MLB Power Rankings: Who's on Top After Adrian Gonzalez, Jayson Werth Signings?
Only one day into baseball's winter meetings, there have already been many major deals. Adrian Gonzalez is now a member of the Boston Red Sox, Mark Reynolds is on the Orioles and Shaun Marcum is a Milwaukee Brewer, among others.
As the winter meetings continue to heat up, many of the marquee free agents remain unsigned, namely Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford, so free agency is going to continue to make its mark this offseason. Teams will keep dealing to either get the piece they need for a title or to continue their rebuilding process.
Which teams are the best and worst in the new power rankings after the first day of trades?
30. Pittsburgh Pirates
1 of 30
They were last in the league last year and haven't done anything to tell me otherwise.
They said they were going to be buyers, but so far their biggest moves have been trading Zach Duke and signing Fernando Nieve.
If they're going to make a major move like they said they would, that needs to happen sooner rather than later.
29. Seattle Mariners
2 of 30
The Mariners have made two notable moves this offseason.
They traded third baseman Jose Lopez, who had a good 2009 but struggled in 2010, and signed manager Eric Wedge.
A move has to at least be made to improve the hitting on the team if they want to move up the rankings; right now they're going nowhere fast.
28. Kansas City Royals
3 of 30
Yes, the Royals did acquire Vin Mazzaro, who should help the rotation immediately, but that came at the expense of David DeJesus.
If Zack Greinke is gone by the time spring training starts, it's going to be a long year for the Royals.
The AL Central has already gotten much better this year; Kansas City could very well be left in the dust again.
.png?w=256)
27. Cleveland Indians
4 of 30
The Indians haven't made any moves, and it looks like they probably won't, deciding to play with the talent they have.
They did get rid of Andy Marte, which is a plus, but their options at third base may very well be the worst options for any position on any team, fielding-wise.
Yet they don't seem to want to try and fix that, instead wanting to wait on Lonnie Chisenhall in the minors.
26. Houston Astros
5 of 30
The Astros are taking a similar approach to the Indians: No need to be making blockbuster trades, just work to improve what you have.
The departure of Roy Oswalt hurts, even if Brett Myers has become an ace.
The team's only major modification has been the loss of Geoff Blum, which the Astros shouldn't have too much trouble working around.
25. Baltimore Orioles
6 of 30
The Orioles are a team that could surprise us, and they've already begun their dealing, trading for Mark Reynolds.
They still have a lot of work to do in an always-competitive AL East, but that's a start.
They could certainly continue to rise in these ranks over the offseason, as their offer to Adam Dunn shows they're willing to spend.
24. New York Mets
7 of 30
It would not surprise me if the Mets were last in the NL East this year.
The Marlins and Nationals are making moves that could leave the Mets in the dust, and so far they haven't pulled anything off.
If Jose Reyes does end up being traded, that's most likely an admission that this season's a wash, and they'll be looking to rebuild.
23. Florida Marlins
8 of 30
The Marlins continue their seemingly nonstop rebuilding process this year, which they do effectively, so maybe I should give them the benefit of the doubt and improve their rank.
Nonetheless, they will be a very young team with the prospects from the Cameron Maybin trade, the core of Gaby Sanchez and Mike Stanton, and led by ace Josh Johnson.
They could be a big surprise in 2012 and 2013, but not yet.
22. San Diego Padres
9 of 30
The Padres continue to fall in the ranks and could very well fall into the bottom five by spring training.
They traded the only guy that had any offensive production in Adrian Gonzalez, and Yorvit Torrealba signed with the Rangers. Chase Headley will likely have to lead the team on offense next year, as well as Cameron Maybin.
Beyond that, Jon Garland is also gone, and there are trade rumors for Heath Bell emerging.
Needless to say, it's going to be a very different Padres team in 2011.
21. Toronto Blue Jays
10 of 30
Yes, the Blue Jays were a pleasant surprise for some of last year, especially with Jose Bautista emerging, but I'm actually not sure what's going on with them.
They know they need to make plays now if they want to advance in the East, but so far, they've traded their ace, Shaun Marcum, and starting catcher John Buck signed elsewhere.
Not a good start at all.
20. Washington Nationals
11 of 30
Adam Dunn is a major loss, but by filling the hole in the lineup with Jayson Werth, the Nats can now look to make general improvements.
Their breakout year is set to be 2012, but they have money to spend, and they'll gladly do so now if it will help.
19. Chicago Cubs
12 of 30
The Cubs had a lot of issues last season, but the ship finally seemed to be righted under Mike Quade.
They have a lot of pieces to the puzzle in place; they just need to work together, and the other pieces need to be added.
So far, the Cubs haven't touched the free-agent market, and they'll slip further in the ranks unless they shore up some issues, such as first base now that Derrek Lee's gone.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
13 of 30
It seems like every time I wake up the Diamondbacks have made another move.
They signed Geoff Blum to help their infield, J.J. Putz as a closer, Melvin Mora to help at third after trading Mark Reynolds, and look to continue making more moves.
