Major League Baseball’s spring training took full effect last week as camps are now full with pitchers, catchers, and all position players. Spring training games will be beginning soon, which means we’re just a few, short rom the 2021 season. With the regular season around the corner, now is great time to speculate which teams improved the most heading into the 2021 season.
The offseason got off to a rather slow start, but teams kicked things into full gear as the calendar turned the last page of 2020. The league has seen some big signings and blockbuster trades Most of the league’s top free-agents have found places to call home.
Here are the three teams that improved the most prior to the 2021 season.
The New York Mets under New Ownership
Under the guidance of new principal owner Steve Cohen, the New York Mets completely changed their narrative this offseason. From lovable losers to a team that others should fear in free agency. Cohen and his staff made this clear with the offseason’s biggest blockbuster trade, acquiring superstar Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from the Cleveland Indians
New York now has one of the deepest starting rotations in baseball on top of a young core of superstar talent. Lindor sits as the face of the franchise now while the Mets added some serious depth to the roster. The Mets may have missed out on Trevor Bauer and JT Realmuto, but this roster is drastically improved after bringing in names such as Trevor May, James McCann, Jonathan Villar, Albert Almora Jr., and Aaron Loup.
From a team that finished eight games under .500 and fourth in the NL East to a potential World Series candidate, the Mets are the most improved team heading into 2021.
The San Diego Padres are serious World Series contenders
The San Diego Padres began their serious aspirations for a World Series title back in 2019. Over the past two seasons, Fernando Tatis Jr. has emerged as a bonafide superstar while San Diego also brought in big names like Mike Clevinger and Manny Machado.
Despite the additional star power, the Padres fell short last season. San Diego finished six games back of the eventual-champion Dodgers. Instead of remaining with that roster construction, management went back to the drawing board. The Padres are now one of the biggest offseason spenders.
In December, San Diego brought in starting pitching help with Blake Snell and Yu Darvish. The team also solidified its bullpen with the addition of veteran Mark Melancon. Padres management didn’t shy away from improving its lineup and positional player depth. Japanese sensation Ha-Seong Kim was signed for depth behind Tatis Jr. and Machado while he’ll compete for a starting role at second base. Jurickson Profar was also re-signed.
San Diego’s biggest offseason splash came with the record-breaking 14-year, $340 million contract extension for Tatis Jr. The Padres now have a deep roster, from top to bottom, and will play meaningful baseball this October.
Toronto Blue Jays: inking their top target
The Toronto Blue Jays may have had greater aspirations heading into this offseason, but this team still earns a spot on this list. The Blue Jays signed their biggest free-agent target in George Springer. Adding Springer meant adding a superstar talent to rally the franchise around. Toronto also brought in Marcus Semien, another of the league’s top free agents, giving this franchise a number of different All-Star level talents.
Ken Giles did depart in free agency, however, the Blue Jays added a number of bullpen depth pieces in Kirby Yates, Tyler Chatwood, and David Phelps. While the franchise was unable to sure up its starting pitching behind Hyun-Jin Ryu, they did add Robbie Ray and Steven Matz. Both Ray and Matz could rally for successful seasons next year, as this pair both own at least one season with sub-3.50 ERAs.
Toronto’s improvement makes the AL East interesting behind both the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Boston Red Sox did not make this list, but they were also busy this offseason, and it should be a year of competitive baseball in the division.
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