Fantasy Baseball Offseason Guide

Spring Training Overview

January 26, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Nicholas Minnix
Edited by KFFL Staff

AL EAST

The Orioles breathed a huge sigh of relief when SS Miguel Tejada withdrew his request for a trade. The team hopes that 2B Brian Roberts (elbow) is ready for Opening Day and the trade for OF Corey Patterson has solved their problems in center. Signing C Ramon Hernandez allows Baltimore to move C Javy Lopez to designated hitter. Look for 1B/OFs Jeff Conine and Kevin Millar to platoon at first and in left. After working miracles for the Atlanta Braves for years, pitching coach Leo Mazzone should bring infinite wisdom to No. 1 SP Erik Bedard and company. Expect newly acquired SP Kris Benson to step into the middle of the rotation, leaving SPs Bruce Chen or promising rookie Hayden Penn to grab the fifth starter's role. The closer's job is rookie RP Chris Ray's to lose.

Boston Red Sox

Theo Epstein is back, and Boston is reportedly still attempting to meet OF Manny Ramirez's trade demand, which could help them solve some other issues. The team has already traded for SP Josh Beckett, 2B Mark Loretta and 3B Mike Lowell, amongst others. The trade of SS Edgar Renteria leaves, for now, IF Alex Cora to start at short, and the team needs a centerfielder and leadoff man. If the Red Sox are successful in landing SS Alex Gonzalez and OF Coco Crisp, this would change. Look for 1B J.T. Snow and IF Kevin Youkilis to platoon at first. With a deep rotation, expect either P Tim Wakefield or impressive rookie P Jon Papelbon to end up in the bullpen. The team is hopeful that CL Keith Foulke (knee) can return to form, but they have a group behind him that should be up to the task if Foulke falters. If everything works out and they keep Manny, should they complain?

New York Yankees

With the coup signing of OF Johnny Damon, the Yankees seem to have ended their search for a centerfielder, but they still haven't addressed their lack of pitching, particularly in the starting rotation. SP Randy Johnson is a year older and the rest of the bunch (SPs Mike Mussina, Shawn Chacon, Chien Ming-Wang, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright) is a bit uninspiring unless Pavano and Wright can start to live up to last year's hefty contracts. RPs Kyle Farnsworth and Mike Myers, amongst others, could shore up the bullpen after the departure of RP Tom Gordon. At least the lineup is stacked and CL Mariano Rivera is still nailing 'em down.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Tampa Bay parted ways with former manager Lou Piniella and hired former Los Angels of Anaheim bench coach Joe Maddon to replace him. He'll fit in as another no-name amongst a glut of barely-major-leaguers. The team could have a bright future with phenom SP Scott Kazmir, OF Carl Crawford and 2B Jorge Cantu, but surrounding them with players like 3B Sean Burroughs won't cut it. OF Rocco Baldelli (elbow) could actually be ready for Opening Day after missing all of last season. RP Shinji Mori, who had a .500 record and 50 saves in nine seasons in the Japanese League, may be the de facto closer with RP Danys Baez gone.

Toronto Blue Jays

Busy, busy, busy is what the Blue Jays have been, springing for free agents such as CL B.J. Ryan and SP A.J. Burnett, as well as trading for 3B Troy Glaus and 1B Lyle Overbay. The team had to shift IF Aaron Hill to second to replace 2B Orlando Hudson (traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks) and accommodate Glaus. Burnett should join SPs Gustavo Chacin, Ted Lilly and Josh Towers as formidable members of the rotation behind ace SP Roy Halladay. This group, plus the new bats, makes Toronto a team to watch in 2006.

