The top MLB units for 2020

While the upgrades to their lineup are undeniable, the Reds' biggest night and day difference is their starting pitching talent. Luis Castillo last year enjoyed a long-awaited breakout season, going 15-9 and allowing the third-fewest hits per nine innings in the NL. Likewise, Sonny Gray had a strong comeback season and finished seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting. The additions of Trevor Bauer and Wade Miley since last July further deepen the talent pool for a team that already finished ninth in baseball in rotation ERA in 2019.

News of the loss of Noah Syndergaard to Tommy John surgery certainly knocks this unit down a notch but far from KOs it in full. Back-to-back NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom leads the pack and may be the best pitcher in the game. He owns a ridiculous 2.05 ERA over 421 innings since 2018, with 524 strikeouts against just 90 walks. Behind him, a proven core of Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz and Rick Porcello slots in, with Michael Wacha moving into the place vacated by Thor. It is not the world’s most dependable from a health perspective, but the upside of the group is tremendous.

No team has retooled its pitching staff more effectively than the Rangers have over the past two seasons. In 2019, Mike Minor and Lance Lynn proved to be one of the most effective duos in the game, working over 400 combined innings, with a 30-21 record and finishing 1-2 in pitcher WAR in the AL at 7.8 and 7.6, respectively. In 2020, the upside is there for this to become an outright dominant staff, with the addition of two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber — the third-winningest pitcher in the American League since 2015 — along with veterans Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles.

All right. Why don’t we try this again? Year one of the Bryce Harper era fell short of expectations, with Harper (again) struggling with consistency before finishing with a solid 35 homer, 114 RBI season. The early season loss of Andrew McCutchen certainly hurt as well, but the Philly lineup continues to provide plenty of reasons for optimism. J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins and Jean Segura provide an above-average base, especially if the delay to the season lets McCutchen return to health. Also, the addition of Didi Gregorius is potential major upgrade at shortstop.

The Mets possess a lot of different ways to get the job done up and down their lineup. There is the obvious thump of Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto and J.D. Davis, who combined for 104 home runs in 2019. Then there is the versatile Jeff McNeil, who has hit for a .321 average over his first two seasons. Finally, there is the upside of Brandon Nimmo, Amed Rosario and Robinson Cano, who could be the difference makers if the Mets return back to the postseason for the first time since 2016.

While the White Sox haven’t added one of the biggest fishes on the open market over the past two winters, they have remained steadily active all the same. Their winter saw them add Yasmani Grandal, Edwin Encarnacion and Nomar Mazara while Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada signed lucrative extensions. Along with defending AL batting champion Tim Anderson, the promising power bat of Eloy Jimenez and top prospect Luis Robert, this White Sox lineup could challenge the Twins in power upside in the AL Central.

Although they dealt away both Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer over the past year, the Indians rotation is still among the best in the game. Mike Clevinger (13-4, 2.71 ERA) emerged as one the game’s top arms a year ago, and Shane Bieber (15-8, 3.28 ERA) enjoyed a breakout of his own. Along with Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac and the returning Carlos Carrasco add even more depth to a unit that finished six ^th in the majors with a 3.81 ERA.

Finally, there is more to the Angels than just Mike Trout. Although the game’s preeminent player and three-time AL MVP continues to reign head and shoulders above the rest of the game, having the type of talent surrounding him in Anthony Rendon and Shohei Ohtani is something he has never experienced before. Beyond those three, there is upside potential of Justin Upton, along with the potential of top prospect Jo Adell reaching the Anaheim outfield as well.

The Astros do a lot of things well, and defense is one of them. Out of the everyday lineup, eight of nine starters produced a positive dWar, while the trade for Zack Greinke also brought them an elite defender to the mound. Overall, while no Astro claimed a Gold Glove last season (unless you count Grienke’s, which he won in the National League), no team plays better collective defense than Houston. The team's 71 errors were tied for the fewest in the National League.

A year after posting the fifth-highest bullpen WAR (5.5) in the game, San Diego possesses one of the game’s best-kept secrets in its pen,, which is led by MLB saves leader Kirby Yates, who converted 41 of 44 save chances a year ago, alongside a 1.19 ERA. While the carryover support in Craig Stammen, Matt Strahm and Andres Munoz is strong, this became a group with the potential of being the best in the National League when both Emilio Pagan and Drew Pomeranz were signed in San Diego this winter.

What a difference a year can make. After finishing last defensively in the National League in 2018, the Cardinals made a record-setting turnaround in 2019, becoming the first team in history to go from last to first place in errors, committing an NL record low of 66 on the year. Five Cardinals finished as Gold Glove finalists, with Kolten Wong claiming second base honors. Meanwhile, Paul DeJong and Paul Goldschmidt both led the majors in fielding percentage at their respective posts, while Yadier Molina remains an elite presence behind the plate at 37.

Although it is a group that has underachieved in the past few years, Javy Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo remain the most talented group around any infield in the game. Add in Willson Contreras behind the plate and the addition of Jason Kipnis at second base, and every Cubs infielder has multiple All-Star appearances on his resume. The question will be, can the team's multiple MVP-caliber talents get in a groove together again? And will it be enough to help the Cubs get back on track amid a potentially transformative time for the franchise?

After a winter of being one of the most active teams in the game, Cincinnati emerges in the new year with a potentially dominant lineup. The additions of Nicholas Castellanos and Mike Moustakas give the club a duo that combined for 154 extra base hits and an .854 OPS. Additionally, centerfield Shogo Akiyama hit 20 home runs and owned a .911 OPS since 2017 in Japan’s Pacific League. Add this to a team that owns the defending NL home run king in Eugenio Suarez and the venerable Joey Votto.

