30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 30 Miami Marlins

We did it: we finally made it to the last post of my 30 Teams in 30 Days project! And there is no team in the Major Leagues that deserves to be listed at the end more than the Marlins. I mentioned last time about the right and wrong ways to enter a rebuild, and what happened in Miami over the 2017-18 offseason was just about the wrongest way possible to go about it. Even wronger than that time the Marlins dismantled the team the winter after they won the World Series. Or when they undid all the promising win-now moves they made to pretend that they were serious about contending, just one year after opening their new taxpayer-funded stadium. Sensing a pattern here? Anyway, here's the roster that will be confounding fans in South Florida through the 2018 season:

All-Acquired Factor

As with the Rays, this category is more about the players who were dealt away than the ones the Marlins got in return. The trade of NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton brought back mostly salary relief, but also second baseman Starlin Castro, who really just represents the portion of Stanton's contract that the Yankees don't have to pay for. When Christian Yelich went to the Brewers, he netted Miami their new top prospect Lewis Brinson (ranked #27 on MLB.com's top 100 list going into the season), who has jumped right into the center field role, despite a sub-.200 batting average. That same trade also saw the Marlins acquire outfielder Monte Harrison (MLB.com's #71 prospect) and infielder Isan Diaz (who had been ranked #86 as of the start of Spring Training, but had since fallen off the list by Opening Day). The best piece received from the Cardinals in return for Marcell Ozuna was pitching prospect Sandy Alcantara, but he has yet to debut in the majors with his new team. Also Dee Gordon was used to acquire Nick Neidert from the Mariners, among others, who is now the organization's #10-ranked prospect.

Fifth Starter

Heh, if only it was just the fifth starter I had to determine; as of today, only two of the four pitchers projected for rotation spots in the Sports Illustrated baseball preview issue have started a game for the Marlins in 2018. For the record, those are Jose Urena (who's 0-4 with an ERA just under 5, despite a much more reasonable FIP hovering around 4) and rookie lefty Dillon Peters (who has a .500 win-loss record, but an ERA and FIP that are both pushing 6). Dan Straily has been on the shelf for the whole year with a forearm strain, although he's actually scheduled to come off the DL to start today. And Adam Conley was optioned to the minors a couple weeks before Opening Day, and has struggled to an ERA close to 9 in Triple-A. Meanwhile, the other three rotation spots have been filled by Jarlin "the Marlin" Garcia (who has been quite impressive with a 1.00 ERA (4.00 FIP) in his three starts and two relief appearances), Caleb Smith (a Rule 5 pick who seems likely to stick around), and Trevor Richards (the organization's #27-ranked prospect), although the latter was optioned to the minors when expensive lefty Wei-Yin Chen (ranked 518 overall by MLB.com) came off the DL sooner than expected from his UCL injury.

New Ownership

Former Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter had been linked to the Marlins as a potential new owner way back in April of last year. Other buyers entered the picture, including fellow Hall of Famer Tom Glavine and local Miami business leader Jorge Mas, but Mr. November (and his investment group led by Bruce Sherman) outbid them all and emerged victorious. Since then, Jeter and Co. have embarked on a rapid and drastic payroll-reduction mission, involving divesting themselves of such troubling assets as... one of the league's best offensive outfields. What's all the more frustrating for Marlins fans is that the talent brought back in these deals was decidedly not of the top-shelf variety as a whole, laying bare the new ownership group's strategy of operating on a bare bones budget at the expense of the team's fortunes. To make matters worse, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was likely aware of Jeter's plans to slash payroll, despite repeatedly denying it on an interview with Dan Le Batard. To add insult to injury, Jorge Mas, the brother of Mastec CEO Jose Mas (who I was instrumental in casting for an episode of CBS's Undercover Boss), has stated that he would have increased payroll and taken a shot at contention had he won the bidding war. Of course, hindsight is 20-20 in these situations, and we may never get a glimpse of Mas's version of "Project Wolverine," but I can think of more than a few Marlins fans who would have gladly taken their chances.

Song

Miami - Will Smith

At least we can end this entry on a strong note (literally), as rapper-turned-actor-turned-Scientologist Will Smith's ode to the jewel of South Florida has endured over the years as a classic party jam, despite its distinct 90's feel. There are many other songs and artists associated with Miami, including anything off the Pitbull album M.I.A.M.I,, but you can't beat the former Fresh Prince's ultra-clean sound for pure nostalgia factor. It's times like these that I'm extra glad that the franchise changed its name from the Florida Marlins, because otherwise we'd be looking at stuff like Eric Clapton's "Mainline Florida," or Jimmy Buffet's "Floridays," or anything by Flo Rida.

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So that's it for 30 Teams in 30 Days 2018! There was one little SNAFU with the Padres post going up a day late, but, you guys, I PROMISE that I had it all written and ready to go, there was just some confusion with the mobile app version of Blogger that I used to upload a picture from my phone, and I must have hit "Save as Draft" instead of "Schedule." But nobody's perfect, and it's these little imperfections that make us all beautiful unique snowflakes. So what did everybody think? Did you readers enjoy getting more regular posts on this blog? Analytics is telling me that an average of 20.48 of you did! Enjoy it while it lasted, because I'll likely be returning to a more sporadic schedule as I work on other projects, such as drafting the new Magic: The Gathering set, and getting my PS4 repaired so that I can continue my dream as a budding Let's Play-er.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 29 Detroit Tigers

As far as Major League front offices are concerned, there is a right way and a wrong way to send your organization into a rebuilding period. From where I sit (very far from Detroit), it seems like the Tigers have generally gone about things the right way. For years, the top decision makers have shown the fan base they were willing to do what it takes to win, making shrewd trades and spending on the free agent market. Then, only after the former core pieces of their roster got too old and ineffective, did they consciously decide to sell off what assets they could, and focus on developing their young talent. Here's some of that young talent that will play baseball games at Comerica Park this season:

All-Acquired Factor

Highly regarded defensive center fielder Leonys Martin was the only newly added member of the Tigers starting lineup, and he's by no means a long-term piece, as his one-year deal demonstrates. Best case scenario, he'll provide some useful at-bats, high-quality glovework, and serve as a mentor to some of the team's younger players, such as Rule 5 picks Victor Reyes, who, given Detroit's rebuilding status, could stick on the active roster all year long, despite only having amassed 12 plate appearances so far this season. The only other offensive piece the team added over the offseason was infielder Niko Goodrum, who spent last year with the division rival Twins.

On the pitching side, the Tigers brought in not only the above-listed Mike Fiers, who has pitched well so far despite a terrible Spring Training and a lumbar strain that sidelined him for a little over a week of the season, but also veteran lefty Francisco Liriano, whose preseason MLB ranking increased to 532 when it was announced that he would win a rotation spot to begin the season. In the bullpen, newly acquired lefty Ryan Carpetner, signed to a major league deal after spending last year as a starter in the Rockies system, and Johnny Barbato, a waiver claim from the Pirates organization, have also seen time in the majors during the first month.

