The offseason is finally over, and teams are again playing games that matter -- and will matter come the pennant races in September. Every team was presented the opportunity to improve itself with an active trade market and a slow free-agency period that allowed any team the ability to bring in more talent. Not every team took advantage. Here are the teams that did the most with that opportunity while also considering the potential for internal improvements over what clubs brought to field last year.
5. Houston Astros: So how does a team coming off a 101-win season and a World Series championship get better? Last year, the Astros began the season with a rotation of Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers Jr., Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers. Musgrove and Fiers combined for 43 starts with an ERA and FIP above 5.00 while in the rotation. This season, Keuchel, McCullers and Morton are back, but Musgrove and Fiers are replaced by Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.
Verlander was acquired last season but made only five starts before the playoffs. Cole might not be the ace from 2015 and half of 2016, but at worst he's an above-average innings-eater. Factor in Keuchel, McCullers and Morton averaging only 23 starts each, and the highly competent Brad Peacock in reserve and the sixth-best rotation by fWAR from 2017 should be the best in all of baseball in 2018.
On the offensive side, the Astros' two worst hitters to receive a decent amount of playing time last year were Carlos Beltran and Nori Aoki, who combined to be more than a win below replacement level last season. Distributing their plate appearances to Evan Gattis, Derek Fisher, J.D. Davis and perhaps top prospect Kyle Tucker, and the lineup might improve over last year's club. A full season of Carlos Correa -- who managed a five-WAR year in just two-thirds of the season -- would be another added boost. The Astros possess what some might consider an embarrassment of riches, but I highly doubt they are blushing.