Fansided

5 teams that won the MLB offseason

By Nathaniel Reeves

February 25, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein during a spring training workout at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
February 25, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein during a spring training workout at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 26, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Kansas City Royals 

Many projected the defending World Series champs to have a bit of a rough offseason with a couple of key free agents and a small budget to work with. However, much like last winter, the Royals made some nice offseason deals, and should once again be in title contention as a result.

By far the most important of those moves was retaining free agent left fielder Alex Gordon. Just about everybody expected Gordon to get a contract too rich for Kansas City’s somewhat limited payroll, but he returned on a four-year, $72 million deal two weeks ago.

That number appears to be somewhat of a hometown discount, which has to feel great for the franchise. One of the best defensive corner outfielders in the game, Gordon has been a key part of the past two Kansas City pennant runs and battled through injuries to post 2.8 WAR in 104 games last season per FanGraphs.

Kansas City also bolstered its thin rotation by adding Ian Kennedy on a five-year, $70 million contact. That’s probably a little too much money for Kennedy, but he’s a good fit for Kauffman Stadium with the Royals’ defense behind him, and the team has had great success with similar pitchers in the past couple of seasons.

Joakim Soria should be a capable enough replacement for Greg Holland to keep Kansas City’s bullpen among the best in the Majors. Bringing back Chris Young on a two-year deal also provides solid, cheap rotation depth.

Bringing back Gordon for a very team-friendly deal makes the Royals one of the winners of the offseason, and they should be playoff contenders once again as a result.

Next: 3. Detroit Tigers

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