2015 Spotlight: San Diego Padres

When newly-minted General Manager A.J. Preller interviewed for the job last year, I’m sure the Padres’ brass asked him what he would do differently. Little did they know, he had a storm of trade scenarios brewing in his brain. The Friars revamped their outfield with the power-hitting trio of Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton, all coming in via trade. They also swung deals for third baseman Will Middlebrooks and catcher Derek Norris.

Big Game Shields

Their pitching staff was fairly solid in 2014, with Tyson Ross having a career year in the rotation and Andrew Cashner and Ian Kennedy providing good production when healthy. They also resigned pitcher Josh Johnson, whose first season in San Diego was cut short due to Tommy John surgery. On top of those options, the Padres made a late splash in the free agent market by signing San Diego native James Shields to a four-year contract worth at least $75 million. Shields and the other new acquisitions will surely be the difference-makers in the division.

Who to watch: The team obviously invested a hefty amount in their new pickups.  The outfield, which was the thorn in the side of the 2014 Padres, has quickly become a potent mix of sluggers. I'm not saying they're going to be stellar, but they should be fun to watch at the very least. 

The Flyin' Friars.

With some good breaks and healthy amounts of playing time, they could certainly combine for 70 home runs and 250 RBI. As for Shields, moving to Petco Park, a pitcher’s paradise over the past few seasons, should help to reestablish the nickname “Big Game James” (not that it ever left).

Sleeper: A consistent strength of otherwise unexciting Padres teams in recent years has been the bullpen. They have taken guys with little or no experience and turned them into valuable commodities by sticking them in relief roles. 

Quakenbush looks like he brews moonshine in the off season. 

Behind closer Joaquin Benoit, San Diego has a stellar set-up man in Kevin Quakenbush, who debuted in 2014 to pitch 54.1 innings with 56 strikeouts. Besides having one of the best names in the game, I think Quakenbush will continue to grow and develop, eventually taking over the reins of closer.

Bust: If this team is trying to make the postseason as their free agent expenditures suggest, then they are going to have to do something about their infield. Middlebrooks, while serviceable, should not be the name that stands out, as it currently does. 

Stuck in the Middlebrooks.

Shortstop Alexi Amarista, second baseman Jedd Gyorko and first baseman Yonder Alonso round out what looks to be an island of misfit ball players. If the team is still in playoff contention come July, look for the front office to try and swing a trade for somebody along the lines of Chase Utley or Daniel Murphy.

Will these be front-shelf or clearance rack at the end of the season? 

Bold prediction: The outfield experiment of Upton, Myers and Kemp will either come through or implode completely. Upton is an exciting but extremely streaky hitter who is moving to a pitcher’s ballpark. Myers has barely more than a year of service time and missed most of 2014. 

Kemp is the shell of his former, MVP-worthy self. Does that sound like a lock for success to you? Sure, it’s probably worth taking a chance on, but that trio is far from perfect. 

2015 Spotlight: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2015 as heavy favorites to win the division. Their elite front-end of the rotation and well-rounded lineup make for a team that looks like a lock to make deep postseason push. Obviously, that doesn’t mean that things can’t go wrong from now until October, but many teams envy the position that the Dodgers are currently in.

Outfielder Yasiel Puig headlines the offensive side of the team, with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and newcomers Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick setting the table at the top of the lineup. With a strong veteran presence to get on base and big boppers knocking them in, this lineup could be filthy. 

Get ready for more Puig bat flips in 2015. 

As far as pitching goes, they have some guy named Clayton Kershaw winning MVP and Cy Young awards left and right. He even gave the rest of the league a four-week head start last year and still managed to take home both trophies. Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu (when he comes off of the disabled list) are also above-average strikeout machines at the top of the starting five. If this team puts it all together, it would be tough to bet against them as NL favorites.

Who to watch: Watch Kershaw whenever you can. He is the best pitcher of my generation and seems to improve every season. As the most dominant starter in baseball, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lead the league in ERA (2.15), strikeouts (255), wins (21) and jaws dropped (too many to count). 

No putting out the fire that is Kershaw.

Let me put it this way, would you pass up an opportunity to watch Pedro Martinez in his prime? How about Randy Johnson? Or what about Tom Glavine? Well Kershaw has a lower ERA than all three of those players when they were his age, and they were voted into the Hall of Fame last year. Don’t miss out, folks.

