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Offseason In Review

Offseason In Review: Houston Astros

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The Astros welcomed a new owner, hired a new GM and agreed to switch leagues this past offseason.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Landon Powell, Justin Ruggiano, Mike Hessman, Travis Buck, Diory Hernandez.

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Draft Picks Gained or Lost

  • Obtained 41st overall selection for losing Barmes.

Drayton McLane and Ed Wade have moved on and before long the Astros will be an American League team. The first offseason under owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow was full of off-field change, and the team itself will also have a new look after the GM's offseason trades.

Luhnow, the Cardinals' longtime VP of scouting and player development, dealt Major Leaguers for prospects in his first offseason as Houston's GM. He also hired analytically-minded baseball people such as Sig Mejdal and Mike Fast to help the club improve its decision making.

In the short-term, the Astros project as one the worst teams in baseball. No National League club allowed more runs a year ago, and the Astros outscored just three of their NL rivals. It's hard to imagine significant improvements given the current roster.

Luhnow's turned Mark Melancon into a shortstop (Jed Lowrie) and a starting pitcher (Kyle Weiland) in his first major trade as a GM. The Astros obtained more upside in the Melancon deal, and it could pay off as soon as 2012. Lowrie has shown promise at the plate over the years and Weiland progressed steadily through the minors before struggling at the MLB level in a 2011 cameo. He's not considered a top prospect, but may contribute at the back of Houston's rotation.

The Astros moved Brett Myers to the bullpen, where he'll close again. Myers had been a dependable fixture in Houston's rotation, so it was surprising to see him move to the bullpen where he'll pitch in 60 innings, rather than 200. While it's important for the Astros to see what Jordan Lyles and Weiland can do at the Major League level, opportunities would no doubt have emerged even if Myers had started. Perhaps the Astros know something we don't or believe Myers will have more trade value out of the bullpen.

It will remain hard to assess the trade that sent Jason Bourgeois and Humberto Quintero for Kevin Chapman until we learn the identity of the player to be named later heading to Houston. While Chapman's strikeout rates are intriguing, he appears to be a marginal prospect, so Astros fans are hoping for more. Luhnow told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that the player to be named will be a "key component" of the trade. 

The Astros exercised remarkable caution this offseason. They didn't sign any extensions or agree to terms with any free agents who cost more than $1MM; Chris Snyder's $850K deal represented the Astros' biggest expenditure of the offseason. Splashy free agent signings may have generated buzz and goodwill, but they weren't a priority for an Astros team that lost 106 games last year. Better to save up for this year's first overall draft pick.

Luhnow claimed Fernando Martinez off of waivers, and the Astros will try and extract some value from the former Mets prospect this season. The 23-year-old doesn't have to become an impact MLB player to justify the claim. It makes sense for a team such as Houston to make 40-man roster space for a once-promising player who may become a useful fourth outfielder in time.

The Astros' most recent offseason wasn't about increasing the team's 2012 win total. Few will be surprised if the Astros lose 100 games again this year — it would actually represent a six game improvement over last year's team. But new leadership is in place and the Astros select first overall this June, so there's increased optimism that the Astros can draft and develop enough talent to contend for the postseason once again.

Offseason In Review: Cleveland Indians

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The Indians fortified their rotation and signed a first baseman, but choosing to retain two longtime players set the team back in the short-term.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Dan Wheeler, Ryan Rohlinger, Julio Lugo, Ryan Spilborghs, Fred Lewis, Jeremy Accardo, Argenis Reyes, Chris Ray, Robinson Tejeda, Andy LaRoche, Jose Lopez, Felix Pie.

Trades and Claims

Extensions

Notable Losses

When the offseason began, the Indians lacked outfield depth and answers in the rotation. They addressed both weaknesses over the winter, and could be considered a sleeper team for 2012. But this team also has its share of shortcomings.

Asdrubal Cabrera - Indians

Back in October, the Indians faced the possibility that they’d lose longtime fixtures Fausto Carmona and Grady Sizemore. They moved quickly to exercise Carmona’s option and allowed Sizemore to hit the open market before signing him at a bargain rate. At the time, both decisions seemed prudent.

