MLB teams off-season needs and moves

By Matt Smith

AL East

Red Sox: The Red Sox probably don't need to make another move, after bringing back Mike Lowell. Sure they'd love a better shortstop than Julio Lugo, but they have his ridiculous contract for three more years. J.D. Drew is pretty much worthless, but because he and Lugo are in the lineup they are in, they get chances to do what they did in the playoffs. They would have been in the market to replace Coco Crisp in center, but Jacoby Ellsbury showed he is a star in the making. With Mike Timlin getting older and Eric Gagne gone (like it matters) the Sox will count on Manny Delcarmen and perhaps Craig Hansen. If they don't feel that can work, a late reliever is someone they might be in the market for, someone like Ron Mahay.

Yankees: They are very lucky A-Rod turned out to be so sentimental, because had he left you are looking at a lineup with aging players like Jorge Posada (who is still good), Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon (who are shells of their former selves). Lineup-wise, they are probably fine if they can continue to get solid contributions from Wilson Betemit and Melky Cabrera. The Yankees need pitching....badly. They need at least one starter considering that Mike Mussina is nearly ready to go out to pasture. This is assuming that Phillip Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain are all ready to contribute 150-180 innings at the Major League level. Rumor is they are pushing hard to get Johan Santana from the Twins, but that would involve trading ast least two of those three youngsters I just mentioned. Expect them to overpay for someone like Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Silva or Kyle Lohse.

Blue Jays: The Jays have a solid nucleus, but could probably use a shortstop and an arm or two. A mid-level guy like Josh Fogg could be a possibility and a guy like Cesar Izturis or a David Eckstein would make sense.

Orioles: Where to begin? They need to stop overpaying guys, for one. They should not sign another position player until the contracts of Miguel Tejada and Aubrey Huff expire. They need pitching in a bad way, especially bullpen help with Danys Baez and Chris Ray out for next season. They might go after Eric Gagne or Octavio Dotel to close or a guy like Scott Linebrink, Doug Brocail, David Riske or Troy Percival to stabilize the pen.

Rays: Disaster. They need starting pitching but aren't in the market to pay 10 mil per for a guy like Silva or Lohse. Matt Clement, Joe Kennedy or Eric Milton are guys I could see them going after.

AL Central

Indians: They are pretty well set with plenty of youngsters to choose from for the fifth starter spot and the infield situation is settled with the emergence of Azdrubal Cabrera. With Kenny Lofton gone, they might consider bringing in a guy in that same mold (if not re-signing Lofton himself).

Tigers: They filled a big void by trading for Edgar Renteria, because Carlos Guillen is at first base which gives them a great infield. They were very instable in left field but picked up Jacque Jones. It looks right now like the Tigers might be happy re-signing Kenny Rogers and going with who they have.

Twins: They badly need a third baseman, and if they don't want to pay the big money for a guy they should consider Pedro Feliz or maybe bringing back Corey Koskie. They obviously have a huge hole in centerfield but won't be able to afford Torii Hunter, Andrew Jones and the likes, so they could go for a short term solution with somebody like Kenny Lofton.

White Sox: Well, they pillaged the Angels for a very good shortstop and it cost them a pretty quality arm. So now, obviously, they will look for a fourth or fifth starter. The usual suspects (Lohse, Silva, Garcia, etc...) might get looks from the Sox, but they really need to sure up their second base spot. They got rid of Tad Iguchi, but with him now a free agent I could see him coming back. They suddenly got in the market for an outfielder by cutting Scott Podsednik. Will they spend the big cash to reverse this losing trend since the 2005 World Series?

Royals: Slowly but surely they are getting better as they continue to add pieces. They desperately need pitching. They figured out Odalis Perez wasn't good and cut him so they are in the market for two decent starters. They have shown some interest in Jose Guillen, which would give them a solid outfield. They just need to sign some people that can stop the other team from scoring runs.

AL West
Angels: Not sure what they were thinking in trading Cabrera for Garland. I can see the logic behind trading Cabrera, because he was in the last year of his deal and his value wasn't going to get any higher. Garland does solidify their staff, but what will they do on the left side of the infield? They will probably give Maicer Izturis a chance to play shortstop everyday, or perhaps give Brandon Wood the job there or at third base. My feeling is they are going to make a serious push at Miguel Cabrera which means they would end up with Garland and Cabrera, and at the same time giving Maicer Izturis a chance to play every day. Assuming Cabrera costs the Angels Wood and Howie Kendrick, Chone Figgins would probably play second.

Mariners: The Mariners are awfully quiet right now, but they need to address some needs. They need an outfielder to replace Jose Guillen, they need a starter because they will not bring back Weaver and they need to figure out what to do with Richie Sexson. They would probaby like to play Broussard at first more. One time top prospect Jeremy Reed might get a chance to play with Guillen being gone, they might try and bring back someone like Freddy Garcia or bring in Carlos Silva or they might trade Sexson to fill one of these needs if they can shed much of his salary.

A's: The problem with the A's is that they have a bunch of decent players and are happy with all of them for now. They do not have a true leadoff man, and it's unlikey they bring back the closest thing they had to one in Shannon Stewart. If they bring Stewart back, Daric Barton could provide as a nice bargaining chip to get the big right handed bat they need. Questions surrounding the health and the consistency of Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby were made even bigger with the trade of Marco Scutaro and rumors that Billy Beane is shopping Dan Haren and Joe Blanton make no sense unless he gets a king's ransom in return, which (knowing him) he would. So in a nutshell, it's hard to say what the A's will do because they could stand almost completely pat, or they could make a lot of moves.

