Xavier Cedeno

After struggling to stick in the majors with Washington (and several other teams), Cedeno was traded midseason to Tampa Bay for cash and put together an excellent season as the No. 2 left-hander out of the bullpen. The 29-year-old held lefties to a weak .193/.243/.247 slash line in 103 plate appearances and registered a 2.09 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 43 innings. A season like that would make you think Cedeno has a shot as the primary lefty killer so many teams crave, but he unfortunately is in the same bullpen as Jake McGee, one of the top left-handed relievers in baseball. While McGee struggled with injuries in 2015, he is still under team control until 2018 and will see the late-inning appearances, including occasional save opportunities based on the matchups. If Cedeno wants any shot at overtaking McGee, he will have to take his excellent 2015 results and extend them to 2016 and beyond.

Cedeno had the best season of his career at Triple-A last year, but the Nationals' bullpen depth prevented him from getting much of a chance to prove he could replicate those numbers in the big leagues. Jerry Blevins is still around to fill the club's primary left-handed reliever role, although manager Matt Williams didn't use Blevins purely as a LOOGY. With Ross Detwiler traded to Texas in the offseason, Cedeno has a chance to join the staff in spring training. He doesn't possess dominating stuff, so if he does stick in the majors he'll be hard-pressed to maintain his minor league strikeout rates, but his arm angle and fastball/slider combo could allow him to effectively neutralize tough left-handers batters.

Cedeno's 45 strikeouts in 34.1 Triple-A innings and continued ability to throw left-handed will get him plenty more chances, but he'll need to sharpen his control if he wants to see real major league success. After being promoted to Washington in September, Cedeno has managed to keep a 40-man roster spot through the offseason, but he's hardly guaranteed a job with the Nats on Opening Day.

Promoted to take Wandy Rodriguez's spot when Rodriguez was traded to Pittsburgh, Cedeno found his way into 44 games as a lefty specialist. He really struggled on the road, allowing at least two baserunners in more than half of his road appearances (he allowed multiple baserunners in just 13 percent of his home appearances). Cedeno led the team with an impressive 10.5 K/9. He was probably hoping to become that lefty at the back of the bullpen for Houston, but with Wesley Wright now firmly ensconced in that role, it looks like Cedeno will mostly be seeing time in garbage innings.