AL East Moves
Let's take a look at the moves made by AL East teams so far this offseason.
Orioles
- Acquired/Re-signed: Chad Moeller, Michel Hernandez, Armando Gabino, Craig Tatum, Kevin Millwood, Mike Gonzalez, Garrett Atkins, Chris Lamb, Frank Mata, Alfredo Simon, Mike Hinckley, Ross Wolf, Chris George, Scott Moore, Josh Perrault
- Lost: Sean Henn, Jeff Fiorentino, Danys Baez, Radhames Liz, Chris Ray, Steven Johnson, Bob McCrory, Chris Waters
Red Sox
- Acquired/Re-signed: Tim Wakefield, Jeremy Hermida, Robert Manuel, Tug Hulett, Marco Scutaro, Scott Atchison, Fabio Castro, Ramon A. Ramirez, Boof Bonser, John Lackey, Mike Cameron, Stephen Fox, Nate Spears, Fernando Cabrera, Bob McCrory, Edwin Moreno, Angel Sanchez, Darnell McDonald, Michael Lennox, Wang-Yi Lin, Juan Bonifacio, Roberto Feliz, Gil Velazquez, Jose Iglesias, Jason Varitek, Victor Martinez
- Lost: Chris Carter, Takashi Saito, George Kottaras, Billy Wagner, Jason Bay, Hunter Jones, Jose Alvarez, Joey Gathright, Alex Gonzalez, Brian Anderson, Chris Province, Jorge Jimenez, Armando Zerpa, Jeff Bailey, Javier Lopez
Yankees
- Acquired/Re-signed: Andy Pettitte, Jamie Hoffmann, Curtis Granderson, Mike Rivera, Boone Logan, Javier Vazquez, Nick Johnson, Javier Herrera, Jon Weber, Trent Lockwood
- Lost: Josh Towers, Hideki Matsui, Brian Bruney, Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, Arodys Vizcaino, Melky Cabrera, Michael Dunn, Kanekoa Texeira, Cody Ransom
Rays
- Acquired/Re-signed: Kelly Shoppach, Rafael Soriano, Richard De Los Santos, Jason Cromer, Jeff Bennett, Joe Bateman, Winston Abreu, Carlos Hernandez, Chris Richard, R.J. Swindle, Ryan Shealy, Joe Dillon, Jairo De La Rosa, Gabe Kapler
- Lost: Mitch Talbot, Akinori Iwamura, Gregg Zaun, Jesse Chavez, Michel Hernandez
Blue Jays
- Acquired/Re-signed: Sean Henn, Jarrett Hoffpauir, John McDonald, Mike McCoy, Alex Gonzalez, Zech Zinicola, Raul Chavez, John Buck, Joey Gathright, Lance Broadway, Kyle Drabek, Brett Wallace, Travis D'Arnaud, Brandon Morrow
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Lost: Marco Scutaro, Joe Inglett, Roy Halladay, Michael Taylor, Johermyn Chavez, Brandon League, Wilfredo Ledezma, Bill Murphy
GM Trade Histories: NL East
Brendan Bianowicz is back with a bunch of updates to the GM Trade History series. The Excel spreadsheets linked below cover each GM's trades, free agent signings, and top draft picks via tabs along the bottom. It's interesting to see each GM's most frequent trade partner – for example, Omar Minaya has matched up with Larry Beinfest and Mark Shapiro most often in his career.
Week In Review: 12/27/09 – 1/2/10
Happy 2010 to everyone! I hope the rest of your holidays were great as well, and you're off to a good start in the new year. Let's take a look back at the past week here around MLBTR:
- One of the biggest names in free agency found a home this week, as Jason Bay agreed to terms with the Mets on a four-year, $66MM deal with a vesting option for a fifth year. While it's probably not what Bay had envisioned going into the offseason, he still managed to secure himself at least four years that average out to more than double his 2009 salary. Here's some initial reactions to the deal (I'm with Keith Law on this one, for the record).
- The Cubs dished out the next-biggest contract of the week, when they signed Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15MM contract. Byrd had a career year in 2009, though his home/road splits and inconsistent defense in center field would've been enough to deter me. Still, it's not an outrageous price to pay, and he'll likely perform well enough to justify the contract in end.
