Biggest question for every MLB team headed into spring training for 2017

The O's won a Wild Card spot last season with a powerful lineup and terrific bullpen, but their rotation left much to be desired. The rotation  ERA was seventh worst in MLB (4.72), and that lack of starting pitching effectively doomed them in the playoffs. Baltimore hasn't added anything to the rotation in the offseason, though the O's hope Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy can make strides this year.

There wasn't a bigger move in the offseason than Boston's trade for Chris Sale, adding to former AL Cy Young winners Rick Porcello and David Price. With Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez also available in the back of the rotation, the Red Sox could be a true force to be reckoned with. Despite the loss of David Ortiz, Boston has reason to be optimistic in 2017.

The Yankees' lineup was very disappointing last year, scoring the fourth fewest runs in the AL. That's not acceptable, especially in a hitter's park like Yankee Stadium. The lineup is getting much younger this year with the retirements of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, along with the trade of Brian McCann. The hope is that Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and Greg Bird can add a spark, which the team will need to compete in the loaded AL East.

The low-budget Rays have been relatively quiet this offseason, but they did make significant trades involving Drew Smyly and Logan Forsythe. The rotation remains strong, but the lineup scored the second fewest runs in the AL last season and could be hungry for offense until new acquisition Wilson Ramos returns from knee surgery at midseason. Evan Longoria wasn't happy about the Forsythe move and for good reason.

After losing David Price last offseason, Toronto's rotation wasn't considered a strength. However, J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez and Marco Estrada all stepped up, helping Toronto post the lowest starting ERA in the AL. There is major skepticism that they can repeat, especially in the cases of Happ and Sanchez. The good news is that Marcus Stroman underperformed with a 4.37 ERA and could be ripe for a bounce-back season.

Chris Sale and Adam Eaton netted mammoth returns this offseason for the rebuilding White Sox. They still have plenty of attractive pieces on the roster, including Jose Quintana, David Robertson, Nate Jones, Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu. It seems like only a matter of time before those players are moved as well.

Cleveland was last year's surprise team and took the Cubs to the brink in the World Series despite a banged-up rotation. Now they have a full year of Andrew Miller in the bullpen and added Edwin Encarnacion to replace Mike Napoli's overachievement in 2016. With the rotation completely healthy entering the season, Cleveland will be a tough out again this year.

Justin Verlander came just short of winning the AL Cy Young, but most of the rest of the Detroit rotation was flat-out awful. Jordan Zimmermann missed most of the second half with injuries and posted a 4.87 ERA when healthy. Mike Pelfrey and Anibal Sanchez contributed ERAs above 5.00. The team is excited about youngsters Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd, and that trio will have to deliver to get Detroit back to the playoffs.

The Royals organization was rocked by the tragic death of Yordano Ventura earlier this year but has done its best to compensate for the loss on the field by adding Jason Hammel after already acquiring Nate Karns. The lineup was a major issue last season, ranking third worst in runs scored in the AL due in part to injuries to Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain. K.C. hopes they can stay healthy and also added Brandon Moss to make up for the loss of Kendrys Morales at DH.

This is still clearly a rebuilding year for the Twins, who cleaned house in the front office after last season. It was an attractive job for the young talent on the roster, but the 103-loss Twins are far from competing. The team hopes to see positive development from Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Max Kepler, Jose Berrios, Stephen Gonsalves and several other youngsters this season.

The Astros have been busy this offseason, adding Josh Reddick, Carlos Beltran, Charlie Morton and Nori Aoki to what was already an especially deep roster. They've been rumored to be interested in starting pitcher, and they have the farm depth to make a move. For now, the team is counting on 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel to rebound from last season and also needs Lance McCullers to stay healthy. If the Astros don't add another starter, that pair will need to get back on track alongside Collin McHugh for the team to win the AL West.

Richards injured his elbow last May but opted for rehab instead of Tommy John surgery. So far, the reports have been encouraging, but we won't really know what Richards has until he arrives to spring training. After winning only 74 games last season, the Angels desperately need their ace to stay healthy to have any chance of getting back to the playoffs.

After posting a combined 2.88 ERA over his first three major league seasons, Gray had arm trouble and finished with a 5.69 ERA in 22 starts last season. Not coincidentally, the A's finished last in the AL West. The team still has some interesting young talent but won't go far if Gray fails to bounce back.

No MLB GM has been busier than Dipoto over the last year. Just this offseason, he's added Drew Smyly, Yovani Gallardo, Jean Segura, Danny Valencia, Jarrod Dyson and Mitch Haniger, among others. It's unclear how the turnover will impact the team, which won 86 games last season.

The Rangers are set with Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish at the front of their rotation, but the back end is shaky, at best. The Texas rotation finished in the middle of the pack with a 4.38 ERA last season, and the offseason additions are far from sure things with Andrew Cashner (5.25 ERA in 2016) and Tyson Ross, who will miss the start of the season following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.

