MLB Power Rankings: 1 offseason decision every team will regret
By Tim Boyle
25. Pittsburgh Pirates will regret adding too many first basemen/DHs
Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana, and Jin-Man Choi all came to the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason. That’s a lot of first-basemen/DH types on one club. They can certainly use all three in a single lineup with McCutchen in left field and the other two sharing time at first base or the DH spot. While all are summer trade candidates already, it’s a bit limiting. The Pirates would have served themselves better to add a little more pitching than only Rich Hill.
24. Kansas City Royals will regret bringing back Zack Greinke
What’s the point in bringing back Zack Greinke? The Kansas City Royals re-signed the veteran hurler this offseason for some reason. On one hand, it’s nice to have a veteran you can rely on for innings. On the other, is this even who Greinke is anymore? The Royals also brought in Jordan Lyles this winter. Both are regrettable. This is a team far away from contention. Spend wisely or don’t spend at all.
23. Cincinnati Reds will regret not adding more trade chips
Just like the Washington Nationals, the Cincinnati Reds will regret not adding more trade chips. Wil Myers is the biggest one they added. The rest of the team will be made up of mostly young players trying to find their groove or ones fans have already begun to lose faith in. The Reds may have some trouble getting through the whole year without one of those workhorse veteran starters on the roster. As poorly as Patrick Corbin has pitched, at least he’s an arm. The Reds could’ve used one of those guys.
22. Philadelphia Phillies will regret not having a better Bryce Harper replacement
The Philadelphia Phillies know they’ll be without Bryce Harper to begin the season. Whatever they have in mind to replace him on the roster isn’t great. Darick Hall could get a lot of those DH at-bats. He filled in nicely last year but doesn’t come close to what Harper can do. The Phillies should have been in the market for an outfielder upgrade. Someone like Max Kepler could have easily become the starting left fielder and allow Kyle Schwarber to be the DH in Harper’s absence.
21. Detroit Tigers will regret not trading Gregory Soto for more
It does seem like the Detroit Tigers should have gotten more than a couple of bench players from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Gregory Soto. Had they kept him into the regular season, someone might have been desperate enough to give a really good prospect up in exchange for the ex-Tigers reliever. Instead, the Tigers got a couple of guys who fit in nicely on a winning roster but can easily get passed on theirs.