This has been a weird off-season so far as there still are a bunch of impact free agents available. I will take a look at some of the new faces each team has brought in over the winter and give each front office a grade. The grade won’t be based on and re-signing of players but only on the news ones brought in. Here we go:
I really like what the Baltimore Orioles have done so far. They have brought in Garrett Atkins who will start at either 1B or 3B for the Orioles this season and the price was right to take a chance on him. The Orioles brought in Kevin Millwood in a trade with the Rangers to give them a solid veteran to team with Jeremy Guthrie at the top of the starting rotation. The Orioles also signed veteran lefty Mike Gonzalez to close for them. ORIOLES GRADE: B
The Boston Red Sox have decided to focus on defense and pitching this winter. Signing John Lackey as a free agent gives the Red Sox one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball with Beckett, Lester and Lackey at the top of it. The Red Sox lost out on Jason Bay who signed with the Mets. But, the Red Sox signed veteran Mike Cameron to replace him. Cameron’s arrival bumps Jacoby Ellsbury to LF really making the defense better for the BoSox in 2010. Cameron is still probably a 20/20 player but he won’t put up numbers anywhere close to Bay’s. Adrian Beltre will replace Mike Lowell as the starting 3B in 2010. Beltre is one of the best defensive players at the hot corner but he is a so-so hitter who might be able to put up numbers like Lowell if he can stay healthy and focused. Marco Scutaro was signed to take over at shortstop for the Red Sox this season. It has been a black hole for the Red Sox for years now. Still, Scutaro had a career year last season so I think he will regress a tad in 2010. Jeremy Hermida came over in a trade with the Marlins and he will serve as the Red Sox’ #4 OF in 2010. RED SOX GRADE: B
The New York Yankees have been semi quiet over the off-season at least on the free agent front. Nick Johnson was signed to replace Hideki Matsui at DH. I’m not so sure I like this move because Johnson rarely stays healthy and he just isn’t near as good of a hitter as Matsui is. I did like the trade that brought in Curtis Granderson whose swing is perfect for Yankee Stadium. Granderson will also improve the defense of the Yankees in 2010. The Yankees also brought in Javier Vazquez in a trade with the Braves moving the popular Melky Cabrera as part of the deal. Vazquez did not pitch too well in his first time around with the Yankees so it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure in 2010. YANKEES GRADE: B-
The Toronto Blue Jays have made a few big moves this winter. I don’t think that they got fair return for Roy Halladay as the Phillies took advantage of the Blue Jays’ need to trade the big guy. 1B/3B Brett Wallace and/or Kyle Drabek could make their major league debuts for the Blue Jays this season and they were part of the return for Halladay. The one move I really liked for the Blue Jays was when they stole Brandon Morrow for Brandon League. Catcher John Buck and shortstop Alex Gonzalez were brought in to start for the Blue Jays this season as free agents and I have a feeling neither will do too well for the Jays. I did like the recent signing of Jeremy Reed to help out of the bench in 2010 in the outfield. BLUE JAYS GRADE: C-
The Tampa Bay Rays had two needs coming into the winter. They needed a catcher to push Dioner Navarro and they needed a new closer. They filled both of those needs in the trade market. The Rays acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach from the Indians for pitcher Mitch Talbot. Shoppach might push Navarro right to the bench or they could wind up platooning. Either way I love that trade for the Rays. The Rays then took the pitcher they got from the Pirates (Jesse Chavez) for Akinori Iwamura and they traded him to the Braves for closer Rafael Soriano. In essence they acquired Soriano for Iwamura and that was another win for the Rays. RAYS GRADE: A
I thought the Minnesota Twins were going to be big spenders this winter but the only real free agent they have brought in is righty reliever Clay Condrey. The Twins did fill a huge hole at shortstop by trading outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy. I like that trade for both teams as the Brewers had a big need in CF. The Twins still have needs at 2B and 3B. TWINS GRADE: D-
