Grading Every MLB Team Through the First 2 Months of the Season

When the calendar turns over to June this Saturday, the 2013 MLB season will officially be two months old, and it has already been an exciting season to this point.

As with any season, there have been a handful of teams who have been major disappointments, as well as a few teams who have exceeded expectations.

With that in mind, here are my grades for all 30 MLB teams through the first two months of the season. These grades do not only reflect where a team stands in the standings right now, but they also take into account what kind of expectations the team entered the season with.

AL East

Baltimore Orioles (30-24)

The Orioles were one of the surprise teams of 2012, but they entered 2013 with moderate expectations to at least contend for a postseason spot once again. Their offense has been terrific once again, with breakout stars Manny Machado and Chris Davis leading the way, but the starting rotation may not have the horses to keep the team in contention all season. So far they've been able to overcome it, but without a reliable frontline arm and a no longer dominant bullpen, it remains to be seen if they're a playoff team.

Grade: B-

Boston Red Sox (33-22)

It was a busy offseason in Boston, as the team used the payroll room it freed up in its August blockbuster with the Dodgers to add a number of veterans in free agency. Those additions, along with the resurgence of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz atop the rotation, have made the Red Sox legitimate contenders in the AL East.

Grade: A

New York Yankees (30-23)

Hit hard by injuries in the preseason, the Yankees started the year without Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson. However, they have been able to overcome that thanks to the unexpected contributions of Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner and Lyle Overbay. The pitching staff is shaky at the back end, but things are only looking up moving forward as the team continues to get closer to full strength.

Grade: A+

Tampa Bay Rays (29-24)

The Rays made the bold decision to deal James Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals for a package of prospects highlighted by Wil Myers this offseason in an effort to improve their offense. It has been the low-cost signings of James Loney and Kelly Johnson that have made the difference early on though. David Price has struggled, and the pitching has not been nearly as dominant, but the young hurlers Matt Moore and Alex Cobb have emerged as two of the game's best atop the rotation.

Grade: B

Toronto Blue Jays (23-31)

There may be no team that entered the season with more hype than the Blue Jays, as their offseason additions of R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson were expected to make an already talented team legitimate title contenders. Instead, their starting pitching has been terrible and they find themselves in last place in the AL East.

Grade: F

AL Central

Chicago White Sox (24-27)

After being surprise contenders last season and nearly making the postseason before the Tigers passed them in the season's final weeks, the White Sox entered the season with essentially the same team minus A.J. Pierzynski and Kevin Youkilis. They haven't contended so far this season though, as their offense has been rough outside of Alex Rios, Conor Gillaspie and Alexei Ramirez.

Grade: C

Cleveland Indians (29-24)

Rather than starting to rebuild, the Indians opted to buy aggressively this offseason with the additions of Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and Mark Reynolds to the lineup. The offense has been fantastic so far from top to bottom, and the duo of Justin Masterson and Zach McAllister atop the staff has been great. However, the rest of the rotation and the bullpen have struggled, and their pitching may be what holds them back.

Grade: A

Detroit Tigers (29-23)

The reigning AL champs were expected to be even more dangerous this year with a full season of Anibal Sanchez, the addition of Torii Hunter and the return of Victor Martinez. They are by no means running away with their division, but all the pieces appear to be there for them to be serious contenders. Their rotation boasts four frontline arms, their bullpen is improved from the start of the season and their lineup is led by the best hitter in baseball in Miguel Cabrera.

Grade: A

Kansas City Royals (22-29)

With their blockbuster trade to acquire James Shields and Wade Davis, it became clear that the Royals were ready to take the step from rebuilding team to contender. The pitching has been substantially improved, but the same can't be said about their young offensive core that has struggled mightily. Hitting coach Kevin Seitzer was recently fired, with Hall of Famer George Brett taking over on an interim basis, according to ESPN.

Grade: D-

Minnesota Twins (23-28)

After sporting one of the worst rotations in the league last season, the Twins added a trio of starters in the offseason with hopes of improving. While Kevin Correia has pitched well, the rest of the staff has been poor once again. On top of that, the offense aside from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau has provided little support, as the Twins look destined for a last-place finish.

