MLB: The Winners....

Well, the year 2000 has passed us by, giving us an array of wonderful moments from the sporting world. The college bowl games are just about over, with the exception of who will claim the national championship, Oklahoma, Florida State, Miami, Washington, or about 80 other teams, but yeah, the Bowl Championship Series system is working great guys, thanks.

The Super Bowl winner will be decided in a few weeks, then we’re left with the drab NBA and NHL seasons until their respective playoffs begin in the spring.

However, a glimmer of hope exists for all fans of our National Pastime, as pitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than 40 days!!! Since the major free agents have all been signed (sorry Juan Gonzalez), now would be a good time to rate the offseason of each team.

The hot stove league has been interesting to say the least. MLB had a player receive a contract that is worth as much as some franchises, not one but two pitchers who decided to slay the Coors Field demons, and a slugger who decided that the Green Monster was much more attractive than Jacob’s Ladder.

Of course, a lot of these teams can still help themselves, or hurt themselves with trades involving several big name players still possible. So let’s take a look at the winners of this years offseason....we’ll look at the losers next week....

Winners Texas Rangers Say what you will about the astronomical $252.5 million deal given to Alex Rodriguez, but owner Tom Hicks pulled the rabbit out of the hat with this move. Hicks purchased the Rangers himself for $250 million a few years back, so what’s another quarter of a BILLION dollars...on a player? All sarcasm aside, A-Rod will help solidify the infield defense, while providing his usual offensive bravado. However, Hicks didn’t stop there, as he obtained second baseman Randy Velarde in a trade with Oakland, and signed free agents Andres Galarraga and Ken Caminiti.

On paper, the offense looks fearsome, as the newcomers join Ivan Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro in a power-packed lineup. Despite the apparent successful moves, several questions do exist for Texas. First, aside from the 25 year-old A-Rod, Caminiti, Velarde, and Galarraga are all pushing 40 years old and have spent time on the disabled list at various points throughout the past several years. More importantly, however, is that the Rangers pitching is still a big question mark. No upgrades were made during the offseason, and with John Wetteland announcing his retirement, the closer role suddenly becomes a point of concern. The moves made by Texas will definitely help them improve on their 71-91 record of 2000, but how much improvement remains to be seen.

Colorado Rockies

General Manager Dan O’Dowd has completely overhauled this team since he took over during the offseason of 1999. Almost immediately, O’Dowd transformed the team from a homerun-or-nothing squad to one that wins with speed and timely hits, a staple of his managerial choice, Buddy Bell. Obviously, playing in the thin air of Denver will always be conducive to high batting averages and homeruns, but aside from Todd Helton (.372 42 147) and the departed Jeffrey Hammonds, no Rockie hit over 20 homeruns in 2000. The Rockies finished last season with an 82-80 record, fourth in the NL West, and of course, the problem was pitching.

However, O’Dowd shocked the baseball world by signing two of the biggest free agent pitchers on this year’s market. Committing $172 million to lefthanders Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton was more than enough to persuade both men to leave the bright lights of New York. Neagle, 32, pitched well with the Cincinnati Reds, going 8-2 before his trade to the World Champion Yankees, but he struggled in the American League, going 7-7 with an ERA over five. Hampton, 28, aside from a horrible first month with the Mets, pitched brilliantly as he finished 15-10 with a 3.14 ERA, winning the NLCS MVP while helping the Mets to the World Series. Hampton’s decision to join the Rockies was a huge shock, as most figured he would end up in either Atlanta or St. Louis, but he said the lifestyle of Colorado suited his family and he felt the Rockies have a good chance to compete for a playoff spot. Among the smaller moves made by O’Dowd was the signing of outfielder 35 year-old Ron Gant and a trade for 30 year-old Reds lefthander Ron Villone.

New York Yankees

The World Champions headed into the offseason, fresh off their 26th victory in the World Series with several options. Many experts believed Cleveland slugger Manny Ramirez would return home (he grew up Washington Heights) and play right field for New York, however, as the free agent signing period approached, it was clear the Yankees main objective was pitching. The Yankees moved in quickly on Orioles ace Mike Mussina, 32, who in his nine plus years in Baltimore accumulated a 147-81 won/lost record with a 3.53 ERA. Despite a poor 2000 season in which he went 11-15 for a horrendous Orioles club, his .645 career winning percentage still ranks near the top among active players. Immediately after the World Series had ended, Yankees manager Joe Torre phoned Mussina at his home, trying to convince the righthander to come to the Big Apple, something Mussina had been reluctant to consider in the past. In the end, the Yankees mystique and winning heritage, along with a tour of more rural Connecticut and Westchester County, convinced Mussina to sign with the Yankees.

Of course, a seven year $87.5 million deal didn’t hurt either. The Yankees made no other major moves, but did keep a key part of their team together by re-signing outfielder Paul O’Neill, 37, to a one-year contract.

