NL East: Burning questions of 2015
With offseason coming to a close, Paste BN Sports' baseball desk looks into preparations for the 2015 season with spring training less than two weeks away. Find out who the new faces are and what the burning issues are heading into the season.
A look at NL EAST
ATLANTA BRAVES
Key additions: RF Nick Markakis, RHP Shelby Miller, 2B, Alberto Callaspo, LF Jonny Gomes
Key subtractions: RF Jason Heyward, LF Justin Upton, C Evan Gattis
Prospect to watch: 2B Jose Peraza: Once a shortstop but blocked by Andrelton Simmons, Peraza, 20, is a promising option for a position that has become a problem for the Braves. The Venezuelan can handle the defensive side and brings exceptional speed and a consistent contact game at the plate.
Notable spring faces: A lot of familiar faces are gone since last season, but one who remains is center fielder B.J. Upton. Coming off a season in which he hit .208 and couldn't seem to find an answer with a rebuilt swing, Upton still is the only viable option to play center field. This is a 30-year-old with three 20-homer seasons on his résumé.
Burning questions
What's the timetable? President of baseball operations John Hart was brought in to fix a team more known for strikeouts from its batters than from its pitchers.
When Hart began moving the likes of Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Evan Gattis, the natural assumption was the Braves had targeted the 2017 opening of their suburban stadium to time with a retooled roster. But they signed RF Nick Markakis and 2B Alberto Callaspo to go with 1B Freddie Freeman, the cornerstone of the offense.
So it's not a complete sell-off.
But how the young rotation fares in the first half could determine how the front office proceeds.
Could Kimbrel be next? Craig Kimbrel, arguably the best closer in the game, is under team control through 2018. His future could be directly linked to Atlanta's season. If it's an ugly summer, trading Kimbrel could accelerate the retooling process.
The Braves have added former closers Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson. That could make for a deep late-inning group or backup options should Kimbrel be dealt.
Is there enough pitching? The pitching rotation has changed significantly over the last two years. Julio Teheran has emerged as a young ace. The acquisition of Shelby Miller from St.Louis adds another under-25 arm, joining Teheran and Alex Wood.
The Braves don't have a locked-in fifth starter or obvious next-in-line candidates. Mike Minor needs to bounce back from last year's 4.77 ERA. David Hale made six starts last season and will have a good shot. But then the choices range from former Yankees prospect Manny Banuelos to promising Mike Foltynewicz. Veteran Chien-Ming Wang also was invited to spring training.
-- Paul White
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NEW YORK METS
Key additions: OF-1B Michael Cuddyer, OF-1B John Mayberry Jr., LHP Sean Gilmartin
Key subtractions: OF Bobby Abreu, RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka, OF Eric Young Jr., RHP Gonzalez Germen
Prospect to watch: RHP Noah Syndergaard. One of the consensus top starting pitching prospects, Syndergaard, 22, had a 4.60 ERA in 133 innings at Class AAA Las Vegas in 2014.
Notable spring faces: After a season lost to Tommy John elbow surgery, Matt Harvey will return to the rotation. The Mets likely will limit his innings, and they'll need to get creative with how they use Harvey to have him on the mound in September and beyond. Harvey's self-professed stubbornness and desire to pitch might create conflict if the team can't manage his expectations.
Franchise cornerstone David Wright endured the worst season of his career in 2014 as an injury to his non-throwing shoulder appeared to affect his swing and sap his power. He opted to rehab the injury, and the 32-year-old said he was pain-free while training in January. A healthy spring from Wright would go a long way toward quieting concerns about the club's ability to score enough runs to contend in the National League East.
Burning questions
Can Flores really play shortstop? The club appears to be resigned to using 23-year-old Wilmer Flores at shortstop. Flores has hit at every minor league stop, including a .321 batting average, .360 on-base percentage and .543 slugging in parts of two seasons at Class AAA Las Vegas. But nearly every scouting report says he lacks the range to play at the game's highest level.
