Arizona Diamondbacks — Madison Bumgarner
2023 Salary: $23,000,000
When Madison Bumgarner signed with the Diamondbacks ahead of the 2020 season, many experts pegged the deal as a disaster waiting to happen. The feisty lefty was sensational as a member of the San Francisco Giants — three World Series triumphs, three top-six Cy Young finishes — but he was showing some signs of regressing in his final year. In the first three years of his tenure with the D-Backs, MadBum is 15-29 with a 4.98 ERA. Bumgarner makes nearly twice as much as Arizona’s next-highest paid player (Ketel Marte), and is nowhere near as valuable. It can be argued that Bumgarner is Arizona’s fourth-best starting pitcher. $23 million is far too much for the 33-year-old.
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Atlanta Braves — Eddie Rosario
2023 Salary: $9,000,000
Eddie Rosario is the classic example of a player getting hot in the postseason and riding that into a terribly overpaid contract. Rosario won NLCS MVP after destroying Los Angeles Dodger pitching for a week straight. After Atlanta capped off its World Series run, Rosario was rewarded by the team with a two-year/$18 million contract. Year 1 didn’t pan out how either party envisioned. The oft-injured Rosario was limited to just 80 games, and was one of the worst hitters in baseball (.587 OPS) in those at-bats.
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Baltimore Orioles — Kyle Gibson
2023 Salary: $10,000,000
35-year-old pitcher Kyle Gibson is currently making $10 million for this upcoming year. It’s the highest annual salary of any player on the Orioles’ roster. We aren’t exactly sure why Gibson was brought onto a team expected to fight for a playoff spot. Gibson is coming off a year in which he sported a 10-8 record with a 5.05 ERA. Nothing screams ‘ace’ on his resume particularly when he’s been plainly average throughout his career (89-91 career record, 4.52 career ERA).
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Boston Red Sox — Chris Sale
2023 Salary: $27,500,000
The sidewinding lefty is making a cool $27.5 million this year. Once one of the game’s best pitchers, Sale has struggled big time with injuries over the course of the last few years. His last All-Star appearance was in 2018. Since then, he’s gone a combined 5-13 over the last three years. We simply cannot take him serious as a top-shelf ace anymore considering his propensity for sitting over long stretches of the last few MLB seasons.
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Chicago Cubs — Marcus Stroman
2023 Salary: $25,000,000
This isn’t an indictment on Marcus Stroman’s ability. The former All-Star remains a very solid starting pitcher as he approaches his 32nd birthday. With that being said, we don’t believe Stroman is quite worth the two-year/$50 million contract he signed with the Cubs ahead of last season. Across baseball, only seven starting pitchers are making more money than Stroman in 2023 — including stars such as Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole and Shohei Ohtani. Stroman is good, but not that good.
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Chicago White Sox — Yasmani Grandal
2023 Salary: $18,250,000
The veteran catcher is slated to make $18.25 million this year for the White Sox. While much of Grandal’s reputation sits with pitch framing and slugging, we must question whether he’s really worth this amount of money at age 34. Grandal hit only five homers in 327 at-bats in 2022. He hit a meager .202 — and unbelievably had a WAR of -1.4. If it weren’t for his past pedigree as an All-Star, we’d question whether he’d still be employed as a Major League starter. It’s quite alarming to see Grandal’s average drop nearly 40 points from the prior year — not to mention his HR totals plummeting from 23 to five.
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Cincinnati Reds — Joey Votto
2023 Salary: $25,000,000
Aside from Mike Moustakas — a free agent who the Reds are set to pay $22 million in 2023 — the Reds will only be paying one player north of $6 million this season. That man happens to be Joey Votto. Of course, Votto is a former MVP and true legend within the organization. However, Votto is also approaching his 40th birthday — and is coming off the worst season of his career. After a very strong ’21 season, Votto saw his numbers plummet in ’22 — hitting a career-low .205 with 11 HR in 91 games. The Reds have a team-option to bring the former superstar back in ’24.
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Cleveland Guardians — Mike Zunino
2023 Salary: $6,000,000
Yep…we’re a bit curious as to why Mike Zunino is still making $6 million a year, as well. Formerly a top-three overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, Zunino went from a potential power hitter as a rookie to a defensive-minded, light-hitting catcher for the vast majority of his professional career. This past year was certainly an indication of a guy who struggles at the plate. In 115 ABs, Zunino hit .148 with five HR. Zunino is known for being good behind the plate defensively. However, we’re not sure his prowess with the glove outweighs his ineptitude hitting the baseball.
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Colorado Rockies — Charlie Blackmon
2023 Salary: $15,333,334
Colorado is in a tough spot. As things currently stand, the Rockies are, at best, the second-worst team in the National League West. The roster is rather weak, and doesn’t possess much star power. There are a few options for most-overpaid player on the team. Kris Bryant is due $28 million in 2023, and the former MVP appeared in just 42 games last season. Still, Bryant hit over .300 and it is too early to proclaim his contract a bust. Starters German Marquez ($15.3 million) and Kyle Freeland ($10.5) have struggled in recent years, but they are vital members of Colorado’s rotation.
