Top Backup Plans for Each Current 2015-2016 MLB Offseason Loser

Seth Wenig/Associated Press
There's still time for the Mets to make the splash they've been hesitant to make.

With the 2016 Major League Baseball season getting closer every day, it's a good time to talk about some offseason losers.

Fortunately, not that many teams across the MLB ^[1] landscape fit this particular bill. Many players have changed addresses this winter, and many teams have gotten in on the action. It's been an offseason of winners much more than it's been an offseason of losers.

But for those unlucky few, we're going to turn to some plans that could salvage their offseasons. Let's go in alphabetical order and begin with the...

Cincinnati Reds

John Minchillo/Associated Press

The Reds might still be able to find a home for Jay Bruce.

The Reds began the winter looking to continue their rebuild, but that hasn't gone so well. They've only managed to trade Todd Frazier and Aroldis Chapman, and for less-than-awesome packages to boot. Of the seven players they got back for those two, only Jose Peraza makes the grade as a top prospect.

Still, hope isn't lost. The Reds have Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips to trade, and they may well be able to do so.

That may be especially true of Bruce. His recent struggles and the $13.5 million he's still owed make him a bit of a tough sell, but his power (26 homers in 2015) is still attractive. And once Yoenis Cespedes follows Chris Davis and Justin Upton in coming off the board, the Reds can try shopping that power to clubs like the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox.

John Minchillo/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

Phillips had a bounce-back year in 2015 but is clearly past his prime.

At 34 years of age and with $27 million still owed to him, Phillips will be tougher to move. But a spring training injury could change that, and there is the possibility of the Reds going back to an old well. FanGraphs ^[2] projects the Arizona Diamondbacks' second base situation to be a disaster, so the Reds could try reviving the talks the two clubs were having ^[3] early in the winter.

The Reds also have a trump card to play. It won't be easy to move Joey Votto and the roughly $200 million he has remaining on his contract, but now is the best time to try while his value is up coming off an MVP-caliber 2015 season. Votto doesn't have many potential suitors, but two worth speculating about are the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.

Cleveland Indians

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Carlos Carrasco is a major trade chip that the Indians could cash in.

After quietly getting it together as 2015 went on, the Indians are actually heading into 2016 with a solid squad.

They do face some stiff competition in the AL Central, though, and said competition has done more to improve than they have. While other teams in the division have been gathering stars, the biggest names the Indians have added are Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis.

To make the kind of statement they need to make, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com ^[4] is among those who believe the Indians need a corner outfield bat. Bruce is a possibility, as are guys like Colorado Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez and maybe Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Andre Ethier.

Money presents a problem, however. Baseball-Reference.com ^[5] projects the Indians at around $86 million for 2016, which has been roughly their ceiling in the last two seasons. If they're going to swing a deal for one of the above names, they'll need the other club to eat some money.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Salazar is 26 and controlled through 2020.

That's only going to happen if the Indians send back something of real value, such as one of their awesome starting pitchers. It would most likely be Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar, both of whom have youth and controllability working for them.

"We're not looking to do it," said general manager Chris Antonetti last month, via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com ^[6]. "But, what we have to be open-minded [about is], if there's a way for us to really impact our team and make a deal that we think makes us a better, more complete, more competitive team in 2016, we'll be open to it."

One thing the Indians could do is dangle one of their top starters in hopes of landing one of the above names plus a throw-in or two. Or, they could forgo those names and target a player with more controllability.

For example, Charlie Blackmon would fit the bill. The 29-year-old has played all three outfield positions for the Rockies, has been an above-average hitter the last two years and is controllable through 2019.

If nothing materializes, it wouldn't be the worst Plan B for the Indians to up the ante on their depth-gathering mission. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports ^[7] recently took a look at the best options left in the bargain bin, and two that could work for Cleveland are Juan Uribe and Austin Jackson.

New York Mets

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Maybe the Mets should just re-sign Yoenis Cespedes?

The Mets were playing in the World Series the last time we saw them, but that almost feels like ancient history. This offseason hasn't been too kind to them, and now has the potential to get a lot worse.

The Mets have already lost playoff hero Daniel Murphy to the Nationals, their big (and probably only) NL East rival. The Nationals have also restructured their bullpen, and the MLB Network's Jon Heyman has reported they really want another Mets hero: Cespedes.

Hearing nats are pressing to get cespedes deal done. Belief is they're willing to go to about 100M/5 yrs, maybe a bit more.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 21, 2016 ^[8]

In the meantime, the Mets have focused their offseason on smaller moves, such as signing Asdrubal Cabrera, re-signing Bartolo Colon and trading for Neil Walker. But the Cespedes situation makes it impossible to ignore the hole in their lineup left by his departure, which will only loom larger if he signs with Washington.

