New Year’s Day isn’t technically the midpoint of the baseball offseason, yet with business slightly paused as the calendar turns to 2023, it seems like a good time to see how teams have taken care of some of the most pressing items on their to-do list. With a tip of the cap to Baseball Reference’s bWAR breakdown of how each club performed by position in 2022, let’s explore how the American League’s 15 teams have looked to correct their biggest positions of need.
Angels (First Base, -1.0 bWAR): The top-heavy Angels are known for superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, but the club also had sub-replacement production at a whopping five positions. First base was the lowest of the bunch, as Jared Walsh struggled through a rough season that was cut short by thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. While Walsh is expected to be ready for Spring Training, the Halos picked up some depth and insurance by acquiring Gio Urshela from the Twins and signing Brandon Drury, either of whom could see action at first base when not playing elsewhere around the diamond.
Astros (Catcher, -0.8 bWAR): Unsurprisingly, the World Series champions were pretty strong across the board, apart from sub-replacement numbers at catcher and first base (-0.4 bWAR). The signing of Jose Abreu instantly updated first base, though Martin Maldonado and prospect Korey Lee remain the top options behind the plate. Houston reportedly had interest in such free agents and trade targets as Willson Contreras, Sean Murphy, Tucker Barnhart, and old friend Christian Vazquez, and while these players have all found new homes, it still feels like the Astros will bring at least one new catcher into the fold by Spring Training.
Athletics (Third Base, -1.2 bWAR): Oakland’s combined 9.1 bWAR was the lowest of any team in baseball, yet another dubious distinction for the A’s in a 102-loss season. After Matt Chapman was traded to the Blue Jays last offseason, third base turned into the weakest of the Athletics’ many weak links. Vimael Machin and Sheldon Neuse got the bulk of playing time at the hot corner in 2022 but both are now off the roster, leaving Kevin Smith and newly-signed utilitymen Jace Peterson and Aledmys Diaz in line to help stabilize things at third base.
Blue Jays (Pinch-Hitting, 1.4 bWAR): With a heavily right-handed starting lineup, the Jays filled their bench with left-handed hitters like Raimel Tapia, Bradley Zimmer, and Jackie Bradley Jr. all of whom struggled at the plate. This lack of depth became apparent pretty much every time a regular starter was injured, or when the Blue Jays needed a bat off the bench for an important late-game at-bat. In theory, a full season of Whit Merrifield should help the depth, as at least two of Merrifield, Santiago Espinal, Cavan Biggio, or even Kevin Kiermaier or Daulton Varsho should be available off the bench. However, Toronto seems likely to seek out at least one more veteran backup type this winter. In terms of everyday positions, Jays left fielders were the lowest with 2.1 bWAR — Toronto has addressed that area by adding Varsho, and trading former regular left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Diamondbacks as part of that swap.
Guardians (Catcher, -0.1 bWAR): Austin Hedges and Luke Maile provided very little offense, which wasn’t a huge concern for a Guardians team that has long prioritized defense from its backstops. However, Bo Naylor made his MLB debut last season, and the Guards are hopeful that the prospect can provide both good glovework and some pop from the catching spot. With Hedges and Maile both departing in free agency, Cleveland added Mike Zunino, another good defender who is inconsistent at the plate but has delivered some big power numbers in the past.
Mariners (Second Base, 0.4 bWAR): Seattle hopes Kolten Wong can fill the gap at the keystone, after the Mariners acquired Wong in the trade that sent Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to the Brewers. Even in an uncharacteristically poor defensive year for Wong in 2022, he still generated 3.1 bWAR, marking a vast improvement over what the Mariners got from the position last year. Second base just edged out left field (0.5 bWAR) as Seattle’s biggest need, and the latter position remains a bit of a question mark. With Winker and Kyle Lewis both dealt and Teoscar Hernandez acquired to handle right field, the Mariners will likely still look to improve over the current mix of Jarred Kelenic, Taylor Trammell, and utilitymen Dylan Moore and Sam Haggerty.
