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While you might be an avid fan of a particular NHL team -- and keep up-to-date on all the news and rumors regarding that franchise -- there are 29 others playing in 2016-17.As a fantasy owner, it can be a bit daunting to keep tabs on everything.Thats where the Fantasy 30 comes in -- a rundown of the most fantasy-relevant updates on every team. Heres whats happening around the NHL this week.Anaheim Ducks: There is no goalie controversy in Anaheim. So says Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. But that doesnt mean Jonathan Bernier wont continue to garner starts over perceived No. 1 John Gibson. That recent, ridiculous blowout loss to the Flames serving as anomalous exception, Bernier has been solid -- and better than Gibson -- for the Ducks this campaign.Arizona Coyotes: Please dont make too much of the two assists earned by Peter Holland in his Coyotes debut. While the newly assembled third line of Holland, Jamie McGinn, and Anthony Duclair may sport a faint whiff of dark-horse promise, remember, the Maple Leafs castoff has habitually fallen well short of expectations since his first-round selection in the 2009 draft (15th overall by the Ducks). Dont jump on him, is what were suggesting, no matter the size of your league.Boston Bruins: Those waiting for Matt Beleskey to equal, never mind improve on, last seasons numbers with the Bruins are advised to pull the chute. Placed on IR with a knee injury, the 28-year-old is projected to miss about six weeks. With all of five points in 24 games, Beleskey is well off pace the 15 goals, 22 assists he collected in 2015-16. Meanwhile, speculative trade talk involving Boston forward Ryan Spooner hasnt quieted in the slightest.Buffalo Sabres: Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman reports the Sabres are willing to part ways with Zemgus Girgensons -- for the right return:Ice time for Zemgus Girgensons last seven games: 10:07, 9:08, 8:07, 8:39, 9:40, 7:23, 9:07. Buffalo is getting calls, but general manager Tim Murray is telling people the decreased usage doesnt mean the Sabres will just give him away. I think Anaheim had some dialogue here last summer, but the asking price was one of the Ducks talented young defencemen -- a cost they were unwilling to pay without some kind of sweetener.A change of scenery cant hurt here. Selected 14th overall in 2012, Girgensons is enduring a dismal season, with two goals and three assists. He didnt produce to expectation last season, either. Depending on where he lands, the 22-year-old could reclaim some value as an fantasy asset in deeper leagues.Calgary Flames: The Mark Giordano/Dougie Hamilton defensive duo is thriving for the Flames. Reunited Nov. 15, the pair has been particularly dynamic in Calgarys five most recent games, combining for six goals and two assists. Not coincidentally, the Hamilton trade chatter from earlier this season has since hushed significantly.Carolina Hurricanes: Pulled during Tuesdays 8-6 circus victory over the visiting Canucks, Cam Ward is in zero danger of losing his job as the Hurricanes (nearly) everyday netminder. In fact, the squads head coach was quick to lay blame elsewhere after his squads poor defensive effort.Peters says pulling Ward was not a reflection on Wards play. Says team was leg-less. Says Ward to start again against Caps.- Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) December 14, 2016Boasting a less-than-dreadful .915 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average, the 32-year-old has already started 23 of Carolinas 29 contests this season.Chicago Blackhawks: Well let others discuss the future of Scott Darling and his purported potential as a No. 1 netminder in the NHL; for now, the backups position in Chicago interests us most. Darling has been flat-out spectacular in Corey Crawfords absence, especially in his last four games. Ride the Blackhawks No. 2 hard in all varieties of fantasy play until he flounders or Crawford returns. Whatever comes first.Colorado Avalanche: Unless the Avalanche break out a stark about-face in fortune, the trade chatter surrounding Matt Duchene will continue. With no lack of interest in Duchene around the league, the Islanders are receiving additional attention as a good fit. No argument here, as the prospect of Duchene joining John Tavares on a top scoring line is enough to get any fantasy owners heart racing. As it stands, the fleet-footed winger has been on a mini charge of late, with five goals and an assist in five games. Stay closely