2012 MLB Free Agency: Reevaluating Every Team's Biggest Position Need

The free agency period is one of the most interesting times in baseball. At the end of the season, only one city is really happy and that’s the World Series winner.

In the offseason, nearly every team envisions a fresh start and a positive future. Fans emphasize their team’s strength and sweep the negative issues under the rug.

No team is perfect, however, and there are always ways to tweak the roster. With a decent free agent class this year, here is a list of every team’s most needed position.

AL East—Baltimore Orioles, 69-93: Second Base

Brian Roberts' time has come and gone. Roberts’ natural talent is not in question; it is his injuries. Almost every year, Roberts finds himself on the disabled list.

Even when Roberts was healthy, he didn’t perform. He hit only .221.

The Orioles have a good infield other than second base. Chris Davis could actually live up to his potential, especially as he showed signs near the end of the season that he is a decent hitter.

Toronto Blue Jays, 81-81: Pitching

The Blue Jays' lineup is stacked and, if they were in another division, a playoff run wouldn’t be that farfetched.

With the ability to post big offensive numbers, pitching is the only thing missing to put the puzzle together.

They have an ace in Ricky Romero, and if Brandon Morrow can be what he was last season, it is a killer one-two punch. Adding a starting pitcher and some relievers would definitely boost the win total for the Blue Jays.

Boston Red Sox, 90-72: Starting Pitching

No one needs to be reminded of the Red Sox epic collapse at the end of the year. It was embarrassing for the Red Sox and their fans.

Starting pitching was their Achilles heel. Even if the Red Sox put up 10 runs, it still felt as if they could still lose.

Although Clay Buchholz was injured, the other Red Sox pitchers had no excuse for performing so poorly.

Tampa Bay Rays, 91-71: Shortstop

There is no question that the Rays have one of the best pitching lineups in all of baseball, especially with prospect Matt Moore already looking as if he’s pitched in the majors for five years.

However, their shortstop position is a joke. Reid Brignac, you had your shot. In 92 games, Brignac hit .193 with one home run and 15 RBIs. That’s embarrassing.

New York Yankees, 97-65: Starting Pitching/DH

Some may consider the Yankees fortunate this year. They relied on old pitchers to do the job, and they didn’t disappoint.

It is hard for me to believe that Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon can have back-to-back good years. Colon struggled at the end of the year.

The Yankees' two reliable pitchers are C.C. Sabathia and Ivan Nova. That will continue if Sabathia doesn’t opt out of his contract. Hughes hasn’t shown enough consistency to be a reliable pitcher.

The only flaw in the Yankees' hitting is the DH position. Posada won’t return, and Eric Chavez or Andruw Jones aren’t good enough to play an every day role. Adding a hitter will make the Yankees close to unstoppable.

NL East—Florida Marlins, 72-90: Catcher/Outfield/Relievers

Relievers are probably the Marlins' main concern. They have good starting pitching and a pretty decent closer, but their bullpen cannot be trusted to hold leads late in the game.

Catcher John Buck has power, but a .227 average is not something Marlin fans want to see.

New York Mets, 77-85: Any Position Besides Third Base or First Base

It is very hard to choose what’s good about the Mets' team. They have almost no good position players or any decent players besides David Wright.

Expect a long, losing season, Mets' fans. One offseason cannot fix all the problems this team faces.

Washington Nationals, 80-81: Centerfielder

The Nationals had a decent year this year. Their relief pitching was one of the best in the National League, but their starting pitching needs a little work.

Rick Ankiel is just not that good. If the Nationals add a centerfielder, they could be one of the surprise teams for next year.

Atlanta Braves, 89-73: Outfield/Leftfield

The Braves looked as if they couldn’t be defeated by anyone until September arrived. Then, everything fell apart. Their young bullpen arms couldn’t handle the high number of innings pitched and starting pitchers were getting hurt left and right.

With the team relying so much on pitching, almost every imaginable scenario that could go wrong did.

The hitting was the real problem. The Braves finished 13^th in the National League in average and 12^th in hits.

Michael Bourn was a great pickup, but the left and right field positions are question marks. Jason Heyward has all the promise in the world, but this year turned out to be a train wreck.

Philadelphia Phillies, 102-60: Outfield/Left Field

It is hard to find a flaw with the Phillies, but one position that was a little inconsistent was outfield.

Raul Ibanez is not the answer in left field. He’s aging and had a bad year.

