2017 MLB Season Preview: Kansas City Royals

The Royals made some move this offseason that were more long-term decisions. I think Kansas City’s front office is looking to the future instead of trying to build a contender this year. They have contracts coming up and they need to make some trades or see them walk after this season with just draft pick compensation.

The Royals did make a few short-term motivated deals too, but those were made out of an immediate need following the death of Yordano Ventura. Their starting rotation is a bit of a patchwork job, but it will need to get them through the season.

Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain are all in the last year of their contracts. Will any stay in Kansas City the entire season or will the Royals move them all in deals?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Kansas City Royals.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Houston Astros

Almost everyone expected the Astros to make the postseason last year, but their starting pitching collapsed. Dallas Keuchel followed up his Cy Young award season in 2015 with a season that saw him lose more games than he won. The advanced metrics showed he was a little unlucky and was better than his ERA and win-loss record would suggest.

Houston decided to invest in some veteran talent this offseason. They signed guys with playoff experience like Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann. Will those signings payoff are they just getting in the way of a younger guy needing at-bats?

Could Carlos Correa or George Springer turn into potential MVP candidates?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Houston Astros.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Detroit Tigers

Nearly every expert predicted the Detroit Tigers would battle the Royals for the AL Central title last year. The Royals fell off a cliff, but the Tigers still put up a little fight for the division. The Indians ended up running away with it by winning 94 games.

The Tigers missed a Wild Card spot by three games. I blame the back-end of their starting rotation for them missing the postseason. Their bats were alive and even Justin Verlander looked like his old self.

I thought the Tigers would make a few big moves this offseason, but their biggest transaction was trading for a platoon-option centerfielder Mikie Mahtook.

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Detroit Tigers.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Colorado Rockies

For the first time in a many years, I like the current trajectory of the Colorado Rockies. It all started when they waited until the perfect time to trade Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto and got some really nice pieces in return. I’ve been waiting for them to do the same thing with Carlos Gonzalez, but they just keep holding onto him. I never thought he would last the entire contract when he signed the seven-year/ $80 million contract before the 2011 season.

I’m curious to see how well the Rockies starting rotation will do this season. Jon Gray was outstanding at times last year. It was nice to see him get comfortable at the Major League level.

Can Colorado surprise us all and contend for a Wild Card spot this season?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Colorado Rockies.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians had a remarkable run in the playoffs last year. If the Chicago Cubs didn’t have Aroldis Chapman, the Indians would have taken home the title. The Cubs didn’t have another reliever that could hold off Cleveland’s hot bats.

The Indians added one of the league’s best power hitters this offseason. Edwin Encarnacion is icing on the cake since Cleveland already had a lethal batting order. This means Kipnis, Lindor and Brantley will see better pitches if Encarnacion is hitting behind them.

The Indians have some of their starters back after they began to fall like flies late last year. Will they run away with the AL Central or will the Tigers keep pace?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Cleveland Indians.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds finished up unloading all their tradable stars when they recently sent Brandon Phillips to Atlanta. They still have a couple stars on the team, but Homer Bailey is broken and there’s no chance they are trading Joey Votto.

The Reds have relied on rookie starting pitching since just after the 2015 trade deadline (yes, well over a season). Their young pitchers have shown promise, but you can’t expect the Reds to be very competitive during this stretch.

Homer Bailey will once again start the season on the DL after undergoing another elbow surgery. Which young starter will emerge as the ace of the staff?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Cincinnati Reds.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Chicago White Sox

This isn’t the best time for the White Sox to begin a rebuilding process. The team across town (the Cubs) won the World Series and the Sox are on the South Side trading their best players away.

The White Sox still have some very good players left on the team. It is still up in the air for how long they will remain there.

Chicago received favorable deals this offseason when they unloaded Adam Eaton to Washington and Chris Sale to Boston. If they can make solid deals for their remaining stars, they could be back in the AL Central mix in just a few years.

Will Chicago hold off until the trade deadline to make some deals or will they get it over with early?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Cubs finally did it. They curse was officially broken. If something bad happens during the season, we can no longer blame some supernatural force.

This season will be a weird one. As a Cubs fan, I usually come into the season with a little optimism, but mostly waiting for the impending doom and gloom to arrive. Even if the team gets off to a slow start in April, these guys basically have a lifetime pass, right?

Jason Heyward played with a broken swing for the entire season. He spent the offseason rebuilding it from scratch. How long will the Cubs stick with him if he struggles again?

I usually mess with all the MLB team preview photos in MS Paint as a joke, but this photo of David Ross getting carried off is just too damn perfect.

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Boston Red Sox

The AL East is always a cut-throat division. Teams tend to make really bold moves just to show their fanbase they are trying to compete. The Red Sox have made some bad moves in the past when trying to keep up with the Yankees (Carl Crawford, Dice K), but they usually know when to go for it.

The Red Sox definitely ‘went for it’ by giving up a lot of prospects for starter Chris Sale. They have him under contract for three more years, so it’s not like they gave up a ton for just a rental player.

Pablo Sandoval arrived at Spring Training in great shape. Can he maintain this weight or will it be an issue again by the All Star break?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Boston Red Sox.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore decided to keep Buck Showalter after his managerial boner in the AL Wild Card game last year. I bet Zach Britton will be called to pitch in more tied extra innings games this season.

The AL East bounced back last season after a poor 2015 season. The Yankees and Red Sox made trades to improve their teams and the Orioles and Blue Jays both made it to the Wild Card game last year. I expect another four-team chase all season. An injury or trade could be the difference between first and fourth place in the AL East.

How will Mark Trumbo perform after getting rewarded with a new deal?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Baltimore Orioles.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have made some interesting moves. The team has mostly relied on young talent over the last few seasons while rebuilding, but they turned the page and acquired some veterans who were once All Stars.

The Braves now have two former Cy Young winners in their rotation (Bartolo Colon & R.A. Dickey) and have acquired two other former All Stars since just before last seasons’s trade deadline (Matt Kemp & Brandon Phillips).

Both of the former Cy Young winners are over the age of 40, but if they can get 175 innings out of each of them, they will be worth their salary to mentor their young talent.

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks

Former Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo takes over as manager for the Diamondbacks this season. The team has a lot of needs, but does have a true ace with Zack Greinke and an All-Star power hitter in Paul Goldschmidt. Most managers don’t take over a team with those kind of cornerstones. The rest of the roster needs work, but new general manager Mike Hazen could make some moves this season.

The NL West is one of the best divisions in baseball with the Dodgers and Giants expected to battle for playoff spots. How long until Arizona is in that mix?

Will Arizona make some huge in-season trades in hopes of rebuilding or will the new general manager try to avoid a lengthy rebuild and just attempt to retool?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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