Here's the actual, fundamental truth about baseball: Value is value, no matter where it comes from. There's no such thing as having too much pitching, or too much hitting or too much defense. That being said, there's baseball in theory, and there's baseball in practice. In practice, some routes are just easier than others. It's not always simple to improve what's already a team strength. Sometimes teams just need to address their shortcomings, because, well, what contender wants to have shortcomings?
As such, which teams could stand to add some offensive pop? I'm focusing on five clubs in particular, with an emphasis on those looking to get or stay in the playoff hunt. We all know the Padres could improve, but as far as 2018 is concerned, how much does that matter? These five teams have greater urgency and might make moves to improve by the end of next week's winter meetings.
All five could improve in other areas, and I'm sure they'll try. But there are offensive holes that are just too big to ignore. For each, I provide answers I think could be smart, not just names plucked from the top of the market. Before advancing to the list, I'll point out the St. Louis Cardinals as an honorable mention. I know they're going after some bats, and I know they'll get one or two, but I don't think their current offense is actually weak or a handicap to their contending. With that introduction behind us, let's look at some lineups that should get better, and get better soon.
We might as well get the obvious one out of the way. There's a belief within the industry that the Giants are headed for a cliff, but they still want to compete in the short term before their core talent declines or disappears. And, of course, quality players remain on the roster. But this is a roster with problems. The Giants just finished second-to-last in runs scored. They had the worst third-base hitting in baseball, and they also had the worst offensive outfield. Nothing has gotten better yet. The Giants need at least one more good hitter. Really, they might need three. But, you know, one thing at a time.
The fix: A complicating factor is that the Giants might trade for outfielder Giancarlo Stanton by the time you're reading this. According to reports, the Giants and Cardinals have proposals on the table, and it's all in Stanton's hands. Very obviously, Stanton is one of the bigger offensive threats in the sport. But let's say that trade doesn't happen, for whatever reason. The Giants could easily turn to free-agent outfielder J.D. Martinez, and they might be his most obvious suitor. If they're really feeling spendy, they might also think about Lorenzo Cain, previously of the Kansas City Royals. This Giants team is salvageable. It's just going to cost them.
In 2016, the Red Sox led all of baseball with a 114 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+). That means, adjusted for park, their hitting was about 14 percent better than average. In 2017, the Red Sox fell to 22nd. I'm not going to blame David Ortiz's retirement for everything, but there was a presence that was missing from the lineup, and that much is virtually impossible to argue. Two seasons ago, 14 Red Sox players batted at least 100 times, and nine of them were better than average. This past season, 16 Red Sox players batted at least 100 times, and just five of them were better than average. Only Eduardo Nunez was particularly good, and he spent a fraction of the season with the team. Looking at things going forward, this lineup doesn't look bad, but it could use another piece. Another piece to fit at first base.
The fix: I know that people have tried to connect the Red Sox and J.D. Martinez. I don't think the outfield needs the help, and I don't think the team should trade Jackie Bradley Jr. I think the focus should be on first base, with the top priority being signing Carlos Santana or trading for Jose Abreu. Eric Hosmer is likely to cost the most, but for that very reason, the team should steer clear. Santana and Abreu are plenty good enough, and if those moves can't happen, Logan Morrison is right there as an affordable fallback. With one more steady presence, this lineup would look an awful lot better.
Last season's Diamondbacks finished 17th in baseball in wRC+, so the offense was neither good nor bad. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt, of course, was great and is great, and he's still in the middle of the lineup. But J.D. Martinez is gone, and he's probably going to cost too much for Arizona to afford. Third baseman Jake Lamb is talented, but you'd like to have more. I'm a fan of outfielders David Peralta and A.J. Pollock, but neither is an offensive difference-maker. Not that this team can afford a new difference-maker, but there's money for powerful depth. It's not like that money needs to go to the starting rotation, which is already plenty great and deep.
The fix: While the staff loves pitching to catcher Jeff Mathis, he has his obvious strengths and weaknesses. He has never been able to hit, and for that reason, I think Arizona would be a fit for Alex Avila. Avila is more of an offensive-minded backstop who could also serve as a bench threat on his days off. And beyond that, the Diamondbacks should take a one-year chance on an offensive rebound from Jose Bautista. That's risky, I know, given Bautista's age, but he could start in left field and leave for a defensive replacement in the later innings. If it doesn't work, well, you move on. But if Bautista has one more go in him, the desert air could serve him well.
As always, a team can be only so bad when it has Mike Trout on it. Trout is able to almost single-handedly keep the Angels afloat, and he keeps the lineup from ever being weak. And the Angels have already accomplished one of their major offseason priorities by re-signing outfielder Justin Upton. Yet, after Trout and Upton, the Angels' third-best hitter is probably either outfielder Kole Calhoun or shortstop Andrelton Simmons. It's tough to acknowledge what Albert Pujols has turned into these days, but there's no getting around it. The Angels continue to suffer from the absence of depth. Such is their blessing, and such is their burden.
The fix: The easiest thing to do would be to sign Neil Walker. The Angels have a vacancy at second base, and Walker could slide right in. If the Angels did that tomorrow, there might be nothing else for them to do. But the Angels have also been linked to third baseman Mike Moustakas, who would be a slightly more complicated improvement. Moustakas doesn't play second, so he wouldn't fill that hole, but then Luis Valbuena might move over to platoon with C.J. Cron at first base, and that would make two positions stronger. Moustakas is a fit, if the Angels can come up with the money.
I've got five teams in here, and three of them are from the NL West. While the Rockies just finished third in baseball in runs scored, they were 27th in wRC+. They were first in runs scored at home, and they were 25th in runs scored on the road. I don't need to explain this. You know the reason. You know what the Rockies and their opponents have to deal with. Coors Field can mask severe offensive deficiencies. By the same token, it can make the pitching look worse than it is, but the Rockies' lineup is in serious need of improvement if they want to return to contention. Third baseman Nolan Arenado and outfielder Charlie Blackmon might be the only above-average hitters right now, and that just isn't good enough.
The fix: The easy part of this is that the Rockies should re-sign catcher Jonathan Lucroy, whose season turned around after arriving from Texas. Lucroy is a bat-to-ball machine, and that makes him particularly suited to Colorado's home park. He'd stabilize the situation behind the plate. The Rockies should also target a first baseman, and I'd like to see them get involved in the Jose Abreu talks. The front office has had interest in him for years. Failing that, the team would improve by adding Logan Morrison or Yonder Alonso, but Abreu would come with a stronger overall track record. He's a fit for a team that could very well return to the playoffs.