MLB Offseason Winners and Losers

The offseason sprint for teams to try to catch up to their competitive rivals was fast and furious. More than a few teams made deals to significantly improve their roster, while obscene amounts of money were handed out to players young and old proving I know nothing about economics. We’ll take a look at some of the good, bad and ugly of the offseason.

Winners:

San Diego Padres: Wow. Padres GM AJ Preller made quite an impression in his first offseason with San Diego. The Padres had been stuck on the cusp of .500 ball the last three seasons and made bold moves to try to finally get over the hump. Stuck in the NL West with defending champs in San Francisco and the bottomless piggy bank in LA, they made plenty of wise moves. They made a whopping seven trades, dished out the biggest contract in their history and might have six new starters on opening day. Bringing in Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers will jump start the outfield, even if they aren’t the strongest fielding group. Will Middlebrooks and Derek Norris will upgrade their infield and James Shields will jump to the head of a young rotation. The Padres are the most improved team in the offseason and even though question marks remain (team defense, right handed heavy lineup) they should compete for the NL West crown.

(Photo Courtesy of Andy Hayt/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox had major holes in their roster. Emphasis on the word had. They needed a top starter to take the pressure off Chris Sale, so they traded for Jeff Samardzija. They needed a closer, so they signed David Robertson. A corner outfielder? Come on down Melky Cabrera! Improve the bench and overall team depth? Adam LaRoche, Emilio Bonifacio and Gordon Beckham. The roster looks so much better after this offseason and they should be a contender for the AL pennant, not just the division.

Washington Nationals: Signing Max Scherzer was the best short-term move of the offseason, but probably the worst long-term contract ever. And I mean ever. 7 years and $210 million is in line with the going rate for the top tier starters, but the way it is structured boggles the mind. Scherzer will make $15 million a year for those seven seasons. Not bad, right? It isn’t until you realize that only accounts for half of his total salary. So, the Nationals will be paying him $15 million a year until 2028, long after he has hung up his Nationals jersey and is probably golfing in Hawaii year round. If you can put aside the absurdity of that, bringing in the 2013 Cy Young winner made the Nats pitching staff something to fear. Scherzer, Doug Fister, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez. I would be horrified trying to figure out what the easy game would be against the Nats. In order to find a spot in the rotation for Scherzer, Tanner Roark gets rewarded for winning 15 games in his first year in the rotation by being demoted to the bullpen. Nice problem to have if you are manager Matt Williams. Look for the Nationals to still be playing late in October.

(Photo Courtesy of AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Honorable mentions:

Chicago Cubs: The Cubs have the best farm systems in baseball with numerous players on the verge of contributing or superstars in the making (Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler for a few). Adding a legitimate ace to the staff in Jon Lester was a huge coup for Theo Epstein. Veteran guys like Micguel Montero, Dexter Fowler and Jason Hammel will help bridge the gap between present competitiveness and future contenders.

Boston Red Sox: This could go either way for Boston. Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez are tremendously talented, but inconsistent. The Panda showed up to camp very heavy, in his never-ending battle with weight issues. And how will he handle the high-pressure fan base in Boston as opposed to San Francisco where he was beloved no matter what? Ramirez has an up and down career. The talent is there, but the work ethic has always been a concern, not to mention he will be learning a new position as he goes from the infield to the outfield.

Losers:

Philadelphia Phillies: I don’t understand Philadelphia at all. They don’t seem to have a plan unless their organization is working on an actual fountain of youth for guys like Ryan Howard. They have a huge amount of money committed to a handful of players, a below average farm system, yet seem reluctant to deal anyone. Yes, they sent Jimmy Rollins to LA for a couple of prospects, but it is clear that this group of players won’t be competing for a playoff spot, so why hold on to them? Cole Hammels, Jonathan Papelbon and Chase Utley still have value and would be best served if they were sent elsewhere in exchange for prospects that could help them down the line. Maybe they are hoping a team will be desperate at the trade deadline and overpay for them, but the longer they wait, the less likely the return will be worth it.

(Photo Courtesy of Rob Foldy/Getty Images)

Baltimore Orioles: They advanced to the ALCS and seemed on the cusp of being perennial contenders. Then, they let Nelson Cruz sign with Seattle and Nick Markakis with Atlanta. That’s 54 home runs and 158 RBIs they will need to replace somehow. Maybe Manny Machado and Matt Wieters will stay healthy and fill the void or that Chris Davis will be the rare player who comes back from a PED suspension stronger. That is a lot to hope for.

Tampa Bay Rays: It’s odd when a team had a bad offseason because of people who won’t throw a pitch or swing a bat, but that’s what happened in Tampa. First they lost manager Joe Maddon, who squeezed the most out of a young and inexperienced team. Then, they lose GM Andrew Friedman, a magician that somehow kept a competitive team on the field despite one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. These are people not easily replaced. They unloaded a few players to try and restock the farm system, so they might be a few years away from competing for a playoff spot in the very tough AL East.

Dishonorable Mention:

Colorado Rockies: Another team that I have no idea what they are doing. They have a $93 million payroll (which should be enough to field a competitive team) but more than a third of that is committed to guys who spend more time in the trainer’s room than the field. Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez are tremendously talented players, who can’t stay healthy. Perhaps they are hoping Tulo can stay healthy the first part of the season and deal him along with some of the $114 million they still have committed to him. The Rockies need to accumulate talent but their resources are spread to thin because of those whopping contracts. Their biggest offseason pick up was 31-year old catcher Nick Hundley. Compare that to their division rivals Padres offseason and guess where the Rockies will finish in the standing.

Kansas City Royals: They were one game away from winning it all and probably should have if Madison Bumgarner had pitched anything less than superhuman. They built upon that momentum by letting James Shields and fan favorite Billy Butler go and replaced them with Edinson Volquez and Alex Rios. They have incredible talent on the roster and I would not be surprised to see them in the playoffs again, but this was an offseason that they needed to build on last season’s success to try to avoid being a one-hit wonder. With those moves, they are hoping to break even.