However, Carmona had been using an assumed name and lying about his age. The Dominican government dropped charges against the right-hander, who's now known as Roberto Hernandez. He remains in the Dominican Republic, and though the Indians have re-structured his contract, it’s still a blow for the team. Hernandez isn’t helping them win games and he could face a suspension upon his return if the Juan Carlos Oviedo situation is to serve as precedent. The Indians now face an uncomfortable set of circumstances, even though Antonetti’s decision made sense in October, when he exercised the groundballer’s option.

Sizemore’s injury came as less of a surprise than Carmona's identity issues, but it's similarly disappointing from the Indians’ perspective. He'll miss at least another month or two recovering from back surgery, and Shelley Duncan will get lots of playing time in left as Michael Brantley shifts to center. The Indians invested considerably to retain Carmona and Sizemore, but there’s no guarantee either player will help the team win in 2012. The team’s biggest offseason investments have already become its biggest disappointments.

"Grady’s injury certainly hurts," Antonetti told me via email. "But I feel as if we were able to improve the team from last year. If we stay healthy and our young players develop, we have a chance to have a good team."

That Duncan, Jack Hannahan and Casey Kotchman occupy three of the team's four corner positions may be cause for concern. None of those players have hit 15 homers in a Major League season. However, Hannahan and Kotchman are expected to provide strong defense behind the Indians' pitching staff. Third base prospect Lonnie Chisenhall and first baseman Matt LaPorta, who are both playing at Triple-A Columbus, have more offensive upside than the team's current starters and could join the big league club by the time the season's up.

The Indians added ground ball pitcher Derek Lowe to the rotation soon after the offseason began, taking on $5MM of the right-hander's 2012 salary. Though the Braves seemed eager to move Lowe, this acquisition makes sense for the Indians. He's an extreme ground ball pitcher who should provide 180 innings of league average production in 2012 (last year's 5.05 ERA was deceptively high). The Indians traded for fly ball pitcher Kevin Slowey later on, and he'll provide depth at Triple-A for now.

The Indians appeared to have interest in left field/DH types such as Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer and Josh Willingham early in the offseason. Later, the team was linked to players such as Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Abreu, so the team had interest in adding offense.

If the Indians get off to a hot start, like they did in 2011, I'm guessing they'll be in the market for a left fielder who can hit. Duncan offers power, but doesn't get on base enough to be considered a well-rounded offensive threat. Next offseason, when Hafner's contract expires, the Indians could find themselves pursuing traditional DH types for the first time in years.

The Indians' relievers pitched respectably in 2011 and with the bullpen's key members under team control for the coming season, Antonetti didn't need to spend on relief. He did well to add Dan Wheeler on a minor league deal, since comparable pitchers obtained Major League deals worth $1MM or more. Newly-acquired right-hander Jairo Asencio currently has a spot in Manny Acta's bullpen, but if he falters the Indians have a number of qualified relievers at Triple-A. They'll prove useful over the course of the 162-game season.

Antonetti and team president Mark Shapiro have shown restraint in recent years and their team has no bad contracts going forward. Last offseason, Antonetti's first as Cleveland's GM, included minimal spending on free agents. In fact, until last week, no Indians were under contract beyond 2012.

The Indians recently agreed to a two-year extension with Asdrubal Cabrera that keeps the shortstop in place through 2014. I like this deal for the team, since it buys out a free agent season — Cabrera's age-28 campaign — for a reasonable price without exposing the club to unnecessary long-term risk.

The Indians obtained the rights to a free agent season of Carlos Santana's by committing to the switch-hitter for the next five seasons. They don't appear to have obtained a substantial discount for his arbitration seasons (Joe Mauer and Brian McCann earned comparable amounts for that five-year chunk of their careers), but it made sense for the Indians to extend their control over Santana.

