Baseball season is almost here. It was an exciting winter. Here is how we saw the offseason through a questionnaire.
THE QUESTIONS
- FAVORITE OFFSEASON SIGNING AND WHY?
- WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE OFF-SEASON SIGNING, AND WHY?
- FAVORITE UNDER-THE-RADAR SIGNING ( A SIGNING THAT OCCURRED AND DIDN’T GET ENOUGH TALK)
- TEAM THAT HAD THE BEST OFFSEASON
- TEAM THAT HAD THE WORST OFFSEASON
- Jeff Knapp – As a Yankee fan, how can I not talk about the re-signing of Aaron Judge? He set the AL Record for home runs in a season and is one of the most beloved Yankees since Derek Jeter. The other signing I love is Trea Turner going to Philly. The Phillies won the NL pennant last year and are adding a guy who hits .320 and 20 homers and can steal many bases, plus plays solid defense.
Mark Halpern – Xander Bogaerts going to San Diego was a huge move. Adding him to a lineup that includes Machado, Juan Soto, and eventually, Fernando Tatis Jr. Bogaerts, Machado on one side of the infield is as good as it gets.
Mike Rifkin – I’m going the Jeff route here and taking two. Jose Abreu is going to Houston. The Astros won the World Series last year and only got better. Adding Abreu, a .292 career hitter, to a lineup that still has Altuve, Bregman, and Yordan Alvarez, this Astro lineup can be scary. The other signing I love is Willson Contreras going to the Cardinals. Yadier Molina has retired. There isn’t a better replacement for him than Contreras. He is outstanding defensively and gives the Cardinals a much-needed bat to go with Goldschmidt and Arenado in the middle of the lineup. Also, the Cardinals got to steal a Cub, which might not hurt either.
2. Jeff Knapp – Carlos Correa. This guy had two deals with the Giants and the Mets but wound up staying in Minnesota. I am still determining what the Twins will be this season. I am also concerned about his ankle.
Mark Halpern – Jacob deGrom – This one hurt when I found out about it, but Texas won 68 games last year. The Rangers invested much money into Jake, but is he still the same pitcher he was three years ago? Can he stay healthy for an entire season?
Mike Rifkin – Joey Gallo – I was going to say Arson Judge. Joey Gallo has struggled over the past couple of seasons. I thought that when he got traded to the Dodgers, that would bring him new life in his career, but he still struggled. Losing the shift could help Gallo in Minnesota.
3. Jeff – Jose Abreu’s signing happened so quickly in the offseason that I don’t believe it gets enough hype. Yes, he’s 36, but he is still coming off a season with a slash line of .304/.378/.446. Adding him to the Astro lineup is enormous.
Mark – Justin Turner – Turner turned his career around in Los Angeles. He is a solid third-baseman and DH option for the Red Sox. He can have much fun with the Green Monster.
Mike – Chris Bassitt – Blue Jays Bassitt was a workhorse for the Mets last season, going 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA. Adding him to a rotation with Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman, and Hyun-Jin Ryu is solid for the Blue Jays.
4. Jeff – The team that had the best off-season was the Phillies. I’m not one to praise anything from Philadelphia, except for Rocky Balboa, but being objective, they were not only able to add one of the biggest free agents by signing shortstop Trea Turner, but they added starting pitcher Taijuan Walker after losing Thor and bolstered their bullpen by adding Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto. These moves might help them repeat as the NL champions once again.
Mark – I agree with Jeff that the Phillies had a good off-season. Despite being a Mets fan, the Phillies had a great off-season. Trea Turner is a star, and Taijuan Walker is a terrific addition to their rotation.
Mike: The Phillies did have a good offseason, but so did the rival New York Mets. People are questioning Justin Verlander’s age, but he was dominant last year in winning the AL CY Young award. They also added Kodai Senga from Japan. Steve Cohen also retained Brandon Nimmo, who is a spark at the top of the lineup, and Edwin Diaz, the most dominant closer in Baseball.
5. Jeff – Looking at who might have had the worst offseason, where possibly the LA Dodgers. I don’t care how long it’s been, but that’s what you get for leaving Brooklyn. It wasn’t surprising that they brought back Clayton Kershaw, but they lost position players like Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Craig Kimbrel. When it comes to bad, I have to add the San Francisco Giants in there because they could have had both Correa and Judge, but both options fell through. They did sign Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto, but Conforto is coming off a severe shoulder injury, and Haniger has an injury history.
Mark – Colorado Rockies – Last winter, they added Kris Bryant, and he had a disappointing season mainly due to injury. This offseason, they only did a little. So I don’t want to hear their owner complain about other teams spending when he refuses to.
Mike – Red Sox – They re-signed Rafael Devers to a massive extension. But outside of that, I’m still determining. What do I expect from Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen, and Corey Kluber? Five or six years ago, that would’ve been great. I also hate the loss of Xander Bogaerts, whom I viewed as this team’s version of Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox are hoping for many veterans to regain their form; otherwise, it might be a long year in Boston (At least they’ve got the Celtics and Bruins)
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