MLB Power Rankings: Blue Jays and Dodgers Making Offseason Noise

The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are the biggest winners of the offseason so far, and that has them rocketing up the MLB power rankings.

Those two teams have spent like mad this winter, loading up with big names to fuel playoff runs in 2013 and beyond.

While there are still a few productive players remaining on the free agent market, most of the significant moves have been made. No team will match the leap forward the Blue Jays and Dodgers have each made.

With most of the offseason damage done, let's take a look at how high the Blue Jays and Dodgers have risen in the latest power rankings.

30. Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins aren't interested in short-term gains.

Vance Worley and Kevin Correia will marginally improve the rotation this season, but that's the extent of Minnesota's improvements. The Twins traded away Denard Span and Ben Revere, but prospects Trevor May and Alex Meyer aren't going to help anytime soon.

Between Worley, May and Meyer, the Twins have the foundation for a nice pitching staff down the line, but they're as weak as any team in baseball right now.

29. Houston Astros

The Houston Astros got their much needed DH, but they need a lot more help.

As the Astros prepare to start American League play in 2013, they brought in Carlos Pena to strengthen the middle of the lineup. Unfortunately, Phil Humber and Alex White are nothing more than cosmetic additions to the rotation, adding mediocrity to a below average team.

Houston still might be in play for some more cheap additions, but this is more or less the subpar group it will take into April.

28. Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins have this fire sale thing down to a science.

After trading away Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, among others, the Marlins are starting from scratch. They brought in Placido Polanco and Juan Pierre to fill out the lineup, but Miami isn't even trying in 2013.

It's sad to see a talent like Giancarlo Stanton wasted on such a poor team, but he just has no help in Miami.

27. Colorado Rockies

Despite fielding the worst pitching staff in baseball last season, the Colorado Rockies have basically held pat.

They brought back Jeff Francis, a back-of-the-rotation guy who probably couldn't pitch for anyone else. It appears they will be banking on a healthy Troy Tulowitzki to solve their woes, as the Colorado front office has done little to help the situation.

This Rockies team can still hit, but it won't accomplish anything with such poor pitching.

26. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are hoping the talent in their farm system will finally start to pay off.

They've patched up the rotation this winter, bringing back Jason Marquis and adding Tyson Ross from the A's as their fifth starter. That's the extent of San Diego's significant signings, otherwise trusting guys like Yonder Alonso will make a leap forward this season.

With the young talent assembled in San Diego, the future is bright, but it's not here yet.

25. Chicago Cubs

Theo Epstein's long-term approach is helping the Chicago Cubs in 2013, too.

The Cubs have been busy picking up pitchers this offseason. Edwin Jackson, Scott Feldman and Carlos Villanueva are all likely going to be in the rotation next season, while Scott Baker could push those guys for a starting spot when he returns from Tommy John surgery.

Ian Stewart and Nate Schierholtz won't be major contributors, but they'll fill out the lineup around Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro. The Cubs are not nearly ready to contend with those guys, but they're moving in the right direction.

24. New York Mets

R.A. Dickey is gone, and there is that much less reason to get excited about the New York Mets.

They picked up a pair of elite prospects in Travis D'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard, but neither is ready to make an immediate impact. Though the Mets have a deep enough pitching staff to make up for Dickey's departure, guys like Collin Cowgill and John Buck won't help too much in terms of run production.

Unsurprisingly, the Mets will miss the reigning NL Cy Young winner, and they won't reap the rewards from trading him for some time.

23. Seattle Mariners

At long last, the Seattle Mariners are bringing in some hitting.

Kendrys Morales is their big addition this offseason, slipping right into the middle of the lineup to provide some much-needed power. With the strength of the Mariners' rotation, it was well worth parting with Jason Vargas to get him.

Jason Bay is more of a speculative signing. If he rounds back into his old form, then great; if not, he won't be much worse than Seattle's other weak-hitting options.

The lineup is still not going to give the pitching staff the run support it needs. At least Seattle has identified the problem and is working to fix it.

22. Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are going back to the drawing board yet again.

They got a couple of useful players when they parted ways with Shin-Soo Choo. However, Drew Stubbs is a significant step down, while Trevor Bauer is not yet ready to pitch at the front of the rotation. Fortunately, Nick Swisher and Mark Reynolds can replace Choo's pop, but Cleveland certainly isn't better without him.