Orioles (Second Base, 0.1 bWAR): One team’s castaway is another team’s upgrade, while the Mariners looked to improve on Adam Frazier, Baltimore inked him to a one-year, $8MM contract. Frazier brings a veteran presence to a young and still unsettled Orioles infield, as while Frazier will probably get the bulk of time at second base, it remains exactly to be seen if Gunnar Henderson will be deployed as the regular third baseman or shortstop. Ramon Urias, Terrin Vavra, Jorge Mateo, and a wealth of other up-and-coming prospects will also factor into the infield picture. Frazier had a rough offensive year in 2022, but he brought more to the table than Rougned Odor, whose clubhouse leadership didn’t make up for a -0.4 bWAR.
Rangers (Left Field, -1.0 bWAR): Texas has been focused on pitching, as between retaining Martin Perez via the qualifying offer and adding Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, and Jake Odorizzi, the Rangers have done a lot to improve a starting mix that ranked 25th of 30 teams in rotation bWAR. With the rotation now addressed in major fashion, left field is the next item on the checklist for Texas GM Chris Young. Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger were among the names on the Rangers’ radar before both outfielders signed with the Giants. Young will continue to look to add a veteran bat to either replace or complement the Rangers’ younger options in left field.
Rays (Catcher, 0.2 bWAR): As usual, the Rays were pretty solid at every position, though catcher remains an ongoing concern for the organization. With Zunino gone, Christian Bethancourt and Francisco Mejia are the incumbents, and Tampa Bay at least explored a big upgrade in checking in on the Sean Murphy trade market. However, now that Murphy is in Atlanta and many of the other top available names have landed elsewhere, the Rays may once again be facing more of a second-tier addition.
Red Sox (First Base, -0.5 bWAR): Top prospect Triston Casas made his MLB debut last season, and Boston’s hope is that Casas will live up to that potential quickly. Such a breakout could solve the first base position for years to come, though to alleviate some pressure on Casas, the Red Sox also acquired Justin Turner with an eye towards giving the veteran some time at first base and DH. On paper, Rafael Devers might also get some first base time if Turner fills in at third base. As for other first base options, the Sox already parted ways with Eric Hosmer, and Bobby Dalbec is being shopped in trade talks.
Royals (Shortstop, 0.2 bWAR): Bobby Witt had a solid rookie season, beginning the year as Kansas City’s third baseman before moving into pretty much everyday duty at shortstop. Witt’s glovework at both positions was pretty rough, but the Royals are hopeful that their young cornerstone can improve enough to provide at least passable defense at shortstop, even if Witt’s long-term position might still be a question. The Royals haven’t done much with their position player mix at all, and so if Witt has to be moved back to third base, the incumbent answers at shortstop are still Nicky Lopez and (if healthy) Adalberto Mondesi. Prospect Maikel Garcia made his MLB debut in 2022 and could also factor into the backup picture.
Tigers (First Base, -1.3 bWAR): Another case of a team counting on a youngster to blossom, as there’s really nowhere to go but up for Spencer Torkelson after a mediocre rookie season. The former first overall pick hit only .203/.285/.319 in his first 404 Major League PA, and was temporarily demoted back to Triple-A at midseason. Since the Tigers seem to be taking a step back after a team-wide letdown in 2022, Torkelson will still get plenty of playing time, and it’s far too early to write off a rookie who is still only 23 years old. The Tigers have been linked to Brian Anderson and Edwin Rios, two free agents that could be part-time options at first base when they’re not at the hot corner.
Twins (Catcher, 1.0 bWAR): Christian Vazquez was signed to a three-year, $30MM deal, as Vazquez will take over the starting catching duties even though Ryan Jeffers will still get a good chunk of playing time. Vazquez brings experience, a solid bat, and quality defense, so his signing should instantly patch one of the holes on Minnesota’s roster.
White Sox (Catcher, Right Field, each -0.4 bWAR): The Pale Hose were yet another team who had interest in trading for Murphy, and Chicago is still looking for a catcher as a platoon partner or even a replacement for Yasmani Grandal. Gavin Sheets is the favorite for playing time in right field until prospect Oscar Colas is ready, though the White Sox did improve their outfield mix as a whole by signing Andrew Benintendi for left field and moving Andrew Vaughn from the corner spots to first base. Sheets isn’t a strong defender either, but limiting the shaky glovework to just one outfield position is a step up for the White Sox.
