Who won the offseason?
By Dan O'Brien
Sports Editor
Thursday, March 3rd, 2010
Major League baseball
teams in spring training will soon be playing preseason games, and then
will battle all summer to win in the regular season, and will die
trying to win in the postseason. What sets all that up, though, is the
offseason.
Who won the 2009-2010 offseason?
The big names did make some big moves. Roy “Doc” Halladay is now a Phillie, and Cliff Lee moved west to Seattle. Many questioned the move. Sure, Lee proved that he could pitch well for Philly, including in the postseason, but the Phillies now have the absolute real deal in Halladay. The 32 year-old workhorse has dominated the AL throughout his career, including 49 complete games. This will translate into complete domination of the NL.
The front runners of the NL Central and West lost ground on Philadelphia not because of any bad moves they made, but the lack of significant improvement or addition. Yes, the Cardinals locked up Matt Holliday, and the Dodgers are still stacked, but will that be enough to put them over the hump against the Phillies?
Cliff Lee’s acquisition by the Mariners adds to the change in the AL West landscape. The Mariner’s now have a 1-2 punch of Lee and Felix Hernandez, Oakland signed former Milwaukee ace Ben Sheets. And the Angels lost John Lackey to the Red Sox but gained World Series MVP Hideki Matsui.
The titans of the AL East, New York and Boston, made significant moves, with the Red Sox making out the best. New York landed marquee outfielder Curtis Granderson and starting pitcher Javier Vasquez; however, they lost cagey veteran Matsui, scrappy outfielder Johnny Damon, and the still-young Chien Ming Wang. Boston lost no major assets and gained a clutch, bulldog pitcher from the Angels in John Lackey.
In the AL Central, the White Sox won the offseason for no reason other than hurler Jake Peavy getting healthy. He bolsters their staff, and Chicago’s emergence should make it a three-horse race in the midwest; perhaps we will see another 163rd game?
The winner of the NL offseason was Philadelphia, picking up one of the best pitchers of this era. In the AL, the Angels, Tigers and Yankees’ moves all cancel each other out, and Boston’s acquisition of Lackey was a vast improvement, giving them this winter’s edge.
Teams can jockey for position all winter long, but championships aren’t won on St. Patrick’s Day.
Who won the 2009-2010 offseason?
The big names did make some big moves. Roy “Doc” Halladay is now a Phillie, and Cliff Lee moved west to Seattle. Many questioned the move. Sure, Lee proved that he could pitch well for Philly, including in the postseason, but the Phillies now have the absolute real deal in Halladay. The 32 year-old workhorse has dominated the AL throughout his career, including 49 complete games. This will translate into complete domination of the NL.
The front runners of the NL Central and West lost ground on Philadelphia not because of any bad moves they made, but the lack of significant improvement or addition. Yes, the Cardinals locked up Matt Holliday, and the Dodgers are still stacked, but will that be enough to put them over the hump against the Phillies?
Cliff Lee’s acquisition by the Mariners adds to the change in the AL West landscape. The Mariner’s now have a 1-2 punch of Lee and Felix Hernandez, Oakland signed former Milwaukee ace Ben Sheets. And the Angels lost John Lackey to the Red Sox but gained World Series MVP Hideki Matsui.
The titans of the AL East, New York and Boston, made significant moves, with the Red Sox making out the best. New York landed marquee outfielder Curtis Granderson and starting pitcher Javier Vasquez; however, they lost cagey veteran Matsui, scrappy outfielder Johnny Damon, and the still-young Chien Ming Wang. Boston lost no major assets and gained a clutch, bulldog pitcher from the Angels in John Lackey.
In the AL Central, the White Sox won the offseason for no reason other than hurler Jake Peavy getting healthy. He bolsters their staff, and Chicago’s emergence should make it a three-horse race in the midwest; perhaps we will see another 163rd game?
The winner of the NL offseason was Philadelphia, picking up one of the best pitchers of this era. In the AL, the Angels, Tigers and Yankees’ moves all cancel each other out, and Boston’s acquisition of Lackey was a vast improvement, giving them this winter’s edge.
Teams can jockey for position all winter long, but championships aren’t won on St. Patrick’s Day.