Offseason Grades

This week I will give my offseason grades for all 30 major league teams, along with the players that they gained and lost and a little bit of analysis behind the grades. (And yes, I'm intentionally not commenting on the Michael Young situation. I'll comment when and if something happens. I'll just say that I hope they work it out and he stays a Ranger.)

AL East:

Baltimore Orioles

Additions: Mitch Atkins, Mark Reynolds, JJ Hardy, Jeremy Accardo, Kevin Gregg, Derrek Lee, Justin Duchscherer, Ryan Drese, Clay Rapada, Randy Winn, Nick Green, Vladimir Guerrero

Subtractions: David Hernandez, Kam Mickolio, Jim Hoey, Matt Albers, Sean Henn, Corey Patterson, Will Ohman, Frank Mata, Michael Aubrey, Cla Meredith, Scott Moore, Garrett Atkins, Ty Wigginton

Grade: A-, the O’s didn’t lose a whole lot and added a few solid players such as Reynolds, Hardy, Gregg, Duchscherer, and Guerrero.


Boston Red Sox

Additions: Brent Dlugach, Andrew Miller, Taylor Buchholz, Drew Sutton, Brandon Duckworth, Jason Bergmann, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Lenny DiNardo, Randy Williams, Matt Albers, Dan Wheeler, Bobby Jenks, Tony Pena

Subtractions: Dustin Richardson, Eric Patterson, Gustavo Molina, Felipe Lopez, Victor Martinez, Jeff Bailey, Fernando Cabrera, Fabio Castro, Kevin Cash, Adrian Beltre, Bill Hall, Dusty Brown, Mike Lowell

Grade: A-, yes, the Red Sox got Gonzalez and Crawford, but they also lost Martinez and Beltre. I’m not saying that those two sides are equal, but those are still big losses. Also, the team will still be injury-prone, so an A- is as high as I will give them.


New York Yankees

Additions: Buddy Carlisle, Doug Bernier, Mark Prior, Gustavo Molina, Russell Martin, Pedro Feliciano, Brian Schlitter, Rafael Soriano, Justin Maxwell, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon,

Subtractions: Austin Kearns, Royce Ring, Andy Pettite, Javier Vazquez, Chad Gaudin, Kerry Wood, Lance Berkman, Marcus Thames, Dustin Mosely

Grade: D, the Yankees not only lost their #2 starter in Andy Pettite and a solid reliever in Kerry Wood, but only got one good player, which was Rafael Soriano, and that was on a ridiculous contract.


Tampa Bay Rays

Additions: Andrew Leary, RJ Swindle, Joel Peralta, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, Christopher Archer, Sam Fuld, Kyle Farnsworth, Dirk Hayhurst, Casey Kotchman, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, Rob Delaney, Felipe Lopez, Juan Cruz

Subtractions: Carl Crawford, Dan Wheeler, Rafael Soriano, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, Fernando Perez, Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour, Jose Ruiz, Randy Choate, Carlos Pena, Shawn Riggins, Dioneer Navarro, Gabe Kapler, Brad Hawpe, Scott Munter, Chad Qualls

Grade: F, just look at the subtractions. It’s horrible.


Toronto Blue Jays

Additions: Rajai Davis, Carlos Villanueva, Brett Lawrie, Ryan Budde, Sean Henn, Corey Patterson, Brian Stokes, Mike Hinckley, Winston Abreu, Octavio Dotel, Chad Cordero, Wil Ledezma, Jon Rauch, Juan Rivera, Frankie Francisco

Subtractions: Jeremy Accardo, Kevin Gregg, Nick Green, Taylor Buchholz, Dirk Hayhurst, Danny Farquhar, Trystan Magnuson, Shaun Marcum, Vernon Wells, Scott Downs, John Buck, Taylor Buchholz, Russ Adams, Raul Chavez, Fred Lewis, Jeremy Reed, Lyle Overbay, Brian Tallet

Grade: B-, the Jays lost a few of their bullpen guys, but got more solid relievers to fill those holes. They also picked up a couple more solid players while getting a steal of a trade with the Angels.


