SPRING TRAINING IS UPON US!
This post will highlight most of the major moves that each team made during the past offseason, division by division, and team by team.
Today will be the American league. I’ll have the National league up in a few days or so.
American League EAST:
Tampa Bay Rays:
In my opinion the Rays lost just too much to continue to be a force in the AL East. Yes, they have two division titles and one pennant since 2008, but this was when they had all stars on their team. I will put it to you this way, they lost (whether by trading, releasing, or free agency) Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Rafael Soriano, Dan Wheeler, Chad Qualls, Jason Bartlett, and Matt Garza. I did not name everybody because Tampa pretty much had a full roster overhaul. Their team looks completely different for this year. Their biggest splash was signing both Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to a one year contract. They also signed sloppy reliever Kyle Farnsworth. To much lost, and too little gained. I’d be very wary about Manny being Manny, especially since he took a HUGE pay cut this year. I don’t expect the Rays to be in the cellar this year, but they could be fighting the Orioles for third place in the division.
New York Yankees:
Ah, the good ol’ Yanks. Their number one priority this off-season was to sign Cliff Lee. I wasn’t necessarily on board with this because he seems Pavano-esque to me, but he signed with the Phillies instead. Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon signed hoping to reach back into the history books. The Jeter discussions came and went, he was resigned, as was the Sandman. Unfortunately the Yanks lost a big cog when Andy Pettitte retired. Their starting pitching is a question mark after CC, Hughes, and Burnett, but I am expecting good numbers out of Ivan Nova. He seemed pretty solid last year. Other notables that have left from last year are Marcus Thames and Kerry Wood. The Yankees also lost Alfredo Aceves to free agency, who I believe would’ve been a valuable #5 guy for the rotation. They also addressed their catching situation by picking up Russell Martin, who really could be hit or miss. He had all star numbers a few years ago, but then the injury bug came. He just came off surgery, so we will see how he produces. I’d guarantee his defense will be better than Posada’s, but I can not guarantee the same about his bat. Jorge moves over to full time DH, part time catcher, which is new for him because he loves to catch, but this move will absolutely keep him healthier throughout the year which the Yanks will need in order to compete. If there is one thing the Yankees did accomplish this off season and it was improving the relief pitching immensely. Yes, they lost Kerry Wood, but now they have Rafael Soriano (2010 AL Saves leader) to setup Mariano, and someone who can most likely become the next Yankee closer. They also swiped an inning-eater lefty from the Mets, Pedro Feliciano. Overall, the Yankees lineup is still tops in baseball, their starting rotation is shaky, but should be fine IF Burnett decides to show up this year. Their bullpen is now the best in the majors. These Yankees look like the Yankees of 1996 when they turned a professional baseball game into a 7 inning game every time. Nothing less than winning the AL East for these guys.
Boston Red Sox:
Oh, the Red Sox. 2010 was a year to forget for them as they took a cue from the 2009 Mets and decided to all get injured and what not. Lets make it quick with the Sox. They lost Mike Lowell, Adrian Beltre, and Victor Martinez. They gained Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Dan Wheeler, Alfredo Aceves, and Bobby Jenks. They lost a few bats in Beltre and V-Mart, but they definitely righted that ship when they signed Crawford and Gonzalez – two all stars. Their bullpen is slightly better, but they need to focus on Papelbon as he didn’t have an electric season last year that he is used to. It is possible if Papelbon flounders that they could possibly put Jenks in his place, which will not make Papelbon happy for sure. In any case, the Sox will be solid if they stay healthy. They still won 89 games basically without Youkilis, Pedroia, Ellsbury for most or part of the year. Their pitching is still good, Clay Bucholz is an absolute all star. Beckett was shaky last year, but could turn it around and be a star again. Lackey could stop being a bum and deliver for the Sawx. The addition of Crawford and Gonzalez really sparked the Sox this offseason. I say they come in second in the AL East, but they’ll be fighting with the Yanks tooth and nail like the old days for first place.
Toronto Blue Jays:
Hmmph, I’m disappointed with these guys. I thought they would turn it around, but instead they traded away most of their talent the past couple of years. Halladay – gone, Rios – gone, Vernon Wells – gone, Marcum – gone, see where I’m going with this? They did have the HR leader last year with Jose Bautista, but single player stats really doesn’t do squat for the team. The Jays lost John Buck, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg, Lyle Overbay, and Shaun Marcum. They picked up Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera from the Angels, but ended up trading Napoli for pitcher Frank Francisco from the Rangers. The Blue Jays also acquired Rajai Davis, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch. Their relief looks decent, their starting pitching is a question mark, and their best bat had a freak season last year and should see his numbers drop off. The only real accomplishment this off season was removing some money from the payroll. Expect the Blue Jays to keep the basement warm this year.