- The Giants added some offense to their lineup as well, signing Mark DeRosa to a two-year deal worth $12MM. DeRosa predictably fell far short of his initial three-year, $27MM asking price, and the Giants got him on a much more reasonable deal. He'll be joined in San Francisco by Juan Uribe, who agreed to return to the Giants this week after a great 2009 season.
- The Giants weren't the only NL West team to ink two players. The Diamondbacks added both Bob Howry and Kelly Johnson on one-year deals. Howry will earn $2MM in 2010 with a $3MM option for 2011. Johnson will earn $2.35MM with the D'Backs. Both low-cost signings make sense for the Diamondbacks, and Johnson still has some upside.
- Sticking in the NL West for one more bullet point, the Rockies are nearing a deal with Miguel Olivo. After spending weeks trying to work things out with Yorvit Torrealba, the Rox seem to have moved on. Olivo is likely to receive a one-year deal with a club option for 2011.
- The A's made their signing of Justin Duchscherer official this week. Duchscherer will receive just $2MM guaranteed, with another $3.5MM in incentives. Based on his tremendous 2008 campaign, the A's are getting a fantastic value on this deal.
- The Phillies agreed to a two-year deal with Danys Baez this week. Coming off a mediocre season, I wasn't expecting Baez to fetch multiple years. However, in a world where Brandon Lyon gets three years, I suppose anything's possible.
- The Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes may be heating up. The Blue Jays hosted a private workout for the phenom this week, while the Angels appear to be gearing up for an offer.
- Tim offers up his take on the best and worst signings of this offseason so far, while Ben and Mike compiled all of the multi-year deals and trades so far, respectively.
Pirates Notes: Payroll, McCutchen, Bixler
The Pittsburgh Pirates won't raise their payroll, but have increased spending in other areas, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Biertempfel details how the Pirates are committing money to areas less obvious to fans than player contracts, including facilities, scouting and player development.
In a separate article, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks back at the Jason Bay trade from Pittsburgh's perspective, and adds a few more Pirates-related nuggets:
- The Pirates haven't talked to Andrew McCutchen about a long-term extension yet, but have him under team control until 2015, so there's plenty of time.
- The team is hoping that Brian Bixler will develop into a super-utility type, since they like his defensive versatility.
- Given the number of free agents still available, the club would prefer to "wait for what it sees as the best value."
- In particular, the Pirates will be looking at value signings for their outfield and bullpen.
Rangers Interested In Colby Lewis
The Texas Rangers are eyeing right-hander Colby Lewis, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Lewis pitched in the majors most recently in 2007 for the Oakland A's, and has spent the last two years in Japan.
Originally selected by the Rangers in the supplemental round of the 1999 draft, Lewis never enjoyed much success in the big leagues, compiling a 6.71 ERA in 72 career appearances (34 starts). The 30-year-old has excelled for the Hiroshima Carp though, posting a sub-3.00 ERA in each of his two seasons as a starter in Japan.
Although acquiring an impact bat may be the Rangers' main priority right now, they are still looking to add pitching depth. Lewis is hoping to return to the United States for the 2010 season, and the righty would definitely qualify as an inexpensive option.
Padres Notes: Ausmus, Johnson, Kouzmanoff
The San Diego Padres have about $5-8MM to spend before the 2010 season begins, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. In his latest piece, Center details how the bargain-hunting Padres could spend that money….
- San Diego's needs include a right-handed center field bat, a backup catcher, a veteran pitcher, and a utility infielder.
- With so many free agents remaining, the team isn't necessarily in any rush to fill their holes. GM Jed Hoyer says that there will "be some bargains out there as spring training approaches. There will be players, although you might not be able to be selective."
- At catcher, the Padres are looking for a player to act as a mentor to Nick Hundley and the Padres' pitching staff, while only playing a game or two a week. Center notes that Brad Ausmus would be a good fit.
- Center also speculates that Reed Johnson would be a logical and potentially affordable outfield target.
- Since many teams have filled their third base holes, and Adrian Beltre and Miguel Tejada are still on the market, the chances of the Padres trading Kevin Kouzmanoff have seriously diminished.
