Three days into the 2013 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings and things are already getting a little bit crazy. Fresh acquisitions are being introduced, multiple-team deals are being reached and blockbuster signings are a mere seconds away from being concluded at any given time as agents and general mangers alike scramble to fill the needs of their clients and respective teams as the 2014 season approaches.
It may not seem like it, but well over 100 transactions have gone down outside of the hiring of new coaches and field managers.
Most of them have come in the form of option movement, but in the case of free agent signings and trades that will wet your lips, there have been a little over a bakers dozen that are truly of note.
These are the top-10 most beneficial deals that have been reached thus far. And no, Robinson Cano will not be involved.
10. Going Fishing
Very few people give the Miami Marlins a fighting chance; however, this is an organization that has won two World Series since they came into the league back in 1993.
Obviously their massive roster dump after the 2012 season soured everyone, but the weird thing about 2013 is that even with “nobody” on the team they managed to lose only seven more games than with their All-Star-riddled squad from the previous season.
With that in mind, the Marlins made three interesting moves in less than a week, all of which were free agent signings: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Rafael Furcal and Garrett Jones. Not to monition they’re in the process of striking a deal with the Seattle Mariners to get rid of Logan Morrison for Carter Capps.
It may not seem like much, but this could possibly just be the beginning of bigger things to come in an attempt to make amends with the fans and MLB.
9. Cardinal Sin
The St. Louis Cardinals took care of all of their offseason needs in one day right before Thanksgiving as they signed veteran utility Jhonny Peralta to a four-year $53 million deal.
The price itself was way above Peralta’s actual value, which is why this deal only comes in at #9; however, the necessity and the offensive capabilities he brings over Pete Kozma are truly worthy of note.
Against the National League, Peralta is hitting .301 with 19 home runs and 73 RBI in 156 games, which pretty much equates to one stellar season.
Peralta will also be playing under the backlash of his PED suspension via the Biogenesis case; however, the one thing to take note of is that he never officially failed a drug test to merit the suspension. If he never actually took and his numbers stay true to form, the Cardinals will be unstoppable in the NL.
8. A Closer for an Unsure
One of the more unusual moves of the offseason came at the hand of Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane who somehow locked up Baltimore Orioles’ close Jim Johnson in exchange for Jemile Weeks.
That’s right; the Athletics got a guy who closed at least 50 games in back-to-back seasons for an above average at best infielder who was being converted to an outfield spot.
Granted, due to Johnson being arbitration eligible, it will cost the Athletics roughly $10 million on the season, but if it equals Johnson’s third straight year of at least 50 saves it’ll be totally worth it in the end as the anchor one of the best bullpens in all of baseball.
7. Back in the US of A
Josh Johnson had a pretty bad year in 2013, 2-8 with a 6.20 ERA. Even though he was in a bad spot, he was also a free agent, which was all the San Diego Padres needed to know before they swooped in and signed him to a one-year $8 million deal.
Johnson’s NL numbers (56-37 with a 3.15 ERA and 832 strikeouts) are well worth the risk on a team that has been steadily returning to form as a contender within their division.
6. Getting’ Jiggy wit’ it
It’s hard to say who really got the better end of the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Norichika Aoki for Kansas City Royals pitcher Will Smith deal; in fact, both may come out victors.
The Brewers are looking to start over from scratch in a sense as their up-and-coming young talent is showing that they can play ball. One problem they had in 2013 was a lack of depth in the bullpen.
Smith can be a solid end of the rotation starter, but made a pretty decent name for himself this last season out of the pen with a 0.93 WHIP and 11.6 strikeout per nine innings ratio. In two seasons Aoki is batting .287 with 18 home runs and 87 RBI and will be a welcomed piece in the outfield for the Royals.
5. Rocky Mountain High to Lone Star
In practically a quiet fashion, the Colorado Rockies traded their star centerfielder Dexter Fowler to the Houston Astros for outfielder Brandon Barnes and starting pitcher Jordan Lyles.
