Strengths: Management and front office. Last year didn’t go well, but say what you want, Bruce Bochy is one of baseball’s best managers. Remember, he took this team to two championships in three years with a roster with decidedly fewer superstars than most championship teams have. The front office deserves a tip of the cap for that too, compiling a team that wins without the budgetary freedom of the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Rangers, etc. If you’d nitpick, you could say that they overpaid to keep Tim Lincecum and probably should have held onto Nathan Schierholtz last year, but nobody is perfect. 

Weaknesses: Pitching depth. Don’t get me wrong, the staff isn’t…bad. But they’re not as scary as they used to be. Matt Cain regressed after a Cy Young-worthy 2012. Lincecum, no-hitter notwithstanding, is pedestrian these days. Madison Bumgarner, while good, has never turned into the Clayton Kershaw facsimile many expected, and Ryan Vogelsong looks more like, well, Ryan Vogelsong than Greg Maddux, like he kinda did for a bit there. When you look at it, is there anything overly impressive, or did everyone overreact a little bit to overachievement?

Off-Season Needs: Shore up the bullpen a little and…fine, I’ll say it. Trade for David Price. I’d hate to see it happen, but if you move Buster Posey to first base full time, give the catching duties to the underrated Hector Sanchez, you end up with Brandon Belt and Brett Pill as tradable commodities to package with a couple of blue chippers. Now everyone do me a favor, and nobody tell the Giants to do this. 

2014 Outlook: They should improve over 2013, but the NL West is going to be tough to win with the Dodgers’ unlimited purse strings to contend with, and the Wild Card ain’t gonna be easy to get either with three legitimate playoff quality teams in the NL Central. Ballpark, 85 wins.

Strengths:  Goldy.  If the Arizona Diamondbacks had sniffed the playoffs last season, Paul Goldschmidt likely would have won NL MVP.  He hit over .300, got on base at better than a .400 clip, launched 36 dingers, and drove in 125 runs…decent.  The team also has an athletic outfield, a young defensive wiz at short, a future mainstay at third in Matt Davidson, and a veteran duo at second base.  Miguel Montero does an excellent job handling an above average, but nothing special starting staff.

Weaknesses: A second power hitter.  The Diamondbacks really don’t have one.  Martin Prado was second on the team in home runs with just 14.  The Eaton/Pollock/Parra trio in the outfield is good, but all three are relatively light hitting center field types.  The outfield range and defense is excellent, but they could use a better hitting outfielder and turn Pollock and Parra into a platoon.

Off-Season Needs:  The D-Backs need to add another power bat, and could use another arm.  Lucky for them they have a great trade chip in shortstop prospect Chris Owings, who is currently blocked by Didi Gregorius, who could net them one of those two needs.  Here is another spot Mike Morse would fit well, this time in right or left field, and they could also use another arm in the bullpen.

2014 Projection:  The Diamondbacks are just a couple moves away from challenging the Dodgers for the division title.  They will never be the favorite in the division, but much like the Oakland A’s in the AL West the past two years, the lower payroll, less flashy team might be able to rise above the rest.

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Strengths: Starting Pitching. Perhaps only the Detroit Tigers can also boast that they have two legitimate aces. The Dodgers also have a very very good number three in Hyun Jin Ryu. If they get even passable big league pitching from some combination of Danny Haren, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley when he’s healthy, and Stephen Fife, they should be in excellent shape. The lineup looks very deep on paper too, but you’re crossing your fingers if you’re a Dodger fan, and hoping for a bit of luck with health.

Weaknesses: Leadership and the bullpen. Somehow, Don Mattingly finished second in the NL Manager of the Year vote. I don’t get it. He’s good enough with young players and coaxing over-achievement out of middling veterans, but if you need good decisions made late in games to pull out victories, he’s not the guy. And he’s proven it. The pen also stands to lose J.P. Howell and Brian Wilson, two key performers who were brilliant down the stretch and must be replaced if they can’t be resigned.