The Tigers drew a lot of fire for trading Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson over the winter but they got a decent return for them which has improved the depth of the pitching staff while bringing in a replacement CF. Austin Jackson will likely start in CF for the Tigers in 2010 as long as he proves that he is ready. He will probably be just as good as Granderson defensively but he is nowhere near the power hitter that Granderson is. Despite Edwin Jackson pitching so well for the Tigers last season I really like the upside of Max Scherzer who they acquired as part of that trade. He will replace Jackson in the Tigers’ rotation. Lefty Phil Coke is the wildcard because the Tigers have been talking about using him in the starting rotation. He does have good stuff and if he isn’t deemed good enough to start he will work out of the pen in 2010. Fellow lefty Daniel Schlereth will be working late in games for the Tigers in 2010 because his stuff is that good. The cherry on the top for the Tigers this winter was the recent signing of closer Jose Valverde to close for them in 2010. He is a huge upgrade over Fernando Rodney. TIGERS GRADE: B
The Chicago White Sox have not made any huge moves this winter but they have successfully tweaked the roster making the team better. Juan Pierre will give the White Sox a solid hitter at the top of the line-up who can really run getting into the heads of opposing pitchers. Ozzie Guillen will be giving Pierre the green light early and often in 2010 and he could lead the league in steals. The White Sox acquire Mark Teahan in a trade with the Royals and they are going to start him at 3B. I’ve always thought he was overrated but maybe playing half of his games in Chicago will wake up his bat. Andruw Jones signed for next to nothing (500K) for the 2010 season and he could surprise if given a lot of playing time. He will likely get quite a few ABs at DH this season and it will be interesting to see what he does with them. White Sox’ GM Kenny Williams pulled off a master stroke in signing veteran Omar Vizquel to back-up Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez and tutor them defensively where he is a wizard. J.J. Putz was signed as a free agent giving the Pale Hose another huge arm at the back of the bullpen. WHITE SOX GRADE: B
The Kansas City Royals have done nothing to help the pitching staff but they have brought in a lot of position players to hopefully help the offense and defense. I was not a fan of the signing of veteran Jason Kendall to start behind the plate as his play appears to be fading at his advancing age. I have a hard time believing he will outplay Miguel Olivo or John Buck this year. I did like the trade that they made with the White Sox sending the vastly overrated Mark Teahan to them for Josh Fields and Chris Getz. The Royals have signed three free agent outfielders (Scott Podsednik, Rick Ankiel and Brian Anderson) who could all have huge roles with the team. Podsednik has the best chance of making a impact out of the new trio of outfielders because his speed will be a welcome addition to the Royals’ line-up. But, Rick Ankiel probably has the highest upside because of his power. ROYALS GRADE: C-
The Cleveland Indians have brought in one of the worst managers in all of baseball (Manny Acta) and they followed it up with a very poor winter. The Indians traded Kelly Shoppach to the Rays for starting pitcher Mitch Talbot who will be given a chance to earn a spot in the rotation this spring. The Indians have signed veteran free agent catcher Mike Redmond to replace Shoppach as the back-up catcher in 2010. He is on the downside of his career so his best asset to the team will be leadership. The Indians have also brought in a few minor league free agents like Shelley Duncan, Mark Grudzielanek, Austin Kearns and Saul Rivera. INDIANS GRADE: F
The Angels have lost more than they have gained this winter. The main problem with that is where the players that are leaving went to. Vladimir Guerrero and Darren Oliver signed with the Rangers and Chone Figgins signed with the Mariners. I do think that the signing of Hideki Matsui will negate the loss of Guerrero whose body started breaking down last season. The Angels recently signed Joel Pineiro as a free agent but he is not in the same league as John Lackey. I did like the signing of Fernando Rodney who will compete with Brian Fuentes for the closer’s job this spring. ANGELS GRADE: C-