AL CENTRAL

Chicago White Sox

They re-signed their captain, 1B Paul Konerko, and in the postseason found a closer in CL Bobby Jenks. Problems solved, right? This club made just a few changes, but they're significant. Chicago traded for SP Javier Vazquez, which could make their starting five great from front to back – if Vazquez doesn't pitch like he did in the past two seasons. The White Sox have had some success with Latino reclamation projects (see: SP Jose Contreras), so it's an intriguing move. It'll be interesting to see if the loss of SP Orlando Hernandez will affect the comfort level of Contreras. Out is DH Frank Thomas; in is DH Jim Thome. A return to form for Thome would be a great boost to an offense that was ninth in the AL in runs in '05. To get him, they had to give up OF Aaron Rowand, but the White Sox are confident that Brian N. Anderson is ready to man center field.

Cleveland Indians

The Indians appear happy with the direction in which they're headed. They lost SP Kevin Millwood, who provided some leadership and a league-leading 2.86 ERA, and setup man RP Bobby Howry, who helped the team to the best bullpen ERA in the AL. The club is hopeful they will offset some of that with the signings of SPs Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson. Rumor has it that OF Coco Crisp could net them touted 3B Andy Marte and RP Guillermo Mota from Boston. Cleveland did coax CL Bob Wickman back for one more year. They also signed 1B Eduardo Perez to a one-year deal to platoon with left-handed 1B Ben Broussard.

Detroit Tigers

More than anything, new Manager Jim Leyland is looking to change the attitude of the entire organization. C Ivan Rodriguez obviously didn't realize the mess he'd gotten himself into two years ago when he signed with the team, but it could be getting better. They have the beginnings of a solid starting five with burgeoning ace SP Jeremy Bonderman and free agent signee SP Kenny Rogers. The organization would like to see top prospect SP Justin Verlander wrestle the fifth spot from SP Wilfredo Ledezma. (Another phenom, SP Joel Zumaya, isn't quite ready to contribute.) CL Todd Jones fortifies the back end of the bullpen. 3B Brandon Inge, 2B Placido Polanco, OF Craig Monroe and DH Chris Shelton gave the lineup some shape, but they'll need a healthy OF Magglio Ordonez and SS Carlos Guillen to make more of an impact offensively.

Kansas City Royals

No one is ever quite sure where the Royals are headed. The club has some decent youth in OF David DeJesus, SS Angel Berroa, 3B Mark Teahen, C John Buck and SP Zach Greinke. (And No. 1 pick 3B Alex Gordon could contribute sooner rather than later.) Kansas City went out and spent a little cash on OF Reggie Sanders, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, 2B Mark Grudzielanek and SPs Joe Mays and Scott Elarton, five names that aren't going to carry them to a division title. They also traded for SP Mark Redman, who spent his best days in the NL. The additions are likely just holding down spots until others are ready to move up and contribute. Manager Buddy Bell better bring his heartburn medication with him to every game.

Minnesota Twins

As a model for the small markets, the Twins usually drum up the bulk of their excitement with up-and-coming prospects. OF Jason Kubel used to be one of them, and he could be competing for a rightfield spot with OF Lew Ford in camp. They were in dire need of a second-sacker and traded for 2B Luis Castillo. Minnesota also added 3B Tony Batista, who played in Japan last year, and OF Rondell White. Those moves did only a little to add power to the lineup, however. This leaves it up to the pitching to keep them in the race again. Of course, SP Johan Santana and CL Joe Nathan are a good place to start. Look for steady SP Scott Baker or nasty SP Francisco Liriano to nail down the fifth spot in the rotation.

AL WEST

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels are looking to promote from within. They lost C Bengie Molina's toughness and experience behind the plate to free agency (although he's still unsigned), but brother Jose could fill the void. He'll get some competition from touted C Jeff Mathis and possibly even C Mike Napoli. 1B/OF Darin Erstad returns to centerfield, which means that 1B Casey Kotchman better be ready to contribute this time around. Either UTIL Chone Figgins or a rehabbing 3B Dallas McPherson (hip) will play third, and Figgins isn't a candidate for the bench. That leaves McPherson or OF Juan Rivera, or even trade acquisition 3B Edgardo Alfonzo, to play designated hitter. SP Ervin Santana was dazzling at times, erroneous at others, but should evolve into a dependable starter behind Cy Young-winning SP Bartolo Colon. They'll need it with SPs Paul Byrd and Jarrod Washburn gone and oft-injured SP Kelvim Escobar and (probably) P Hector Carrasco rounding out the rotation.

