We covered the American League’s 15 teams earlier today, so now let’s check in on how the National League’s 15 members have done (to date) in fixing their biggest problem positions from the 2022 season. Baseball Reference’s position-by-position bWAR breakdown is our guide through last year’s numbers….
Braves (Left Field, -1.4 bWAR): The lowest total of any outfield position in baseball, left field was a glaring weak spot in an otherwise very strong Atlanta lineup. Eddie Rosario and Marcell Ozuna will look to bounce back from down years, but the Braves have otherwise only tinkered rather than overhauled the position, adding depth pieces like Sam Hilliard, Eli White, and Jordan Luplow to the mix. One can never rule Alex Anthopoulos out for making a bigger acquisition, and the Braves are one of the many teams asking the Pirates about Bryan Reynolds. However, with these many options on board and a lot of strength elsewhere on the roster, Atlanta might opt to stand pat in left field for now, and only pursue help if nobody steps up during the season.
Brewers (Catcher, 0.9 bWAR): Speaking of big Braves trades, the Brewers got themselves involved in the huge three-team blockbuster that brought Sean Murphy to Atlanta. The deal brought Milwaukee its own catcher of the future, as William Contreras has already delivered on his hitting potential with an All-Star performance in 2022. Contreras will join Victor Caratini behind the plate, and with Omar Narveaz and Pedro Severino departing in free agency, Payton Henry was also acquired from the Marlins as a depth move.
Cardinals (Catcher, 0.4 bWAR): Both Contreras brothers will be in the NL Central, as William’s big brother Willson Contreras jumped from the Cubs to the Cardinals on a five-year, $87.5MM free agent deal. St. Louis led the majors in non-pitcher bWAR in 2022, though catcher was the weak spot, as injuries hampered Yadier Molina’s farewell season and backup Andrew Knizner didn’t provide much during fill-in duty. With Molina hanging up his cleats, the Cards will now replace Molina with another established star backstop.
Cubs (Center Field, -0.1 bWAR): Cody Bellinger’s offense has badly fallen off since his 2019 MVP season, but his glovework remains very strong. In signing Bellinger to a one-year deal worth $17.5MM in guaranteed money, Chicago is hoping that his defense alone will shore things up in center field, but naturally the Cubs would love to see Bellinger recapture his old batting form. First base (0.1 bWAR) was another weak point for the Cubs, and a veteran addition like Eric Hosmer might yet be added, but Chicago is also planning to give breakout prospect Matt Mervis a long look at the MLB level.
Diamondbacks (Relief Pitching, -4.4 bWAR): For comparison’s sake, the Pirates’ -0.8 total was the second-worst bullpen bWAR number, giving you an idea of just how little Arizona received from its relief corps. The D’Backs inked Scott McGough to a two-year/$6.25MM deal, with McGough making his return to the majors after a very successful four-year stint in Japan. McGough could be something of a hidden gem, and he joins several other new arms (Miguel Castro, Cole Sulser, Miguel Vargas, Zach McAllister, Austin Brice, Sam Clay, and more) as the bullpen options the Diamondbacks will sort through during Spring Training.
Dodgers (Pinch-Hitting, 0.8 bWAR): The Dodgers’ 61.4 total bWAR led all 30 teams, even though both center field (1.5) and left field (1.6) were relative weaker links among the everyday positions. Even the lower pinch-hitting total wasn’t exactly bad, even if Los Angeles did have a bit less depth than in recent years. With the Dodgers almost exactly slated to meet the $233MM luxury tax threshold, it remains to be seen if L.A. will exceed the threshold again or perhaps look to reset its tax penalties, which might limit what the Dodgers can do in amassing more depth. Youngsters like Miguel Vargas, Michael Busch, and James Outman are being groomed for larger roles in 2023, so the Dodgers might first see if they can fill some holes from within. Veterans like Jason Heyward, Bradley Zimmer, and Steven Duggar have also been signed to minor league contracts.
Giants (Designated Hitter, 0.1 bWAR): The platooning and lineup-juggling that worked so well for San Francisco in 2021 backfired last year, as catcher was the only lineup position with a collective bWAR above the 1.2 mark. The DH spot was at the bottom of the list, and such frequent designated hitters as Tommy La Stella and Evan Longoria are already gone. Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto figure to boost the DH spot when they’re not in the outfield, but by and large, the Giants will keep cycling multiple players through the DH role to keep everyone healthy.
Marlins (Right Field, -0.7 bWAR): Despite signing Avisail Garcia to a four-year, $53MM deal winter, the Marlins still got sub-replacement numbers out of the right field spot, as Garcia battled hamstring injuries and had a dreadful year at the plate. Miami has enough money committed to Garcia that there isn’t much to do except hope for a rebound, which isn’t out of the question given that Garcia has alternated between good and bad seasons over the last six years. Center field is the more pressing outfield position for the Marlins, and first base (0.0 bWAR) and catcher (0.1 bWAR) are also problem areas.