The Texas Rangers are rolling the dice this winter as they have brought in some players with huge upsides who have been brittle lately. Offensively the Rangers have brought in Vladimir Guerrero and Khalil Greene. Guerrero will be the full-time DH for the Rangers this season and he has been lethal in his career at Arlington Stadium. I love this signing for the Rangers and I can’t wait until they play the Rangers. Khalil Greene had a lot of issues in St. Louis last season but the Rangers are giving him a clean slate and he has a nice upside if he keeps his head on straight. The Rangers traded Kevin Millwood to the Orioles and the next day they signed Rich Harden to replace him. Harden has better stuff than Millwood but he’s not nearly as durable. The Rangers also brought back Colby Lewis who was awful for them before going over to Japan and learning how to pitch. The Rangers hope he brings the lessons he learned with him. Righty reliever Chris Ray was acquired in the Millwood trade with the Orioles. He still has a outstanding arm and he could pitch late in games if he can prove that he is healthy. Stealing Darren Oliver from the Angels will give the Rangers a lethal lefty combo late in games with C.J. Wilson. RANGERS GRADE: B+
The Seattle Mariners have really made their team much better over the winter. It all started with the signing of Chone Figgins who they stole from the division rival Angels. Figgins will give the Mariners a lethal duo at the top of the line-up teaming with Ichiro. Figgins also will bring a solid glove to the hot corner for the Mariners. The Mariners also traded for Casey Kotchman to replace Russell Branyan at 1B. Kotchman is a wizard with a glove on his hand but he has nowhere near the power of Branyan. The Mariners decided to take a chance on Milton Bradley who will start in LF. I like that move for the Mariners because it allowed them to ditch Carlos Silva and Bradley will give them a better return on their cash. Josh Bard will get a lot of playing time behind the plate this season and he came as a cheap free agent. Pitching wise it’s all about Cliff Lee. Getting Cliff Lee in the big three way trade with the Phillies and Blue Jays gives the Mariners one of the best 1-2 starter combinations (Felix Hernandez) in all of baseball. A lot of experts are drilling the Mariners about giving up Brandon Morrow for Brandon League. But, when I look at League I see a pitcher very similar to David Aardsma pre-Seattle. I also liked the early waiver pick-up of Yusmeiro Petit who will compete for a spot at the back end of the rotation. MARINERS GRADE: A-
The Oakland A’s love their young pitching staff so they focused on offense over the winter. The A’s signed Coco Crisp who will take over in CF this season and he gives the A’s good defense, speed and a solid bat. The A’s also brought in 1B/3B Jake Fox and OF Michael Taylor in trades over the winter and I see both of them starting for them in 2010. Look for Fox to start at 1B and Taylor in RF. I really like Taylor’s upside as the Phillies did not want to trade him. But, Kevin Kouzmanoff is probably the best player the A’s have brought in over the winter. He has a lot of power but it was negated by his home park in San Diego. A’S GRADE: B
The Philadelphia Phillies are a better team right now than the one that ended the 2009 season in the World Series. First off was the signing of Placido Polanco to replace Pedro Feliz as the starter at 3B. Polanco might not have the power that Feliz did but he brings another .300 bat with a good glove to Philly. I know that Cliff Lee was incredible for the Phillies last season but make no mistake…..Roy Halladay is a better pitcher. He is a horse who likes to work a lot of innings and his move to the N.L. will have him in the top 5 in ERA without a doubt. In fact, I’m thinking he will be the pre-season favortie to win the Cy Young Award. Brian Schneider and Ross Gload will give the Phillies a couple of solid veterans on the bench. I really also like the signing of Danys Baez who has the stuff to help out late in games. PHILLIES GRADE: B+
