This year’s baseball off-season has been filled with big trades, surprise retirements, and trade rumors. The Major League Baseball off-season activity started the day after the San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers in five games to win the World Series. Winning in baseball comes down to how many great players are in the lineup which means the owners have to make big trades and open up the checkbook to sign free agent players.
The American League East always stirs things up in the off season signing players to long-term deals. The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees watch one another closely so that they can sign and trade players to keep pace with the other team. The Tampa Bay Rays have started to sign players for long-term deals as well. The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles do not have as much money for their payroll as the Red Sox and Yankees, so it is more difficult for these teams to be as successful as the Red Sox and Yankees.
The Red Sox started the “hot stove” (off-season positioning) with a bang signing two players and spending three-hundred million dollars in one week. They signed free agent left fielder Carl Crawford from the Tampa Bay Rays for seven years worth 142 million. Less then a week later the Red Sox scooped up Adrian Gonzalez, a free agent from the San Diego Padres and signed him for seven years also.
The Boston Red Sox missed out on the playoffs last season losing Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia for two months due to injuries and probably the top two players on the team. They managed to still win 89 games. I called them a JV team without Youkilis and Pedroia on the field. With the two new players and a healthy Youkilis and Pedroia, the Red Sox are in a good position to win the American League East.
The New York Yankees made it to the American League Championship Series last season losing to the Texas Rangers in six games. Most baseball fans thought the Yankees would go out and get some players to make their team deeper. The one area the Yankees need work is their starting pitching which anchored by all-star C.C. Sabathia. The twenty-seven time world champions did not get any big name players from the free agent market as everyone expected. The Yankees also wanted Carl Crawford, left fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Boston Red Sox won that battle. The Yankees went after Cliff Lee from Texas wanting to sign him to a five year deal, but missed out when the Phillies signed Lee. The Yankees must have expected to sign Lee and Crawford because it did not seem like they were looking for anyone else.
The Tampa Bay Rays had the best record in baseball for most of the regular season last year. They lost in the American League Divisional round in five games to the American League champion Texas Rangers. Once the baseball season was over, the Rays lost shortstop Jason Bartlett, first basemen Carlos Pena, and their closer Rafael Soriano to other teams. In the past, the Rays have been known for having minor league players who serve them well in the major leagues. A few weeks ago the Rays picked up former Red Sox star players Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. The Rays want to be more competitive in the American League East hoping to challenge the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
The Baltimore Orioles had the best record in the second half of the regular season last year under new manager and former ESPN analyst Buck Showalter. They have many young, talented players on their team and are expected to do very well. Brian Matusz, a rookie last season, will anchor the starting rotation for the Orioles who hope to get to the playoffs for the first time in many years. The Orioles were very active this off-season adding four new infielders and a couple big name players to their roster. Mark Reynolds, third baseman, JJ Hardy, shortstop, Derek Lee, first baseman, and Vladimir Guerrero, power hitter, will make the O’s dangerous and a legitimate contender.
The Blue Jays have a revamped bullpen. Octavio Dotel and Jon Rauch will pitch at the end of games and give them a great chance to win. This Canadian team is the weakest team in the A.L. East, but the rest of the teams must be ready to play them. The Blue Jays are a team that hits many homeruns and can beat anyone when they launch baseballs out of the ballpark. The Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, and Orioles better watch out for the Blue Jays because if they do not show up to play for a series then they could easily get swept. That is why this is the best division in baseball. It will be fun to see who comes out on top.
