If the winter is a time for goals, the spring is a time for options. Your crew might have been going after Juan Soto or Aaron Decide or Shohei Ohtani, relying on the offseason, however wanting one thing going bizarre in free company (just like the unsigned Boras shoppers final yr), for those who don’t have them beneath contract at this level, they’ll be bettering another person’s membership. Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply that spring coaching is simply about ramping up for the every day grind. Groups have actual wants to deal with, and whereas they’re little question workshopping their very own options – or presumably convincing themselves that the issue doesn’t exist, like once I marvel why my acid reflux disease is terrible after some spicy meals – that doesn’t imply that we are able to’t cook dinner up some concepts within the FanGraphs take a look at kitchen.
That is the ultimate piece in a three-part collection during which I’ll suggest a method for every crew to fill a roster gap or enhance for future seasons. A few of my options usually tend to occur than others, however I attempted to say away from the utterly implausible ones. We’ll go away the hypothetical trades for Bobby Witt Jr. and Paul Skenes to WFAN callers. Additionally, I can’t advocate the identical repair for various groups; in actual life, for instance, David Robertson may also help just one membership’s bullpen. I wrote concerning the groups within the two East divisions final Wednesday, after which coated the Central divisions on Friday. At the moment, we’ll deal with the ten groups within the West divisions, starting with the 5 within the AL West earlier than transferring on to their counterparts within the NL West. Every division is sorted by the present Depth Charts projected win totals.
Texas Rangers: Reunite with Kyle Gibson
Have a look at the Rangers in our Depth Charts projection and look down on the pitchers. Do you see an issue? We undertaking the Rangers to have an honest rotation, proper behind the highest 10, however that additionally depends on plenty of innings from pitchers who haven’t been in a position to throw many lately. Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle are each projected to throw extra innings apiece than the 2 of them have thrown mixed over the past two years. I’d like to see 270 innings from deGrom and Mahle, however to rely on that’s simply begging for a tragic story. I most likely imagine in Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter greater than most, however neither of them must be counted on to solidify an injury-depleted rotation in 2025.
The Rangers want a dependable innings-eater, and outdated good friend Kyle Gibson continues to be on the market. He has made a minimum of 30 begins in 5 of the final six full seasons, with the one time he didn’t attain that threshold coming in 2019, when he made 29 begins, appeared in 34 video games, and put up 2.6 WAR throughout 160 innings — the fewest innings he’s thrown in that span, excluding 2020. He’s most likely by no means once more going to be pretty much as good as he was in 2021, when he was an All-Star with Texas earlier than getting traded to the Phillies and completed with a 3.71 ERA, a 3.87 FIP, and three.1 WAR, however Gibson comes with a reasonably excessive ground. His efficiency final yr with the Cardinals (4.24 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.5 WAR, 169 2/3 innings) was his least-productive marketing campaign throughout that 2018-2024 stretch, however even that may profit the Rangers proper now.
Seattle Mariners: Add some Tork to the lineup
The Mariners have gotten extra out of Luke Raley than they’ve had any proper to, however he stays a platoon first baseman, with a .575 OPS within the majors towards lefties. Even when he can do higher than that — ZiPS thinks he’ll put up a couple of hundred extra factors of OPS in 2025 — he’s not David Ortiz towards righties, so it’s onerous to simply give him a full-time job at first. The seemingly candidates to pair with Raley are totally uninteresting, so why not have a look at Spencer Torkelson, a participant who’s simply begging for a change of surroundings? The Tigers have clearly soured on him; in any other case, they seemingly wouldn’t have signed second baseman Gleyber Torres and moved Colt Keith to first base to start out there over Torkelson. He’s nonetheless younger sufficient to have some upside and get issues again on monitor, however even when he doesn’t ever attain his full potential, he should a minimum of beat up on lefties. The Mariners may use extra energy, and I doubt the value tag will likely be excessive.
Houston Astros: Add a really boring arm
The Astros dug themselves a gap early on in 2024, largely due to a spate of pitching accidents that examined their depth to the breaking level. Houston’s rotation should be good, however there nonetheless are quite a lot of pitchers with damage issues, as soon as once more leaving the crew weak to some unhealthy well being luck. The Astros may use some veteran depth to preemptively reinforce the rotation simply in case somebody goes down, and I believe for them, Lance Lynn is essentially the most fascinating free agent nonetheless accessible.
The Astros are expert at refining pitch arsenals, for each prospects and veterans, and Lynn has the weirdest repertoire of the remaining free-agent starters. Relatively than the usual fastball-breaking-offspeed combine, Lynn principally throws a bunch of slightly-to-moderately completely different fastballs, making him the kind of pitcher who may benefit from Houston’s wizardry. A sweeper may trigger some further pressure for batters in comparison with his cutter, and he’s by no means actually had a refined offspeed providing to make use of as a putaway pitch towards lefties. The specifics could be for the Astros to determine. Lynn additionally has expressed a willingness to pitch out of the bullpen after groups began inquiring about utilizing him as a reliever, so even when Houston’s rotation stays in tact for the entire season, Lynn may nonetheless have a task.
Athletics: Get Sandy earlier than heading to the desert
The great: The A’s really spent some cash this winter. The unhealthy: We nonetheless undertaking the A’s to have a shedding file. The actually unhealthy: Our Depth Charts undertaking the A’s to have a worse beginning rotation than the White Sox. The Marlins are clearly within the buying temper, having already despatched away Jesús Luzardo, and with groups seemingly ready to see how Sandy Alcantara fares after getting back from Tommy John surgical procedure, the A’s have a chance to leap the 2022 NL Cy Younger’s commerce market and steal a march on the higher wild card contenders. A possible wrinkle right here: The Yankees could also be out there for Alcantara now that Gerrit Cole goes to miss the 2025 season whereas recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure. Nonetheless, the A’s shouldn’t let that deter them from concentrating on an ace at a time when he may very well be comparatively inexpensive.
