These are the current Power Rankings for FGM before FA starts in 2014. This ranking is based on the current roster and how I feel the teams would perform if the season started today. Enjoy
1)
Oakland Athletics - Oakland had a great season in 2013 and begins 2014 by sitting at the top of the 2014 Pre-FA Power Rankings in FGM. Oakland has star players up and down their lineup and a deep rotation. Their one weakness right now may be their bullpen but but I expect Rob to make the necessary moves to build up his bullpen and make another run at the World Series in 2014.
2)
Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers currently have the best lineup in all of FGM. Their lineup is anchored by veterans Joe Mauer, Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Chase Utley and Carlos Santana while young guns Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado man the CI positions. You can't win a championship without pitching though and Starting pitchers are a big need for the Brewers. James Shields and Corey Kluber are the only returning Starting Pitchers for the Brewers. The Brewers ability to add starting pitching in FA will have a big impact on wether or not they can win their first World Series title in FGM in 2014.
3)
St. Louis Cardinals - The defending World Series champs have tremendous depth across their roster. They feature a lineup that has no Superstar talent but is built around solid contributors at every position. The biggest weakness for the Cardinals is the consistency of the younger pitchers on their staff. The continued development of Michael Wacha and Nathan Eovaldi will have a big impact on the ability of St. Louis to defend their World Series title. The depth the Cardinals currently have will give the team the freedom to pursue players at any position as they look to upgrade their roster for a run at the 2014 World Series.
4)
Los Angeles Dodgers - The Dodgers decided not to extend David Wright and instead he will explore FA. The Dodgers biggest strength heading into FA is still their balanced lineup featuring Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Giancarlo Stanton, Jason Heyward and the recently acquired Yasiel Puig. The Dodgers have 6 open roster spots and plenty of cap space to make a splash in FA and will be looking to add a starting caliber CI along with depth in their pitching staff.
5)
Tampa Bay Rays - The division race in the AL East should be one of the most exciting races in all of FGM in 2014. If the season started today with these current rosters I would have to rank Tampa Bay as the Favorites in the AL East. They don't have the depth that Boston has but their lineup from top to bottom is better then the New York and Boston. Tampa Bay also has the better rotation in the division but needs to do some work to put together a bullpen. However with no available cap space to improve through FA the Rays could be looking up in the rankings at Boston and New York in the Pre-season Power Rankings.
6)
Boston Red Sox - Boston currently ranks as the 2nd best team in the AL East. They have a roster with a solid lineup and plenty of depth for the long season in FGM. The biggest weakness for Boston is their starting rotation. Doubront and Cashner offer solid options at the top but beyond Eric Stults the rotation is made up of younger players with short track records. With $10M in cap space to work with Boston has the ability to improve this team and their chances to win the AL East in 2014.
7)
New York Yankees - Currently I have the Yankees as the 3rd best team in the AL East. They also have the potential at being the highest ranked team in the AL East after FA. The Yankees lineup isn't as good as Tampa Bays and they can't match the depth that Boston has. With $38M in cap space available though the Yankees will have an advantage over the other AL East Contenders in improving their roster in FA. If OUDAN can acquire a starting caliber MI and add depth to the Lineup and Pitching staff this could be the team to beat in the AL East this year.
8)
Chicago Cubs - With a new GM taking control of the Cubs this offseason it will be interesting what happens. The previous GM of the Cubs built a roster using the stars and scrubs approach. The lineup is anchored by Brian McCann, Aramis Ramirez, Brandon Phillips, Alex Gordon and Mike Trout while the pitching staff is lead by Yu Darvish, Stephen Strasburg and Matt Cain. With 16 empty roster spots and $10M in cap space the new GM will have a difficult time adding the necessary pieces to truly contend. It will be interesting to see if the new GM continues with a stars and scrubs approach or if they will move some top talent to add depth and balance the roster.
9)
Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies are the current favorite to win the NL East in 2014 but could face a serious challenge for that top spot from the
. The Phillies have a solid lineup built around Shin-Soo Choo but will need to add starting pitching behind Cole Hamels, Mat Latos and Dillon Gee to truly contend. If the Phillies are able to add the starting pitchers they need they could have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs and make a run at an NL Pennant and the world series.
