1 holiday gift for each MLB team
A number of teams have already done the lion's share of their holiday shopping, with early winter moves galore this offseason. However, there are still plenty of chips to fall, so let's pick one gift each team could still use:
Arizona Diamondbacks
More free agents to stable horses in Phoenix
The club deserves some credit for luring Madison Bumgarner from the division-rival San Francisco Giants and preventing another rival - the Los Angeles Dodgers - from landing the workhorse lefty. However, they had something working in their favor: Bumgarner's horses are stabled in Arizona. The new market inefficiency for the D-Backs is buying up every stable in America and shutting down every single one that isn't in-state.
Atlanta Braves
Bring back Josh Donaldson
Sometimes the best gift is keeping the band together. The resurgent Donaldson not only proved he was healthy with the Braves last year, but he played a crucial role in the NL East title defense. He's the top remaining hitter, and keeping him in the lineup would be a huge boon.
Baltimore Orioles
Cryogenic freezing chamber
Sleeping through the next season or two of this rebuild is probably the only thing worth giving the Orioles right now.
Boston Red Sox
Someone to take David Price's contract
Price's tenure with the Red Sox has been tumultuous at the best of times and, with the team aggressively attempting to get under the luxury-tax threshold, ditching the left-hander's contract seems like the quickest way to fix everything ... without packaging him with Mookie Betts.
Chicago White Sox
A haul for James McCann
Someone ponying up for the 2019 breakout could legitimately take this team into contention. Entering the 2020 season with him, Yasmani Grandal, and Jose Abreu, with Andrew Vaughn waiting in the wings is an option, of course. However, finding a team willing to pay up for the backup catcher - and they do exist - would be huge. Especially if Chicago legitimately wants to sign Edwin Encarnacion.
Chicago Cubs
A Kris Bryant resolution
The Cubs are looking to keep salaries low and are reportedly willing to deal Bryant. The problem is, the MLBPA's years-long grievance against the team for manipulating his service time is still pending resolution, with a decision to come in the new year. Considering the fact a ruling in Bryant's favor could potentially mean the former MVP hits free agency one season earlier, his trade value hangs in the balance.
Cleveland Indians
Money to give to Francisco Lindor
With his free agency fast approaching and no indication the team is willing or able to give the superstar shortstop a long-term, big-money contract, the trade rumors are swirling and Lindor's time in Cleveland is nearing an end. That's a shame, since he's meant so much to the franchise in such a short period of time. The shock of waking up to find $300 million or so in their stocking earmarked for "Mr. Smile" is the gift the Indians and their fans deserve.
Cincinnati Reds
Something better than a participation ribbon
To their credit, the Reds really tried last year, assembling what seemed to be a club that could make some noise. Instead, they endured their sixth straight losing season and "earned" yet another participation ribbon for finishing fourth in the NL Central. It's time for the Reds to be rewarded for their efforts.
Colorado Rockies
Larry Walker into the Hall of Fame
The Rockies are the only franchise without any representation in the Hall of Fame, let alone a player wearing their hat on his plaque, and Walker deserves to be the first. He'll need a substantial jump of 20.4 percentage points in his final year on the ballot - but as one of the best hitters of all time, he's certainly deserving of residency in Cooperstown. Only 16 outfielders in MLB history have a higher career wRC+ than Walker while making at least 8000 plate appearances, 14 of whom are in the Hall.
Detroit Tigers
More Twins players
Are there more ex-Twins players out there in free agency? After landing Jonathan Schoop and C.J. Cron with identical deals on the same day, you can bet the Tigers will find them. And, if that doesn't pan out, maybe they can lure Joe Mauer out of retirement.
Houston Astros
Everyone to stop talking about sign-stealing
One way to potentially get people to stop talking about sign-stealing is to, you know, not come up with an elaborate, garbage-thumping ruse a Twitter user can decode.
Kansas City Royals
Maikel Franco to be good
Managing expectations is important, so let's simply hope for Franco to be decent. When the infielder first broke into the league, he was a decent slugger, hitting .280/.343/.497 with 14 homers in 80 games during the 2015 season. Since then, it's been a tumultuous tenure that has involved flashes of brilliance.
Los Angeles Angels
Land Mookie and Price
The Angels still have to do more, so let's find some way to get them both Mookie and Price. They don't have enough prospect depth to land Betts alone, so taking on Price's contract would be crucial. Perhaps a deal around Griffin Canning could work. Who knows, just get it done.
Los Angeles Dodgers
A retroactive 2017 World Series championship
Maybe it would seem like a pity ring but, at this point, the Dodgers would probably settle. So, fingers crossed for the Astros to be found guilty of stealing signs during the 2017 World Series and the results to be overturned. It could happen.
Miami Marlins
A winning season
We are simultaneously setting the bar low and somehow high for a Marlins franchise that hasn't had a winning campaign since 2009. You know what, let's just settle for 81 wins. Break even this year. Actually, maybe just 80, can you get to 80? I mean, does 70 seem doable? You haven't done that since 2017. OK, fine, 60. Just not 100 losses.