Mets (Pinch-Hitting, 0.0 bWAR): With the Carlos Correa signing not yet official, we’ll wait before declaring that Eduardo Escobar will be an overqualified backup for the Amazins’ next season. However, the Mets might be more likely to keep Escobar than trade him to a team that can offer more playing time, since the Mets will want plenty of depth to keep its World Series push from being waylaid by injuries (especially given whatever concerns New York has about Correa’s health). Among everyday positions, the Mets only got 0.1 bWAR from the catching spot, but James McCann was traded to the Orioles and Omar Narvaez was signed. With Narvaez, Tomas Nido, and star prospect Francisco Alvarez ready for the majors, the Mets are expecting a lot more from behind the plate.
Nationals (Starting Pitching, -4.8 bWAR): If the Diamondbacks were feeling bad about their lackluster bullpen, here come the Nats with an even bigger gap between last and second-last place in a single position. The Tigers were 29th in the majors with a cumulative 1.7 rotation bWAR, making Washington the only team with sub-replacement performance from their entire starting pitching corps. Trevor Williams was signed to a two-year, $13MM deal to provide some help, but since the rebuild is on, D.C. will be limited to similar veterans on modest deals rather than any big splashes. The Nationals are counting on youngsters Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, and Cade Cavalli to take some steps forward in 2023, and getting any kind of rebound from Patrick Corbin or good health from Stephen Strasburg would be immensely helpful to the Nats’ efforts.
Padres (Pinch-Hitting, 0.4 bWAR): The DH spot was next on the list with 1.2 bWAR, adding to the Padres’ overall goal of building more depth. Josh Bell, Wil Myers, Brandon Drury, and Nomar Mazara have all signed elsewhere, but San Diego’s blockbuster signing of Xander Bogaerts shuffled around the everyday lineup to the extent that Fernando Tatis Jr. now looks slated for the outfield when his suspension is over. Matt Carpenter was also signed to aid the DH mix, and since president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is nothing if not aggressive, any number of trade possibilities are still open for the Padres to further bolster the position player ranks.
Phillies (Right Field, 0.4 bWAR): Bryce Harper’s torn UCL limited him to DH duty for almost the entire season, leaving Nick Castellanos handling most of the action in right field. Unfortunately for the Phils, Castellanos struggled both offensively and defensively, delivering a subpar -0.1 bWAR in his first season in Philadelphia. Since Harper will be out until at least midseason while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Castellanos will have to hold the fort, though he might get more DH at-bats on days when Matt Vierling or Dalton Guthrie are used in the outfield. The Phillies got 0.6 bWAR from both the center field and shortstop positions in 2022, but center field might’ve already been addressed by the midseason trade for Brandon Marsh, and the Phils upgraded at shortstop in a major way with their signing of Trea Turner.
Pirates (First Base, -2.1 bWAR): Pittsburgh had low bWAR scores over most positions, with right field, the bullpen, pinch-hitter, and catcher also clocking with negative figures. With first base standing out as the biggest issue, the Bucs swiftly moved on from Yoshi Tsutsugo and Michael Chavis by signing Carlos Santana and swinging trades for Ji-Man Choi and Connor Joe. Santana and Choi figure to essentially split first base duty, and Santana in particular could be in line for a bounce-back year given how heavily opposing teams have used defensive shifts against him in recent years. With the new rules restricting the use of shifts, Santana figure to improve on his roughly league-average offense from 2022.
Reds (Catcher and Center Field, -0.8 bWAR): Like their NL Central brethren in Pittsburgh, the Reds are another rebuilding team with needs all over the diamond, including four positions that had sub-replacement bWAR totals. Curt Casali and Luke Maile were signed to play catcher, but getting a healthy year from Tyler Stephenson (even if Stephenson sees additional time as a first baseman or DH) will be Cincinnati’s biggest boost in that regard. If Nick Senzel can stay healthy, he’ll still be the Reds’ top choice in center field, but the club has been looking around for help in center and might even be willing to trade from its surplus of young shortstop prospects to land an equally promising young outfielder.
Rockies (Catcher, 0.1 bWAR): There hasn’t been much buzz about the Rox getting involved in the catching market, so it seems likely the team will just run it back and hope for better results from Elias Diaz and backup Brian Serven. Diaz signed a three-year, $14.5MM extension in November 2021, and followed up that long-term pact by hitting only .228/.281/.368 over 381 plate appearances. Given the lack of MLB experience on the catching depth chart, the Rockies will probably sign at least one veteran backstop to a minor league deal, if for no other reason than to provide Serven with some competition in Spring Training.
