- 3,542
- Marin County, C
Ok, so I never made one of these like I did the past two years but in anticipation to the start of spring training is starting to bug me and I need to talk some baseball. On that note I will start by listing of some of each teams major moves this season to help those of you that don't sit around the hot stove all winter long.
Arizona Diamondbacks:
They didn't do much but they have bolstered there bullpen adding JJ Putz to a 2 years $10MM deal. Traded away slugger and master strikeout artist Mark Reynolds to Baltimore and then signed Melvin Mora for 3rd base duties. Also dabbled in the idea of trading Upton but couldn't get a big enough return. I like what they have done in blustering there pen which struggled last year. They should improve on last year by a good bit.
Atlanta Braves:
Early on traded away Infante to the Marlins for Uggla which gives the middle order of the Braves a whole new look. Other then adding Sherrill Hinske they haven't done much but look to battle for NL East title like last year.
Baltimore Orioles:
Traded for Mark Reynolds, JJ Hardy signed Kevin Gregg and Derrek Lee. Dlee, Hardy and Reynolds put into the lineup with Scott, Jones, Markakis, Robers makes there lineup very solid and should help youngsters like Weiters and Remoid. They lack some starting pitching but they should be a much better team then they were last year. Showalter turned the team around last year so expect at least a .500 record IMO.
Boston Red Sox:
Every single headline seemed to feature this team. Trading for Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres and signing outfielder Carl Crawford to a 7 year $142 MM deal. Resigning Varitek and adding bullpen depth in Jenks amongst others. They look to be the favorites.
Chicago Cubs: Trading for Garza, getting back Wood and signing Pena to a 1 year deal. The Cubs are looking like a very formidable team but I still feel they lack a bit. There is potential in the team and I think they can contend.
Chicago White Sox: Signing Adam Dunn and resigning AJ and Konerko they look to have more thump in the lineup then last year. Then adding some strong Bullpen pieces in Jesse Crain and Will Ohman they look to hold on to a strong pitching staff.
Cincinnati Reds: The Reds have been a bit on the quiet side this off season in terms of signing people. They did however extend a number of players (Johnny Cueto, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Bronson Arroyo, Scott Rolen) and resigning a few others. They did however pick up the WS MVP Edgar Renteria and ex-Giant Fred Lewis to compete for lead-off duties. Other then that they have a very sound team and should look very similar to last year barring injuries or career years from surprising players.
Cleveland Indians: There really isn't much to say for the team other then hopefully Santana and Sizemore can stay healthy. Currently trying to rebuild most if not all of there signings are minor league or Spring Training invites. Austin Kearns is back with the team but other then they haven't done much. Hopefully Joe Martinez can get some chances to pitch here.
Colorado Rockies: Big off season for the Rocks, resigning Tulo who will now be under club control for TEN years. Oh, and CarGo too.. Adding to the resigning the De La Rosa they hold on to some key parts of 2010. They then traded for Felipe Paulino for bullpen help and Jose Lopez for power help. And they also signed Wigginton to replace Mora. I don't think this puts them ahead of the Giants for favorites in my opinion as there is to much of a pitching gap but the potential is there.
Detroit Tigers: Extended Inge and Raburn. And resigned Ordonez and Peralta . Along with signing Victor Martinez, Joaquin Benoit and barring injury Brad Penny they should very well contend in the ALC. I still think they need more pitching if they want to be successful in the post season but that's just my opinion.
Florida Marlins: They did trade away Uggla who is probably the best power hitting 2nd basemen. But they got Infante in return who is good defensively and offensively unlike Uggla. They also traded for some bullpen in Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb from the Padres which will help in an area they need it. Along with John Buck a solid catcher with a good bad and Javier Vazquez a solid pitcher. Then resigning Nolasco to a good deal the Marlins have them self a nice team that should be about the same area as last year maybe even a bit better. Along with a series of miner league signings you never no what your going to get.
Houston Astros: Didn't do much but after Berkman and Oswalt were traded they got some nice prospects and they started to play better. I think this team can turn it around and be better then last year, but by how much? The NLC has gotten much better from last year. They traded for Barmes and signed Bill Hall and resigned Myers. They have a nice catching prospect in Jason Castro who struggled a bit last year but should improve with time. They also have Matt Downs who was a Giants prospect but ended up getting released much to my dismay. A solid fielding 2nd basemen with power so hopefully he gets a shot because I think he can become a solid starter.
Kansas City Royals: What to say about the Royals... They resigned Chen, and signed Jeff Francis, Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera and got Vin Mazzaro in a trade. But they traded away Dejesus and Grienke. The team won't compete for obvious reasons not this year or the next couple. BUT, they do have the best minor league system in the league so maybe in a few years you will see a few all-star players coming out of the cellar roaming Royals but for now they aren't much more. Sorry!