If they trade Justin Upton or make a nonsense move, though, they can just as easily shoot back down into the bottom five; they're already lucky they're this high.
17. Tampa Bay Rays
14 of 30
Perhaps this is overly harsh, as they still have a solid core led by Evan Longoria, but it's safe to assume Crawford and most of the bullpen will be gone.
A good bullpen can make a good team great, as it did with Tampa Bay these past few years. A depleted bullpen, likewise, can turn a good team bad fast, and that looks like it will be the case this year.
16. Oakland Athletics
15 of 30
The A's have not done too much, but they look like they could be a surprise so far.
They traded Vin Mazzaro to get a much-needed bat in David DeJesus.
If they want to compete with the Rangers and Angels, though, they'll need to make a couple other moves.
15. Milwaukee Brewers
16 of 30
The Brewers have had solid hitting the past couple years, but they've sorely needed pitching help.
By trading for Shaun Marcum, that's exactly what they got.
A lot of where they'll fall in the rankings is dependent on if Prince Fielder leaves and, if so, what the team gets in return.
14. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
17 of 30
The Angels have a solid foundation for 2011 after acquiring Dan Haren this past July, but they need to make more moves to stay competitive.
Now that Werth's off the table, they'll be going after Carl Crawford with everything they have.
If they don't get him, it could end up being a much tougher year than the team anticipated.
13. Colorado Rockies
18 of 30
The Rockies' free agency has been good because of its quietness, ironically.
Instead of letting him go, the team re-signed Jorge de la Rosa in what could be a good move. They also traded for Jose Lopez.
If there's anywhere a hitter can go to find his power numbers again, it's Coors Field.
12. St. Louis Cardinals
19 of 30
The Cardinals have been good for many years, but this year a glaring weakness showed through.
They need to fix up their infield in the offseason, and so far all they've done is sign Lance Berkman.
Until they find a stopgap for Brendan Ryan and Skip Schumaker, I can't put them in the top 10.
11. Los Angeles Dodgers
20 of 30
The Dodgers have been huge on the free-agency market so far.
They haven't signed big names, but they're making all the moves they need to so far. Jon Garland and Juan Uribe were both good pickups that filled holes.
And there's a good chance that the Dodgers aren't done making a big splash just yet.
10. Detroit Tigers
21 of 30
Victor Martinez was a great pickup to give some ammo to the middle of the lineup, and Joaquin Benoit shores up the bullpen.
Combine that with a good group of young stars, and the Tigers could be building to something big.
9. Cincinnati Reds
22 of 30
The Reds won the NL Central last year, and they should be building on that.
Instead of grabbing a free-agency piece to help put them over, though, it looks like they'll just go with what they have for next year.
Hurts their rank a bit given all the moves this year, but they could be right, who knows.
8. New York Yankees
23 of 30
Obviously, they'll move back into the top few spots within the next few weeks; they only dropped because they have spent all their time handling Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.
Now that those are taken care of, they can get back to out-bidding people and picking up players to bolster their lineup.
7. Chicago White Sox
24 of 30
Acquiring Adam Dunn is a big move; he makes their middle of the lineup quite intimidating.
If they can keep Paul Konerko, too, that's an even more dangerous lineup.
6. Atlanta Braves
25 of 30
Will Dan Uggla be the missing piece that can help the Braves get to the World Series?
Probably not, because you can't discount what giving up Omar Infante means.
Losing Bobby Cox may end up making this an off year for the Braves, but it's too early to tell, and they have the pieces to be tough again.
5. Boston Red Sox
26 of 30
Even with all the injuries, Boston won 89 games last year.
Adrian Gonzalez is a step up in the batting order, with the only issue being how to fit Gonzalez, Youkilis and Ortiz in the lineup. They're not done dealing yet, of course.
If they can concentrate on winning a title rather than solely beating New York, they could easily be one of the top teams in baseball.
4. Philadelphia Phillies
27 of 30
The Phillies' lineup is deep enough that they won't overly miss Jayson Werth, though his loss will hurt for a while.
They may go around looking for a bat to replace him, but if they are quiet most of the offseason, it would not surprise me.
Still, they need to sign more bullpen help besides re-signing Jose Contreras, now 39.
3. Minnesota Twins
28 of 30
The Twins aren't making much noise this offseason, but they don't need to.
They won 94 games despite serious injuries to Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau.
Put them back in the roster, and that's an even better team.
2. Texas Rangers
29 of 30
The Rangers are hoping to find that one piece in free agency that they can use to make the jump to world champions.
They haven't found that just yet, but they definitely need to start looking. They've had a taste and want to win now.
1. San Francisco Giants
30 of 30
Unless there was a fire sale, the defending champs would have to land in the top spot.
The only major move has been signing Miguel Tejada after Juan Uribe signed with the Dodgers.
So far, all the core players are still there, and they could certainly compete in the 2011 World Series right now.
.png?w=480)