The Braves were on fire for much of the second half, including a 20-10 record over their last 30 games. That improvement correlated with the acquisition of Matt Kemp and promotion of top prospect Dansby Swanson. The roster has gotten much more interesting this season to open the new ballpark, adding Jaime Garcia, R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon to the rotation, along with second baseman Sean Rodriguez. Overtaking the Nationals and Mets will be tough, but the Braves do expect improvement this season.

The shocking death of Jose Fernandez late last season took a toll on and off the field. The team has looked outside the organization to replace him, adding Edinson Volquez, Jeff Locke and Dan Straily, along with Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa to the bullpen. Fernandez's absence will be felt all year, but the team hopes to improve in a division that's still weak at the bottom.

The Mets won a Wild Card despite injuries to Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler's constant setbacks. The team has now moved on from Bartolo Colon, trusting the youngsters to stay healthier in 2017. Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo give the team strong depth behind that group and Noah Syndergaard, but it's unlikely the Mets can withstand the same injuries as last year and hope to make the playoffs again.

While the Phils won only 71 games last season, fans have reason to be excited with waves of talent in the upper minors. That talent includes top prospects J.P. Crawford (pictured), Jorge Alfaro, Andrew Knapp, Dylan Cozens, Rhys Hoskins, Roman Quinn and Nick Williams, among others. The major league squad might not win many games again this year, but fans should have reason to show up to the ballpark when the young players arrive.

Washington won the NL East last season but didn't seem to match up well with the Dodgers and Cubs. Their only major offseason addition was the trade for Adam Eaton, which many considered an overpay of prospects, and the team lost Mark Melancon to free agency. The pressure is on Bryce Harper to rebound from last season's down year as well.

The Cubs are the favorites to win the World Series again after displaying historic pitching and defense last season. There could be some drop-off defensively this season with Kyle Schwarber returning to left field and Jon Jay/Albert Almora replacing Dexter Fowler. The team hopes the youngsters can take another step forward.

Cincinnati's bullpen was awful last season, to say the least. It had a 5.09 ERA, only better than the Rockies. The team did find some very capable bullpen arms in Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen and hope former Nationals closer Drew Storen can also help. Clearly, it's still a rebuilding year in Cincy.

The Brewers moved on from all-or-nothing hitter Chris Carter in the offseason, adding former major leaguer and Japanese League star Eric Thames instead. Thames had a .727 OPS before going to Japa, and hit 87 home runs over the last two seasons in Korea with an OPS above 1.100 in both years. His arrival is much awaited.

The Pirates disappointed last season but have a shot this season due to their revamped rotation. Gerrit Cole still leads the way, but behind him are Jameson Taillon, Ivan Nova, Chad Kuhl and potentially top prospect Tyler Glasnow. The pitching could get the Pirates back to the playoffs.

After winning 86 games and failing to make the playoffs last season, St. Louis added former Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler, along with left-handed setup man Brett Cecil. The team hopes Alex Reyes and Luke Weaver are able to help the rotation more this season, and Lance Lynn will also return from Tommy John surgery. Whether those players can be enough to catch the Cubs remains to be seen.

Arizona went all-in last offseason, but the moves couldn't have gone much worse. Zack Greinke signed a contract worth more than $200 million, only to post an ERA above 4.00, while Shelby Miller was eventually demoted despite the team trading former No. 1 overall draft choice Dansby Swanson for him. Robbie Ray and Archie Bradley did show more upside, but the team really needs Greinke and Miller to rebound this season to have any chance of competing in the difficult NL West.

Colorado's pitching finally showed up last season, with youngsters Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson and Tyler Chatwood showing off. The team has former first-round pick Jeff Hoffman behind them and signed Greg Holland and Ian Desmond in the offseason. There's a lot of ground to cover after winning only 75 games last season, but the Rox have upside.

The Dodgers have a good problem, with arguably the deepest rotation in baseball. Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda are locked into spots, while Julio Urias will also see plenty of starts. Behind them is a long list that includes Scott Kazmir, Alex Wood, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Brock Stewart. It's no wonder the Dodgers are clear favorites in the NL West.

Despite signing Wil Myers to a contract extension, it's rebuilding time in San Diego. The team is expected to promote top prospects Austin Hedges, Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe to aid the lineup. The rotation doesn't have nearly as much optimism, with a motley crew that includes Clayton Richard, Jhoulys Chacin, Luis Perdomo and Trevor Cahill, among others. It could be a long year for the Padres.

By the end of last season, Santiago Casilla was removed from the closer role in San Francisco. He blew nine saves, and the team made it a priority to address closer with perhaps the deepest closer market ever this offseason. Melancon clearly improves the bullpen, but it remains to be seen if that addition will be enough to spur the Giants over L.A. in the NL West.