The Indians’ current position seems relatively strong. With no bad contracts on the books and many young players ready to contribute in the Major Leagues, they could break out before long. Yet their most recent offseason didn’t feature franchise-altering trades or free agent signings. Instead, Antonetti added supplementary players during another relatively quiet winter.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Offseason In Review Series

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Last month I finished up my Offseason In Review series, a labor of love that unfortunately took two months to complete.  I am especially proud of the series this year because I was able to talk to executives from more than a dozen teams, which often added angles I had not considered.  Next year we'll aim for an even 30 and also try to wrap it up before Opening Day.  Each article discussing the 2010-11 offseason is linked below.  Special thanks to Ben Nicholson-Smith for editing all of them.

AL East

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

NL West

Offseason In Review: San Francisco Giants

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The World Champion Giants conclude our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

International Signings

  • Simon Mercedes, Adalberto Mejia

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims: None

Notable Losses

Summary

Brian Sabean, the longest-tenured GM in the game, bought himself some offseason leeway by winning the World Series.  It's harder to question the guy who put together the team that won it all, but I'll give it a shot.

Huff

In Sabean's defense, the Dodgers seemingly offered Huff something close to the two-year, $22MM deal he ultimately signed.  That doesn't make it a good signing though.  This was a risky move, with concerns about Huff's defense and uncertainty trying to project his next two seasons.  There's also the presence of top prospect Brandon Belt, who might be able to approximate Huff's offensive production at four percent of his salary.  The Braves took a different approach, installing Freddie Freeman at first base and ignoring the free agent market.

The Dodgers did steal away Uribe, though I don't blame Sabean for not offering that magnitude of a contract.  Sabean had to put someone at shortstop, though, so he signed Tejada for $6.5MM.  I would have estimated a contract about half that size for Tejada.  Pursuing J.J. Hardy would have been preferable, but failing that I can understand adding a stopgap -  just not a $6.5MM one.  Hopefully the Giants will be in the mix for Jose Reyes this summer, as he'd represent a significant upgrade.

It's hard not to like the Burrell signing, as the veteran signed for a million bucks despite being the only free agent left fielder to hit 20 home runs.  This was similar to the Kerry Wood deal, where a player dictated his team by taking a pay cut.  The Sanchez extension, on the other hand, was acceptable but didn't represent a bargain.

Sabean's offseason was very quiet otherwise; I think he was the only GM not to make a trade or claim.  The Giants did have quite a few arbitration cases, and I can't fault them for tendering contracts to everyone but Ray.  Cody Ross was a borderline case, but the decision had to be made before Burrell was signed or Mark DeRosa's health was fully assessed.  If DeRosa bounces back to his 2007-08 levels for a few months, Sabean might be able to shed his salary midseason and gain extra payroll flexibility.

The Giants' offense should be a little better this year, and they've got the same excellent rotation.  That doesn't necessarily put them in the playoffs again, so hopefully Sabean will be active this summer in seeking an upgrade at shortstop.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Offseason In Review: Milwaukee Brewers

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The Brewers are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

International Signings

  • Elvis Rubio, Estervin Matos

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

In recent years, Doug Melvin's attempts to bolster the Brewers' rotation with free agents have fallen short, and the 2010-11 market didn't offer much front-end pitching anyway.  So Melvin pulled off a near-impossible feat: he traded for a pair of high quality starters, including two years of control for each.  He also hired Ron Roenicke as the team's new manager and extended Weeks one year shy of free agency.  

First Melvin dealt for Marcum, giving up only one player in Lawrie.  Lawrie's bat makes him a top 40 prospect in the eyes of most experts, so the price was significant.  Melvin again showed a willingness to move one of his recent first-round draft picks, as he did with Matt LaPorta in the '08 trade for C.C. Sabathia.  This time, the Brewers got more than a rental.

Greinke

Melvin wasn't done; he aimed to take his rotation from good to great by acquiring Greinke.  As I mentioned in the Royals offseason in review, it was surprising to see the Brewers acquire Greinke without sending a top 50 prospect or equivalent young Major Leaguer.  Sure, the two trades gutted the Brewers' farm system, but I'm a big supporter of trading prospects in the name of winning now.  If you're a team that can't afford to bid on Cliff Lee, this strategy is a strong alternative.  The Brewers have a strong rotation, and the entire group will be back for the 2012 season.

