2012 MLB Free Agency: 10 Snap Decisions for GMs Feeling the Pressure

With the 2011 season in the books, the St. Louis Cardinals sit atop the league as World Champions, leaving 29 teams to prepare to take the title in 2012.

Some GMs will be under the microscope more than others as failed seasons in 2011 have called their abilities to construct a winner into question.

Here are some GMs that could be feeling the pressure to make (or not make) a big move to send their team in the right direction next season.

Houston Astros: Ed Wade

Coming off a dismal 2011 season, Ed Wade will be tasked with putting together a team in 2012 that won't disappoint fans in Houston to the extent that it did this year.

With a depleted farm system that lends little hope for an immediate turnaround, Wade will need to count on economical free agent moves.

Those moves can patch holes temporarily but rarely amount to a game changer. Wandy Rodriguez is one of the Astros' most valuable trade chips, and with a weakened free agent class for pitchers, there could be some attention turned his way.

Wade was under some scrutiny for signing Rodriguez to the contract he did, but is sticking to him and expects Wandy to remain with the team.

The team is clearly in need of an extended rebuilding mode, so he'd be wise to sell on him while he still can rather than hold firm on the $34 million deal he inked Rodriguez to in January.

Minnesota Twins: Bill Smith

The biggest move Bill Smith made last season was the acquisition of Pacific League infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

It was thought that he'd shore up the Twins infield and give them much needed speed. Instead, Nishioka played in only 68 games and batted .226, managing only five extra base hits.

The pressure will be on Smith this offseason as he looks to right the wrongs that caused such a dismal 2011 season.

He'll likely start by negotiating a contract with fan favorite Michael Cuddyer, whose market value is said to potentially be in the $30 million range over three years.

With as many holes as the Twins have to fill, they can't (and shouldn't) pay him that kind of money.

Milwaukee Brewers: Doug Melvin

By signing Prince Fielder to a one-year deal, acquiring ace Zack Greinke and trading for Francisco Rodriguez just after the all-star break, it was clear that Brewers GM Doug Melvin was going all in in 2011.

Fans were excited and had high hopes for a long awaited trip to the fall classic. Needless to say, things didn't go as planned as the division rival St. Louis Cardinals would end their season early.

With Francisco Rodriguez already out the door and Fielder seemingly on his way out of town, Melvin will have some payroll to work with as he looks to fill a glaring hole at first.

Melvin will no doubt feel some pressure to add a veteran presence at first base, and there has even been some chatter about him bringing in Derrek Lee to take on the role.

His best option, however, would be to run with Mat Gamel, who has gone deep 56 times in his past two seasons in the Brewers system.

Boston Red Sox: Ben Cherington

As the Boston Red Sox wave goodbye to manager Terry Francona and GM Theo Epstein, fans ready themselves for a new era as Ben Cherington takes the reigns of a team that experienced a brutal collapse late this season.

Cherington will no doubt feel the pressure to make a big move or two to show that he has control over such a storied franchise.

It's certain that he'll look to add a starting pitcher to the Sox rotation given their current issues, with Roy Oswalt being a likely option.

But Cherington will need to look at the 2011 team, too, when he looks towards 2012. Retaining free agents David Ortiz and Jonathan Papelbon will go a long way in ensuring new gaps aren't created in a team with something to prove next year.

Florida Marlins: Michael Hill

As the Florida Marlins ready themselves to open a new ballpark in 2012, they'll likely pull out all the stops in making next season one to remember.

They've already taken a positive step in bringing in the always eccentric Ozzie Guillen to manage the team.

In order for the team to contend in 2012, however, they'll need to improve their rotation, and one name that's been thrown out there to fill a spot is the also eccentric (and sometimes crazy) Carlos Zambrano.

Marlins GM Michael Hill needs to do what he can to make 2012 a season to remember for Marlins fans, but bringing Zambrano on board could make it memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Chicago White Sox: Kenny Williams

Kenny Williams was responsible for one of the biggest moves of last year's offseason, as the Chicago White Sox brought in Adam Dunn to complement Paul Konerko's pop in the middle of the lineup.

Dunn failed to come anywhere close to living up to expectations in 201—he batted only .159 and hit just 11 home runs.

With a former face of the White Sox franchise coming back to manage the squad, Williams will want to give Robin Ventura every chance possible to succeed.

The biggest mistake he could make this offseason would be to let a current face of the franchise, Mark Buehrle, walk away.

Buehrle has won 161 games during the time with the White Sox and is a fan favorite that would be missed should he leave for another rotation.

Philadelphia Phillies: Ruben Amaro Jr.

Fans in Philadelphia had the highest of high hopes for the Phillies in 2011 after the acquisition of Cliff Lee gave the team one of the best rotations in the history of the game.

After a dominating regular season, the team was shown the door in the NLDS against the eventual World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

With another season of failure not an option for Ruben Amaro Jr. he will likely look to sign a big name free agent like Heath Bell to subside any pressure felt.

Two moves he should make before that would be retaining Jimmy Rollins for the infield, and adding a veteran, like Ryan Ludwick, to fortify the outfield.

San Francisco Giants: Brian Sabean

After a World Championship run in 2010, the San Francisco Giants suffered a bit of a letdown in 2011 as they failed to reach postseason play.

Losing star catcher Buster Posey didn't help their cause, but deficiencies were clearly present.

Brian Sabean will look at a number of options, not the least of which could be bringing Prince Fielder cross-country to take over at first base.

While this would certainly get plenty of press, the financial terms of such a deal could hamper the franchise for years to come.

A more feasible option would be inking Carlos Beltran for a few more years and filling the first base slot elsewhere.

Seattle Mariners: Jack Zduriencik

The Seattle Mariners' offensive futility over the past two seasons is some of the worst the league has seen since the inception of the designated hitter.

Having scored less than 3.5 runs per game over the last two seasons (with nearly a $100 million payroll) Mariners GM Jack Zdruriencik is likely feeling the pressure to put some more pop in the lineup as ownership has to be looking to fill more seats with attendance consistently declining.

With a thin free agent pool for starting pitchers, teams looking to make a big acquisition could throw out some feelers on the availability of King Felix.

Aside from Ichiro, Felix Hernandez is the face of this franchise, and his pitching will be a big part in any rebuilding process. The team extended him through 2014 to play a part in this rebuilding process, and it'd be a mistake to send him packing at virtually any cost at this point.

Chicago Cubs: Theo Epstein

Theo Epstein is no stranger to pressure, having been under the microscope as the leader of one of the most storied franchises in baseball.

With his move to Chicago, he takes over another franchise of such caliber. The pressure felt is instant as he's looking to erase one of the longest droughts know to baseball, and with it one of the most historic curses a franchise has felt.

All eyes will be on big name free agents like Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols as Epstein looks to make a big splash heading into the 2012 season.

While either one of those players would make a huge impact, these players have enough pull to demand a contract that could prohibit future moves from being made.

The Cubs have the ability to spend and could likely afford either one, but it's important not to overpay simply because Epstein feels the need to make THE big move of the offseason.