Kirby_waved_at_me

Jake Peavy is returning to the Giants on a 2 year deal

Padres acquire Catcher Derek Norris from the Athletics ... oh and Justin Upton from the Braves.

Yes, I agree! That was my point, if I had one.

WHEW! don't scare me like that. I was thinking ACL or Tommy John or he lost a finger or something.

I think if these are viewed as two separate trades - 1) Myers and Hanigan to SD for Rene Rivera and a boatload of SD's prospects. 2) Souza to Tampa for one of SD's prospects and one of Tampa's prospects. Tampa gets a replacement for Myers in Souza and a bunch of prospects and only gave up one notable prospect of their own. The fact that the prospect Trea Turner is moving from SD to Washington means a kind of savings for Tampa. I think the Nationals got involved so the Rays could acquire a replacement for Myers that San Diego couldn't or wouldn't put in the deal.

Depends on how bad Alex Rios' legs are, I guess. The Royals "weak link" in the outfield was Nori Aoki, who was actually really good. It's possible that his defense was aided by how great Gordon was in LF and how Dyson and Cain covered a ton of ground in CF. The Twins' OF defense got worse so far, assuming that Arcia and Hunter will man the corners and one of Schafer or Hicks will be on the bench. Ervin Santana will probably notch more strikeouts than the slot in the rotation he's replacing, and Gibson will hopefully be more consistent. Not to mention Meyer/May/Milone; it's too early to tell what the Twins can get out of them. Depending on the starters to strike out more hitters won't cut it, and the defense did not get any better than last year - so I will say not close unless the Royals regress by a large margin.

That's the eternal question of pro baseball, though, right? is the point to win, at all costs? is the point to maximize profit, this is a business after all? is the point to have "fun," embrace the unique storylines and operate based on a mix of competitive and compelling moves? Take the Twins' adding Torii Hunter: was it a sentimental move that happened to also make some baseball sense, or was it a purely financial/competitive move that had a coincidental sentimental connotation? Calling up Pino - it could be viewed as a baseball decision, or a "feel-good story" with some baseball sense. I don't think there are very many moves made in baseball that are purely soulless business decisions. The level of fairness shown to the guys like Pino, Bernier, Colabello, etc is important in the long run, though. The way a team treats its worst players makes the team's reputation.

yeah, Volquez is a nice addition, it will be tough for him to come from Pittsburgh to the AL Central and have as much success as A) James Shields or Volquez in the NL. I think it was a good move for KC, though, no question about that. Just maybe not enough.

This is more perplexing - Where would the Twins play Asdrubal Cabrera? For the amount of money he'll be getting via free agency, you'd think the Twins were making another move if they add Cabrera.

Sergio Romo returns to Giants on a 2 year deal

I don't know where he'd fit on the Twins' roster, but it remains to be seen what will happen with Escobar this offseason. I'd take Kang over Nuñez at this point, anyway, just to see what would happen.

Well, it might be more formidable this year than it was in the past - Melky, LaRoche, Abreu from Chicago; Arcia, Vargas, Mauer, Dozier, (Sano?) from the Twins; Miggy, V-Mart, Cespedes from Detroit; Gordon, Rios, Morales in theory can all hurt a pitchers numbers in a hurry. Cleveland has a good middle of the order group too, though Floyd won't have to worry about that.