Fifth Starter

The above starting rotation projected  by Sports Illustrated in their baseball preview issue, coupled with Liriano winning a starting job would make it seem that we have all five spots in the rotation accounted for. But think again! Despite the fact that SI tabbed Daniel Norris as its fantasy breakout candidate, he's only made one start this season against three relief appearances... although he did take the hill today against the Orioles. Instead, the fifth slot in the rotation has gone to Matthew Boyd (427), who is currently sporting an ERA under 3, despite a FIP nearly two full runs higher, which has led to an 0-2 record on the season.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

I feel like I've talked a lot about Miguel Cabrera's preseason ranking as it applies to the Aries starting first base situation. It appeared to me that his rank of 89 was quite optimistic, given his struggles in 2017 and his inevitable age/injury related decline. But as of today, he has been the best option for the "Rams" at his position (373 points, 15.5 per game), followed by Yonder Alonso (330, 13.2) - sorry Matt Olson (258, 9.6), who the rankings tabbed as the top candidate for DH. Meanwhile, on the non-contenders, Nicholas Castellanos's third base eligibility means that he still has a spot on the Pisces lineup, a team for which ace Michael Fulmer finds himself on the outside looking in. Also Jose Iglesias is somewhat surprisingly Capricorn's best available shortstop.

Song

Detroit Rock City - Kiss

I'm frankly surprised that I didn't take this opportunity to plug my favorite actively touring band, Electric Six, which originated in Detroit... oh hey, I just did! The only issue is that the only one of their songs I could find that is actively about their home city is the relatively unknown "I Am Detroit," which was recorded during their early years, when they were known as The Wildbunch. I also considered "Lose Yourself" by Detroit-based rapper Eminem from the Detroit-centered movie 8 Mile. But in the end, I went with a classic rock hit that not only inspired a Detroit-centered movie (of the same name), but one that's often heard in the stadium when the Tigers take the field.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 28 San Diego Padres

UPDATE: I SWEAR I HAD THIS WRITTEN AND SCHEDULED ON FRIDAY AGO BUT FORGOT TO CLICK PUBLISH AND IT IS NOW SUNDAY I AM STILL ON SCHEDULE I SWEEEEEAAAAARRRRR!

For the past three point five years, the Padres have had a decidedly tumultuous run under General Manager A.J. Preller. First they emptied their farm system for a dramatic push for contention. Then when that failed spectacularly, they flipped most of their short term assets for promising young talent. And now, with much of that talent coming to fruition at the Major League level, and with one of the splashiest moves of the offseason, San Diego is hoping that relevance is not too far down the horizon. It'll still be an uphill climb, on the fact that they share a division with three 2017 playoff teams, but here's the core of what will hopefully be the next Padres contenders:

All-Acquired Factor

Eric Hosmer was probably the most polarizing figure on last year's free agent market. On the one hand, he's got a reputation as a clubhouse leader, he drives in runs, and he passes the eye test at first base. On the other hand, he has yet to put together consecutive good seasons, he's on the wrong side of the launch angle revolution, and he's far from a darling of fielding metrics. Somehow, in this curious and outrageous economic landscape, that skill set equates to an eight year contract at $20mm per year. The other two additions to San Diego's lineup were acquired via trade: Freddy Galvis, the next-most significant, came from the Phillies, and will serve as a one-year stopgap for MLB.com's #8 overall prospect, Fernando Tatis Jr., some of that aforementioned young talent. And the last, corner infielder Chase Headley, is a familiar face, having been developed as a Padre, and also having been taken back from the Yankees primarily as a means to offset some salary in order to acquire the player they were really after, starter Bryan Mitchell. However, he's been all but supplanted at the hot corner by red-hot hitting, and un-ranked, Christian Villanueva.

Fifth Starter

Mitchell has stuck in the rotation so far, despite a winless record, and is in fact scheduled to pitch tomorrow. However, one full half of the rotation projected by Sports Illustrated in their baseball preview episode is now out of commission. Dinelson Lamet, who SI projected as their fantasy breakout candidate, which would have been good news for the Cancer fantasy astrology team, had he not suffered a torn UCL and required Tommy John surgery. And Luis Perdomo, who had seemed very promising, especially for a former Rule 5 pick, was just optioned to the minors. Instead,  another familiar face, Tyson Ross, saw his MLB.com rank increase to 541 with the news that he had won a job in the rotation. But the last spot went to rather unheralded lefty Joey Lucchesi, ranked #9 on the list of Padres prospects by MLB.com, and he's been the best of the bunch with a 2.70 ERA / 2.89 FIP through his first five MLB starts, the sixth of which might be happening RIGHT NOW. The strategy of using midrange prospects in the rotation worked so well that Perdomo's place was filled by San Diego's #8 prospect Eric Lauer, who got hammered in his one appearance so far.

Outfield

Two years ago, former Rookie of the Year Wil Myers moved from the outfield to first base full time,
which seemed to have allowed him to unlock more of his potential, perhaps by removing some of the physical toll from his body. Then Eric Hosmer's acquisition pushed Myers back to the outfield, and he somewhat predictably got hurt less than a week later. He's back now, and hitting well, but his absence opened up right field for last year's right fielder Hunter Renfroe, whose rank dropped to 399 when it was announced that he would not join a healthy Myers in the outfield, having been surpassed by last year's breakout left fielder Jose Pirela, which is why his ranking is shaded in green above. However, I do see a way for both Pirela and Renfroe to be in the lineup, and it involves the fact that Pirela was once a second base prospect for the Yankees. If he can take some time at the keystone, as FanGraphs positional power rankings suggest, he could displace Carlos Asuaje, who's ranked more than 300 spots worse.

Pronunciation

Before Lamet's injury, when I was trying to decide between him, Marco Estrada, and Patrick Corbin for the "Decapods" fifth starter, I assumed you emphasized the first syllables of his name, like DIN-ell-sun LAMB-et. Conversely, Baseball Reference claims the emphasis should go on the second syllable of each name, as in "di-NEL-son lam-ET" and I have no reason not to agree with them. As for the Padres second baseman, I would have said as-WAH-hey, like in the George Harrison song "Wah-Wah". However, when I was listening to a Padres game on the MLB.com At-Bat app, which I then subsequently plugged on my blog, just now, I distinctly heard the broadcaster say as-WAY-hey, and... I kind of still think I'm right. Although, I was also firmly convinced that the first name of the current Mets infielder with the surname Cabrera was pronounced AZZ-dru-ball, until I was finally enlightened enough to say as-DREW-bull.

Song

San Diego - Blink-182

I liked Blink-182 in the 90's. I still loosely follow Travis Barker's career, due mostly to his association with Run the Jewels, which, if you'll recall, is also related to my recent interest in Lorde. But can you blame me if I was still a little surprised to see that the San Diego-based band had released an album as recently as 2016? And then if I was even more surprised to find out that the "San Diego" is a surprisingly deep song about the relationships of the band members, the themes of which could be applied to a rebuilding baseball team? Either way, I promise this is the last team where I had to find an entry for this feature through Internet searching.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 27 Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays are one of the most enigmatic franchises in all of baseball. First they trade away most of their big names in what seem like blatant cost-cutting moves, then claim that they're not rebuilding, but rather "retooling" and planning to stay competitive in one of the AL's toughest divisions. Then they announced a willingness to shell out big on a new stadium in nearby Ybor City, even as the MLB Player's Union has filed a grievance against them for not applying funds to their roster. And don't even get me started on that goofy three-man rotation plan they had going into the season... actually, do get me started, but not until a couple sections later. First, let's take a look at the roster of players who will be taking the field for Tampa Bay in 2018.

