2009 was like most previous seasons with the Yankees and the Red Sox battling it out while the other 3 teams lagged behind. With 103 wins the Yankees were clearly the best in baseball last season. Mark Teixeira was every bit as good as advertised. And Sabathia was also very good. Even AJ Burnett did not break down. Kudos for Brian Cashman for spending money on the RIGHT guys. While I fully expect Burnett to break down this year Tex will be a great player. So what has the winter brought?
Baltimore Orioles 64-98
Arrivals
Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Millwood, Armando Gorbino, Michael Hernandez, Craig Tatum and Garrett Atkins
Departures
Chris Ray, Sean Penn, Radhammes Liz, Danys Baez and Brian Bass
Free Agents
Melvin Mora, Mark Hendrickson, Rich Hill and Jeff Fiorentino
I like what the Os did alot for a few reasons. Mostly they recognized Melvin Mora has outlived his use. Also the name guys they signed like Garrett Atkins and Kevin Millwood could help them be competetive this year. Getting a few vets to help the kids mature will be very helpful. Baltimore rotation will feature some very young but very talented young pitchers and having a core of offensive players should help their confidence level if they start to lose games. The future is VERY bright. A quick word about Rich Hill. Remember two seasons ago when he was on the verge of stardom? What happened????
Boston Red Sox 95-67
Arrivals
Boof Bonser, Marco Scuturo, Jeremy Hermedia, Tug Huglett, John Lackey, Adrian Beltre, Bill Hall and Mike Cameron
Departures
Hunter Jones, George Kottoras, Alex Gonzalez, Billy Wagner, Takeshi Saito, Brian Anderson, Jason Bay, Casey Kotchman and Nick Green
Free Agents
Rocco Baldelli and Paul Byrd
That's alot of changes to a 95 win team. But it seems Red Sox nation only cares about one thing, are those changes enough to beat the Yankees? Probably not. Sorry!! This is a very good team that will certainly compete for a playoff spot. Adding Lackey gives the BoSox a fantastic rotation. But the big weakness is a definite lack of power from the outfield. I would not be surprised if Theo Epstein pulls of a major trade to address that weakness during the season.
New York Yankees 103-59
Arrivals
Curtis Granderson, Javier Vazquez and Nick Johnson
Departures
Milky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy, Phil Coke, Austin Jackson, Brian Bruney, Josh Towers, Hideki Matsui and Eric Hinske
Free Agents
Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Jose Molina, Jerry Hairston Jr., Freddy Guzman and C.M. Wang
This has been the quietest off season the Yanks have had in a long time. I guess that's what winning the World Series will do. Simply put they sacrificed some of their future for some immeadiate help. Granderson while not a perfect player has a power/speed combination that's tough to find. He is also still young with room to grow. Vazquez is a quality starter who will slip into the middle of the Yanks rotation. Letting vets like Damon and Wang go make sense to me. As for all the prospects they traded. The Yanks are in a unique position where they could do this because they have a nearly unlimited source of payroll if they ever need something they could go out and get it. While it might not be the best strategy financially the Yanks have that luxury.
Tampa Bay Rays 84-78
Arrivals
Rafael Soriano, Ramon Ramirez, Kelly Shoppach and Dan Johnson
Departures
Jesse Chavez, Akinori Iwamura, Greg Zaun and Michel Hernandez
Free Agents
Chad Bradford, Jason Isringhausen, Troy Percival, Russ Springer, Brian Shouse, Gabe Gross and Shawn Riggans
Minor changes for the Rays. Moving Iwamura gives 2nd base to Ben Zobrist. Kelly Shoppach will catch with Dionar Navarro. And the bullpen has been tweaked. Soriano has been tabbed to be the closer. But health issues have plagued his career. Joe Maddon does as good a job as any manager in baseball when it comes to managing his pen. Even if Soriano does get hurt JP Howell, Grant Balfour and company are still around.
Toronto Blue Jays 75-87
Arrivals
Brandon Morrow, Joey Gaithright, Sean Henn, Jarrett Hoffpaier, Mike McCoy, Alex Gonzalez, John Buck, Brett Wallace and Zach Jackson
Departures
Brandon League, Marco Scuuturo, Joe Inglett and ROY HALLADAY!!!!!!
Free Agents
Rod Barajas and Kevin Millar
Not much to say about the Jays. Losing Halladay makes them considerably worse. While I understand he was not going to resign I'm stunned they did not get more back in that 3 team deal. Brett Wallace is a stud 3rd base prospect and Kyle Drabek(yes Doug's son, do you feel old?) supposedly has a great arm but if the Jays wanted to be competitive they needed to get some MLB ready talent back. They are a long way behind everyone.
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