Charlie Blackmon, our pick for this exercise, is the second-highest paid player on the team. A four-time All-Star and former Batting Title winner, Blackmon is clearly on the downside of his career. In ’22, Blackmon set career-lows (for a full season) in BA, OBP and OPS. While he remains a solid everyday player, Blackmon is the team’s most overpaid player.
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Detroit Tigers — Miguel Cabrera
2023 Salary: $32,000,000
This is essentially a career achievement award. Cabrera is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He signed a monstrous contract over a decade ago. At 40 years of age, Cabrera is slated to make $32 million in the 2023 season. This number seems bloated when considering that Cabrera hit .254 last year with five homers. While we get why Detroit paid Cabrera when it did, we should still consider Miggy to be vastly overpaid in correspondence to his output from last year.
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Houston Astros — Hector Neris
2023 Salary: $8,000,000
Eventually, teams will begin to realize that Hector Neris isn’t a terribly good reliever. While Neris throws hard, he lacks control and has seen his strikeout numbers dip in recent years. While he’s capable of providing some innings in a middle-relief role, Neris is currently being paid as a high-end set-up man or low-end closer. Neris making $8 million next year puts him in the top-20 among reliever salaries. He’s hardly even a top-5 reliever for his own team.
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Kansas City Royals — Jordan Lyles
2023 Salary: $8,500,000
The Royals have never been known as massive spenders. Still, you’d think they’d be a bit smarter with their acquisitions when looking at the contract Jordan Lyles received. Throughout his career, Lyles has a career record of 66-90 with a 5.10 ERA. So, naturally, the Royals decided to sign him to a contract which will pay him $8.5 million this year (making him the third-highest annual salary on the team). How and why, you ask? We aren’t sure ourselves.
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Los Angeles Angels — Anthony Rendon
2023 Salary: $38,571,428
This one has to hurt Angels fans. After helping the Nationals win the World Series in 2019, Anthony Rendon signed a lucrative free agent contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Rendon was expected to form a new “Big 3” in Anaheim alongside Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. While Trout and Ohtani have held up their end of the bargain, Rendon simply hasn’t. That is in large part because the former National cannot stay on the field. He’s played just 157 games over three seasons for the Angels, and posted a mediocre .252 BA along the way. Rendon’s $38 million price tag in 2023 is the fourth-highest among all Major Leaguers — only Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Aaron Judge are set to make more.
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Los Angeles Dodgers — Chris Taylor
2023 Salary: $15,000,000
Compared to recent years, this past offseason was very underwhelming for fans of the Dodgers. Instead of shelling out a ton of money to keep Trea Turner in town, Los Angeles opted to make smaller commitments and saw a handful of productive players depart. However, the Dodgers still have the fifth-largest payroll entering 2023. Four of the club’s five most-paid players (Betts, Freeman, Kershaw, Urias) are bonafide stars. When determining who is the most overpaid player on this year’s team, we decided between two men: Chris Taylor ($15 mil) and Max Muncy ($13.5).
Muncy has been dreadful in both ’20 and ’22 — hitting .192 and .196, respectively. However, Muncy has mashed at least 35 HR in each of his three other seasons in Dodger blue (thus earning MVP votes). Another year removed from a torn UCL, we expect a bounce back season from Muncy. Following an All-Star season in ’21, Taylor signed a four-year/$60 million contract to remain a Dodger…and Year 1 of the deal was incredibly underwhelming. Taylor, a member of the team since ’16, had by far his worst season with the club — slashing .221/.304/.373 with 10 HR and 160 SO in 118 games. Taylor is an important member of the team, but he cannot afford to have another season like that if he wants to keep his spot.
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Miami Marlins — Avisail Garcia
2023 Salary: $12,000,000
One-time All-Star Avisail Garcia is your average outfielder. He’s perfectly capable of producing decent numbers at the dish while providing adequate defense. However, he’s not great at any particular facet of the game. His .739 career OPS is middling and his defense dipped last season. While he still has a great arm, Garcia looked a step slower in 2022. That could be due to a laundry list of injuries that he’s now accumulated. In 11 years, Garcia has played over 135 games just once. He’s missed significant time in three of the last five seasons.
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Milwaukee Brewers — Christian Yelich
2023 Salary: $22,000,000
This is a tough one for both player and franchise. In all reality, paying Christian Yelich $22 million in 2023 isn’t backbreaking for the Brewers. However, Yelich’s current form makes that number feel worse than it is. When Yelich inked a seven-year/$188,500,000 million extension following the ’19 season, it appeared as if the Brewers saved a ton of cash relative to Yelich’s worth. Yelich was unstoppable for two seasons — winning the MVP in ’18 and finishing runner-up in ’19. Over that two-year stretch, Yelich slashed .327/.415/.631 with 80 HR, 207 RBI and 52 SB. Yelich likely lost the ’19 MVP due to breaking his kneecap late in the year — and it has all been downhill since then. Since the start of the ’20 season, Yelich has slashed .243/.358/.388 with 35 HR and 130 RBI. If he can’t turn things around this year, Yelich’s contract will begin to weigh on the franchise.
