Off-Season Moves for the 8 AL Playoff Teams
The AL let slip the World Series to the NL, as the Astros failed to put together any kind of defense for their title, and the Rays bid fell short again. Next season will start by answering questions that linger from 2020. It might still be the off-season, but dc has all you need to stay sharp with the latest odds, numbers and stats so you are up to date when the season rolls.
Chicago White Sox
Losing the first winner-takes-all game in franchise history might have stung and was just salt to an incredible appearance in the playoffs, but the White Sox cannot let that derail them in the upcoming season. Putting last season’s disappointments behind them, will be a good start for new manager Tony La Russa.
Cleveland Indians
Cleveland has shown it tends to keep its best players and is more proactive in that regard as opposed to some other teams. Francisco Lindor is their biggest question this off-season and it will be interesting to see how the team goes about it this time around.
Houston Astros
The Astros could not repeat, but did have a scandal shadowing them again in the postseason, something the team could really avoid going into the new season. They put up a spirited fight in the ALCS but all the efforts on the field mean very little if you keep getting embroiled in scandals that question the team image. The young pitchers looked great in 2020. Will the ownership let those young guys rule the roost?
Minnesota Twins
The Donaldson deal was quite a move in 2019, but do the Twins now need another nifty move to go into 2021 all guns blazing? Josh Donaldson is as solid as they come but Minnesota will need more than him to rise above the “contender” category.
New York Yankees
The Yankees are going on 12 years without a title and that is not acceptable for a team of that level of greatness. However, the franchise knows what it has to do, at least the first steps. Tackling the Gary Sanchez situation and finding some pitcher depth look like the best and logical starting points.
Oakland Athletics
The Athletics won their first playoff series in 19 years, and despite losing the ALDS, it was a huge step in the right direction, one that could convince their free agents or any other on the market that Oakland is brewing something that could become special. Convincing Marcus Semien to stay will be another giant move for the team.
Tampa Bay Rays
Blake Snell will be hearing this one for a very long time: “game 6! game 6! game 6!” It was a surprise that the Ray’s decided to pull their Ace him, but there was no salvation. Winning the AL East next year would be a nice consolation, but the Ray’s must feel like they have what it takes to go the extra mile.
Toronto Blue Jays
The last time the Blue Jays made the playoffs prior to 2020 was in 2016. Pushing their chips in on that 2016 run did not age well, but the team appears to have turned the corner on the quick rebuild.