Off-season Needs: They need to figure out who is going to be at third. Former punchline Juan Uribe was quietly solid offensively all year, and oddly brilliant defensively. He can be had back but is it worth a two year deal? If they are going to overpay for someone, and they always do, they should make it Howell. He’s been excellent his entire career, has bundles of post-season experience, and the way Mattingly mismanages bullpens, you can bet Paco Rodriguez will probably falter again as the go-to lefty late in 2014.

2014 Outlook: NL West champs. They should win the division by a decent margin. The talent is there to win 100 games, you figure Mattingly will cost them about 5 with his atrocious managing, but 95 wins should still be good enough.

Strengths:  Young talent.  Despite losing 99 games in 2013, the Chicago White Sox have a decent squad.  Dayan Viciedo in left and Avisail Garcia are solid corner outfielders that can hold down the positions for many years to come.  Adam Dunn is getting near the twilight of his career, but on the rare occasion he makes contact with at baseball, it still go really far.  The infield is decent, but the real strength is the ace, Chris Sale, and closer, Addison Reed.   Those two are as talented a young duo as there is.

Weaknesses: First Base and future talent.  The White Sox have the start of a good team, and the arrow would be looking up, if they had any talent in the minor league system.  The trade that sent Jake Peavy to the Boston Red Sox brought Avisail Garcia and prospect Brandon Jacobs to the White Sox.  Currently on MLB.com’s list, Jacobs is listed as the team’s seventh best prospect.  When he was in the Red Sox system, he regularly sat in the late twenties and early thirties in terms of prospects….the Red Sox system is good, but that is a massive gap in talent.  Now, first base is a mess.  The depth chart lists Jose Abreu as the first baseman, a 26 year old player yet to make his big league debut who is not even considered a prospect.

Off-Season Needs:  I usually love looking at what teams could do to improve, but I am at a loss here for the White Sox.  Clearly they need to add a first baseman, and I can’t even go with my typical Mike Morse move here because he is too much like a right handed Adam Dunn.  So I move to James Loney, but Loney just had a decent year and is likely looking for multiple years, but isn’t really the type of guy the White Sox need.  If I were the White Sox, I would sign Clint Barmes and Mark Reynolds, trade Alexei Ramirez for upper minors depth, and then look to deal Reynolds during the season if he is having a decent year. 

2014 Projection:  The White Sox will be the second to last place team in the AL Central.  They are better than the Minnesota Twins, and just good enough to not earn a top five pick in the 2015 draft, but they also aren’t good enough to really contend.  I see them hanging around at the All-Star break, giving fans in Chicago some false hope, before completely falling apart and dropping fast in the standings.

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Strengths: Middle infield. I know, I know, odd choice, but Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera make up a pretty awesome 2B SS combo on both sides of the ball. Also, their general lineup depth is pretty solid. Guys like Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, and Ryan Raburn aren’t stars but they produce. I like the David Murphy signing too because it allows the Tribe to manage the exposure of the talented but flawed Drew Stubbs.

Weaknesses: Pitching. Their bullpen was a collection of mediocre arms anyway, and that was before the departure of the best of the bunch, Joe Smith. Vinnie Pestano may have the inside track at the closer gig with Chris Perez being gone, but how comfortable is manager, Terry Francona going to be with that? Now let’s look at the rotation. Not bad by any standards, but definitely boosted by resurgent seasons from Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir, both free agents. Who is going to fill that void?

Off-season Needs: Well, apart from replacing the quality starts and innings provided by Jimenez and Kazmir, they definitely need to find a semi full-time lineup spot for Yan Gomes. There’s chatter about moving Carlos Santana to third base but his offensive value pretty much comes entirely from the fact that he’s a catcher. Move him to third or first, he’s entirely mediocre and a defensive liability to boot. About the closer spot, look for them to make a run at a guy with a good track record but a lost 2013. Maybe Joel Hanrahan.

2014 Outlook: Good. I think. If I’m a tribe fan, I’m terrified of the pitching situation beyond Masterson and Kluber, but you have to think that Terry Francona will be able to coax enough wins out of this team to contend for a wild card. I love the resigning of Jason Giambi too. One of the reasons I’m not a huge fan of the WAR stat is that it doesn’t have a way to quantify the value of a guy like Giambi.