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Minnesota Twins — Joey Gallo
2023 Salary: $11,000,000
Gallo does this every single year. He gives you just enough for a team to fall in love with him. You see a plus-athlete with an excellent arm, strong baserunning capabilities, and the frame to hit the ball a country mile. Then, you realize Gallo strikes out a crazy amount of the time — often struggling to even make contact with the ball. The Twins are paying him $11 million to essentially hit the occasional homer (he hit .160 last year with 19 HR). Anything else at this point is essentially gravy.
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New York Mets — Carlos Carrasco
2023 Salary: $14,000,000
Unfortunately for “Cookie” Carrasco, he’s likely considering the most “overpaid” Met currently. And, that should say a lot more about the Mets being mostly stacked than Carrasco being a bad pitcher. New York’s seven highest-paid players — Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz — are all stars at their positions. The one exception would potentially be Kodai Senga (set to make $15 million this year), though all reports indicate the Japanese-import should have no trouble adjusting to MLB. Carrasco is a solid arm, but not quite as good as New York’s other highly-paid stars.
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New York Yankees — Josh Donaldson
2023 Salary: $21,000,000
The former All-Star third baseman has certainly seen better days. We could clearly make the distinction that he’s on the back-half of what’s been a very productive career. Nevertheless, the Yankees are currently stuck paying the 37-year-old $21 million this upcoming year for some rather mediocre play (if last season was any indication). Both Donaldson’s batting average and home run totals have sharply declined from 2021 to 2022. Hitting 15 HR and batting only .222 (with an OBP of .308) doesn’t seem like a wise investment when paying said player north of $20 million a year.
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Oakland Athletics — Trevor May
2023 Salary: $7,000,000
Prior to last season. Trevor May was considered a rather good bullpen arm. Up until that point, May had shown the ability to limit hits while producing strong strikeout numbers. That changed last season with May turning in his worst season to date. Injuries played a major part in his decline, as the 33-year-old landed on the 60-day IL with a stress fracture. It’s possible those injuries hampered May all season, as he posted a 5.04 ERA in 26 appearances. However, there’s no reason to believe he’ll bounce back in a year’s time. It’s a bit surprising that the notoriously frugal A’s would shell out $7 million to a reliever who simply didn’t perform well last season.
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Philadelphia Phillies — Nick Castellanos
2023 Salary: $20,000,000
The Phillies made the World Series in Nick Castellanos’ first season — but it was in large part in spite of the slugger’s play. Castellanos was brought to Philadelphia to provide his strong bat in the middle of the lineup. It was a disastrous regular season and playoff run for the former Red. While he managed to log a .263 BA, Castellanos’ pop had evaporated. He had just 40 XBH all season after nearly doubling that number (72) a season ago. Excluding his 11-game debut season, Castellanos’ slugging percentage last year (.389) was the worst mark of his 10-year career. With Trea Turner now added to the lineup, we’ll see if that takes some pressure off Castellanos.
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Pittsburgh Pirates — Carlos Santana
2023 Salary: $6,725,000
Pittsburgh’s best players — Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Ke’Bryan Hayes — are all on team-friendly deals. So, it was relatively simple to pick out the club’s most overpaid player on the 2023 roster. Turning 37 in April, Carlos Santana joined the Pirates on a one-year/$6,725,000 million contract this offseason. The veteran split his time in ’22 between the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners. With the Mariners, Santa slugged 15 HR in 79 games. However, he also hit .192 with the M’s. Does that sound like a player who should be the fourth-highest paid player on an MLB roster? No.
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San Diego Padres — Drew Pomeranz
2023 Salary: $10,000,000
The Padres are spending money as if they have unlimited funds. Five players are set to make over $20 million in 2023 — Machado ($32), Bogaerts ($25.4), Darvish ($25), Soto ($23), Musgrove ($20) — and six more players are due over $10 million…including former Padre Eric Hosmer. Drew Pomeranz is set to make a cool $10 mil, and he hasn’t taken the mound since August 10, 2021. An All-Star in ’16, Pomeranz has been very good for the Padres when he’s played. Between ’20-21, the lefty reliever posted a 1.62 ERA and 1.083 WHIP in 47 games. Sparkling numbers, but the problem lies within the fact that Pomeranz has appeared in 47 games in three years. $10 million is a lot to pay for an injury-prone player.
