Tough to imagine an easier year to improve your standing in the AL West considering how the offseason has gone for all four teams. Sure, the Hunter signing was impressive in LA. But Hunter is not a superstar. He should help solidify the Angels lineup, but the loss of Orlando Cabrera isn't going to help things offensively. Jon Garland is ok, but not much better than a #3 starter.
Here is how the offseason has shaken out so far:
Oakland
The A's lost:
-Nick Swisher
-Dan Haren
-Rick Rizz's favorite...Marco Scuuuutaro
A's added:
-Bunch of minor leaguers
Current Free Agents:
-Mike Piazza
-Shannon Stewart
LA
Angels lost:
-Orlando Cabrera
Angels added:
-Torii Hunter
-Jon Garland
Current Free Agents:
-Boogie Bear Colon
Texas
Rangers lost:
-Not much
Rangers added:
-Milton Bradley
-Kazuo Fukumori (Japanese RP)
-Chris Shelton
-Ben Broussard
-Josh Hamilton
FA Remaining:
-Jerry Hairston
-Sammy Sosa
-Brad Wilkerson
Seattle
M's lost:
-Jose Guillen
-Ben Broussard
M's added:
-Carlos Silva
FA Remaining:
-Reitsma
-Weaver
-Puffy Rhodes
LA and Texas have made some nice improvements. Seattle hasn't made a significant move and Oakland has all but punted the 2008 season. (That's not to say that Silva's money wasn't significant.) Assuming Texas and Oakland don't compete for the division, Seattle could be only a couple of LA injuries away from being in a 2-team battle for first place. Rather than make a trade or (another) signing they might regret, I wouldn't mind seeing the Mariners stop chasing mediocre talent and hold some cards to make a deal in early June.
1 comment:
not only did the A's add a "bunch of minor leaguers".. they added a grip of top prospects. they'll be sitting pretty in a couple years.
Post a Comment