10)
Seattle Mariners - Seattle is a team that I think could surprise some people in the AL West in 2014. Their lineup and rotation are solid but their biggest weakness is the of lack depth beyond their starters. The Mariners have some money to spend in FA so it will be interesting to see what this GM does to improve his roster heading into the season.
11)
New York Mets - It has taken Corey 2 years to rebuild the Mets but they are finally knocking on the door in the NL East. The team has depth in their rotation but needs to build a bullpen along with adding a starter at UTIL and C in FA. The big question for the Mets in 2014 is wether or not Jurickson Profar and Aaron Hicks can continue to develop and become contributors to the team. If they can this team could dethrone
as NL East Champions.
12)
Colorado Rockies - The Rockies still have the best MI tandem in FGM with Tulo and Pedroia, but have to fill some of the holes in their lineup to rank higher in these rankings. The Rockies only have one roster spot free and $14M in available cap space and will have to be creative to improve the team. The Rockies will likely be looking towards the C, CI and DH positions in FA along with rebuildling their Bullpen.
13)
Minnesota Twins - The Twins have been busy during the early part of the 2014 offseason and have moved younger players to make a run at the AL Central Division Title in 2014. I have them ranked as the favorites in the AL Central right now but that could change depending on how well Minnesota is able to add depth to their lineup and fill out their bullpen in FA. The AL Central race in 2013 was one of the most exciting in the league and I expect another close race in 2014.
14)
Texas Rangers - Edwin Encarnacion is exploring Free Agency in 2014 and with $14.5M in cap space it is almost certain he won't be back in Texas. Losing Encarnacion will leave a huge hole in the Rangers lineup that will be very tough to fill. If there is one person in this league that can manage to do it though my money would be on Roy. It will be interesting to see what moves Roy makes in FA but in the end I bet the Rangers will be right in the thick of the Playoff hunt for 2014.
15)
Kansas City Royals - The Royals just missed out on winning the AL Central Division in 2013 and making the playoffs. Kansas City should be competitive in the AL Central again in 2014 but I have them ranked behind the Twins currently. With only $3M in cap space available the Royals will have a hard time adding Starting Pitchers to a very shallow rotation. They will likely be looking up at Cleveland and Minnesota in the Pre-season Power Rankings.
16)
Baltimore Orioles - After two years of rebuilding the Orioles they finally started to win a few games in 2013 and broke the string of 3 consecutive last place finishes in FGM. Baltimore should continue to improve in 2014 as younger players like Mike Zunino, Anthony Rendon and Wil Myers continue their development in the MLB. Sluggers Kris Bryant and Miguel Sano are also not far from the Majors and should give the Orioles a boost in the near future. The biggest thing holding the Orioles back from having a true chance to contend this year is the fact they are in the Toughest Divison in FGM.
17)
Cincinnati Reds - The Reds have a new GM after their dissappointing 2013 season and this GM will have some tough decisions to make. This is a team that could surprise some people in 2014 if Billy Butler and Josh Hamilton return to their normal career numbers and younger players like Adam Eaton and Chris Owings can continue to develop. If Hamilton and Butler fail to rebound it could be another long year in Cincinnati and the new GM may look to rebuild the team. In FA Cincinnati will need to rebuild their bullpen and add depth to their rotation.
18)
Cleveland Indians - Cleveland made a dramatic run through the Playoffs last year upsetting Tampa Bay and Boston in the AL Playoffs before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. I currently have the Indians finishing 3rd in the AL Central but they have the cap space available to improve their roster in FA and move up the rankings. I think when all is said and done the AL Central will come down to the Indians and Twins in 2014.
19)
Arizona Diamondbacks - The Diamonbacks lineup is built around CI Paul Goldschmidt while their rotation is anchored by SP Max Scherzer. The Diamondbacks have one of the weakest double play combination in the league with Getz and Galvis manning the MI positions. With $18M in cap space and 10 roster spots available the Diamondbacks will look to improve their offense at Mi along with adding a capable starter at CI to play opposite of Goldschmidt along with filling out their bullpen.
20)
Houston Astros - The Astros currently rank as the 4th best team in the AL West for me but they have a lot of cap space and have the potential to pass some teams and rank higher in the Pre-Season Power Rankings. To truly contend in 2014 the Astros will need to add some depth to their lineup and fill in a couple of spots in their rotation but they have the cap space to make that happen.