tuned to how this plays out.Columbus Blue Jackets: While Sergei Bobrovsky deserves a healthy serving of credit for the Blue Jackets current success, the former Vezina trophy winner cant suit up each and every game. Which inspired Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch to suggest the club may look to improve their goaltending ranks nearer the trade deadline.Theyve started turning to Curtis McElhinney in a more realistic way of late. He was great in Phoenix. I suspect he plays on this road trip. Youre right, they cant play [Bobrovsky] on a 70-game pace. If they hit the trade deadline in a really good spot, I could see them making a move for a veteran backup on the cheap. Maybe a guy who could be the back-up next season. Im not sure where theyre going with Joonas Korpisalo or Anton Forsberg right now. It could be a few years before you want those guys -- at their ages -- playing once every two weeks in the NHL. See where it goes, but its an interesting position.So there appears little point to investing in McElhinney in deeper leagues as a gamble against Bobrovskys continued good health. However, the Jackets current No. 2 still sports enticing potential as a cheap, occasional asset in DFS whenever he does get the chance to start.Dallas Stars: Shelved a second time this season with a concussion, forward Patrick Sharp is back skating with the Stars. Good news, surely, but theres still no timetable for the veteran forwards return.Detroit Red Wings: Label them however you like, but Jimmy Howard -- not anointed No. 1 Petr Mrazek -- appears to be coach Jeff Blashills goaltender of choice. The proof is partially provided by Blashill turning back to Howard for Thursdays tilt versus the visiting Kings, despite Howard earning the altogether unanticipated loss to the Coyotes Tuesday. Howard is owned in 33 percent of ESPN leagues, while Mrazek is spoken for in 65 percent.Edmonton Oilers: Oilers announcer Bob Stauffer suggests the team should be interested in trading for Jarome Iginla. While Stauffer is admittedly treading in speculative waters, such a deal would undoubtedly inspire the fantasy heavyweight of yore -- who revealed he would consider waiving his no-trade clause -- to reclaim a fraction of his former glory (perhaps on a power play with Connor McDavid?). Thirty-nine, shmirty-nine; Iginla is still better than his current pace of seven points in 28 games with the Avalanche.Florida Panthers: Some good news amidst all the dramatic muck in Florida: Jonathan Huberdeau (Achilles tendon) has started skating. While Huberdeau probably remains about a month away from returning, fantasy owners whove waited this long can likely endure another four weeks (and wed bet on the under).Los Angeles Kings: While updating the health status of Jonathan Quick -- later amending the netminders projected return date to mid-February -- Kings GM Dean Lombardi insisted he wouldnt sell the farm to upgrade his team at the goalie position:According to Dean Lombardi, Quick is out until March. Lombardi not ready to throw the kitchen sink at teams goaltending problem.- Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) December 14, 2016Though hes hit some speed bumps recently, Peter Budaj has been reasonably consistent for the Kings altogether. Is there an upgrade to be had for sane cost? Not an obvious one.Additional Kings notes: Drew Doughty skipped Thursdays mornings skate in Detroit, as the defenseman is suspected to be bothered by a lower-body injury. Backup Jeff Zatkoff is tapped to start against the Red Wings.Montreal Canadiens: While the Canadiens are no less wanting for help at center this week over last, the status quo endures, with Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais out long-term. As such, dont disregard Tomas Plekanecs mildly bloated fantasy value as the clubs uncontested top-tier centerman. Splitting wingers Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov, Plekanec recently notched four assists against the Avalanche. Owned in 52 percent of ESPN leagues, he might be available in yours. Also look to the 34-year-old in DFS when the matchup is favorable.Minnesota Wild: If it aint busted, dont try to fix it. Riding a six-game winning streak, Bruce Boudreau is leaving his lines well enough alone for Thursdays contest in Nashville. One standout from the forward gaggle is sleeper Jason Zucker -- skating alongside center Mikko Koivu -- who has four goals and six assists in 10 games. Also, the head coach offers that Zach Parise might finally be breaking out of his mediocre funk, via the