We've seen this from Cleveland before: Some exciting prospects are there, but this team is probably a couple years away.

21. Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles played over their heads to make the playoffs, and it looks like they're about to crash back down to earth.

Nate McLouth returns as Baltimore's leadoff man, meaning the Orioles will return their 2012 lineup in its entirety. The same goes for the rotation, as Baltimore's top five starters from last season are all still on board for 2013.

That means that Baltimore's only substantial gain will be a full season from Manny Machado. For a team that overachieved in 2012, that's not enough to compete for the postseason again.

20. Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers seem content to play high-scoring games.

Milwaukee returns the same lineup that led the National League in runs last season, but it also brings back a rotation that got rocked. Outside of Yovani Gallardo, none of the Brewers' starters can be considered reliable.

Tom Gorzelanny and Burke Badenhop will help shore up the bullpen, but otherwise it's business as usual in Milwaukee. That formula didn't pay off last season, and it shouldn't be much better in 2013.

19. Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are another team banking on overachieving again.

They gave Jake Peavy a two-year deal this offseason, giving them a solid second starter behind Chris Sale. Other than that, the only move of note Chicago made was bringing in Jeff Keppinger to play third base.

This is the same team that won 85 games last season, but they've lost A.J. Pierzynski's bat and Adam Dunn is a mystery. This lineup might not be as good as it seemed last season. If it's not, neither will the White Sox.

18. Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals conjured a nice rotation out of thin air.

It cost them a great prospect in Wil Myers, but former Ray James Shields can be an ace in Kansas City. Wade Davis is a good young pitcher, too. Kansas City also picked up Ervin Santana from the Angels and signed Jeremy Guthrie in free agency.

With the Royals lineup finally starting to click last season, they now finally have the pitching to back it up. Kansas City is finally trying to make a push in the AL Central; it remains to be seen whether this group is good enough to pull it off.

17. Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox do not rebuild, but they are reshaping their roster on the fly.

David Ortiz is back in the middle of the lineup, but Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew, Jonny Gomes and possibly Mike Napoli (pending physical) are all joining him. The most important thing these players will provide is an injection of new faces after the disastrous 2012 season.

As for the pitching staff, Ryan Dempster and Joel Hanrahan are nice additions to the rotation and the bullpen, respectively. They're not flashy names, but they're productive, something Red Sox Nation sorely craved.

The 2012 season was painful in Boston, but the Red Sox are working their way back to respectability.

16. Arizona Diamondbacks

The biggest splash the Arizona Diamondbacks made so far this offseason won't help them yet.

It cost them Trevor Bauer, but the D'backs brought in their shortstop of the future in Didi Gregorius. However, Cliff Pennington is the new addition to Arizona's lineup, and he's going to keep the shortstop position warm for Gregorius in the meantime.

Cody Ross will find a spot in the outfield once Arizona trades Justin Upton, which is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

Brandon McCarthy is a welcome addition in the D'backs' rotation, as it is questionable whether Ian Kennedy has what it takes to be a postseason ace.

The Diamondbacks are rich in pitching depth, though, and they will lean on that in 2013.

15. Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies need their aging stars to find their old form again.

After a disappointing 2012 season, the Phillies have played a zero-sum game this winter.

Placido Polanco went to Miami, so they traded for Michael Young. They acquired Ben Revere from Minnesota to replace Shane Victorino in the outfield, then picked up Nationals pitcher John Lannan to offset sending Vance Worley to the Twins.

Unfortunately, that leaves the Phillies relying on over-the-hill stars once again.

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and even Young are not the players they used to be, while Roy Halladay did not look like himself last season. Some of those guys will bounce back, but it would be foolish to expect all of them to.

Philadelphia has compiled an impressive set of names, but they don't have as much value as they used to.

14. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't made any major moves, but they have gotten better.

To replace Rod Barajas' bat, the Pirates signed catcher Russell Martin. He'll add some nice hitting at the bottom of the order, and he'll work with the blooming Pirates pitching staff. Francisco Liriano is new to town, as well, shoring up the back end of the rotation.

The young talent is in place in Pittsburgh, and these two nice additions will help the Pirates contend in the NL Central this season.

