With the conclusion of football season, February can seem devoid of sports excitement. Yes, the Olympics are on and the NBA and NHL are midway through their seasons, but the playoffs are still far away. It is not quite spring and it is barely winter, but all fans know is that baseball season is on the cusp. Clubs will head to their spring training homes, and 15 of those clubs will come down to the sunshine state in hopes of bringing a World Series crown back to their respective city. Regardless, here are some headlines that baseball fans should know about some Grapefruit League clubs.
New Look Yankees
The New York Yankees have had an eventful off-season to say the least. They signed former Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to replace Curtis Granderson as well as catcher Brian McCann and outfielder Carlos Beltran in an effort to improve the offense. They bolstered their pitching staff by signing Japanese league star Masahiro Tanaka to a seven year, $155 million contract and reliever Matt Thornton to a two-year deal to solidify the bullpen. The news has not all been positive for the Bronx Bombers, however, as they lost slugger Alex Rodriguez (who is banned for the season for violating the MLB’s drug policy) and the best closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, to retirement. The Bombers hope that David Robertson will fill in the void at closer. They still have a lot to prove, but it looks like they do whatever they can to prevent the Red Sox from repeating as World Series champions.
Boston Looking to Remain Strong
Speaking of the Red Sox, they are coming off a dream season after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in six games to win their third title in a decade. The Sox clinched the title at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918. Can it get any better for Red Sox Nation? It will be hard for the Red Sox to repeat but it is possible. Boston resigned first baseman Mike Napoli to a 2-year, $32 million contract to help keep their nucleus intact. They also signed catcher A.J Pierzynski to replace Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who signed with the Miami Marlins. The Sox also made their dominant bullpen even better by signing Edward Mujica and Burke Badenhop to set-up closer Koji Uehara. A looming question will be if they will hold onto shortstop Stephen Drew or give the job to prospect Xander Bogaerts. In the end, the key for the Red Sox to repeat is the bullpen and David Ortiz. If Uehara pitches the way he did in the playoffs this year and Big Papi can carry the Sox with his power bat, then it should be a smooth sailing journey back to prominence for Red Sox Nation.
The Dark Horse Tampa Bay Rays
The local area Tampa Bay Rays are the dark horse in the American League East, which is considered to be the best division in baseball. The Rays’ offseason should be considered an up and down one. They lost Fernando Rodney to free agency but signed former Oakland A’s reliever Grant Balfour to a two-year deal to fill the void at closer. The Rays also acquired reliever Heath Bell and catcher Ryan Hanigan in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds and infielder Logan Forsythe from the San Diego Padres. They lost pivotal pieces to last year’s squad like infielder Kelly Johnson, outfielder Sam Fuld, designated hitter Luke Scott and others, but the hometown team does have hope with young stars like reigning 2013 AL Rookie of the Year Wil Myers and all- star Evan Longoria. Even though they have a ton of upside, the Rays will be a long shot for the division title. However, do not be surprised if the Rays are once again playing October baseball.
Are the Cardinals the Team to Beat?
The St. Louis Cardinals have stirred things up this offseason. They traded third baseman David Freese and pitcher Fernando Salas to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielders Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk, which could very well be looked at in retrospect as lopsided. To make things 0worse, they lost Carlos Beltran, a key component to their success in 2013. On a positive note, the Cardinals signed shortstop Jhonny Peralta to a four-year, $53 million contract. Teams criticized the signing due to the fact Peralta violated the MLB’s drug policy and was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2013 season. He should still play a vital part of the
team’s offense and serve as a solid replacement for Pete Kozma. The last major signing the Cardinals made was second baseman Mark Ellis, which adds another veteran presence to the lineup. The Cardinals have a solid team, but it is hard to say if they will repeat the performance during the 2013 season. Their pitching is good but not dominant and is going to ask a lot out of their free agent signings. Overall, the Cardinals are good but to say they are the class of the NL is a stretch.
Will the Nats Rebound?
The Washington Nationals were supposed to take the next step in 2013 but finished short of the playoffs despite going 86-76. This year could be different for the Nationals, especially in a weak National League East. Their only real competition for the division crown will be the Atlanta Braves, who made the NLDS last season before bowing out to the Dodgers. On another positive note, they revamped their pitching by trading for former Detroit Tigers Starting Pitcher Doug Fister and reliever Jerry Blevins from the Oakland A’s.
The rotation will include Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Gio Gonzalez and Fister, one of the best rotations in baseball. Also, the Nationals added outfielder Nate McLouth to play alongside Bryce Harper. The pieces are there for the Nationals to succeed. Can they live up to the hype and take the next step?
These headlines are just a few of many around the Grapefruit League, and this is just the beginning of the marathon that is referred to as baseball season. Get ready baseball fans. It should be a fun ride to the end of October.
Phil Novotny can be reached at philip.novotny@spartans.ut.edu.