Is Syndergaard ready for the majors? A prized piece in the trade that sent pitcher R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays, 6-foot-6 Noah Syndergaard stands as one of the top right-handed pitching prospects in baseball. His ERA suffered from a full season in the hitter-friendly Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 2014, but Syndergaard maintained excellent rate stats that suggest he's almost ready for New York. It will take a trade or multiple injuries for Syndergaard to crack the Mets rotation before midseason, but a dominant spring could swell his growing hype into a full-blown roar.
What of the starting pitching surplus? With Harvey returning, the Mets have at least six bona fide starters and a handful of young pitchers looking ready to step in. Right-hander Dillon Gee appears the odd man out. Or the Mets could opt to use Gee and/or fellow righty Rafael Montero in piggyback roles to restrict innings totals for young starters such as Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler.
-- Ted Berg
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MIAMI MARLINS
Key additions: RHP Aaron Crow, 2B Dee Gordon, RHP Dan Haren, RHP Mat Latos, 1B Michael Morse, RHP David Phelps, 3B Martin Prado, OF Ichiro Suzuki
Key subtractions: RHP Nathan Eovaldi, RHP Chris Hatcher, LHP Dan Jennings, 1B Garrett Jones, IF Ed Lucas, 3B Casey McGehee, RHP Brad Penny
Prospect to watch: RHP Tyler Kolek. The Marlins used the second overall pick in the 2014 draft to select the 6-5, 260-pounder out of high school in Shepherd, Texas. Many veteran scouts think Kolek might have been the hardest-throwing prospect in high school baseball history, as he routinely reached 100 mph. The fastball is the 19-year-old's only plus pitch at this stage. He went 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.
Notable spring face: Second baseman Dee Gordon will be counted on to spark the lineup from the leadoff spot after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gordon led the major leagues with 64 stolen bases and 12 triples last season while batting .289.
Burning questions
Will Stanton flinch? Right fielder Giancarlo Stanton finished second in the National League MVP voting last season even as his season ended when he was struck in the face by a pitch from Milwaukee Brewers RHP Mike Fiers on Sept.11.
Stanton has insisted he will step back into the batter's box without hesitation, and he wasn't affected by getting beaned by teammate Jose Fernandez during a live batting practice session in spring training in 2013. However, it is impossible to know for certain until he faces live pitching.
The spotlight also will be on Stanton more than ever after he signed a 13-year, $325 million contract, largest in professional sports history. He has played in relative anonymity despite hitting an NL-leading 37 home runs last season.
Is Latos healthy? RHP Mat Latos was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds. He was limited to 16 starts and 1021/3 innings pitched during an injury-marred 2014. He tore cartilage in his left knee during a fielding drill on the first day of spring training that kept him out until mid-June, and then he was sidelined by elbow inflammation in September. Latos is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.
Will Haren be traded? Veteran RHP Dan Haren was acquired from the Dodgers, with Los Angeles agreeing to pay his $10 million salary. There was speculation Haren would retire rather than relocate to South Florida. Haren agreed to report to spring training, but the Southern California resident asked the Marlins if they could trade him to a team on the West Coast so he could be closer to his family.
The Marlins are willing to deal Haren but they want to keep the $10million, which could make pulling off a trade difficult. Florida is also hopeful of convincing Haren that he can benefit from pitching in spacious Marlins Park after he was 13-11 with a 4.02 ERA in 32 starts last season.
-- John Perrotto
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GALLERY: TOP FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Key additions: RHP Chad Billingsley, RHP Aaron Harang, IF Tyler Greene
Key subtractions: SS Jimmy Rollins, RF Marlon Byrd, LHP A.J. Burnett, RHP Kyle Kendrick
Prospect to watch: SS J.P. Crawford. Crawford, 20, is a spray hitter who is advanced defensively. He hit .285 with 11 homers and 48 RBI at low Class A Lakewood (N.J.) and high A Clearwater (Fla.).
