MLB‘s offseason represents an opportunity for every team to start fresh.
Bloated contracts and payroll limitations often hinder franchises from living out fantasies of total transformations. Others are hamstrung by fear of the status quo.
The key is winning the offseason without being the team obsessed with winning the offseason. Last year, that dubious honor went to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who went backward in an eager attempt to contend.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox orchestrated playoff bids with major free-agent signings. None of them needed a complete overhaul, but the upgrades went a long way.
Some organizations need a minor tweak via a signing or trade. Others call for more intense makeovers. No squad will burn the entire roster to the ground; a few noteworthy maneuvers mark major change in the grand scheme of things.
Due to shedding salary or storing an overlooked bounty of talent, these teams have the opportunity to contend after missing the playoffs in 2016. Some are close. Others will need everything to fall in line with brilliant front-office planning and a sprinkle of luck.