Third base: D-backs (27th in projected WAR)
Why the projections are pessimistic: Arizona third basemen ranked 25th in WAR (0.5) and tied for 26th in wRC+ (75) last season, prompting the club to trade for Eugenio Suárez in November. Suárez was a 3.2-WAR player for the Mariners in 2023, appearing in all 162 games and mitigating his offensive decline by making significant strides on defense. However, the projections don’t see his defensive improvements carrying over into 2024. With another dip at the plate also expected, FanGraphs has Suárez at 1.7 WAR.
Why they could outperform the projections: Suárez posted a 130 wRC+ as recently as 2022.