AL Central:

Chicago White Sox

Additions: Adam Dunn, Kyle Cofield, Jesse Crain, Will Ohman, Philip Humber, Dallas McPherson, Lastings Milledge

Subtractions: Randy Williams, Bobby Jenks, Manny Ramirez, Scott Linebrink, Freddy Garcia, Josh Kroeger, Mark Kotsay, JJ Putz

Grade: B, the Sox added Dunn and Crain, but lost Jenks and Putz. Those are really the only players of note here, but I’ll take the add side over the loss side in this comparison.


Cleveland Indians

Additions: Jack Hannahan, Paul Phillips, Adam Everett, Austin Kearns, Travis Buck, Joe Martinez, Doug Mathis

Subtractions: Drew Sutton, RJ Swindle, Winston Abreu, Luis Rodriguez, Chris Gimenez, Andy Marte, Wyatt Toregas

Grade: D, the Indians did absolutely nothing.


Detroit Tigers

Additions: Joaquin Benoit, Victor Martinez, John Bale, Omir Santos, Brad Penny

Subtractions: Johnny Damon, Adam Everett, Armando Galarraga, Zach Miner, Phil Dumatrait, Jay Sborz, Eddie Bonine, Casey Fien, Josh Fields, Gerald Laird

Grade: B+, the Tigers didn’t add a large number of players, but added a good quality of players, while not losing much.


Kansas City Royals

Additions: Joaquin Arias, Vin Mazzaro, Brett Carroll, Steven Shell, Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, Lorenzo Cain, Zach Miner, Jeff Francis, Pedro Feliz

Subtractions: Jordan Parraz, Brandon Duckworth, Tony Pena, Juan Cruz, Philip Humber, John Bale, David DeJesus, Yuniesky Betancourt, Zack Grienke, Gil Meche, Dusty Hughes, Anthony Lerew, Jai Miller, Roman Colon, Oscar Villarreal

Grade: B, the Royals added some good pieces, and got some solid prospects to brighten their future.


Minnesota Twins

Additions: Dusty Hughes, Eric Hacker, Phil Dumatrait, Jeff Bailey, Jim Hoey, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Rene Rivera, Steve Holm

Subtractions: Rob Delaney, Jon Rauch, Jesse Crain, JJ Hardy, Jose Morales, Brian Fuentes, Nick Punto, Jose Morales, Joe Crede, Matt Guerrier, Orlando Hudson, Ron Mahay

Grade: D+, the Twins got almost nothing this offseason, but still lost solid players in Rauch, Crain, Hardy, Fuentes, Punto, Guerrier, Hudson, and Mahay. They’re lucky they didn’t get an F.


AL West:

Anaheim Angels

Additions: Hisanori Takahashi, Scott Downs, Vernon Wells

Subtractions: Ryan Budde, Brian Stokes, Travis Scott, Mike Napoli, Juan Rivera, Hideki Matsui, Robb Quinlan, Kevin Frandsen, Terry Evans

Grade: D-, the Angels in no way improved themselves this offseason, even though they really needed to.


Oakland Athletics

Additions: Willie Eyre, Travis Blackley, David DeJesus, Edwin Encarnacion, Anthony Lerew, Danny Farquhar, Trystan Magnuson, Hideki Matsui, Brandon McCarthy, Josh Willingham, Jai Miller, Fernando Cabrera, Philip Humber, Rich Harden, Guillermo Moscoso, Grant Balfour, Brian Fuentes, Andy LaRoche, Ethan Hollingsworth

Subtractions: Justin Duchscherer, Lenny DiNardo, Dallas McPherson, Travis Buck, Vin Mazzaro, Rajai Davis, Henry Rodriguez, Corey Brown, Ryan Kelly, Clay Mortenson, Jack Cust, Gabe Gross, Boof Bonser, Scott Hairston, Jeff Larish, Jeremy Hermida, Chad Reineke, Justin James, Clay Mortenson

Grade: B-, the A’s made some good moves to improve their team, but none that really stand out as something that will make a huge difference throughout the season.