The Brewers' offense ranked fourth in the NL last year, and the only change was swapping out one offensively-challenged shortstop for another.  When Corey Hart returns the team should have enough offense, though in keeping with his "all-in" mindset it'd be great to see Melvin go after Jose Reyes this summer.  Center field was another potential weakness, but the Brewers commendably bought low on Morgan to provide Carlos Gomez with some competition.

Melvin opted not to spend money on the bullpen, instead importing Saito, Mitre, and Green.  The pen could be a weakness, especially if closer John Axford continues to falter.  On the plus side, LaTroy Hawkins is close to returning.  The one questionable trade Melvin made this winter was shipping Villanueva to the Blue Jays for cash.  Unless this trade was unofficially part of the Marcum deal, I don't understand why Melvin would move a decent reliever for cash.

One day before an arbitration hearing, the Brewers agreed to a four-year extension with Weeks.  The Brewers added three free agent years at $10-11MM salaries, plus a 2015 option that vests based on Weeks' health.  On one hand, this is a scary investment for a player coming off his first fully healthy season.  He's endured surgeries on both wrists as well as a thumb and knee.  On the other hand, the Brewers know Weeks' health better than anyone, and if he repeated his 2010 season they wouldn't have been able to sign him for three years and $31MM.

The Brewers are currently one of four NL Central teams sporting an 8-8 record.  My pick for the NL pennant, they'll get a big boost when Greinke and Hart come off the DL.  Hopefully Melvin continues to be aggressive this year, because even with a strong rotation in 2012 the club will likely be without Fielder.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox

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The Red Sox are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

This offseason the Red Sox lost a couple of key contributors in Beltre and Martinez, compensating by committing to Crawford and Gonzalez through 2017 and '18, respectively.  Otherwise, GM Theo Epstein retained Ortiz, tinkered with the bullpen, and locked up Buchholz to a flexible contract.

Beltre and Martinez were huge losses for the Red Sox, who did not seem aggressive about retaining either player.  The team was able to maintain great corner infield offense, while improved left field production should make up for a downgrade at catcher.  The draft pick results: the Sox lost #24 to sign Crawford, but gained #19, 26, 36, and 40 for Beltre and Martinez.  The Red Sox once again demonstrated that it's better to sign someone else's Type A and let yours leave rather than re-sign your own.

Carl

The Red Sox flexed their financial muscle with the Crawford signing, agreeing to a contract in the range of what most people expected for the left fielder.  His first 58 plate appearances of 2011 notwithstanding, Crawford adds offensive value with his bat and a little more with his basestealing.  Still, Corey Hart and Nick Swisher offer similar offensive production, and they wouldn't have gotten seven-year deals or $20MM salaries as free agents.  Instead, the Crawford signing appears to be the biggest investment in defense we've ever seen.

Only a few teams could afford to pay Crawford over $100MM, but the battle to obtain Gonzalez was a level playing field.  The superstar first baseman earns just $6.3MM this year, about a quarter of his market value.  Acquiring him for the 2011 season meant luxury tax savings and no draft pick cost.  Gonzalez instead cost three significant young players.  Kelly is a consensus top 50 prospect, and Rizzo fits into the top 75.  Fuentes is also highly regarded. 

Even dealing with the GM who knows Boston's farm system best, Jed Hoyer, Epstein made a good win-now move in acquiring Gonzalez.  A trade like this makes more sense for the Red Sox than waiting for the prospects to develop.  Another benefit: Gonzalez was willing to sign a below-market contract and didn't require the 2011 salary to be overwritten.

The Buchholz extension was of a different type; the Red Sox guaranteed him almost $30MM in the name of three free agent years and possible arbitration savings.  This has been an effective strategy for Boston, but as it gains in popularity the prices rise and the deals become less team-friendly.  Though Buchholz's 2.33 ERA earned him a sixth-place Cy Young finish last year, Baseball Prospectus' SIERA put him at 4.29.  The top-notch ERA estimator placed Kevin Slowey and Luke Hochevar in the same ballpark, so Buchholz isn't an ace yet.  Like Jon Lester after '08, the Sox need Buchholz to take another step forward to make this contract a big win.

Epstein's bullpen tinkering brought in Jenks, Wheeler, Okajima, Albers, Aceves, plus several lefties on minor league deals.  The Red Sox could have purchased a more established southpaw, looking at the free agent market. 

