Here we are in the month of December. The time of giving and wishing that comes with the Christmas season will be upon us before we know it. Like every kid and adult this time of year, MLB teams will have a wish list. Be it a player or manager, these wish lists will have what each team’s needs and/or wants. Of course, some teams’ wish lists will be longer than others. Plus, they are not going to get everything thing on their lists.
Let’s take a look at the top of the wish lists of just a few teams.
Image courtesy of The Athletic
By length, the Baltimore Orioles have the longest wish list this holiday season. After all, they ended the 2018 season with the worst record in the big leagues. Not to mention many of their household names are gone, including Adam Jones, Manny Machado and Buck Showalter. Among the top of their list is a new manager. As of right now, the search is on, but a hire has yet to be made. Next item on their wish list is a new face of the franchise, but there is good news! The Orioles have a new general manager for 2019: former Houston Astros Assistant GM, Mike Elias. Orioles fans should be patient in this new hire. For the next Orioles superstar, it will take time for Elias and Baltimore to grow the talent needed to scratch that item off the list, but his work with the Houston Astros organization should play favorably in that mission.
The Seattle Mariners are in a bit of a rebuilding process at the moment, even when they were close to the playoffs. The Mariners recently traded Robinson Cano halfway through his 10-year $240M contract, to the New York Mets. It seems that Seattle is trading Jean Segura as well, this time to Philadelphia.
One of many things Seattle fans will be asking for this time of year is a young, prime-time superstar, kind of like Ken Griffey Jr. back in the day. With Nelson Cruz approaching 40 and Felix Hernandez past his prime, the time for the next superstar to emerge is soon. More than one never hurt anyone, and the emergence of such could put the Mariners back into October contention.
Oakland Athletics’ Jed Lowrie drives in two runs with a double against the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 2, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez). Image Courtesy of The Mercury News
Similar to Seattle, the Oakland Athletics are close to where they want to be, but not there yet. Khris Davis has been Oakland’s main breadwinner from the batter’s box. Davis led the MLB in home runs last season, but Davis won’t be with the A’s forever and some team with a very fat wallet will want this imposing power hitter for themselves eventually. Plus Jed Lowrie is no longer rocking the green and yellow.
What should be on Oakland’s wish list for 2019 is a playoff win considering the fact their last playoff victory was in 2006. For that to happen, they will need more breakthrough seasons from more young players. Lou Trivino and Mat Olson had solid outings last season, but moving forward, more will have to pitch in, especially in a stacked American League. The emergence of more names, along with the previously mentioned, will give opponents more than they can handle.
Many today are still scratching their heads about the Kansas City Royals. From 2015 World Series Champions, to a “bottom of the barrel” team in just three seasons. Besides answers, the Royals wish list will call for a lot of roster changes. The only thing they have going for them is Salvador Perez. But if they continue on this downward spiral, Perez may want out sooner than later. Kansas City’s wish list would call for new pitchers, new field players, new…almost everything, really.
Featured image courtesy of CBSSports.com
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