Yankees (Left Field, Pinch-Hitting, each 2.0 bWAR): New York led all American League teams with 54.7 total bWAR, so their “weak positions” are still pretty solid. Benintendi, Joey Gallo, Miguel Andujar, Marwin Gonzalez, and Matt Carpenter have all been removed from the revolving door that was left field in Yankee Stadium, leaving intriguing rookie Oswaldo Cabrera, struggling veteran Aaron Hicks, and slugger Giancarlo Stanton (when Stanton isn’t in his primary DH role) as the top options. Former top prospect Estevan Florial could also get a look for more playing time. This all being said, the Yankees also seem to be eyeing more help, and have explored trades with such teams as the Pirates, Twins, and Diamondbacks while also speaking with free agents like Benintendi, Conforto, and Brandon Nimmo. Willie Calhoun and Billy McKinney were also just signed to minors deals, but with the free agent market drying up, New York will probably have to turn to the trade route for a more substantive addition in left field.
In the case of TB, how they did not address any need. Needed a catcher, needed some LH hitting, needed a LH OF…nada. So prob another 86-90 wins and an ugly playoff exit. And everyone will pat them on the back for doing well w a low payroll in the AL East.
Hope I am wrong and they actually do
Something about that lineup.
Happy New Year to everyone!
Doubling that sentiment!
Back at ya, and to everybody else as well.
Gary Sanchez is still available for the Rays. I bet he finds his bat if they move him to 1st. He has always been a paycheck player and sitting in the market this long says to me he didn’t like the offers. I bet he plays next year with a giant chip on his shoulder and plays up to his abilities. Cashman will probably fall in love again if he does and give him the $100m he is looking for. Then he turns back into the Dirty Sanchez we are used to. Except some team (probably Yankees) will be stuck with him for 4-5 years. My guess would be that the Rays snap him up though. Seems like their type of FA, cheap.
Edwin Rios to the Tigers makes too much sense. He is young and three remaining years of control is just what they are looking for. They have nothing to lose. Only 260 career AB’s?!? Who knows what kind of potential is buried in the depths of some of the dynasty’s. There is plenty of players they could waive and send right back to Toledo.
I agree. I don’t know what tf they’re waiting for…..someone to bid against so they have to pay more?
Yankees (Overconfident annoying fans): signed two injury prone players to massive multi year contracts while handing out minor league contracts like Halloween candy to a plethora of no name never have beens to stoke the larder with cheap disposable players.
Happy new year, same old same old me.
Someone’s jealous and bitter.
Take it easy on him, his team is headed for its third last place finish in four years
You’re such a crybaby.
I’m guessing that adding Rodon is far beyond whatever your team did this offseason..
Sorry, but my statement is absolutely correct. Injury prone? Yes. Massive multi year contracts? Yes. Lots of minor league deals? Yes. In all fairness, every team is doing that now. Lots of disposable players. So that not unique to the Yankees. But by golly, they got Rodent and Error in Judgement locked up. Yummy.
Well too bad Cashman isn’t on the ball like Bloom. Bloom traded away Betts and added a bad contract to lessen the return and then DFA’d the return. Let XB get away. Signed a SS with an ever weakening arm. Overpayed for a Japanese player that has never proven himself in MLB. Bought and sold at the trade deadline last season with no real direction. As a Yankees fan, I am so jealous.
Joe – as a Red Sox fan, you are spot on about bloom’s ineptitude.
vtbaseball I don’t really mean to bag on the Sox but Whyhayzee gets on my nerves sometimes.
Oh come on Joe, I only get on my wife’s nerves. Oops, gotta go.
I think @whyhayzee is coming on to you @Joe says. He works in mysterious ways as his wife would say. Beware!
So the Red Sox rotation is lead by Sale and Paxton. Two brittle injury prone starters whose best years are far behind them.
