MLB Free Agency: 20 Riskiest Moves of the Offseason

With spring training getting underway for teams across the league, an offseason full of big-name moves is finally coming to its end as teams set their sights on a World Series berth.

A number of teams made great strides to make their teams successful immediately, while others traded away veterans in hopes for future returns.

Any way you look at it, all of these moves bring some risks along with them. Here are some moves that certainly may pay off, but could also fail to produce.

Kansas City Royals: Jose Mijares

The Kansas City Royals have made a number of positive moves to bolster their pitching staff ahead of spring training in signing Bruce Chen and Jonathan Broxton and acquiring Jonathan Sanchez.

Among all of the signings, the contract given to Jose Mijares is the most puzzling.

He'll eat up innings in left-handed relief, but the Royals have seen what Mijares has to offer having played against him. His strikeout numbers have gradually decreased while his walks and ERA have increased every year he's been in the league.

St. Louis Cardinals: Carlos Beltran

After losing slugger Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals certainly had to do something to replace some of the missing offense.

In signing Carlos Beltran to a two-year, $26 million contract, the Cardinals are getting a player who has hit more than 30 home runs in a season three different times, and drove in over 100 runs in eight of his 14 years in the league.

He hasn't gone over 30 home runs in five years, however, and the soon-to-be 35-year-old outfielder may soon find out that his best days are behind him. 

Philadelphia Phillies: Jonathan Papelbon

When the Philadelphia Phillies set out to sign a closer this offseason, they wasted no time in agreeing to terms with former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.

He'll no doubt save many games for Philadelphia in the coming years, and the organization can afford it, but spending $50 million seems to be on the high end.

Tampa Bay Rays: Carlos Pena

In his last season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, Carlos Pena batted a career low .196, striking out nearly 160 times in 144 games.

He saw an improvement in most statistical categories with the Chicago Cubs in 2011, but if he reverts back to his old ways during this stint with the Rays, things could go downhill quickly.

Detroit Tigers: Prince Fielder

After negotiations with a number of teams failed to produce deals, the Scott Boras client ultimately got the payday he was looking for, signing a nine-year, $214 million contract.

Averaging nearly 40 home runs per season since coming into the league, Fielder will no doubt make an immediate impact for the Tigers.

The bigger question is how much of an impact the oversized slugger will make in the later years of his hefty contract.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Jason Kubel

In bringing Jason Kubel to Arizona, the Diamondbacks have added a player with a capable bat and sufficient defense.

But at $15 million over two years, it's possible they overpaid a bit. Kubel had a breakout season in 2009, going deep 28 times and batting .300 for the first (and only) time in his career.

He fell back below .250 in 2010 and struggled again in 2011, playing in only 99 games.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Erik Bedard

Newly acquired A.J. Burnett won't be the only new starter in the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation this season, as the team also signed Erik Bedard to a one-year, $4.5 million contract this offseason.

When he's been able to stay on the mound, he's been relatively effective, as he's won at least 13 games in each of the two seasons he's started 28 or more games.

He only started a total of 30 games between 2008 and 2009 however, and after sitting out all of 2010, won only five games in 2011.

Minnesota Twins: Matt Capps

After a relatively successful post-trade 2010 performance, Matt Capps was brought back to the Twins bullpen in 2011 to close games alongside Joe Nathan.

Capps' 2011 didn't go according to plan at all, as he struck out nearly half as many batters, while walking more and giving up the most home runs in five years.

Still, the Twins opted to bring Capps back for another run at things with Joe Nathan now in Texas.

Milwaukee Brewers: Aramis Ramirez

There's no denying that the Milwaukee Brewers had to do something to replace the offense that will be missing in 2012 after Prince Fielder departed for the motor city.

After kicking the tires on a few options, the team settled on a three-year, $36 million deal with Aramis Ramirez.

Averaging 22 home runs per season over the last three years, Ramirez should be a consistent enough player to provide a spark, but with the prospect of missing Ryan Braun for nearly a third of the season approaching, even his best season may not be enough.

Texas Rangers: Yu Darvish

As one of the most highly touted pitchers in this offseason's talent pool, Yu Darvish signed a six-year, $60 million contract with the Texas Rangers after the team bid $51,703,411 to acquire his services. 