Star Tribune:Boudreau admits he has been concerned that Zach Parise, who has five goals, isnt putting up his usual numbers. But Tuesday, Parise scored a goal with a quick release, had six shots, five takeaways and was a thorn in the side, Boudreau said. Those are the things that make Zach Parise a great hockey player. Were hoping hes just starting to get his groove a little bit.With five goals and six assists in 21 games, Parise serves as a ripe buy-low option, with heaps of upside.Nashville Predators: The Predators have once again swapped supporting goaltenders, promoting Juuse Saros while demoting Marek Mazanec back to the AHL. Fact is, whoever serves as backup in Nashville wont see much action as long as Pekka Rinne remains fit. However, its worth noting that Saros -- the better of the two understudies -- is likely to be Rinnes eventual successor. That should intrigue owners in keeper leagues. Saros also merits consideration as an under-the-radar asset in DFS when active.New Jersey Devils: Due back in the Devils lineup after taking a puck to the mouth earlier this month, Pavel Zacha is slated to skate on an even-strength line and power-play unit with Michael Cammalleri against the Blues on Thursday. Thats a bit different, but not so jarring, considering the Devils three-game losing streak. Bolder DFS competitors may want to give the rookie forward a whirl in GPPs as long as he maintains the assignment.New York Islanders: Goalie Thomas Greiss is projected to start versus the visiting Blackhawks Thursday. Riding a three-game win streak, and boasting a better record than Jaroslav Halak, Greiss nonetheless faces a tough task in beating a red-hot Chicago squad.New York Rangers: After sitting out four games with a groin issue, forward Rick Nash is eyeing a return for the Rangers on Thursday in Dallas. The power forward could see limited minutes before eventually reclaiming a spot in the top six.Ottawa Senators: The Senators net belongs to Mike Condon for the immediate future. No. 1 Craig Anderson (personal) isnt expected back for a while. Following a run of four good-to-super starts, including two shutouts, Condon -- owned in 17.5 percent of ESPN leagues -- has struggled in his last three appearances.Philadelphia Flyers: An update from the infirmary in Philly: Both Sean Couturier (knee) and Matt Read (abdomen) have skated for the first time since sustaining their respective injuries. While Read is likely a couple weeks off, Couturier could return for the Flyers as early as next week. Cant imagine theres any rush here though, as the Flyers have won 10 straight.Pittsburgh Penguins: Look for a red-hot Justin Schultz to see a greater share of prime power-play minutes -- alongside Trevor Daley -- as Kris Letang sits out the next couple of weeks with a lower-body injury. Owned in 42 percent of ESPN leagues, Schultz has five goals and seven assists in his last eight games -- and a plus-12 rating! -- including two points with the extra skater in two recent contests. Take advantage before this productive spell thins out.San Jose Sharks: Were about to get our first regular-season look at prospect Timo Meier in a Sharks sweater. Called up from the AHL, Meier is projected to make his NHL debut Friday in Montreal. Selected ninth overall in 2015, the 20-year-old has nine goals and six assists in 17 games with the Barracuda. Keeper-league owners may want to jump on this young lad before he makes any real noise. And dont be surprised if he fills a top-six role right away.St. Louis Blues: If youre concerned about Jake Allen getting a break after a run of five games in a busy week -- and a most recent sub-standard appearance versus Nashville -- dont be. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock has little inclination to switch it up between the pipes.Hes our guy, youve got to stick with him, Hitchcock said, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. These are the adversity and growing pains you go through as a young starting goalie. Youve got to learn to fight through this stuff, youve got to learn to battle through this stuff. It cant be just one way. You dont get to be a starting goalie without having to go through all the adversity that young guys have to go through. Sure hes got some bumps in the road but we trust him. Weve got a lot of faith in him, and for us, were going to just flat stick with him.Hitchcock also mentioned he isnt worried about over-working Allen. The Blues No. 1 has started 24 games this season. Backup Carter Hutton has started six.Tampa Bay Lightning: Ondrej Palat