Seattle Mariners

Additions: Sean Kazmar, Justin Miller, Luis Rodriguez, Chris Smith, Charlie Haeger, Fabio Castro, Jack Cust, Brendan Ryan, Royce Ring, Chris Gimenez, Denny Bautista, Miguel Olivo, Adam Kennedy, Nate Robertson, Jody Gerut, Chris Ray, Gabe Gross, Manny Delcarmen,

Subtractions: Casey Kotchman, Chad Cordero, Jack Hannahan, Jose Lopez, Rob Johnson, Anthony Varvaro, Ryan Feierabend, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ian Snell, Brian Sweeney

Grade: C-, the Mariners are just another one of those teams that basically did nothing this offseason.


Texas Rangers

Additions: Kevin Cash, Doug Deeds, Barret Loux, Nick Urbanus, Yorvit Torrealba, Yoshinori Tateyama, Mason Tobin, Yhency Brazoban, Hirotoshi Onaka, Brian Barden, Seth McClung, Arthur Rhodes, Brandon Webb, Adrian Beltre, Ryan Kelly, Mike Napoli, Jose Ruiz, Dave Bush,

Subtractions: Clay Rapada, Mark Prior, Doug Mathis, Jeff Francoeur, Willie Eyre, Brandon McCarthy, Rich Harden, Max Ramirez, Guillermo Moscoso, Frankie Francisco, Cliff Lee, Brandon Boggs, Gregorio Petit, Jorge Cantu, Vladimir Guerrero

Grade: C+, the Rangers made some really good moves this offseason, but the loss of Cliff Lee makes it near impossible to get a good grade.


NL East:

Atlanta Braves

Additions: Scott Linebrink, Joe Mather, Dan Uggla, Jay Sborz, Wilkin Castillo, George Sherrill, Rodrigo Lopez

Subtractions: Derrek Lee, Buddy Carlisle, Kyle Farnsworth, Kyle Cofield, Melky Cabrera, Michael Dunn, Omar Infante, Clint Sammons, Joe Thurston, Juan Perez, Rick Ankiel, Takashi Saito, Matt Diaz, Billy Wagner

Grade: C+, the Braves added Dan Uggla, but really didn’t do anything else to improve their team.


Florida Marlins

Additions: Dustin Richardson, Edward Mujica, Ryan Webb, Michael Dunn, Omar Infante, John Buck, Javier Vazquez, Victor Garate, Josh Kroeger, Frank Mata, Randy Choate, Clint Sammons, Joe Thurston, Greg Dobbs

Subtractions: Brett Carroll, Brian Barden, Seth McClung, Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Dan Uggla, Ronny Paulino, Taylor Tankersley, Dan Meyer, Tim Wood, Jose Veras, Ryan Vogelsong

Grade: C+, the Fins added some good role-players, but also lost some good players, so I think that adds up to a very mediocre offseason.


New York Mets

Additions: Michael O’Conner, Boof Bonser, Russ Adams, Ronny Paulino, DJ Carrasco, Chin-lung Hu, Chris Capuano, Taylor Buchholz, Taylor Tankersley, Willie Harris, Chris Young, Scott Hairston, Blaine Boyer, Raul Chavez, Tim Byrdak, Dusty Ryan

Subtractions: Pedro Feliciano, Omir Santos, Joaquin Arias, Rene Rivera, Hisanori Takahashi, Sean Green, Fernando Nieve, Henry Blanco, Wily Mo Pena, John Maine, Fernando Tatis

Grade: C-, the Mets really didn’t do anything to improve or hurt their team.