All-Acquired Factor

"All-Divested Factor" might be a better title for this section, given how eager the Rays were to trade away so many quality pieces this offseason. Evan Longoria to the Giants, Steven Souza to the Diamondbacks, Jake Odorizzi to the Twins, and Corey Dickerson to the Pirates (after unceremoniously designating the 2017 All-Star for assignment), just to name a few. Of course, when you make so many subtractions, you have to add pieces to make up for them: Denard Span came to Tampa Bay in the Longoria deal, but mostly as a way for San Francisco to offset the added salary. They traded for C.J. Cron from the Angels, although that was mostly to fill the void left by free agent Logan Morrison. And Carlos Gomez inked a one-year free agent deal to take one of the two corner outfield vacancies.

Spots Illustrated's baseball preview projected former Mariners shortstop Brad Miller to be the starting second baseman, but it's actually been Oakland A's castoff Joey Wendle who's logged the most innings at the keystone, forcing Miller into a timeshare at first base, with defensive whiz Adeiny Hechavarria entrenched at short. For his part, Wendle has acquitted himself well so far with an .892 OPS through the season's first month (mostly), showing the talent that prompted the A's to acquire him straight up from the Indians for Brandon Moss. Speaking of players acquired after they were designated for assignment by their former teams, Rob Refsnyder was traded to the Rays by the Blue Jays, after they picked up the former Yankees infield prospect off waivers from the Indians.

Fifth Starter

Who needs a fifth starter? asked the Rays, rhetorically, prior to Opening Day 2018. We'll use four dedicated starting pitchers, and fill the fifth slot in the rotation with a planned "bullpen day!" Then Nathan Eovaldi, already recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, went down for six to eight weeks with "loose bodies" in his elbow. Then top prospect Brent Honeywell was forced to undergo his own TJS in February, followed by fellow top prospect Jose De Leon next month. That left only Chris Archer, Blake Snell, and Jake Faria as rotation options, as the club had already traded Odorizzi at this point. That's fine, said the Rays, We'll use THREE starting pitchers and TWO bullpen days! That'll probably work! And that's the reason why you see two starts for Andrew Kittredge and one for Ryan Yarbrough. Last week Tampa Bay came to their senses somewhat, naming prospect Yonny Chirinos as their official fourth starter, but that bullpen day every fifth day thing is presumably still the plan. We'll see how that works out come August...

Position Player Injuries

This seems like such a throwaway category, but I'm only four days away from the end of this project and I'm running out of things to say about the Rays. Brad Miller missed just about the minimum amount of time on the DL with a groin strain, during which time C.J. Cron took over the starting first base job. But both Cron and Miller will be able to coexist on the roster thanks to a thumb injury to center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. For full details on how that rotation will work, Denard Span will move from DH to left field, with speedster Mallex Smith taking over in center. Also former Giant Matt Duffy is injured again, this time with a hamstring strain, leaving third base for utility-player Daniel Robertson. It's going to be a long season in St. Petersburg...

Song

Tampa Bay - Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains

This was another team where I had to just Google "Tampa Bay" and "lyrics," and this was the first thing that came up... and MAN, is this bleak. I had never been into the music of Pat The Bunny (a.k.a. Patrick Schneeweis, the frontman of the short-lived Johnny Hobo project) or the "anarcho-punk" scene in general, but after giving this song a listen, I have to say, it's shockingly applicable to the state of the Rays franchise right now. The only other musical lead I could find related to the city was blues guitarist Tampa Red, who grew up in his namesake city, but made his mark in the Chicago blues scene, so none of his songs have that distinctive Tampa flair. Like I said, long season...

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 26 Cincinnati Reds

Do you remember the episode of hit CBS show Undercover Boss from 2011 featuring the Mayor of Cincinnati? The one where the well-spoken and charismatic Mark Mallory meets a delightful parking attendant, and a disgruntled mechanic at the municipal vehicle repair shop, among others? It may surprise you to learn that not only was I behind the camera for his casting interview that was sent to the network for approval, but I was also part of the team that found and interviewed those two city employees! While I was there, I attended a Reds game at Great American Ballpark, where I had some skyline chili, enjoyed the view of the Ohio River, and added another mini-bat to my collection. Here's the 2018 Cincinnati Reds:

All-Acquired Factor

For a team like the Reds, which is seemingly in a perpetual state of rebuilding, making splashy offseason acquisitions is pretty far from the top of their priority list. While there is not a single acquired member of the projected lineup or rotation, Cincinnati did make some additions to the bullpen and the bench: middle relievers Jared Hughes and David Hernandez were each signed to two-year free agent deals (although the latter of which hasn't played yet in 2018 due to shoulder inflammation), and Kevin Quackenbush made the team out of Spring Training after inking a minor league deal, although he was cut from the roster two days ago. Also joining the team on minor league deals are utility infielders Cliff Pennington (ranked a whopping 762 by MLB.com prior to the season) and Phil Gosselin. For all the criticism the Angels got for not putting a winning team around Mike Trout, what about the Reds and Joey Votto?

Fifth Starter

FIFTH starter!? More like, starters two-through-five, inclusive, am I right? First of all, Anthony DeSclafani hasn't pitched since 2016, and is expected to be out until June with an oblique strain. Brandon Finnegan actually made it back from his biceps strain in the middle of the month, although he has struggled to an 11+ ERA in his first two starts (already half his output from last year). The other two spots in the rotation have gone to top-100 prospect Tyler Mahle (ranked 372) and Sal Romano (whose rank increased to 509 following DeSclafani's injury). In addition, former top-100 prospect Cody Reed has made one start, to go along with three relief appearances, but he was sent down to the minors last Saturday.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Professional hitter Joey Votto and speedster Billy Hamilton were ticketed for starting roles for the Virgo "Maidens" before the season, but both have struggled out of the gates, while it's been fellow Virgo Adam Duvall who's leading the team with three (3) home runs, despite an average under the Mendoza line. Before his thumb injury, Eugenio Suarez was filling in for the injured Nelson Cruz at Cancer's DH spot, and could take a starting role next year if Manny Machado loses his third base eligibility. Raisel Iglesias is Capricorn's top reliever, as his stay on the Paternity List was short-lived, because of societal gender roles. And Luis Castillo should hold down a rotation spot for the non-contending Sagittarius "Archers."

Manager

After four years and 18 games at the helm, Reds ownership decided it had seen enough of Bryan Price, despite the fact that the club's shortcomings were hardly his fault. But a 3-15 start must have consequences, so the manager (and pitching coach Mack Jenkins) were the scapegoats in this particular instance. We'll see if installing Jim Riggleman as interim skipper leads to a reversal of fortunes in Cincinnati, but my guess is that whoever is leading this ship, it is bound for the NL Central cellar.