13. New York Yankees

With Alex Rodriguez on the shelf, the New York Yankees are scrambling to fill some holes.

With the addition of Kevin Youkilis, the third base position is secure, though he won't be the producer at the plate that A-Rod is. Also, while A-Rod and Youkilis will split time at third and DHing after the All-Star break, the Yanks are lacking a designated hitter for the first half of the season.

Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte are back in the rotation for another year, and Mariano Rivera is making his long-awaited return to the bullpen. Rivera should help bolster a staff that was merely above average last season, but New York still needs its lineup to lead the way.

Unfortunately, A-Rod is out and weak-hitting Austin Romine is starting at catcher. The Yankee lineup is still very good, but it is not the juggernaut New York has grown accustomed to.

12. Oakland A's

Once again, the Oakland A's snuck up on everyone last season, and now they're sticking with what got them to their improbable playoff berth.

Billy Beane has built his mythic career on the back of cheap, young pitchers, so he hasn't tampered with his stellar staff from 2012. McCarthy left in free agency, but Brett Anderson, Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone and A.J. Griffin should hold down the fort just fine.

Meanwhile, the A's signed Hiroyuki Nakajima from the Seibu Lions to fill the opening Stephen Drew left at shortstop. That was Oakland's one hole to fill, filling out the rest of the order with guys already in house.

If Yoenis Cespedes and company can put enough runs on the board, Oakland should be in contention once again.

11. Atlanta Braves

In a roundabout fashion, the Atlanta Braves are replacing Chipper Jones with B.J. Upton.

The rangy center fielder is a major offensive upgrade, but the Braves have not yet filled the hole left by their retired legend at third base. Martin Prado is up to the task of playing third, though the Braves have not signed another corner outfielder, either.

Atlanta returns much of its lockdown pitching staff from last season, though Tommy Hanson was traded away. He was one of the weaker links of the rotation in 2012, so the Braves should not sweat his absence very much.

The Braves are still searching for that third baseman or outfielder to fill out their order. Until they lock that down, they will remain on the fringes of playoff contention.

10. Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have lost much more than they've gained.

Mike Napoli is out, leaving an opening at catcher. Yet A.J. Pierzynski is the better option at this point anyway, matching Napoli's power and receiving a clean bill of health in his team physical.

They'll need all the pop Pierzynski can provide, because nothing Texas can do will replace Josh Hamilton. Overtures to Zack Greinke didn't pay off, but the Rangers return a solid rotation regardless. Greinke couldn't have made up for the loss of Hamilton's bat.

Losing an MVP-caliber player is brutal, and it marks the end of an era in Texas. In all likelihood, this Rangers World Series window has closed.

9. Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays needed to fix their moribund hitting, and they were aggressive in doing so.

By picking up Yunel Escobar, Wil Myers and James Loney, the Rays have converted last year's weakness into a strength. They did have to deal away James Shields and Wade Davis to get Myers, but Escobar only cost them a prospect and Loney signed a cheap one-year deal as a free agent.

The trade for Myers left Tampa Bay with some holes in its rotation, but this organization has more pitching than any other. Wade Davis wasn't even starting for the Rays anymore, and one of their highly-touted prospects (Chris Archer or Alex Cobb) should step up to replace Shields.

It's never good to lose a pitcher like Shields, but this is a net gain by a wide margin for Tampa Bay.

8. St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals were set entering the winter, and they've acted accordingly.

They signed lefty reliever Randy Choate and utility infielder Ty Wigginton, moves that barely moved the needle for a team that already has a stacked lineup and a strong pitching staff.

Even the loss of Kyle Lohse is ultimately insignificant. Though the 34-year-old had been very productive for the Cardinals in 2011 and 2012, the Cardinals have four very good starters, not to mention three young arms in Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller and Joe Kelly who all deserve to start somewhere.

It's been mostly quiet on St. Louis' front, but that speaks to how strong this team already is.

7. San Francisco Giants

The reigning World Series champs remain intact, but the San Francisco Giants are not the best team in baseball.

Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval are still in the middle of the order, but remember this team was mediocre at the plate for much of last season. San Francisco had a .724 OPS last season, putting them right in the middle of the pack offensively.

