MLB Teams Just One Big Offseason Addition Away from Contention

Every MLB team has its own to-do list each offseason, but for a handful of clubs, filling one specific area of need could be the difference between contending and watching from home come October.

For teams on the rise or already on the fringe of contention, sometimes one piece can make all the difference in the push to reach the postseason.

So, with that in mind, let's take a quick look at three teams that could be just one big offseason addition away from contending in 2015.

Cleveland Indians: A No. 2 starter

The Cleveland Indians were the surprise playoff team of 2013, as they went 92-70 to claim the No. 1 wild-card spot in the American League.

However, an offseason that saw them lose Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir left the starting rotation unstable heading into the season, and the team wound up taking a step backward, finishing third in the American League Central at 85-77.

That's not to say there were not bright spots in the rotation, though, as Corey Kluber emerged as a bona fide ace on his way to AL Cy Young honors and a handful of young arms came on strong in the second half. In fact, the rotation became a legitimate strength after the All-Star break, as a number of guys picked their games up after the break.

Clearly, that is a group that has the makings of a very solid rotation, but the question is just what to expect from everyone not named Kluber in 2015.

The peripheral numbers for Carlos Carrasco are solid, as he posted a 2.44 FIP and 0.985 WHIP, but it's still hard to see him matching his second-half success over a full season of work.

Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer were both wildly inconsistent, while T.J. House was never viewed as anything more than organizational depth before his surprisingly strong rookie season.

This is not meant to be a knock on those four guys, but the Indians have to be realistic in their expectations for them heading into 2015.

At the end of the day, adding a proven veteran to slot behind Kluber in the No. 2 starter spot could help take some pressure off of those younger guys and set the team up to potentially have one of the better rotations in the American League.

A run at the market's top arms is probably out of the question, but adding someone like Ervin Santana or Francisco Liriano could be enough to push the Indians over the top.

Chicago Cubs: A legitimate ace

It's been a long three seasons since Theo Epstein and Co. took over in the Chicago Cubs front office, but the 2015 season may finally be a turning point for the beleaguered franchise.

After tearing things down and rebuilding from the ground up, the franchise has assembled one of the best farm systems in all of baseball and a terrific collection of high-ceiling position players.

Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and Arismendy Alcantara all got their feet wet in 2014 with varying levels of success, and they should be joined at some point in 2015 by last year's Minor League Player of the Year, Kris Bryant, as well as infielder Addison Russell.

That young core, alongside incumbent All-Stars Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro, give the Cubs an offensive attack with limitless potential.

There will no doubt be some growing pains, as this team has a great chance of leading the league in strikeouts next season. However, it could very well lead the league in home runs as well, and it should only get better moving forward.

It's the pitching staff that remains the big question mark.

The emergence of Jake Arrieta last season was huge, as the 28-year-old finally turned potential into production in going 10-5 with a 2.53 ERA (2.26 FIP) on his way to a ninth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting.

Prospect Kyle Hendricks also continued to exceed expectations upon his arrival in the big leagues, going 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA (3.32 FIP) to finish seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting. His stuff is by no means overpowering, but his command has drawn comparisons to Greg Maddux.

As good as those two were, though, they are best suited as the No. 2 and No. 3/4 starters on a contender. Arrieta pitched like an ace last season, but relying on him to be that guy could be asking too much, and either way, he has not proved enough to this point to be counted on to lead the staff.

No, the future ace of the Chicago Cubs staff will almost certainly be a hired gun, whether he comes via free agency or a trade.

With just $35.5 million on the books for 2015, the team has a ton of money to spend, and the Cubs have made it no secret that Jon Lester is their top target this offseason.

Whether it is signing Lester, changing course and making a run at Max Scherzer or using their position-player depth to pull off a trade for someone like Cole Hamels, adding an ace-caliber arm to the mix could be enough to make the Cubs legitimate contenders in 2015.

Seattle Mariners: A right-handed power bat

After a 71-91 showing in 2013, the Seattle Mariners made a splash last offseason when they gave Robinson Cano a huge 10-year, $240 million deal. They also added Fernando Rodney, Corey Hart, Logan Morrison and a handful of other pieces, as they looked to reach the postseason for the first time since 2001.

The result was an impressive 16-win improvement and a team that was in contention for a playoff spot right down to the final day of the regular season, but in the end, the Mariners missed out on a postseason berth once again.

With a solid rotation, led by Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and emerging young arms James Paxton and Taijuan Walker, and a bullpen that was the best in baseball last season with a 2.59 ERA, pitching is a clear strength.

On the other hand, the offense ranked 18th in the league at 3.91 runs per game, and there is a clear hole in the middle of the lineup that will need to be filled.

Left-handed hitters Cano and Kyle Seager were both All-Stars last season, and they will again be asked to do a lot of the heavy lifting next year, but the team badly needs a right-handed run producer to slot between them in the cleanup spot.

In fact, any sort of right-handed production would be an improvement, as the team's righties combined for a .604 OPS (30th in MLB) with 42 home runs (29th) and 180 RBI (30th) this past season.

Corey Hart was signed to be that guy last offseason, after the team passed on Nelson Cruz, but he wound up hitting just .203/.271/.319 with six home runs and 21 RBI.

Whether it is another run at Cruz, a trade for Justin Upton or something else entirely, the Mariners are close enough to contending that finding that right-handed power bat could be enough to make them a playoff team in 2015.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.