Los Angeles Angels: Angels had a pretty bad year followed by a pretty bad off season. They got Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi and that's about it. Then all the sudden they trade Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli for Vernon Wells who is in the middle of a monster contract. I expect them to be in third place and out of everything.
Los Angeles Dodgers: I would love to sit here on the crown and laugh at my rivals who fell apart so perfectly in 2010. But they actually did a lot of things right this off season. They started off extending Ted Lilly to a three year deal and bringing back Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal who seem to found a sweet swing down the stretch. Then stole post season hero Juan Uribe to a three year deal stealing one of the better utility players in the game. Then getting a pitching staff locked up, Kuroda, Garland to one year deals. That's 6 starters. Then getting Barajas and Navarro for catching duty. Guerrier to help the bullpen that fell apart and then Marcus Thames to compete for left field duties. (They also got Dodger killer Eugenio Velez who played for the Giants who isn't that good but is a fun player to watch...) All of this and they still aren't as good as the Rockies or Giants. Lots of signing but not much quality.
Milwaukee Brewers: Wow what a off-season! Before the season ended they resigned Corey Hart and Yovani Gallardo to 3 and 5 year deals. Then signed Saito to help the back of the bullpen then traded for Marcum and Grienke! One of the better offenses now have a pretty good rotation and a strengthened up bullpen. To bad there defense still is one of the worse but that is something that can improve. They look to compete but will they be able to? Going to be fun to watch next season!
Minnesota Twins: They started the offseason extending Joe Mauer, Denard Span and Nick Blackburn to long contracts. They then won the bid to open negotiations with Tsuyoshi Nishioka who later signed a 3 year $9MM contract. Not much money who broke the hit record (I believe) in Japan but Japanese players have historically not done well in the states. They later resigned Jim Thome and Carl Pavano and also exercised the option for Jason Kubel. The Twins look to compete again next year but the Socks and Detroit are going to have a few things to say about who's going to win the AL Central.
New York Mets: Last offseason I kept hearing about how great the NL East is going to be with an improved Mets squad. Well they weren't that great last year no help from Jason Bay who signed a long term deal and did not live up to expectations. They have a potentially good team but have loads of problems in the pitching department oh yeah and the staying healthy department. Look for a turn around year for players like Beltran, Bay and Reyes. And for young stuf Ike Davis to improve but there biggest pickups were $1.1 MM deals Chris Young and Scott (The Giant killer) Hairston. Does not impress and I think they have a good chance at being last in the division.
New York Yankees: There offseason didn't impress me either. They resigned Jeter to a massive contract. He has a huge name and following that hides the fact that he is a bad defender, has little to no power and his ability to hit and steal bases has diminished. They signed his name no the player. They also resigned Rivera but hes still good at what he does. They signed Mark Prior (Remember him?) to a minor league deal and Russell Martin who looks to rebuild some stock. He should do good getting out of the strong pitching NL West also playing in small ballparks will help too. They also signed Feliciano and Soriano for some major bullpen help but there starting pitching is still horrid. They also signed Andruw Jones but he won't make that starting pitching any better.
Oakland Athletics: I love what they did this offseason. I hate the deal but they did real well in boosting up that offense to give that great pitching staff (both starting and relief) some help. They brought back Ellis and Crisp. Then signed Matsui (Godzilla) for DH duties, as old as he is he can still mash a baseball. Brought back Rich Harden and signed Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour. Now there good bullpen is starting to look great. Then they trade for Josh Willingham from the Nationals. They now have a respectable offense and what is looking like the best pitching staff in the AL. Put that in the a division that is getting weak they have all the chances in the world to try and do what the Giants did last year.
Philadelphia Phillies: They brought back Contreras the only pitcher that was able to get a Giant hitter out consistently
and J.C. Romero. Then they signed Cliff Lee and that's about it. Oh yeah, they also lost some dude named Jayson Werth. Apparently the Lee signing makes them leaders of the world but I don't even see them reaching there last years regular season record of 97 wins. Chase Utley struggled last year and he isn't getting younger. People think they are a great offensive team but losing Werth changes the whole dynamic of the team. Not to mention absolutely no power from the right hand side. Howard and Utley is there only real power threat and they both hit offhanded. Ibanez is also left handed along with Rollins and Victorino who are switch hitters but spend most of there time on the left side. Ruiz and Polanco are the only right handed batters on the team and they are soft gap hitters without much speed. There starting pitching is good but there bullpen isn't. And the team is getting older and very one dimensional.
More to come!
