MLB Power Rankings: Where Sox stand ahead of Opening Day
Opening Day is right around the corner, and the Boston Red Sox enter the 2021 season with optimism that simply didn't exist throughout what was a disastrous 2020 campaign.Boston made an effort to improve its lackluster pitching staff by adding Garrett Richards to the middle of the rotation. Eduardo Rodriguez's return should help the cause as well, as the left-hander will be counted on to be the ace of the staff. The bullpen should see a boost with veteran Adam Ottavino added to the mix.Super utility men Kiké Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez will add some pop and a ton of versatility to the Red Sox lineup. Hunter Renfroe and Franchy Cordero will be out to prove they can make up for the departures of Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi.Will all of these additions be enough to make the Red Sox contenders again this season? Here's how they stack up with the other 29 MLB teams heading into Opening Day.
Not much to see here. The Pirates are at the bottom of the barrel, but keep an eye on rookie third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. He'll at least make Pittsburgh somewhat watchable this season.
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The Orioles will remain the cellar dwellers of the AL East, but Trey Mancini's comeback from colon cancer is one of the best stories of the season.
With Nolan Arenado getting dealt to St. Louis during the offseason, there isn't much to look forward to in Colorado these days. Will All-Star shortstop Trevor Story be moved next?
Joey Gallo is pretty much a lock for 40-plus homers if he stays healthy. Otherwise, this offense is going to struggle mightily once again.
A.J. Hinch takes over as Detroit's manager in the midst of its rebuild. Perhaps we'll see some of the young talent show flashes of their potential, but it's going to take another couple of years before we see it all come to fruition.
The Mariners' future looks bright with their talented prospects, but they're still another year or two away from being competitive. It'll be fun to watch Kyle Lewis try to duplicate his efforts from his 2020 AL Rookie of the Year campaign.
Zac Gallen is a promising young starter, but he'll miss time with a hairline fracture in his pitching arm. That means Madison Bumgarner and Luke Weaver are going to need to be a whole lot better than they were in 2020. Banking on that, plus this mediocre lineup improving, doesn't bode well for Arizona.
The Marlins surprised everyone by clinching a playoff berth in 2020. They have some young talent -- Sixto Sanchez, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Jazz Chisholm to name a few -- who will be worth watching this season. That said, they aren't going to contend again in 2021. The NL East is too competitive, and Miami is still in rebuild mode.
If I had to pick one sleeper team to keep an eye on in 2021, it would be the Royals. They made some nice additions this offseason including former Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who will be motivated to bounce back from last year's rough campaign. They also added veteran slugger Carlos Santana and left-hander Mike Minor. Kansas City has enough talent to make some noise.
This lineup should once again score a fair share of runs with Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson holding down the middle of the order. Buster Posey returning and Tommy La Stella being added during the offseason should help as well. As for the pitching staff, that still needs improvement before we can get excited about San Francisco in 2021.
Trevor Bauer is gone, but Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray still make for a rock-solid 1-2 punch in the rotation. Unfortunately, the rest of the pitching staff leaves plenty to be desired. Regardless, this is a club that should still find itself in the mix in a crowded NL Central.
The only thing that will keep the Indians afloat this season is pitching. After dealing Francisco Lindor to the Mets, Cleveland's only real offensive threat is Jose Ramirez. If he goes down or underperforms, it's going to be a long year.
The Red Sox have plenty to prove after a disastrous 2020 season, but there are a number of reasons to be optimistic about this team heading into the new campaign.
For one, the pitching staff should be much improved with Eduardo Rodriguez back as the ace. If Garrett Richards stays healthy and Tanner Houck emerges as a reliable arm the way he did last season, things could get interesting.
Offensively, there's even more firepower with Kiké Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe now in the mix. Like Hernandez, Marwin Gonzalez will add a ton of versatility. Then there's Franchy Cordero, who has yet to unleash his full potential due to injuries but could be a revelation for Boston in 2021.
Will the Red Sox be a contender? That remains to be seen. But they'll at least be an entertaining bunch following what was an unwatchable 2020.
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The Angels added some starting pitching depth (Jose Quintana, Alex Cobb) and improved the bullpen (Raisel Iglesias) but there's still plenty of work to be done. It's hard to get excited about this club until it gets a true ace at the top of the rotation. Still, Mike Trout should at least have a decent chance to finally squeak into the playoffs.
The Phillies' lineup and rotation are almost identical to last year's, when they finished under .500 and failed to clinch a playoff spot. Much of those struggles were due to the bullpen, which improved this offseason with the additions of Jose Alvarado and Archie Bradley. There's talent up and down the roster, but this is a tough NL East division and Philadelphia once again could be the odd one out.