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San Francisco Giants — Anthony DeSclafani
2023 Salary: $12,000,000
In 2022, the Giants won 26 fewer games than they did in ’21 — and still finished with a .500 record. The season was a massive disappointment for the franchise, and many players underachieved in the process. One player who fell short was Anthony DeSclafani. After going 13-7 with a 3.21 ERA in ’21, DeSclafani made just five starts in ’22 before his season came to a halt. 33 in April, DeSclafani injured his ankle early on — after posting a 6.63 ERA in five starts — and eventually underwent season-ending surgery on his right ankle. If the veteran doesn’t return to form in ’23, the Giants will regret giving him a three-year deal following his strong ’21 campaign.
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Seattle Mariners — Robbie Ray
2023 Salary: $21,000,000
2021 Cy Young winner Robbie Ray has done a fantastic job of reinventing himself over the years. Ray looked like he was on his way to a Minor League contract at one point, but bounced back in a big way with the Toronto Blue Jays. A career year led to a massive free agent deal with the Seattle Mariners — a team desperately in need of sturdy pitching in order to make a playoff run. Ray enjoyed a solid 2022, but we can’t honestly say it was worth $21 million per year. Seattle starters Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby all had better seasons — their three combined contracts adds up to just over $6 million next season.
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St. Louis Cardinals — Paul DeJong
2023 Salary: $9,166,668
What has happened to Paul DeJong at the plate? In 2017, DeJong slugged 25 homers and hit .285 en route to finishing runner-up for the NL Rookie of the Year. Two years later, St. Louis’ shortstop hit 30 HR and was named an All-Star. In the three years since, DeJong has hit a total of 28 HR and has hit under .200 the past two seasons — including a putrid .157 last year. DeJong has changed his approach in the box ahead of the ’23 campaign, but it remains to be seen if it will payoff. $10 million for one of the worst hitters in baseball since ’21 is not ideal.
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Tampa Bay Rays — Manuel Margot
2023 Salary: $7,000,000
Tampa is not known for its spending. As such, we’re splitting hairs a bit here with this one. The salary is relative* to the team and its roster. On the surface, a $7 million annual salary for Manuel Margot isn’t bad. He hit .274 last year, and has the ability to play all over the outfield. This sort of versatility is quite valuable (especially for the Rays). Where we see a bit of an issue is Margot’s salary relative to other teammates. In context, Margot is making more annually than everyone on the roster sans Zach Eflin. This means Margot’s annual haul is more than that of Randy Arozarena, Tyler Glasnow, Wander Franco, Yandy Diaz, and Brandon Lowe.
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Texas Rangers — Jon Gray
2023 Salary: $15,000,000
While Texas has revamped its pitching rotation in a big way, one has to wonder if the team regrets shelling out a massive free agent contract to Jon Gray during its massive 2021 offseason. Gray has flashed talent since his time with Colorado, leading some pundits to project a big leap if he were to move to a more pitcher-friendly situation. In his first year with the Rangers, Gray surrendered a modest 3.96 ERA. While it was a slight improvement from the previous two seasons, Gray isn’t much more than a No. 4 or 5 option in a solid rotation. $15 million for a back-end starter looks like an overpay.
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Toronto Blue Jays — Hyun-Jin Ryu
2023 Salary: $20,000,000
As currently constituted, Ryu — a highly-priced free agent acquisition a few years ago — is slated to earn $20 million this upcoming year (only second to Kevin Gausman in terms of annual salary for a Toronto pitcher). When looking at the bigger picture, the oft-injured Ryu isn’t even a lock to be in the starting rotation for the Jays this year. Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Barrios, Yusei Kikuchi, and Alek Manoah appear to be slated as the five-man group. Ryu is a pitcher with talent, though arm issues have stunted his upside with the Blue Jays.
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Washington Nationals — Patrick Corbin & Stephen Strasburg
2023 Salaries: $24,416,666 (Corbin), $23,571,429 (Strasburg)
The 2019 World Series champions have felt the effects of a World Series hangover. Unfortunately, it’s been a three-year run of mediocrity for a franchise who had just 55 wins last year and have finished last in the NL East each of the past three seasons. It doesn’t help when their two highest-paid players have been either unavailable (Strasburg) or down-right awful (Corbin). Stephen Strasburg made just one appearance last year before being shut down, and has pitched just 30.2 innings total since 2019. Corbin has essentially been the worst high-usage starter in baseball during that same time. The two-time All-Star has led the league in losses and earned runs each of the last two years. Corbin surrendered a 6.31 ERA this past season.
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MLB in 2023: Ranking All 30 Lineups
30. Oakland Athletics
Oakland isn’t far removed from being a contender in the American League. Unfortunately, the 2023 Athletics project to be one of the worst teams in baseball. From its pitching staff to its starting lineup, Oakland is simply below-average. As we approach Spring Training, the projected starting lineup includes players such as Conner Capel (22 career games), Nick Allen (100 games), and Esteury Ruiz (17 games). The most well-known player in the lineup, Ramon Laureano, hit .211 last year. While the lineup does have some speed, it lacks good hitters. This lineup is incredibly weak.
