Kuzul

Opening Day is a little more than a week away, so that means it’s time to recap spring training and see what we have learned from the New York Mets in the past month.

The Mets currently have the best Grapefruit League record at 16-11. Of course, these spring training games do not count at all for the regular season, but the Mets’ offense has hit its stride lately, and hopefully this will carry over into the regular season, which begins on April 6.

Here are five things we have learned about the Mets in spring training.

Begin Slideshow

For as wonderful as the World Series was, the three-and-a-half months that immediately followed were just as mesmerizing. 

Armed with new front offices, and/or money and/or a directive to get instantly better before spring training, several clubs aggressively went about this last offseason with a makeover in mind.

The hot stove season was a blur of wheeling, dealing and one blockbuster acquisition after another. It started before the winter meetings, punched into overdrive once they started in San Diego in early December and finished off with a record-setting contract for the top free agent on the market, Max Scherzer, the completion of a stunning franchise transformation with James Shields’ signing with the Padres, and a record signing bonus for an international free agent, Yoan Moncada.

But for all the impressive moves that went down last offseason, there was one renovation that will produce the best results in 2015 and well beyond. The Los Angeles Dodgers not only made moves to get better on the field for this coming season, but the men in charge of making them—president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, senior vice president of baseball ops Josh Byrnes and general manager Farhan Zaidi—were also part of the franchise makeover that will pay dividends on and off the diamond.

“We obviously traded away some very good players tonight,” Friedman told reporters at a late-night press conference after trading Matt Kemp to San Diego at the winter meetings, part of his nine trades in his first 25 days at the helm. “But we feel with the totality of the moves, we made ourselves a better team.”

Not all the moves were met with complete praise. Dealing Kemp was a shock to the fanbase and what the Dodgers had become over the last six seasons, but it was a necessary move to clear the logjam in the outfield and, according to the front office, improve the clubhouse dynamic.

The overhaul was done decisively and with specific goals in mind. Friedman and Co. wanted to gain future payroll flexibility, which they did by moving Kemp’s expensive, long-term contract and acquiring expiring contracts in Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick to go with the expiring contract of Juan Uribe. They also wanted to eliminate the elephant in the corner of the clubhouse, one that created tension at times and uneasiness at others.

Trading Kemp and allowing Hanley Ramirez to leave via free agency meant getting rid of two alpha male personalities, one who dominated one corner and another who dominated the complete opposite corner of the team’s recently remodeled clubhouse.

“That was the most eye-opening thing,” catcher A.J. Ellis told CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman a few weeks ago. “For people allegedly only concerned about computer printouts, they’re taking a serious look at the character of people and what kind of culture they’re creating here.”

There was an on-the-field mandate as well. The Kemp trade that brought in catcher Yasmani Grandal and made way for center field prospect Joc Pederson, along with the acquisitions of shortstop Rollins and second baseman Kendrick, was done with defense in mind, specifically improving it.

Those moves could give the Dodgers one of the best up-the-middle defenses in the National League, starting with Grandal, who is also a massive offensive upgrade from Ellis. Rollins and Kendrick are also significant defensive spikes in the middle infield over Ramirez and Dee Gordon, who the Dodgers traded to the Miami Marlins, which eventually turned into the deal for Kendrick. Pederson is regarded as the best defensive outfielder in the organization as well as being a 30-30 guy at Class AAA Albuquerque.

The front office also filled out the rotation with Brandon McCarthy, who they believe can be a premium No. 4 starter now that he is out of Arizona and using his entire repertoire of pitches, and they attempted to redo a bullpen that was the team’s Achilles’ heel last year.

Guggenheim Baseball Management, the ownership group that features president Stan Kasten and figurehead Magic Johnson, took the first sledgehammer swing this offseason, luring Friedman and removing former GM Ned Colletti. Friedman then brought in Byrnes and Zaidi, along with scouting director Billy Gasparino and farm director Gabe Kapler.

Those men then sledged their way into making a 94-win club and two-time defending division champion better. Between the foul lines and behind closed doors, the Dodgers found a way to improve themselves.

In a sport where there are guaranteed contracts and no salary cap, front offices matter to an infinite degree. And where they grab headlines from Oakland to San Diego to Chicago to Boston, the Dodgers might have assembled the best of the bunch.

