MLB teams that improved the most this offseason

Now that the NFL season is finally over, Americans can wait in anticipation for their favorite pastime’s season to start, baseball. With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report in a little more than two weeks, most teams have their rosters set and are getting prepared for spring training and the 2015 regular season. There was a good amount of free agent acquisitions and trades made during the offseason, so this article will discuss two teams from each league that improved the most and who could make some noise in the upcoming season.

American League

Chicago White Sox: After only winning 73 games last year, the White Sox made a few splashes during the offseason, most notably when they traded for pitcher Jeff Samardzija (I think I spelled that right), who played for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics last season. “The Shark,” as he is known, never won many games during his career with the Cubs, but his earned run average seemed to always be among the league leaders every season. The White Sox already have an ace pitcher in Chris Sale, but Samardzija will compliment him well in the number two hole. The Southsiders also added first baseman Adam LaRoche, outfielder Melky Cabrera, shortstop Emilio Bonifacio and former Yankee closer David Robertson this offseason. This team may not run through the American League, but they should be well-equipped to compete and make a run at the playoffs.

Boston Red Sox: The 2013 season for the Red Sox was a magical one, as they silenced all their critics and won the World Series. But, the 2014 season was not so great for the BoSox. They only won 71 games due to a number of injuries and some players from the 2013 team playing elsewhere. Team management does not want that to happen again, so they signed two big-name players in order to regain their dominance in the AL East division. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez and third baseman Pablo Sandoval are the newest members of the Red Sox. Both players previously played for winning teams, as Sandoval won three World Series’ with the San Francisco Giants and Ramirez helped the Los Angeles Dodgers make the playoffs almost every year that he was with the team. Sandoval and Ramirez are great hitters and play defense just as well. Add these two players with second baseman Dustin Pedroia and first baseman Mike Napoli and you have a solid foursome of batters that no pitcher would like to face. Look for the Red Sox to get back to their winning ways in 2015.

National League.

San Diego Padres: Tired of being the laughing stock of the National League West division for so many years, the Padres made the most noise out of any team in the National League during this offseason. They completely rebuilt their outfield by trading for Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers. It’s hard for another team in MLB to match that outfield talent. The Padres also traded for former A’s catcher Derek Norris, who is a great defensive catcher and who can also swing the bat well. Their starting pitching is also impressive going into this season, as they have two young talented hurlers in Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross. There are also rumors that the Padres are interested in the Phillies ace pitcher Cole Hamels, which would be a huge addition for them. This team has not made the playoffs since 2006, but it may be time to change that, as the Padres have a very talented team that no one should sleep on this season.

Atlanta Braves: Another team that had a disappointing 2014 season after a good 2013 season was the Atlanta Braves. With the Philadelphia Phillies currently in rebuild mode, the division comes down to the Washington Nationals and Braves to win it basically every year. With the Nationals bolstering their pitching rotation by adding Max Scherzer, the Braves made some nice moves of their own this offseason in order to improve on their mediocre 2014 campaign. Perhaps their biggest move came in November when they traded outfielder Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals for starting pitcher Shelby Miller. Miller is a solid pitcher and should be able to help out the Braves rotation, which struggled at times last year. In order to replace Heyward, the Braves signed ex-Baltimore Oriole Nick Markakis, who had an impressive career with the Orioles prior to being traded. They also added to their outfield by signing Jonny Gomes, who is a solid hitter. Adding to their bullpen was imperative, as well, so they signed Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson. The Braves definitely improved their chances for the 2015 season by signing some solid players. A bounce-back season is in store for this squad, for sure.