Oakland Athletics

It's hard to argue general manager Billy Beane's success, so perhaps trading for OF Milton Bradley was a great move. He also may have overpaid, though, for SP Esteban Loaiza, who last year looked like he was returning to his 2003 form. Oakland has handed the job at first to 1B/OF Nick Swisher, last year's disappointing rookie, by not re-signing either 1B/DH Erubiel Durazo or 1B/DH Scott Hatteberg. They still have C Jason Kendall (who should improve in his second year in the AL), 3B Eric Chavez, SPs Barry Zito and Rich Harden and impressive young CL Huston Street, so expect them to do the usual and make the AL West interesting by September.

Seattle Mariners

Seattle signed SP Jarrod Washburn to lead the rotation, but the excitement here centers around once-in-a-lifetime talent SP Felix Hernandez and his eventual capture of that role. They also re-signed elderly SP Jamie Moyer. There's still not much help for OF Ichiro Suzuki, 3B Adrian Beltre and 1B Richie Sexson. Unless they trade him, hardworking OF Jeremy Reed should man center and improve his hitting. The Mariners added steroids-policy violator OF Matt Lawton, presumably as insurance policy. DH Carl Everett, who only SEEMS to have 'roid rage at times, can provide occasional fireworks of one sort or another, if he's healthy. Most intriguing is the addition of Japanese League C Kenji Johjima, who some have described as a Japanese Pudge Rodriguez. The Asian version is only 29, however.

Texas Rangers

During the offseason, few teams ever seem as self-conscious about their deficiencies (mostly pitching) as Texas does. They've been wheeling and dealing, with the sum effect being that 2B Alfonso Soriano and promising SP Chris Young and 1B/DH Adrian Gonzalez are no longer around. The Rangers hope that infielder prospect Ian Kinsler is ready to play second. Designated hitter duties will fall on 1B Phil Nevin, OF David Delucci and possibly OF Brad Wilkerson. They acquired SP Kevin Millwood, who will be hard-pressed to duplicate his league-leading ERA in Texas' hitter's park, SP Adam Eaton, who's struggled with consistency and injuries and certainly can't like his chances in Arlington and SP Vicente Padilla, who's just a head case. In other words, they once again appear to have done little to address their woes. Of course, all of this changes if free agent SP Roger Clemens decides to sign with the club.

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves

With ageless 1B Julio Franco departing via free agency, the Braves hope that 1B Adam LaRoche is ready to hit southpaws. C Brian McCann appears ready for full-time duty and he'll be handling one of the better rotations in all of baseball, headed once again by SPs John Smoltz and Tim Hudson. Atlanta also avoided arbitration with breakout SP Jorge Sosa. RP Chris Reitsma is the odds-on closer, although he blew nine of his 24 save opportunities in '05. That group will also have to deal with the loss of legendary pitching coach Leo Mazzone. Last year's impressive rookie, OF Jeff Francouer, will stick in rightfield, with a combo of OFs Ryan Langerhans and Kelly Johnson bookending 51-homer OF Andruw Jones.

Florida Marlins

Although they won a World Series in '03, Florida waited until after the '05 season to gut the team this time, so maybe that's progress. The organization loaded up on some pretty good prospects, and their probable starting lineup has more Rs (rookies) than a grade school curriculum. Rookie OF Jeremy Hermida, a homegrown talent with five-tool ability, is the most promising of all of them. There will be battles galore in Spring Training for sure. The most interesting is at backstop, where Cs Miguel Olivo and inexperienced Josh Willingham will duel. Rookie OFs Eric Reed and Chris Aguila may round out the outfield. Highly touted SS Hanley Ramirez and bombs-away rookie 1B Mike Jacobs join 2B Pokey Reese and 22-year old elder statesman 3B/OF Miguel Cabrera, who's shifting to the hot corner, fill the infield. SP Dontrelle Willis is now the ace, with SPs Brian Moehler, Sergio Mitre and young Jason Vargas on hand as well as rookies Scott Olsen or Josh Johnson bringing up the rear. CL Joe Borowski heads up the bullpen for new manager Joe Girardi, who may be scratching his head as he fills out his lineup card with all these who-dats this year.

