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DownloadCATCHER: J.T. Realmuto is one of the few nearly every day backstops left in the league. Tomas Telis picks up the scraps.
INFIELD: The right side will be Justin Bour and Dee Gordon, though there's some whispers Gordon could be moved as a cost-cutting measure. Martin Prado should be healthy, thus assume his gig at the hot corner. J.T. Riddle and Miguel Rojas will battle to complete a rather uninspiring group. Derek Dietrich always gets his share of the pie as well.
OUTFIELD: Hold on a sec, I need to check something......Yup, as of this writing, Giancarlo Stanton is still on the club. He's joined by Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna, comprising of the best young trio in the league. Too bad they have to pretend they're broke and break it up.
BENCH: Dietrich and the loser of the shortstop battle will provide infield depth with Brian Anderson helping out too. The outfield is in flux with the Stanton situation, but keep in mind Yelich and Ozuna rarely sit. Destin Hood is in the system and has MLB experience.
ROTATION: When you have to feature Dan Straily on the image, you know pitching isn't a team strength. Wei-Yin Chen and Jose Urena are also slated to start with Adam Conley likely to join the party. Dillon Peters deserves a chance with Odrisamer Despaigne, Chris O'Grady, Justin Nicolino and Vance Worley all having MLB experience.
BULLPEN: If he'd only reduce the walks, Kyle Barraclough could close, but as presently constituted, Brad Ziegler gets the job with Bearclaw setting up. A name to watch is Drew Steckenrider, a candidate for the 100-K club. Junichi Tazawa, Nick Wittgren and Jarlin Garcia round out a quietly effective group.
PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Anderson is their top prospect, at least until some pieces are moved. Outfielder Austin Dean is a candidate to make an in season debut.
POSSIBLE ACQUISITIONS: While the Fish may bring in some cheap veterans for stability, they're looking to pare down payroll, so don't expect anything major. That said, a decent arm should fare well in The Aquarium. Yes, I am still crusading to have Marlins Park to adopt that nickname. It's not as noble as Jonah Keri helping Tim Raines make the Hall of Fame, but it's close.
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CATCHER: The pecking order is a little murky as Austin Barnes usurped the job from Yasmani Grandal towards the end of the season and into the playoffs.
INFIELD: The left side is set with Justin Turner and Corey Seager. Logan Forsythe and Enrique Hernandez are in the mix for second, though Chris Taylor could wind up there, depending how the NL Champs round out their roster. Adrian Gonzalez is still under contract but his best days are obviously behind him so Cody Bellinger will continue to see a lot of time at first base.
OUTFIELD: Yasiel Puig is set. Taylor and Bellinger could stay in the outfield with Joc Pederson platooning.
BENCH: Hernandez can flip between the infield and outfield, as can Charlie Culberson. Andrew Toles and Trayce Thompson are candidates for outfield depth.
ROTATION: Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill are sure things. When healthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu will start as should Brandon McCarthy. Alex Wood and Kenta Maeda will likely round out the rotation, but both have durability issues. The forgotten man, Scott Kazmir is still in the picture as are Brock Stewart and Ross Stripling. Julio Urias hopes to return in the second half. Geez, that's a lot of arms. if only there were a means to game the system to get them all some starts.
BULLPEN: The best in the business, Kenley Jansen returns with Pedro Baez, Josh Fields, Tony Cingrani and Luis Avilan lending a hand.
PROSPECTS TO WATCH: The Dodgers made some moves to fortify their playoff run, however they didn't move Alex Verdugo or Walker Buehler, a stick and an arm expected to be solid players down the line, with a chance to contribute in 2018.
POSSIBLE ACQUISITIONS: When bullpen is your primary need, and you have Jansen at the back end, you're doing OK. A veteran outfielder is possible as is a more reliable front end starter to replace Yu Darvish.
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CATCHER: Martin Maldanado is the lead receiver with Carlos Perez his understudy.
INFIELD: Andrelton Simmons has emerged as one of the top all-around shortstops in the league. C.J. Cron and Luis Valbuena have experience at the corners, but neither has played a full season so an upgrade is possible. Second is open with stopgap Brandon Phillips leaving for free agency.
OUTFIELD: Solid trio of Justin Upton, Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun are a strength of the team.
DESIGNATED HITTER: Albert Pujols is earmarked for the Halos DH until 2021 as it appears his days playing first base are over, save for inter-league games and emergencies.
BENCH: Jefry Marte is an intriguing reserve in deep leagues since he can back up both infield corners and dabble in the outfield. Kaleb Cowart can move around the infield as well. There isn't much in the way of outfield depth, though the starting troika rarely sits.
ROTATION: Garrett Richards looked good in September and could be the opening day starter barring an acquisition. JC Ramirez and Matt Shoemaker are slated for mid-rotation spots with injury-riddled Tyler Skaggs, Parker Bridwell and Andrew Heaney battling to round out the staff.