I agree with the decision to exercise Ortiz's option, even if $12.5MM seems steep compared to certain DH signings.  Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn required at least that much, plus four-year commitments, to essentially serve as DHs.  The trio is a cut above players like Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui, and Jack Cust.

Waiting until the Gonzalez extension became official allows me to talk about Boston's slow start; they're 5-10 at the time of this writing.  This is a concern.  If you pegged them as a 95 win team back in March and consider the first 15 games a fluke, they're projected now to win 91 games.  Unless the team balances their start by reeling off a winning streak, I think they'll be aggressive in seeking trade deadline upgrades.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Phillies

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The Phillies are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

The Phillies pulled off the surprise of the offseason, righting a past wrong and adding Cliff Lee to an already-strong rotation.  GM Ruben Amaro Jr. stretched his payroll to accommodate Lee, so the signing sums up most of the team's offseason.  Given all of their recent success, the Phillies extended Amaro in March, just after he'd extended manager Charlie Manuel. 

The Phillies made an attempt to re-sign Werth, reportedly offering three years and $48MM plus a vesting option.  With Werth ultimately landing a seven-year, $126MM deal, the Phillies' offer appears half-hearted.  Still, plenty of people pegged Werth for something like four years and $65MM heading into the offseason, and with that in mind the player's biggest concession to the Phillies would have been accepting a fourth-year vesting option.

Lee

No one predicted the Phillies would sign Lee, and reports of a Mystery Team in the mix in December were initially scoffed at.  Technically Lee left a guaranteed $28MM on the table to sign with his preferred team, though this wasn't Andre Dawson giving the Cubs a blank check.  Lee's $24MM a year salary is higher than it would have been had he taken a seven-year offer from the Yankees or six years from the Rangers, and it's a record for pitchers. 

The Phillies checked the "bill me later" box on the Lee contract, designing it to pay him only $11MM in 2011 before his salary jumps past $20MM thereafter.  They also potentially left the biggest bill for 2016, the lefty's age 37 season.  A $27.5MM option for 2016 vests if Lee is not on the disabled list at end of 2015 season with injury to left elbow or left shoulder, and has 200 innings pitched in 2015 or 400 innings pitched in 2014-15.  If the option does not vest, the Phillies will presumably take the buyout, which at $12.5MM is the biggest I've even seen.  Hopefully those numbers won't look as scary entering the 2016 season.

Prior to the Lee deal, the Phillies re-signed Contreras to a two-year deal.  Even at his age the contract doesn't look bad now, in light of the ten eight-figure contracts given to free agent relievers later in the offseason.

The Phillies appear light at second base, right field, and the bullpen this point, though the injuries to Chase Utley, Domonic Brown, and Brad Lidge didn't happen until Spring Training.  I don't see much Amaro should have done differently during the offseason.  Adding a Jerry Hairston Jr. or Willie Bloomquist just to be safe wouldn't have made much difference.  Perhaps Amaro could've dabbled a little on the low end of the relief market, nabbing a Jon Rauch, Dan Wheeler, or Chad Qualls in the $3MM range.  I liked that Amaro held onto Joe Blanton rather than doing some kind of salary dump deal. 

Amaro put all his eggs in the Cliff Lee basket this offseason, and it's hard to find fault with that.  The Phillies' rotation appears historically good.  It's possible all the big salaries will limit flexibility this year and in the near future, though Amaro always seems to find a few million bucks in the couch cushions when needed.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Offseason In Review: Detroit Tigers

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The Tigers are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

The Tigers' offseason was all about being aggressive early, as they locked up Inge, Peralta, Benoit, and Martinez before the end of November.  GM Dave Dombrowski was able to land his top targets, but often had to overpay in the process.

Dombrowski's commitment to Benoit shook the relief market.  The contrast was stark for a reliever whose previous contract was a minor league deal.  Explained the GM, "When you want to get the best players at certain positions, you have to be aggressive and prepared to do things."  The Tigers should be commended for signing the reliever they felt was the best available, going the extra mile to get it done.  Like most eight-figure relief contracts, this one is risky – Benoit is a 33-year-old who had rotator cuff surgery in January of '09.