They can hand me a minor league contract if they want. I’m a pitcher, I’m only 47, and I’ve been working hard on my knuckleball.
I hit 67 homers in whiffle ball in 1971. I think I still have some gas in the tank. Maybe the Royals could use me.
Jays pinch hitting!….
1.4 bWAR doesn’t seem so bad, but going to the link and switch to looking at OPS, the Jays were 25th in PH with 0.532 OPS over 104 PA.
I guess they heard the flack about LHH OF write ups and wanted to switch it up lol
Would love to see the Jays pick up Adam Duval as a 4th OF good outfield, pinch hitter type.
They’re still pretty right-handed which I would think would limit his at bats. I’m also wondering if they plan on Kiermaier being the fourth outfielder with Springer, Varsho, and Merrifield starting. Merrifield and Biggio also provide some versatility in terms of being able to play infield and outfield. Duvall is a solid player but I don’t know if the fit is there especially when you consider he is likely going to want an opportunity for at bats on a one year deal to rebuild his value.
@Crab
I think they will want Biggio and KK starting if possible with Espinal and Merrifield backing up those spots.
It all hinges on them being good enough to not have those guys taking their spots, best players have to play. Especially in Biggios case, he needs to start hot and stay hot while having a good glove at 2nd or Espinal/Merrifield will be starting 2B
It’ll balance the LH RH lineup best and most clubs want the LH RH platoons to have the LH starting most often
And Yes Duval is redundant. Pollack or a kid like Orelivis will probably get a chance because of the RH bat
Biggio over Espinal? Not a chance
He’ll be given the chance because he’s a LHH
AJ Pollack creams lefties. We have too many LHH now. Need a RHH coming off the bench for KK or Varsho in big spots vs LHP
Happy New Year!
I am surprised TB Rays didn’t address catching through a trade with the Blue Jays if Murph proved to be too much. Jansen would’ve been a great addition to TBR’s roster.
The Yankees will likely address LF at the trade deadline…. And overpay accordingly.
I’m starting to get the sense that they’re keeping LF open for Austin Wells this season. Scouts say he’s capable of playing corner OF and he’s blocked at C and 1B. That leaves LF as the spot to fit Wells into this lineup
I would be okay with that. By all accounts his bat is very advanced anyway.
Rays weren’t a very good match for what the Jays were looking to add.
Clip clip clip my boy, “Nutting and Shelton trying to convince Roberto Clemente to step down from heaven.”
Happy new year all. Clip, something needs to be done somewhere on the team to upgrade the offense.And unless there are resurgences in several key positions, which is not likely, even an upgrade in one position like it left field will not be enough. We are agreed that Cashman will wait till the trade trade deadline as his wont, but I predict that Stanton will be in the field almost every day till then, or until he is injured again.
If he is the Stanton of old,that would be a huge upgrade in and of it self. Regardless, in order for us to beat the Astros at some point, Stanton will have to be the stanton of old, even if it’s just in the postseason and he is just a DH as is more likely.
and why they continue to treat Giancarlo as if he is made of glass, and with kid gloves, and refused to let him play the field,is still an enigma ,as his contract is around 20 million a year ,which is quite manageable by today’s standards, and could be easily absorbed by the Yankees should he become injured. why not let him play, to the betterment of the team. It is clearly a business decision, and not a baseball one. It is likely that Left field will be a revolving door of players, to see if someone can win the job.
Now if DJ is healthy, and can play third, with Donaldson just backing up when he rests, that would be a huge upgrade in it self. Even if he’s the DJ of a couple of years ago.
If the Tigers could just improve their starting pitching, relief pitching, power hitting, contact hitting, situational hitting, defense, speed, athleticism, game management, coaching, player attainment, player development, trading, and free agent acquisition strategy, well, i think they could soon aspire to approach 80 wins.
High aspirations. With sad mediocrity and a schedule that includes Twins/Royals/Sox, 80 wins might be within reach.
The majority of teams apparently have not addressed any of these “issues” so to speak.
