(Audacy) Ahead of Opening Day of the 2022 MLB season, here's the first edition of our Audacy Sports power rankings.
2022 looks bleak for the A's after offseason teardown
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay has his work cut out in 2022.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
30. Baltimore Orioles
29. Pittsburgh Pirates
28. Arizona Diamondbacks
27. Oakland Athletics
26. Colorado Rockies
Instead of trying to build on 86 wins a season ago, the Athletics elected to drastically cut costs this offseason. Bob Melvin -- a three-time Manager of the Year -- was allowed to leave for the same position with the San Diego Padres, with no compensation coming back to the A's. Starling Marte and Mark Canha left to sign with the New York Mets. Matt Chapman, Matt Olson and Sean Manaea were all traded away. New manager Mark Kotsay will take over a roster without a ton of established talent and a franchise with an uncertain future in Oakland. He has got his work cut out.
Juan Soto will be great, but roster around him looks underwhelming
Nationals outfielder Juan Soto is one of the best players in baseball.
Sam Navarro/USA Today Sports
25. Cincinnati Reds
24. Kansas City Royals
23. Washington Nationals
22. Chicago Cubs
21. Cleveland Guardians
Even as the Nationals tore down the team around him last season, Juan Soto still put together an incredible campaign, walking a staggering 145 times en route to a second-place finish in the National League MVP award voting. But just three years after the Nationals won the World Series, there isn't much in the way of hope for success outside of Soto. The deals for Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin have turned into two of the worst contracts in the sport. Nelson Cruz and Keibert Ruiz will provide flashes of production, but the Nationals will ultimately be the Soto show in 2022 -- and not much more.
Is the top heavy enough for the Angels to reach the playoffs?
Will Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani be enough to help the Angels get back to the playoffs?
Kathryn Riley/Getty Images
20. Texas Rangers
19. Detroit Tigers
18. Miami Marlins
17. Los Angeles Angels
16. Minnesota Twins
If healthy, the top of the Angels' roster is about as good as there is in the league. Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are two of the five best players in the league. Anthony Rendon is one of the better pure hitters in the sport. Noah Syndergaard -- still only 29 -- is more than two years removed from Tommy John surgery and seemingly ready to put together a big year after signing a one-year, $21-million deal to leave the New York Mets. But between a slew of injury questions surrounding their stars and a lack of roster depth, we're not ready to pick the Angels to reach the postseason, even if it would be great for the sport.
Will a loaded lineup be enough for Phillies to get to the playoffs?
Will Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto help lead the Phillies to the playoffs?
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15. Seattle Mariners
14. St. Louis Cardinals
13. Philadelphia Phillies
12. Boston Red Sox
11. Houston Astros
The Phillies haven't reached the playoffs since 2011, but there's plenty of excitement in Philadelphia that 2022 might be the year that postseason baseball returns to Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are high on the potential of a bullpen that will include Corey Knebel and Seranthony Dominguez and have a quality one-two punch in the starting rotation with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Ultimately though, the Phillies are going to sink or swim based on whether what appears to be a stacked offense can power them into the postseason. Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber will join a lineup that already included reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins and Jean Segura. There's also excitement about what NL Rookie of the Year candidate Bryson Stott can add to the lineup. In a contract year for manager Joe Girardi, there has never been a better season for the Phillies to return to the postseason for the first time since a crushing loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS.
After major offseason investments, can Mets break organizational curse?
Ace Max Scherzer is entering his first season with the Mets.
Eric Espada/Getty Images
10. San Francisco Giants
9. New York Mets
8. Chicago White Sox
7. San Diego Padres
6. Milwaukee Brewers
In recent years "but it's the Mets" has been a legitimate reason for picking against New York's NL squad despite talented rosters. With the offseason additions of Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Mark Canha and Chris Bassitt, it felt like owner Steve Cohen had essentially made the Mets too talented to fail under first-year manager Buck Showalter. But now two-time NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom is set to open the season on the injured list, and Scherzer, 37, is dealing with a hamstring injury himself. On paper, the Mets should be a team that, at a minimum, wins a wild-card spot in 2022. But it's the Mets, so all bets are off.
Dodgers enter 2022 with one of the deepest teams we've ever seen
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a really deep lineup.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
5. Tampa Bay Rays
4. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
2. Atlanta Braves
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers let 2020 World Series MVP Corey Seager, three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and franchise great Kenley Jansen depart in free agency this offseason -- and perhaps still got better. Chris Taylor and Clayton Kershaw are back. Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel and Daniel Hudson have joined the fold. They'll get a full season from National League MVP candidate Trea Turner. Even in a division with two other potential World Series contenders -- the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants -- the Dodgers should win at least 100 games in 2022.
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