Arizona Diamondbacks:
They didn't do much but they have bolstered there bullpen adding JJ Putz to a 2 years $10MM deal. Traded away slugger and master strikeout artist Mark Reynolds to Baltimore and then signed Melvin Mora for 3rd base duties. Also dabbled in the idea of trading Upton but couldn't get a big enough return. I like what they have done in blustering there pen which struggled last year. They should improve on last year by a good bit.
Atlanta Braves:
Early on traded away Infante to the Marlins for Uggla which gives the middle order of the Braves a whole new look. Other then adding Sherrill Hinske they haven't done much but look to battle for NL East title like last year.
Baltimore Orioles:
Traded for Mark Reynolds, JJ Hardy signed Kevin Gregg and Derrek Lee. Dlee, Hardy and Reynolds put into the lineup with Scott, Jones, Markakis, Robers makes there lineup very solid and should help youngsters like Weiters and Remoid. They lack some starting pitching but they should be a much better team then they were last year. Showalter turned the team around last year so expect at least a .500 record IMO.
Boston Red Sox:
Every single headline seemed to feature this team. Trading for Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres and signing outfielder Carl Crawford to a 7 year $142 MM deal. Resigning Varitek and adding bullpen depth in Jenks amongst others. They look to be the favorites.
Chicago Cubs: Trading for Garza, getting back Wood and signing Pena to a 1 year deal. The Cubs are looking like a very formidable team but I still feel they lack a bit. There is potential in the team and I think they can contend.
Chicago White Sox: Signing Adam Dunn and resigning AJ and Konerko they look to have more thump in the lineup then last year. Then adding some strong Bullpen pieces in Jesse Crain and Will Ohman they look to hold on to a strong pitching staff.
Cincinnati Reds: The Reds have been a bit on the quiet side this off season in terms of signing people. They did however extend a number of players (Johnny Cueto, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Bronson Arroyo, Scott Rolen) and resigning a few others. They did however pick up the WS MVP Edgar Renteria and ex-Giant Fred Lewis to compete for lead-off duties. Other then that they have a very sound team and should look very similar to last year barring injuries or career years from surprising players.
Cleveland Indians: There really isn't much to say for the team other then hopefully Santana and Sizemore can stay healthy. Currently trying to rebuild most if not all of there signings are minor league or Spring Training invites. Austin Kearns is back with the team but other then they haven't done much. Hopefully Joe Martinez can get some chances to pitch here.
Colorado Rockies: Big off season for the Rocks, resigning Tulo who will now be under club control for TEN years. Oh, and CarGo too.. Adding to the resigning the De La Rosa they hold on to some key parts of 2010. They then traded for Felipe Paulino for bullpen help and Jose Lopez for power help. And they also signed Wigginton to replace Mora. I don't think this puts them ahead of the Giants for favorites in my opinion as there is to much of a pitching gap but the potential is there.
Detroit Tigers: Extended Inge and Raburn. And resigned Ordonez and Peralta . Along with signing Victor Martinez, Joaquin Benoit and barring injury Brad Penny they should very well contend in the ALC. I still think they need more pitching if they want to be successful in the post season but that's just my opinion.
Florida Marlins: They did trade away Uggla who is probably the best power hitting 2nd basemen. But they got Infante in return who is good defensively and offensively unlike Uggla. They also traded for some bullpen in Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb from the Padres which will help in an area they need it. Along with John Buck a solid catcher with a good bad and Javier Vazquez a solid pitcher. Then resigning Nolasco to a good deal the Marlins have them self a nice team that should be about the same area as last year maybe even a bit better. Along with a series of miner league signings you never no what your going to get.
Houston Astros: Didn't do much but after Berkman and Oswalt were traded they got some nice prospects and they started to play better. I think this team can turn it around and be better then last year, but by how much? The NLC has gotten much better from last year. They traded for Barmes and signed Bill Hall and resigned Myers. They have a nice catching prospect in Jason Castro who struggled a bit last year but should improve with time. They also have Matt Downs who was a Giants prospect but ended up getting released much to my dismay. A solid fielding 2nd basemen with power so hopefully he gets a shot because I think he can become a solid starter.
Kansas City Royals: What to say about the Royals... They resigned Chen, and signed Jeff Francis, Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera and got Vin Mazzaro in a trade. But they traded away Dejesus and Grienke. The team won't compete for obvious reasons not this year or the next couple. BUT, they do have the best minor league system in the league so maybe in a few years you will see a few all-star players coming out of the cellar roaming Royals but for now they aren't much more. Sorry!