21) :MIA-MLB: Miami Marlins - Miami Finished 3rd in the NL East in 2013 but their record was helped by having
and
in their division. Miami is lead by its roation which features the young phenom Jose Fernandez as its ace. There is a lot of pitching talent in this teams EDR but the outlook for their lineup isn't such as rosy. The lineup is anchored by Ian Desmond, Chris Johnson, Chris Denorfia and A.J. Pierzynski. This lineup could use an upgrade at multiple spots but the Marlins don't have the salary cap space to do that in FA. This team could be a force in a couple of years with its cheap home grown pitching but needs to add some young hitters to improve the lineup and be contenders in FGM.
22)
San Francisco Giants - The Giants have a solid roster of depth players but lack the star power needed to truly be considered contenders in FGM. With 9 open roster spots and plenty of cap space available can they add enough to move up these rankings and challenge for an NL Playoff spot? The Giants could realistically target every position in FA but their biggest need is on offense at CI and MI.
23)
San Diego Padres - During their rebuild the Padres have quietly built a solid and underrated lineup anchored by Everth Cabrera, Gerardo Parra, Will Venable and the recently acquired Anthony Rizzo. The biggest thing that is holding the Padres back is their inability to acquire and assemble a solid roation. Their best SP currently on the roster is Martin Perez. If the Padres want to move up these rankings they will need to acquire multiple Starting Pitchers in FA to fill out their rotation.
24)
Detroit Tigers - If some of the Tigers young players take a step forward in 2014 this team could be a surprising challenger and make it a four team race for the Al Central Title. Detroit has been active in the offseason already by moving OF Yasiel Puig for CI Mike Moustakous and MI Nick Franklin. This deal definitely surprised me and I don't know if I am a huge fan of the deal honestly. The Tigers did fill a couple of holes in their infield though and have money to spend in FA. I could definitely see this rebuilding team making another surprising move this offseason and take another step forward.
25)
Chicago White Sox - Dan Wood has rejoined FGM and has taken control of the White Sox. The White Sox are coming off a dissappointing season but have a decent core on their team and some cap space to improve their roster. From top to bottom the AL Central is the closest division in FGM and it wouldn't surprise me if any off these teams wins the AL Central in 2014.
26)
Toronto Blue Jays -Oh how the mighty have fallen. In 2011 Toronto was the AL Champions and represented in the AL in the World Series where they lost to the Dodgers. The Blue Jays began to decline in 2012 and fell all the way to a 5th place finish in the AL East in 2013. The Blue Jays will try to rebound in 2014 and have some cap space available to improve in FA. The biggest needs for the Blue Jays is upgrading their rotation, filling out there bullpen and the potential hole at CI with A-Rod's 2014 suspension still undetermined.
27)
Atlanta Braves - The Braves won't be contending for a World Series Title in 2014 but the future looks bright for this team. By 2015, Oscar Taveras and Gregory Polanco will be roaming the outfield in Atalnta while Noah Syndergaard pitches to Travis D'arnaud behind the plate. This team has alot of needs but with limited cap space and few roster spots I don't expect this team to be very active in FA.
28)
Los Angeles Angels - The Angels will have another tough year in 2014 as they continue to rebuild the club. The lone bright spot on the current roster is CI Chris Davis who came out of nowhere to hit 53 homeruns in 2013. The Angels have a lot of cap space available and it will be interesting to see if they continue with a long rebuild project or if they make a splash in FA and make a run towards being more competitive in 2014.
29)
Washington Nationals - The Washington Nationals have a new GM but 2014 will be another tough year for this squad. The Nationals have a core of younger players who need to continue to develop for this franchise. This year the Nationals have two things to help rebuild the club that they didn't have last year; salary cap space and the 1st overall pick in the 2014 Entry Draft.
30)
Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pittsburgh Pirates changed course in 2013 and began to rebuild the organization. Colby moved a lot of veterans for prospects and used 9 first round picks to infuse the organization with a lot of young talent, especially on the pitching side. 2014 looks like it will be another long season for Pittsburgh but FA will be interesting for this team. Pttsburgh has alot of cap space available and plenty of needs to fill.