New York Mets

The Mets made huge splashes this offseason, spending like their Gotham counterparts, the New York Yankees, normally do. They now appear to be contenders in the NL – as long as their pitching holds up. New CL Billy Wagner solidifies the back end of the pen. Will SP Aaron Heilman step in a produce? Or will they turn to newly acquired SP John Maine? 1B/OF Xavier Nady and young Victor Diaz should platoon in right. 1B Carlos Delgado and C Paul Lo Duca are upgrades. 3B David Wright should continue to blossom and OF Carlos Beltran should bounce back. Will OF Cliff Floyd remain relatively healthy two years in a row? Is 2B Kazuo Matsui good enough to keep rookie 2B Anderson Hernandez in the minors? It seems like there are still some question marks for a team who did so much to make themselves contenders.

Philadelphia Phillies

New GM Pat Gillick started his stint in Philadelphia with a value deal for 1B Jim Thome, landing OF Aaron Rowand and two pitching prospects. He signed an aging CL Tom Gordon to replace departed free agent CL Billy Wagner, but other than that he hasn't done much to address the team's short-term pitching issues - unless you count the signing of SP Ryan Franklin. SPs Robinson Tejeda and onetime prospect Gavin Floyd will apparently fight for the fifth spot in the rotation. Fans are excited to see what 1B Ryan Howard can do in a full season. This could largely depend on whether or not Gillick is successful in trading either OFs Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell, who provide Howard with good protection.

Washington Nationals

Washington made some interesting moves, most notably of which was a trade for 2B Alfonso Soriano, who's penciled into the outfield. Soriano says he won't play out there, so this could be an interesting spring. The team already has 2B Jose Vidro, who's great when healthy. They committed to OF Ryan Church and hot-hitting rookie 3B Ryan Zimmerman, who's less than a year removed from college. They are reportedly still interested in OF Sammy Sosa, too. SP Brian Lawrence will attempt to pick up where SP Esteban Loaiza left off, and SPs Ryan Drese and Ramon Ortiz will try to resurrect some semblance of a career as they fight for the No. 5 spot.

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs went and got themselves a classy leadoff man in OF Juan Pierre. Hitting in front of '05 MVP candidate 1B Derrek Lee and 3B Aramis Ramirez makes him attractive for sure, but Chicago has uncertainties in the remainder of the lineup. They're confident in OF Matt Murton and SS Ronny Cedeno, but both are young and largely unproven. The team added OF Jacque Jones to shore up the outfield, but he's nothing special. Second base could actually be a three-man race between 2Bs Todd Walker, Jerry Hairston and Neifi Perez. Chicago says they want to be more athletic in the infield, and that doesn't favor Walker. For now, the rotation appears to include SPs Carlos Zambrano, Mark Prior, Greg Maddux, Jerome Williams and Glendon Rusch. As it stands, that leaves P Kerry Wood in the bullpen. The pen improved with the addition of RP Bobby Howry, and CL Ryan Dempster saved 33 of his 35 chances in '05.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds are hoping that 3B Edwin Encarnacion (.232 BA last year) is as good as they hoped he would be. They traded 1B Sean Casey, so there will be a new mayor in town. 1B/OF Adam Dunn slides to first, which allows both OFs Wily Mo Pena and Austin Kearns to play full time. After a wakeup call demotion last season, Kearns came up and hit well for a time, but he's still inconsistent. Breakout seasons from SS Felipe Lopez and C Javier Valentin are encouraging, but the team also traded for washed up 2B Tony Womack. SP Aaron Harang is the de facto ace of the staff. SP Paul Wilson (shoulder) is on schedule to return from a partially torn rotator cuff and labrum. New SP Dave Williams falls in line with SPs Eric Milton and Brandon Claussen, who scare no one. RP David Weathers may once again be their best option at closer. The new ownership says that it wants to build a winner. Good luck.