Song

Cincinnati, Ohio - Connie Smith

I'll admit that a Cincinnati-based song didn't come ready to mind, so this was another Google-assisted choice. But the smooth country tones of Connie Smith and Bill Anderson's lyrics about a longing for the Queen City nicely evoke a feeling for a team that plays its games on the border of Ohio and Kentucky. Also it's just a bonus that this song was released just three years before the Reds made four World Series appearances over a seven-year span. Honorable mention goes to "The Cincinnati Song" from the 1986 TV movie Babes in Toyland starring Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore.... but not really.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 25 Texas Rangers

The Rangers are one of several teams that fall into a category I would compare to Kate Winslet in the movie Titanic: unable to spend, unwilling to rebuild. I can understand how this strategy could be frustrating for Rangers fans, but as a fan of baseball in general, I appreciate that there are fringe teams who believe in themselves enough to add to an established core and try to push for a Wild Card spot, rather than tear the whole thing down and start from scratch. Of course, in Texas's case, it could be the case that Adrian Beltre forced his way into the office of GM Jon Daniels and physically prevented him from embarking on a rebuild... But whatever the reason, here's the group of Rangers players who will try to win some games in 2018:

All-Acquired Factor

The Rangers offense is solid enough that they didn't feel the need to make any major acquisitions, with Beltre still rolling at age 39, Joey Gallo smacking high launch angle home runs all over the place, and Shin-Soo Choo serving as an underrated offensive threat. The same cannot be said for the pitching staff, except for the part about the major acquisitions, as the team tried to fill its needs with a patchwork of cheap veterans. First they signed Doug Fister, who had struggled for the better part of three years, and who just came off the DL to start today after suffering a hip injury. Then about a week later, they signed Mike Minor - ranked 253 by MLB.com, despite not appearing in the Sports Illustrated baseball preview issue - who was given a rotation spot after reinvented himself as a reliever for Kansas City last year, after his career as a starter had stalled out after 2014. And finally they traded for Matt Moore from the Giants for two low level minor leaguers.

Speaking of minor leaguers, the final piece of the rotation puzzle came on board in February when Bartolo Colon (695) was signed to a minor league deal. Big Sexy didn't make the team out of Spring Training, but was called up three days later, and has split his time between the rotation and a long relief role, and is currently leading the team in WAR. The active wins leader needs just three more to pass Juan Marichal as the all-time leader among Dominican-born players, and at age 44, the former Cy Young award winner is quickly running out of time to reach that milestone. Speaking of former Cy Young award winners, the Rangers also brought in Tim Lincecum (374) on a major league deal, with the promise to let him compete for a late inning relief job, but he's been out of action with blister problems since before the start of the season.

Bullpen

You might notice that the preseason ranking of Alex Claudio has been trending down between the start of Spring Training and Opening Day (as evidenced by the red highlight in his RNK column). That's because Keone Kela officially leapfrogged him on the closer depth chart, causing his rank to improve to 325. Also affected by this shuffle was part-time 2017 closer Matt Bush, whose rank dropped to 472. Pitchers whose rankings remained the same include new acquisitions Jesse Chavez (510), as the closer discussion doesn't affect his long relief role, Kevin Jepsen (unranked), who made the team out of Spring Training on a minor league deal, and Chris Martin (also unranked, and also not of Coldplay fame), who was picked up on a two-year deal after spending last year pitching in Japan.

Injuries

In addition to Lincecum, Martin Perez started the year on the DL while recovering from elbow surgery, but he was able to return less than a week into the season, although he has struggled to an ERA approaching 10.00 in his return. While the injury situations of Fister and center fielder Delino DeShields (who fractured his hamate bone on day two of the season, but returned two days ago) have been resolved, the same is not true for both of Texas's starting middle infielders: second baseman Rougned Odor went down with a hamstring strain, followed three days later by Elvis Andrus, who has a fractured elbow. In their place have been Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a career minor leaguer from Hawaii, and Jurickson Profar (706), a former top prospect who's trying to prove he belongs in the majors in a sink-or-swim setting, as he is out of minor league options.

Left Field

Texas finds itself in a similar situation with Willie Calhoun as Atlanta is facing with Ronald Acuna: both were projected as starting left fielders according to FanGraphs positional power rankings, but both started the seasons in the minors to delay their respective service time clocks. However, while SI featured Calhoun in the Rangers' preseason preview (as opposed to Ryan Rua (698) who has had the majority of starts in left so far), the Braves page featured placeholder Lane Adams... who wasn't even the right placeholder! I just find the discrepancy interesting, if not in any way illuminating.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Now is not a great time to be an Aries third baseman, as no matter how well Adrian Beltre and Travis Shaw play, they will be firmly behind Nolan Arenado on the depth chart for the foreseeable future. The same is true of Virgo shortstops: Elvis Andrus and Andrelton Simmons (and even the red hot Marcus Semien) are little more than afterthoughts behind a healthy Carlos Correa. On the other hand, as long as Shin-Soo Choo maintains his outfield eligibility, he will be manning a corner spot for the Cancer team. As for the non-contenders, Cole Hamels was once Capricorn's ace, but he's now significantly lower in the rotational pecking order. Even with his demotion from the closer's role, Alex Claudio still earns a spot in the Aquarius bullpen. And Nomar Mazara has hit his way into the Taurus outfield plans, opposite Aaron Judge in the other corner.

Song

Deep in the Heart of Texas - Alvino Rey version

I don't care that the Rangers were still 20 years away from becoming a major league franchise when Don Swander wrote this song in 1941, it just so evocatively describes the Lone Star State that I couldn't resist. Although there have been numerous notable recordings in its history, I picked the one by Alvino Rey and his Orchestra, as it was the only version to reach #1 on the Billboard charts in 1942. A runner up for this spot was George Strait's "All My Ex's Live in Texas," which I only know about due to its inclusion in the landmark PS2 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as part of the playlist for fake country music station K-Rose, but it just doesn't have that big band zip, you know what I'm saying?

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 24 Atlanta Braves

With a new stadium and a new front office, the Braves are ready to start inching back from rebuilding to contending. While it was definitely a blow to see a number of their top prospects stripped away due to infractions committed by the previous baseball operations regime, Atlanta still has a talented core at (or soon to be at) the Major League level, and they should soon be a force to be reckoned with in the NL East.

All-Acquired Factor

The only new player shown in the Sports Illustrated baseball preview issue is projected fourth starter Brandon McCarthy, but the story of how he came to the Braves is noteworthy enough to deserve some deeper examination. B-Mac was one of four players acquired from the Dodgers (along with veteran first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, injured lefty starter Scott Kazmir, and utility infielder Charlie Culberson) in exchange for Matt Kemp and the rest of his massive contract. While the overall amount of money that changed hands was about even, the deal was engineered to help Los Angeles push some of their salary obligations into the future, so that they could sneak their 2018 payroll under the luxury tax threshold. In the end, McCarthy and Culberson are the only players remaining with the Braves: Gonzalez was released immediately after the transaction (and later signed with the Mets), while Kazmir stuck around until five days before Opening Day before being handed his walking papers.

Fifth Starter

With Kazmir out of the picture, the last spot in Atlanta's rotation ended up going to Non-Roster Invitee Anibal Sanchez (ranked 711 by MLB.com), who joined the Braves after being cut loose by the Twins in Spring Training. He had a good couple of starts (and one good relief appearance) before going down with a hamstring strain, leading to the call up of Matt Wisler, a former two-time top 100 prospect (2014-15), who has settled into a solid depth role. Also on the injury front, prospect Luiz Gohara was ticketed for a rotation spot until he sprained his ankle during Spring Training, causing his pre-season ranking to drop to 353.

