The MLB offseason is almost over as we begin to head into the 2016 season with most pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training in late February. Building a successful team definitely begins in the offseason with acquiring the right pieces necessary for a championship team. So far, these teams have had the most noteworthy and biggest free agent pickups this offseason.
San Francisco Giants
One of the most obvious offseason winners has to be the San Francisco Giants. Despite losing Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong, Mike Leake, and Tim Hudson, the Giants have managed to strengthen their roster during the offseason. Their first major improvement came by signing big-name free agent starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto to round out their 2016 starting rotation. Samardzija is coming off a subpar season in the south side of Chicago, where he posted a 4.96 ERA and an 11-13 record. But Samardzija has proven he can be a very successful pitcher; his 2014 season saw him post a 2.99 ERA and 1.065 WHIP, and collect 202 strikeouts.
Like Samardzija, Cueto is also coming off a personally disappointing season. While Cueto did finish the year as part of the 2015 World Series Champion Kansas City Royals, he certainly didn’t pitch to the best of his abilities there, going 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA. But Cueto has proven himself to be a true ace in the past. In 2014, Cueto won twenty games with a 2.25 ERA and was the runner-up for the Cy Young Award. If both Cueto and Samardzija return to their 2014 forms, the Giants could have a very dangerous rotation.
But the Giants didn’t stop there. They also added outfielder Denard Span to their line-up. Span is a great hitter for average and is a big improvement for the Giants.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox made some huge moves this offseason, acquiring David Price and the best closer in the game, Craig Kimbrel. The Red Sox definitely needed an ace to lead their rotation if they wanted to have any hope of contending in 2016; one look at their performance in 2015 cements that belief (the Red Sox went 78-84 and finished in fifth place in their division and fifteen games out of first in 2015). But with a bona-fide ace to lead their rotation, the Red Sox have every reason to believe 2016 will be better. Price is a five-time All-Star and a Cy Young Award winner. In 2015 Price went 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA and helped lead the Toronto Blue Jays to the ALCS.
Adding to their improved starting pitching, the Red Sox also managed to sign arguably baseball’s best closer, Kimbrel. Kimbrel is a four-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year award winner, and has a lifetime 1.63 ERA with 225 saves.
Arizona Diamondbacks
I think it’s safe to say that the Diamondbacks made the most surprising move of the offseason when the signed one of the game’s most elite pitchers, Zack Greinke. Most people following the free market assumed that Greinke would sign with one of two NL west teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Giants. Instead, the Diamondbacks surprised everyone by locking up Greinke to a six year, $206.5 million deal. Greinke appears to be worth every penny. He finished the 2015 season behind only Jake Arieata for Cy Young voting, though he did win the award previously in 2009 with the Kansas City Royals. He also had a 1.66 ERA, a 0.844 WHIP and a 9.3 WAR in 2015.
Honorable Mentions:
New York Yankees: Adding Aroldis Chapman means that the Yankees probably have the best bullpen in baseball.
Oakland Athletics: The additions of Yonder Alonso and Ryan Madson were quiet, yet solid, moves from the A’s.
Chicago White Sox: Picking up Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie were nice adds that will give the White Sox some extra power this season.
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