The only two that seem to have been Seattle and Baltimore at 2B. Kolten Wong is better defensively than Adam Frazier (historically) and provides a better bat for Seattle. Frazier is better defensively than Rougned Odor but has significantly less power so the Orioles are prioritizing defense with this switch
So long story short, Red Sox did nothing to improve 1b and are banking on Casas being the real deal. I’m okay with that but the article shouldn’t frame it as if they’ve tried to fill the role. We all know Turner is better at 3b and serves as a DH to replace JD.
They’ve been running that blurb since summer 2021 (Sox will hope Casas is the real deal, no matter how awful the people they play out of position at first base perform in the meantime)
I think he will be fine but I wouldn’t expect him to be a superstar right away. Dalbec, on the other hand, I’d rather have Hosmer. Could be because of lefty / righty but still..
Hope he’s fine, it’d be a huge indictment of the poor state of minor league players left behind by DD.
Dalbec, Duran, Dalbec, Casas are the only positional players that DD brought into the minors that have made the majors. If Casas doesnt produce, that would be real telling of the minor league positional players he’s drafted/signed/traded for.
Re: the Dave Dombrowski comments, I think one of the motivations behind bringing in Bloom was the state of the minor league system but that’s Dombrowski’s MO wherever he goes. I’m not going to lay the Tigers’ issues squarely at his feet but it’s undoubtedly a contributing factor. Dombrowski has always been good at assembling major league rosters that give teams a chance to win it all. He has a very, very poor track record of building through the draft and the international market.
Jaren Duran we can’t give up on. I think he could still be good.
rsmith- Bello says hi
The last time the Sox graduated a regular starting pitcher or starting position player was Devers, way back in mid-2017. Nobody’s saying Bloom’s tenure has been perfect, but it’s just not possible to sustainably contend if you graduate nothing in five plus years.
Its a bigger indictment of the player development staff that Bloom brought in.
Is Bello going to play SS? Last time I checked he wasnt a ‘positional player’.
DD inherited Bogaerts, Bradley, Betts, Vazquez, Benintendi, Ortiz, Holt, Moncada. Who exactly stands out for you, that DD leave behind for his successor?
Outinleftfield: Victim shaming. Nice.
Bloom has had 3 years and one of the first things he did was to replace all of Dombrowski’s player development personnel.
As you clearly pointed out, Bloom had some really good position player prospects in the system when he took over, and you forgot Espinal whom Bloom traded for Steve Pearce.
The state of prospects making the majors is 100% on Bloom.
Dave Dombrowski traded Santiago Espinal for Steve Pearce in 2018.
You are correct. Thanks. Doesn’t change the rest of my post. The current situation is on Bloom.
“Bloom has had 3 years and one of the first things he did was to replace all of Dombrowski’s player development personnel.”
Who did DD bring in, that Bloom traded away? Im baffled, you said that, because there wasn’t much to trade away. Are you talking about David Price? Thats all I can think of. Please help me out here, I got no one.
You basically have a Player Personnel Director (Dombrowski) who inherited a great nucleus, as mentioned before. He traded away 31 minor leaguers, added very few talent at any level, and left a huge void of young talent and a massive payroll.
Dont get me wrong, never have I said Dombrowski is a bad GM, he is what he is, a Slash and Burn GM. You bring in Dombrowski to win a championship in a short time, and he’s excellent at that. But, he is terrible at sustaining a long-term quality team and usually leaves behind rubble.
The part that is shocking is that no one wants to accept the Red Sox sucking the past 2 years is mostly his fault. Its the hangover for that championship. Yet, the fans have been on Bloom for all 3 years of his tenure. for no reason other than taking a slow approach to rebuilding which is exactly what the Red Sox need due to the void of talent and being over the cap.
“the only positional players”
If outinleftfield had a valid point, he’d have mentioned the prospects that were really good, that Bloom failed to develop. Dalbec & Groome were fringy top-100 guys, but fell off the rankings before Bloom arrived.
Of course, outinleftfield won’t be able to come up with a single name, because we had no top prospects. Does anyone know how many top-100 players the RS had in 2019, according to Baseball America?
-0-
-0- top-100 prospects in 2019.
