One burning question facing every NL team
Major league teams begin playing spring games in Arizona and Florida this week. USA TODAY Sports explore key questions for National League teams.
While Opening Day is still several weeks away, there is still time for general managers to make last minute adjustments.
Burning question each NL team faces as the 2017 season begins.
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Arizona Diamondbacks
Who’s in the bullpen?
The Diamondbacks had the fourth-worst bullpen by ERA (4.93) in the majors last season, and they committed relatively few resources toward improving it in the offseason. They signed soon-to-be 40-year-old Fernando Rodney to a guaranteed contract, and besides him only veteran Randall Delgado and right-handers Jake Barrett and Enrique Burgos appear to have legs up on jobs.
That means they could have as many as four spots available this spring. They’ll have a host of candidates competing.
There’s 40-man roster returnees in left-handers Andrew Chafin and Steve Hathaway and right-handers Silvino Bracho and Evan Marshall. Righties J.J. Hoover, Keyvius Sampson and Erik Davis are among those in camp on minor league deals. There’s also Rule 5 pick righty Tyler Jones; prospects such as righties Jimmie Sherfy and Jared Miller; and veteran Rubby De La Rosa, who will try to put elbow troubles behind in a bullpen role.
— Nick Piecoro
Atlanta Braves
Is Dansby Swanson ready to assume a large role?
The Braves have a strong lineup on paper with the addition of Brandon Phillips, but that is largely contingent on whether Swanson, the 2015 No.1 overall pick, can produce in his first full big-league season. The 23-year-old looked good in 38 games last season, particularly his .361 on-base percentage. If he bats second in the order, Swanson will need to continue to get on base at a high clip ahead of Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp if the Braves hope to consistently put runs on the board.
Swanson, the Braves’ cornerstone prospect, is a future potential All-Star shortstop. An extremely heady player, he helped lead the Braves to a 24-18 record, their best stretch of 2016. Swanson’s contributions won’t always appear in the box score, but he’ll fill up enough stat categories (batting average, on-base percentage, runs, double, stolen bases) to make himself noticeable.
— Jesse Yomtov and Chris Blessing
Chicago Cubs
Who will bat leadoff?
Dexter Fowler hit in the No. 1 hole during the last two seasons, and manager Joe Maddon was fond of telling the center fielder “as you go, we go.” However, Fowler signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the National League Central rival St. Louis Cardinals in December as a free agent.
Thus, Maddon will use either left fielder Kyle Schwarber or second baseman Ben Zobrist at the top of the order. Stocky Schwarber has a .353 on-base percentage in 71 career games, while Zobrist’s OBP is .358 in his 11-year career.
— John Perrotto
Cincinnati Reds
Do the Reds have enough starters?
If their young pitchers reach their potential, it’s an easy yes. But if they fall short, the Reds might be thin when it comes to rotation depth with Homer Bailey out until at least June with an elbow injury and after the trade of Dan Straily to the Miami Marlins. The top two spots in the rotation belong to right-hander Anthony DeSclafani and left-hander Brandon Finnegan. DeSclafani has dealt with injuries the last two seasons. Finnegan had a solid first season in the rotation in 2016, but it’s just one year.
Beyond those two are a bunch of young question marks. Top prospects Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed struggled in their taste of the majors. There are appealing arms behind them — Amir Garrett, Rookie Davis, Sal Romano and Nick Travieso to name a few — but none of them is guaranteed success either.
— Zach Buchanan
Colorado Rockies
How will the team handle David Dahl?
Trevor Story wasn’t the only Rockie who began his career with a bang last season. Dahl made his major league debut July 25 and had a hit in his first 17 games, finishing the year with a .315 average in 222 at-bats. Unfortunately for Dahl, his competition in left field is Gerardo Parra, who is due $18 million over the next two seasons — plus a $1.5 million buyout on a $12 million team option for 2019.
The club has a vested interest in Parra getting considerable playing time, but it’s hard to imagine him producing anywhere near the level that Dahl is capable of. Dahl made a convincing case that he was ready to be an everyday player, and the club will have to decide how it wants to balance Dahl’s development against the financial incentives of using Parra.
— Jesse Yomtov
Los Angeles Dodgers
Who will play the outfield corners?
It’s a given that defensively gifted Joc Pederson will man center field despite his propensity to strike out, but there are questions about who will flank him. Yasiel Puig might have the edge in right field coming into camp because of his immense talent, but three consecutive seasons of attitude problems and a declining OPS have put his starting status in jeopardy. Veteran Andre Ethier could challenge him, and he’s also in the mix for playing time in left field, where Andrew Toles, Scott Van Slyke and Trayce Thompson also will be vying for time.
— Jorge L. Ortiz
Miami Marlins
Can they recover from the death of Jose Fernandez?
While there’s no way to replace one of the game’s top young pitchers, the Marlins have to fill his spot in the rotation. The role of No. 1 starter likely falls to veteran Wei-Yin Chen, who was limited to 123 1/3 innings last season because of a sprained elbow.
With no impact starters available on the free agent market, the Marlins chose to add depth, signing free agents Edinson Volquez and Jeff Locke and trading for Dan Straily.
Volquez provides veteran experience for a team that hasn’t reached the postseason since 2003. But he’s coming off a season in which his ERA ballooned to 5.37. Straily was quietly one of the game’s best pitchers over the second half of last season, going 10-2 with a 3.10 ERA for the last-place Cincinnati Reds.
The Marlins also strengthened their bullpen this offseason, signing veterans Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa.
But it will be much more difficult to fill the void Fernandez leaves in the clubhouse, where he was one of the team’s most vocal leaders.
— Steve Gardner
Milwaukee Brewers
Which five pitchers will form the opening-day starting rotation?