Grade: D

AL West

Houston Astros (17-37)

Little was expected from the Astros entering the season, but after a 4-6 start there was some hope that they would be at least be mediocre this season. That's been far from the case though, as they have been nothing short of terrible since. Aside from Bud Norris atop the staff and Jose Altuve at second base, they are a roster of Triple-A players.

Grade: F

Los Angeles Angels (25-29)

The past two offseasons have seen the Angels commit a total of $442.5 million to sign Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and C.J. Wilson to long-term deals. With that type of financial commitment comes inevitable expectations of title contention, but the Angels have gotten off to disastrous starts each of the past two seasons. They're 10-2 in their last 12 games and recently got ace Jered Weaver back, so things are looking up, but their rotation is still suspect.

Grade: C-

Oakland Athletics (31-24)

Oakland was perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2012 season, as they made an impressive late-season surge to capture the AL West title. Their success came thanks in large part to a number of journeyman veterans and inexperienced youngsters stepping up. While their young pitching has not been quite as reliable this season, the emergence of Josh Donaldson as a star and the continued lineup shuffling of Bob Melvin has allowed them to maintain their winning ways.

Grade: B

Seattle Mariners (23-31)

After boasting the AL's lowest-scoring offense each of the past three seasons, the Mariners looked to add some firepower this offseason when they traded for Michael Morse and Kendrys Morales. That hasn't been enough to make much of a difference, but the pitching of Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma atop the staff and the impending arrival of a number of top prospects gives reason for hope moving forward.

Grade: D

Texas Rangers (33-20)

With the departure of Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Michael Young, the offense that the Rangers have relied on the past several seasons looked significantly weakened. However, the emergence of Mitch Moreland and play of free-agent signee Lance Berkman has helped offset those losses. The real story has been the pitching, as Yu Darvish is a bona fide superstar and rookies Justin Grimm and Nick Tepesch have helped hold things together.

Grade: A

NL East

Atlanta Braves (32-21)

The Braves had a busy offseason, adding brothers Justin and B.J. Upton to an already talented lineup as they looked to make a run at the Nationals for the NL East title this season. After a torrid 12-1 start to the season, they have fallen back to earth a bit, but there is no denying they're a talented team. Setup men Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters are gone for the season, and the trio of Jason Heyward, Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton have to start hitting, but they have the look of a playoff team.

Grade: B+

Miami Marlins (13-41)

After entering the 2012 season with sky-high expectations, things looked substantially bleaker in Miami when Opening Day rolled around this year. With the team coming off of a 93-loss season and in the wake of a fire sale that began at the trade deadline, the roster was a shell of what it had been a year prior. The offense has been nothing short of anemic, but the pitching staff has been better than anticipated, though the Marlins are still on their way to 100-plus losses.

Grade: F

New York Mets (22-29)

The future is bright for the Mets with a staff led by breakout star Matt Harvey and top prospect Zack Wheeler and a lineup anchored by recently extended David Wright and top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud. The present, however, is not quite as bright for a team that has a number of holes up and down the roster. The back of the rotation and the offensive production of the outfield have been the biggest issues, and this team looks destined for fourth place.

Grade: C

Philadelphia Phillies (26-28)

The Phillies battled injuries throughout the 2012 season, but they showed they were still capable of making noise when fully healthy by closing out the season 35-24 from August 1 on. With a roster full of high-priced, aging veterans, they are more or less locked into the group they have until they decide to start rebuilding. With the once-vaunted pitching staff a far cry from what it once was and the offense average at best, they'll likely hang around the .500 mark all season.

Grade: C-

Washington Nationals (27-27)

With the addition of Denard Span to shore up center field and the leadoff spot, the Nationals entered the 2013 season with arguably the most complete roster in all of baseball. The talent is certainly still there, as they have one of the most talented pitching staffs in baseball and more than enough offensive firepower. However, that talent has not translated to wins so far this season, and they need to kick things into gear.