The Milwaukee pen has been a vital part of the club’s resurgence over the past few seasons, producing the top bullpen WAR since 2017 (15.0), according to FanGraphs. Josh Hader returns as Craig Counsell’s centerpiece late-inning weapon, after converting 37 saves and leading all MLB relievers with 138 strikeouts and an 0.81 WHIP. He is supported by Junior Guerra, Alex Claudio, Corbin Burnes and Brent Suter in a deep group that is capable of carrying the load on any given night.

With a blend of top-end young talent and proven vets, the Cardinals boast one of the deepest pitching corps in the game. Jack Flaherty moved into the elite class of starters, after posting an 0.91 ERA over 15 second-half starts. Meanwhile, Miles Mikolas was an All-Star in 2018, Dakota Hudson won 16 games as a rookie and Adam Wainwright proved he had a bit left in the tank as well. The biggest wild cards come in the upside of former ace-turned-closer Carlos Martinez, who returns to the rotation, as well as Korean import Kwang-hyun Kim, one of the top pitchers in the KBO over the past decade.

With the combined presence of Aroldis Chapman, Adam Ottavino, Zach Britton and Tommy Kahle, the Yankee pen has remained one of the dominant late-inning units in the game. The group combined to strike out 11.5 per nine innings, with Chapman’s 37 saves finishing second in the NL, while Ottavino, Britton and Kahle combined for 85 holds. Overall the group held opponents to a lights-out .191 average against. The group could be in line for an even greater boost if Chad Green, who worked to a 2.18 ERA over 103 games between 2017-18, can rally back following an inconsistent 2019 campaign.

Three Dodger starters — Hyun-jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler — finished in the top 10 in NL Cy Young Award voting. The 3.19 ERA of Dodger starters led MLB staffs by a wide margin, as did their .282 on-base percentage against and 9.49 strikeouts per nine innings. But with Ryu departing via free agency and Kenta Maeda traded away, the responsibility of keeping the Dodger rotation among the game’s best shifts to a blend of David Price, Julio Urias, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling and top prospect Dustin May, a group capable of living up to the task.

Headlined by a pair of aces in Charlie Morton and 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, manager Kevin Cash comes at opponents from all angles with an all-hands-on-deck approach to leveraging his pitching staff. He has pioneered the "opener" concept of using relievers as starters, with 14 different arms starting for the club a year ago, while the bullpen worked an MLB-high 772 innings. The approach has remained effective, however, as the Rays pen held opponents to a .231 average against, fourth-lowest the game. Meanwhile, the starting staff allowed the second-lowest OPS against (.665).

The Braves finished in the NL top three in team runs scored, OPS and total bases a year ago, as they won the National League East by four games. A big part of that was Josh Donaldson, who has since moved on to Minnesota. However, the cupboard is far from bare, as Freddie Freeman (38 HR, 121 RBI) remains at the heart of the lineup and Ronald Acuna Jr. is on the brink of becoming one of the biggest stars in the game (41 home runs, 37 stolen bases as a 21-year-old). Add in NL hits leader (189) Ozzie Albies and the addition of Marcell Ozuna as the hopeful substitution for Donaldson, and the Atlanta lineup is one that could still be on the rise.

This is an underrated but deep lineup that benefited from breakout campaigns from Marcus Semien, Ramon Laureano and Matt Olson, alongside another strong season from Matt Chapman. Oakland finished fifth in all of baseball in wRC+ at the plate but was also the top defensive team, according to FanGraphs, turning in a 42.9 team defensive rating and committing the fourth-fewest errors.

Pitching paved the way to a World Series championship for the Nats, and it remains as the strongest collection of starting arms in the game. Both Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg finished in the top five in NL Cy Young Award voting, with Strasburg capping the season by going 5-0 in the postseason with World Series MVP honors. Add in Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez, and the Nats top four starters produced a 3.33 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 54-28 record.

The power potential of the Yankees lineup remains astonishing, as batters hit 306 home runs despite rarely putting together the top lineup on the field together. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are the only teammates to both have a 50-homer season on their resumes. Meanwhile, Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez both went deep 30 times a year ago and DJ LeMahieu’s Bronx debut saw him hit .327 and finish fourth in AL MVP voting. All the while, potential remains the key word, as the health of Judge and Stanton is a big question as is the consistency of Sanchez and Luke Voit and impact of Aaron Hicks’ return from Tommy John surgery midseason.

A year after setting the single-season record for home runs, the Twins are poised to improve at the plate again. They have a strong blend of youthful talent, via the bats of players like Max Kepler, Luis Arraez and Mitch Garver, balanced by the veteran presences of Nelson Cruz (41 HR), Eddie Rosario (109 RBI) and Miguel Sano (34 HR). The cherry on top came via former AL MVP Josh Donaldson, who signed a club-record, four-year, $92 million deal on the heels of a 34 homer, 94 RBI campaign in Atlanta last season.

The Astros return eight of nine from a lineup that led the majors in wRC+ and team OPS while walking the most (645) and striking out the fewest (1,166) times in the game. Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve and George Springer remain among the most dangerous hitters in the game. There’s upside to be further realized if Carlos Correa stays healthy and AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez comes even close to his breakout debut of a year ago (1.067 OPS, 27 homers in 83 games). And after all of that, there is still Michael Brantley and Yuli Gurriel, among others.

With the defending NL MVP Cody Bellinger already on board, L.A. took it to another level by adding the 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to join him in the Dodger outfield. They instantly become arguably the most dynamic duo in the game and join a lineup that boasted a combined OPS of .878 in 2019, over 120 points higher than the MLB average. A return to full form by Corey Seager and the addition of NL Rookie of the Year favorite Gavin Lux could stand to make the game’s deepest offensive treasure chest even more dominant.