The Brewers are bringing seven experienced starting pitchers to camp: right-handers Chase Anderson, Zach Davies, Matt Garza, Junior Guerra, Jimmy Nelson and Wily Peralta and left-hander Tommy Milone. Signed as a free agent, Milone is the lone newcomer of the bunch.
Barring injury, two won’t make the cut, and since they are all established major leaguers, what would the Brewers do with those pitchers? Davies and Guerra have minor league options but were the two most consistent starters in 2016 and therefore are locks to return. Garza, 33, is in the final year of a four-year, $50 million deal and doesn’t really fit the rebuilding plan, but he also has a $12.5 million salary this year, which would be a lot to eat.
— Tom Haudricourt
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New York Mets
Can the pitchers stay healthy?
Of their group of young aces, only Noah Syndergaard stayed healthy for the full 2016 season. But even Syndergaard, whom Terry Collins named as his opening-day starter, pitched with a bone spur, albeit a small one, in his elbow last year.
Meanwhile, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz finished the campaign on the shelf because of season-ending arm surgeries, and while all are healthy in the early days of camp, all represent question marks to some extent. Zack Wheeler, who missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons after Tommy John elbow surgery and ensuing complications, will see limited innings if and when he returns to the rotation in 2017, meaning 23-year-old Robert Gsellman should have plenty of starting opportunities.
— Ted Berg
Philadelphia Phillies
Will the Phillies make the playoffs?
The rotation again has the potential to be the Phillies’ main strength. Led by Jeremy Hellickson and veteran newcomer Clay Buchholz, it also will see Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez returning with their first full seasons in the majors under their belts.
But lot of things will need to go right to reach the playoffs. The product on the field should be better than a year ago, though.
“We’re trying to create a foundation for a baseball franchise,” MacPhail said. “The more players that demonstrate on our current team that they belong and are part of the future and the more players that percolate up from our system that demonstrate they can be part of our future, that’s a good year.”
— Meghan Montemurro
Pittsburgh Pirates
Will the Pirates’ new outfield alignment make a difference?
Five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen did not live up to his usual high standard in 2016.
On offense, he logged a career high in at-bats, but his .256 average, .336 on-base percentage and .430 slugging percentage were all career lows. And on defense, he seemed to lose a step — going from a 2012 Gold Glover in center field to what advanced metrics determined was one of the worst fielders in the game.
So this offseason, team executives decided to move two-time Gold Glove left fielder Starling Marte to center, shift McCutchen to right field and flip Gregory Polanco from right to left.
While the changes make sense on paper, having all three players adjust to new positions will be more challenging.
“I’ve played eight seasons and haven’t had a World Series yet. The hope in 2017 is to make a push for that,” McCutchen told USA TODAY Sports. “Life doesn’t always go the way you planned it to go. Sometimes you have detours you have to take.”
— Steve Gardner
St. Louis Cardinals
Can Kolten Wong show that he’s the everyday second baseman?
The Cardinals put faith in Wong by keeping him and not pursuing other infielders such as free agent Justin Turner or Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier.
Yet if Wong is inconsistent again, which resulted in a demotion to the minor leagues and a move to center field for a brief time last season, they might be forced to make alternate plans. They could move first baseman Matt Carpenter back to second base and turn the first base job back to Matt Adams. Or they could go with Jedd Gyorko, who is competing with Jhonny Peralta at third base. If Wong struggles, the Cardinals could have a real mess on their hands.
— Bob Nightengale
San Diego Padres
Can the Padres bullpen save the rotation and a young offense?
After trading Fernando Rodney in late June, Brandon Maurer took over as the closer, converting 13 of 15 save opportunities and accumulating a 3.09 ERA. He should get first crack at the job.
Carter Capps returns to the bullpen after missing last season following Tommy John elbow surgery and is an intriguing setup option. The right-hander is slated to be ready for opening day and could give the Padres another closing option if Maurer struggles.
Left-handers Brad Hand and Ryan Buchter also return to a bullpen that could be a surprising strength, especially at the tail end. Look to 2015’s late-round gem, Phil Maton, to lead some talented prospects in a race to make the big-league club at some point in 2017.
— Adam Woodard
San Francisco Giants
Who will set up Melancon?
The Giants’ bullpen woes were not entirely the making of former closer Santiago Casilla. His supporting cast was complicit as well, blowing 21 saves, and it has lost considerable experience. Casilla and Sergio Romo departed as free agents, and lefty specialist Javier Lopez retired. They combined for nine World Series rings with the Giants and will have to be replaced by a fairly young relief corps, as the club didn’t add any veteran relievers other than Melancon.
The candidates for the top setup jobs include Derek Law, hard-throwing right-hander Hunter Strickland and lefty Will Smith, who also is adept at getting right-handed-hitters out. Josh Osich and Steven Okert are the other lefties competing for a job.
— Jorge L. Ortiz
Washington Nationals
Will the rotation be healthy enough?
Starting pitching has been the team’s strength since the Nationals began contending in 2012. This season shouldn’t be different, unless Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg aren’t healthy. Scherzer, the team’s ace the last two seasons, is dealing with a stress fracture in his knuckle that might keep him from starting opening day. Strasburg (69-41, 3.17 ERA, 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings in his career) had an elbow injury that ended his season in September. He has made 30 starts in two of his five full seasons.
If one or both are out, the rotation takes a significant hit. That could force a trade or get into the underbelly of A.J. Cole, Austin Voth and Erick Fedde. They’re good depth prospects, but only Cole (47 2/3 innings) has pitched in the majors.
The Nationals should be favorites to win the NL East again, but Strasburg’s absence in two of three recent playoff berths likely cost the team a postseason series win (or two or three).
— Stephen Borelli
