MLB Trade News: 9 Teams Who Will Regret Not Making a Bigger Splash

There has been plenty of headline news this offseason varying from the Angels signing of Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson to the Marlins signing Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle to Boston acquiring Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey and much, much more.

Although some teams have spent millions of dollars to acquire the best players, many have made smaller moves that will help their team while also keeping their payroll manageable.

The problem with this offseason is that several teams have taken a backseat, letting other teams acquire players that will immediately help or players that will grow into major leaguers in the future. Many clubs will regret not making moves and here's a list of those teams. 

Baltimore Orioles

After helping the Tampa Bay Rays clinch a playoff spot on the last day of the season after defeating the Boston Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles haven't done anything of any magnitude. Baltimore has hired a new general manager in former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette, but he has yet to make any relevant moves.

There were rumors of Duquette sending Adam Jones to Atlanta, but his asking price was much too high. Baltimore desperately needs another outfielder and quality starting pitcher but should also consider re-signing Vladimir Guerrero, who led the team in batting last season.

The most intriguing story for the Orioles will be if they can sign slugger Prince Fielder. MLB Trade Rumors reported that in order for Baltimore to acquire Fielder, it would basically be a miracle and the market would have to collapse. 

With basically the same team as 2011, don't expect the Orioles to be anywhere but the bottom of the AL East in 2012. 

Toronto Blue Jays

The goal for the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason was to acquire the biggest international player on the market, Yu Darvish. Toronto was rumored to be big on Darvish but unfortunately for them, the Texas Rangers won the rights to negotiate with the Japanese pitcher. The inability to win those rights won't affect the team in a negative sense but it would've greatly improved their chances in a very competitive AL East. 

GM Alex Anthopolous lost relievers Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch as well as catcher Jose Molina to free agency but has replaced them with quality players. Toronto recently acquired reliever Jason Frasor, signed reliever Darren Oliver and traded for catcher Jeff Mathis. Frasor, who was traded last season by Toronto, will also join Sergio Santos, who was acquired in a trade from the White Sox.

Much like the Orioles, the Blue Jays are interested but will be a long-shot in the Prince Fielder race. Adding Fielder to a lineup that features Jose Bautista would put them in great shape for the future. 

The Blue Jays should finish in the middle of the division next season like usual but they really should've bid more on Yu Darvish.

New York Yankees

Now I know what you are all thinking: am I crazy for putting the Yankees on this list? No. The Yankees have notoriously spent millions of dollars in the offseason to acquire the best talent available, yet this offseason they have only re-signed two players and signed a reliever to a minor league deal. 

Freddy Garcia and Andruw Jones are both role players who will get significant time in 2012, but former Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima is unlikely to make the team. 

Usually you see New York and Boston fighting over free agents but we have yet to really see this during this offseason. Boston has already traded for two key pieces for their bullpen while the Yankees have stayed quiet. New York did put a bid in for Yu Darvish but fell well short of the winning bid. They won the rights to Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima but it is unlikely that they come to an agreement.

It is only the first week of January and there are still many free agents that the Yankees will pursue before Spring Training. GM Brian Cashman seems interested in right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson to add to a questionable starting rotation but the price may be too high. The luxury tax has killed New York which may be part of the reason for their low-key offseason but in order to keep up in the AL East, you have to be able to spend money at all times. 

Chicago White Sox

It's been an interesting offseason for the Chicago White Sox. It began when All-Star Mark Buehrle decided to leave Chicago and sign with the Miami Marlins. When losing a key player many teams just try and replace that player, but the White Sox decided to clean house instead.

The White Sox traded away relievers Sergio Santos and Jason Frasor to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for prospects. Big news broke on New Years Day when we learned that GM Ken Williams traded slugger Carlos Quentin to the San Diego Padres for two more prospects. 

The losses of Quentin and Buehrle are really going to put a strain on the White Sox and basically puts them out of contention in the AL Central. They have signed starting pitcher John Danks to a five-year extension but the White Sox might not be relevant until that contract is up in 2017. 

Manager Robin Ventura is really going to have a lot on his plate going into his first season at the helm of the Chicago White Sox. 

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins knew going into this offseason that they were going to be in trouble. They won the free agent bidding for outfielder Josh Willingham, signing him to a three-year contract but will still need to add much more. So far, Minnesota has lost outfielders Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel while also losing three relievers in Jose Mijares and Joe Nathan.