Left Field

According to the FanGraphs 2018 positional power rankings, superprospect Ronald Acuna Jr. will serve as Atlanta's primary left fielder, a projection that was backed up by his very solid MLB.com fantasy ranking of 154, and all but confirmed by his superhuman Spring Training performance (1.247 OPS in 52 plate appearances). Nevertheless, no one was surprised when Acuna was left off the Braves roster to start the season, due to service time concerns - by now we're all familiar with the somewhat arbitrary rule that gives a team an extra year of control over a player who spends the first ~2 weeks of the season in the minor leagues. (Sports Illustrated predicted that fact, naming placeholder Lane Adams as the starting left fielder, although in reality it has been Preston Tucker (acquired from the Astros during the offseason, and ranked 723) who has filled in, quite admirably so far. Adams, in fact, was just recently designated for assignment, leaving Peter Bourjos (772), picked up after being released by the Cubs, as their top reserve outfielder.

The surprises came when Acuna started off the season ice cold at the plate in Triple-A (.582 OPS through 67 PA). Perhaps pitchers are starting to make adjustments to Acuna's otherworldly talent after he spent 54 games at that level last year, perhaps he's phoning it in expecting to get called up at the earliest opportunity; whatever the reason, his poor performance has not yet earned him an MLB promotion, and I'm sure there are some in Atlanta's front office who are hoping (not publicly, of course) that his struggles continue through the month of June so that the organization can avoid paying him an extra year's worth of Arbitration salary. Whatever happens, Acuna is still considered the Braves' left fielder of the future, and it's quite likely we see him take that mantle at SOME point during the 2018 season.

Third Base

Looking at fantasy points will show you that Johan Camargo had a decent rookie season last year; what they won't show you is that the peripherals behind that season mean that it's unlikely to be repeated in the future. We haven't been able to see whether or not that's the case, as Camargo has managed only four games (one start) so far this year due to oblique issues. In the meantime, it's been another minor league signee, Ryan Flaherty (late of the Orioles, by way of the Phillies), who has filled in (quite admirably) in his stead. In an interesting, and perhaps noteworthy move, new Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos just recently brought in former star slugging outfielder Jose Bautista on a minor league deal, where he's slated to play his old position of third base, so Joey Bats could be a factor at the hot corner sometime down the line. In any event, whoever plays third base will be seen as little more than a stopgap for pre-2018 top 100 prospect Austin Riley.

Song

Georgia on My Mind - Ray Charles version

When Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell wrote "Georgia on My Mind" back in 1930, the franchise now known as the Atlanta Braves was located in Boston (although they were still known as the Braves), and its roster featured Hall of Famers George Sisler (in his final year) and Rabbit Maranville, not to mention a 38 homer performance by rookie Wally Berger, and 251 innings from starting pitcher Socks Seibold. I picked the Ray Charles version from 1960 rather than the original recording by Carmichael, not just because the then-Milwaukee Braves finished second (as opposed to sixth) thanks to contributions from Hank Aaron, Eddie Matthews, Warren Spahn, and Lew Burdette, but also because Charles sang the song specifically with the state of Georgia in mind, rather than the sister of the original songwriter. I also briefly considered "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and The Pips for this spot, but decided against it, even though by the time it was released in 1973, the fifth place Braves had settled in Atlanta, with Hank Aaron now joined by Darrell Evans, Davey Johnson, and Phil Niekro.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 23 Kansas City Royals

Back in 2015 when the Royals won the World Series, ending the Giants' hopes of expanding beyond an even year phenomenon, they did it in no small part thanks to the help of Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, and Alcides Escobar. All four of those hitters became free agents after the 2017 season. And while Kansas City was able to lure back the latter two on one-year deals that were largely opportunistic in nature, the initial loss of their "core four," so to speak, has signaled to GM Dayton Moore that it's time for another rebuild. Here's the group of players who will be competing for the first pick in the 2019 draft:

All-Acquired Factor

The last sentence of that last paragraph was perhaps an unfair dig against the "tanking" strategy, as towards the end of the offseason, the Royals made some short term veteran acquisitions to give their 2018 product a semblance of respectability. Power hitting first baseman Lucas Duda will nominally replace Hosmer, after splitting 2017 between his original team, the Mets, and the Rays, to which he was traded. And capable-yet-unexciting outfielder Jon Jay was signed to help fill the Cain-sized void in center field, after spending last year with the Cubs. (Jay has played in left rather than center so far in 2018, but more on that later.)

Bringing back Escobar and Moustakas weren't the only infield related moves made by Kansas City, as they also picked up defensive whiz Ryan Goins (ranked a whopping 774 by MLB.com prior to the season) on a minor league deal, who subsequently earned a roster spot out of Spring Training. Journeyman reliever Blaine Boyer also made the team the same way. Justin Grimm on the other hand was signed to a major league deal after the Cubs released him to avoid paying his full arbitration salary. And then there are two Rule 5 picks, Burch Smith and Brad Keller, who have to remain on KC's active roster for the whole season, or get offered back to their original teams (the Mets and the Reds, respectively).

Fifth Starter

In their 2018 baseball preview, Sports Illustrated chose to include the injured Nate Karns as the Royals fourth starter, despite the fact that he's on the Disabled List with elbow inflammation and seemingly no timetable to return. Even though that DL placement happened after SI went to print, it's curious that they chose to omit 2017 rookie Jakob Junis from that list, even though he was ranked a much more palatable 245 prior to the season. He's currently pitching well, with a 3-1 record and a 2.03 ERA (despite a 4.02 FIP) through his first four starts. The same cannot be said of Karns's replacement in the fifth starter spot Eric Skoglund, who is 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA (despite a 5.41 FIP) in his three outings. However, another offseason acquisition, former Red Sox star Clay Buchholz (596) is rehabbing from a sprained knee and could enter the picture sooner rather than later.

Injuries and Suspensions

Now that Hosmer is gone, the natural leader of this team is the usually-durable catcher Salvador Perez, although he's on the DL with an MCL tear in his knee. Honestly though, the time spent rehabbing might not be the worst thing for Salvy, as he's played an average of 140 games over the last five seasons. The deals for Escobar and Goins look extra good, considering that top infield prospect Adalberto (né Raul Jr.) Mondesi (408) has been out since the start of the season with a shoulder impingement. As for in-season injuries, homegrown star Alex Gordon went down with a torn labrum in his hip, although that injury seemingly sounds much worse than it is: indeed both he and Perez could return to the lineup as soon as tomorrow.

On the suspension front, promising young outfielder Jorge Bonifacio got slapped with an 80-gamer for testing positive for a PED called Boldenone, and his ranking dropped to 580 with the news that he would be placed on the restricted list. This development was covered by Sports Illustrated, as they had fourth outfielder Paulo Orlando listed in Bonifacio's place.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

The closest the Royals come to having a starter on a contender is Mike Moustakas, who could take the hot corner if Chris Taylor (153) struggles, causing Jose Ramirez (19) to move to second base. Other than that, second baseman Whit Merrifield should man the keystone for Aquarius, Alcides Escobar should start at shortstop for Sagittarius (believe it or not), and starter Danny Duffy should have a spot in the Capricorn rotation. Speaking of Capricorn, closer Kelvin Herrera would be behind Raisel Iglesias (76) and Alex Colome (127) based on preseason rankings, but that might change given that Herrera has yet to allow a run through his first 8 appearances. I guess that's why you actually play the games...