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29. Washington Nationals
In recent years, the Washington Nationals have seen three superstar position players leave town. Bryce Harper, Juan Soto and Trea Turner are elite players in the midst of their primes. As a result of their departures, the Nationals predictably have a weak lineup. The Nats have a few young, promising talents in catcher Keibert Ruiz and shortstop CJ Abrams — the main prize in the Soto trade. Washington is in for a long season, but Abrams should be a star shortly.
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28. Cincinnati Reds
Despite having a former MVP and (likely) future Hall of Famer in the middle of their lineup, the Reds project to have one of the weakest starting nine’s in baseball. Joey Votto will be 40 years old in September and is at least five years removed from his prime. Jonathan India is a nice player who will be looking to bounce back following a disappointing Year 2 — he won the Rookie of the Year in 2021. Cincinnati’s lineup will also feature two offseason acquisitions — veteran outfielder Wil Myers and shortstop Kevin Newman.
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27. Detroit Tigers
Perhaps the only exciting thing to follow this season with the Tigers is Miguel Cabrera’s farewell. The first-ballot Hall of Famer is unlikely to start, but he will garner plenty of attention and at-bats. Javier Baez is entering Year 2 in Detroit, and he will need to rediscover his magic if the Tigers want to make a run in the Central. Last year, Baez hit .238 with 17 home runs. Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson are the two players to watch. If they fulfill their potential, the pair could be cornerstones in the Motor City for years to come.
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26. Kansas City Royals
Kansas City is a franchise on the rise, and that starts with Bobby Witt Jr. Witt entered last season as one of the game’s top prospects and he didn’t disappoint. Appearing in 150 games, Witt slugged 20 homers and stole 30 bases. Joining Witt as Royal cornerstones of the future are MJ Melendez, Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Pratto (Pratto isn’t projected to start the season in the lineup). Of course, the Royals also have a veteran presence in the middle of the lineup in Salvador Perez. The only question is: Which version of Perez will show up? Two years ago, Perez led baseball with 48 HR and 121 RBI. In 2022, Perez was limited to 114 games and saw his numbers drop dramatically across the board. If the ’21 version shows up, the Royals will be a rather competitive group.
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25. Colorado Rockies
Colorado’s offense was very disappointing in 2022. So, leave it to the stumbling franchise to bring back largely the same team for the ’23 season. The Rockies will be looking for Kris Bryant to turn things around in Year 2. The former MVP was limited to 42 games last season due to a variety of injuries. When he was on the field, Bryant performed — despite hitting a mere five homers — slashing .306/.376/.475. C.J. Cron is back for a third season. The slugger has 57 HR and 194 RBI the past two years. Ultimately, the Rockies’ offense will go as Bryant and Cron go.
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24. Boston Red Sox
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Boston Dodgers. As things currently stand, the Red Sox Opening Day lineup projects to include three former Dodgers. Alex Verdugo and Kiké Hernandez are familiar faces in Boston, and now they will be joined by longtime Dodger Justin Turner. Boston’s lineup has been overhauled in the offseason. Joining Turner are veterans Adam Duvall, Adalberto Mondesi and Reese McGuire. Two big names are noticeably absent from Boston’s starting nine — Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez. Still, Rafael Devers is a bonafide star that can carry the offense for large stretches.
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23. Arizona Diamondbacks
Don’t sleep on the Arizona Diamondbacks. We don’t expect the D-Backs to compete for the National League West title, but it wouldn’t surprise us to see them push for a .500 record. Ketel Marte is a former All-Star who nearly every team in baseball would like to have. Christian Walker, who will be 32 years old by Opening Day, exploded last year with 36 HR and 94 RBI. The two veterans are joined by exciting young talents including Jake McCarthy, Corbin Carroll, and newcomer Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Additionally, Arizona has some talented players on the bench who possibly could blossom into everyday players — Alek Thomas and Kyle Lewis.
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22. San Francisco Giants
At two different points this past offseason, it appeared as if the Giants would have a superstar in the middle of their lineup. First, a few eager reporters stated that Aaron Judge would be leaving the Yankees for San Francisco — he, of course, did not. Next, news broke that shortstop Carlos Correa would be joining the team on a massive 13-year, $350 million deal. However, the Giants backed out of the agreement following Correa’s physical which generated doubts about his future. So, here are the Giants at No. 22. The lineup is fine with the likes of Joc Pederson, Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto — but it is nothing special.
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21. Miami Marlins
The Marlins’ biggest star resides on the mound, but that doesn’t mean they are deprived of talent in their lineup. Jazz Chisholm Jr. — the cover athlete of MLB The Show 23 — is one of baseball’s most exciting players and should be primed for a big year. Miami’s lineup lacks pop, but it certainly has some high-contact hitters. Leading the charge is Luis Arraez. Recently acquired in the trade that sent Pablo Lopez to Minnesota, Arraez slashed .316/.375/.420 last year and won the American League Batting Title. Additionally, Miami’s lineup includes established players such as Jean Segura, Jorge Soler, Avisail Garcia and Joey Wendle.