Baltimore Orioles:
The Orioles are making a lot of moves, and I personally think it has made them better. First and foremost acquiring Buck Showalter to manage the team was a great move, and it showed last year. He will do great things for this team in my opinion. Anyway, the Orioles lost a few people, but seemed to make up for it and then some in who they picked up. The Orioles lost Kevin Millwood, Julio Lugo, and Ty Wigginton. Alfredo Simon is probably not coming back and is sitting in some Dominican jail. I’m happy for Millwood, because I feel he was a good pitcher on a crappy team the past couple years. Unfortunately, he left them when things are starting to get better. They picked up bats in Mark Reynolds, Vladimir Guerrero, and Derek Lee. They also solidified their closing situation with the signing of Kevin Gregg. The O’s also swiped Justin Duchscherer from the A’s. The direction of this team relies heavily on their manager, and Buck is great. I think they’ll be pretty good when compared to last year. They will be battling the Rays in the highly competitive AL EAST for third place.
American League CENTRAL:
Minnesota Twins: 
The Twins still look good, but I don’t know if they look good enough to win the AL Central again. They picked up their first Japanese player ever with Tsuyoshi Nishioka. They were able to get Pavano to resign (not until after Brian Cashman poked around a little). Jim Thome decided to give it another go around, but they ended up losing JJ Hardy. Their bullpen got smacked around after the losses of Crain, Jon Rauch, Brian Fuentes and Matt Guerrier. Hopefully Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau return in full health to help these guys win, they are going to need them. These guys will be battling the Sox most of the year, but injury’s could hamper them. I see them being the solid second place choice for the division.
Chicago White Sox:
Adam Dunn was the biggest move the Sox made. This worried some because they though it would be hard to pay Konerko to stay, but they got the deal done with him, too. Manny Ramirez elected to go to free agency, which is probably good for the Sox. They lost J.J. Putz to sunny Arizona, but also managed to swipe Jesse Crain from their divisional foes, the Twins. Another late season signing was of Lastings Milledge, who could be hit or miss. And finally, Andrew Jones and Freddy Garcia goto the Yanks via free agency. The White Sox could be really good if Adam Dunn does what he has done for many seasons. I personally think Dunn/Konerko or vice versa, batting 3 and 4 can be pretty scary for any pitching staff, but who is their closer? Is it Thornton, or Crain, or even young up and comer Chris Sale? Like I said above, the Twins and Sox will go back and forth all year, but assuming the Sox fill their closing role adequately, I say they win this division.
Detroit Tigers:
They made some moves, and did OK. I wasn’t too fond of them trading away Armando Galaragga. I mean this guy pitched a ‘perfect’ game last year. They decided to fill that spot with Brad Penny, who was effective last year, when not injured. He was injured for what seemed like more thn half the season, but pitched fantastic before that. Joaquin Benoit was added, and could produce, but could also be very inneffective (career ERA of 4.47). Victor Martinez should hit well in Comerica, but he is a pretty bad catcher. Miguel Cabrera and V-Mart does sound pretty intimidating though. The loss Johnny Damon brings down the clubhouse, but was probably a smart thing to do because he is aging, and can’t really play the outfield too well anymore. They did opt to keep Magglio for at least another year, which could be a good thing. I always see Magglio as a possible batting leader for the league. After Verlander, this rotation gets shaky. They have Phil Coke listed as #4 starter right now, Penny at #5, and they traded away a ‘perfect’ pitcher. Huh??? Third place for these guys.
Cleveland Indians:
They signed Austin Kearns. That was their biggest move. It is obvious this organization is in a rebuilding stage and will be in the basement this season. Hopefully Grady Sizemore has a comeback year, these Indians need some sort of good news. Unfortunately, I would have to place this group in the basement of a division that also includes the Kansas City Royals.
Kansas City Royals:
The lowly Royals have gone a little bit lower after this off season, but hey, I still think they’re better than the Indians, so that has to count for something right? Right?!?! Zack Greinke, their Ace, was lost to the Brew Crew and the NL. Gil Meche was admirable in retiring and letting the Royals keep the money to help the team. He could’ve pitched from the bullpen this year and banked the money. Instead the Royals will now take that money and… well do nothing with it. They did sign Melky Cabrera, and Jeff Francoeur to anchor the outfield, although I think Frenchie sucks. Jeff Francis, and Vin Mazzaro join the rotation, but their talent can’t even compete with the loss of Greinke and Meche. The only reason they won’t be in the basement is because the Indians will be down there, digging their graves. Fourth place goes to the Royals.
