MLB Free Agency 2010: Winners and Losers of Baseball's Hot Stove Thus Far
Spring training may still be two months away, but the cold winter months have had little success subduing MLB's offseason hot stove.
The fall of 2010 has been an eventful one in the baseball world, even with the free agent class being as thin as it is.
As always, there are some teams that have added tremendously to their chances of World Series title contention in 2011, and plenty more that have been set back further, whether by their own missteps or by the unexpected choices of those they pursued (cough...Cliff Lee...cough).
With the likes of Adrian Beltre and Vladimir Guerrero still on the market, the hot stove might very well stay that way right up until Opening Day at the end of March 2011.
With that in mind, here's a mid-December look at the offseason's biggest winners and losers thus far.
Winner: Boston Red Sox
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The Phillies have stolen all the headlines recently with the re-acquisition of Cliff Lee, but the Red Sox still stand out as the offseason's biggest winner.
Boston was dealt a pretty big blow early on when All-Star catcher Victor Martinez signed with Detroit, but GM Theo Epstein was quick to recover, first by trading for slugging San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and then by signing speedy outfielder Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million contract.
Not that the Red Sox needed any help scoring, seeing as how Terry Francona's team put up the second-most runs of any team in baseball this past season.
Nonetheless, the additions of A-Gon and Crawford should make the Boston offense that much more potent while shoring up what was at times a shoddy defense.
Assuming Josh Beckett and John Lackey bounce back from their respectively injury-riddled and sub-par seasons in 2010, the Red Sox should be in prime position to take over the AL East and march their way back to the World Series.
Loser: New York Yankees
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Of course, whenever the Red Sox are winners, the Yankees are bound to be losers. This time around, though, the Bronx Bombers find themselves in the wrong ledger more than just by default.
The free agency season got off to a precarious start for the Yanks, with negotiations between GM Brian Cashman and the representatives for Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera dragging out longer and more contentiously than previously anticipated.
Though those deals did eventually get done, the proceedings certainly did not set a positive tone going forward. And while that did not necessarily precipitate the Yankees losing out in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, it certainly did not help.
Now New York will look either to acquire a pitcher like Zack Greinke via trade or move forward with their rotation as currently constituted.
However, judging by how CC Sabathia and the Yanks fared against the Rangers in the 2010 ALCS, they could certainly use a boost to the rotation if a World Series pennant in 2011 is going to be a legitimate possibility.
Adding catcher Russell Martin on a one-year deal doesn't exactly solve that problem.
Winner: Yankees Haters
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The moment news of Cliff Lee's signing with the Phillies broke, Yankees haters everywhere rejoiced in a collective show of schadenfreude seldom seen in the world of sports.
In essence, Lee turned down more money and the opportunity to cement his place in baseball history while playing for the most successful franchise in professional sports history, in the self-anointed greatest city in the world.
Seldom has it been the case that a high-profile free agent has had the gumption to turn down such a hard sell.
Mark Teixeira talked about playing for his hometown Washington Nationals, as did CC Sabathia similarly suggest a desire to play closer to home with the San Francisco Giants or the Oakland A's.
Both predictably jumped for the money and fame of the Big Apple.
Cliff Lee, on the other hand, did not.
And everyone who despises New York couldn't be happier for his decision.
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Loser: Texas Rangers
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It's rare that one player could so drastically alter the outlook of three different franchises. Then again, Cliff Lee is a player of rare impact. In choosing the Phillies, Lee left not only the Yankees in the dumps, but the Texas Rangers as well.
Lee was a huge reason behind the Rangers' run to the World Series for the first time in franchise history and was hoped and expected by some to continue in that role for a contending franchise in Arlington for years to come.
As history would have it, having Nolan Ryan in the owner's box, a home in Arkansas so nearby, a winner on the field and a boatload of money on the table wasn't enough to keep Lee at The Ballpark.
Now GM Jon Daniels will have to compete with the Yankees, among others, for the likes of Zack Greinke on the trade market.
Winner: Philadelphia Phillies
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Of course, discussing the Yankees and Rangers as losers would be meaningless without consideration of who actually won the Cliff Lee sweepstakes—the Philadelphia Phillies.
Any disappointment that Jayson Werth's departure to Washington may have posed was immediately wiped away when Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. pulled off the coup of the offseason.
Much has been made of Lee spurning bigger offers from the Yankees and the Rangers for the five-year, $120 million deal that he has signed with Philly, as he supposedly took fewer years and less money overall to play in a city that he enjoyed playing in for half of a season.
