3 backup plans for fans of teams that'll likely stink in 2017
Historically, unless you're a fan of the New York Yankees or the St. Louis Cardinals, being a baseball devotee is more a series of cloudy years, sometimes decades, with the odd ray of sunshine breaking through. Fans of the Chicago Cubs may be on the cusp of an extended period of success, but this follows more than a century of constant heartbreak.
While it's plain to see that the Cubs will again contend, and possibly repeat as World Series champions, there are several teams who appear dead on arrival. Everyone is confident in March, because if they aren't it makes showing up to the ballpark that much more difficult. Being a sports fan is often an exercise in nihilism, anyway. We're going to try to curb that a little.
The following three teams are facing borderline impossible odds. Instead of painfully, and pointlessly, cheering on the home team only to be crushed on a daily basis, cheer an alternate! Don't worry, no division rivals will be chosen, so it makes the temporary switch of allegiance a little more palatable. After all, sports are always more fun with a rooting interest.
San Diego Padres
World Series Odds: 500/1
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
There is plenty to like about San Diego's future. Wil Myers is the type of player you can anchor a franchise around, and young bats like Hunter Renfroe and Manny Margot have injected the team with hope. But not for 2017.
It would be easy to recommend the Cubs, Cleveland Indians, or Boston Red Sox, but that's too easy. When choosing a new club to support, it's lame choice to go with the top favorites. While going with a major long shot is pointless as it only exacerbates the pain, it feels like a cheat to cheer the best.
Instead, cheer the Seattle Mariners, another long-suffering team on the cusp of greatness. Stray out of California and head north on the Pacific Coast Highway to a ballpark that is similarly cavernous to Petco Park. The Mariners have disappointed when hyped, but this is the most complete team they've fielded for some time. The AL West is winnable, and the core of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, and Kyle Seager is incredibly likable and no one would bring the feels with a championship quite like Felix Hernandez.
Chicago White Sox
World Series Odds: 500/1
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
They aren't going to be that bad, are they? The White Sox traded away superstar pitcher Chris Sale and solid outfielder Adam Eaton during the offseason to refill their farm system with the likes of Yoan Moncada and Lucas Giolito, among others. Rumors of a Jose Quintana trade and the notion that no veteran is safe makes things seem dire. The White Sox are not contending in 2017, but their time will come soon.
Obviously, the Cubs are out as an alternative. Instead, go east to the nation's capital. The Washington Nationals have seen their star fade after disappointing playoff appearances the last few seasons despite being heavily touted. With a Max Scherzer-Stephen Strasburg one-two punch, you get strikeouts for days. Bryce Harper is a human can of red bull with the home run talent to match. And Trea Turner might be the most exciting young position player in the game.
A Nationals World Series victory is a believable outcome, and the entire roster will be a joy to watch. For White Sox fans who grew to love Eaton, this makes a lot of sense as well, especially if rooting for Boston and Sale is unseemly (it is).
Cincinnati Reds
World Series Odds: 300/1
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
The starting pitching is going to be dreadful for these NL Central basement dwellers. The Reds lost Anthony DeSclafani to start the season, and Scott Feldman is now the Opening Day starter.
Instead, elect to root for 2016's surprising pitching staff in the Toronto Blue Jays. Young guns Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez - not to mention Roberto Osuna in the bullpen - are exciting to watch and will help make you forget about your own team's shortcomings on the mound. The resurrection of Francisco Liriano seems to be working well, and Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ continue to defy expectations.
But wait, you also have bat-flipping maniac Jose Bautista, former MVP and full-time bringer of rain Josh Donaldson, and one of the best defensive shortstops in Troy Tulowitzki. The Blue Jays may be getting older, and the window may be closing, but that makes them the perfect stop-over team. As the Reds and Brewers build, the Blue Jays are in an opposite trajectory, so perhaps it's a clean switch.
Don't abandon your team permanently - unless you feel hopelessly betrayed by constant mismanagement - but simply pivot and enjoy the baseball season through a more optimistic lens. They'll probably still lose in the end, but at least the games will have more meaning.