Milwaukee Brewers
Anti-aging serum for Lorenzo Cain
If this team hopes to continue its short run of success, Cain will likely need to play a bigger role than he did in 2019. The 33-year-old posted his worst offensive season since 2013 last year, hitting .260/.325/.372 with 11 homers and 18 steals.
Minnesota Twins
Jake Odorirzzi becomes this year's Hyun-Jin Ryu
Ryu accepted the qualifying offer last year and he ended up posting his best season since his rookie campaign. What's stopping Odorizzi from doing the same? The right-hander was in the midst of a breakout last year before a second-half regression. If he can manage more swings and misses on his breaking pitches, Odorizzi could lead the Twins back to the division series and perhaps further.
New York Yankees
What do you get the kid who has everything?
The Yankees are finally spending, so, they've morphed back into the spoiled kid everyone hated at school. There's nothing we can give you. Josh Hader? You want him? Your bullpen wasn't good enough last year? Fine.
New York Mets
Yoenis Cespedes to hit all of his incentives
The Mets and Cespedes restructured the oft-injured outfielder's contract, reducing the guaranteed salary for 2020 from $29.5 million to $6 million. However, incentives could get the Cuban back to $22.9 million if he opens the season healthy and meets other requirements. If the Mets end up having to pay Cespedes the full amount, no one should be more elated than the fans in Flushing.
Oakland Athletics
The return of 2018 Khris Davis
After landing a two-year, $33.5-million extension with the A's, Davis inexplicably had the worst season of his career, failing to hit at least 25 homers for the first time since 2014 while spoiling a three-year streak of hitting 40. Oakland could be a very dangerous contender with his pop back in the lineup.
Philadelphia Phillies
Full seasons from David Robertson, Andrew McCutchen
For all the claims of underperformance, the Phillies actually suffered substantial bad luck that people avoid discussing. They may not have been a lock for a playoff spot in 2019 with a healthy Robertson and McCutchen, but they certainly would have secured a winning season, and likely would have been in the hunt.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Someone to buy high on Starling Marte
Although Marte is a serviceable everyday outfielder, he's certainly not elite. Over the past five seasons, he's been worth a maximum of 3.7 WAR, according to FanGraphs. However, teams across the league seem to be interested in him and, if that's true, the Pirates might be able to fleece a rival.
San Diego Padres
Noah Syndergaard
So you whiffed on Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg and now your rotation likely doesn't have an ace. So, now is the time to go and get Syndergaard. The Mets are heading into the 2020 season with six starters with Steven Matz apparently heading to the bullpen. The club is probably more willing to deal Matz, but Syndergaard might be available for the right price, and the Padres have all the right reasons to get a deal done.
San Francisco Giants
The next Mike Yastrzemski
The Giants did a pretty decent job of scouring their minor-league system for prospects who could stick at the next level, and nobody better exemplifies that than Yastrzemski. Perhaps Jaylin Davis can take that next step after being the key piece in the Sam Dyson trade. The outfielder tore up the minors last year, mashing 25 homers over 68 games at Triple-A.
Seattle Mariners
A playoff berth
When you've become so numb to something, as Mariners fans have to not making the playoffs since 2001, it starts to seem inevitable. It certainly doesn't look like a team capable of snapping the drought, but, honestly, weird things happen sometimes, and Seattle fans would almost certainly settle for a wild-card loss at this point.
St. Louis Cardinals
Bounce-back years for stars
The Cardinals won the division last year in spite of decidedly uninspiring seasons from Matt Carpenter, Paul Goldschmidt, Miles Mikolas, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Martinez. If those five players can return to the form expected of them, this team might not get swept so handily in next year's playoffs.
Tampa Bay Rays
Francisco Lindor
They're not a team listed to be in pursuit of Lindor, but the Rays simply have to do this if they plan on competing directly with the division-rival Yankees this year. Tampa won 96 games last season, so the addition of perhaps the best shortstop in the game would likely take them into triple-digit territory, and they've got the farm system to make it happen.
Texas Rangers
Marcell Ozuna - and a healthy Joey Gallo
Ozuna is one of the top remaining free agents and, after the Rangers shipped out Nomar Mazara and Delino DeShields Jr. in separate moves, Texas could really use him. Not to get greedy, but add in a healthy Gallo - who was looking like an MVP candidate last year before his injury - and the Rangers are an intriguing sleeper team.
Toronto Blue Jays
20 big-league starts from Nate Pearson
With Ryu atop the depth chart, the back end of the rotation is actually what matters for Toronto now. Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson will eat innings, but those final two spots get really interesting, especially if Pearson keeps proving his worth in the minors. Assuming he doesn't break camp with the club like Chris Paddack of the Padres, the Blue Jays should give Pearson similar treatment, allowing him to pitch in the bigs while still managing his workload.
Washington Nationals
Literally one Sunday Night Baseball game
ESPN announced its Sunday Night Baseball schedule for the first half of the season and the defending champion Nationals didn't make the cut. After the show Stephen Strasburg and Juan Soto put on all October? That's a shame.