AL West
In one of the better off-seasons in all of baseball, the Los Angeles Angels completed arguably the best outfield. They added Steve Finley to the star-studded outfield of Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson. They also revamped their pitching with the acquisitions of reliever Esteban Yan and starter Paul Byrd. Ex-Red Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera was signed to replace David Eckstein, who was not tendered a new contract.
The Oakland Athletics continued their money ball approach to the game, dealing starting pitchers Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder in return for some raw talent and are hoping that their young staff can pick up the slack. The acquisition of Jason Kendall at catcher should help with their young pitching staff. Barry Zito now stands alone as the ace of the staff and a lot of pressure is placed on their young pitcher Danny Haren.
The Texas Rangers kept the majority of their surprising third-place team from last season and added veteran catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. and Richard Hidalgo, formerly of the New York Mets. They also re-signed their best player, second baseman Alfonso Soriano, to a one-year deal after he had been rumored to be on the trading block.
The Seattle Mariners made a splash this winter by signing first baseman Richie Sexson and third baseman Adrian Beltre to four- and five-year deals after coming off a last-place finish in the division. Combine those guys with Brent Boone and Pokey Reese up the middle, and they have one of the better infields in all of baseball. Pitching was a weak point for the Mariners last year and they didn’t do much to help themselves there.
Predictions:
1. Los Angeles Angels 2. Seattle Mariners
3. Oakland Athletics 4. Texas Rangers
AL Central
Fresh off another AL Central title, the Minnesota Twins continued to do what they’ve been doing for several years now, and that’s spend their money wisely. The Twins re-signed starting pitcher Brad Radke and solidified the closer spot with right-hander Joe Nathan.
The Chicago White Sox were very busy this winter in both the free agent and trade markets. They beefed up their outfield, acquiring Scott Podsednik and signing Jermaine Dye. Their pitching staff also received a boost with the addition of right-hander Orlando Hernandez and catcher A.J. Pierzynski.
With the signing of pitcher Kevin Millwood and outfielder Juan Gonzalez, the Cleveland Indians have added some veteran presence to a young and talented squad. They also acquired Alex Cora and Jose Hernandez as insurance for their middle infield.
The Detroit Tigers are another team that did little this off-season in the free agent market and are banking on the continuing improvement of virtually the same squad they had last year. Adding Troy Percival, formerly of the Angels, in the closer role should give their young starting pitchers a lot more confidence about leaving the game with a lead.
The Kansas City Royals signed pitcher Jose Lima but did nothing else to improve their last place squad from last year. They continue to maintain a low payroll, parting ways with Juan Gonzalez and Desi Relaford.
Predictions:
1. Minnesota Twins 2. Chicago White Sox 3. Cleveland Indians
4. Detroit Tigers 5. Kansas City Royals
AL East
World Series champion Boston Red Sox did some rearranging with their pitching staff losing ace Pedro Martinez to the Mets and playoff hero Derek Lowe to the Los Angeles Dodgers and replacing them with former Cub Matt Clement and ex-Yankee David Wells. After a short stint by Orlando Cabrera at shortstop, Edgar Renteria was signed to solidify their defense up the middle. They also resigned infielder Mark Bellhorn and pitcher Carlos Arroyo, both vital pieces to their run to the championship last season. With the departure of Doug Mentkiewicz to the Mets the Red Sox expect David Millar to pick up the majority of the playing time.
After the New York Yankees wound up on the losing side of one of the greatest comebacks ever, they decided to focus heavily on pitching and signed Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. In addition to those acquisitions, they dealt pitcher Javier Vasquez and a few minor-leaguers to Arizona for five-time Cy Young winner Randy Johnson.
The Baltimore Orioles made one significant move this winter and that was trading outfielder Jerry Hairston, infielder Mike Fontenot and right-hander Dave Crouthers for superstar slugger Sammy Sosa. He will provide more power in the line up as well as more protection for Miguel Tejada. Their offense should see their home run numbers go up substantially with the addition of Sosa to a lineup that already includes Javy Lopez and Rafael Palmeiro.
Coming off a much improved season the Tampa Bay Devil Rays did very little hoping that their young bunch of players, including all-star Carl Crawford, will continue to get better. They traded outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. to the Diamondbacks in return for pitcher Casey Fossum. In one of the strangest transactions of the winter, Roberto Alomar announced his retirment just months after signing a one-year deal.
Signing third baseman Corey Koskie and acquiring first baseman Shea Hillenbrand for right-handed pitcher Adam Peterson in a trade with Arizona were the only noteworthy off-season moves that the Toronto Blue Jays made. They did sign Scott Schoeneweis and Billy Koch to help their struggling pitching staff.