Congrats to Andrew Friedman, Farhan Zaidi, Josh Byrnes, Gabe Kapler and Billy Gasparino #Dodgers #PowerHouseFrontOffice

— Jim Bowden (@JimBowden_ESPN) November 7, 2014

So when star players on the current roster exceed their prime and are no longer the best of the best, the Dodgers have positioned themselves for continued success. Wise, experienced, analytical and ridiculously aggressive, this front office has made the Dodgers’ overhaul the best in baseball.

And it will make it the best going beyond next October. 

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by the author. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This is one exclusive club. Simply put, there just aren’t that many big leaguers who earn the title of MLB superstar.

Players like Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera easily fit the bill, and each season, a host of rising stars aim to join the ranks. “Superstar” is a tricky term to define. For the purposes of this list, the idea is to find five big leaguers on the verge of joining that stratosphere.

The first requirement is that all the players on the slides that follow must have actually appeared in a big league game. The minors are flooded with highly talented players, but it’s not fair to put them in the superstar conversation before they’ve actually stepped onto a major league diamond.

The second requirement is that none of the players who crack this list can be too established in the majors. The idea is to avoid including players who have already broken out. Think Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals, who is entering just his third season, but who earned an All-Star nod in 2014 and landed No. 5 in National League MVP award balloting. As a cutoff, any player who has already appeared in an All-Star Game is ineligible.

As a result, the five players on this list have all enjoyed some success in the major leagues, but they have yet to establish themselves as All-Star-caliber contributors. Thanks to the way these players performed in 2014 and how they have stepped up this spring, all five have the ability to take off in the upcoming campaign.

Begin Slideshow

Matt Harvey is back. That’s good news for the New York Mets as they try to put together their first winning season since 2008. More than that, though, it’s good news for baseball.

When he went down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow in 2013, Harvey was among the most exciting young pitchers in the game. The hard-throwing right-hander was an All-Star that year and tied for fourth in National League Cy Young balloting despite missing the season’s final month and ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Now, after traipsing the long and winding road to recovery, Harvey is back on the mound and dominating like he never left.

Yes, they’re only spring stats, so add the obligatory grain of salt. Still, you can forgive Mets fans for drooling: 18.2 IP, 3 ER, 1 BB, 17 SO.

Most importantly, Harvey has looked like his old self during the exhibition slate, showcasing the crackling fastball and plus command that made him such a special talent pre-surgery.

“I feel just as normal as I ever have,” Harvey told The New York Times‘ Tim Rohan after racking up five strikeouts in 4.1 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 27, which was the young ace’s 26th birthday.

Forget the cake and ice cream; Harvey served up cheddar. 

“It’s all the process now,” manager Terry Collins said after Harvey’s birthday outing, per Rohan. “He’s obviously healthy.”

Even the best hurlers usually face an adjustment period coming back from Tommy John. ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin cites data collected by sports medicine specialist Dr. Glenn Fleisig that shows 80 percent of pitchers successfully return to the big leagues after the increasingly common procedure but typically take six months to hit their stride (if they last that long).

Before Harvey ever threw a pitch this spring, Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen predicted an accelerated comeback.

“I just think Harvey is a different animal,” Warthen told Rubin on Feb. 21. “I’ve got to believe this guy is going to be on top of his game right away.”

Harvey may hit some speed bumps over the course of the 162-game grind, but so far, he’s making Warthen look like Nostradamus. 

His swift return to form is especially important for New York now, with the news that budding stud Zack Wheeler will miss the entire 2015 campaign with, yep, a torn UCL and a Tommy John surgery of his own.

It’s a painful blow to a talented young Mets staff, but the Amazins still boast reigning NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom and have touted prospect Noah Syndergaard waiting in the wings.

Add Harvey, and you’ve got a staff that could propel New York back to relevance after more than a half-decade as the downtrodden also-ran of the Big Apple.

“Is the team capable of winning 89-90 games? Yeah, I think the team is capable,” general manager Sandy Alderson said in February, per Mike Fitzpatrick of The Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports). 

That may not be enough to keep pace with the loaded Washington Nationals in the NL East. But the Mets could snag a wild-card slot. And who wants to face Harvey at the height of his powers in a one-game, do-or-die playoff?

We’re getting way ahead of ourselves, of course. And maybe Alderson’s lost some confidence after Wheeler’s injury. But it should be buoyed, along with the Mets’ chances, by a so-far undeniable fact: Matt Harvey is back.

