THIS offseason is going to be forever remembered for what didn’t happen. Alex Rodriguez was not traded to Boston – and it’s entirely possible the outcome could have greater ramifications than if he’d actually been dealt.
The Red Sox, Rangers and White Sox now all must cope with the residue of swaps not made, and A-Rod emerged as the biggest individual loser of this offseason. He has to stay where he does not want to be and play for a manager (Buck Showalter) he dislikes after openly campaigning for the job of another man (Nomar Garciaparra).
In the team category, here are the AL winners and losers, in order:
1. RED SOX: OK, they didn’t get A-Rod, but the majors’ highest-scoring team did land Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke. First-year manager Terry Francona must prove himself immediately by handling the bruised feelings of Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez.
2. BLUE JAYS: The majors’ second-highest-scoring team upgraded its rotation with Miguel Batista, Pat Hentgen and Ted Lilly. Toronto is on the verge of contention.
3. ROYALS: Working on a shoestring budget, retained Kevin Appier, Brian Anderson, Curtis Leskanic, Joe Randa and Jason Grimsley; added Tony Graffanino, Benito Santiago, Matt Stairs and Scott Sullivan; and did not trade their best player, Carlos Beltran. Could still get a right fielder (Juan Gonzalez?). May have made themselves the team to beat in the AL Central.
4. YANKEES: No club had a harder-to-read offseason. They brought in players with great talent, but nearly all have questions about age, injury, makeup and/or ability to thrive in New York. Let the popular, productive Andy Pettitte go.
5. ORIOLES: Javy Lopez and Miguel Tejada definitely upgrade the lineup, and they may not yet be done (Vlad Guerrero?). But they really needed to address their rotation, also.
6. ANGELS: New owner Arturo Moreno vowed to spend and invested more than $75 million to land Bartolo Colon, Kelvim Escobar and Jose Guillen. Questions remain: Will Colon stay in shape with a long-term pact? Will Escobar ever fully honor his talent with consistency? Was last year merely a fluke for skilled – but less-than-beloved – Guillen?
7. MARINERS: Retained Shigetoshi Hasegawa and added Eddie Guardado to what will be one of the majors’ best pens. Lost Mike Cameron’s defense, added Raul Ibanez’s and Scott Spiezio’s offense. Really could have used a big bat at third base.
8. A’S: Finished runner-up for the two free agents they most wanted (Foulke and Cameron) and lost Tejada, their best everyday player. Overpaid Arthur Rhodes to be a closer, a job for which he has never seemed emotionally suited. Turned All-Star catcher Ramon Hernandez and Ted Lilly into Mark Kotsay and Bobby Kielty. Is that even a wash?
9. DEVIL RAYS: Talked about spending for impact bats and wound up with Geoff Blum, Jose Cruz, Tino Martinez, Eduardo Perez and Rey Sanchez. Last place again.
10. WHITE SOX: Lost their second-best starter (Bartolo Colon) and second-best reliever (Tom Gordon), and were annoyed bystanders when the A-Rod deal collapsed because they stood to get Garciaparra and Scott Williamson for Magglio Ordonez.
11. TWINS: For payroll reasons, had to sacrifice Eddie Guardado, LaTroy Hawkins, Eric Milton and A.J. Pierzynski – core players from the two-time Central champs – while retaining Shannon Stewart and failing to add a difference-maker.
12. RANGERS: Incredibly, they retained the majors’ best player (A-Rod), and that was a bad thing. They failed to restore financial flexibility to enable them to go after pitching and lost their best starter, John Thomson.
13. INDIANS: Had to deny an Internet hoax that had them signing Vladimir Guerrero. Had to watch Omar Vizquel fail a physical, which negated a deal for Carlos Guillen. It has been that kind of winter.
14. TIGERS: You know what a terrible organization does? It overpays aging, injury-prone, ordinary players like Fernando Vina and Rondell White to feign improvement, rather than taking the combined $12 million it cost them and investing it in the long-term health of the franchise’s player-development system.