Boston Red Sox

Chances are the Red Sox still don’t have enough pitching to overtake the Yankees in the AL East, however, they may have enough firepower to stay awfully close, and perhaps win the Wild Card. All signs pointed to Manny Ramirez returning to Cleveland after his hometown teams, the Yankees and the Mets, decided to bow out of the negotiations. However, Red Sox GM Dan Duquette reached in the pockets of ownership and pulled out a wad of cash....$139.5 million to be exact (as since established by the MLBPA) which wooed the 27 year-old slugger to Beantown. Considered by many to the be the most fearsome hitter in baseball, Ramirez, who hit .351 with 38 homers and 122 RBI in only 118 games, will take aim at the Green Monster next season, a most inviting target. It is safe to say Boston’s offense will dramatically improve as Ramirez joins the reigning AL batting champion, shortstop Nomar Garciaparra and outfielders Dante Bichette and Carl Everett. However, pitching depth, aside from Pedro Martinez, remains a concern. Duquette attempted to improve the rotation by signing former pitching phenom Hideo Nomo, 32, who went 8-10 and 4.74 ERA last year with the Detroit Tigers.

Florida Marlins

It was a tough choice deciding whether the Marlins desevered to be in the winner’s list. However, the news of a deal to construct a new downtown ballpark lets Florida join the elite...for the offseason at least. The most important news to Marlins fans is that their team should be staying in South Florida thanks to owner John Henry. After several failed attempts, Henry finally was able to secure financing which will allow him to erect a 40,000 seat retractable roof ballpark in downtown Miami. The project, with an estimated cost of $385 million dollars (that’s only $132.5 million less than A-Rod’s worth folks!!), should be completed in time for the 2004 season, when the Marlins will be renamed....the Miami Marlins. Onto the hot stove league, where the Marlins decided to bring back catcher Charles Johnson for a second tour of duty. Johnson, 29, who first appeared with Florida in 1994 before being traded to Los Angeles in the mega-deal involving Mike Piazza in May of 1998, signed a five year $35 million contract after putting up the best offensive numbers of his career. Splitting the 2000 season with the Orioles and White Sox, CJ batted .304 with 31 homeruns and 91 RBI, all career highs. Despite his initial asking price of around $10 million dollars, the Marlins worked out a deal to bring Johnson back to Miami, where he played college ball and began his career.

Adding his defensive prowess and improving offensive game, the Marlins, who are loaded with young talent, particularly pitching, could very well improve on their surprising 79-82 showing of a year ago.

Montreal Expos

Ok, so the Expos greatest victory this season was actually remaining in Canada. While their future is still up in the air, owner Jeffrey Loria has shown a willingness to spend more money than Expos fans are used to. An offseason trade with St. Louis landed Montreal in the winner’s list, somewhere they haven’t been....well...ever. The December 14 trade that sent starting pitcher Dustin Hermanson and reliever Steve Kline to the Cardinals netted the Expos third baseman Fernando Tatis, and young pitcher Britt Reames. Tatis was on a torrid pace in April, before a torn groin muscle sidelined him for over a month. When he did return, he struggled mightily, finishing the season with a .253 average, 18 homers and 64 RBI in only 96 games, a far cry from his breakout ‘99 campaign when he put up .298 34 107 numbers for the Redbirds. Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa was said to have been disenchanted with Tatis, who signed a lucrative deal after his successful 1999 season, questioning his work habits and motivation. However, Tatis is still only 25 years old and he gives the Expos their best third baseman since Tim Wallach was in his prime. Reames, 27, was called up late in the 2000 season and pitched well for the NL Central Division Champs. During the regular season, he went 2-1 with an ERA of 2.88 in eight games and continued his success in the postseason, giving up only one run in nine innings pitched. He gives Expos manager Felipe Alou another young arm to choose from among the many Montreal has. While this trade will not make a dramatic dent in their abysmal 67-95 record of 2000, gaining a young power-hitting third baseman and a young pitcher is definitely a step in the right direction.

St. Louis Cardinals

Though they felt cheated by the rejection of star free agent pitcher Mike Hampton, St. Louis wasted little time wallowing in self-pity. The Cardinals can claim they, not the Expos, got the best of the four player deal in December, as they gave up a third baseman who they felt was not motivated enough, and a pitcher who doesn’t fit into their plans. In return, they received a solid starter in Dustin Hermanson, and a workhorse reliever in Steve Kline. Hermanson, 28, has compiled a 47-48 won/lost record in his career, along with a 4.17 ERA. During his stay in Montreal, Hermanson went 43-47 for a team that lost about 100 more games than it won, proving he is a capable pitcher. Coming off of a 12-14 year, Hermanson will slide into a solid rotation which includes a 20-game winner in Darryl Kile, Andy Benes, Matt Morris and Rick Ankiel. For a team that is coming off of a 95 win season, adding Hermanson would seem to strengthen St. Louis in their quest to return to the playoffs. The addition of Kline, also 28, a reliever who has pitched in 243 games over the last three seasons, will give LaRussa added depth in his bullpen options. Kline comes off a successful season in which he posted a 1-5 record with a 3.50 ERA and a career high 14 saves for the lowly Expos. With only a few player losses, most notably the retirement of Will Clark and the free agent defections of Eric Davis and Shawon Dunston, none of which should have a great impact on the Cardinals 2001 campaign, St. Louis seems to have weathered a crazy offseason.

Having a good offseason guarantees nothing once the regular season rolls around. Ask the Los Angeles Dodgers what signing high-priced players can accomplish. The games are played on the field, but in the eyes of this journalist, these teams made the most of their offseason opportunities. Next week I’ll give an analysis of the teams I perceived as the losers of this year’s free agent class.