There have been a few blockbuster moves this offseason as teams have their sights set on a World Series Championship in 2015. While a few teams have vastly improved, others have been stagnant when they’ve needed to add key pieces in tough divisions. Here’s a look at a few teams that have had a poor offseason thus far.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Halos won the West in 2014 with a 98-64 record, but were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the ALDS. The Angels biggest problem was their starting rotation and pitching depth as they suffered many injuries throughout the 2014 season. While Garrett Richards will be back in 2015 and Jered Weaver will look to have a healthy season, their rotation is still in need of adjusting.
They’ve also traded Howie Kendrick, which was expected, but Kendrick has been a big part of the Halos offense over the years with a strong presence at second base.
Not only is the Angles rotation somewhat a concern, but their bullpen has been an achilles heel for some time. Jason Grilli signed with the Atlanta Braves, and the Angels traded Kevin Jepsen for Matt Joyce.
The Angels have not addressed their pitching problems, which is surprising considering how tough the AL West is with the Mariners making moves.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles easily won the East with a 96-66 record as the other four teams greatly struggled throughout the season. Baltimore made it to the ALCS after sweeping the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS, but their playoff run came to a halt as the Royals swept them in four.
With the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays making big moves, the O’s have done nothing despite losing a few key players.
Nelson Cruz is now with the Seattle Mariners, Nick Markakis signed with the Braves, and Andrew Miller signed with the New York Yankees. Cruz was their best offensive contributor last year and their offensive production is expected to take a big hit as they haven’t brought anyone in to replace him.
The East looks to get back to being the toughest division in baseball in 2015, but the Orioles have been awfully quiet this offseason.
New York Yankees
The Yankees have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, which is alarming; the Bronx Bombers have not been living up to their name. With a roster full of older players, their decline is to be expected, but they haven’t been making moves like they have in the past.
2014 was a season riddled with injuries for the Yankees, especially when it came to the starting rotation, yet they haven’t brought in any big name pitchers. They also struggled to score runs, but haven’t done anything to fix their offensive woes.
Looking at the East and what other teams currently have and who they have acquired thus far, there aren’t many expectations for the Yankees in 2015. They seem to always be early contenders solely because they are the New York Yankees, but looking at their roster and their uneventful offseason, next season could be another rough season.
San Francisco Giants
The defending World Series Champs have had an uneventful offseason. Sure, they’ve won three championships within five seasons, but this time around they lost one of their biggest contributors in Pablo Sandoval.
The third baseman signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox after turning down the Giants offer. With players like Buster Posey struggling at times, Sandoval was able to come up clutch in certain situations, which helped them earn their third World Series title.
This offseason has been uneventful for the Giants, while division rival Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have made a flurry of moves to improve their roster.
Pitching was a concern for the Giants last year as the rotation struggled at times, but has not been addressed thus far this offseason. It has been a disappointing winter for the Giants as they look to defend their title in 2015.