The Twins don't have a very good starting rotation but the addition of Jason Marquis should help them at least a little. Other than some average pitchers, the team will be back on the shoulders of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, who despite injuries, could have promising seasons.

Minnesota finished fifth in the AL Central last season for the first time since 2000 and it doesn't seem like things will get any better at Target Field anytime soon. The other teams in the AL Central, although still not the best in the majors, are all still much better than the Twins. Ownership should look into the "White Sox" approach and just cut your losses and start rebuilding for the future.

Oakland Athletics

Like some of the other teams I've mentioned thus far, the Oakland Athletics have also been in rebuilding mode this offseason. They traded arguably their top two starting pitchers in Gio Gonazlez, to the Nationals, and Trevor Cahill, to the Diamondbacks, for prospects.

Oakland then traded their closer Andrew Bailey, along with outfielder Ryan Sweeney, to Boston for two prospects and outfielder Josh Reddick. They also lost outfielders Josh Willingham and David DeJesus to free agency. GM Billy Beane recently re-signed Coco Crisp but the Athletics don't really have anyone notable on their roster. 

The competition in the AL West between the Rangers and Angels is now better and ever while Oakland and the Seattle Mariners, also next on this list, clean up the rear of the division. The Athletics haven't made it to the postseason since 2006 and I would give it at least five more seasons before they reach October again. 

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners haven't been to the playoffs in the last 10 seasons and another playoff appearance still seems distant. They seem to be "content" with the players that they have now and don't seem to be in the mix for any big name free agents. It was originally thought that they could be contenders to sign Prince Fielder but that seems more like a dream than a reality these days. 

There were also rumors that Seattle could trade ace Felix Hernandez for immediate help or prospects but for now, he is staying put with the Mariners. They are the leading suitors for Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma but they are going to need a lot more than him in order to become respectable again. Seattle was the lowing scoring team in all of baseball last season and will really need huge seasons from Dustin Ackley and Ichiro for them to not finish in last place in the AL West. 

Best case scenario for the Mariners would be to make a huge push for Prince Fielder and hopefully sign him to a monster deal. The signing of Fielder would dramatically improve the team and create an interesting rivalry with the Angels, after Albert Pujols decided to sign there earlier in the offseason. Worst case scenario is another terrible season and a rebuilding phase for the next couple of seasons.

New York Mets

Now there is always that one team in every sport that is clearly the worst and unfortunately it's the New York Mets. They traded Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants last season which confirmed they weren't going to be contenders for some time. Now this offseason, their prized possession in Jose Reyes signed with their inter-division rivals in the Miami Marlins. 

Sure, they have signed two decent relievers but they don't really have an offense and have to be praying that Johan Santana remains healthy and can return back to Cy Young-form. David Wright and Jason Bay are the only two "stars" left on the team and could be used as trade bait during the season.

What makes the Mets' situation even worse is that they play in one of the hardest, most competitive divisions in all of baseball. It is easy to make a case that every other team in the NL East is far superior than them. All that Met fans can hope for this season is to somehow trade for some prospects and not embarrass themselves too badly.

Milwaukee Brewers

Yes, the Milwaukee Brewers had an unbelievable 2011 season, making it all the way to the NLCS, but they are facing some of the biggest problems out of any team this offseason. Not only have they lost several role players to free agency but there is a very good chance they are without their two superstars.

It's clear that Prince Fielder will not be re-signing with the Brewers which will really hurt them in 2012. What hurts even more is that Ryan Braun, the 2011 NL MVP, tested positive for a banned substance and faces a 50-game suspension. Braun will try to appeal the suspension but it will be extremely difficult to prove that he is innocent. Going 50 games without Braun could have the potential to eliminate the Brewers from playoff contention all together. 

If Braun is going to be suspended, GM Doug Melvin needs to find a replacement as soon as possible. It's also going to be interesting to see who plays first base for the Brewers on Opening Day of next year since Fielder will be playing elsewhere. The Brewers are going to have to bank on their starting pitching to be dominant in order to stay in playoff contention.

It's evident that Milwaukee has plenty of holes and they are going to have to fill them if they plan on making another appearance in the NLCS anytime soon.