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5 MLB teams on the rise / 5 MLB teams on the decline
USA TODAY Sports

5 MLB teams on the rise / 5 MLB teams on the decline

With MLB teams looking toward 2018, there are plenty of teams we should expect to improve and decline soon. Here are five rising teams and five declining teams as we go into the 2017-18 MLB offseason.

 
1 of 10

On the Rise: Minnesota Twins

On the Rise: Minnesota Twins
Dan Hamilton / USA Today Sports Images

The Twins had quite a run during the second half of 2017, Sitting at 45-43 at the All-Star break, Minnesota went 40-34 during the second half despite trading their closer, Brandon Kintzler. The improvement came in large part due to big second halves from Brian Dozier, Byron Buxton, and Eddie Rosario. The team also saw a breakout from starting pitcher Jose Berrios and have reinforcements on the way with top pitching prospect Stephen Gonsalves on the cusp of the majors. Much of that strong play was without injured slugger Miguel Sano. The AL Central is set to be weak at the bottom in 2018, so the Twins could stack up wins vs. bad teams.

 
2 of 10

On the Decline: Detroit Tigers

On the Decline: Detroit Tigers
Rick Osentoski / USA Today Sports Images

It's firesale time in Detroit. After years of charitable ownership from dearly departed owner Mike Illitch, the Tigers are slashing payroll and major league assets. They already traded J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila, and Justin Verlander last season. Ian Kinsler could be next if the team finds a taker, as they try to rebuild. The team lacks great talent at the major league level and are stuck with Miguel Cabrera's back problems. If there is any reason for hope, the organization has a group of promising pitching prospects, led by Franklin Perez and Matt Manning.

 
3 of 10

On the Rise: New York Yankees

On the Rise: New York Yankees
Adam Hunger / USA Today Sports Images

The entire world saw the surprising rise of the Baby Bombers in 2017 with the ascent of Aaron Judge and Luis Severino. There's even more young excitement where that came from. Elite shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres should arrive at some point in 2018 as he returns from Tommy John surgery, while pitching prospects Chance Adams and Justus Sheffield also aren't far behind. GM Brian Cashman's plans are already ahead of schedule after winning 91 games last season, and they're set to be highly competitive for a long time to come.

 
4 of 10

On the Decline: Kansas City Royals

On the Decline: Kansas City Royals
Denny Medley / USA Today Sports Images

It's set to be a long and rough offseason for Royals fans. The 2015 World Series squad will be a thing of a past, with pending free agents Eric Hosmer, Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, and Jason Vargas hitting the open market. Now Royals fans are set to get used to names like Hunter Dozier, Eric Skoglund, and Ryan O'Hearn. The fact that Dayton Moore built the organization's last World Series squad from the ground up should give fans reason for optimism, but it's going to take a while with one of the weakest farm systems in baseball.

 
5 of 10

On the Rise: Atlanta Braves

On the Rise: Atlanta Braves
Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today Sports Images

The saga of fired GM John Coppolella is still playing itself out and puts pie on the face of the organization, but he certainly didn't leave without restocking the minors. The Braves have elite outfield prospect Ronald Acuna nearly ready for the majors, along with a host of top pitching prospects. Luiz Gohara already showed ace ability when he was called up late last season, and major leaguers like Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson are already flashing in the majors. Atlanta isn't ready to compete quite yet, but 2019 could be a different story.

 
6 of 10

On the Decline: Oakland Athletics

On the Decline: Oakland Athletics
Rick Osentoski / USA Today Sports Images

After trading Sonny Gray at the trade deadline, Billy Beane and company seemed resigned to the fact that the A's organization needed another complete rebuild. Oakland won only 75 games last season, but they're in better shape than a lot of rebuilding teams with young building blocks like Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Sean Manaea at the major league level. The team also finally has hope while they get closer to the reality of building a new stadium, and top prospects Franklin Barreto, A.J. Puk, and Dustin Fowler likely to help in 2018. Still, the team is now several years away from being competitive again, by their own admission.

 
7 of 10

On the Rise: Milwaukee Brewers

On the Rise: Milwaukee Brewers
Charles LeClaire / USA Today Sports Images

Milwaukee finished just one win away from an NL Wild Card spot with 86 wins last season, and there's more help on the way. The Brewers received contributions from young outfielders Lewis Brinson and Brett Phillips last season, along with rookie pitchers Brandon woodruff and Josh Hader. Joining them soon will be pitchers Luis Ortiz and Corbin Burnes. Breakout seasons from Chase Anderson, Jimmy Nelson, Brent Suter, Travis Shaw, and Domingo Santana show real promise.

 
8 of 10

On the Decline: Texas Rangers

On the Decline: Texas Rangers
Joe Nicholson / USA Today Sports Images

The Rangers are usually buyers at the trade deadline but not last season. They shipped off Yu Darvish and finished the year with only 78 wins due in large part to poor pitching. Cole Hamels is their only reliable starting pitcher left heading into the offseason, and even he has his issues. The lineup got big years out of Elvis Andrus, Joey Gallo, and Nomar Mazara, but Adrian Beltre is finally showing his age and Rougned Odor had a .649 OPS. If the Rangers don't figure out the pitching problem soon, they could be in trouble.

 
9 of 10

On the Rise: Philadelphia Phillies

On the Rise: Philadelphia Phillies
Bill Streicher / USA Today Sports Images

While the Phillies won only 66 games last season, they played their best ball near the end of the year with the arrivals of Nick Williams and Rhys Hoskins. Both players look like budding stars, and there's more where that came from with top prospects Jorge Alfaro, Scott Kingery, and J.P. Crawford set to make big impacts next season. The Phils hired Gabe Kapler, an experienced developer of the young talent in the Dodgers front office, to manage their blossoming young squad heading into 2018. If the team can add solid pitching behind ace Aaron Nola, they might not be far away.

 
10 of 10

On the Decline: Miami Marlins

On the Decline: Miami Marlins
Jasen Vinlove / USA Today Sports Images

It could be an interesting offseason for the Marlins, who are reported to be shopping many of their high profile players like Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Dee Gordon. The team won only 77 games last season, and could be looking to slash payroll with a new ownership group led by Derek Jeter. The starting rotation is in desperate need of fixing, and there isn't much help on the horizon in the minors.

Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.

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