Odds & Ends: Braves, Yankees, Encarnacion
A few Saturday night links to peruse….
- The Braves' outfield trio pales in comparison to those of their division rivals, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). O'Brien says the team is still trying to add another outfield bat.
- LoHud.com's Chad Jennings wonders if the Yankees' lineup would seem better if Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner swapped positions, since Granderson has the power of a corner outfielder and Gardner has the speed of a center fielder. Jennings isn't suggesting they should swap, but calling attention to traditional expectations for offensive production at certain positions.
- MLB.com has posted a series of articles highlighting burning questions that each team must answer as they head into the 2010 season.
- Shi Davidi of the Canadian Press tweets an encouraging update on Edwin Encarnacion, following a fireworks accident. Paul Kinzer, Encarnacion's agent, says the third baseman is "doing really great" after an initial scare.
Discussion: Which Team Has Improved The Least?
Earlier today, we discussed which team had improved the most so far this offseason. Based on your comments, the Seattle Mariners appear to be the overwhelming number one choice. Now it's time to examine the other side of coin, and figure out which club has done the least to improve so far this winter.
It hasn't been a great offseason in southern California: The Angels parted ways with top free agents like John Lackey and Chone Figgins, and the Dodgers' budget issues have affected their roster decisions (ie. not offering Randy Wolf arbitration). Elsewhere, Atlanta has lost a handful of impact players, including Javier Vazquez, Mike Gonzalez, and Rafael Soriano, while many of the Braves' new signings (Troy Glaus, Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito) have high upsides, but worrisome injury histories.
If you want to include rebuilding clubs in the discussion, the Blue Jays and Tigers will almost certainly field weaker teams in 2010, after trading away players like Roy Halladay, Curtis Granderson, and Edwin Jackson. Both clubs, however, managed to add some intriguing talent to their farm systems in those deals, aiming to improve their long-term prospects. In Detroit's case, they should still have the pieces to contend in 2010 in a weak AL Central.
It's hard to compare major movers and shakers such as the Red Sox and Yankees to the teams whose payroll restrictions force them to stand relatively pat. But which club's offseason do you think has been the worst, to date?
Odds & Ends: Rincon, Calero, Rangers, Encarnacion
Here are some links to kick off the weekend…
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post provides the details on Juan Rincon's contract with the Rockies. He'll earn $800K plus incentives in the big leagues, or $20K per month in the minors.
- Satchel Price at Beyond The Box Score wonders why we haven't heard more about Kiko Calero this offseason. The Cubs and Giants were interested in the righthander at various times this offseason.
- Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas reiterates what we heard yesterday: the Rangers are seeking a veteran catcher. He mentions that they've shown interest in both Rod Barajas and Dioner Navarro.
- Edwin Encarnacion suffered burns to his face in a fireworks accident according to ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas. He will not require surgery, and will be ready to go in Spring Training.
- Jeff Passan at Yahoo! Sports lists ten players we should keep an on eye to see how their market develops during the remainder of the offseason. His list is led by Matt Holliday and Aroldis Chapman.
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach notes that if the Cardinals felt they weren't in a good position to re-sign Holliday, they would have moved on to other targets by now.
- Dick Kaegel of MLB.com says that "it would take a calamitous showing" for Royals' manager Trey Hillman to lose his job this season given his relationship with GM Dayton Moore.
- Steve Slowinski at DRaysBay goes back in time to evaluate the Danys Baez and Lance Carter for Edwin Jackson and Chuck Tiffany trade.
Discussion: Which Team Has Improved The Most?
There's still a long way to go this offseason, however that won't stop us from debating which team has improved it's roster the most (so far).
The Red Sox have added the likes of John Lackey, Mike Cameron, Marco Scutaro, and Jeremy Hermida while losing Jason Bay, Billy Wagner, and Takashi Saito. Meanwhile, the Yankees replaced Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Melky Cabrera with Nick Johnson, Curtis Granderson, and Javier Vazquez. The Mariners added Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins, and Milton Bradley while the Phillies imported Roy Halladay and Placido Polanco.
There are no shortage of teams that qualify for the title of "most improved," however determining which team actually deserves it will be tough. Who do the dedicated readers of MLBTR think baseball's most improved team is?