Houston Astros

The wind appeared to disappear from the Astros' sails when the World Series runners-up declined to offer arbitration to SP Roger Clemens. The organization is also secretly hoping that 1B Jeff Bagwell retires because they'll collect on a large insurance policy if he does. They inked OF Preston Wilson to play right field, hoping he can come back around and provide some power in a stadium with a short leftfield porch. They'll try to rely on both SPs Wandy Rodriguez and Ezequiel Astacio to fill out the rotation. It'll be interesting to see how CL Brad Lidge, who's on a one-year deal, responds after his postseason collapses.

Milwaukee Brewers

This is a team that appears on the upswing. The youth movement is in full effect, with 2B Rickie Weeks and SS J.J. Hardy taking their lumps in '05, and 1B Prince Fielder is set to take over for traded 1B Lyle Overbay. IF Bill Hall showed promise at the hot corner, but it's not his best position. The others are already filled, though, so he'll be in competition with new 3B Corey Koskie. Milwaukee unearthed a gem in CL Derrick Turnbow last year, but can he do it again? Barring a setback, SP Ben Sheets should pitch Opening Day, and the top three (four if you count SP Tomo Ohka) spots are locked up. That leaves the fifth spot to new SP David Bush and SPs Rick Helling and Dana Eveland, a 22-year-old who pitched in relief last season.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The young, southpaw-heavy starting five represents hope for the future in Pittsburgh. The team expects SP Oliver Perez to rebound after a disappointing '05, and he should enjoy support from impressive SPs Zach Duke and Paul Maholm. Righthanded SP Kip Wells is the seasoned vet here. SP Ian Snell, another righty, also has potential, but he may fit better in the pen. That makes offseason signee SP Victor Santos the No. 5. Flamethrowing RP Mike Gonzalez becomes the Pirates' new closer, but they have some experience behind him in case he falters. The lineup improves with the additions of 1B Sean Casey, 3B Joe Randa and OF Jeromy Burnitz. OF Chris Duffy made a strong showing during his late-season call-up and has the edge in center. Cs Ryan Doumit and Humberto Cota will vie for time behind the plate.

St. Louis Cardinals

Will 3B Scott Rolen (shoulder) be ready for Opening Day? He should be, but that seems to be the team's biggest concern entering spring training. They'll attempt to replace retired, hardnosed OF Larry Walker with laidback OF Juan Encarnacion, while the leftfielder could potentially be anyone from OFs Larry Bigbie, John Rodriguez and So Taguchi. 2Bs Junior Spivey and Aaron Miles should duke it out for that spot as well. C Yadier Molina could turn out to be the best of the Molina brothers. Look for outstanding rookie SP Anthony Reyes to begin the season as the No. 5, but he seems destined for the front of the rotation. The team also took a shot at flameout SP Sidney Ponson. St. Louis lost a couple of dependable arms in the bullpen, and they'll turn to loopy RP Braden Looper and possibly prospect P Adam Wainwright, amongst others, to keep things tight in front of CL Jason Isringhausen.

NL WEST

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks' biggest news was the signing of No. 1 overall pick SS Justin Upton, but they also made some interesting moves this offseason. They obtained SPs Miguel Batista, who appears to be headed back to the rotation, and Orlando Hernandez. They also acquired OF Eric Byrnes and a promising prospect in OF Chris Young. OF Luis Gonzalez may not have much left, but he and Shawn Green are entrenched, and this seems to be the year that highly regarded OF Carlos Quentin could begin his career in the majors. 1B Conor Jackson will get every chance to man first, which would move 1B/3B Chad Tracy to the hot corner. 2B Orlando Hudson appears safe because of his defense, but a slew of backup infielders behind SS Craig Counsell make his job unsafe. C Johnny Estrada may be the starter now, but Arizona had some high hopes for Cs Koyie Hill and Chris Snyder. The closer's role should be RP Jose Valverde's, but RP Brandon Lyon showed he could handle the job as well.