Strengths:  Uh…well…I hear their ballpark is nice.   Let’s face it, the major league roster of the Minnesota Twins leaves something to be desired.  Joe Mauer is a star, but him moving from catcher to first base makes him not exactly the MVP level player he was just a couple years ago.  Brian Dozier looks to be a legit starting second baseman in MLB, Glen Perkins is a quality closer and could be for years to come, and Trevor Plouffe may not be a long term answer at third, but could be as a utility man.  But not all hope is lost, the Twins prospect list is loaded.  Byron Buxton is baseball’s top prospect, Miguel Sano has as much power as anyone in the minors, Kohl Stewart could be a future front of the rotation guy, as could Alex Meyer as early as 2014.

Weaknesses: The Major League roster.  The Twins don’t have a whole lot of major league talent, and some of the pieces they do have, are guys named Josh Willingham, Kevin Correia, and newly signed Ricky Nolasco, each of whom will be well into their decline before the Twins are relative again. 

Off-Season Needs:  Talent.  The Twins have the top level talent coming up through the minors, but they are probably another two or three years away from their top talent making real impacts at the big league level.   It does not seem the Twins are taking the Houston Astros approach, tanking until the prospects area ready to break out, so they need some cheap talent that can keep them somewhat competitive.

2014 Projection:  A top 5 team….in the 2015 draft.  The Twins are bad, not the worst team in the league but not far off it.  The Twins lost 96 games in 2013 and will probably lose about the same in 2014, but the future is bright.

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Strengths: Starting pitching and the best hitter on the planet. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are as good a one two punch as any at the top of a rotation, assuming of course that Verlander’s early season struggles in 2013 were an aberration and not the norm. The underrated Doug Fister is also still there and shouldn’t be ignored. There still isn’t a better hitter than Miguel Cabrera, and there’s enough around him that scoring runs shouldn’t be a problem. 

Weaknesses: The bullpen. Apart from Drew Smyly, this unit was calamitous. Personally, bullpens like this one are why the prices for relievers have gotten out of control. They see an otherwise excellently built team be done in time and time again by a terrible pen and go, “Oh my GOD, we better hurry and give Brandon League 24 million over 3 years!” Anyway, rumor has it the Tigers are trying to address their shortcomings here with Brian Wilson, who showed at the end of last year and the playoffs that he has something left in the tank. 

Off-Season Needs: Apart from improved relief pitching, they should probably sort out what the infield is going to be now that the Fielder for Kinsler trade happened. I think moving Cabrera to first and leaving Kinsler at second, which is not an easy position to play, but also not nearly as physically demanding as the talking heads make it out to be, is the best strategy. Then they can resign the better-than-you-really-ever-thought-he-would-turn-out-admit-it, Omar Infante to play third, or even veteran, Juan Uribe. 

2014 Outlook: Positive. The division is pretty winnable, though they shouldn’t overlook an improving Cleveland Indians squad. I’ve never been one to give a lot of credence to off-the-field “distractions” or nonsense along those lines, but if Dave Dombrowski does depart as rumored, that would mean a new manager AND a new GM in one off-season for a team that performed well. You expect turnover from crappy teams, but one wonders if that could have an effect on a good one. We’ll see.

Strengths:  A win now attitude.  Jamie Shields (yeah, knew him and played against him in his high school days, forever Jamie and not James to me) is a free agent after the 2014 season, so the Kansas City Royals will be pushing to make 2014 a winning season.  They lose Ervin Santana, but add Jason Vargas, which is pretty much a wash.  Yordano Ventura may break camp with the big league team and he could be a true impact arm.  The lineup is pretty good too. Salvador Perez is the best catcher most fair weather fans have never heard of.  He is excellent defensively and can rake.  Emilio Bonafacio and Alicedes Escobar actually make for a solid double play combo, and if Eric Hosmer bounces back, he can combine with Billy Butler for a great middle of the order.  In addition, the bullpen is solid, and despite early struggles, Greg Holland was quietly one of the best closers in baseball in 2013.

