Biggest Winners in Baseball Offseason So Far

Since the end of the baseball season there have been a lot movement in baseball with signings and trades going on. There a few teams who have stacked their rosters and will definitely make a run for the postseason. I would like to start with team that has gone un-noticed because their not New York, Boston, or Philly. The Chicago White Sox have picked up some big pieces and in my opinion have made themselves the front runner for the AL Central.

The Chicago White Sox Acquisitions
Acquired OF Juan Pierre
Agreed to terms with RHP J.J. Putz on a one-year contract.
Agreed to terms with INF Mark Teahen on a three-year contract.
Agreed to terms with OF Andruw Jones on a one-year contract.
Agreed to terms with SS Omar Vizquel on a one-year contract.
Agreed to terms with INF/OF Mark Kotsay on a one-year contract.
You also to have to remember that Jake Peavy will be healthy for a full season with them next year and that will definitely solidify their rotation. This team will be difficult to compete with next year and will keep pace with the Yankees, Angels, and Red Sox.

Next up is the Philadelphia Phillies and here is who they acquired so far.
Agreed to terms with RHP Roy Halladay on a three-year contract extension through 2013.
Agreed to terms with OF DeWayne Wise (You will hear that name a lot next year)
Agreed to terms with INF Placido Polanco
Don’t forget there is a strong possibility that Pedro Martinez will be back in a Phillies uniform. They lost Cliff Lee due to the Halladay trade but for some reason I have a feel Lee will be a Phillie again before his career is done. There is a a lot of controversy about him being traded but we will have to wait and see happens.

The Seattle Mariners aren’t slouches either. They have acquired some great pieces as well.
Signed INF Chone Figgins to a four-year contract.
Agreed to terms with SS Jack Wilson on a two-year contract.
Acquired OF Milton Bradley
Acquired SP Cliff Lee
Seattle is looking to finally be able to compete with the Angels and now they have a chance with some of the pieces they have picked up.

Then you have the AL East and the two heavy hitters. The Boston Red Sox have signed a couple of pieces that should make them better then they were last year.
Agreed to terms with RHP John Lackey on a five-year contract.
Agreed to terms with OF Mike Cameron on a two-year contract.
Agreed to terms with SS Marco Scutaro on a two-year contract.
The Red Sox are filling their holes very nicely and look to get back to the World Series this year.

The Yankees have acquired one guy by the name of Curtis Granderson and thats really the only major move they have made so fat this off-season. I don’t see the Yankees doing anymore because of their payroll and all the big contracts the have right now.

Speaking of the Yankees the Angels picked up one of their former and notable players.
Agreed to terms with DH Hideki Matsui on a one-year contract.

Some other notable moves by teams include the Milwaukee Brewers.
Agreed to terms with C Gregg Zaun on a one-year contract.
Agreed to terms with RHP LaTroy Hawkins on a two-year contract.
Agreed to terms with LHP Randy Wolf on a three-year contract.

The Houston Astros Acquisitions
Agreed to terms with RHP Brandon Lyon on a three-year contract.
Agreed to terms with 3B Pedro Feliz on a one-year contract.

The Texas Rangers Acquisitions
Agreed to terms with INF Esteban German on a one-year contract.
Agreed to terms with RHP Rich Harden on a one-year contract.

The St. Louis Cardinals Acquisitions
Agreed to terms with RHP Brad Penny on a one-year contract.
It should be noted that the Cardinals have an empty spot in their rotation so look for them to go after one more starting pitcher.

The Arizona Diamondbacks Acquisitions
Acquired RHP Aaron Heilman
Acquired RHP Edwin Jackson

Just to be funny and raise a few eyebrows I am going to make a prediction. Based acquisitions alone, I predict that it will be the Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies. Both teams have made significant moves in the off-season. Both teams have a mixture of young players, veterans and good pitching. A lot can still happen this off season but that’s my initial feelings. The White Sox have gone un-noticed this off-season due to the hoopla of bigger teams. The White Sox will be a very competitive team next year. I looked at the White Sox depth chart and it looks really impressive. The Phillies looks impressive too and I have just have a feeling about these two teams. Stay tuned for more on more acquisitions during the off-season. There are a lot of free agents left to be signed. Here is the list of notable players that have no home right now.

Dmitri Young
Jeff Weaver
Juan Uribe
Chien-Ming Wang
Jarrod Washburn
Bengie Molina
Jose Molina
Melvin Mora
Pedro Martinez
Adam LaRoche
Matt Holliday
Orlando Hudson
Aubrey Huff
Troy Glaus
Tom Glavine
Nomar Garciaparra
Jermaine Dye
Carlos Delgado
Johnny Damon

Okay I am going to stop now because this list could go on a long time. You can add names to the comments below. A lot of these guys would make could acquisitions and some of them still have something to prove. Veteran players are always good even if they can’t play because they can still teach the young guys a lot. Like I said stay tune for more because I am sure there is more to come. I’ll keep you updated.