The most obvious solution for the Mets is to just beat the Nationals to the punch on Cespedes. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports proposes that this could be simple, as the Mets could possibly lure the multitalented slugger with a "five-year, $120 million contract with a two-year opt-out and a ton of deferred money."^[9]

That may not be entirely realistic, though. The Mets should be able to spend that kind of money, but Howard Megdal of Vocativ.com ^[10] can tell you all about how the club's ownership is more interested in paying off debts than splurging on payroll.

This doesn't mean there are no deals the Mets can make, though. The Cubs' outfield surplus could provide a solution, with one possibility ^[11] being a Jorge Soler-for-Zack Wheeler swap. The Mets could also try reviving their interest in Carlos Gomez, who Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle^[12] reported last month isn't entirely off the table.

At the least, the Mets could dip into the free agent market for a cheap alternative to Cespedes. Marlon Byrd, who could probably still hit 20-25 homers in a full season, stands out as a real possibility.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Clint Hurdle needs more pitching depth beneath Gerrit Cole.

The Pirates appear to be in the same boat as the Indians. While the competition in the NL Central has attracted big names like Jason Heyward, John Lackey, Ben Zobrist and Mike Leake, the Pirates have only brought aboard guys like John Jaso, Jon Niese and Ryan Vogelsong.

Of course, there's only so much more the Pirates can do. They're projected ^[13] for a payroll of about $97 million, which is already an increase over last year's franchise record of $90 million.

Nonetheless, there's no ignoring the suspicion that the Pirates don't have enough to compete with the Cubs or St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. Specifically, their starting rotation has gone from a strength to a possible weakness. After Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano up top, it runs out of talent fast.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

Ross' 59.2 ground-ball percentage since 2014 should appeal to Pittsburgh.

The best way for the Pirates to fix that would be to go for it in a trade that would land somewhere between "big" and "not too big." To this end, easily the best fit for them would be San Diego Padres right-hander Tyson Ross, whose name has been popping up in trade speculation all winter.

Ross has established himself as an elite ground-ball artist ^[14], a talent that would play well in Pittsburgh's grounder-oriented pitching staff. He's making $9.625 million this year and is due for more in arbitration in 2017, but he's still likely to be drastically underpaid in his final two years before free agency. And though it would cost a talented prospect or two to get him, the Pirates aren't short on those.

If making a play for Ross is too bold for the Pirates, their best option is to troll the free-agent waters for reclamation projects that could benefit from pitching coach Ray Searage's Midas touch. The best options there are Doug Fister and Justin Masterson, two sinker specialists that are right up Searage's alley.

Tampa Bay Rays

Steve Nesius/Associated Press

To land the impact bat they need, the Rays may have to dangle Jake Odorizzi.

Also in that boat with the Indians and Pirates are the Rays. While the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles have all made impact moves this winter, Cliff Corcoran of Sports Illustrated^[15] noted this week that the Rays basically punted on the offseason.

Indeed. Apart from early trades that netted them Brad Miller, Logan Morrison, Danny Farquhar and Hank Conger, and the recent signing of Steve Pearce, the Rays haven't done much. This is an issue where their offense is particularly concerned, as it's not likely to improve on last year's lousy offensive showing.

Rather than more depth, Tampa Bay's lineup is practically screaming out for an impact bat. The trade market is the only place where one of those can be found, so it's a good thing the Rays have valuable trade chips.

Steve Nesius/Associated Press

With a 2.58 ERA since 2012, McGee has quietly been among the game's top lefty relievers.

Among those are a pair of quality relievers in Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger, as well as some starting pitchers they may be willing to part with. Jake Odorizzi is the one that's been mentioned the most this winter, and he has quite a bit of value coming off a 3.35 ERA with five years still to go until free agency.

Suggesting the Rays go after short-term, high-priced rentals just isn't practical, though. So, scratch guys like Bruce, Gonzalez and Ethier. But Tampa Bay is another team that could potentially swing a deal for Blackmon, and other options come to mind as well.

Rays GM Matt Silverman said in an MLB Network Radio interview this month that he's had many conversations with the Cubs, who he thinks "line up really well with [the Rays] given our depth and strengths." Soler is a Cub that could appeal to the Rays, potentially in an Odorizzi trade. Javier Baez is another.^[16]

One other club that has been specifically interested in Odorizzi is the Dodgers, who were reportedly in talks ^[17] for the right-hander last month. That ship may have sailed when the Dodgers signed Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda. But if not, never say never to a major upside play on Yasiel Puig.

This concludes our look at teams that have some more wheeling and dealing to do before Opening Day arrives. Wish them luck.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com ^[18] and FanGraphs ^[19] unless otherwise noted/linked.