Weaknesses:  Starting pitching depth and outfield.  Sheilds, Vargas, and Jeremy Guthrie is a good start to a rotation, but nothing special.  Ventura could end up a top of the rotation guy by the end of the year, but he could also fall flat on his face.  The Royals need to add at least one more veteran pitcher, maybe even talk to the Boston Red Sox about the excess in starting pitching they have.  The Royals also need to add another outfielder.  A rotation of Lorenzo Cain, Justin Maxwell, and Jarrod Dyson isn’t ideal, but could be worse in center is below average, but serviceable.

Off-Season Needs:  I already mentioned the need for a starting pitcher, but a power bat in right is needed.  Until he is signed, any team with a need at first and/or outfield and I will mention Mike Morse, but another interesting target could be Nate McClouth.  Neither would cost a ton of money, and both would be an upgrade.

2014 Projection:  The Tigers are clearly the cream of the crop in the division and the Indians impressed last year, but the Royals could really contend.  Prior to the 2012 season I half-jokingly wrote an article that the Royals would face the Washington Nationals in the 2013 World Series.  While that clearly was nowhere near accurate, I was on the right path.  Both teams have improved into real contenders, and the Royals could easily get a Wild Card berth, and are only an injury on the Tigers from making a run at the division.

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Strengths: Youth and contract structures. Yes, I’m reaching a little bit. But after two consecutive terrible seasons, it’s hard to come up with strengths. That said, core players Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro are quite young and have time to rebound from poor 2012 campaigns. And while not a ton of progress has been seen from the Theo Epstein rebuilding plan, the Cubbies have not, save for the terrible Edwin Jackson deal, committed a ton of money to middling players who don’t deserve it, allowing them the flexibility to make larger investments when their prospects mature into everyday producers and the win count begins to rise. Infield prospect Javier Baez is only 20, but appears to be close to Major League ready after hammering 37 home runs across two minor league levels in 2012.

Weaknesses: Lack of impact players, and the bullpen. They’ve got some nice pieces, and decent values on the roster (see: Schierholtz, Nathan), but no real impact players. There’s no ace, though Travis Wood and Jeff Szamardzija have some ability. There’s nobody in the bullpen that can be labeled as a late inning, shut down guy. If you’re going to commit to a full rebuild, you will want to see some semblance of results by year three and you just have to wonder where those results are going to come from.

Off-Season Needs: Figure out which of your prospects are closest to ready for the big time, and sign some low cost, short-term stop gap guys. Don’t repeat the Edwin Jackson calamity. If you’re looking for examples already on the roster, guys like Ryan Sweeney and Luis Valbuena stand out.

2014 Projection: Maybe they get to 70 wins? Maybe Rich Renteria turns out to be the next great manager? Maybe Theo Epstein’s reputation from Boston is overblown, and this team goes nowhere. I’ll give it one more year to see progress and guess 70 wins.

Strengths:  Talent.  It is there, you just have to get past the Ryan Braun circus to see it.  Carlos Gomez is an excellent center fielder and Jean Segura is a potential star at short.  Aramis Ramirez at third is a quality middle of the order bat, and Jonathan Lucroy is a far better catcher than he gets credit for.  Add that to a rotation that starts with Kyle Lohse and Yovani Gallardo, and you have a solid start to a quality team.

Weaknesses:  Bullpen and right side of the infield.  Jim Henderson should not be a closer, but he is by far the best arm in the bullpen, and the right side of the infield has two guys that have no business starting in major league baseball.  The Brewers top three prospects are pitchers that are MLB ready for 2014, and they have a first base prospect, Hunter Morris, could challenge for playing time next season, but none are difference makers.

Off-Season Needs:  They need to bolster the bullpen, but won’t be able to make a big splash money wise.  They will not be able to compete for the biggest names, but Edward Mujica wouldn’t be a bad sign.  As far as the right side of the infield, James Loney and Omar Infante could serve as decent values and lift the Brewers into contenders in 2014.

2014 Projection:  The Brewers are in a bit of a tough spot.  They have enough talent to be competitive, but not nearly enough to be real championship contenders.  At the same time, they are as small market as it comes, and have a less than impressive farm system.  They could make a couple decent sized moves this season and make a run at the playoffs, or they can look to move some of their bigger names to get younger and more talented throughout their organization.

You can follow Shaun Kernahan on twitter @shaunkernahan, add him to your network on Google, and like Shaun on Facebook.