Each MLB team's most pressing need

There's a strong possibility Arizona will lose Patrick Corbin in free agency after a career year, not to mention the quality innings the team received from Clay Buchholz in 2018. Taijuan Walker and Shelby Miller have a chance to return from elbow injuries, but the Diamondbacks need to add depth to their rotation, at the very least.

The Braves got to the playoffs more quickly than expected and still have major reinforcements from their farm system arriving soon. One area where they're lacking immediate help is the outfield, and they could lose Nick Markakis in free agency. The Braves did acquire Adam Duvall from the Reds last season but would be well served to find another hitter after Duvall's struggles in 2018.

The Orioles are in a full rebuild. Before thinking about personnel decisions, though, they still need to hire a general manager and field manager for the team. Then they'll probably look to add some relatively cheap veterans looking to revive their careers, with the potential of trading them for minor league assets later this year. The team desperately needs to add depth behind Alex Cobb, Dylan Bundy and reliever Mychal Givens after posting a league-worst 5.18 ERA last season.

The World Champs return the vast majority of their pieces from the 2018 squad, but closer Craig Kimbrel is a free agent. While he did struggle in the playoffs, Kimbrel was an elite closer overall during the year with a 2.74 ERA, 42 saves and 13.9 K/9. The team doesn't have anyone with significant experience in-house but is fortunate that this year's relief market is deep.

Can the Cubs trust Yu Darvish to stay healthy after an injury-plagued 2018 season? Can Jon Lester rebound from a poor second half? Can Jose Quintana rebound as well? These questions make for a shaky starting rotation situation. While the Cubs addressed it somewhat by picking up Cole Hamels' option, they likely need to do more to get back atop the uber-competitive NL Central.

The White Sox farm system should provide another boost for the team next season, with top prospects like outfielder Eloy Jimenez and pitchers Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning close to graduating to the majors. What the team is still lacking is a deep bullpen, which produced a 4.49 ERA (23rd in MLB) last season.

There isn't much doubt where the Reds need help. While there will be two capable arms in Luis Castillo and Anthony DeSclafani in the rotation next year, there are major questions behind them. A bevy of young arms like Tyler Mahle, Cody Reed, Robert Stephenson, Sal Romano, and Lucas Sims could fill the back end of the rotation, but Cincinnati needs to do much more to be competitive after its pitchers posted an ERA above 5.00 last season.

It sounds like Cleveland is comfortable with its outfield situation even after losing Michael Brantley, potentially shifting Jason Kipnis to center field and hoping two of Bradley Zimmer, Tyler Naquin, Leonys Martin or Greg Allen can help. The team is also set to employ on-base machine Yandy Diaz at third base. That leaves relief pitching as the biggest need after potentially losing Andrew Miller and Cody Allen in free agency. The bullpen ranked 25th in ERA last season despite adding Brad Hand and Adam Cimber at midseason.

Colorado's youth has helped the Rockies make the playoffs in consecutive seasons, and they have more on the way. One area that has been a major liability is first base, where 2017 free-agent signing Ian Desmond was a bust last season with just a .729 OPS and a -1.6 WAR for the year. The team would be smart to turn him into a utility man, given his experience in the middle infield and outfield, and sign one of the many more-than-willing power hitters on the market who want to revitalize their value with the help of Coors Field.

The rebuilding Tigers have a lot of holes, but some of them will be filled by young players soon. The farm is loaded with talented pitching, and Christin Stewart showed flashes in the outfield late last season. They are seriously lacking is the middle infield, where they struggled to find a regular second baseman last season and are set to lose Jose Iglesias in free agency. Niko Goodrum is one possible option, but the team needs to add more capable bodies.

Houston is set at the top of its rotation with Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Lance McCullers, but they could lose Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton in free agency. While Collin McHugh, Brad Peacock and Jesse James are just a few of the viable options already in the organization, they're unlikely to make the team better than the 2018 squad. The Astros' window to win is still wide open, and they have the depth of high-ceiling outfield prospects in the upper minors to get another potential frontline starter via trade.

The Royals rebuild moves forward to Year 2, and while 2018 was a year to forget, there were some positives. General manager Dayton Moore has built up outfield depth, and Adalberto Mondesi looks like a potential star at shortstop. However, the team is really lacking pitching depth heading into the offseason. The only pitchers who can be considered reliable options going into 2019 are Jakob Junis, Ian Kennedy, Brad Keller and Wily Peralta. The team spent money on Mike Moustakas, Jon Jay and Lucas Duda last season before trading them for young assets, and they'll likely do the same after signing veteran pitchers this offseason.

The Angels traded pending free agent Martin Maldonado at the deadline last year, and neither of Jose Briceno or Kevan Smith looks like capable starters. Catcher is one of the deepest positions in this year's free agency crop, and the Angels are in position to add a quality player from a selection that includes Wilson Ramos, Yasmani Grandal, Kurt Suzuki and Jonathan Lucroy.

Yasmani Grandal is a pending free agent, and if the Dodgers don't bring him back, their only current option is Austin Barnes. Barnes is a capable player but probably better served as a reserve. The team does have two top catching prospects in Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith, but neither is likely to be ready until late 2019. The team does have a nice selection of catchers to choose from in free agency.

Where do we start? The Marlins sold off most of their attractive assets in the last 12 months, and star catcher J.T. Realmuto could be next to go after refusing an extension. At the moment, the Marlins have clear holes at first base and two outfield spots, and shortstop is another area where they could improve. 2019 will be another long year, but there is some potential in the pitching staff. Not as much can be said for the holes in the lineup.

