MLB: Imagining Every MLB Team As A 2016 Presidential Candidate

Marco Rubio-Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets

Rubio, a senator from Florida, is a Republican candidate trying his hardest to fight off the Trump train and win the Republican party nomination. He’s got some popular ideas, but doesn’t tend to have the national spotlight on him all that much.

That’s where the Pittsburgh Pirates can certainly sympathize. A team that has been competitive in a scary NL Central division for a few years now, the Pirates have a young core of Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole, and a platoon of prospects at their disposal. They’ve made some runs and advanced to the playoffs, just like Rubio thus far. However, Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to stay hot long enough to surge to the top and win many playoff games yet. This is where Rubio likely hopes any comparison to the Pirates ends.

As for the Mets, they have had more success than the Pirates, as they made it to the World Series last year. They lost to the Royals, but they can’t be upset when their core of young pitching has already carried them to the World Series so early in their respective careers. Rubio too, is hoping to ride a wave of youth, and find a core demographic to truly dominate with.

The Mets also have made a splash here and there, like resigning their biggest offensive weapon in years, Yoenis Cespedes, this offseason. Rubio too, has made large strides in certain debates, and recently made headlines for his well-received offensive blitz on Trump in this week’s debate. Rubio, along with both the Mets and Pirates will surely look to keep up their momentum as 2016 continues.

Ted Cruz-Toronto Blue Jays

As someone who was technically born in Canada, this had to be done. Ted Cruz is far from the best or most likely to win candidate, but he has shown a lot of potential and earned a large fan base because of it.

This is exactly what can be said about the Toronto Blue Jays. They are well-equipped with the mega bats of Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson, and should be for years to come. The only problem is the man-eating division they play in. The AL East has a longer history of beating up on itself than almost any other, which leads to some pretty awesome September moments.

Like Cruz, the Blue Jays won’t be short of offensive firepower come 2016, but they are far from a lock to win it all.

Lindsey Graham-Minnesota Twins

Started out great, with plenty of bright spots. However, the more you look at Graham and the Twins, the more you realize there’s something missing. They both have some great pieces and are trending in the right direction, just not for 2016.

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