AL Central—Minnesota Twins, 63-99: Shortstop

It’s a toss up between shortstop and second base. Both positions are equally horrible.

Kansas City Royals, 71-91: Any Position Besides First Base or DH

The only things the Royals have going for them are Eric Hosmer and, maybe, Billy Butler. Even Joakim Soria had a bad season.

It is hard to target in on one specific position because almost every one is a weakness.

Chicago White Sox, 79-83: Closer

White Sox fans held their collective breath when they were leading in the ninth inning.

At the end of the year Sergio Santos became the full-time closer, but he had some hiccups. He blew six saves and had a 3.55 ERA.

Cleveland Indians, 80-82: Third Base

The Indians came back to reality at the end of the year after a jaw-dropping performance in the first half.

They finally realized they didn’t have the talent to compete with the better teams. One position they struggled with throughout the year was third base. They need to add a better third baseman to compete.

Detroit Tigers, 95-67: Second Base

The Tigers are good on most fronts, but second base is somewhat of a problem. Ramon Santiago was the obvious weak link in their lineup this year.

NL Central—Houston Astros, 56-106: Anything, Most Notably Pitchers

I really feel bad for Houston fans. It is hard to find anything to compliment within the Astros.

They finished last in the league in ERA and finished 13^th in the National League in runs.

Young talent they have, but don’t expect a World Series ring next year.

Chicago Cubs, 71-91: Starting Pitching

Finishing 14^th in the National League in ERA, the Cubs definitely need to address pitching during the offseason.

Garza was a good pickup, but that’s about the only consistent pitcher on the Cubs' staff.

Pittsburgh Pirates, 72-90: Starting Pitching

Their relievers were almost unstoppable, but the starting pitching wasn’t too good. Jeff Karstens had a good year. Almost all of the pitchers fell apart at the end of the year, however.

Cincinnati Reds, 79-83: Third Base

It was down year for Cincinnati and some real problems became apparent. One weakness was the below average third base play.

St. Louis Cardinals, 90-72: First Base (If Pujols Leaves) or Starting Pitching

Besides Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia, the Cardinals don’t have much starting pitching. Kyle Lohse and Edwin Jackson have been up and down their entire careers.

Another concern is third base.

Milwaukee Brewers, 96-66: First Base

With Fielder not likely returning, it will be nearly impossible to reproduce his numbers. The new first baseman will be under so much scrutiny in Milwaukee, it will tough to watch if he doesn’t perform.

AL West—Seattle Mariners, 67-95: Catcher

Like the Athletics, almost every position is unproductive with the bat. Dustin Ackley and Ichiro probably contribute the most, but it is hard to find a stable hitter.

Pitchers love pitching in the AL West because most teams can’t hit.

Oakland Athletics, 74-88: First Base

Basically you could pick any position player on the Athletic team, and it would be hard to argue against replacing them. They have massive offensive problems that need to be fixed.

LA Angels, 86-76: Outfield

Although the pitching is there for the Angels, the hitting is not.

The only reliable outfielder is Peter Bourjos. Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter are both getting up there in age.

Texas Rangers, 96-66: Starting Pitching

Besides C.J. Wilson, no one on the Ranger staff can be counted on to give a quality start for the team.

Adding an ace would not just make the Rangers playoff contenders, they would be World Series contenders as well.

NL West—San Diego Padres, 71-91: Shortstop

It is hard to pick one specific position because the Padres don’t have many consistent hitters other than Chase Headley and Nick Hundley.

Colorado Rockies, 73-89: Pitching

Finishing second to last in ERA, the Rockies are in dire need of pitching. Besides Jhoulys Chacin no starter is a safe bet to go more than five innings.

LA Dodgers, 82-79: Outfield

It is quite spectacular that Matt Kemp was in the running for a triple crown considering no one in the Dodger lineup is a real threat.

San Francisco Giants, 86-76: Shortstop

Unfortunately for Giants' fans the strategy of only stacking your pitchers didn’t work this year. You need at least a little hitting to make it to the postseason, and most of the year the Giant offense was stuck in neutral.

Without Pablo Sandoval and a little bit of help from Carlos Beltran, this offense would be lost.

Arizona Diamondbacks, 94-68: Relievers/First Base

The Diamondbacks were one of the biggest surprises this year and that’s thanks to a load of young talent at their disposal.

It is hard to imagine J.J Putz repeating his stellar performance from this year.

In addition, first base has been a chink in the Diamondback armor throughout the season.