Along the I-95 corridor, it can often seem like there are only two baseball teams that matter in the American League: the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
That’s not entirely crazy — the two teams combined for 15 playoff appearances this decade, and both have been busy this offseason. But despite appearances, there are actually other teams vying to get better — and others that couldn’t help but get worse. With spring training on the horizon, here are the American League’s three biggest offseason winners and losers: non-Yankees-Red Sox edition.
THREE WHO IMPROVED
Seattle Mariners
The additions of Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins, for only the cost of prospects and dollars, make the Mariners a safe bet to challenge for West title in 2010. On top of that, they signed ace Felix Hernandez to a five-year contract.
Of course, they lost Adrian Beltre’s defense and Russell Branyan’s surprising offense, so not everything was positive for Seattle. And they added Milton Bradley, which could be either a big positive or a huge negative, considering Bradley’s talent — and penchant for causing clubhouse problems.
The Mariners play excellent defense and with their fabulous front-line pitching, they may use spacious Safeco Field to their advantage.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles buttressed their blossoming young core with a slew of solid veteran signings at decent cost, bringing in Garrett Atkins to play first, Miguel Tejada to play third, Kevin Millwood to anchor the staff, and Mike Gonzalez to close.
The Orioles were already stacked in the outfield with young Nolan Reimold slotting in nicely alongside standouts Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. The pitching staff isn’t ready yet, but soon young pitchers Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, and Jake Arrieta will make an impact, and rookie catcher Matt Wieters is expected to improve as well.
In the short term, it won’t be enough to match the Yankees and Red Sox. But the O’s could challenge the Tampa for third place, and prove that they could be a force in 2011.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers have spent years as a decent team behind a really good one, in the Los Angeles Angels. This year, the Angels treaded water at best, and the Rangers have moved forward. Starting with the signings of Rich Harden and Vladimir Guerrero, the Rangers added talent and experience, and also brought in important supplementary pieces.
The Rangers lost some talent, complementary players like Marlon Byrd and Omar Vizquel, but also staff leader Millwood, who fronted a vastly improved rotation in 2010.
But the Rangers didn’t come away empty handed. In return for Millwood, Texas gained relievers Chris Ray and Ben Snyder. And in free agency, they added underrated lefty Darren Oliver, a great matchups guy even at age 39. Paired with C.J. Wilson, the Rangers should have excellent situational options from the left side.
With young talent like Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz improving, an underrated pitching staff, and aggressive running game, the club has an excellent chance to challenge the Mariners and Angels out west.
THREE WHO DIDN’T
Toronto Blue Jays
The regime change in Toronto to GM Alex Anthopoulos has meant that the Jays are not content to seek a valiant third place in the A.L. East —- they want to make the playoffs. In the short term, however, that means stockpiling for the future, and most significantly, trading ace Roy Halladay to Philadelphia for prospects. In 2010, that could mean a lot of problems against the Red Sox and Yankees.
The Jays have young pieces to build around: Adam Lind and Aaron Hill are stars already, and Travis Snider may be one soon. But with the Orioles rising and the Rays looking to rebound, the Jays are unlikely to even repeat their 75 wins from 2009: in addition to shedding Halladay, they lost sparkplug Marco Scutaro to Boston and traded overpaid-but-still-decent Alex Rios midseason.
On the mound, the Jays got a pitcher with promise from Seattle in Brandon Morrow, and Ricky Romero pitched gamely in 2009. But Halladay is irreplaceable. Ticket the Jays for the bottom of the AL East.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels had a tough task ahead of them this winter: cope with the free agency of big-name players John Lackey, Figgins and Guerrero. All went elsewhere, as did Oliver and the once-excellent Kelvim Escobar.
The Angels softened the blow by signing Hideki Matsui to replace Guerrero, and Joel Piniero to replace Lackey, while adding former Tigers closer Fernando Rodney.
Considering what the other teams in their division did, it probably won’t be enough. The Angels have won their division six of the past eight seasons, but there’s a good chance that either the Mariners or Rangers can end L.A.’s dominance this year.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers fell just short of the playoffs, losing a one-game playoff to the Twins last October. In 2010, it probably won’t be that close.
Franchise symbol Curtis Granderson has left for New York, in a deal that also saw the Tigers shed right-hander Edwin Jackson. Jackson had a miserable second half, but he is still young and could put it all together in Arizona. And don’t underestimate the impact of 2B Placido Polanco’s departure. Meanwhile, once-great foundation pieces Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen are not what they used to be.
There are some positives to the Tigers’ winter. Replacing closer Rodney with Jose Valverde actually upgrades the bullpen, and the two keys to the Granderson trade, Austin Jackson and Max Scherzer, have potential. They also have an elite player in Miguel Cabrera, assuming his personal problems are worked out — though that may matter most in keeping his trade value high — he could be on the market midseason if the Tigers’ fortunes fall.
The Twins are good, and the White Sox also got better. The Tigers may have missed their moment on the 163rd day of the season.
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