With the offseason’s heavy lifting just about complete, a case can be made that the six best teams in baseball reside in the American League. In order: New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. If you believe in the Philadelphia Phillies and/or St. Louis Cardinals, the AL still boasts six of the top eight.
That is impressive.
Yu Darvish is not the only offseason move that is expected to give the Rangers more pop in 2012. (AP Photo)
That also means trouble.
With only four (perhaps five if the second wild card is added) playoff berths available, at least one AL powerhouse will miss the postseason. As strong as the super six look after their winter makeovers, all still have a key position to fill and a key question to answer before opening day.
How those teams handle their to-do list in the next 10 weeks will go a long way in shaping their season. Sizing them up:
YANKEES
Key opening: DH. Trading for righthander Michael Pineda more than makes up for losing likely DH Jesus Montero, in part because manager Joe Girardi wants to use the DH to spell Alex Rodriguez and his not-getting-any-younger lineup. Still, New York could use a veteran with more power than Andruw Jones to handle primary DH responsibilities. Jorge Posada hit only .227 while DH-ing last year but produced 13 of the Yankees’ AL-best 30 homers at the position.
Key question: Who will be the No. 5 starter: A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia or Dellin Betances? The job should be Burnett’s to lose because he will make $16.5 million. As erratic as Burnett is, the Yankees’ rotation is much stronger than this time last year. Having Burnett battling for the fifth spot is far better than entering the season with him as the No. 2 starter.
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RANGERS
Opening: Center field. Speedy Craig Gentry, underperforming Julio Borbon and hotshot youngster Leonys Martin will compete during spring training. But when the Rangers want to play their best lineup, Josh Hamilton will slide over from left field to make room for David Murphy. “Quite frankly, David Murphy produces every time he’s out there,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels says. Manager Ron Washington prefers to play the oft-injured Hamilton in left in hopes of keeping him healthy.
Question: Is Joe Nathan really back? Landing Japanese ace Yu Darvish was Texas’ marquee acquisition but another newcomer, Nathan, holds the key to the pitching staff. If the 37-year-old righthander pitches like he did during a strong September, all will be well. If he doesn’t, watch out. The Rangers might have to scramble after deciding to put All-Star closer Neftali Feliz in the rotation.
ANGELS
Opening: Third base. After signing first baseman Albert Pujols to be face of the franchise, the Angels hope to turn Mark Trumbo into a third baseman. But Trumbo, who hit 29 homers as a rookie first baseman in 2011, hasn’t had much of a chance to work at a position change because of a slow-to-heal stress fracture in his foot. If he isn’t up to the job, Los Angeles can fall back on Alberto Callaspo.
Question: Do they really believe in Jordan Walden? As much as the Angels rave about Walden’s potential and his 100-mph fastball, his 10 blown saves as a rookie must have caused great angst in the front office. New GM Jerry Dipoto has spent the winter searching for a more proven closer, which can’t be the best way to build confidence in your incumbent.
TIGERS
Opening: DH. Signing Prince Fielder is certain to pump up the Tigers’ power. But the team didn’t need a first baseman; it needed a DH. Unless (until?) they put Miguel Cabrera or Fielder there, the Tigers’ leading options are Don Kelly, Ryan Raburn, Andy Dirks and Brandon Inge. None hit better than .256 or posted a .300 on-base percentage in 2011.
Question: Can Cabrera really play third base? Manager Jim Leyland says he has confidence in Cabrera for his “tremendous hands” and “one of the best throwing arms” in baseball. But this is January. Check with the skipper after he actually has watched Cabrera play third. By relocating Cabrera, Detroit is weakening an already below-average defense at two positions. Cabrera is a much better defender than Fielder at first, and Inge is superior to Cabrera at third.
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RAYS
Opening: Catcher. Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos are too inexperienced, and Jose Molina is too old (36). But they are all the Rays have after trading John Jaso to the Seattle Mariners and watching Kelly Shoppach sign with the Red Sox. Lobaton has the most talent and should get first crack at playing regularly.
Question: Have they added enough offense? Put simply, will Carlos Pena and Luke Scott be an upgrade over Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon? The newcomers should hit more homers, but Kotchman and Damon weren’t the problems with an offense that hit only .244 last season. Kotchman ranked among league leaders with a .306 average, while Damon hit 16 homers and provided great clubhouse presence. The Rays are betting that power means more than chemistry.
RED SOX
Opening: Shortstop. The surprising trade of Marco Scutaro leaves third baseman Mike Aviles and second baseman Nick Punto as the leading candidates to start at one of the most important positions. Or Boston could throw 22-year-old rookie Jose Iglesias into the fire. Fortunately, the Red Sox don’t need a lot of offense from the position.
Question: Will manager Bobby Valentine make a difference? On paper, Boston has done nothing to improve this offseason. (Sorry, but Andrew Bailey isn’t an upgrade over Jonathan Papelbon.) But talent wasn’t the team’s problem during its sorry September. The Red Sox weren’t strong enough mentally to overcome injuries to their rotation. A lack of focus shouldn’t be an issue under Valentine who, after a decade away from managing in the majors, is back with renewed enthusiasm and wizened perspective.