‘0 Top 100 prospects in 2019’
Good take JB. I was trying to think of a way to explain that none of DD’s prospects were ever good.
He listed the position players. I mentioned the changes in player development.staff. The lack of players DEVELOPING in the Red Sox organization is on Bloom.
Red Sox top 5 prospects at the end of the 2019 season were:
Michael Chavis
Triston Casas
Bobby Dalbec
Darwinzon Hernandez
Jay Groome
You can’t count Moncada, he traded him away. And I believe he was acquired under Epstein or Cherington anyway. Regardless, DD traded him away.
I can’t imagine Turner is going to get much time at first. He’s a solid player but given his age and lack of experience at the position I wouldn’t be bullish on it. That said, first base defensively was an absolute circus at times for the Sox last year which sets something of a low bar for Turner.
For some reason, Turner reminds me of Mike Napoli. Probably not a perfect comparison, but they’re both gamers.
The reasons are probably beards and pine tar.
The reasons are probably beards and pine tar.
I guess it doesn’t take much. 😉
Bradley Jr and Duran combined for -0.7 bwar in 2022, and goes to -0.8 if you added almonte.
That’s worse than the 1b problem, but, Bloom did nothing to really fix that problem either at this point in the offseason so I guess it makes for less of an article
They would get the replacements but they might be Giants.
Hey, where’s Tommy? Someone find Tommy
We’re out on the road
Moving equipment, where’s the equipment
Soon we’re going home
I think K. Hernandez will be in CF for the Red Sox a lot this year.
Hernandez isn’t an answer either. A nearly mendoza line hitter with a 600s OPS is not exactly an improvement over what JBJ was doing. Put aside a flash in the postseason pan and what the sox are left with are some unproven rookies and AAAA-lite bats, Verdugo, and a highly suspect at best defender coming over from NPB that hasn’t proven how he’ll handle the jump from and likely ought to be a DH type. Who knows if or when it’ll be smart or sustainable to bring up rafaela
So what is the answer if you don’t like Hernandez in CF?
Because.
The REAL answer was for bloom to actually do his job and choose an upgrade off the FA market which has since dried up. However, like everything else he’s been working on, he’s screwed it up.
At this point, knowing and having watched bloom be bloom, I think your best case scenario is to move Devers RIGHT NOW and pick up a young MLB-ready OFer and preferably a near mlb ready mid-rotation pitching arm in the deal. Then shift yoshi to DH duty, let turner fill 1b platooned with dalbec since you own them, and, slide Casas over to 3b. If you’re willing to play his bat at 1b you should be OK playing him at 3b where he had minors experience and eliminate the defensive error machine that’s been calling it home.
Sign Iglesias at SS, keep glass-arm story at 2b, arroyo is depth to backup the infield, or, bundle him with one of the geriatric pitching arms to get some kind of second young low ceiling mlb arm that projects to be a 3-5 hole sp but has 4+ yrs control left so you know what you’re getting.
Best of a bad situation bloom has made using pieces that are already there. Eat all the money on Devers since you’re so far under the cbt and you should be able to get the OFer and SP you want.
Hernandez also plays GG caliber defense in CF. CF is a blackhole position for probably 80% of the league, the options available in free agency didn’t represent any real upgrade over what they already have.
Kiki is a perfect solution.
Why is Kiki perfect Joe? Because your boss bloom wants to lose again in 2023?
He had, what, about a .630 OPS in 2022? And somewhere just barely north of a .700 or .720 OPS in 2021? For a guy who hits .220, that doesn’t cut it. Not when bloom had killed off so many other hitters on the team.
If all you’ve got is .200-.230 hitters, with an occasional HR where nobody is on base because you pushed all the .300+ BA guys out of town to pursue an extra 8hrs a year, all the hrs you do hit will be single shots.
Hitting 2 or 3 solo HRs a game with a bunch of low average guys doesn’t win a lot of games, and, it gets worse when your rotation is made up of mid to late 30 year Olds sprinkled with a couple guys who either aren’t stretched out as starters or are new.
Aaron Judge had a higher WAR than all of the A’s position players last year. Why this seems to be a very big and disappointing fact A’s fans must cope with.