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies – surprise, surprise – will field a youthful lineup in '06. The outfield should consist of OFs Matt Holliday, Cory Sullivan and Brad Hawpe. Colorado may field a solid left side of the infield with 3B Garrett Atkins and a healthy SS Clint Barmes, but the pair may not have much longer to prove their worth given the range and quality of prospects at their positions in the Rockies' system. Consider C Yorvit Torrealba the starter and C Danny Ardoin the backup, but it's hard to believe that once-promising C J.D. Closser, who regained some confidence in the minors, won't get a chance to show that he can handle the spot at some point this year. Is quantity better than quality in the bullpen? Colorado will find out, although RPs Ray King and Jose Mesa, who's fine with his setup role, are upgrades. The Rockies hope that SP Jeff Francis takes the next step and that young SP Mike Esposito can perhaps follow in Francis' footsteps.

Los Angeles Dodgers

New manager Grady Little will be managing a lineup that doesn't much resemble last year's. Los Angeles is ready to go with C Dioner Navarro, 2B Jeff Kent and OFs J.D. Drew and Jose Cruz, Jr. The new faces include 1B Nomar Garciaparra, 3B Bill Mueller, SS Rafael Furcal and OF Kenny Lofton. The Furcal signing was curious considering they have SS Joel Guzman waiting in the wings, but he could be on the move to another infield spot. CL Eric Gagne looks to be fully recovered from elbow surgery and should be ready for Spring Training. The Dodgers traded for former Tampa Bay Devil Rays CL Danys Baez as insurance, though. SPs Brett Tomko and Jae Seo are in all likelihood the No. 4 and No. 5 starters, respectively.

San Diego Padres

The Padres re-signed OFs Brian Giles and Dave Roberts and CL Trevor Hoffman, but C Ramon Hernandez is gone, and in his place now stands C Doug Mirabelli. He'll play topnotch defense and handle the pitchers pretty well, but they'll notice the drop-off at the plate. With the trade of 2B Mark Loretta, San Diego essentially handed promising rookie 2B Josh Barfield the job. Stiff 1B/OF Ryan Klesko mans first, but it'll be interesting to see how much of a look they give to 1B Adrian Gonzalez and recently claimed 1B Walter Young. Veterans 3B Vinny Castilla and OF Mike Cameron also join a Padres lineup that finished fourth from the bottom of the NL in runs. Intriguing is the addition of SP Chris Young, who seemed worn down in the last third of '05. Before this, he pitched well (even more impressive because it was for the Texas Rangers), and he should benefit from the move to pitcher-friendly PETCO Park. The club also added SP Shawn Estes and is hoping for comebacks from SPs Woody Williams and Chan Ho Park. SP Tim Stauffer, amongst others, will also get a shot at the rotation.

San Francisco Giants

San Francisco is looking forward to a season with a healthy OF Barry Bonds. Manager Felipe Alou may be looking to bat him No. 2 to get him going early, but Bonds doesn't sound like he's particularly fond of the idea. SP Jason Schmidt is still a Giant, and the team added solid SP Matt Morris. On the youth side, SP Noah Lowry welcomes rookie SP Matt Cain, who strung together some impressive starts at the end of last season, seems a virtual lock to be in the rotation. SPs Brad Hennessey, Kevin Correia and possibly non-roster invitee Jamey Wright could be competing for the fifth spot. CL Armando Benitez should be recovered from his hamstring problems. The outfield is strong - OF Randy Winn turned out to be a steal at last season's deadline, and OF Steve Finley can give aging OFs Moises Alou and Bonds the occasional break. Look for the Giants to use a combination of 1Bs Lance Niekro and Mark Sweeney at first.