All statistics current as of March 29 and courtesy of MLB.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The latest crop of young talent from the 2014 MLB season enjoyed successful years in their inaugural campaigns in the league. But 2015 brings a new season, and each of MLB’s top rookies will hope to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump in year two. 

Jose Abreu headlines a talented group of position players, after slugging his way to American League Rookie of the Year. While his skill set bodes well for future production, can players like Danny Santana, Mookie Betts, George Springer and Billy Hamilton replicate their solid production from last year in 2015? 

On the mound, the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom took home National League Rookie of the Year. But Collin McHugh, Yordano Ventura, Matt Shoemaker and Dellin Betances each finished last year as viable ROY candidates as well. With opposing hitters becoming more familiar with their stuff, can that collection of hurlers overcome setbacks in 2015? 

We will dive into the stats to try to locate any red flags that may be hidden beneath the excitement and hope that comes with a successful rookie year. 

Here we go!

Begin Slideshow

The Toronto Blue Jays made a depth move Sunday, claiming first baseman Andy Wilkins on waivers from the Chicago White Sox, per Mike Wilner of Sportsnet (via Twitter).

In an ironic twist, the White Sox had to place Wilkins on waivers in order to designate him for assignment so they could clear a spot on their 40-man roster. Chicago needed that spot after it claimed right-hander Kyle Drabek on waivers from the Blue Jays earlier this week.

So, while it’s not an official trade or anything, think of Wilkins as some compensation for the Blue Jays for losing Drabek.

The 26-year-old Wilkins is coming off a very impressive 2014 season in the minor leagues with Triple-A Charlotte where he hit .293/.338/.558 with 30 home runs, 85 RBI and 79 runs scored in 127 games. For a power hitter, Wilkins also did a solid job of keeping his strikeouts under control. He struck out 91 times in 491 at-bats while walking 34 times.

Over his minor league career, the left-handed hitting Wilkins has amassed a slash line of .276/.349/.480 and an .830 OPS in 555 games.

While Wilkins—who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB draft by Chicago—has primarily played first base throughout his professional baseball career, he has also seen time at third base. That being said, Wilkins doesn’t really provide plus defense at either position and is likely best suited to be a designated hitter.

According to Peter Galindo of Sportsnet, the Blue Jays have optioned Wilkins to Triple-A Buffalo where he’ll start off the 2015 season and serve as organizational depth.

While he has gaudy minor league numbers, Wilkins has not been able to translate that success to the major leagues. The White Sox called him up for a brief stint in the majors last season and the results weren’t pretty. Wilkins hit just .140 in 43 at-bats and struck out a whopping 22 times.

With Justin Smoak, Dioner Navarro and Edwin Encarnacion likely splitting time at the designated hitter and first base spots, it’s unlikely that Wilkins gets a chance to play in Toronto this season. But it never hurts to have depth in the minors in case of injury, trades or underperformance.

All stats are from MiLB.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Phillie Phanatic loves to have some fun with players at the ballpark, but on Sunday, Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera turned the tables on him.

Somehow, Cabrera managed to get hold of the Phanatic’s car keys. As an opposing player, the Tigers first baseman wasn’t going to just give the mascot its keys back.

Instead, Cabrera tossed the keys into the stands, further enraging the Phanatic. Alas, security seemed unwilling to help the mascot retrieve them.

[MLB.com]

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This season, the Yankees will join the Mets on New York’s PIX11. In honor of the Pinstripes joining the network, the station created a Seinfeld-themed commercial to show its excitement.

Now you can watch both teams on one station. It’s a Festivus miracle!

[YouTube]

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

We are now just a week from the start of the 2015 MLB season, but there is still a lot of work to do as teams make their final and, generally, most difficult decisions to trim their rosters down to 25 players.

That roster crunch always makes for at least a few surprises.

Whether it’s an unexpected non-roster invitee forcing his way onto a team, a deserving player winding up on the outside looking in, a late-spring trade or the outright release of an established veteran, a lot can happen before teams pack up and head north.

Predicting these moves is obviously tricky, but a glance at the projected outlook of each roster can potentially give us some hints.

What follows is a prediction of five surprises from the final week of spring training before the long-awaited arrival of Opening Day.

Begin Slideshow

This is the magical time of year when all 30 MLB teams stand on an even playing field, entering the new season with a fresh slate and an endless array of optimism.

Let’s fix that.