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20. Baltimore Orioles
An offense on the rise, the Orioles boast an eclectic mix of heavy-hitting veterans and highly-touted youngsters. A pair of Baltimore draft picks — former No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman and second-round infielder Gunnar Henderson — may hold the key to this group. Rutschman exceeded all expectations as a rookie, posting an .806 OPS in 113 games. Henderson was a late call-up, but was productive in a limited amount of time (.788 in 34 games) and projects to be Baltimore’s Opening Day third baseman.
As far as the rest of the lineup goes, former All-Star Cedric Mullins offers plenty of speed and pop at the top of the lineup while Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle are quality power bats in the middle of the lineup. It should be noted that the recent renovations to Oriole Park has led to a major shift in perception. Camden Yards is now considered a pitcher’s park with power numbers down across the board last year.
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19. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs offense should be better in 2023 — but just how much better? Chicago spent the offseason making massive changes to its lineup. Former Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson was the big ticket addition following a career year in Atlanta. Swanson is coming off back-to-back 25-plus home runs seasons and set a career-high in batting average (.277) last year. With the Cubs, Swanson won’t be hitting between two MVP candidates like he did in Atlanta (Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley).
However, Swanson will be playing with a former MVP — two-time All-Star and 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger. The longtime Dodger made the move to Chicago following yet another disappointing season. Bellinger hopes to turn it around in Wrigley after being one of the worst hitters in baseball over the last two seasons. Chicago needs strong seasons from newcomers like Swanson, Bellinger, Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer to stand a chance in the NL Central.
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18. Pittsburgh Pirates
Talk about an offense gleaming with upside. The Pirates have been overlooked after a few down years, but this lineup is one to watch out for in 2023. If anything, the top third is one of the more promising trios in the Majors. 24-year-old Oneil Cruz is primed for stardom with some of the best physical tools in all of baseball. Bryan Reynolds is the rare switch hitter who is competent from both sides of the plate — identical .281 career average against RHP and LHP. If Ke’Bryan Hayes can stay healthy, the young third baseman is an exceptional contact hitter who swiped 20 bags last year.
In an effort to field a more competitive team in 2023, the Pirates filled out the rest of their lineup with accomplished veterans including Ji-Man Choi, Carlos Santana, and the returning Andrew McCutchen. All three players are patient hitters who have historically been among the best at getting on-base. Generating more walks will be good for a Pirates lineup which finished 28th in on-base percentage last season.
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17. Texas Rangers
After finishing dead-last in runs scored among American League teams in 2021, the Rangers invested in the offense last offseason and it paid early dividends. Thanks to the contributions of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the Rangers rose to fifth in AL runs scored behind three playoff teams and another that plays half of its games in a little league ballpark (sorry Red Sox fans). Seager didn’t hit for his usual average, but smashed a career-high 33 HR. Semien started off dreadfully slow, but came on strong towards the second-half. Both should be better in 2023.
Keep an eye on three other Rangers — Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia, and Jonah Heim — who are looking to all build on career years. Lowe was the team’s best hitter last year (.851), Garcia is the team’s best power-speed combo (51 HR, 41 SB over last two seasons), and Heim is a switch-hitting backstop with power from both sides. Credit to the Rangers front office — all three were acquired via trade for marginal players.
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16. Los Angeles Angels
It doesn’t get much better than Trout and Ohtani. Unfortunately for the Angels, that holds true throughout their lineup. The elite pairing has been flanked by a middling supporting cast in recent years. Despite getting big numbers from their top two, the Angels ranked 25th in runs scored in and 23rd in OPS last year. In a season in which Ohtani and Trout combined for 78 HR and 175 RBI.
Taylor Ward was a bright spot early on, but trailed off towards the second-half of the season after dealing with injuries. Same goes for Jared Walsh who had a dismal ’22 following excellent campaigns in the two previous seasons. Speaking of injuries, the Angels would like to finally get a healthy season out of Anthony Rendon. If not Rendon, then LA hopes veterans power-hitters like Hunter Renfroe or Brandon Drury can help support the team’s two stars.
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15. Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee’s lineup might not jump off the page as one of the top groupings in the league, but we advise to keep a close eye on the Brew Crew. Of course, the headliner here is former MVP Christian Yelich who has been unable to regain his elite form from 2019. Yelich has not posted better than a .786 OPS over the last three years, but he did find some success after being moved to the lead-off position last year. We’re not giving up hope on the two-time batting champ.
Additionally, the rest of the lineup has been bolstered with the addition of two big bats in William Contreras and Jesse Winker. Contreras was an NL All-Star starter (DH) last season and one of the best hitter (.860 OPS) on a stacked Braves lineup. Winker is coming off a dreadful season with Seattle, but was an elite hitter in ’20 and ’21. He could see a bump in production (just like new teammate Willy Adames did) with the change of home ballpark.
