Baltimore Orioles
2016: 89-73, tied for second place, lost wild-card game to Toronto. Manager: Buck Showalter (eighth season). He’s here: C Welington Castillo, OF Seth Smith, RHP Logan Verrett, OF Aneury Tavarez, OF Anthony Santander, RHP Gabriel Ynoa. He’s outta here: C Matt Wieters, RHP Yovani Gallardo, OF Steve Pearce, LHP Brian Duensing, OF Nolan Reimold, RHP Vance Worley, RHP Tommy Hunter, OF Drew Stubbs, LHP T.J. McFarland. Projected lineup: LF Hyun Soo Kim (.302, 6 HRs, 22 RBIs), CF Adam Jones (.265, 29, 83), 3B Manny Machado (.294, 37, 96), 1B Chris Davis (.221, 38, 84, MLB-high 219 Ks), DH Mark Trumbo (.256, MLB-best 47 HRs, 108), RF Seth Smith (.249, 16, 63 with Seattle), 2B Jonathan Schoop (.267, 25, 82), C Welington Castillo (.264, 14, 68 with Arizona), SS J.J. Hardy (.269, 9, 48). Rotation: RH Kevin Gausman (9-12, 3.61 ERA, 174Ks), RH Dylan Bundy (10-6, 4.02, 104 Ks), RH Ubaldo Jimenez (8-12, 5.44, 125 Ks), LH Wade Miley (2-5, 6.17 with Orioles; 7-8, 4.98 with Seattle), RH Tyler Wilson (4-6, 5.27). Hot spot: Starting rotation. Right-hander Chris Tillman, the opening day starter in 2015 and 2016, developed a shoulder issue in spring training and will begin the season the disabled list. That’s a bad omen for a rotation with several question marks and not much depth. The Orioles are ready to take the shackles off Gausman and Bundy (both drafted No. 4 overall) after closely monitoring their innings, but can they handle the pressure of working atop the rotation? Jimenez has been hot and cold the past few seasons, and Miley offered little help after being acquired late last season specifically for the stretch run. Outlook: The Orioles intend to once again pound the opposition into submission, hoping their power-laden lineup is enough to overcome a questionable starting rotation. That’s why Executive VP of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette brought back Trumbo and paid heavily to retain Davis one year earlier. Five starters hit at least 25 homers last season for a team that earned a playoff berth for the third time in five years. The theory is that the ascension of Kim to the leadoff spot and the acquisition of Smith will improve the team’s ability to put runners on base ahead of those long balls. If the starters can keep the Orioles in the game through six or seven innings, the formidable bullpen should be able to finish up nicely. Showalter puts a high priority on defense, which is why Smith was brought in to play right field instead of Trumbo, whose strong suit is definitely swinging the bat.