Song

Royals - Lorde

When I made a series of videos to showcase the 2015 All-Acquired teams, I used the Beatles version of the Leiber and Stoller blues classic "Kansas City" to introduce Game 6, when the series returned to Kansas City. While that song more accurately represents the city of KC itself, it was written 17 years before the Royals even existed as a franchise (the Beatles version was recorded four years prior). By contrast, the title of the song by New Zealand pop singer Lorde was reportedly inspired by a picture of former Royals star George Brett signing baseballs, so there is a clear connection to the team, if not the city. Also, I happened to have the opportunity to see Lorde perform this song live in concert (while she was touring with hip hop duo Run the Jewels), so her music has been on my mind lately.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 22 San Francisco Giants

Remember back in the days of #Believen? Wow, that seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? Between a rash of pitching injuries and ownership's blockheaded unwillingness to push their payroll past the luxury tax threshold to make up for them, the Giants were fighting an uphill battle before the season even begun. There are a couple of exciting new veterans who joined the team this offseason, so there's at least that element to explore.

All-Acquired Factor

Andrew McCutchen was reportedly on the Giants' radar for quite some time, given how their weak outfield offense (and defense) was an established weakness. And when a surprisingly rebuilding Pirates team made him available, Giants GM Bobby Evans was able to snap him up for relief prospect Kyle Crick and a low minors outfielder. I doubt if Evan Longoria was seriously on anyone's radar prior to this winter, since his contract was so favorable that there was no way the Rays could possibly trade him. But then when Tampa Bay ownership decided to not field a competitive team in 2018 at all costs, they shipped him to San Francisco, just weeks before his 10-and-5 no trade rights would kick in. That deal netted Tampa a good infield prospect in Christian Arroyo, but they also agreed to take on the salary of former center fielder Denard Span.

Speaking of center field, that's where McCutchen played for the majority of his career, but the scouts and advanced metrics agree that he's better suited for corner work. So rather than just have him fill the left field vacancy, they put Cutch in right field and had Hunter Pence try to shift across the outfield for the first time in his career. Maybe it was the unfamiliarity with his new position that caused him to sprain his thumb and cause him to head to the disabled list. In any case, the Giants brought in veteran lefty masher Austin Jackson to play center field, where he has been in somewhat of a reverse platoon with lefty swinging Gregor Blanco (ranked 664 by MLB.com).

Starting Pitching Injuries

Remember last year when Madison Bumgarner injured his shoulder in a dirt bike accident? That was as devastating for the Giants as it was embarrassing for the pitcher himself, just because it could have been so easily avoided. But then this Spring Training, when he was struck by a line drive that broke his pinkie finger, you can't help but feel bad for everyone involved, because that was just a freak occurrence. Add that to reliable innings eater Jeff Samardzija's pectoral injury (although he returned this past Friday 4/20 (blaze it)), and all of a sudden San Francisco was scrambling to replace 40% of its starting rotation before the season even begins. And because ownership was hellbent on staying under the luxury tax threshold, they had to do so in a bargain basement manner.

Even before accounting for all these injuries, journeyman lefty Derek Holland (615) was looking likely to earn a starting job out of Spring Training, after being signed to a minor league deal following a disastrous season with the White Sox. He just fell to 0-3 with a loss against the Angels last night. Two of the other slots were filled by organizatinonal depth pieces Christ Stratton and Ty Blach (whose rankings improved to 378 and 598, respectively, for obvious reasons). The fourth starter projected by Sports Illustrated above, Tyler Beede (ranked 645 overall, but #2 among the organization's prospects), started the season at Double-A and was only called up for one start so far. San Francisco's #9 ranked prospect, Andrew Suarez, got the call the only other time the team needed a fifth starter: to fill in for an injured Johnny Cueto, who thankfully spent just the minimum amount of time on the DL.

Bullpen Injuries

The main beef I have with these new SI baseball previews is that they only show one pitcher in the bullpen. That means that in the case of teams like the Giants - where projected closer Mark Melancon has been on the DL for basically the past two years, since being signed to a then-record setting deal for relievers - it's very hard to get a sense of that team's depth. San Francisco added to said depth when they signed lefty former closer Tony Watson, whose ranking rose to 407 when it was revealed that Melancon wouldn't be healthy to start the year. Another former closer, Sam Dyson, also saw his ranking rise with the news (to 471), but it's mostly been the unranked Hunter Strickland who has gotten the save opportunities for a struggling Giants club in 2018. But that might change if and when lefty Will Smith returns from the his rehab from Tommy John surgery sometime in May.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Buster Posey has fallen from grace as the unequivocal best fantasy catcher - his 2018 ranking of 71 falls behind Gary Sanchez (24) and Willson Contreras (59) - but he is remains firmly atop the Aries depth chart behind the plate. Believe it or not, Posey's real life backup, Nick Hundley, is the best catching option for an otherwise very strong Virgo team. With Jake Lamb on the DL, Evan Longoria is once again slated for starting duty for Libra at the hot corner. Johnny Cueto has earned a spot near the top of the Aquarius rotation, but the fact that Austin Jackson will be their starting center fielder is more a testament to the weakness of the sign than the top tier talent of AJax.

Song

I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett

Personally, I prefer the hippy anthem "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie, as I find it funny to picture a bunch of pot-smoking long-hairs in tie-dye T-shirts swimming nude in McCovey Cove, waiting for the next splash hit. But I do recognize that Tony Bennett's signature song captures something more universal about the city by the bay, a sense of longing that Giants fans have been experiencing since way back in 2015.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 21 Chicago White Sox

While they didn't signal the impeding end of their rebuild with the types of win-soon moves made by the Phillies, the White Sox certainly hope that a return to contention is not that far off, given that the service-time clocks of such important future pieces as Yoan Moncada and Lucas Giolito are steadily ticking away. Chicago (AL) has some promise on the current roster, and a lot more coming on the farm, even if they aren't quite ready to put it all together.

All-Acquired Factor

As a team with no serious hopes of contention, making big time offseason acquisitions was nowhere near the top of Chicago's priority list. Welington Castillo adds a little punch to the lineup, and is on a reasonable enough two-year deal that could be flipped for a contender in need of pitching help at this year's (or next year's) trade deadline. You can see above that veteran trade acquisition Joakim Soria is projected as the closer, but what the SI baseball preview doesn't tell you is that the Sox also picked up lefty Luis Avilan in the same three-team deal (with the Dodgers and the Royals). Two more bullpen pieces were brought in on minor league deals: former starter Hector Santiago (ranked 641 by MLB.com prior to the season), who has thrived so far in a long relief role, and former Tigers prospect Bruce Rondon, who was called up about a week into the season.

Fifth Starter

In addition to Santiago, who started his career for the White Sox from 2011-13, the Pale Hose brought back another familiar face to round out their rotation in Miguel Gonzalez. The Mexican hurler known as El Jaliscience (after his home state of Jalisco) started 2017 in Chicago, then went to Texas at the Trade Deadline 2.0 last year (i.e. August 31st), before returning to the South Siders in January. Gonzalez saw his ranking drop to 478 between Spring Training and Opening Day, and then saw his ERA rise above the 12.40 mark over his first three starts of the season, so he will likely be on the roster bubble when Carlos Rodon (ranked 310) returns from shoulder surgery in June. And if anything should go wrong with that plan, fireballing prospect Michael Kopech (473) is waiting in the wings in Triple-A.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Not a single fantasy astrology contender has a Chicago White Sock in its starting lineup this year. Jose Abreu is awesome, but the same cannot be said of the Aquarius offense that he will headline. Moncada and right fielder Avisail Garcia should hold down starting roles with Gemini, but the "Twins" are also unlikely to make the astrology playoffs. Soria is the best option to pick up saves for a very weak Taurus bullpen. And despite Matt Davidson's power surge, he's nowhere near the top of the Aries depth chart at third base or first base. Wait till next moon cycle, Sox fans.