Los Angeles Angels: Rent a crew of archaeologists to design a really complicated treasure hunt that convinces Arte Moreno to promote the crew in order that he’s free to go on an Indiana Jones journey
I admit it, I’m puzzled with the Angels. In some methods, they’re really worse off than the White Sox, in that Chicago a minimum of has an affordable long-term plan whereas the Angels preserve teetering between methods which are both unclear, unrealistic, or each. Their strikes replicate their excessive short-term pondering, leaving the group with out a coherent path to profitable now or profitable later. Management has to come back from the highest, and Moreno continues to point out he’s incapable of fixing issues. Working example: The Halos spent this offseason including veteran depth items. These would’ve been sensible strikes if the Angels have been already an excellent crew and seeking to patch up their few remaining areas of weak point. That, in fact, is just not the case. The Angels want to simply accept that they’re misplaced earlier than they will transfer ahead and start to assemble a profitable crew whereas Mike Trout continues to be round. However so long as they preserve following an ineffective chief, they’re going to maintain strolling in circles.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Discover a bizarre reclamation undertaking
This one was a battle as a result of the Dodgers, without having the very best median win projection of any crew in ZiPS historical past (that’s nonetheless the 2021 Dodgers), they’ve the very best ground, with no apparent weaknesses anyplace. I suppose the one factor the Dodgers are lacking is that random broken-down reliever that you simply neglect nonetheless performs baseball till they inevitably repair him. I’d like to see if Daniel Bard has one other unbelievable comeback left in him, or perhaps Adam Cimber, as a result of a star within the sky disappears every time a sidearmer loses his job.
Arizona Diamondbacks: See if the Yankees are fascinated with Jordan Montgomery
As I discussed within the A’s part, Cole’s Tommy John surgical procedure is a large blow to the Yankees as they give the impression of being to defend their American League pennant in 2025. Will Warren has an excellent shot at being a reasonably strong rotation fill-in, however with Luis Gil additionally out for some time and Nestor Cortes now on the Brewers, the crew now has nearly zero beginning pitching depth left. Jordan Montgomery and the Yankees have an excellent historical past, and there’s an apparent want now. Montgomery actually struggled in 2024, to the purpose that Arizona proprietor Ken Kendrick stated publicly that including the lefty was a “horrible signing.” The Diamondbacks even have loads of rotation choices, so many, in actual fact, that RosterResource at the moment tasks Montgomery to pitch out of their bullpen. They certainly gained’t get a lot in return for him, and they need to be ready to eat an excellent chunk of his remaining wage, but when they need to transfer on from him and perhaps even get a prospect or two in return, that is the way in which to do it.
San Diego Padres: Signal David Robertson
The Padres’ bullpen is hardly a dumpster fireplace, however it’s form of top-heavy, and we undertaking everyone after the fifth possibility (Yuki Matsui) to be at or beneath substitute stage. There’s not plenty of monetary flexibility proper now in San Diego for varied causes we gained’t go into right here, but when the Padres are on the lookout for marginal good points on a finances, David Robertson is by far the most effective transfer they may make. They shouldn’t need to spend a lot to get him, contemplating he’s 40 years outdated and stays unsigned within the second week of March, however he’s coming off an excellent season and is comfy pitching in quite a lot of bullpen roles.
San Francisco Giants: Inquire about Jesús Sánchez
The Giants are seemingly a tier beneath the Diamondbacks and Padres within the NL Wild Card race, however they’re nonetheless shut sufficient that short-term enhancements matter. San Francisco’s designated hitter spot is bleak, and the participant we’ve getting essentially the most plate appearances there, Jerar Encarnacion, was in an indie league for a lot of final season and put up a .277 on-base proportion within the majors. The Giants ought to see what it might take to get Jesús Sánchez from the Marlins. He’s by no means developed into an enormous dwelling run hitter regardless of strong hard-hit numbers, largely as a result of he’s by no means generated a lot loft. He’s additionally a sprig hitter, and final season, 13 of his 25 doubles have been line drives hit the other approach. It’s the kind of sport that may very well be higher suited to the spacious Oracle Park. Sánchez would offer a left-handed complement to Encarnacion, and he’s ok to play all three outfield positions if wanted.
Colorado Rockies: Discover the subsequent Nolan Jones and Brenton Doyle
Because the departure of former GM Jeff Bridich, the Rockies have made fairly a little bit of progress in now not treating prospects as annoyances, they usually now give inside, lesser prospects probabilities to shock them. The final bit is essential, because the Rockies of 5 – 6 years in the past would by no means have given somebody like Nolan Jones or Brenton Doyle sufficient enjoying time to interrupt out within the majors. Doyle hit 23 homers and stole 30 bases in 2024 whereas profitable his second Gold Glove in as many seasons, and though Jones struggled final yr, he was damage on and off and must be anticipated to a minimum of cut up the distinction between that efficiency and his 2023 manufacturing.
Contemplating this, the Rockies ought to go full-carrion chicken because the season approaches. Colorado should be in on any and all mildly fascinating gamers who’re shut out of main league alternatives in 2025. Among the many guys the Rockies ought to goal are Mickey Gasper, Edouard Julien, Addison Barger, Shay Whitcomb, Curtis Mead, and Leo Jiménez. They could by no means grow to be stars, however the Rockies should be prepared to throw all the things on the wall and hope to seek out a minimum of just a few productive gamers.