The Diamondbacks need some relief in their bullpen.
“Nutting and Shelton convincing Roberto Clemente to step down from heaven.”
Are you kidding me? Nutting wouldn’t pay the guy even if he knew he’d get 3000 more hits out of him.
Holy Cow you’re absolutely correct. (No pun intended)
The highest annual salary of Clemente‘a career was $100,000
Nutting would gladly pay that
Some constructive feedback: this is designed very poorly. I’d consider making the team name bold.
I suggest changing that attitude.
Braves look good, stand pat & see where you are later on in the season… MJ, close your mouth unless a slightly intelligent idea flies in & doesn’t choke you.
Braves have one of the strongest core teams in BB. LF is an issue but maybe Ozuna can wipe that silly smirk off his face & start earning his pay. Rosario had a strong finish after an abysmal (blind) start. Arcia is a pro SS. With him & Washington working with Grissom, I’m not worried. Braves are in the mix…
It was designed just fine, obvious spacing between paragraphs. Kids these days!
Younnowsd – This is just constructive criticism. Generally constructive criticism leads with the constructive part. Like “here is a suggestion for a better design” – because it was not designed poorly, it was designed well, but had some opportunities to get better.
Nats are f’ed. Then again that’s the goal for next season to get a high pick again I assume.
The Nats are more or less guaranteed to be in the draft lottery again. I think the goal is to avoid any more significant commitments until their ownership situation is resolved, while they chip another year off their existing contracts and salary deferrals, and while they continue to replenish and develop young talent.
As a Giants fan – LOL
For the Giants, the basic plan at DH is to have Joc Pedersen as the primary vs RHSP, with mostly some combination of Davis/Flores/ Villar vs LHSP.
I mean, obviously things can change, but it seems odd that none of them were mentioned – especially Joc. 🙂
goob, sounds about right. Davis is weakest fielder of those 3 you listed. So I believe vs lefties we’ll see Davis DH, Villar at 3rd and Flores at first. Wade is not a great defender at first so I’m not sure of his role. But the writer suggesting Haniger and Conforto sharing dh is in error. I still expect a trade of at least one player currently on the roster. Comments goob?
$19.5 million for a platoon DH? Stop it,
Supply (lefty slugger) – meet demand. And it’s the long side of the platoon – he’ll be slated for nearly 500 PA’s.
$19.5 million for a platoon DH? Stop it,
===============================
He only had 8 starts last year against lefties, out of a possible 55 starts, So will a salary increase change the team’s strategy?
Probably, yes. I think Joc is capable enough to DH against lefties. So long as his fat face isn’t running sound the outfield, he’s a very capable player.
he’s more valuable as a DH than an outfielder. he was one of the worst defensive outfielders in the league last year.
I think Pederson will be the primary DH against RHP. Depends on everyone staying healthy, obviously.
Also, you have Dodgers 3B Miguel Vargas in with the DBacks relief pitchers.
Lmao at the Braves “addressing” their biggest hole.
The lowest WAR of any outfield position in baseball. Braves homers will be here shortly to tell everyone it’s not important because they “already have a really good lineup”. The worst outfield value of all teams speaks volumes. It doesn’t sound like someone interested in winning a WS.
But but but look at all the young talent they have locked up!!!!!!
Don’t you have any other records? This one’s broken.
@MJ:
As a Phillies fan that does not want to say nice things about them, their front office is unfortunately doing a very nice job. Nitpick if you must, but locking up all of that young talent while not committing a great deal beyond the prime years is a very sound strategy. Plus:
* They are over the luxury tax – for a publicly owned company that is a remarkable shift.
* The downside of all of that controlled young talent is that they are also locked into a large payroll floor for quite a while, which can limit some other flexibility.
* They will never approach the Cohen Tax given that type of ownership.
* That requires some compromises…this year left field is looking like one of them.
* They can leave some powder dry to fill holes at the trade deadline.
*They are set up to compete for years to come, unless they suffer through a lot of bad luck.
Realistically, it isn’t because they do not recognize a weakness. Setting up a roster entails compromises for every team, and is always a work in progress.
Now that is enough good PR about the darned Braves…time for me to criticise the Tomahawk chop. ; )
As a Phillies fan that does not want to say nice things about them,
================================
As a RS fan who questioned what id in TO, he’s certainly hitting on all cylinders now. While CL, TB, Houston, LAD and Bloom rightfully get a lot of credit, the Braves have done a great job.
I’d have preferred they added a LH power bat in LF, but I don’t think it’s fair to say they’re not interested in winning a World Series because they didn’t go “big” in LF. I don’t expect much from their current LF group, but it’s an easy position to upgrade at the trade deadline. There’s almost always a handful of COF on the block, and they typically come cheaply.