suffered an undisclosed injury in Wednesdays 6-3 win over Calgary. Check the wingers status ahead of Tampas matchup with the Canucks Friday, as Palat had been skating on a productive line with Tyler Johnson. Nikita Kucherov is also considered day-to-day.Toronto Maple Leafs: So far, the signing of Karri Ramo to a professional tryout contract isnt panning out all that promisingly for the Maple Leafs organization. In three starts with the AHL Marlies, the experienced 30-year-old is 0-3 with a 3.80 GAA and .880 save percentage. Not good. As it stands, youngster Antoine Bibeau -- who was solid in his recent NHL debut, but realistically requires more seasoning in the minors -- remains understudy to Frederik Andersen.Vancouver Canucks: Reasonably, theres talk of cleaning house in Vancouver and (finally) moving some expensive vets as part of a tear-down/rebuild -- and that may include franchise icons Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. However, the twins control their own collective destiny, and cant be dealt unless they waive their no-trade clauses. So, as exciting a prospect this is for fantasy owners, and hockey fans in general, lets not hold our breath.Washington Capitals: Maybe youve noticed the Capitals re-configured second power-play unit has looked more effective of late. Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post outlines how one members gift at driving play into and through the offensive zone is partly to credit:Everything goes through forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, who cuts wide to the left and then speeds toward the net. From there, he can either shoot, with the hope that he either scores or generates a second scoring chance with a rebound. Or Kuznetsov can choose to pass the puck to one of the Capitals following him in, as Jakub Vrana and Justin Williams are also going to the net. Thats the formula thats created two power-play goals off the rush in the past three games.While its nice to see Kuznetsov warm up, hes virtually unavailable in any fantasy league worth its salt. On the other hand, Williams, and his four goals in four games, is available in nearly 70 percent of ESPN leagues. Meanwhile, Vrana, selected 13th overall in 2014, is just cracking the lid on his NHL career. Seven games in, the 20-year-old has three points in his past three contests, including a goal and assist with the man advantage. While the youngster is likely to return to the AHL at some point this season, he must be a consideration in serious keeper leagues. Goodness knows, the Capitals hold great expectations.Winnipeg Jets: Sportnets Elliotte Friedman suggests Ondrej Pavelec may get another go with the Jets if the Connor Hellebuyck/Michael Hutchinson tandem continues to falter. Pavelec has been better with the AHL Manitoba Moose in recent competition. Pavelec himself was pretty inconsistent during his recent NHL stead, but its worth keeping an eye on, in any case.Kyle Seager Jersey . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Omar Narvaez Jersey . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. https://www.cheapmariners.com/1575k-tino-martinez-jersey-mariners.html . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Dylan Moore Jersey . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Gerson Bautista Mariners Jersey .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals.See what winning a championship can do, Cleveland, Chicago and LA? In a year when parity reigned in the MLB standings, the same felt true in the Ultimate Standings: Our top three teams are brand-new from last year, and one of them jumped 42 spots to get there. This years other big movers up -- the Red Sox and Blue Jays -- and down -- sorry, Pirates and Twins -- make one thing clear: For baseball fans, your Ultimate Standings placement is directly related to your division standings. And a World Series title? Well, that can take you all the way.1. Kansas City Royals (9 overall)The Royals had the second-biggest leap in last years Ultimate Standings, and now, after winning the World Series last fall, they climb into the top 10 as the highest-ranked MLB team. Key injuries to Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordons bad year wrecked the teams playoff hopes, but Kansas City remained baseball-crazy, with the highest local TV ratings in the sport. -- David Schoenfield READ MORE2. Texas Rangers (10 overall)A new menu item at Globe Life Park this season is The Wicked Pig, a $27 sandwich that puts pulled pork, bacon, prosciutto, ham and BBQ sauce between sweet Hawaiian