Philadelphia Phillies

Additions: Erik Kratz, Ryan Feierabend, Dan Meyer, Josh Barfield, Eddie Bonine, Jeff Larish, Pete Orr, Juan Perez, Brandon Moss, Cliff Lee, Brian Bass, Robb Quinlan, Delwyn Young, Matt Anderson, Albert Cartwright

Subtractions: Eric Hacker, Nate Robertson, Greg Dobbs, Sergio Escalona, Jayson Werth, Cody Ransom, Jamie Moyer, Mike Sweeney, Chad Durbin

Grade: B+, the Phillies added Cliff Lee, and that’s why this is a B+, because otherwise, they did nothing.


Washington Nationals

Additions: Tim Wood, Jayson Werth, Matt Stairs, Henry Rodriguez, Corey Brown, Chad Gaudin, Michael Aubrey, Rick Ankiel, Adam LaRoche, Jerry Hairston Jr., Tom Gorzelanny, Todd Coffey, Alex Cora, Cla Meredith, Laynce Nix, Kevin Barker

Subtractions: Jason Bergmann, Justin Maxwell, Joel Peralta, Mike Hinckley, Adam Dunn, Lastings Milledge, Steven Shell, Adam Kennedy, Victor Garate, Willie Harris, Pete Orr, Josh Willingham, Wil Nieves, Scott Olsen, Miguel Batista, Willy Taveras

Grade: C-, the Nats signed Jayson Werth to one of the most ridiculous contracts I’ve ever seen. What were they thinking?


NL Central:

Chicago Cubs

Additions: Carlos Pena, Scott Moore, Kerry Wood, Matt Garza, Max Ramirez, Reed Johnson, Augie Ojeda, Todd Wellemeyer

Subtractions: Mitch Atkins, Brian Schlitter, Doug Deeds, Mason Tobin, Brandon Guyer, Christopher Archer, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld, Tom Gorzelanny, Xavier Nady

Grade: D, the Cubs have added some good major league players, but traded away practically their entire farm system to get Matt Garza.


Cincinnati Reds

Additions: Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Hermida, Fred Lewis, Edgar Renteria, Chad Reineke

Subtractions: Arthur Rhodes, Wilkin Castillo, Laynce Nix, Kevin Barker, Jim Edmonds, Willie Bloomquist, Micah Owings, Aaron Harang, Mike Lincoln

Grade: D+, the Reds really didn’t hurt or improve their team this offseason, so it’s hard to get a good grade without adding anybody very good.


Houston Astros

Additions: Casey Fien, Clint Barmes, Carlos Corporan, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Bill Hall, Sergio Escalona

Subtractions: Tim Byrdak, Felipe Paulino, Matt Lindstrom, Albert Cartwright, Edwin Maysonet, Geoff Blum, Casey Daigle, Shane Loux

Grade: D, the Astros had a very quiet offseason.


Milwaukee Brewers

Additions: Justin James, Brandon Boggs, Shaun Marcum, Wil Nieves, Yuniesky Betancourt, Zack Grienke, Sean Green, Takashi Saito, Edwin Maysonet, Shawn Riggins, Jeremy Reed, Mark Kotsay

Subtractions: Chris Smith, Jody Gerut, Dave Bush, Chris Capuano, Todd Coffey, Carlos Villanueva, Brett Lawrie, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, Lorenzo Cain, Claudio Vargas, Gregg Zaun, Doug Davis, Trevor Hoffman

Grade: A, the Brew Crew added two front-of-the-line pitchers to go along with Yovani Gallardo, and didn’t hurt their big league club at all to get it done.


Pittsburgh Pirates

Additions: Andy Marte, Dusty Brown, Fernando Nieve, Scott Olsen, Lyle Overbay, Matt Diaz, Josh Fields, Garrett Atkins, Wyatt Toregas, Jose Veras, Joe Beimel, Kevin Correia

Subtractions: Wil Ledezma, Joe Martinez, Erik Kratz, Brandon Moss, Brian Bass, Delwyn Young, Zach Duke, Chan Ho Park

Grade: C, the Pirates did nothing wrong. They just didn’t do anything right.