This could be the last year we see Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez together as all three are scheduled to hit free agency after the season. They'll need to carry a significant load this season with the rotation losing Yu Darvish, Jon Lester, and Jose Quintana.
Despite Christian Yelich having an awful season and Lorenzo Cain opting out, the Brewers were a wild card team in 2020. They also made some solid additions this offseason including former Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and Kolten Wong. If Milwaukee's offense bounces back, it'll be contending for an NL Central title.
The Rays couldn't capitalize on their World Series berth last year and it may be a while before we see them make another deep postseason run. With Blake Snell and Charlie Morton gone, it's hard to imagine this club being one of the best in the bigs again in 2021.
The Cards' impressive lineup got even better this offseason with All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado added to the mix, but this pitching staff has a ton of question marks. Jack Flaherty needs to return to form as a true ace, and the guys after him in the rotation have to step up if St. Louis is going to make any sort of run.
Don't sleep on the 2019 World Series champs after their down 2020. The Nats made several solid additions to their roster during the offseason including Kyle Schwarber, Jon Lester, Brad Hand, and Josh Bell. If Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg stay healthy, Washington will be battling for the NL East crown.
Even with Liam Hendriks, Marcus Semien, and Khris Davis leaving, the A's still have enough talent to win the AL West again in 2021. The rotation remains one of the most underrated in the game with Jesus Luzardo, Sean Manaea, and Chris Bassitt. Offensively, the core of Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Ramon Laureano is enough to get Oakland back to the postseason.
The Twins might be the best defensive team in baseball this season with Andrelton Simmons added to the infield and Byron Buxton still patrolling the outfield. There's still plenty of firepower in the lineup too with Josh Donaldson, Nelson Cruz, and the rest of the core still intact. The pitching staff will just have to hold up its end of the bargain.
Last season was a rough one for the Astros and this year could be even tougher with fans back at ballparks to let Houston hear it for its sign-stealing scandal. Jose Altuve will need to have a bounce-back season, and Zack Greinke will have to be a bonafide ace with Justin Verlander out due to Tommy John surgery.
Adding George Springer and Marcus Semien to the Blue Jays' young, talented lineup automatically makes them one of the most intriguing teams heading into the 2021 season. However, they're going to have to bolster the pitching staff behind Hyun-jin Ryu if they're to snag the top spot in the AL East and make a postseason run.
Losing Eloy Jimenez hurts, but this is still a club with World Series aspirations in 2021. The lineup should still be lethal with 2020 AL MVP Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, and Yasmani Grandal doing damage. The top of the rotation is set to be outstanding with Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Dallas Keuchel. Then there's elite closer Liam Hendriks, who was signed during the offseason to slam the door shut in the ninth.
Mets fans enter the 2021 season with high hopes, and for good reason. Francisco Lindor's smile is contagious, and he brings another All-Star talent to New York's impressive lineup. Jacob deGrom will look to earn his fourth Cy Young award, and Marcus Stroman has the potential to be a rock-solid No. 2 until Noah Syndergaard returns.
The Yankees needed to add pitching and re-sign All-Star second baseman DJ LeMahieu this offseason, and they accomplished both tasks. Now, it's a matter of staying healthy as the stars in the lineup Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been able to do that. Veteran right-hander Corey Kluber will be counted on as well after missing pretty much all of the 2020 season with an injury. If Kluber and fellow new addition Jameson Taillon are on their game, this Yankees team could be really dangerous.
The Braves will be a force to be reckoned with again in 2021 with a stacked lineup that includes Ronald Acuña, Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna, and Ozzie Albies. Their pitching was a weakness in 2020, but it could be a strength this season with Max Fried anchoring a rotation that added veteran Charlie Morton this offseason. Look out for youngster Ian Anderson as well.
"Slam" Diego isn't going anywhere after its storybook 2020 campaign. The Padres should be even better this season with Yu Darvish and Blake Snell at the top of the rotation and Dinelson Lamet will be a sneaky Cy Young candidate if he can stay healthy. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado remain in the middle of a lineup that was one of the most exciting in baseball last year.
The defending champs remain in the No. 1 spot heading into the new season, and it really isn't all that close. L.A. got even better this offseason by adding 2020 NL Cy Young award winner Trevor Bauer to its already-stacked pitching staff. The lineup speaks for itself with Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Will Smith, Max Muncy, and of course Mookie Betts. This Dodgers team should win 100-plus games with ease in 2021.