It was kind of an odd move considering that the Rockies are pretty solid around the field with the exception of first base which they later filled with the signing of Justin Morneau.
Barnes and Lyles, on the other hand, give the Rockies another arm in the rotation and an up-and-coming defenseman where Fowler once was.
Fowler will be a solid leader in Houston as long as he can hit against the American League West. He is batting .455 lifetime against the Texas Rangers, but .250 or worse against everyone else.
4. No Fun Police got Their Man
Arguably the best, fair for both sides free agent signing that has been made is the five-year $85 million deal for soon-to-be 30-year-old catcher Brian McCann.
McCann spent the previous nine years averaging at least 123 games per season with a .277 average, roughly 20 home runs and at least 73 RBI. Once again, as a catcher AND as a lefty.
The walls of Yankee Stadium are much more forgiving than those of Turner Field and McCann clearly has a lot of fuel left in the tank and strong knees to boot. This move should be higher on the list, but it is the highest-ranked free agent signing.
3. The Need for Speed
The Cardinals proved that anyone on their team is no better than the other when they agreed to trade 2011 World Series MVP David Freese to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder speedster Peter Bourjos.
There were other pieces to this deal, but none as important as these two. Freese had a drop-off in production in 2013 as his average went from .293 in 2013 to .262 along with 11 less home runs and 19 less RBI.
His postseason numbers were especially atrocious (.179 with one home run, four RBI and two doubles). The deal will also reunite him with his former teammate Albert Pujols.
Bourjos on the other hand is still waiting to break out, which he may finally get to do alongside Matt Holliday and Jon Jay. 2013 was a slight disappointment due to injury; however, he is unequivocally a Gold Glove-caliber defenseman who can swipe 25 or more bases easily per season.
His career batting average is .251, but his average against the NL is .284 in 38 games. Expect to see him the All-Star Game soon.
2. The Prince of Texas
I wrote about the Detroit Tigers sending Prince Fielder to the Rangers for Ian Kinsler deal not too long after it went down, so I would suggest clicking here for all of the in-depth details.
In short, the deal worked out well for both sides as the Rangers were in need of some serious power-hitting at first base while the Tigers have been in need of dumping a bit of salary as to keep some their other stars happy down the road when their contracts expire, as well as getting a more reliable infield bat in the lineup.
1. The Unexpected
This has been the most out-of-nowhere deal of the offseason: The Tigers traded Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals for utility Steve Lombardozzi, relief pitcher Ian Krol and minor leaguer Robbie Ray.
Fister is one of the stealthiest pitchers in the game, featuring an arsenal of pitches that have inhuman movement, but occasionally get him into trouble. Nonetheless, he’s a valued asset who can get batter to pop out, ground out or strike out however he sees fit.
And now, he’ll be taking his talent to the NL where he is 4-3 with a 2.09 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 11 starts. The Nationals are certainly getting an ace-worthy arm who will more than likely be at the three or four-spot in the rotation.
On the other side, the Tigers have been serious need for help in the bullpen since 2011 and Krol will be a much needed relic to help setup newly signed closer Joe Nathan.
Krol was originally acquired by the Nationals through the Athletics back in January to help complete the John Jaso, Michael Morse three-way deal with the Mariners. He worked well as a starter in the minors and could easily put back into that position of the Tigers see fit. Until then, his K/9 ratio needs improvement, but perhaps getting back to the familiar faces of the AL will do some good.
Lombardozzi can fill in for Kinsler at second base on off days or do work in the outfield. He’s a decent hitter, .264 average with five home runs and 50 RBI in 257 games, but he needs a lot more at-bats to really shine.
Who knows, the Tigers may end up using him to fill in another trade down the road. If not, he’s a great player to have come off the bench in a pinch.
The pair also helped free up a lot of space on the payroll much like Fielder did when the Tigers wish to re-negotiate with Miguel Cabrera or Victor Martinez.