The early push to sign Inge and Peralta is more difficult to understand.  Despite being known as an offensive-minded infielder, Peralta hasn't hit much since '08.  And while Inge might make up for Peralta's lack of range, he's a negative with the bat as well.  The free agent market typically doesn't reward defense-first players with the kind of contract Inge received.  The Tigers' goal here seemed to be to secure the left side of their infield and have cost certainty before moving on to bigger fish.

VMart

That big fish was Martinez (pictured).  The popularity of Martinez and Adam Dunn on the free agent market showed that teams are willing to make large commitments to players with little defensive value.  Martinez has more than Dunn, in that the former can don the tools of ignorance without embarrassing himself.  I would have liked the V-Mart signing more if it didn't require giving the Red Sox the best unprotected draft pick at #19.  Now, the Tigers won't have a pick in the 2011 draft until #76.  Still, the team got the capable middle of the order bat they sought from the outset of the offseason.

Dombrowski was able to further bolster the offense by signing Ordonez, who chose the popular Scott Boras "pillow contract" as he attempts to rebuild value after a fractured ankle ended his season in July.  Unlike Carlos Pena, Ordonez was at least coming off a strong season.  However, at age 37, Ordonez's durability will be a huge question mark – especially with Martinez claiming the DH spot most of the time.

Converted reliever Phil Coke filled one rotation spot, while Dombrowski took a $3MM flier on Penny for the other.  Sooner or later teams will stop guaranteeing Penny millions of dollars on the hope that he will have another 2007.  To be fair, Penny only needs to provide 100 solid innings to be worth the $3MM guarantee.  The bigger question is where the Tigers will turn when they inevitably need a sixth or seventh starter.  Andy Oliver is big league ready, though top prospect Jacob Turner is only 19 years old.  Lefties Casey Crosby, Duane Below, Charlie Furbush, and Adam Wilk could factor in depending on the magnitude of the Tigers' need.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith addressed the Tigers' rotation depth last month in a piece at FanGraphs.

The Tigers had significant money come off the books after the '10 season, and despite their numerous free agent commitments the Opening Day payroll still appears to be down about $27MM.  I wasn't a fan of all of Dombrowski's choices, but I respect his aggressive pursuit of primary targets.  If the 2011 Tigers fail, it won't be because the market got away from them and they had to go to Plan B or C.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Offseason In Review: Houston Astros

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The Astros are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

It was a quiet offseason for Astros GM Ed Wade, who added some middle infield pop, extended Wandy Rodriguez, and acquired a few arms via trades and claims.

For about $7MM, Wade revamped his middle infield with Hall and Barmes.  Not many teams considered these players middle infield regulars, which might be a red flag.  Wade is taking an offensive-minded approach to second base and shortstop, and both players have 20 home run ability.  Of course, they both have .300 OBP ability too, so I'm not sure that the lineup will benefit much.  Once again, this appears to be an Astros lineup littered with easy outs.  Barmes, who broke a bone in his hand in March, is in line for a late April debut.

Barmes

I can't complain too much about the Hall and Barmes pickups, as they're not blocking anyone.  Still, the Rockies got the better end of the Barmes-Paulino swap.  Why would the Astros rid themselves of a 27-year-old with a 96 mile per hour fastball and 8.1 career K/9?  Barmes (pictured) was a non-tender candidate for Colorado.

The Astros' barren offense is a shame, because their rotation has the potential to be solid (early returns aside).  Myers and Rodriguez form a strong one-two punch, J.A. Happ and Bud Norris have flashed 4.00 ERA skills, and Jordan Lyles is one of the 50 best prospects in baseball.

Extending Rodriguez was a win for Wade, as Wandy would have been one of the better free agent starters available after the season.  The price was reasonable, though I'm not sure what conditions cause his $13MM option for 2014 to vest.  In the cases of Rodriguez and Brett Myers, the extensions could improve their trade value for certain suitors should Wade look to improve his farm system this summer.

