Who Won The MLB Offseason? 5 Teams To Watch Heading Into 2013 Spring Training
Baseball, The Cheap Seats — By Matt Whitener on February 13, 2013 at 9:18 am
Spring training is close to being in full-swing for Major League Baseball this week, with pitchers and catchers reporting to their clubs’ either Florida or Arizona-based spring sanctuaries. As life is, things have changed across the landscape of each camp from wherever they left off at last fall. Whether it was by trading the future for present, breaking out the checkbook or letting wounded warriors get back to their former selves, there’s a lot going on all over in the face-lift department.
The easy route is to pay out the biggest check to fix these issues, but as recent history shows, the biggest spenders don’t have the best results. The Los Angeles Angels ($317 million) and Miami Marlins ($201 million) were the friendliest spenders of the 2011 MLB holiday season, only to finish a combined 31 games out of first place by the end of the next season.
Baseball is the ultimate game of strategy, and extends to the front office folks as easily as it does the dugout inhabitants. Big trades were made and big checks were issued as well, but grabbing a big name doesn’t always compete with making the just right move to perfectly compliment what was there already. And with that in mind, here are the most important moves made this winter.
Tags: aroldis chapman, Baseball, boston red sox, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Free Agency, James Shields, Josh Hamilton, Kansas City Royals, los angeles angels, Miami Marlins, MLB, Toronto Blue Jays, Trades
Tweet This
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
RSS Feed
4 Comments
It’s a good list, but I’m not sure I can get on board with the Royals’ move, or really with the Tigers and Reds being on here. I mean, I hear what you’re saying on all of them, but here’s my thoughts:
On the Royals, sure, they got the ace they were lacking … but they still don’t have nearly enough pitching to compete for real. Why give up so much young talent when you’re already a young team that’s building toward the future? They should have done what the Rays did, build young guys up to get to a World Series. I’m not with the move for KC at all.
As for the Reds, moving Aroldis isn’t really winning or losing the offseason because it’s no real addition or subtraction. If it works, you get a stud starer but lose a dominant closer. If it doesn’t you move him back to the closer’s role and hope it doesn’t mess with him. Kind of same old same old there.
And for the Tigers, while a healthy Victor Martinez makes them better offensively, it doesn’t really do much in the way of depth on pitching.
I’d argue that teams like Cleveland, maybe even Atlanta, and perhaps that other LA team won the “offseason” more.
However, these five teams are without a doubt teams to watch heading into spring training.
Good piece.
No love for my O’s? Many people feel like 2012 was an aberration, but it started in t he fall of 2011. I’m looking forward to see if B’more can stave off Toronto and make the playoffs again.
Well, I’m just going to leave this here.
Go Braves.
(I am interested to see what a healthy Detroit lineup looks like though.)