The Florida Marlins bring a new meaning to cheap. The MLB Players Union got on them about not spending the revenue sharing money they get every year. But, that hasn’t compelled them enought to bring in much new talent. Infielder Danny Richar and reliever Chris Schroder have signed minor league deals with the Fish. They selected 3B Jorge Jimenez in the Rule 5 Draft and they acquired lefty reliever Hunter Jones in the Jeremy Hermida trade with Boston. MARLINS GRADE: F-
The Atlanta Braves have brought in a lot of new players for 2010. The Braves will have a revamped bullpen with Billy Wagner serving as the closer. I really like Wagner’s signing as he is more dependable than the platoon (Soriano and Gonzalez) at closer that the Braves have used over the years. Until last season Soriano and Gonzalez had not stepped up for the Braves. Takashi Saito was brought in to serve as the set-up man for the Braves in 2010. Saito will also give the Braves solid insurance should something happen to Billy Wagner as he has a lot of experience as a closer. Lefty Mike Dunn and righty Jesse Chavez came over to Atlanta in trades and they could both serve in middle relief for them in 2010. The Braves really needed to add offense and I don’t think they got enough yet. Trusting Troy Glaus with first base is quite a risk for the Braves as he didn’t play in the majors until last September as he was rehabbing a bad shoulder. But, if he can stay healthy the Braves will likely get a lot of power from him. Melky Cabrera came over in the big trade that sent Javier Vazquez to the Yankees. He will likely start in CF with Nate McLouth likely moving to left. Eric Hinske was a good signing for the Braves because he could wind up platooning with Matt Diaz in RF and he also provides insurance at both 1B and 3B for the Braves. BRAVES GRADE: C
The New York Mets appear to only have 1 bullet in the gun and they fired it signing Jason Bay to play LF. I really like this signing for the Mets as Bay will give them another solid bat in the middle of the batting order. The Mets lost out on Bengie Molina but they have signed Henry Blanco. Blanco is a solid defensive catcher but he can’t be counted on to add much with the bat. The Mets also brought in righty relievers Ryota Igarashi and Kelvim Escobar with the expectation that one of them will serve as Francisco Rodriguez’ set-up man in 2010. METS GRADE: B-
The Washington Nationals liked the line-up they had so they focused on making the pitching staff better. The only position player of note they have brought in is catcher Ivan Rodriguez who should really help the pitching staff and he will probably also toss in a few key hits this year. The Nationals brought in Jason Marquis as a free agent to anchor the starting rotation. He will give them a lot of innings and wins in 2010. The Nationals also wanted to fix the back end of the pen. They signed Matt Capps and they traded for Brian Bruney who will compete for the closer’s job. It will probably result in Capps getting the job due to his experience with Bruney serving as the set-up man. The Nationals signed Eddie Guardado and Doug Slaten to help out from the left side of the pen. Righties Ryan Speier and Joel Peralta were brought in on minor league deals to compete for jobs in the pen. NATIONALS GRADE: B
The St. Louis Cardinals signed Brad Penny early on in free agency and pretty much closed up shop then. The good news is that Brad Penny still has great stuff and pitching coach Dave Duncan usually gets the best out of the guys he tutors. Infielder Ruben Gotay has been brought in as a minor league free agent and that’s been about it. CARDINALS GRADE: C
The Cubs have not been very busy this off-season which has been a lot of addition by subtraction. The Cubs finally found a taker for Milton Bradley in Seattle but they got saddled with Carlos Silva in return. At least Silva isn’t a complete A-hole to everyone like Bradley is. The Cubs then signed Marlon Byrd as a free agent to replace Bradley and that should be a upgrade on the field as well as off it. The Cubs also trade Jake Fox to the A’s and they got back righty reliever Jeff Gray who should help them in the pen in 2010. CUBS GRADE: C
The Milwaukee Brewers decided to replace position players on the cheap preferrring to spend their money on pitching and the results look good so far. Greg Zaun will likely get most of the playing time behind the plate after signing on with Milwaukee as a free agent. The Brewers also claimed George Kottaras off waivers from Boston and they also signed Matt Treanor to compete for the back-up catcher job in 2010. The Brewers traded J.J. Hardy to the Twins for Carlos Gomez who will replace Mike Cameron as the starting CF in 2010. The Brewers went with a lefty tilt to the rotation in signing Randy Wolf and Doug Davis as free agents. LaTroy Hawkins was signed to serve as Trevor Hoffman’s set-up man in 2010. BREWERS GRADE: B