Sleeper: Top-prospect Joc Pederson has been named the everyday centerfielder by Manager Don Mattingly. Though he may have big shoes to fill after the team traded fan-favorite Matt Kemp over the offseason, Pederson is looking ready for the challenge. 

Pederson: the baby-face of the future.

He had a dominant slash line of .303/.435/.582 at the AAA level in 2014, and has a .367/.397/.750 line so far this spring. Those gaudy numbers indicate a young player on the cusp of stardom.

Bust: The weakest link on this team is the gaping, expensive hole in left field. Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier are pegged to earn a combined $39.4 million in 2015. Not only are they expensive, but neither can seem to stay healthy for the duration of the season. 

California's most expensive high-five.

The Dodgers already boast the highest payroll in baseball, but are willing to eat a substantial portion of that allowance in a trade for either player. Look for that to happen around the trade deadline in July if one or both start showing any sort of worth.

Another addition to the Kershaw's pile of trophies.

Bold prediction: Three different Dodgers bring home an award at the end of this season; Pederson for Rookie of the Year, Kershaw for Cy Young and Puig for MVP. The least likely of these three is Puig, in which case I would bet Kershaw could bring home that accolade on top of his Cy Young. One thing is certain, they should start looking for bigger trophy cases in Los Angeles. 

2015 Spotlight: Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers head into 2015 with a roster in transition. While some of their older stars are on their way out (third baseman Aramis Ramirez), a new wave of youthful faces are making their mark on the NL Central. These young stars, headlined by all-star catcher Jonathan Lucroy, will be tasked with finding consistency in their production.

How far will the Brewers slid in 2015?

Their rotation, fronted by Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza, will need to increase their workload, as their bullpen is iffy beyond the closer and set-up roles. Francisco Rodriguez returns to his duties in the ninth inning, and Jonathan Broxton will set the table for him, but nobody stands out beyond that. The team’s success lies in the top of their lineup consisting of center fielder Carlos Gomez, Lucroy and right fielder Ryan Braun. If they can produce the runs they are capable of, and the rotation can pitch deep into games, then the team could make a strong push. The issue is that this team seemed to fall apart at the seams as 2014 wore on. Who’s to say that it won’t be more of the same this year?

Who to watch: Lucroy not only made a name for himself in Milwaukee, but the star-catcher accumulated more WAR than anybody in the league. His breakout 2014 campaign earned him fourth place in MVP voting and indicated that he is one of the most vital players in the game. 

Jonathan "Sweet Heart" Lucroy

His strong offensive numbers should carry over into this season, as should his notorious pitch-framing abilities. If the team can find a way to keep his legs fresh throughout the season, look for him to lead the team in most offensive categories. He and Gomez could combine for 40 home runs and 175 RBI.

Sleeper: The Brew Crew traded away veteran starter Yovani Gallardo in order to make room for top-prospect Jimmy Nelson. The young right-hander started 12 games at the major league level last season, and the team is hoping regular playing time will benefit the young hurler. 

Nelson has his eyes on a big season.

If he can improve his command while pitching deep into games, Nelson could become a strong force in their rotation for years to come. At age 25, he has had more than enough seasoning in the minors, so this could be the season he ties it all together.

Bust: Aramis Ramirez has had a great career and is known to be a phenomenal clubhouse presence. The only reason I would call him a bust this year is the fact that the team stated they will look to rest him at least two times per week in order to keep him off the disabled list in his final season before retirement. 

Ramirez announced that 2015 will be his final season.

While he may still be productive, you have to imagine it would be tough to call him a star player if he misses a third of the scheduled games. Not to mention, there is no guarantee that substantial rest will improve his depleting offensive numbers (15 homeruns, 66 RBI in 133 games in 2014).

Bold prediction: Shortstop Jean Segura, who seemingly fell off the map in 2014, regains his offensive numbers and establishes himself as a top-tier infielder. Sure, many predicted that Segura would regress in 2014 after seeing his late-2013 struggles. 

I think Segura will land on his feet in 2015.

But I think that his solid toolset of plus-speed, strong fielding abilities and base-stealing potential will bounce-back to above average production. The Brewers traded Zack Greinke for him, after all. They must have seen something of value in him.