sWo 2012 MLB Preview: Off-season Review

This Major League Baseball off-season started the same as most, with a group of big name players looking for new homes.  The bumper-crop of superstars this year was lead by Albert Pujols, a future Hall of Famer and the leader of the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.  While most of America was living for Sundays and pigskin obsessed, Pujols was searching out a deal that could choke a rhino.  He found that rhino - and $254 million dollars - in the land of Mickey Mouse and Goofy.  No rhinos were harmed in the creation of this paragraph, but surely some Cardinals fans were.  They are heading into 2012 without the one player who could vie with Stan Musial as the all-time face of their storied franchise.

The Angels ended up as one of the big spenders this winter, securing Pujols to the richest deal in baseball history - 10 years, $254m.  They also landed the top starting pitcher on the market in former Texas Ranger C.J. Wilson.  It took $77.5 million to convince Wilson to switch A.L. West clubs, a contract that many felt was a massive overpayment.  Wilson will join a top-notch rotation for a team that is expected to challenge Texas right away in the division.

The other notable free agent movement occurred much later, when in late January the Detroit Tigers made a big splash by signing 1B Prince Fielder to a 10-year, $214 million deal.  Besides dishing out a 10-year deal to a player who has battled weight problems throughout his career, the Tigers also displaced their best player, Miguel Cabrera.  Cabrera will take over at 3rd base, giving the Tigers a meaty punch in the middle of their lineup.  Fielder signing with Detroit was the big story in Milwaukee as well, as the Brew Crew lost one of their franchise players and may also be without OF Ryan Braun - the defending NL MVP - for 50 games in 2012 due to a suspension handed down by MLB.

It was a historic offseason for the newly-minted Miami Marlins, who will open a new stadium and debut a drastic change in uniform attire with many free agent acquisitions.  The Marlins signed SS Jose Reyes to a 6-year, $106 million deal to lead the new look team into their new era.  They also added SP Mark Buehrle, Closer Heath Bell, and the enigma known as SP Carlos Zambrano to a team that already had a few potential superstars in OF Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison.  The Marlins will make a splash in the N.L. East, where they will battle the Philadelphia Phillies and possibly the Washington Nationals for the division crown.

The Nationals are ready to become relevant in 2012, adding SP Gio Gonzalez in a trade from Oakland, and signing SP Edwin Jackson to a 1-year deal.  The return of phenom SP Stephen Strasburg and the continued maturation of SP Jordan Zimmerman combine with those moves to give the Nationals one of the deepest starting rotations in the National League.  The prospect of former #1 overall pick Bryce Harper making the roster out of camp adds to the intrigue felt by fans in Washington.  After making a major splash last offseason, the Nationals seem ready to contend.

These are the major off-season free agent signings that resulted in multi-year contracts and the player switching teams.  Consider these players under the pressure cooker in 2012, as they will all be expected to contribute to teams immediately and in a significant manner.

1B   Albert Pujols / Los Angeles Angels / 10-years, $254 million
1B   Prince Fielder / Detroit Tigers / 10-years, $214 million
SS   Jose Reyes / Miami Marlins / 6-years, $106 million
SP   C.J. Wilson / Los Angeles Angels / 5-years, $77.5 million
SP   Mark Buehrle / Miami Marlins / 4-years, $58 million 
RP  Jonathan Papelbon / Philadelphia Phillies / 4-years, $50 million
RP  Heath Bell / Miami Marlins / 3-years. $27 million
3B  Michael Cuddyer / Colorado Rockies / 3-years, $31.5 million
3B  Aramis Ramirez / Milwaukee Brewers / 3-years, $36 million
OF  Josh Willingham / Minnesota Twins / 3-years, $21 million
OF  Carlos Beltran / St. Louis Cardinals / 2-years, $26 million
RP  Joe Nathan / Texas Rangers / 2-years, $14.75 million

Cuban OF Yoenis Cespedes signed with the Oakland A's

Baseball fans will continue to be treated to the talents of players making their major league debut this season, all whom have had notable careers in foreign leagues and for National teams.  These players require a major investment by each team for the right to negotiate with the player, on top of whatever amount they may sign for.  The notable signings in this category include:

OF  Yoenis Cespedes / Oakland Athletics  / 4-years, $36 million
SP   Wei-Ying Chen / Baltimore Orioles / 3-years, $11.8 million
SP   Yu Darvish / Texas Rangers / 6-years, $60 million
SP   Tsuyoshi Wada / Baltimore Orioles / 2-years, $8.1 million

There were several notable trades that occurred this offseason as well, with such notable players as SP Mat Latos (SD to CIN), SP Gio Gonzalez (OAK to WAS), SP Michael Pineda (SEA to NYY), SP Jeremy Guthrie (BAL to COL), SP Carlos Zambrano (CHC to MIA), OF Carlos Quentin (CWS to SD), RP Andrew Bailey (OAK to BOS), RP Sean Marshall (CHC to CIN), SS Jed Lowrie (BOS to HOU), and high-value prospects 1B Anthony Rizzo and C Jesus Montero all changing teams.  


This offseason changed the face of the game once again, and with so much activity occurring it is inevitable that baseball fans will be treated to some great stories this season.  We will see which team played the best game of "hot stove" starting this week as Spring Training 2012 gears up for all 32 teams.