Rangers: Texas would fill a big need if they brought Torii Hunter in. They will always be in the market for pitching, but signing one arm and a guy like Hunter would be a great start.

NL East

Phillies: Another off-season another winter filled with Pat Burrell rumors that end up unfulfilled. The Phillies could use a third baseman, but with very little options out there they might concentrate on a closer. By signing someone like Gagne or Dotel, they could move Brett Myers back to the rotation and that would be like making two moves. If Rowand leaves, Victorino probably shifts to center and Jose Guillen would probably fit in very nicely in that ballpark. I know I have mentioned him a lot, but teams are probably going to shy away because of his name being thrown around in the steroid talks (but who's hasn't?).

Mets: They solved the need at catcher by acquiring Johnny Estrada from the Brewers for Guillermo Mota. Now if they could find others to replace all the other aging and underachieving players (Delgado, Beltran, Alou, Green). Bringing Luis Castillo back wasn't a bad move, and it didn't cost too much, but they really need pitching. Omar Minaya is willing to part with his big prospects (Lastings Millege, Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey) to acquire someone like Dan Haren, but they will likely go after two starters because their staff is in shambles.

Braves: They will find someone from within to replace Andruw Jones and that person will perform just fine. They will also be okay with Escobar at short in place of the traded Renteria. The Braves will not sign any big name or mid-level free agents, and will be an above average team as usual.

Nationals: Being the only team serious about Andruw Jones right now makes you think they want to get better. They better make a push for a pitcher or two and then keep slowly adding pieces, such as some infielders not named Ryan Zimmerman.

Marlins: They are officially trying to blow it up, which means they will probably stock up so much talent in trading Cabrera and Willis that they will win the world series in five or six years.

NL Central

Cubs: God forbid they spend anymore money. They will try and find a catcher, probably Paul Lo Duca or Michael Barrett, but that will be about it. Perhaps a middle reliever or a closer to displace Ryan Dempster.

Brewers: In trading Estrada for Mota they are still trying to address a bullpen that gave away the division crown last season. It also means they are going to sign a catcher and all signs indicate it will be Jason Kendall. Geoff Jenkins tenure is over, but that means Cory Hart will play more and that's just fine for them. They might want to consider a pitcher after trading several prospects for Linebrink to go along with the fact that Ben Sheets is an injury waiting to happen and Chris Capuano stopped winning.

Cardinals: Who knows what they'll do, but whatever they decide it better consist of some middle infielders. The pickings are slim, so bringing back Eckstein and signing Iguchi would be very good moves. But they shouldn't stop there, they need outfielders to replace Jim Edmonds (who might actually die on the field), Preston Wilson (free agent) and Juan Encarnacion (who's blind). The Cards also have pitching problems. They have too many needs to address.

Astros: Houston is going after everyone right now and has heard back from no one. They are in need of a second baseman (Iguchi) or any able bodied outfielder, perhaps Mike Cameron.

Reds: The Reds need pitching. Plain and simple. They should trade Ken Griffey Jr. to the American League and get an arm or two in return and let Josh Hamilton, Adam Dunn and a couple of the youngsters platoon in the outfield.

Pirates: They need an outfielder and a shortstop that don't suck and they need to replace Matt Morris with anyone. This team hasn't figured it out, so it's not worth wasting my time in talking about who they should get, because they won't do it.

NL West

Diamondbacks: Arizona will probably make a couple small moves, like bringing back Livan Hernandez, as the young kids get better and better. They don't really need to make too many moves.

Rockies: Replacing Matsui won't be easy, but they might just roll with Jamey Carroll. Yorvit Torrealba apparently wants to come back, so that is one less concern. With a healthy Aaron Cook to go with emerging stars Ubaldo Jiminez and Franklin Morales, they won't have to worry about losing Josh Fogg and might not have a hard time replacing him.

Padres: With Mike Cameron likely leaving and Milton Bradley on the shelf, the Pads are going to need some help in the outfield. They will probably try and trade for a mid-level guy like Coco Crisp or lure away a prospect like Matt Kemp. The Marcus Giles expirement didn't work at second base, so maybe a reunion with Mark Loretta.

Dodgers: They will probably sign one decent bat, likely to be an outfielder like Rowand, Hunter or Jones. They are rumored to be the frontrunner for Miguel Cabrera, but probably won't sell the farm for him. Adding a pitcher like Garcia is a possibility.

Giants: They have many needs, but starting pitching isn't one of them. Don't be surprised if they go after Gagne, Dotel or Linebrink to sure up the bullpen. Also, they could try and make a big splash by landing Miguel Cabrera and trying to sign Hunter or Jones, but I think they will bring in another aging veteran like Jenkins. Feliz probably isn't coming back, so whether or not they play Kevin Frandsen at third for a year remains to be seen. They probably go with Rich Aurilia and wait for his and Ray Durham's contracts to expire, making Frandsen the second baseman and then evaluating the third base market. They are really stuck in the outfield with aging vets Dave Roberts and Randy Winn under contract and guys like Nate Schierholtz, Fred Lewis and Raj Davis waiting to play every day. Dumping Durham and Aurilia would make the most sense, allowing Frandsen to play and then going after a third baseman while letting the kids develop. All you Giants fans know that this will not happen.