the spring for them has been the return of DH Alex Rodriguez who will turn 40 this season. If Masahiro Tanaka’s already partially torn UCL ligament in his elbow does not hold up, it could be a long summer in the Bronx.
19. Chicago White Sox-If Chris Sale is healthy they can make some noise, but even then I wouldn’t necessarily bet on it.
18. Kansas City Royals-I’ll be completely honest here, I have no idea what you can expect from the Royals this season. They shocked the world by turning their first playoff appearance in 30 years into a World Series birth. Losing James Shields certainly won’t help their chances in getting back there though.
17. Pittsburgh Pirates-The Pirates didn’t do much of anything this offseason and it may be hard for them to win 88 games again with a much improved Cubs team in their division.
16. Miami Marlins-They recently gave an enormous contract to star hitter Giancarlo Stanton, and also added pieces in Martin Prado and Mat Latos, but you always have to worry about the Marlins trading pieces away if they are not in strong contention at the deadline.