The Reds spent big money on Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman who has a huge upside. It’s doubtful that Chapman will help the Reds much in 2010 but he has a huge upside as lefties that throw as hard as him don’t come around too often. The Reds have also signed Josh Anderson to a minor league deal. That’s about it for the Reds this summer. REDS GRADE: D
The Houston Astros decided to spread their free agent cash around to fill up the roster. The Astros didn’t like their production out of the hot corner in 2009 so they signed Pedro Feliz. He brings a gold glove caliber mitt and he combines it with some power which should play well in the Astros’ home park. Corey Sullivan was brought in on a minor league deal and he will compete for a job off the bench in 2010. The Astros needed help in the starting rotation so they decided to roll the dice by signing Brett Myers. If Myers can stay healthy he will likely slot in the #3 spot in the starting rotation for 2010. The Astros let Jose Valverde leave town as a free agent and they signed Brandon Lyon and traded for Matt Lindstrom who will compete for the closer’s job in 2010. ASTROS GRADE: C
The Pirates opened the winter with a nice trade offing righty reliever Jesse Chavez to the Rays for Akinori Iwamura who will be the new starting 2B. The Pirates then signed shortstop Bobby Crosby who will compete with Ronny Cedeno for the starting job in 2010. The Pirates also signed Ryan Church with the idea of using him either as the #4 outfielder or possibly the starting RF if they move Garrett Jones to 1B. The Pirates have also re-worked the bullpen signing affordable free agents. Octavio Dotel will be the new closer and he will probably be a upgrade on Matt Capps. Brendan Donnelly will likely serve as the set-up man in 2010 for the Pirates. D.J. Carrasco, Brian Bass and Chris Jakubauskas have also been brought in to help the pen. PIRATES GRADE: C+
The Los Angeles Dodgers are playing poor right now. They have signed Jamey Carroll who will play all over the infield. Nick Green and Luis Ayala came to the team on minor league deals. DODGERS GRADE: F
The Colorado Rockies are feeling pretty smug going into spring training. The only player of note coming to the Rockies is Miguel Olivo who will push Chris Iannetta for his starting job behind the plate. The Rockies have signed Paul LoDuca and Jay Payton to minor league deals but I have a hard time thinking either of them will make the team. ROCKIES GRADE: C-
The San Francisco Giants have addressed their needs this off-season with the signings of Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff who should give the offense a nice boost. Santiago Casilla, Kevin Cameron and Tony Pena Jr. all have live arms and could help the pen at some point in 2010 for the Giants. GIANTS GRADE: B-
The San Diego Padres got really active the last week trading Kevin Kouzmanoff to the A’s for Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham. Both of those guys could play major roles for the Padres in 2010. The Padres have also signed Jerry Hairston (Scott’s bro) to serve as the super utility man as he can probably play everywhere in the field except 1B and catcher. The Padres have also brought in Dusty Ryan and Chris Stewart to compete for the back-up catcher job in 2010. PADRES GRADE: C
The Arizona Diamondbacks have really improved their team over the winter despite not breaking the bank. The D-Backs have signed Adam LaRoche and Kelly Johnson who are going to start at 1B and 2B for them this season and both of them are nice upgrades. The D-Backs also acquired Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy in the huge three team trade with the Tigers and Yankees and they are penciled in at #3 and #4 slots in the rotation. The D-Backs have also signed Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal and he will compete for the #5 starter job this spring. Aaron Heilman (trade) and Bobby Howry (free agent) have been brought in to help the back end of the pen in 2010. DIAMONDBACKS GRADE: B
