Roundtable: Which surprise team will be playing in October?

After a disappointing season, the Boston Red Sox went all-in during the offseason. David Price signed a mammoth contract and the club gave up four players for lights out closer Craig Kimbrel.

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All of this was done to put 2015 in the past. Sure, things didn’t go their way last year, but that no longer matters. The 2016 season is just around the corner, and the Red Sox look like they could be in for a huge turnaround.

They aren’t the only team looking for a much better result this season, though. For this week’s Roundtable, we asked the Big League Stew crew to pick one non-playoff team from 2015 that they think will be playing in October this season.

Who made all the right moves this offseason? Which teams will put 2015 behind them with a surprise playoff appearance? Let’s find out.

BOSTON RED SOX
The Red Sox have been an all or nothing team over the last four seasons, either winning a World Series championship or finishing dead last in the AL East. With the additions of David Price and Craig Kimbrel, to go along with emerging offensive stars like Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, this feels much closer to an all-in team than a nothing team.

It won’t be easy though in a division that always fields competitive teams. The Blue Jays should be the team to beat again. However, each of the teams behind them has its strengths and, with good health and a couple breakout seasons, each has a chance to make noise. I just think the Red Sox have the best chance now that they’ve finally added an ace.

With Price in town, all of Boston’s other starters can fall in line with a lot less pressure on them. There’s some interesting talent there too between Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly, Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez. They also have a pair of impressive arms waiting in the wings in Henry Owens and Steven Wright.

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Of course, much of the focus will be on David Ortiz as he enters his final season. I feel like Ortiz will refuse to go away quietly and perhaps even produce a season that puts him in the MVP discussion. If other veterans like Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez give them anything close to what they hoped for in 2015, look out. (Mark Townsend)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS
At this time last year the Washington Nationals were the most popular pick to win the World Series. Now it’s tough to find anyone who is crazy about their playoff chances. Well, let me be the one to propose it: the Nationals are going to be in the postseason. It starts with Bryce Harper, the reigning National League MVP who still has room to grow. A supporting cast of Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman can absolutely be effective, if they can stay healthy.

Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez form a very nice front of the rotation trio and you could do much worse than Joe Ross and Tanner Roark at the back end of the staff. With top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito and shortstop of the future Trea Turner not too far away, why can’t Washington fulfill there lofty expectations a season late? Toppling the Mets for the NL East title won’t be easy, but at the very least the Nats are going to be in the wild-card hunt. (Israel Fehr)

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Recent history tells us since it’s an even numbered year, the San Francisco Giants are not only going to make the playoffs, they’re going to win the World Series.

The Giants have won the title in the past three even numbered seasons, 2010, 2012 and 2014, and they appear to have the makings of a contender again this year. There isn’t a ton of star power on this roster beyond ace Madison Bumgarner and catcher Buster Posey, but the Giants have won recent titles with blue collar types just like this group.

It all starts with Bumgarner and the pitching staff, which was upgraded in the offseason with the additions of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. Those are three starting pitchers who are capable of 14 or more victories. What Matt Cain and Jaek Peavy are able to provide on the back end of the rotation could make the difference between this team winning the National League West and contending for a wild card spot.

The Giants also have a nice one-two punch in the bullpen to close out games with Sergio Romo setting up Santiago Casilla.

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If there is cause for concern here, it might be that this club doesn’t have a lot of power in the lineup. Brandon Crawford is the only player in our projected lineup who hit more than 20 home runs last season and he finished with 21. But that’s not enough to make me think twice about the Giants. I’m expecting them to be playing in October. (Kyle Ringo)

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
So I’m going to be the guy to do it, huh? I’m going to be THAT guy. Are you ready? I hope you’re ready because I’m about to say it. Wait … I want to make sure you’re ready first. Ready? OK, here goes: The Arizona Diamondbacks are going to make the playoffs in 2016. I write these words fully aware that the MLB team that has the big, bold offseason often trips over its own cleats when the regular season starts. So there’s that, and there’s this: The projections and the computers don’t like the D-backs.

There’s one thing I like about the D-backs that all the naysayers might underestimate. His name is Paul Goldschmidt and he’s one of the best players in the game and often doesn’t get enough recognition as such. So, yes, the D-backs offseason was mostly about pitching — signing Zack Greinke and trading for Shelby Miller. But don’t forget about Goldschmidt. He’s the main man over there and he’s one of the reasons the D-backs scored the second-most runs in the NL last year. With those pitching improvements and an offense that is better than most people think, you will see the D-backs in October. I hope you’re ready. (Mike Oz)

CLEVELAND INDIANS
The sports team in Cleveland will never break your heart, right? I got burned picking the Indians to make the playoffs last year, but I’m doubling down in 2016. Everyone knows about the strong pitching core, which boasts a fantastic trio at the top. Last I checked, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are still on the club.

The team’s undoing last season was a porous defense. And while that’s still somewhat of a concern moving forward, the addition of Francisco Lindor midseason really helped in that area. He was also pretty fantastic with the bat.

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The Indians didn’t make any big moves this offseason, but that’s OK. The staff, combined with a full season from Lindor is enough for me. Plus, there’s no way a team from Cleveland lets me down two years in a row, right? Right? (Chris Cwik)

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