Nine teams that could be surprise playoff entrants

A stockpile of young talent like pitcher James Paxton is just one reason to think Seattle could make a turnaround this year.

Paul Sancya/AP

What was a poor offensive team last year (14th in average, 14th in slugging and 11th in runs) should be improved slightly with the addition of outfielder Curtis Granderson. (The Mets would sign up today for Chris Young to match the offense they found in Marlon Byrd last year.) But without ace Matt Harvey, gone for the year because of elbow surgery, the Mets are stuck in another transitional year, with a goal of getting pitchers Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler and catcher Travis D'Arnaud established as building blocks for a run in 2015.