Los Angeles Angels: Angels had a pretty bad year followed by a pretty bad off season. They got Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi and that's about it. Then all the sudden they trade Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli for Vernon Wells who is in the middle of a monster contract. I expect them to be in third place and out of everything.
Los Angeles Dodgers: I would love to sit here on the crown and laugh at my rivals who fell apart so perfectly in 2010. But they actually did a lot of things right this off season. They started off extending Ted Lilly to a three year deal and bringing back Jay Gibbons to a minor league deal who seem to found a sweet swing down the stretch. Then stole post season hero Juan Uribe to a three year deal stealing one of the better utility players in the game. Then getting a pitching staff locked up, Kuroda, Garland to one year deals. That's 6 starters. Then getting Barajas and Navarro for catching duty. Guerrier to help the bullpen that fell apart and then Marcus Thames to compete for left field duties. (They also got Dodger killer Eugenio Velez who played for the Giants who isn't that good but is a fun player to watch...) All of this and they still aren't as good as the Rockies or Giants. Lots of signing but not much quality.
Milwaukee Brewers: Wow what a off-season! Before the season ended they resigned Corey Hart and Yovani Gallardo to 3 and 5 year deals. Then signed Saito to help the back of the bullpen then traded for Marcum and Grienke! One of the better offenses now have a pretty good rotation and a strengthened up bullpen. To bad there defense still is one of the worse but that is something that can improve. They look to compete but will they be able to? Going to be fun to watch next season!
Minnesota Twins: They started the offseason extending Joe Mauer, Denard Span and Nick Blackburn to long contracts. They then won the bid to open negotiations with Tsuyoshi Nishioka who later signed a 3 year $9MM contract. Not much money who broke the hit record (I believe) in Japan but Japanese players have historically not done well in the states. They later resigned Jim Thome and Carl Pavano and also exercised the option for Jason Kubel. The Twins look to compete again next year but the Socks and Detroit are going to have a few things to say about who's going to win the AL Central.
New York Mets: Last offseason I kept hearing about how great the NL East is going to be with an improved Mets squad. Well they weren't that great last year no help from Jason Bay who signed a long term deal and did not live up to expectations. They have a potentially good team but have loads of problems in the pitching department oh yeah and the staying healthy department. Look for a turn around year for players like Beltran, Bay and Reyes. And for young stuf Ike Davis to improve but there biggest pickups were $1.1 MM deals Chris Young and Scott (The Giant killer) Hairston. Does not impress and I think they have a good chance at being last in the division.
New York Yankees: There offseason didn't impress me either. They resigned Jeter to a massive contract. He has a huge name and following that hides the fact that he is a bad defender, has little to no power and his ability to hit and steal bases has diminished. They signed his name no the player. They also resigned Rivera but hes still good at what he does. They signed Mark Prior (Remember him?) to a minor league deal and Russell Martin who looks to rebuild some stock. He should do good getting out of the strong pitching NL West also playing in small ballparks will help too. They also signed Feliciano and Soriano for some major bullpen help but there starting pitching is still horrid. They also signed Andruw Jones but he won't make that starting pitching any better.
Oakland Athletics: I love what they did this offseason. I hate the deal but they did real well in boosting up that offense to give that great pitching staff (both starting and relief) some help. They brought back Ellis and Crisp. Then signed Matsui (Godzilla) for DH duties, as old as he is he can still mash a baseball. Brought back Rich Harden and signed Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour. Now there good bullpen is starting to look great. Then they trade for Josh Willingham from the Nationals. They now have a respectable offense and what is looking like the best pitching staff in the AL. Put that in the a division that is getting weak they have all the chances in the world to try and do what the Giants did last year.
Philadelphia Phillies: They brought back Contreras the only pitcher that was able to get a Giant hitter out consistently
and J.C. Romero. Then they signed Cliff Lee and that's about it. Oh yeah, they also lost some dude named Jayson Werth. Apparently the Lee signing makes them leaders of the world but I don't even see them reaching there last years regular season record of 97 wins. Chase Utley struggled last year and he isn't getting younger. People think they are a great offensive team but losing Werth changes the whole dynamic of the team. Not to mention absolutely no power from the right hand side. Howard and Utley is there only real power threat and they both hit offhanded. Ibanez is also left handed along with Rollins and Victorino who are switch hitters but spend most of there time on the left side. Ruiz and Polanco are the only right handed batters on the team and they are soft gap hitters without much speed. There starting pitching is good but there bullpen isn't. And the team is getting older and very one dimensional. More to come!
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). 2nd off, I'm glad that you're a Giants fan. I'm a die-hard Dodgers fan, so this should be lots of fun! 👍
Or when he does come off of some cabbage,it's usually a player who's better years are past them.He basically uses these guys for inspiration.