Milwaukee managed with its rotation last season, but it ranked just 11th in MLB in ERA. The team got more than it could bargain for from Wade Miley, Jhoulys Chacin and Junior Guerra. Jimmy Nelson, Zach Davies and Brandon Woodruff look like viable additional options for next year's rotation, but the Brewers clearly need to add more depth.

The Twins would like to forget 2018, and they should get a boost next year from their young pitching and the return of Byron Buxton. However, the infield has at least two question marks at this time beyond Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano, who is returning from a leg injury. Tyler Austin could potentially play first base, but the team should probably aim higher. Second and third base are major needs that the farm system isn't quite ready to address.

The hiring of agent-turned-general manager Brodie Van Wagenen was controversial to say the least, but he does have a lot to work with in his new job. Even with Yoenis Cespedes likely to miss significant time after heel surgeries, the outfield is set and the infield has promising youngsters in Amed Rosario, Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith, and Peter Alonso. As we say almost every year, this is a competitive team if the rotation stays healthy. But the Mets also need far more pen depth after trading Jeurys Familia last year. There's currently no clear closer, and the pen finished with the third worst ERA in MLB (4.96).

The Yankees fell short in the playoffs, but the future is bright. The lineup is stacked, even with Didi Gregorius likely to miss the start of 2019 following Tommy John surgery, and the bullpen still looks terrific. However, the rotation needs to be addressed with pending free agents CC Sabathia and J.A. Happ, along with Sonny Gray's struggles last year. A group of high upside pitching prospects led by Justus Sheffield adds depth. But at the moment, Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka are the only reliable starters, with Jordan Montgomery likely back from Tommy John surgery in the second half.

Oakland returns most of last year's squad, with the big exception being the starting rotation. The A's are losing Trevor Cahill, Edwin Jackson and Brett Anderson in free agency, while ace Sean Manaea could miss most of 2019 after should surgery. They're left with nothing reliable behind Mike Fiers and a particularly challenging offseason for the front office.

Philadelphia fell short in the NL East for many reasons, but one of the biggest was pitching. Even after signing Jake Arrieta in spring training, the team lacked enough pitching depth and finished in the middle of the pack in ERA from both its starting rotation and bullpen. There's plenty of talent to work with, led by Aaron Nola, Arrieta, and Seranthony Dominguez, but the team likely needs additional arms to win the division.

The Pirates address their pitching for 2019 by adding Chris Archer and Keone Kela at the trade deadline, but they'll also need some help for their lineup. Gregory Polanco will miss the start of the season following shoulder surgery, and the team will lose both starting middle infielders to free agency. While they have capable replacements, it's a clear step in the wrong direction for a lineup that already ranked 25th in home runs (157) and 20th in runs (692) last season. Power is a clear need, and there's not much in the upper minors that's ready to help.

The Padres lost 96 games last season, but the team is set for some exciting prospect arrivals next year like Fernando Tatis Jr., Logan Allen and Josh Naylor, on top of recent arrivals Francisco Mejia, Luis Urias, Franmil Reyes and Eric Lauer. The team can make a complete pitching staff with what it has, but it also wants to be careful with the innings from its young starters. Adding a veteran or two to eat innings in the rotation makes sense, and using its funds to add actual quality pitching would be even better.

The Giants had another disappointing year, as the core continues to age. They're still looking for someone to lead the front office, and in doing so will need to find some answers for the outfield and back end of the rotation. San Francisco does have some interesting names like Steven Duggar, Austin Slater, Chris Shaw and Mac Williamson to fill the outfield, but none is a proven player at the major league level. This will be a busy offseason for the organization.

The Mariners have some major holes to fill this offseason, and the loss of Nelson Cruz leads the way. If they're unable to bring him back, it's possible that they will move Robinson Cano to DH, Dee Gordon back to second base and try to find two more outfielders. There are plenty of options in free agency, and general manager Jerry Dipoto's roster gives him flexibility.

The fact the Cardinals got so close to a playoff spot despite their pitching disasters speaks well for the team in 2019. They can assume better performances from Carlos Martinez, Alex Reyes and Luke Weaver, while hopefully holding serve with Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty. Cardinals fans have been screaming for another offensive threat in the infield with Kolten Wong and Jedd Gyorko coming off subpar seasons. Among the options the team could consider are Josh Donaldson, Mike Moustakas, Asdrubal Cabrera, Daniel Murphy and Brian Dozier.

The Rays revolutionized the game with defensive shifts during Joe Maddon's tenure, and they're doing the same with the "opener" and bullpen starts. The strategy helped them win 90 games last season, an astounding number given their payroll and perceived talent. The lineup looks set for next season with plenty of depth, but the team lost significant innings after trading Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Archer. There are still some high upside arms behind Blake Snell, but the team needs to add more of them to survive 162 games.

The Rangers won only 67 games last season, and their terrible starting pitching was a big reason. The rotation's 5.37 ERA was the second worst in baseball, and they really didn't have a reliable pitcher behind Mike Minor. They've already acquired Drew Smyly from the Cubs but need to do much more before the start of 2019.

There's a lot of excitement in Toronto with the pending arrivals of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette on top of the recent debut of catcher Danny Jansen. The lineup looks strong going forward, but the pitching staff needs to reload after losing J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada, among others. Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez are coming off down years, and there isn't enough depth in the farm system to fill the voids. The Jays should be very active on the pitching front this offseason.

The free agency of Bryce Harper overshadows Washington's offseason, but the team should be just fine if it doesn't retain him due to the arrivals of Juan Soto and Victor Robles. The much bigger need is at catcher, where Matt Wieters is set to leave in free agency. The position has been a problem since Wilson Ramos left, and the team could look to bring him back in free agency.