The Contending Team Likely To Suffer The Most Changes Entering Next Season

Many of the teams currently contending in the final week of the Major League Baseball season have an excellent chance of doing so again in 2017, including the overwhelming favorite to win it all. The regular lineup for the Cubs, which should be unaffected by free agency or a salary purge, is likely to be in tact for next season as well.

Other first place clubs, too, in the National League will probably have the same starting lineups as this season. The core of the batting order for the Los Angeles Dodgers features no free agency issues, nor does that of the Washington Nationals.

Contenders in the American League, however, could see drastic changes in their rosters. Texas, which has the best record in the Junior Circuit, has two pitchers facing free agency in addition to four everyday players. Outfielders Ian Desmond, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Gomez, along with catcher Jonathan Lucroy, are all eligible to become free agents after the World Series.

Toronto, which is leading in the Wild Card race, appears to be the club most likely to be devastated by pending departures this winter. Two of the most feared sluggers in baseball, who hit in the third and fourth slots in the Blue Jays batting order, are going to sign very lucrative free agent contracts before next season.

First baseman Edwin Encarnacion is enjoying the best season of his career, and is thus in line to land one of the most lucrative contracts in baseball history. He leads the league in runs batted in, has pounded over forty home runs, and has established himself as one of the best clutch hitters in the game. His name will no doubt come up when discussions arise about the Most Valuable Player selection.

The guy who follows Encarnacion in the Toronto order, outfielder Jose Bautista, should also ink a big contract this winter. Limited by an extended stint on the disabled list, his numbers are down a little from past years.

Still, Bautista has helped propel Toronto to a late season surge over Wild Card rivals Baltimore, Detroit, and Seattle. In the last fourteen days Bautista is hitting .350 with six home runs and thirteen RBI, including two game winning hits in that span.

It will be almost financially impossible for the Blue Jays to sign both Encarnacion and Bautista, and they probably may not be able to retain either one. There are other key Toronto players, including pitchers and hitters, facing free agency as well.

Veteran starting pitcher R.A. Dickey and reliever Brett Cecil, both of whom have been mainstays on the Blue Jays staff, are pending free agents. Outfielder Michael Saunders, who enjoyed a career season filling in for the injured Bautista, has set himself up to get a big contract. Left handed power hitter Justin Smoak and infielder Darwin Barney are also eligible for free agency.

Losing a piece of the rotation and a piece of the bullpen could be easily remedied by Toronto, which enjoyed the third largest attendance of any team in baseball. Replacing almost half of the batting order, on the other hand, will be next to impossible.

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