rolls with sides of pork rinds and coleslaw. Its huge -- just like the Rangers 42-point improvement in our overall standings, the best of any MLB team. After two seasons languishing in the middle of the pack, the Rangers are a top-20 Ultimate Standings franchise for the fourth time in six years. -- Doug Mittler READ MORE3. Baltimore Orioles (15 overall)How bout dem Os, hon? After peaking last year with their highest overall number in Ultimate Standings history, the Birds soared even higher this time around. They cracked our top 20 for the first time and outranked every MLB team that didnt win a World Series last year or have a name that rhymes with Schmexas Schmangers. -- Eddie Matz READ MORE4. St. Louis Cardinals (16 overall)The Cardinal Way is still going strong, even if there are signs of transition on the horizon. The 2016 team wasnt as competitive as in seasons past, but it had a shot to reach the postseason for a sixth straight year. In part because of the teams surprising 35-43 home record, attendance near the end of the season sagged a bit, but the Cards easily cracked the 3 million mark once again. Its good to be a Cardinals fan, when even a down year means a top-20 ranking. -- Mark Saxon READ MORE5. San Francisco Giants (18 overall)Its good to be Giant. Everything fans hate on the other side of the bay is up on the foggy side: Ownership, players and the stadium are top notch, and the team finds itself playing meaningful baseball into September practically every year. -- Eno Sarris READ MORE6. Cleveland Indians (21 overall)Dont let those hapless Browns fool you. Cleveland is the city of winners! LeBron up and left Miami to come home, then he upended the Warriors a year later to claim the citys first title in 52 years. Now, the Indians have caught on, claiming 94 wins this season (their highest total in nine years), and with seven wins in the playoffs already, theyve topped their total number of playoff victories over the previous 14 years. In return, fans have caught Indians fever. Cleveland skyrocketed up our rankings and improved by an average of 29.3 spots in each category. You might just say they believe in this land. -- Hallie Grossman READ MORE7. Washington Nationals (34 overall)The No. 34 is huge in D.C. Besides being on Bryce Harpers back, its also the Nationals overall ranking in this years Ultimate Standings. Thats tied for the highest mark D.C. die-hards have ever given their team. In case youre wondering, the first 34 came back in 2012, when No. 34 was a rookie. Hooray for election years. -- Eddie Matz READ MORE8. Pittsburgh Pirates (45 overall)Well, you cant host the wild-card game every year. But after three straight trips to the postseason and a 98-win season in 2015, the Pirates U-turn in 2016, to a spot 25 games behind the NL Central-winning Cubs, made this their most disappointing season since Barry Bonds left town a generation ago. That isnt just on the field: The franchise suffered its largest attendance drop in 15 years and fell from a top-10 team in the Ultimate Standings to one in the mid-40s. -- Jayson Stark READ MORE9. Chicago Cubs (48 overall)The Cubs might have begun this century in the basement, but theyve worked their way up to the penthouse and finished the 2016 regular season with the best record in baseball ... this year or any year since 2004. Since Theo Epstein took over this team, it has won 61, 66, 73, 97 and 103 games -- and those win totals represent just part of the progress the organization has made the past five years. -- Jesse Rogers READ MORE10. Detroit Tigers (49 overall)Were now 11 seasons into what we would argue is the greatest period of sustained excellence in Tigers history, a period that includes five trips to the postseason, two appearances in the World Series and just two losing seasons. Only five franchises in baseball have won more games than the Tigers since 2006. But is their window closing? -- Jayson Stark READ MORE11. Arizona Diamondbacks (55 overall)Give the Diamondbacks credit for having the courage to roll the dice, even if it came up snake eyes. An offseason roster overhaul intended to make them front-runners in the NL West fizzled quickly, and the last-place D-backs plunged 46 points from last season, the most dramatic fall of any MLB team. In fact, their No. 55 ranking is the lowest for the D-backs since we began our standings in 2003. -- Doug Mittler READ MORE12. Los Angeles Angels (56 overall)Angels fans are among the most underrated in sports -- the club has drawn 3 million in 14 consecutive seasons -- but a sub-.500 