Wow!
Winter meetings haven’t even started yet, and this offseason of baseball has seen so many players change homes.
I don’t think we can start anywhere else but with New York Yankee superstar, Robinson Cano. At 31 years old, who would have thought we would see him finish his career anywhere else but with New York. With a steep price tag, backed by agent Jay Z, Cano just did not make sense for the Yankees. Instead, we will see him with the Seattle Mariners for the next ten years. With Cano costing around $240 million the Yankees might have made the right decision. Did they?
Absolutely.
Instead of spending all of their money on Cano, they have already signed catcher Brian McCann, and outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran. Each of these players are absolute studs. I would take three great players over one amazing player any day. Now the Yankees are ready to go back to the glory days. They are a couple starting pitchers, infielders, and bullpen help away from being a World Series contender, but they are already much better than they looked last year, and better than they would have been had they brought back Cano.
The three key offseason acquisitions for the Yankees. From left to right, Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann
The Yankees aren’t the only New York team making a big signing. The New York Mets have actually decided to spend some money! Former New York Yankee outfielder, Curtis Granderson, has a short trek over to Queens in order to spend his next four years with the Mets. This is not nearly enough to get the Mets to be a contender. The Mets still need a shortstop, more outfield help, a starting pitcher, and a little more bullpen. With the Winter Meetings starting today, the Mets are expected to make another major trade. Last year, the Mets began negotiating the blockbuster R.A. Dickey trade, that has seemed like a steal for the Mets. This year, they are looking to trade one of their first basemans, either Ike Davis or Lucas Duda. Look for them to sign a starting pitcher, since Matt Harvey will be lost for the majority of the season, and look for them to trade for a shortstop.
New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson
The first major trade to kick off the offseason was the blockbuster trade between the Rangers and Tigers. The Rangers sent second baseman Ian Kinsler to the Tigers in exchange for firstbaseman Prince Fielder. The Tigers cleared some much needed cap space, while also gaining a very good second baseman. The Rangers gained one of the best power hitters in baseball. It was a pretty good trade for both teams.
The Nationals practically stole starting pitcher, Doug Fister, from the Tigers in exchange for a package containing virtually nobody of importance. The Royals attained outfielder Norichika Aoki for LHP Will Smith. The Astros traded for speedy Colorado Rockie outfielder Dexter Fowler giving up promising starting pitcher Jordan Lyles. All of these trades were pretty eye-opening. Doug Fister, Norichika Aoki and Dexter Fowler are very good, big name players, and they were all attained for nothing special.
We still await the destinations of big name players like Shin-Soo Choo, Nelson Cruz, Stephen Drew, and Corey Hart. There have also been some talks of potential trades regarding elite Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price, and superstar Los Angeles Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp. With the Winter Meetings beginning today, some interesting moves should be made over the next week. Stay tuned and leave a comment!