You know what’s even more unbearable for A’s fans? Judge could have been with the A’s being drafted by them out of high school, but of course he chose college.
For many young up and comers collage is seen as more desirable than playing for an MLB team when they feel they are better than the pick they were drafted with. Aaron Judge seems to have made a good call evident in his very successful career thus far.
He was drafted in the 31st round, so of course he chose college. What’s heartbreaking is the A’s in 2013 could have drafted him again in the 1st round but chose Billy McKinney.
What’s even crazier is that he wasn’t even the Yankees first pick in first roundthat year. Many teams blew that one. Mariners went with DJ Petersen in first round. Career minor leaguer.
Aaron Judge (10.6) had about the same WAR as all of the Red Sox returning position players (11.0)
I am not counting Turner and his 2.0 WAR last season or the new DH from Japan.
For the Tigers, Torkelson is a way better 1st baseman than he is a hitter right now. He’ll get better at the plate. He got demoted mid-year in order to keep him 1 year further away from free agancy.
Pretty good sign for the Royals offense if their weakest position is a guy who finished 3rd in rookie of the year.
The infield in general sucked for the Angels last year. Hopefully Drury and Urshela provide e ouch depth around the diamond that we avoid a Mayfield/Wade/Squid bottom of the lineup.
Left field was also atrocious.w maybe Drury provides some OF depth.
Still would’ve rather signed Wil Meyers than Drury.
Rendon and Walsh were injured last season. A bit of health luck would make the IF a strength. Adding Urshela and Drury insures that its at least ok if those two are injured most of the season again.
Renfroe, Trout, Ward in the OF with Adell and Moniak as depth. Drury can play there as well.
Drury has been a little better than Myers with the bat the last 2 seasons and has more positional flexibility. Guess that is why Minassian signed him.
Profar makes so much sense for the Yankees
Splitting time with one of the young guys at LF
and being an emergency SS, if the rookies do fall flat on their faces.
In Spencer Tork and possibly Bobby Witt’s case, this seems like another bonehead decision by front offices to rush prospects. I hate seeing that in the majors. Next time get a cheap stopgap for one year! Plenty of AAAA players every year who would be glad to sign major league deals for the low.
Witt was a major league caliber player last year, particularly offensively. He wasn’t rushed, he was a victim of high expectations he was unlikely to meet in his rookie year.
El Chupacabra10 hours ago
Witt was a major league caliber player last year,
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That depends on your l/t perspective. He had a 0.8 bWAR, and they wasted a year of service time when they had no chance of competing.
And the issue, imo, is that you don’t want a player that can just play, you’d ideally like the player’s 6.5 best years.
Cleveland’s significant need was actually a potent right-hand bat to partner with Josh Naylor at 1B and provide punch at the DH position. Surprised this wasn’t mentioned in this piece. If Cleveland gets the “good” Josh Bell, that will be a major improvement, probably far above whatever Zunino will give them at catcher (not knocking Zunino, just that coming back from TOS surgery isn’t easy).
Sounds like you’re knocking everything the Guardians did. Unless you’re a psychic, your opinion doesn’t amount to much. You do know Bell is a switch hitter don’t you and Zunino will be 10 months post op surgery on his LEFT shoulder by the time the season starts.
Um….not knocking anything Cleveland did, I applauded both moves. If I was to knock anything, it would be fans like you who don’t see the risk involved in both signings. Bell and Zunino are far from sure things with their checkered careers, yet remain reasonable gambles. But for you to dismiss Bell’s 50% career ground ball rate (over 55% the last two years) and Zunino’s surgery like it was just a bum shoulder tells me you aren’t evaluating things in a balanced way at all.
The Angels did the best job of filling their holes in the AL? What? Crazy but true.
“White Sox did improve their outfield mix as a whole by signing Andrew Benintendi for left field and moving Andrew Vaughn from the corner spots to first base.”
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Just the thought of seeing Benny zip around LF … versus holding my breath (and closing my eyes) with every fielding chance by either Eloy or Vaughan is cause for mucho celebration.
The giant 2B hole still bugs me.