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14. Tampa Bay Rays
While not the flashiest lineup in the stacked AL East, the Rays are a balanced group that will have no trouble producing runs. Tampa Bay uses its deep bench to create advantages in certain lineups. Though we could see some more stability moving forward. Barring healthy, Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe should have everyday spots in the lineup. The same could be said for center fielder Jose Siri given his base-running and defensive contributions.
What Tampa lacks in power they make up for in contact and speed. Franco is an elite contact hitter who projects to steal a ton of bases over a full season. Arozarena led the team with 32 steals last year. Manuel Margot provides plenty of pressure on the base-paths. With Harold Ramirez and Yandy Diaz, the Rays have two players who both hit nearly .300 last season.
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13. Cleveland Guardians
In terms of contact hitting, nobody does it better than the Guardians. While the league looks for more and more power, Cleveland has gone in the complete opposite direction while emphasizing putting the ball into play. Generating contact is at a premium for the Guardians — who can also utilize their elite team speed to put pressure on the base-paths. Nobody exemplifies this better than Cleveland’s star Jose Ramirez, who is one of the best all-around offensive players in baseball.
An All-Star last year, Andres Gimenez looks to build upon a career year. Five players in this lineup are capable of stealing 20-plus bases (Ramriez, Gimenez, Steven Kwan, Amed Rosario, and Myles Straw). The rest of the lineup does include some power-or-nothing bats in the form of Josh Naylor and two newcomers — Josh Bell and Mike Zunino.
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12. Minnesota Twins
Carlos Correa is back, giving the Twins once again one of the more complete lineups in the American League. Correa is the star, coming off hitting .291 with 22 HR. Though, we shouldn’t overlook his middle infield partner Jorge Polanco who is among the best switch-hitters in baseball. Left-handed outfielder Max Kepler also did not get dealt this offseason amidst several rumors. He’s looking to return to his 2019 form when he mashed 36 HR. The loss of Luis Arraez will hurt the team’s overall batting average.
The x-factor on this team will always be Byron Buxton. The oft-injured outfielder hasn’t played over 100 games since 2017. He struggled from a batting average standpoint last season (.224 AVG) but still managed a strong .833 OPS thanks to 28 HR in 92 games. When he’s right, Buxton is among the most dangerous hitters in all of baseball.
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11. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox should be among the most prolific offenses in the league next year (though they could face certain challenges early on). Replacing former MVP Jose Abreu will not be easy. Abreu recorded 863 RBI for Chicago since entering the league in 2014. Despite a dip in power numbers, Abreu hit .314 last year and has been a stalwart in the middle of the White Sox lineup. In his place, Chicago hopes the addition of Andrew Benintendi will help fill some of that void.
Full seasons from Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert will surely help. Two of the most exciting young hitters in the game, Jimenez and Robert will lead the White Sox into its new era. Chicago also hopes former top prospect Yoan Moncada will join that group after a dismal ’22 campaign. Tim Anderson is still one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball after four-straight seasons hitting over .300. 24-year-old Andrew Vaughn is somebody who could breakout this year. The 2019 first-round pick has tons of power and has already tallied 82 XBH in his first 261 career games.
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10. New York Yankees
You’ve got a chance to be pretty darn good whenever Aaron Judge is in your lineup. The power hitter from the Bay Area ended up spurning his hometown Giants in favor of re-signing with the Yankees — and will once again be joined by slugger Giancarlo Stanton. In the process, New York also made it a point of emphasis to bring back fan favorite first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Losing Andrew Benintendi and Matt Carpenter may end up hurting the team down the line. We’ll see how Josh Donaldson performs as he enters his late 30s. However, there’s still plenty of optimism. Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza will add some much-needed juice to this older group. Plus, Anthony Volpe is banging on the door ready to make his presence known sooner than later.
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9. St. Louis Cardinals
In true St. Louis fashion, the Cardinals have put together a team chock-full of very good homegrown talent. The Lars Nootbar-Juan Yepez-Dylan Carlson trio is highly appealing, with plenty of potential upside ready to be uncovered. Swiping Willson Contreras from the Cubs was a shrewd move, as he’ll take over for club legend Yadier Molina. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are as deadly a one-two punch as you’ll find in the Central Division. Plus, Tyler O’Neill and Brendan Donovan can absolutely rake when given the chance. Top to bottom, this is a very attractive lineup.
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8. New York Mets
This lineup remains unchanged from a year ago. Bringing Nimmo and McNeil back were among the more important things on the agenda for the Mets this offseason. With Carlos Correa not coming to Queens, you may end up seeing the Mets pivot to two of their most prized prospects in Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez. We saw glimpses of these two in the past, and there’s a scenario in which they bull their way into the starting lineup. At the very least, this team possesses a projected group with guys who can patiently work the count and hit to all parts of the park. In essence, a traditional team not reliant so much on the long ball (outside of Pete Alonso).