However, Lee will ultimately make more per season and could make as much money with the Phillies as he could have elsewhere should his sixth-year option be exercised.
Either way, the Phillies now boast a rotation that, at least on paper, could be among the most dominant in recent memory, with three Cy Young awards (two for Roy Halladay, one for Cliff Lee), an NLCS MVP award (Roy Oswalt) and a World Series MVP (Cole Hamels) between the top four in the rotation.
Oh, and the Phillies still have Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins in the field.
Good luck to the rest of the National League.
Loser: Washington Nationals
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Some have pointed to the Nationals' signing of Jayson Werth as a significant step forward for the franchise.
As the argument goes, Werth's presence may not affect Washington's team performance that much, but the fact that he, as a marquee free agent, was willing to sign in D.C. is huge, particularly considering how the Nats were spurned just two years ago by Mark Teixeira, whom they offered more money than the Yankees did.
However, symbolic victories don't necessarily equate to wins on the field, and the addition of Werth is unlikely to do anything more than signal to some free agents that the Nationals are loose with their cash.
How loose?
How about $126 million over seven years to a guy who, though an All-Star, will turn 32 during the 2011 season?
Not exactly a frugal move, especially considering the player that Werth is replacing—Adam Dunn—will be making $56 million over four years with the Chicago White Sox and is, by all accounts, comparable to Werth as a player.
As such, it's more a matter of when, not if, Werth becomes a financial liability for a Washington franchise that can ill afford such a misstep.
Winner: Detroit Tigers
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The Detroit Tigers had something of a disappointing season last year, finishing with a record of 81-81 after being picked by many to win the AL Central in spring training.
With the blessing of owner Mike Ilitch, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski went out to onto the market in search of players to make his team a winner again and, thus far, it looks like he's found some good candidates.
Chief among Detroit's additions is Victor Martinez, the All-Star catcher who sports a career batting average of .300 and is usually good for 20 homers and 80-to-100 RBI.
Having a catcher of Martinez's caliber behind the plate should make an even bigger difference among Detroit's pitching staff, as the Tigers' rotation and the lack of a quality catcher proved to be a large part of the team's undoing last year.
The addition of Joaquin Benoit will strengthen the Tigers' already-solid bullpen and the re-signing of Jhonny Peralta and Magglio Ordonez ensures that Detroit will be able to put runs on the board.
Loser: San Diego Padres
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The San Diego Padres shocked the baseball world in 2010 by nearly winning the NL West after being picked in the preseason to finish at the bottom of the division.
As such, the long-suffering San Diegans were hopeful that an addition here or a small free-agent signing there would provide the necessary boost to help the Pads overcome their late-season struggles, and that the presence of NL Manager of the Year Bud Black would bring it all together into a winning ballclub.
Well, that all went out the window when GM Jed Hoyer traded Adrian Gonzalez away to Boston for a boatload of prospects.
And so it begins again for the Padres organization, operating on a shoe-string budget in a small market. They'll begin again from the ground up, with a minor league organization stocked up with other teams' prospects, just a few years after trading Adam Eaton to Texas for Gonzalez and Chris Young.
Winner: San Francisco Giants
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A few hundred miles north of San Diego—and within the same division—lay the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, a team that looks to be in good position to repeat at least as NL West titlists.
Save for Juan Uribe, who bolted to the Dodgers for three years and $21 million, the principles of the Giants' roster are still in the Bay Area.
And the guy that GM Brian Sabean brought in to replace him—Miguel Tejada—isn't half bad either.
As long as Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain stay healthy in the rotation and Brian Wilson keeps up his wild-man antics in the bullpen, San Francisco should be the favorite to win the West once again.
Loser: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
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Keeping with the West Coast flavor, the LA Angels of Anaheim have something of a sour taste in their mouths so far this offseason.
The Angels came into baseball's winter meetings looking to add significant pieces, namely outfielder Carl Crawford, to a roster that finished 80-82, good enough for third place in the AL West after winning the division three years in a row.
As previously reported, Crawford opted for Boston, leaving the Angels to wonder what could have been, especially now that Hideki Matsui has signed with the Oakland A's.
Rumor has it that the Angels are in the running for third basemen Adrian Beltre, formerly of the LA Dodgers, which should make up for losing out on Crawford somewhat.
Either way, the Halos will need to make some significant improvements within the next few months if they want to crawl back into contention in the AL West.
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