If he plays the way many expect him to, the move should pay off immediately for the Rangers, but if he struggles in the way that previous international prospects have, the move could prove to be a costly gamble.

Baltimore Orioles: Tsuyoshi Wada

With the Baltimore Orioles signing of Tsuyoshi Wada, you have to think they're taking a risk in not bringing in a proven major league pitcher.

The success rate of Pacific League players isn't the highest, and with Wada drawing comparisons to a slightly lower-level Dallas Braden, the acquisition may not live up to its billing and could prove costly with Jeremy Guthrie now in a Rockies uniform.

Toronto Blue Jays: Darren Oliver

After seeing three relief pitchers from 2011 sign with other teams this offseason (Frank Francisco, Shawn Camp, Jon Rauch), the Toronto Blue Jays took steps towards filling the void with some key acquisitions.

Darren Oliver has been very effective over the past few seasons, posting sub-3.00 ERAs in each of the past four seasons. At 41, he still likely has some tread left on the tires, but it has to catch up with him eventually.

Miami Marlins: Jose Reyes

The acquisition of Jose Reyes puts one of this offseason's top targets on the Miami Marlins roster, but the structure of the contract could end up hurting the team in the long run.

Reyes' severely backloaded contract helps the team in the immediate future, but if the team fails to contend down the road and needs to trade stars like Reyes, the salary could prohibit any move from being made.

Minnesota Twins: Joel Zumaya

Joel Zumaya last pitched in 2010, with his career abruptly coming to a halt in Minnesota when an arm injury would end his season and put him out for the duration of the 2011 season.

He returns to the scene of the crime in 2012, this time in a Twins uniform.

With plenty to prove and a young arm, Zumaya is looking to prove doubters wrong and hit 100 mph on the radar gun this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Clint Barmes

With one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates don't have much room to work with when it comes to signing players.

In giving Clint Barmes a two-year, $10.5 million deal, the Pirates made him the highest-paid player on their team (at least until they acquired A.J. Burnett). 

His .242 average over the past three seasons with an on-base percentage barely over .300 don't exactly speak to being the team leader of anything. 

Colorado Rockies: Michael Cuddyer

The Colorado Rockies picked up a solid outfielder on both sides of the game by signing Michael Cuddyer to a three-year, $31.5 million deal.

While they no doubt love what he brings to the table, the price point seems to be too high.

Based on Cuddyer's 2011 season in which he batted .284 and hit 20 home runs, you'd think the Rockies would be getting a steal.

But as is the case with all teams, the Rockies probably would have been better-suited spending less on offense and putting more money towards pitching.

Cleveland Indians: Grady Sizemore

After signing a one-year deal loaded with incentives, Grady Sizemore will have millions of reasons to succeed in 2012.

Still, Sizemore has played barely more than 100 games in the past two seasons with very low productivity.

The team was in on the bidding for Carlos Beltran but ultimately fell short. They'll need to continue their pursuit in a dwindling outfield market as they look for insurance on Sizemore.

Texas Rangers: Joe Nathan

With Neftali Feliz heading to the starting rotation in 2012, the closer role became an immediate hole for the Texas Rangers to fill.

A large number of closers hit the open market this offseason, but the Rangers opted to sign Joe Nathan, a 37-year-old pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery who is coming off a rough season in a pitcher's ballpark.

Los Angeles Angels: Albert Pujols

Once the 2011 World Series ended and the free-agency period began this past fall, it became increasingly clear Albert Pujols would be playing in a new uniform in 2012.

Enter the Los Angeles Angels, who bring in one of the best players of our generation in signing Pujols to a 10-year, $252 million contract.

As is the case with the Prince Fielder contract, the earlier years should certainly go well for Pujols, but paying any player upwards of $25 million as a 40-year-old brings plenty of risks along with it.

Oakland Athletics: Yoenis Cespedes

After making headlines this offseason for unloading players, the Oakland Athletics finally made some noise with an acquisition when they signed highly coveted Cuban prospect Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year, $36 million deal.

There's great upside with Cespedes, as illustrated by his high number of suitors, but the move comes as a bit of a risk for a team that doesn't typically have financial flexibility.