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7. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers will be in a bit of a rebuild (if we can call it that). The team wanted to get younger and less expensive — which led to the departures of Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, and others. The lineup to start the season may look different than what we’ll see down the stretch. The farm is bursting with prospects, and many consider it to be the best collection of Minor League players in all of baseball. As currently constituted, the Dodgers still can trot out an elite top-three of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith.
You’d have to think Max Muncy and Chris Taylor will bounce back from subpar years. J.D. Martinez was brought in as the DH to add some power, and Gavin Lux was quietly very decent last year. The outfield outside of Betts remains a question. We’ll see if Trayce Thompson is the longterm answer in LF. The same goes for James Outman — a very ‘toolsy’ player who somewhat resembles the aforementioned Bellinger.
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6. Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia will have to tread water for roughly half the season until Bryce Harper comes back from injury. Fortunately for the Fightin’ Phils, the addition of Trea Turner gives them one of the most talented hitters in the game. Aside from being an excellent contact hitter, his speed should allow for plenty of triple opportunities. While the top of the order is stabilized, the bottom half has a number of players with some considerable upsides (though low floors, as well).
Among them, you’ve got Darick Hall, Bryson Scott, Alex Bohm, and Brandon Marsh. If two of these guys prove to be above-average players at their positions, Philadelphia will be among the better teams in the National League. It’ll be imperative for them to make contact/use their collective athleticism within the lineup. As such, the team is prone to striking out a fair amount. We must also note that Bryce Harper will be out until mid-season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
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5. Seattle Mariners
We did see some turnover with this group. Teoscar Hernandez is slated to be a huge middle-of-the-order addition for the Mariners. A.J. Pollock is looking to bounce back from a rough 2022 season (after a very solid stint previously with the Dodgers). J.P. Crawford and Jarred Kelenic are two young players bursting with upside and potential. Cal Raleigh is rock-solid behind the dish, Kolten Wong is a competitive veteran with an edge to him, and Eugenio Suarez is quite gifted. However, the future of this team will be determined by Ty France and budding superstar Julio Rodriguez. If the M’s can limit strikeouts, they’ll be a dangerous threat to Houston in the AL West.
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4. Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto adjusted its lineup a bit this year — adding more flexibility as it pertains to attacking teams with more left-handed options. Among them include up-and-coming athletic outfielder Daulton Varsho, and veteran Brandon Belt. Whit Merrifield was added for some stability towards the end of the order, and Kevin Kiermaier is mostly there for his glove/speed in centerfield. Power continues to be a main theme within this group, especially as Bo Bichette matures as a hitter. Matt Chapman could also be in line for a monster season with the Rogers Centre being altered dimensions-wise. All this — and we’ve yet to even mention the heartbeat of the order…led by leadoff hitter George Springer and the dynamic duo of Alejandro Kirk and Vlad Guerrero Jr.
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3. Houston Astros
While not as prolific as some of the earlier iterations featuring the Jose Altuve-Alex Bregman core, this team is still plenty good enough to win the American League. The top four guys (Altuve, Michael Brantley, Bregman, Yordan Alvarez) are all back. Added to the mix is former MVP Jose Abreu. Having experience versus AL pitchers should make his transition a smooth one (aside from the fact Abreu now gets a short porch in left field to slug towards). Kyle Tucker should be even better this season, as should reigning rookie of the year Jeremy Pena. While the collective speed within this projected group isn’t stellar, they more than make up for it with bat-to-ball contact and home run prowess.
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2. Atlanta Braves
Atlanta’s scouting department deserves all the credit in the world for essentially building much of this lineup from the Minor League system. You’ve got a terrific balance of power, speed, and gap-to-gap capabilities with this group. Of course, Ronald Acuna Jr. sets the table as the leadoff hitter — where he’ll be joined by star-in-the-making Michael Harris II. The right-lefty duo of Austin Riley and Matt Olson will slug super well. Sean Murphy was brought over from Oakland to man the catchers spot (and he’s an upgrade over Travis D’Arnaud). Simply put, when you’ve got a lineup slated to have Ozzie Albies as the No. 6 hitter — and Marcell Ozuna as the No. 8 hitter — depth isn’t an issue.
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1. San Diego Padres
The depth within this lineup is truly startling. Due to the proactive front office, the last 12 months has netted a host of proven bats — including stars Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts, along with veterans Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter. When Fernando Tatis Jr. eventually returns from suspension, you’re looking at a group who can go 1-4 with Tatis, Soto, Manny Machado, and Bogaerts. No other team in baseball comes close to fielding such a prolific quartet. You could quibble over the ages of Cruz and Carpenter — along with the rough last year for Trent Grisham. Regardless, this is a STACKED group of hitters. Anything short of a playoff appearance would be a MASSIVE disappointment (remember, the Pads still have to prove they can usurp the division crown from the rival Los Angeles Dodgers).
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