Song

Chicago (That Toddlin' Town) - Frank Sinatra version

Of the two Chicago teams, the White Sox always struck me as more jazzy, traditional pop, while the Cubs always gave off a more blues-y vibe, and this distinction is reflected in the song choices I made for both teams. Sinatra also has another popular song about Chicago, entitled "My Kind of Town" - that's quite a lot of love for the Windy City from a singer who's originally from Hoboken, NJ and who lived most of his life in Southern California.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 20 Pittsburgh Pirates

If you looked at the Pirates as somewhat of an afterthought in a strong and busy NL Central coming into the season, nobody would have second-guessed you. After all, they did trade away not only their best starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, but then two days later, they shipped out longtime face of the franchise Andrew McCutchen. But, to Pittsburgh's credit, they got back some MLB-ready talent in those deals (and others), and planned to put a competitor on the field in 2018, which has worked out so far, as they're currently in [1st place with an 11-6] record.

All-Acquired Factor

Outfielder Corey Dickerson quietly put up an All-Star season in 2017, then he was quietly designated for assignment by the Rays just before Spring Training, in what was a pretty blatant cost-cutting maneuver, even though analysts will spout some line about Tampa Bay systematically jettisoning players who struggled against the high fastball or something. The Pirates picked him up for a mid-level prospect and a relief pitcher who has since been cut, and now Dickerson is leading the team in WAR. Colin Moran hasn't yet lived up to his former top prospect billing, and he was blocked in Houston, so he was included in the return for Cole and has settled in as the Buccos' everyday third baseman.

Fifth Starter

I'll actually need to profile two different starters to round out Pittsburgh's rotation, because another part of the return for Cole, starter-turned-long-reliever-turned-back-to-starter Joe Musgrove started the season on the DL due to a shoulder strain. For the moment, it's Trevor Williams (ranked 338 by MLB.com) and Steven Brault (520) filling in those slots, as another former top prospect Tyler Glasnow (448) has moved to the bullpen, where he can hopefully better harness his electric stuff than he did in his debut last year.

Bullpen

Continuing the All-Acquired theme, the third piece that the Bucs got back for Cole, Michael Feliz, has immediately stepped into a relief role. Lefty Josh Smoker, picked up in a minor trade with the Mets, started the season on the active roster, but has since been optioned to the minors. Kyle Crick did not start with the big club, but the top return in the McCutchen trade has since been promoted for [two] scoreless innings. But the biggest change to the Pirates' bullpen was in name only: their breakout closer, previously known as Felipe Rivero, has legally changed his name to Felipe Vazquez for the 2018 season (although he will keep his jersey number 73). We'll see if a closer by any other name will throw as hard, as the season goes on.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Starling Marte's move to center field full time has made him the front runner to take over that spot for Libra from his one-time teammate Andrew McCutchen. Vazquez (né Rivero) will serve as Cancer's closer, a team on which he would have joined Josh Harrison, if he were not on the DL with a fractured bone in his hand. Actually, Harrison is behind both Ian Kinsler and DJ LeMahieu on the "Decapods" depth chart, but I always like to mention him because he and I share a birthday, albeit one year apart. Meanwhile Corey Dickerson should start in the Gemini outfield while neither Jameson Taillon nor Ivan Nova will crack the Scorpio or Capricorn rotations, respectively.

Song

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (a.k.a. There's a Pawn Shop on the Corner) - Guy Mitchell

When I first got the idea for this part of the feature, I was pretty excited about it, jotting down a list of a little under 20 songs that popped into my head. But that leaves about a third of the league where I had to just type in "songs about [team's home city]" into Google and hope for the best. This is a fun enough tune, although it's not super emblematic of the city of Pittsburgh, other than having the city in its name. For an honorable mention, not to mention a more modern, hip take on music in general, there's always "Pittsburgh Sound" by North Dakota-born hip hop artist Wiz Khalifa.

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 19 Toronto Blue Jays

Did you know that the Toronto Blue Jays are the only Major League baseball team to play their home games in Canada in 2018? I'm trying to think of some more interesting trivia about them, but this is a middle of the road team that did very little to distinguish itself among its very tough AL East competitors over the offseason. OH, the Blue Jays were the first team I played for in T-ball as a kid. I wore that cap all the time; I even took it outside with me during an earthquake drill when we were supposed to leave everything at our desks. That's some interesting trivia...

All-Acquired Factor

Kevin Pillar is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, and this year he'll be flanked by two new teammates: Randal Grichuk, acquired in a trade with the Cardinals, and Curtis Granderson, plucked off the free agent market on a one-year deal. Although those are the only two new acquisitions to show up in the SI baseball preview, there was also quite a bit of turnover in the infield: Yangervis Solarte (ranked 440 by MLB.com) and Aledmys Diaz (617) were brought in via trade (with the Padres and the Cardinals, respectively) as insurance for oft-injured infielders Devon Travis (who is healthy but performing poorly to start the year) and Troy Tulowitzki (who is not so much, having just had surgery on both heels). Also joining the team via trade is Gift Ngoepe, the first African-born player to reach the major leagues, with the Pirates last year.

Fifth Starter

Also part of the All-Acquired festivities, lefty Jaime Garcia (337) was signed to a free agent deal to round out a very strong rotation. In another personal connection with the Blue Jays, Garcia is the only Major League player to share my birth day and date. Along with Aaron Sanchez and Marco Estrada, that makes 60% of Toronto's starting rotation born under the Cancer birth sign.

Bullpen

Speaking of Cancer pitchers, Korean former closer Seung Hwan Oh joined this team after a proposed deal with the Rangers was scuttled due to a problem with his physical. I guess those Canadians are a little more forgiving about stuff like that, due to their universal health care, but the debacle still caused Oh's fantasy rank to drop to 467. The other top setup option is 2017 Divisional All-Star Ryan Tepera, who clocks in at 480 on the fantasy rank-O-meter. Two other newly-acquired veteran former closers made the team out of Spring Training as Non-Roster Invitees: Tyler Clippard and John Axford.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

I've already mentioned the All-Cancer-All-The-Time starting rotation, but J.A. Happ also starts for Libra, while Marcus Stroman started the season as the Taurus ace. Before Josh Donaldson went on the DL with shoulder inflammation, he was leading a very strong pack of Sagittarius third basemen, while his real life teammate Justin Smoak is stuck behind Wil Myers and Matt Carpenter in the first base pecking order. And Aquarius draws its late-game battery from Toronto, with both closer Roberto Osuna and catcher Russell Martin.

Song

YYZ - Rush

The hands-down best instrumental piece from Canadian progressive rock band Rush starts with a riff based on morse code for the letters Y, Y, and Z (pronounced "zed" in the local vernacular), which is the call sign for their home town Toronto airport. As if that wasn't perfect enough, Rush lead singer / base player Geddy Lee is a huge baseball fan, who has jammed with Randy Johnson, and who once threw out a ceremonial first pitch for the Blue Jays on Opening Day!