American League WEST:
Texas Rangers:
The Rangers got hit pretty hard with the loss of Cliff Lee. He decided to jump ship and go back the Phillies. Adrian Beltre came aboard for a nice contract, leaving their captain – Michael Young’s future in jeopardy with the team. In fact he has actually requested to be traded because he feels his talents will be wasted as a full time DH. Granted the guy has won multiple gold gloves, but he is no spring chicken. The Rangers traded for Mike Napoli, but lost Frank Francisco. This should create an interesting topic of conversation for the closer role considering the Rangers are discussing using Neftali Feliz as a pitcher in the starting rotation. Not to mention, they did add annual DLer Brandon Webb, who if healthy, is a Cy Young candidate. Last, but not least, Vladimir left his Rangers for the lowly Orioles to fill in their DH spot. Expect these Rangers to be fighting with the A’s for first place and ultimately come out in second because their pitching is too unstable in my opinion.
Oakland Athletics:
David DeJesus and Josh Willingham were signed to hold down the outfield. Rajai Davis left for the Blue Jays. The A’s also actually ended up losing a long time member, Eric Chavez. His skills are greatly diminished so this was probably a smart move for this team. Vin Mazzaro was traded with another pitcher to acquire DeJesus, and also Hideki Matsui signed on to be their full time DH. This definitely brings some power back to a very power-hungry team, but don’t expect Matsui to be grabbing fly balls in the outfield. The bullpen becomes more solid with the signings of Brian Fuentes, Grant Balfour, and Rich Harden. They lost Jack Cust to free agency, but far outshined that loss by signing Matsui. Andy LaRoche is also a solid player at third base and I think he will produce for the A’s. I believe the A’s will win this division this year, their pitching is pretty solid all around, and now they can hit the ball with some power. I have a feeling that the A’s will be in first place, much like their football counterparts next football season. The latter, was quite obviously, a joke.
Los Angeles Angels:
The Angels made the “C’MON MAN” [cue SportsCenter music] move of the off season. They missed out on the Carl Crawford sweepstakes, then went on to complete the craziest move of the offseason. They picked up Vernon Wells from the Blue Jays, and decided that they would take his whole contract on. That’s over 80 million dollars to Vernon. Have fun with that LA. The Angels also lost 1B/Catcher/DH Mike Napoli, and Juan Rivera to just get Vernon Wells. Hisanori Takahasi was picked up from the Mets and could be solid for this team that was looking for some effectiveness in the bullpen. Scott Downs should also provide some effective relief. My biggest qualm with this team (besides them wasting a butt load of money on an aging veteran[Wells]) is that they went to arbitration with their Ace, Jered Weaver. Jered has been very effective in his career in Los Angeles, and anytime I feel that a team lets it get to arbitration, they don’t care about that player all too much. I mean this guy is 64-39 with a 3.55 ERA in his career, all with the Angels. Those aren’t bad numbers AT ALL, but apparently the Angels did not really think about what they did this off season. It’s cool duuuude, the Angels will find a way! Yeah, a way to third in the division.
Seattle Mariners:
We’re talking about the Mariners here. I hate to be so pessimistic, but the M’s really did not do anything to make their team better. Yea, they resigned Erik Bedard, but he hasn’t performed like the way he should since he joined them. They ended up losing Casey Kotchman, which will most definitely affect their defense, and also lost annual nomad Russel Branyan who did provide some pop. The addition of Jack Cust adds some pop to a team starving for power, but he is also is just leftovers from another team. This team will need to play fantastic defense to win their games because like last year they won’t be scoring many runs. I bet they wish they could start King Felix at least a few times a week. Aardsma their closer was good last year, but had some serious hip surgery over the off season so he won’t play until mid-April. This is a lose/lose situation, no pun intended, because even if the Mariners have some sort of lead, they’ll lose it with their (currently) incompetent bullpen. It’s a sad day in the rainy city, and it doesn’t look like their forecast is changing for quite some time. Also, expect them to most likely lose Felix to a better suitor when the post season starts lurking. Last place for these guys, but I don’t expect them to lock down the worst record in the AL this year like they did the last (save that for the Indians).
OK, that was a long post and took much, much longer then I expected to complete. Technically it’s not even done, I still have to get into the National League. I figured I would post the AL first, just to get the ball rolling, so NL will come in few days or so. Enjoy my post, and leave some comments with your thoughts, I would love to read them!
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