St. Louis Cardinals

Additions: Brian Tallet, Ryan Theriot, Lance Berkman, Gerald Laird, Miguel Bautista, Ian Snell, Nick Punto, Jim Edmonds

Subtractions: Randy Winn, Brad Penny, Pedro Feliz, Joe Mather, Blake Hawksworth, Brendan Ryan, Jason LaRue, Aaron Miles, Jeff Suppan

Grade: D, the Cardinals were an aging and struggling team last year, and did nothing to improve themselves.


NL West:

Arizona Diamondbacks

Additions: Brian Sweeney, Geoff Blum, Juan Miranda, Zach Duke, Melvin Mora, David Hernandez, Kam Mickolio, JJ Putz, Henry Blanco, Xavier Nady, Willie Bloomquist, Wily Mo Pena, Cody Ransom, Micah Owings, Armando Galarraga

Subtractions: Travis Blackley, Barret Loux, Brandon Webb, Rodrigo Lopez, DJ Carrasco, Blaine Boyer, Adam LaRoche, Augie Ojeda, Dontrelle Willis, Carlos Corporan, Mark Reynolds

Grade: C-, the Diamondbacks really didn’t do much this offseason.


Colorado Rockies

Additions: Felipe Paulino, Jose Lopez, Ty Wigginton, Jose Morales, Matt Lindstrom, Joe Crede, Willy Taveras, Clay Mortenson, Alfredo Amezaga, Claudio Vargas

Subtractions: Doug Bernier, Octavio Dotel, Paul Phillips, Jeff Francis, Miguel Olivo, Manny Delcarmen, Yorvit Torrealba, Joe Beimel, Melvin Mora, Clint Barmes, Chaz Roe, Brad Eldred

Grade: C-, the Rockies’ best addition is Ty Wigginton, and while I don’t have anything against him and think that he’s a solid player, he should not be your best addition.


Los Angeles Dodgers

Additions: Juan Uribe, Blake Hawksworth, Tony Gwynn, Eugenio Velez, Dioneer Navarro, Matt Guerrier, Marcus Thames, Roman Colon, Gabe Kapler, Oscar Villarreal, Jon Garland, Ron Mahay

Subtractions: Russell Martin, Justin Miller, Charlie Haeger, Yhency Brazoban, George Sherrill, Chin-lung Hu, Reed Johnson, Alfredo Amezaga, Ryan Theriot, Scott Podsednik, Brad Ausmus, Jeff Weaver

Grade: A-, the Dodgers really didn’t lose anybody good, and even with their ownership situation, still managed to gain some good players to help their team.


San Diego Padres

Additions: Cameron Maybin, Gregorio Petit, Aaron Harang, Dustin Mosely, Eric Patterson, Jason Bartlett, Rob Johnson, Orlando Hudson, Brad Hawpe, Scott Munter, Kevin Frandsen, Jesus Guzman, Gregg Zaun, Chad Qualls, Jorge Cantu

Subtractions: Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, Sean Kazmar, Michael O’Conner, Chris Young, Dusty Ryan, Josh Barfield, Matt Stairs, Jerry Hairston Jr., Tony Gwynn, Ryan Webb, Edward Mujica, Adrian Gonzalez, Adam Russell, Brandon Gomes, Cesar Ramos, Cole Figueroa, Miguel Tejada, Chris Stewart, Jon Garland, David Eckstein, Scott Hairston

Grade: F, the Padres added two solid players, while losing 7 solid players and 1 superstar. Terrible offseason.


San Francisco Giants

Additions: Miguel Tejada, Casey Daigle, Chris Stewart, Ryan Vogelsong, Terry Evans, Shane Loux, Brad Eldred, Jeff Suppan, Elmer Dessens

Subtractions: Steve Holm, Denny Bautista, Chris Ray, Todd Wellemeyer, Edgar Renteria, Juan Uribe, Eugenio Velez, Jesus Guzman, Jose Guillen

Grade: F, the Giants did absolutely nothing to improve themselves, while losing some solid contributors on their World Series run last year.


Come back next week for the start of my Spring Training Position Analysis.