Predictions:
1. New York Yankees 2. Boston Red Sox 3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5. Toronto Blue Jays
NL West
By signing Derek Lowe and resigning Odalis Perez, along with Jeff Weaver and a healthy Brad Penny, the Los Angeles Dodgers have made themselves one of the deepest pitching staffs in the league. The also added a lot of home run power with the additions of Jeff Kent, Jose Valentin, and J.D. Drew.
The San Francisco Giants got help where they needed it most, defensively. With the additions of Mike Matheny at catcher and Moises Alou, son of manager Felipe Alou, the Giants should be substantially better in that department. They also signed closer Armando Benitez to help ensure their ability to close out games as their other weak spot last year was their bullpen.
The San Diego Padres added a much needed veteran presence to the pitching staff with the signing of Woody Williams. They also added several back ups, including Geoff Blum and Eric Young, as well as Dave Roberts, one of the fastest guys in all of baseball.
Signing Desi Relaford and Dustan Mohr aren’t exactly the moves that will take the Colorado Rockies to the top of the division. They definitely got younger over the winter with the departures of Shawn Estes, Royce Clayton and Jeremy Burnitz, but they also have a lot less experience, too.
The Arizona Diamondbacks were one of the busiest teams this off-season completing a trade for Javier Vasquez that sent Randy Johnson to the Yankees and gave them the pieces they needed to make another trade for outfielder Shawn Green. They also went out and signed third baseman Troy Glaus and free agent pitcher Russ Ortiz to multi-year deals. Even with the departure of the most dominant pitcher in the game the Diamondbacks should be much improved from last year.
Predictions:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers 2. San Francisco Giants 3. San Diego Padres
4. Arizona Diamondbacks 5. Colorado Rockies
NL Central
The National League champion St. Louis Cardinals traded for Oakland ace Mark Mulder to solidify their starting pitching while keeping the majority of the team intact. The middle infield is completely different with David Eckstein taking over for Edgar Renteria and Mark Grudzielanek picking up where Tony Womack left off at second base.
With the loss of the most coveted free agent on the market, Beltran, the Houston Astros did little to counter his departure. With the loss of Beltran and Jeff Kent their offense will struggle, but their starting pitching should be much improved with Roger Clemens returning and Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt healthy.
Trading Sammy Sosa was the key to the Chicago Cubs’ off-season believing that he was a cancer to his team. They also parted ways with starting pitcher Matt Clement, but that shouldn’t be a problem. They are loaded at that position. Signing Nomar Garciaparra and Todd Walker gives the Cubs one of the best infields in the game.
The Cincinnati Reds had a fairly quiet winter staying in-house and resigning two of their best players, Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns. They gave their pitching staff a much needed boost, signing Eric Milton to a three-year deal and Kent Mercker to a two-year deal.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are another one of those low payroll teams that did little this winter to improve their team. Acquiring catcher Benito Santiago to replace the recently departed Jason Kendall and resigning shortstop Jack Wilson should keep the Pirates right around where they were last year.
Milwaukee Brewers did little to help themselves climb out of the depths of the National League Central where they have consistently found themselves over the last couple years. They continue to trade away their talented players for salary cap reasons. The casualties from this off-season include pitcher Danny Kolb and all-star Scott Podsednik.
Predictions:
1. St. Louis Cardinals 2. Chicago Cubs 3. Houston Astros
4. Cincinnati Reds 5. Pittsburgh Pirates 6. Milwaukee Brewers
NL East
The Atlanta Braves’ acquisition of Tim Hudson from the Athletics this past off-season should be enough to make up for the departure of starting pitchers Russ Ortiz and Paul Byrd. They also re-signed John Smoltz, who will move back to his original role as a starting pitcher. Outfielder Raul Mondesi was signed to replace J.D. Drew in left field but lacks the offensive skills that Drew possessed.
Philadelphia went backward from a season ago, losing pitchers Eric Milton and Kevin Millwood. They signed Jon Lieber to a three-year contract to fill one hole but they weren’t very active outside of that.
The Florida Marlins got deeper in the bullpen when they signed Antonio Alfonseca from the Braves and re-signed reliever Guillermo Mota. They also added a home run-hitting first baseman in Carlos Delgado, who should give them much needed power that they lacked last season.
With the addition of Pedro Martinez, the New York Mets have provided themselves with a veteran ace who can anchor their pitching staff and show their younger pitchers a thing or two. Signing Miguel Cairo and dealing for Doug Mientkiewicz will provide them with some defensive insurance on the right side of the infield.
The Montreal Expos got a new name and a new home but wound up with virtually the same team. The Washington Nationals, as they are now known, made some improvements with the signing of pitcher Esteban Loaiza as well as adding Vinny Castilla and Cristian Guzman to their infield.
Predictions:
1. Florida Marlins 2. New York Mets 3. Atlanta Braves
4. Philadelphia Phillies 5. Washington Nationals