Sure, anything is possible. After all, the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals clashed in the World Series with a combined plus-78 run differential during the regular season. The Seattle Mariners, who boasted MLB’s sixth-best scoring margin at plus-80, missed the postseason.

Let’s not, however, feed false hope to the Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and other cellar-dwellers who won’t play October baseball. As Opening Day nears, here’s an early batch of power rankings to see where everyone stands:

A select few franchises used to winning need to temper their expectations this season. Despite rich histories and richer payrolls, their windows of opportunity will start shutting.

Their modest placement in the rankings will infuriate fans of the longstanding organizations who are not accustomed to losing.  

San Francisco Giants

It’s an odd year, and the Giants only show up on even years. OK, that’s obviously not the reason they fall significantly short in their title defense, but don’t be surprised when they follow a championship by missing the playoffs for the third time in five years.

For starters, they sneaked into the postseason at 88-74 despite ranking No. 18 in team on-base percentage (.311). A solid, yet unspectacular offense will now struggle to tread water without Pablo Sandoval, who cashed in his October exploits for a big contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Every victory matters, and Sandoval averaged a 3.2 WAR per six full seasons with the Giants. While he netted a depreciated .735 OPS last season, he still provided above-average defense at third base. 

They’ll also start the season without Hunter Pence, who broke his arm in early March. The early timetable ruled him out for six-to-eight weeks, meaning he could miss all of April, and there’s no guarantee he returns at full strength.

He’s not one to take it easy during the recovery process, as noted by the San Jose Mercury News’ Carl Steward: 

They’ll have to hope Madison Bumgarner suffers no lingering effects from tossing 270 innings last year. Unless they give unsung hero Yusmeiro Petit his rightful spot in the rotation, the aging starting staff is trending downward. 

The Giants will have to again snatch one of two wild-card spots with the Los Angeles Dodgers controlling the National League West. That will prove much tougher this season with the Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres and New York Mets all on the rise. 

Detroit Tigers

One year soon, the bottom is going to fall out on the Detroit Tigers, a team stockpiled with pricey veterans who will gradually morph from stars to financial liabilities. They won’t take the full plunge this season, but they’ll slow down enough for strengthening American League Central cohorts to catch up.

Over the past three years, Max Scherzer collected 10.46 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9), which only trails the injured Yu Darvish among starters. He’s also third in WAR over that stretch:

So yeah, losing him to the Washington Nationals hurts. David Price slides into the ace role, but he’s followed by a decaying Justin Verlander, oft-injured Anibal Sanchez and regression-bound Alfredo Simon.

Tigers fans may not want to hear it, but Shane Greene is the key to their rotation. Last year, the 26-year-old righty amassed 81 strikeouts through 78.2 innings while netting a 2.70 ERA away from Yankee Stadium.

Of course, it won’t matter unless Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez are at their best. Cabrera is recovering from a fractured left ankle, and Martinez needed knee surgery during the offseason. Cabrera, 31, expressed confidence in himself and his 36-year-old teammate being ready for Opening Day.

“I’m positive we’re going to be there,” Cabrera told the Detroit Free Press‘ Anthony Fenech. “I’m positive Victor, me is going to be there. Hopefully we’re going to be 100 percent, hopefully we can be on the team the first game of the season.”

After hitting 46 homers from 2010-2013, Martinez crushed 32 last year. Healthy or not, don’t count on him replicating that success. Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox stocked up while the Cleveland Indians are loaded with pitching talent. Detroit’s four-year streak of AL Central titles is in grave jeopardy.

New York Yankees

Listen to anyone map out the New York Yankees playoff blueprint, and every sentence begins with “If.”

If Masahiro Tanaka’s arm is right. If CC Sabathia bounces back to provide quality innings. If Michael Pineda pitches over 100 innings for the first time since 2011. If someone successfully builds a time machine for Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez.

Well, what if the rotation once again erodes? What if a lineup consisting of only one player under 30—shortstop Didi Gregorius—regresses rather than rebounds? What if their luck runs out after posting two winning seasons with negative run differentials?

The American League East title is up for grabs, but so is last place. Anyone could easily finish first or fifth, with the Boston Red Sox expected to again ascend from worst to first.

If everything goes the Bronx Bombers’ way, they can snap a two-year playoff drought. Suffering their first sub-.500 record since 1995, however, is more feasible than earning a playoff berth.

Note: Advanced statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com