A couple things to factor in - who had the most holes to fill? Which team has the most payroll flexibility? Which teams have the greatest needs? I think if the grading is weighted, ranked, on a bell curve, whatever; it seems like the White Sox had the most work to do. I don't think I'd give any team an F at this point, but I don't think anyone has aced the offseason (yet). Kansas City - additions: Kendrys Morales, Alex Rios, Yohan Pino. Losses: James Shields, Nori Aoki, Billy Butler, Josh Willingham, Raul Ibañez. I think KC should get an 'F' for the Morales deal, but that's just me being overly harsh. It's still possible that it won't blow up in their faces. They still have a lot of work to do, though, if they want to keep up with everyone else in the Central. GRADE: C- Detroit - additions: Alfredo Simon, Shane Greene, Yoenis Cespedes. Losses: Rick Porcello, Torii Hunter, Max Scherzer, Eugenio Suarez, Robbie Ray. Their biggest issue last year was the bullpen. They haven't fixed that, and they are weaker in the starting rotation now too. Losing their ace is going to hurt big time. I expect Cespedes to have better offensive numbers than Torii, and retaining Victor Martinez was a big key to maintaining quality on offense. They need to improve their pitching and their defense . . . again. GRADE: D Cleveland - additions: Brandon Moss, Gavin Floyd Losses: none of significance Unlike the teams above them in the standings, they kept their #1, Corey Kluber, and have some nice depth in the rotation. They have a nice collection of expensive (or at least overpriced) old dudes in the outfield, they may find a trade partner to take Murphy or Swisher off their hands, but they would be lucky to get much back. They have some good pieces in the infield, their shopping list is usually short in the offseason. Cleveland gets a better grade just by virtue of hanging onto their best players and adding a little pop and a little depth. GRADE: C+ Chicago - additions: Jeff Samardzjia, Melky Cabrera, David Robertson, Zach Duke, Adam LaRoche Losses: Marcus Semien, Paul Konerko The White Sox definitely went for quantity so far this offseason, and there has been a fair amount of quality mixed in. Adding The Shark to the rotation that already featured Chris Sale and Jose Quintana will make a big difference on its own. The White Sox also have made significant waves in the bullpen, paying big bucks for the proven-est of the proven closers on the market, and picking up an under-the-radar success story in lefty Zach Duke. The offense also improved, with Chicago adding protection for Jose Abreu in the form of Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche. The sheer volume of holes in the roster and the needs they still have behind the plate and at second base are the only thing keeping them from an "A." Keep in mind that the off-season is still far from over. Grade: B+ Minnesota - additions: Torii Hunter, Ervin Santana, J.R. Graham (Rule V) Losses: Colabello, Swarzak, Parmelee Outfield defense and pitching depth were two major points of concern for the Twins heading into the offseason. They picked up a 9 time gold glove winner (*) and a solid starting pitcher from the Free Agent market. Hunter provides a veteran bat and tasty, tasty veteran leadership. Santana has been durable and effective and can provide better than league average innings for the Twins, which would be a welcome sight to see. Time will tell if they will make any more moves to make room for the prospects soon to arrive, or to address the need for outfield defense and pitching depth. (* recent results may vary) Grade: C

I like that all the teams in the AL Central seem to be improving. It should make for some exciting baseball at Target Field in 2015.

Who is Tommy Milone? http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02972/ramone_2972734b.jpg oops that's Tommy Ramone. Lefty with a pulse - I think the Twins will hang onto Milone as long as they can. Does he have any options left? If so, I bet he'll anchor the Rochester Rotation or he'll take Duensing's gig.

Do the Twins still view Herrmann as a catcher, or is he full-time outfield corner going forward?

Cliff would probably hit more homers over 500 at bats, but I'd give Gavin the edge on the mound...

the Rule V guy Graham should be on the list under bullpen arms, unless the thought is he won't make the team out of spring training.

Blue Jays add 1B/DH Daric Barton on a minor league deal - competition for Colabello

Orioles add lefty RP Wesley Wright - one year deal

Gavin Floyd signs one year deal with Cleveland

Everbody sitting down? The Yankees signed Cris Capuano for another year.

Did the White Sox try to get Samardzjia from the Cubs at the deadline (or last off-season)? It sure seems like the price to acquire the Shark has gone down as time went by. Very different circumstances, of course, for the Cubs letting him go vs. the A's trying to get something of value for him... I think the White Sox, if they were after him before this offseason, they were pretty quiet about it. It's possible they couldn't afford to acquire him via trade with the Cubs (they definitely would not have matched the A's offer).

Padres offer a 1 year deal to Brandon Morrow

Marlins add Michael Morse on a two year deal