season, despite having the best player in baseball, has created some frustration. Two years ago, the Angels ranked 15th in the Ultimate Standings. Last year, they fell to 28th. This year, theyve fallen to 56th. Mike Trout was MVP-caliber yet again, but starting pitchers Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano combined for just 20 starts after suffering season-ending injuries, and the team was never in the playoff hunt. -- David Schoenfield READ MORE13. Houston Astros (57 overall)The Astros are up 11 spots from last year, and rightfully so, given their 2015 postseason berth and comeback after a sluggish start to 2016. They have management committed to its plan and multiple superstars (with potentially more to come) to make that plan work at a high level of effectiveness. -- Mark Simon READ MORE14. Los Angeles Dodgers (64 overall)A talented team with lofty goals and a rich history playing in one of baseballs better amphitheaters makes the Los Angeles Dodgers attractive to the sports fan, but that did not prevent the club from slipping ever so slightly in the Ultimate Standings. The best pitcher in the game -- Clayton Kershaw -- and one of the games biggest rising stars -- Corey Seager -- give the Dodgers star power, but their inability to reach the ultimate goal, even while making the playoffs each of the past three seasons, has the Dodgers a bit stagnant when it comes to the overall fan experience. -- Doug Padilla READ MORE15. Toronto Blue Jays (67 overall)Everyone loves a contender, and the Blue Jays, who won the AL East in 2015 and qualified for the ALCS again this season, were certainly that. For a fan base that hadnt enjoyed relevant October baseball since the Joe Carter home run in 1993, winning cures everything.dddddddddddd (Well, nearly everything.) This franchise improved quite a bit in The Mags Ultimate Standings, up to the middle of the pack in the sport. -- Eric Karabell READ MORE16. Boston Red Sox (68 overall)Call it a comeback. A year after their second consecutive last-place AL East finish nearly caused them to slip out of the top 100 in The Mags Ultimate Standings, the Red Sox won the division and surged 32 places. They ranked 16th among MLB teams, a sign that good times are rolling again on Yawkey Way. -- Scott Lauber READ MORE17. Milwaukee Brewers (70 overall)The bottom line was pretty much unchanged, both on and off the field, as the Brewers overall ranking jumped two notches from No. 72 to No. 70. But after a 49-place drop last year, it feels a bit different this time, as the club began to successfully develop some of its youth at the major league level and build a foundation for near-term growth. -- Tony Blengino READ MORE18. Colorado Rockies (74 overall)The Rockies improved quite a bit on last seasons overall ranking, despite not improving in the real-life standings. In fact, the Rockies have been consistently below average in the NL West, as 2016 represented their sixth consecutive season with considerably more losses than wins, and there is little reason to believe 2017 will be different. At least the beer is cheap and the fans keep showing up! -- Eric Karabell READ MORE19. Seattle Mariners (78 overall)Another year, another October without a postseason for Mariners fans. But at least 2016, under new general manager Jerry Dipoto and new manager Scott Servais, provided a winning season with real playoff possibility into the final weekend. Of course, it looks like the fans who bumped the Mariners up 26 spots in the standings this year have short memories: The past three times Seattle just missed the postseason, it completely collapsed the next year. -- Jim Caple READ MORE20. Cincinnati Reds (81 overall)The Reds have taken a massive plunge in the rankings since 2013, from 11th to 81st overall, in large part because theyve gone from a 90-win team to a 68-win punching bag. Theyve come to grips with the realization that long-term success is a product of scouting and player development. The question remains: Can the fan base deal with that? -- Jerry Crasnick READ MORE21. New York Mets (82 overall)The Mets 2015 World Series appearance -- their first since 2000 -- certainly earned them some goodwill from their fans and bumped them up 20 spots overall in these rankings. But even after an NL pennant, theres still doubt about the Mets ownership ... and coach ... and roster ... and prices ... -- Adam Rubin READ MORE22. Minnesota Twins (87 overall)So ... yeah. The Twins had a surprisingly exciting 2015 season in which the team won 83 games and remained relevant well into