BULLPEN: Blake Parker and Cam Bedrosian could duke it out in the spring for ninth inning honors. Kenyan Middleton and Jose Alvarez are capable set up men.
PROSPECTS TO WATCH: He;s not a top prospect, but depending what the club does at first base, and how well Cron hits, Matt Thaiss could debut in the second half. Other than that, the cupboard is rather bare.
POSSIBLE ACQUISITIONS: At minimum, a second baseman is likely to be signed. Another corner infielder could be brought in as well along with an outfielder and maybe even a starting pitcher.
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CATCHER: Salvador Perez is one of the league's best. The back-up to Perez is sort of like backing up Tom Brady, except the Royals can't trade Drew Butera for a top draft pick.
INFIELD: Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar are free agents, leaving second baseman Whit Merrifield as the only incumbent. Raul Mondesi is a good bet to take over at shortstop. The corners are a work in progress with the chance either Hosmer or Moose returns. Cheslor Cuthbert and Brandon Moss are in-house options, but look for the club to bring in some lesser-priced veterans.
OUTFIELD: Lots of quantity, not much quality, especially with Lorenzo Cain hitting the market. Alex Gordon, Jorge Bonifacio, Paulo Orlando, Billy Burns and Moss are all in the mix. Like I said, quantity, not quality.
DESIGNATED HITTER: At worse, Moss will take the majority of DH at bats, though this depends on how the squad fills in the other spots.
BENCH: Cuthbert is best suited for a reserve spot. Actually, everyone mentioned thus far save Perez and Merrifield are bench fodder.
ROTATION: Danny Duffy spearheads a staff including veterans Ian Kennedy and Jason Hammel. Jakob Junis deserves a spot with the last one up for grabs. Nate Karns is returning from thoracic outlet syndrome though the success rate of others with the same surgery (Matt Harvey, Tyson Ross, Phil Hughes) haven't fared very well. Sam Gaviglio and Eric Skoglund have major league experience.
BULLPEN: Kelvin Herrera lost the closer job late last season, though he may not have been completely healthy. Chances are the Royals won't spend for saves so Herrera is likely to get another chance to close, especially since Mike Minor is a free agent. Joakim Soria and Brandon Maurer also have ninth inning experience.
PROSPECTS TO WATCH: With Hunter Dozier and Josh Staumont losing prospect shine, and Bubba Starling all but forgotten, there isn't much on the verge of contributing. Samir Duenez is a dark-horse to debut at first at some point in 2018.
POSSIBLE ACQUISITIONS: So many holes, so little hope of someone signing with big fantasy potential. Replacements for Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain are needed along with the possibility of another starter.
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CATCHER: Veterans Brian McCann and Evan Gattis return.
INFIELD: Carlos Correa and Jose altuve encompass one of the best keystone combos I can remember, and I've been remembering baseball since about 1971. Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel aren't so bad at the corners, either.
OUTFIELD: George Springer patrols center field with Josh Reddick manning right, though he may sit against some tough southpaws. Marwin Gonzalez ended the season as the left fielder. Jake Marisnick and Derek Fisher return as depth, with top prospect Kyle Tucker waiting in the wings.
DESIGNATED HITTER: Houston is one of the few teams without any lineup holes, in fact they have quality depth which they run through DH. Gattis often picks up at bats there. Depending on how the defending champs handle the outfield, Gonzalez could pick up more time at DH to keep his stick in the lineup.
BENCH: With Gonzalez and Bregman able to move around, the Astros don't need much by way of infield reserves, with A.J. Reed, Tyler White and Jon Singleton vying for the scraps at first and DH.
ROTATION: Justin Verlander wasn't just a rental, he's signed through at least 2020. Dallas Keuchel joins him as co-ace, with Charlie Morton and a healthy Lance McCullers locks. The fifth spot could go to Brad Peacock with Mike Fiers and Collin McHugh in the mix.
BULLPEN: Count me with the crowd not giving up on Ken Giles, though it remains to be seen if he's trusted again with the game on the line. Chris Devenski is back in his multi-inning role with Will Harris and Tony Sipp doing their thing. Joe Musgrove excelled in the 'pen, though he could be a swingman if injuries kick in.
PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Kyle Tucker was alluded to earlier. Houston could use Gonzalez at first and DH, clearing left, but Tucker will likely begin the season on the farm. Some optimistic early drafters are wasting, at least in my opinion, a pick on pitcher Forrest Whitley. That said, Whitley is on the fast track and should be owned in keeper and dynasty formats.
POSSIBLE ACQUISITIONS: Houston has no glaring deficincies. They may bring someone in, but it won't be a fantasy-relevant player.
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