Thanksgiving 2015: MLB's 30 things to be thankful for
The Major League Baseball season is just under a month into the off season.
And with today being Thanksgiving Day, the USA TODAY Sports' MLB staff put together a list of what each team should be thankful for during the holiday.
We all know what the Kansas City Royals are thankful for -- a World Series championship. The 30 teams:
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AL EAST
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Blue Jays: Marcus Stroman. Can one pitcher's competitive will buoy an entire roster? In 2016, it just may.
Orioles: Matt Wieters. The three-time All-Star catcher was among the first three players ever to accept a $15.3million qualifying offer, saying his decision was based on his comfort level with the team. “For a one-year deal,” he told The Associated Press, “there’s no place more comfortable than playing baseball for the Orioles.”
Rays: Matt Silverman. With the departure of Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Andrew Friedman to the Dodgers and manager Joe Maddon to the Cubs, Silverman, who took over the GM role, helped the Rays to a respectable 80-82 record.
Red Sox: Dave Dombrowski. In a late season move, Dombrowski is hired as the team’s president of baseball operations, two weeks after he was fired as president of the Tigers.
Yankees:Alex Rodriguez. Would the Yankees love to be out from the rest of A-Rod's contract, which guarantees him at least $42 million through the end of 2017? Of course. But they must appreciate that he was their best hitter in 2015, which could have gone so much worse.
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AL CENTRAL
Indians:Francisco Lindor. Vizquel's glove, Alomar's bat in one middle infielder? Sounds more like Christmas than Thanksgiving.
Tigers: Daniel Norris and Michael Fulmer. Potential building blocks of a revamped rotation, thanks to former GM Dave Dombrowski, who was shown the door shortly after flipping pending free agents for these young arms.
Twins: Playoff run. The Twins unexpectedly remained in the American League wild card hunt until game No. 161. Their 83-79 record was their best since 2010.
Royals:GM Dayton Moore. After falling 90 feet short of a World Series championship in 2014, the club won a title for the first time in 30 years.
White Sox: Chris Sale. Even in years they disappoint, the White Sox know something incredible may transpire every fifth day.
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AL WEST
Angels:Mike Trout’s contract. Were it not for the six-year, $144.5 million deal Trout signed just before the 2014 season, Angels fans would be fretting now about the chance he might walk in two years. Instead, the game’s best player is locked up through 2020.
Astros:Carlos Correa. Would it be premature to give him a blank 15-year contract right now?
Athletics:Revenue sharing. The A’s attendance was predictably down as they endured their worst season since 1997, and next year doesn’t look much more promising as the low-payroll club focuses on rebuilding from within. But those checks keep coming in, and they never bounce.
Mariners:A hyperactive general manager. It’s way too early to tell if new GM Jerry Dipoto is steering Seattle in the right direction, but at least he’s shaking things up after last year’s pratfall. In a 16-day stretch in November, Dipoto completed four trades involving 16 players.
Rangers: Adrian Beltre. Even at the age of 36, the third baseman proves why he’s still one of the best competitors in the game with his tenacity in the postseason.
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NL EAST
Braves: Fans. Slashing the payroll seems to be goal No. 1, but don’t tell that to the club’s general manager. “I’m getting so tired of this,” GM John Coppolella told USA TODAY Sports on the eve of the quarterly Major League Baseball owners meetings. “If guys want to take shots or (degrade) us, fine. But let’s let it play out for a few years before we start branding our pitchforks and torches. I feel in my heart this is the best for the Braves. Trust me, we are not tanking.”
Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton. Imagine what the slugger can do with a full season under his belt in the years to come. He hit 22 homers in an injury-shortened season in 2015.
Mets:Modern medicine. Thanks to an incredible wealth of young starting pitching talent, the Mets appear primed to build on their 2015 World Series berth by contending for years to come. They owe it to Tommy John elbow surgery, which brought life back to the arms of starters Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz.
Nationals: The Phillies. Philadelphia was the defending World Series champion in 2009 and won 15 of 18 games with Washington that year. That’s a good thing for D.C. because it helped ensure the Nationals finished with the worst record in the majors (59-103) by three games and gained the 2010 No. 1 overall draft pick, which they used on 2015 National League MVP Bryce Harper.
Phillies:Out with the old, in with the new. The Phillies shed themselves of starting pitcher Cole Hamels, closer Jonathan Papelbon and second baseman Chase Utley and much of their contracts. Is first baseman Ryan Howard next?
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NL CENTRAL
Brewers: Season is over. The club finished with a 68-94 record, their worst record since 2004.
Cardinals: Mike Matheny. Despite all the injuries to key players, the manager was able to lead the club to win 100 games.
Cubs: Cubbie Corps. Third baseman Kris Bryant, outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, shortstop Javier Baez and second baseman Addison Russell are who we thought they were.
Pirates:Staying power. The club proved they are a postseason contenders – reaching the playoffs in each of the past three years -- but has yet to get past the National League Division Series.
Reds: Joey Votto. A finalist for the NL MVP, Votto had one of the best second-half seasons in led the majors -- batting average (.362), on-base percentage (.535) and walks (86) and ranked sixth in slugging percentage (.617).
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NL WEST
Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt. A NL MVP runner-up in 2013, Goldschmidt became the first player with at least 100 walks, 100 runs scored and 100 RBI with a .320 average or better since Miguel Cabrera in 2011.
Dodgers: One more season of Vin Scully. Every year the living legend puts off retirement is a reason for celebration. Scully has indicated next season would likely be his final one in the booth. If so, sit back, relax and enjoy listening to the master at work.
Giants:An all-homegrown infield. The Giants thrive on stability, and they have that with catcher Buster Posey, first baseman Brandon Belt, second baseman Joe Panik, third baseman Matt Duffy and shortstop Brandon Crawford. None is older than 28, and the closest one to free agency (Belt) won’t be eligible for two more years.
Padres:Craig Kimbrel. His trade to the Boston Red Sox should produce a couple of high-profile building blocks for the organization. Top outfield prospect Manuel Margot and shortstop Javier Guerra are projected to be potential All-Stars.
Rockies: Carlos Gonzalez. After hitting a career-high 40 home runs, the Silver Slugging outfielder increased his trade bait. Gonzalez is set to make $37 million over the next two years and the club may want be looking to dump his salary, like Troy Tulowitzki’s.
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