September. Optimism abounded. Target Field never looked greener. Young talent! New coach! Prospects! What would follow a mere seven months later was a new low even for a team that, over the past five seasons, had win totals of 63, 66, 66 and 70. A 1-9 start this season would lead to a 7-18 April, and the Twins were 10.5 games back -- and entirely irrelevant -- in the AL Central by May 1, well on their way to what would ultimately become the worst season in the history of the franchise. Fifty. Nine. Wins. -- Ross Marrinson READ MORE23. Philadelphia Phillies (88 overall)After four straight years of backsliding, the Phillies won 71 games and drew 1.9 million fans to Citizens Bank Park in 2016. Those numbers might not sound like much, but any step in the right direction is good news after several years of disrepair -- or at least, fans think so, based on a 30-spot jump in these rankings. This is a classic light at the end of the tunnel scenario. -- Jerry Crasnick READ MORE24. Tampa Bay Rays (90 overall)The defections of executive Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon still loom large, as the Rays finished a disappointing last in the AL East. For the first time since they were rebranded as simply the Rays, they lost more than 90 games. Injuries can excuse only so many things, as the on-field product is clearly in need of several upgrades, and many of the off-field items -- none more important than a new stadium -- are still undecided. -- Tommy Rancel READ MORE25. Miami Marlins (91 overall)The Marlins suffered through an unimaginable loss when ace pitcher Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident in late September. Miami looked to be a team on the rise, contending for a wild-card spot into the final month of the year, and Fernandez was a central reason for that. As difficult as it will be, the organization must balance moving on from the tragedy both on and off the field with keeping the memory of the Marlins fallen brother alive. -- Tommy Rancel READ MORE26. Chicago White Sox (96 overall)This spring, a baseball team in Chicago steamrolled through April and early May, winning at a .697 clip through game No. 33 on the backs of a gleaming sub-3.00 team ERA and a .300-plus OBP. And that team was not the Cubs! OK, it was. But it was also the White Sox, who played like world-beaters for the first five weeks of the season, only to let the world dole out beatings at their expense for the final 21. The Sox finished the year under .500 for the fourth straight time, then said goodbye to Robin Ventura, their all-time best third baseman-turned-beleaguered manager. It was ... not a winning formula in the AL Central (11 games out of the wild card) or the Ultimate Standings. The Sox rank No. 96 overall, the teams lowest ranking since 2004. -- Hallie Grossman READ MORE27. New York Yankees (100 overall)The Yankees think of themselves as the greatest franchise in all sports, so their barely making the top 100 goes against corporate culture. (Of course, theyve also played a grand total of one playoff game since 2012, so this ranking could be even worse.) This offseason, New York finds itself in a transition period, with Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira joining the likes of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera on the sideline and making way for the next generation of Yankees, led by catcher Gary Sanchez. -- Andrew Marchand READ MORE28. Atlanta Braves (104 overall)The Braves dropped 22 spots in these rankings, which is not surprising for the team spent most of 2016 hovering around worst in baseball status. But despite a disappointing season (and this triple-digit ranking), there are positive signs upon which to build as management ends the tear down phase and enters a transitional period. -- Mark Simon READ MORE29. San Diego Padres (107 overall)The Padres were shut out by the Dodgers 15-0 on Opening Day, and it was all downhill from there. They were never seriously competitive in the NL West and were a nonfactor in our standings as well, finishing with their worst overall mark in five seasons and a string of triple-digit category rankings. If not for pristine Petco Park, things would have been even worse. -- Doug Mittler READ MORE30. Oakland Athletics (115 overall)Is this the worst franchise in baseball, as the voters felt? Its easy to see the bad when the 60s-era stadium is on blast practically daily in the media. Then the team is just five wins from the worst record in baseball. But theres some good news in there somewhere. -- Eno Sarris READ MORE ' ' '