The ghost of Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen has been heard muttering …
“zee Vhite Sox vare being very foolish”
“zee Vhite Sox veakness is HERE on zee right side haf zee infield!”
*** slamming fist on depth chart map ***
“if only zee Vhite Sox had Jean Segura, or Ray Durham”
The Mariners were perfectly poised to ‘augment’ their roster with free agents at two key areas of need, and it appeared DH would be addressed with one or both of Winker/Lewis in a rotation that would occasionally place them in an OF corner.
They got their second baseman, but moved both Winker & Lewis, which is fine, but it puts them right back where they started with two key areas of need, or two regular bats, anyway. Hernández obviously replaces Haniger, so that’s more of a wash.
But what’s been even more irritating is that the front office is contradicting everything they said at the time of the rebuild and even heading into last offseason. They’re half-assing an opportunity the organization has only seen a couple of times in its entire, World Series-less history.
I’ll reserve final judgement on this offseason until we see what the final roster looks like, but with Wong & Hernández due to hit free agency after the 2023 season, it’s easy to see Seattle in the same mess they found themselves in this offseason, but with worse FA options.
That said, I’m still hoping for the best even if I am skeptical.
I like the moves they made so far. Haniger provided next to nothing last year. So Teoscar is a huge upgrade only for the fact that he is consistent and can be available. Wong it sounds will be used for his strengths. Which as you know is hitting versus right handers. And his stats last year versus right handers were all star level. So again huge upgrade over Frazier and better defense. Now how they address Lf/DH is the question still to be answered. Rumors have Reynolds as priority #1 and the guy from Baltimore as #2. We will see. If that happens then let the chips fall where they may this year. If Wong and Teoscar perform then maybe an extension is in the future. The entire starting 9 will be locked up and also the starting rotation locked up.
Haniger offered very similar production to Teoscar last season when he played. Teoscar’s likeliness of staying healthier is arguably an advantage, but the two players are very similar.
Wong’s defense took a dive last season. Frazier was the better defender, and it’s worth noting that Frazier was every bit the offensive player Wong was before he came to Seattle. If Wong doesn’t struggle in the AL West, and it’s worth noting he fared much better in hitter-friendly stadiums last year, he would represent an upgrade.
But that wasn’t even my argument. Many fans anticipated Haniger returning. He didn’t, they replaced him with Teoscar, and that’s fine. Couldn’t get a star SS? They had to have a fallback option and Wong is fine, at least for now.
However, they have a glaring hole in LF and at DH. If the season were to start today, Seattle would be leaning on Kelenic, Trammell, and one of White/Hummell to try to top the Astros.
This team came into the offseason just a couple of stars and supplementary pieces short of being a legitimate World Series contender. They’ve half-assed it and who knows when/if they’ll ever get an opportunity like this again.
Then there are the flat-out lies about saving & spending at the time of the rebuild and again last offseason. They’re moving the goal posts. Seattle has a greedy, lying ownership group that has no intention of honoring their word and showing the fans the commitment it takes to win a World Series.
And let’s not forget they are profiting immensely off ROOT Sports, covering not only the Mariners, but the Trailblazers, Kraken, and a number of college teams/sports. That revenue doesn’t get included in the MLB annual numbers, and the annual MLB numbers alone show tens of millions in profit.
There are zero excuses.
It’s one thing to be okay with Teoscar and Wong. It’s another to stop there. They literally missed out on every legitimate free agent bat. If they turn to trade, there’s a good chance they’ll compromise sustainability, which was another promise looking shaky.
I agree about the lies and misconception. They literally led fans to believe something that wasn’t real. And I really never thought that would happen. Not with this group. But I am still in hopes of another addition. Like I mentioned with Reynolds or Sandy from Baltimore. If that were to happen I would say JD has done a great job. Especially if ownership has him handcuffed on spending. Yes the 1 year deals to Teoscar and Wong don’t look promising for next year but maybe extensions are coming. 1 through 9 would be solid if another trade is made. A chance to build the minors back up starting with this year’s 3 1st round picks. But it only happens with 1 more good trade.