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 18 Milwaukee Brewers

A surprise contender in 2017, the Brewers made some splashy moves this offseason to improve an outfield mix that was already very strong, but then refused to pursue any meaningful additions to bolster their starting pitching staff that was generally considered a weakness. We'll see if these maneuverings were sufficient to help Milwaukee keep pace with the powerhouse Cubs, the always-sneaky Cardinals, and the surprising Pirates in the NL Central this year.

All-Acquired Factor

Going into the offseason, Milwaukee's projected outfield featured Ryan Braun and Domingo Santana in the corners (with first baseman Eric Thames able to fill in), and power/speed threat Keon Broxton in center, with prospects Lewis Brinson and Brett Phillips waiting in the wings. Then on January 25th, the Brewers swung a blockbuster trade with the Marlins to obtain center field capable star outfielder Christian Yelich (costing them Brinson in the process). That's a great move, most of us thought, as it makes the team better overall and Broxton was a trade candidate anyway. Then the head-scratching began the very next day, when GM David Stearns signed Lorenzo Cain, another star center fielder, to a five-year free agent deal. Ryan Braun was asked to play first base, much to his chagrin (this is where he appears on SI's baseball preview, pushing Thames (ranked 544 by MLB.com) to the bench). Manager Craig Counsell tried to use New Math to explain how he planned to rotate five players among four spots. And still no one else was traded from the roster. However, all this depth has come in handy early, as Yelich has been down since last Sunday with an oblique strain, and both Braun and Thames are dealing with nagging day-to-day type injuries themselves.

Injuries

I talked a lot about injuries when I profiled the Mariners yesterday, but their situation seems downright rosy compared to the Brewers. In addition to the above-mentioned first base/outfield contingent, Milwaukee will be without emergent ace Jimmy Nelson (ranked 229, despite his injury) for roughly half the season thanks to shoulder surgery. Breakout closer Corey Knebel joined newly-acquired lefty Boone Logan on the DL with both projected to need six weeks to recover from their hamstring and triceps injuries, respectively. Non-Roster Invitee Wade Miley pitched well enough in Spring Training to compete for the Fifth Starter spot, until he went down with a groin muscle tear, causing his ranking to drop all the way to 680. And starting catcher Manny Pina just joined backup Stephen Vogt (down to 450) on the DL just yesterday (retroactive to last Friday).

Fifth Starter

During the 2017 season, I remember reading an article on MLB Trade Rumors laying out why the Twins and Brewers were uniquely suited to make some notable pitching acquisitions in the immediate future. While Minnesota followed through on this idea, Milwaukee largely stood pat, with the only MLB deal given to a starter being the two-year deal to Jhoulys Chacin. He's slated to be the third starter for now, with the only two games where the Brewers needed a fifth starter going to long reliever Brandon Woodruff (down to 425 with his move to the bullpen) and former late bloomer breakout Junior Guerra (a barely-relevant 705).

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Lorenzo Cain will continue his role from last year as a starter for Aries, although the same is not necessarily true for Travis Shaw, despite a 2017 season with more than 2,000 fantasy points. Domingo Santana and Orlando Arcia should represent Leo, in the outfield and at shortstop, respectively. That's pretty much it for projected contenders, as the healthy versions of Knebel and Yelich will join Chase Anderson in headlining a largely irrelevant Sagittarius team, while Braun, Thames, and Vogt play for Scorpio.

Song

What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me) - Jerry Lee Lewis

I had to do some research to find this one, but how can you do better than a song about beer to represent a team called the Brewers. Of course, there is a bit of a conflict of interest here: the Brew Crew plays in Miller park, while Schlitz is the beer company whose slogan inspired the title of this song, but it's the same basic ingredients, you know?

30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 17 Seattle Mariners

You gotta feel for the Mariners. They have a pretty strong, well-balanced core, which GM Jerry Dipoto is not afraid to supplement in the most manic and creative ways possible, yet they're still mired in the longest playoff drought in American pro sports. They were fighting an uphill battle from the start this year, with the powerhouse Astros and the fast-starting Angels in the same division, and that's even before all the injuries. With that in mind, here's the projected Opening Day roster:

All-Acquired Factor

In what I believe was the first notable trade of the 2017-18 offseason, the Mariners acquired slugger Ryon Healy from the A's to play first base. He had to have hand surgery before Spring Training, but made it back in time for Opening Day... then promptly went on the shelf again with a sprained ankle. Their next move was to pick Dee Gordon out of the Marlins fire sale bargain bin, but since they already have a pretty good second baseman in Seattle, they moved Flash Jr. to center field, where he's been performing admirably. Then when Gordon's projected outfield mate Ben Gamel went down with an oblique strain (which caused his ranking to drop to 503), Dipoto brought back a familiar face in the ageless wonder Ichiro Suzuki to take his place. Incidentally, the last time the Mariners made the playoffs was Ichiro's rookie season in 2001.

In one of the many sizable deals bestowed upon middle relievers, the Mariners gave two years and $16mm to Juan Nicasio (388), who will hope for more stability than he enjoyed in 2017, which he split between three different teams. Sticking with former Pittsburgh Pirates in the bullpen, lefty Wade LeBlanc came to the team on a one year deal worth just a shade over the minimum. And rounding out the new acquisitions on the Opening Day roster, super utility player Andrew Romine (730, despite a game in which he played all nine positions last year) was picked up off waivers from the Tigers. Since the season started, however, fellow waiver claim David Freitas had to be recalled to serve as the backup catcher, due to a copious amount of...

Injuries

Among the notable Mariners to start the season on the disabled list was projected fourth starter Erasmo Ramirez, as you can see in the list above. Former Cardinals prospect Marco Gonzales has been filling in for the time being, and interestingly enough, Seattle hasn't needed a fifth starter until today, where Ariel Miranda (down to 460) is scheduled to take the ball. He joined the aforementioned Gamel and also reliever David Phelps, who is lost for the year with Tommy John surgery. Freitas came up to The Show because starting catcher Mike Zunino strained his left oblique on just the second day of the season. Then DH Nelson Cruz sprained his ankle three days later (he has since returned from the DL). And that's not counting the bumps and bruises suffered by various regulars early in the spring.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Now that Cruz is back from the DL, he should reclaim his spot as Cancer's starting DH, even though his injury makes it even more unlikely that he'll reclaim some outfield eligibility for next season. Two pitchers from the Mariners will bolster the Aries staff: longtime face of the franchise "King" Felix Hernandez and closer "Sugar" Edwin Diaz. Moving into the also-ran's, James Paxton and Kyle Seager will be Scorpio's staff ace and starting third baseman, respectively. And Dee Gordon's move to the outfield has finally alleviated the Taurus logjam at second base, allowing Jose Altuve to stick at the keystone with Brian Dozier settling in at DH.

Song

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle - Nirvana

Nirvana is already pretty closely associated with Seattle, but having a song with the city's name in the title is a bonus. The story of actress and Seattle native Frances Farmer is fascinating and tragic, much like that of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain himself, which is in no way meant to reflect the fortunes of this particular team, or the city as a whole. However, if you would prefer a more lighthearted, jaunty tune, there's always the theme song from the old ABC series Here Come the Brides, later re-recorded by Perry Como under the name "Seattle".

Colossus

Oh, wait, I'm all out of Colossi. Sorry, Mariners!