They preserved continuity by bringing back Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro, but just because San Francisco won last season doesn't mean they're the most likely to next year.

6. Detroit Tigers

Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers are the better bet to succeed in 2013 than the Giants.

Though San Fran held it in check, you have to respect a Tigers lineup that features Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Austin Jackson. Now that Detroit has added Torii Hunter and is getting Victor Martinez back from his torn ACL, this offense is going to be even more fearsome in 2013.

Detroit also kept its rotation intact by bringing back Anibal Sanchez. He'd pitch at the top end of almost any rotation in baseball, yet you could argue he's no better than the fourth starter for the Tigers. That's no insult to Sanchez, but a testament to Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer.

The Giants bested them in a best-of-seven series last October, but looking ahead at the year to come, the Tigers look like the stronger team.

5. Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds enter 2013 with one of the strongest lineups and one of the most intriguing pitching staffs in baseball.

On top of Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips, the Reds re-signed Ryan Ludwick and made a trade for Shin-Soo Choo. It cost them their top prospect in Didi Gregorius, but Choo is a great leadoff man with power who makes the Reds a run-producing powerhouse.

Over in the bullpen, Jonathan Broxton is back, and he's going to be closing this season. After Aroldis Chapman's scorching success last season, the Reds are moving the phenom to the rotation. If he is even half as dominant as a starter as he was in relief, Cincy is going to be scary next season.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

This is as high as Zack Greinke can take the Dodgers right now.

Greinke is obviously the most impactful pickup Los Angeles has made, giving the team a second ace to follow Clayton Kershaw. However, he wasn't the only pitching upgrade the Dodgers made.

They also added Hyun-Jin Ryu of South Korea's Hanwha Eagles, giving Los Angeles an absurd surplus of starting pitching. After Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu and Josh Beckett, the Dodgers have Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano and Ted Lilly competing for the fifth starter spot.

Perhaps one or two of them could join new closer Brandon League in the bullpen. Perhaps they could be traded to bolster an offense that already includes Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez.

Though there are better teams than the Dodgers right now, they have the depth to improve even more.

3. Los Angeles Angels

As good as the Dodgers have gotten, the Los Angeles Angels are set up to be even better thanks to a pickup of their own.

Though the Angels lost Greinke to the Dodgers, they brought in Josh Hamilton, giving them a lineup that is borderline unfair.

As if Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo weren't producing enough runs already, Hamilton gives the Angels a fourth All-Star slugger and a third potential MVP candidate.

Of course, they did have to make up for Greinke's pitching, so the Angels also got Jason Vargas in the Kendrys Morales trade. They also traded for starter Tommy Hanson and signed Joe Blanton, as well as Ryan Madsen and Sean Burnett for the bullpen.

With even deeper pitching and an inconceivably strong offense, the Angels are still the team to beat in the Freeway Series.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

The team with the busiest offseason is now the best in the American League.

It's probably most effective to just list off the guys the Toronto Blue Jays acquired this offseason.

In the field, there's Jose Reyes, a year removed from being the best shortstop in baseball, and Melky Cabrera, a PED user but also a guy who is coming off consecutive seasons with an OPS over .800 and a WAR over 4.0.

On the mound, they picked up R.A. Dickey, the reigning NL Cy Young winner whose dazzling knuckleball made the Mets watchable; Josh Johnson, a guy capable of Cy Young-caliber production; and Mark Buehrle, one of the most reliable left-handed pitchers in baseball.

Those are just the additions to a team that already had Jose Bautista in the middle of the order and Brandon Morrow in the rotation. The Blue Jays may have been thrown together essentially overnight, but they're still the frontrunners to win the American League pennant.

1. Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals needed a center fielder, so they got one. They by no means needed more pitching, but they got that, too.

Alex Meyer was expendable due to the Nats' pitching prowess, so they traded the youngster to Minnesota for speedy outfielder Denard Span. Span gives Washington a great fielder and a solid leadoff man, which will set the table for Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper and Michael Morse to drive in even more runs.

Stephen Strasberg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Ross Detwiler were already in town, but it's always nice to have Dan Haren in the back of your rotation. This might have been the deepest and best rotation in baseball before Haren arrived, and he only made it more formidable.

As long as Washington doesn't shut down its best players in the postseason, this team has what it takes to make a World Series run.