Off-Season Needs for the 8 NL Playoff Teams
The baseball season came to an end in spectacular fashion as the Dodgers finally got their trophy, while the Atlanta Braves were left with the what ifs. With the pandemic still forcing the issue, staying at home for fans has seen online sports betting in Illinois and other States ramp up, and the off-season is as good a time as any to start preparing for the action in next year.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves got so close that they could already taste it, but after a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series, Atlanta lost three games in a row to the Dodgers and have already added two starters to a rotation that needed help in the playoffs.
Chicago Cubs
It is difficult to say how his poor 2020 will affect the terms, but Javier Báez was not far from signing an agreement before the pandemic-induced break in March, not long after Christian Yelich signed with the Brewers for nine years and $215 million. Baez may look at that with some hope but that is not a number Chicago may be giving anytime soon, opting instead for a long contract to distribute the annual blow.
Cincinnati Reds
Trevor Bauer says he wants to sign only one year deals so he can make top dollar annually. While this is a smart move for him, it is not so much for the Reds, who can easily lose him to free agency. The team still does have a solid rotation and may be shrewd.
Los Angeles Dodgers
With this elusive championship, the pressure to do something big has dropped. There’s no need to make a big deal like when they traded for Mookie Betts in 2020 or signed A.J. Pollock 2019. And there’s no rumors of manager Dave Roberts being fired, as would have been the case had the Dodgers had lost. However, there is always room for improvement, and while the Dodgers are obviously deeper than most World Series winners, a common mistake they cannot make is not improving their team or staying too loyal to veterans that have been at the club. We’re looking at you, Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox.
Miami Marlins
Making the playoffs wasn’t the only surprise that the Fish had in store for 2020: they eliminated the Cubs before the Braves ran them out of the park, but the ownership group has proven that they they are very much capable of becoming a permanent fixture in the contender ranks.
Milwaukee Brewers
Will trading Josh Hader be the right move? Especially given his slow decline, his strikeout/walk ratio dropped from an otherworldly 6.9 in 2019 to 3.1 in 2020. The Brewers have gauged the possibilities of a trade once upon a time, and it may not be such a bad idea to revisit that line of thought.
St. Louis Cardinals
It does not help the Cardinals that two of their most endearing players are aging veterans in Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. The front office must have thought they caught a break when Molina talked retirement but he announced his intentions to suit up for the 2021 season and all of a sudden the Cardinals are between a rock and a hard place.
San Diego Padres
Signing Fernando Tatis Jr. to a large extension is the biggest concern for the Padres this off-season, because they have a young team that is ready to step up despite feeling like it was a year too soon last season.
