Five Quietest Teams of the Offseason

posted 1/3/10 10:59 AM PST
by Jason Martinez

Let's take a look at a few teams that have had relatively quiet offseasons thus far and discuss why they have yet to upgrade their team and what their plans could be for the next seven weeks leading up to spring training.

CLEVELAND INDIANS
What they have done? Aside from a minor deal with the Rays (C Kelly Shoppach to TB for RHP Mitch Talbot) and a few minor league signings (RHP Jason Grilli, RHP Saul Rivera, 1B/3B Brian Buscher, IF Luis Rodriguez), the Tribe hasn't done much this offseason.
Why they've done so little? For starters, they have already acquired no less than eight young players that are already in the majors or very close to the majors in four separate trades (CC Sabathia to Milwaukee, Victor Martinez to Boston, Cliff Lee to Philadelphia, and Mark DeRosa to St. Louis) since July 2008. Five of those players acquired (RHP Justin Masterson, RHP Chris Perez, 1B Matt LaPorta, LF Michael Brantley, C Lou Marson) are currently projected to make the opening day roster while RHP Carlos Carrasco, RHP Jess Todd, and IF Jason Donald will be fighting for jobs in spring training. It appears that they are sticking with a re-building mode and aren't looking to add any significant salary to their payroll.
What are their obvious needs? The Indians have plenty of guys that can be mid-to-back of the rotation starters but they lack a clear #1, which is not easy to find unless they were willing to outbid the Red Sox for John Lackey. Veteran Jake Westbrook, who won 44 games for the Tribe from '04-'06, should return after missing 2009 recovering from elbow surgery. He'll give the rotation a boost if he is healthy. Hector Rondon, a 21 year-old who will compete for a rotation spot in spring training and should make his debut sometime in 2010, is probably more of a future #3 starter than an ace. The team's other top pitching prospects (Alex White, Jason Knapp, Nick Hagadone) are still a few years away. So unless Fausto Carmona can somehow figure out how he won 19 games with a 3.06 ERA a few years ago, this team is likely to be without a staff ace for 2010.

COLORADO ROCKIES
What they have done? Setup man RHP Rafael Betancourt returns after accepting the club's arbitration offer and RHP Juan Rincon was re-signed to a minor league deal. The team is also reportedly close to a deal with catcher Miguel Olivo, who would serve as a backup to Chris Iannetta.
Why they've done so little? The Rockies are already a very good young team with a solid core of young talent and not too many holes to fill. After losing 32 of their first 52 games, they finished 2009 as one of the hottest teams in the majors by going 72-38 the rest of the way and winning the NL Wild Card. While they did lose 15-game winner Jason Marquis to free agency, Jeff Francis should be back after he missed 2009 recovering from shoulder surgery. Olivo would replace backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who is also a free agent.
What are their obvious needs? Franklin Morales, who goes into 2010 as the team's #1 left-handed setup man, is still unproven and could be a disaster if he cannot find the strike zone on a consistent basis. Still, it wont' be much fun for hitters to face his 97 MPH heater in the 8th inning of a close game. It appears that the Rockies will give him every opportunity to be that guy so don't look for the team to do much else this offseason.

