Winter meeting winners and losers
When Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings started, I was expecting a flurry of activity. After all, that’s usually what happens, as free agents meet with GMs and decide where they’re going to play. And there’s always at least one big trade. Then all the other dominos begin to fall. This year, not so much. I ended up being very surprised by the complete lack of player movement during the Winter Meetings. Regardless, there was some action in Nashville. And while it’s nowhere near a comprehensive list, I still feel comfortable declaring what teams have been the winners and losers so far as the Hot Stove continues to heat up.
Winners
Red Sox: Boston addressed its two biggest needs in Nashville: first base and right field. The inevitable signing of Mike Napoli became official, although it is somewhat surprising they’re going to make him the everyday first baseman. I didn’t see the signing of Shane Victorino coming, though. We all knew he wasn’t going back to the Dodgers, but I figured Victorino was going to stay in the National League. He’s been a center fielder his whole career, but the Red Sox want him to play right, which should be an easy transition. Although, I’d consider putting him in center and Ellsbury, who already knows how to play the wall, in left. They’re still in the market to have Josh Hamilton fill that left field spot, though. Even though that seems unlikely.
Nationals: The Nationals didn’t want Bryce Harper playing center field or Jayson Werth leading off anymore. They took care of both those problems by trading for Denard Span, who’s a perfect fit in Washington. Now they can move Harper to left, which is where they want him. I had Washington being the likely landing-place for Michael Bourn, but that’s obviously not going to happen now. They also locked up yet another starting pitcher in former All-Star Dan Haren. I’m not exactly sure what Washington plans to do with all these starting pitchers, but it’s certainly a nice problem to have. They’re also set to re-sign Adam LaRoche, which means Michael Morse is probably going to be trade bait for somebody.
Giants: San Francisco’s main goal heading into the winter was to retain the two free agents that helped them win the World Series last season. Mission accomplished. They re-signed Angel Pagan for four years, then Marco Scutaro re-upped with the Giants, too. And as an added bonus, Melky Cabrera signed with Toronto, so they don’t have to worry about figuring out something to do with him or finding a way to get Gregor Blanco at-bats. San Francisco’s already a dynasty in the making. Locking up Pagan and Scutaro guaranteed that the Giants aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Blue Jays: Considering the fact that they traded before the entire Marlins roster before the Winter Meetings started, the Blue Jays didn’t really need to do much in Nashville. And they didn’t. But we can’t just ignore the signing of Melky Cabrera as if it’s an insignificant move. They added the All-Star Game MVP to play left field and can bat him second behind Reyes or at the bottom of the order. It doesn’t really matter. Plus, now that they have three catchers, they can leverage one (probably J.P. Arencibia) to get a second baseman or reliever. I don’t think the Blue Jays are done.
Phillies: The Phillies gave up at the trade deadline last year. We all know it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten rid of both Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence within a few days of each other. But this week they made some moves that make it look like they plan on contending in the NL East again next year. They traded for the Twins’ Ben Revere, who’ll be Victorino’s replacement in center field. But most significantly, they’re talking with the Rangers about picking up Michael Young to play third. That would be a tremendous move for the Phillies, and a tremendous move for Young, who needs a fresh start. They’ve still got some work to do, but, overall, it’s already been a good winter for the Phillies.
Losers
Yankees: Is this competition really close? The Yankees were so preoccupied with their pitching situation that they forgot to worry about re-signing Russell Martin, who went to Pittsburgh and left a big hole behind the plate. They’re dragging their feet on Ichiro, too, which means they still don’t have a right fielder. Then the news that A-Rod needs hip surgery and will be out until at least June. “No problem, we can just bring back Eric Chavez.” Um, yeah. He signed with the Diamondbacks. As a result, the Yankees left the Winter Meetings with no catcher, no third baseman and no right fielder. They made an offer to Kevin Youkilis, which would solve the third base problem, and I fully expect Ichiro to re-sign, but the lack of a catcher could end up being a big problem.
Rangers: For the moment, the Rangers fall into the “loser” category, but that could change very quickly. That’s because Texas is waiting on Josh Hamilton. They want him back and expect to get him back, but if he goes somewhere else, that leaves a big hole in the lineup they’ll have to fill somehow (possibly with Michael Bourn if he’s still available). They’re also waiting on Zack Greinke, which would absolutely bolster that rotation. They’re also waiting to pull the trigger on the Young trade (it looks like all they need their is his approval, then it’s a go). But if they can’t re-sign Hamilton, Greinke goes somewhere else, and Young decides he wants to stay in Texas for some reason, the Rangers need to figure something else out.
Twins: Last year’s last-place finish was more the result of injuries and lack of pitching than anything else. Minnesota still had enough talent among its everyday personnel to be competitive in the AL Central, though. That is until they traded both of their center fielders–Denard Span and Ben Revere. They got some pitching back for Revere, but it’s not going to be enough for them to come anywhere near challenging the Tigers and White Sox.
Rays: I like the Tampa Bay Rays, and I sure as hell admire what they’ve been able to do with their limited budget in the toughest division in baseball. But with the way the Blue Jays and Red Sox have improved, I’m not sure the Rays have done enough to continue to keep pace. Everyone knew B.J. Upton was going to go somewhere else, but I expected them to be a little more aggressive trying to get an outfielder to replace him. James Loney’s a minor upgrade over Carlos Pena at first, but why did they get Alceides Escobar? Sure, he’s a talented shortstop, but do you really want a head case who was driven out of Kansas City and Toronto (and Miami after two weeks)? Knowing Joe Maddon, though, they’ll still win 90 games with whatever team takes the field.
Giancarlo Stanton and the 11 remaining Marlins “fans”: It’s not fair to call the Marlins off-season “losers,” since they’re intentionally going to suck next year. That’s what happens when you trade your entire team. But you’ve gotta feel for Giancarlo Stanton, who’s stuck playing on that Quadruple-A team because, unlike his former teammates, he doesn’t make any money. And, of course, Jeff Loria, thanks Marlins fans for building him a beautiful new ballpark by making no attempt to be competitive for the forseeable future.