Grade: C+

NL Central

Chicago Cubs (22-30)

Still in the midst of a full-scale rebuild, not much was expected from the Cubs this season. The additions of Edwin Jackson, Scott Feldman and Carlos Villanueva were expected to at least make them competitive and provide some trade chips. Feldman and Travis Wood have been great in the rotation and Anthony Rizzo has continued to emerge as legitimate star, but at this point they're still at least a couple years away.

Grade: C+

Cincinnati Reds (33-21)

The Reds ran away with the NL Central title last season, and with all of their key pieces back and the addition of Shin-Soo Choo to shore up the hole in the leadoff spot, they were expected to be even better. They've been as good as advertised, but the division around them has been better than expected, and they currently find themselves in third place. With as good of a rotation as any in baseball and a high-powered lineup, they remain one of the favorites in the NL.

Grade: A

Milwaukee Brewers (19-33)

The Brewers had the highest-scoring offense in the National League last season, but they were undone by their terrible bullpen. With the bullpen addressed and the lineup intact, the biggest question entering the season was their starting pitching depth. It has indeed been an issue, as the starters have an NL-worst 5.43 ERA on the season, and they've been unable to overcome that.

Grade: D-

Pittsburgh Pirates (34-20)

After suffering second-half collapses each of the past two seasons, the Pirates entered the season with tempered expectations, though the talent was certainly there for them to contend. With more consistent offensive production and an improved rotation that has benefited from a full season of Wandy Rodriguez and the emergence of rookie Jeff Locke, they look like legitimate contenders once again. However, until they prove they can sustain this success, there will always be a certain level of doubt.

Grade: A

St. Louis Cardinals (35-18)

The Cardinals have had no shortage of issues this season, from the losses of Chris Carpenter and Kyle Lohse to the injuries of Rafael Furcal and Jason Motte. They've found a way to overcome them all though. Shelby Miller is a star in the rotation, Edward Mujica has been a lights-out closer and Pete Kozma has done an admirable job at shortstop. No team is better at utilizing its organizational depth, and the Cardinals should be right in the thick of things once again come October.

Grade: A+

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks (30-23)

The Diamondbacks were surprise NL West champions in 2011, but they took a step back last year, and that led to an offseason shakeup. Outfielders Chris Young and Justin Upton were traded and Martin Prado, Cody Ross and Brandon McCarthy, among others, were brought aboard. The story though has been the emergence of Paul Goldschmidt and Patrick Corbin as two of the best in the business, and they're a big reason why the team is currently in first place.

Grade: B+

Colorado Rockies (28-26)

With a 5.22 ERA as a staff last season, it's safe to say the Rockies were undone by their pitching staff, as their offense was potent even with Troy Tulowitzki missing all but 47 games. They didn't make any notable additions to their staff this season, but getting Jorge De La Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin back to 100 percent has been a big bonus. The pitching remains suspect though, as their high-powered offense, led by a healthy Tulowitzki, has been the biggest reason for their success to this point.

Grade: A

Los Angeles Dodgers (22-30)

After trading for Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett last season and signing Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu this offseason, the Dodgers took on a ton of payroll and the expectations to contend that come along with it. Injuries have plagued them in the early going, and they have fallen well short of expectations to this point. Just when someone gets healthy, another seems to go down, as Matt Kemp was the latest to hit the DL (via CBSSports.com).

Grade: D

San Diego Padres (24-29)

Though the Padres have one of the deepest farm systems in all of baseball, the bulk of their young talent is still at least a few years from contributing. For the time being, the big league club has assembled a solid offensive core but is greatly lacking in pitching. They will need to find a frontline starter one way or another if they hope to return to contention, and for the time being they'll be lucky to finish .500.

Grade: C

San Francisco Giants (29-25)

Winners of two of the past three World Series titles (in case their fanbase hadn't informed you yet), the Giants returned essentially the same roster that dominated the Tigers for the title last season. However, they have been a substantially different team this time around. The pitching staff has not been nearly as dominant, but the offense has been formidable. The questions now are will the pitching come around, and will the offense regress?

Grade: B