Notable spring face: With Cole Hamels on the trading block, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has signed 36-year-old Aaron Harang, who was 12-12 with the Atlanta Braves last season, and 30-year-old Chad Billingsley, who was 81-61 over his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers but had Tommy John surgery in 2013 and additional elbow surgery last year.
"He's a bounce-back candidate. We're cautiously optimistic that it's a good risk," Amaro Jr. told MLB.com.
Burning questions
Will Jonathan Papelbon be the closer? The talked-about trade of Papelbon to the Milwaukee Brewers has not happened, but Amaro has not given up on moving the 34-year-old right-hander, possibly to the Toronto Blue Jays — or even the Brewers. Papelbon is due $13million this season, with an option for another $13 million next season if he makes 48 appearances in 2015. He had 39 saves with a 2.04 ERA in 66 appearances last season.
"We're still having discussion," Amaro said of trade talks to CSNPhilly.com, "and not just with one club."
If Papelbon is moved, 24-year-old Ken Giles likely would be the closer. Giles was 3-1 with a 1.18 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 44 appearances last year as a rookie.
How can the hitting improve? The Phillies' batting average dropped for the second year in a row, down to to .242, 24th in the majors. They were 20th in homers with 125, and their 1,306 strikeouts set a team record.
To that end, they have invited some highly respected alumni to spring training as guest instructors, including Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt and former manager Charlie Manuel.
"We know that our team is not going to have a lot of power. We're going to have to be creative in scoring runs," Amaro Jr. says.
How healthy is Ben Revere? The expected starting center fielder and leadoff hitter had surgery after the season to remove two screws from his troublesome right ankle and says he'll be ready to go at spring training.
Even hampered by the ankle, Revere tied for the National League lead in hits (184) and was among the NL's batting leaders until fading in the final two weeks and finishing with a career-high .306 in his fourth full season.
-- Rachel Shuster
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WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Key additions: RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Casey Janssen, IF Yunel Escobar
Key subtractions: RHP Rafael Soriano, 1B Adam LaRoche, Tyler Clippard
Prospect to watch: IF Wilmer Difo. Line-drive hitter with speed, great hands, strong arm. Intriguing option if SS Ian Desmond isn't re-signed after the season.
Notable spring faces: Casey Janssen will enter spring training as the primary setup man for Drew Storen but provides closing insurance. Janssen had 81 saves over the last three seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays, though his strikeouts per nine innings slipped from 8.5 to 5.5 in 2014. Storen's ninth-inning meltdown vs. the St.Louis Cardinals in the 2012 NL Division Series was well-chronicled; less so was his blown save in relief of Jordan Zimmermann in the 2014 NLDS (Storen's first postseason save chance since the St. Louis game) that led to an 18-inning San Francisco Giants win.
Burning questions
Can Ryan Zimmerman handle first? Injuries forced Zimmerman out of the defensive position at which he once excelled (third base) over to one at which he has played five career major league games (first base). The Nationals are reasonably confident in the transition because of Zimmerman's solid athleticism and above-average footwork and hands, but if he can't cut it defensively, he is signed through 2019 and the Nationals don't have a natural full-time replacement at first.
Who begins the season in left field? It is unknown if Jayson Werth, who had shoulder surgery in January, will be ready by opening day. The contingency plan is to move Bryce Harper to right field and try out several options in left. Nate McLouth is one, as is Mike Carp, who thrived in a part-time role for the 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox. Jeff Kobernus and Tyler Moore are less tested. The most intriguing option is Michael Taylor, 23. Like McLouth, he plays all three outfield positions, but unlike the veteran, he's a potential high-impact offensive and defensive player.
Too many starters? With the addition of Max Scherzer, the Nationals have aces in Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Zimmermann. They will stretch out those three plus Doug Fister, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark as if they will be starting. Roark, a 15-game winner, likely is headed to the bullpen. Might general manager Mike Rizzo move a starter? Zimmermann and Fister can be free agents after the season; Strasburg and Gonzalez in 2017. The Nationals have great pitching depth in the minors.
-- Stephen Borelli