Nice article. As a flip side, I’d like to see an article about which position each team has improved the most at.
Great idea. IMO, that’s where the money is. You need a 6 WAR player replacing a 1 WAR player. Or sometimes, a rated rookie replacing a $25M player.
The Giants biggest weakness last year as their outfield defense. The biggest cause was Joc Peterson in LF. To address this the Giants intend to use Joc Peterson as their primary DH in 2023. He will play very little if any outfield. Their starting outfield will be Conforto LF, Yaz CF, and
Haniger RF. When any of these three sit it will be Slater or Wade playing not Joc. In essence signing Haniger and Conforto addressed their problems with both outfield fielding and DH hitting. Look up just how bad Joc’s defense last year was. It almost erased how good his offense was. Haniger and Conforto are nothing special defensively but they are both light years better then Joc.
The Giants biggest weakness last year was their outfield defense. The problem was Joc Peterson in LF. To address this the Giants intend to use Joc Peterson as their primary DH in 2023. He will play very little if any outfield. Their starting outfield will be Conforto LF, Yaz CF, and
Haniger RF. When any of these three sit it will be Slater or Wade playing not Joc. In essence signing Haniger and Conforto addressed their problems with both outfield fielding and DH hitting. Look up just how bad Joc’s defense last year was. It almost erased how good his offense was. Haniger and Conforto are nothing special defensively but they are both light years better then Joc.
Mets (Playing second fiddle to the Yankees): spent a gazillion dollars on injury prone and aging players to bolster their roster. Wait a minute, that’s the same thing the Yankees did. Oh, never mind.
“If Nick Senzel can remain healthy……” lol Now there’s a pipe dream of there ever was one.
They never addressed CF to their detriment. Not that Nick is an outfielder really anyway.
It’s sad that adding a 1.2 WAR player is shoring up CF for the Cubs. Paying $17.5 million for him is insane.
MJ would leave a bad review for a church pot-luck dinner.
I understand the Pittsburgh Pirates are looking for fans MJ, hook up with them, because it sure doesn’t seem like you’re a Braves fan…
Well, the Marlins are not fixing much. The organization has an odd obsession at 1B with Garrett Cooper, who they will be waiting for to be healthy….for the blah blah consecutive year in a row…while he’s on the wrong side of 30 and never really having much of a career that would justify such job security.
Catcher, I think we need to see what Nick Fortes does with a full year and Stallings as his backup.
CF – not entirely urgent, but they need to stick with de la Cruz until someone is added or wins a starting role over him. Last Spring Training was ridiculous with them deciding that the kid that earned the right to play from his performance after we acquired him at the 2021 trade deadline. Let him play!
As stated, we’re stuck with Garcia.
Let’s see if Ng does anything else after this Segura addition, or if that was just a move to silence the fans, and some of the local media, who have been on the attack.
The Giants primary DH will be Joc Pederson since he was terrible in LF last season, not Conforto/Haniger. The Giants did upgrade their OF offense with Conforto/Haniger.
Keeping Haniger on the field is the elephant in the room. SEA moved on not because they didn’t want him – he became a fixture on the IL.
Is pinch-hitting really a weakness now that the NL has the DH? The Lenny Harris’ and John Vander Wal’s would just be DH’s instead of PH’s if they played today
Giants should offer Villar for Winkers and Tellez.
Marlins could fix their offense and position player weaknesses by simply moving in their fences.
Their pitchers still misses bats, so moved-in fences shouldn’t hurt too much with them.
Easier to drive a couple of bulldozers and pound new fence poles in shortening the fences than it is to systematically evaluate baseball talent at a higher rate than one’s competitors.
Just saying ~
The article makes it look like the Dodgers haven’t addressed DH, but there is no mention of JD Martinez. Doesn’t he count?
DH wasn’t identified as their “weakest position,” and replacing J. Turner and Smith who did most of the DH duties last year with Martinez isn’t better than a push anyhow. But this exposes a weakness in the weakness argument. It doesn’t little good to shore up one weakness while opening up several more, which is what the Dodger have done. In fact it would be fair to say that the Dodgers now have weaknesses everywhere except C, 1B, and RF.
Blue Jays –
Spent nearly the entire season last year trying to piece together an outfield due to injuries. Ended up having to use a collection of guys that couldn’t hit which guaranteed lost them games and ground in the east. So to bring some balance to things, Atkins signed Kevin Kiermaier coming off his worst season for production and games missed and major hip surgery.
Lol additionally, no depth has been signed for the 4th or 5th outfield spots for when Kiermaier inevitably gets hurt or under performs.
Varsho is great and highly appreciated but they need more out there.