FLORIDA MARLINS
What they have done? Not a lot of players arriving but plenty of them departing. The team has weakened their bench by non-tendering IF/OF Alfredo Amezaga and declining the option for 1B Ross Gload. They also traded Jeremy Hermida to the Red Sox for minor league left-handed pitchers Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez and lost two other players who could've helped off the bench, outfielders Armando de Aza (Waivers - White Sox) and John Raynor (Rule V - Pirates). They also traded reliever Matt Lindstrom to the Astros for minor leaguers SS Luis Bryan and RHP Robert Bono. Besides the minor leaguers acquired in the two trades, the team signed infielders Danny Richar, Hector Luna and Brian Barden to minor league deals and also acquired Rule V selection 3B Jorge Jimenez as a PTBNL in the Lindstrom deal. He'll have to remain on the major league roster the entire season or be sent back to the Red Sox. The Marlins also appear to be actively shopping 2B Dan Uggla.
Why they've done so little? As always, the Marlins are limited financially and are likely waiting out some free agent bargains. If they can trade Uggla, they could have some more flexibility. They already have a strong top of the rotation with ace Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco leading the way and a few other young pitchers with high ceilings, including lefties Sean West and Andrew Miller and right-handers Anibal Sanchez, Rick VandenHurk and Chris Volstad, all possibilites to fill out the rotation. In addition, they have a very good core of young players (Hanley Ramirez, Chris Coghlan, Cameron Maybin) to build around.
What are their obvious needs? Even before losing two of their best relievers (Brendan Donnelly and Kiko Calero) to free agency, the Marlins could've used some bullpen help. Leo Nuñez returns as the closer, although he was shaky down the stretch. He shouldn't be handed the job in 2010 but the options are limited. Lefties Reynel Pinto and Dan Meyer both had good seasons, as did right-hander Brian Sanches, but none of the three are likely to be considered for the closer's job. Twenty-three year-old Ryan Tucker is considered a future closer by some, but he missed most of 2009 with a knee injury and has worked mostly as a starter in the minors. They could try and bring back Kevin Gregg, who could sign a budget-friendly deal if given the chance to close. Mike MacDougal, who saved 20 games for the Nationals last season, could be another inexpensive option. If they don't find an upgrade for the late innings, things could get ugly for the Marlins.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
What they have done? OF Juan Pierre was traded to the White Sox for minor league pitchers John Ely and Jon Link. While the Dodgers will still pay a big portion of the remaining salary owed to Pierre, they save approximately $8M in the deal. The team then shored up the one hole in their lineup by signing 2B Jamey Carroll to a 2-yr deal worth nearly $4M. He'll likely share time with Blake DeWitt. Among the many minor league signings, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz and RHP Justin Miller are the most notable and LHP Armando Zerpa and RHP Carlos Monasterios were both Rule V picks acquired for cash considerations.
Why they've done so little? It's not that they haven't been active. They've just haven't been actively looking to spend a lot of money in free agency, as they've been known to do in the past. The team appears to be strapped financially because of the impending divorce of owners Frank and Jamie McCourt. They also have to start giving big raises to their core of young position players (Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, James Loney, Russell Martin) that are either eligible, or close to being eligible, for arbitration.
What are their obvious needs? Starting pitching, starting pitching, and more starting pitching. While they have one of the better young left-handers around in 21 year-old Clayton Kershaw, he probably isn't ready to be the leader of this rotation as proven by his shaky performance in last year's playoffs (6.2 IP, 7 ER, 6 BB). Chad Billingsley, who had been brilliant over his first 3 1/2 seasons with the team, was terrible in the 2nd half of '09 (3-7, 5.20 ERA) and was not even included in the postseason rotation. Hiroki Kuroda missed 2 1/2 months of the season due to injury and was lit up in his only postseason start (1.1 IP, 6 ER). The picture gets very cloudy after those three. Randy Wolf, who was the team's most consistent pitcher throughout the season, has already signed a free agent deal with Milwaukee, and Vicente Padilla, who was impressive down the stretch and in the playoffs, is also a free agent. James McDonald could be ready to join the rotation but he struggled terribly in four big league starts in '09. The team does have a few potential frontline starters in the lower minors (RHP Chris Withrow, LHP Aaron Miller, RHP Ethan Martin) but none are likely to help out in 2010. It will be tough to add another top-of-the-rotation starter but a veteran or two to help stabilize the rotation behind Kershaw would help greatly if they want to defend their NL West title. On paper, I'd have to say that the Rockies are a much better team right now.

SAN DIEGO PADRES
What they have done? The Padres have signed OF Chris Denorfia and C Chris Stewart to minor league deals, claimed RHP Radhames Liz off waivers from Baltimore, and acquired C Dusty Ryan from Detroit for a PTBNL. Most importantly, they have re-signed arbitration-eligible pitcher Kevin Correia, who was their best pitcher in 2009.
Why they've done so little? Like the Dodgers, the Padres are limited financially because of the divorce of their owners, John and Becky Moores. Although they have officially sold the team, the payroll is not expected to increase significantly right away. However, GM Jed Hoyer has indicated that the team does have a few million dollars (reportedly $5-8M) to spend this offseason but he has yet to pull the trigger on anything major. What may be surprising to the common baseball fan is that this roster does not have too many obvious holes, which is another reason why they've been fairly quiet. Along with All-Star closer Heath Bell, the bullpen includes three relievers who were nearly unhittable over the second half of 2009. RHP Mike Adams (0.38 ERA, 24 IP, 6 H, 6 BB, 35 K in 2nd half), RHP Luke Gregerson (3.13 ERA, 37.1 IP, 53 K in 2nd half), and LHP Joe Thatcher (1.65 ERA, 27.1 IP, 17 H, 7 BB, 35 K in 2nd half) all return to set up for Bell. The lineup returns one of the top power hitters in the game, 1B Adrian Gonzalez (130 HR's in 4 seasons w/SD), to go along with a group of hitters who appeared to gain confidence as the season went on. 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff (.778 OPS in 2nd half), LF Chase Headley (.798 OPS in 2nd half), OF Will Venable (11 HR, 33 RBI in 2nd half), IF/OF Oscar Salazar (.802 OPS in 2nd half), and OF Kyle Blanks (1.028 OPS in 2nd half) were all a huge part of the team's resurgence over the final two months of the season (37-25 record after July 27th) while SS Everth Cabrera was one of the more exciting young players in the game in 2009. The 23 year-old tired down the stretch but that would be expected of a player making the jump from A-ball.
What are their obvious needs? If not for the trade of ace Jake Peavy last July, this Padres team would probably be taken much more seriously right now. As it stands, they are still a very young team offensively and while they do have two solid veterans at the front of the rotation, Correia and Chris Young, they might not have enough starting pitching to compete in a tough NL West. Correia had a 3.26 ERA after the All-Star break and Young has proven that he can shut down opponents when healthy. LHP Clayton Richard, acquired in the Peavy deal, went 5-2 with a 4.08 ERA with San Diego, and top pitching prospect Mat Latos moved quickly through the minors and was impressive in 10 starts with the team after being called up from Double-A San Antonio. However, it is safe to say that the Padres need to invest some of their money on a veteran starting pitcher. The team has also stated at various times this offseason that a right-handed hitting center fielder would be one of its main targets, as well as a veteran backup catcher and middle infielder.