The Astros have a consensus bottom-five farm system, which must be improved if the team is to return to prominence.  Grabbing a couple of arms to try in the Rule 5 draft made sense.  Lindstrom was traded for prospects, though his salary might have been the Astros' motivation in trading him.  I don't mind a non-contender having an unproven bullpen, but I hope Lindstrom's potential $3MM salary didn't force Wade to settle for less in trade. 

The Astros finally committed to a rebuild last summer, trading two of their best-known players in Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman (though neither had much trade value).  This summer Wade will face tougher decisions on whether to move Rodriguez, Myers, Hunter Pence, and Michael Bourn, making the team even worse in the short term for the greater good.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Offseason In Review: Texas Rangers

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The Rangers are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

International Signings

  • Rougned Odor, Alberto Triunfel

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

The Rangers didn't sign Cliff Lee, Jim Thome, or Vladimir Guerrero, trade Michael Young, acquire Zack Greinke or Matt Garza, or move Neftali Feliz to the rotation, though those topics provided plenty of fodder for MLBTR this offseason.  Instead, GM Jon Daniels gave Beltre a huge contract and tinkered at a few positions, capping his winter by signing an extension himself.  For an added dose of drama, managing partner and CEO Chuck Greenberg was ousted for reasons unknown.

Beltre - TEX

The Rangers were Lee's second choice, and they extended themselves to a reported six-year, $138MM offer that included major deferrals.  Lee's eventual contract with the Phillies includes big-time deferrals in its own right, with a low first-year salary and a $12.5MM buyout at the end.  Based on the information we have, the Rangers' offer appears better, and it was fair for Texas to balk at a seventh year.

Regarding alternatives to Lee, Daniels continued big-game hunting.  We didn't hear about the Rangers bidding on the Carl Pavanos of the world; instead, they inquired on Greinke, Garza, Francisco Liriano, and even Bobby Jenks as a starter.  We don't know the prices for Greinke and Garza exactly, though Derek Holland and Engel Beltre would have been involved.  Holland might be close enough to his own big league success that abstaining was the right move.  The Rangers ultimately signed a pitcher with ace potential in Webb, but I liked the move more when I thought 30 starts was a possibility.  Now we're left wondering if he can provide half that, a reminder that Webb is nothing more than a $3MM wild card for Texas.

The Rangers seriously considered putting Feliz in the rotation, a move I supported.  Better foresight might have involved signing Jenks or J.J. Putz to close early in the offseason, protecting against the possible need to use Feliz as a starter.  Daniels shipped out a closer candidate in Frank Francisco, but betting against his health seems like the right move for the team that knows his medical records best.

After failing to sign Lee, Daniels shifted to another top free agent in Adrian Beltre.  Beltre (pictured) and Young are both solid hitters, though Beltre has a touch more power.  The bigger upgrade is defensively, where replacing Young with Beltre should net the team at least a couple of additional wins.  The contract for Beltre was bigger than I expected, especially since signing him came with the significant cost of a first-round draft pick.  The argument is that the Rangers received two good picks when Lee signed with the Phillies, but that doesn't nullify giving up #26 for Beltre.  Daniels' other free agent touches – Torrealba and Rhodes – just filled a couple of needs at market prices.

Young must have an amazing P.R. team, having twice created a distraction in recent years by demanding a trade but still being generally regarded as the ultimate professional.  This time he was "misled and manipulated" by Daniels, perhaps because the Rangers tried to trade him after telling him they wouldn't.  The Rangers seemingly did their due diligence after Young's request, but the attempt to move him was half-hearted if their reported demand for top prospects was accurate.  Young is paid about double what he'd get on the open market, and the Rangers are best-served using him at DH and other spots rather than agreeing to a lopsided trade favoring the other team.

The Rangers pondered multiple DH options aside from Young, making the best offer to Jim Thome but getting turned down.  Once Napoli was acquired, further improvement of the offense became a luxury.  If healthy, this team can hit.

The Rangers' rotation remains questionable on paper, though it was a year ago as well.  If C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis can approximate last year's performance and Holland takes a step forward, they'll have enough to win the division.  If the rotation looks suspect in June, expect the Rangers to once again battle the Yankees to acquire anything resembling a front-end starter.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

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