Arizona Diamondbacks - Unknown
One of two teams that hit the .500 mark on the nose. Look to see what they do with BJ Upton's contract this off season to see if they feel they are on the right path back to the playoffs or if they will begin to cash in some of there bigger names approaching Free Agency to bring in some younger talent.
Atlanta Braves - Buyers
What to do with the hot corner in Atlanta? And what happens if Bourn walks? I see Atlanta trying to lock up Bourn and bring in another name for a corner infield. Atlanta does have a solid defensive team so look for a little pop in the lineup to give Atlanta an edge next year.
Baltimore Orioles - Buyers
After beating all expectations and a Boston team that appears to still be flailing, Baltimore has to think that their time is now or never. Look for them to loosen the purse strings in the ballpark of $15 Million in the free agency market and/or trade a prospect to bring in a bat from a team willing to eat some salary.
Boston Red Sox - Sellers
Sellers, but probably very finicky ones. A big buy could still happen with an offer for a Hamilton or another big name to try and create a spark. Though the long term strategy seems to be toward a rebuild, any new manager should get a season to decide who will be part of the future and who won't. I don't believe the fire sale to LA last year was the entirety of Boston's tear down, but by the end of next season the short list will be created, and next off-season will be an epic one for this team in the Free Agency market.
Chicago White Sox - Buyers
I feel that the South Side is pretty happy with the team they got, though will add where the price is right. It will be interesting what kind of offer they tender to A.J this off season, especially when it comes to number of years.
Cincinnati Reds - Unknown
The Reds have spent the last several years piecing together the very good team that they have. They will likely have some holes to fill. But, with Cuedo, Votto, Bruce, and Phillips locked in, the team may look from within to fill some of these roles and keep their bank account looking good when it comes time to retain some of their bigger names in years to come.
Cleveland Indians - Sellers
A decent collection of middle of the road players led by Choo should make for some tempting grazing grounds for teams looking to round out their rosters either this winter or at the next trade deadline. With few high prospects in the majors, Cleveland will continue to try and accumulate prospects in the hope of striking gold in the near future.
Colorado Rockies - Buyers
A Team that has to be very happy with the results of moves made last off season when it comes to position players, but their rotation is severely lacking, with <70 wins, the question is how much will the Rockies shell out in free agency for the coveted starting pitcher and how much will they look to within to bolster a team that was #1 in hits, #3 in RBI's, and #16 in ERA in the national league. The days of Coors being a hitters park are indeed alive and well.
Detroit Tigers - Buyers
With so many huge names locked in, you have to imagine Ilitch and Dombrowski are far from giving up on a ring after coming so close. With Valverde walking, priority one will be the Bullpen, though it sounds like they have a hot prospect coming up. If this is the case, then there could be plenty of money lying around to go grab one more big name.
Houston Astros - Sellers
After dumping the few big stars they had last season, I don't think the Astros are done. Jed Lowrie will probably be put on the blocks again and a lot of younger players will get their shot before this team starts reaching into their pocketbook.
Kansas City Royals - Buyers
They already grabbed Erivin Santana to bolster the rotation. The Royals have been patient and have put together a pretty decent lineup. Expect another modest pick up and see where that can take them in a division where 90 wins could make the playoffs.
Los Angeles Angels - Unknown
The late season pick up of Greinke wasn't enough to take the Angels over the hump and into the post season, but with so many big contracts and Trout just getting warmed up, you have to expect this team will be competing for the next several years. The question is how much do they have left in the bank to go out and grab another piece. I'd expect an attempt to at least drive up the price of Greink for another team. But nothing else of major note.
Los Angeles Dodgers - Buyers
Well well well, after one of the most aggressive clubs in recent history failed to grab a playoff spot, where does that leave you? t does appear that the new ownership is committed to making a dominant Dodgers team a reality. Look for Kershaw to get a new buddy in the rotation by opening day.
Miami Marlins - Unknown
With such an active season that ended up to be such a bust, it's hard to imaging the club making another big acquisition so quickly, but you also don't see them reverting back to the old days of an all star farm team so quickly. You never know, maybe that god awful green paint that covers everything in the outfield opened up some cash for another round of purchases.
Milwaukee Brewers - Buyers
Reluctant, but buying. They have a good thing started in Milwaukee, and they will need to feed the beast a bit, ideally with pitching, but if a better deal shows up with a bat, they will need something if they want it to continue with the good thing they started under the Fielder/Braun era.
Minnesota Twins - Sellers
After losing their best pitcher Baker for all of 2012, it became apparent that the Twins did not have much going for them. Look for them to lock in Baker for a long term deal with the "coming off of tommy jones" discount and continue with the rebuilding process.
New York Mets - Buyers
After showing a lot of long awaited signs of life early in the 2012 season, the Mets might finally be in the position to spend some money and get their big market fan base a reason to support them again. The biggest question marks arise when looking at what kind of contract Dickey and Wright will need to stay put, and how much that will leave to grab a new catcher or bull pen help.
New Your Yankees - Buyers
Not even going to look down the stat lines for this team, if the Yankees feel they need something, they will go out and get it. Who will play Closer, Shortstop, Third base, and DH are all good questions, but one thing is for sure, if A-Rod leaves the Yanks, it won;t be because the Yanks think they can get some good young talent for him.
Oakland A's - Unknown
A team that consistently does a lot with very little, they will probably grab a couple guys deep in the free agent market and slide some players around that won;t make the front page of the paper, and still come out with a 90+ win team next year. A solid Rangers team and a stacked Angels team will make it difficult to repeat a playoff appearance though.
Philadelphia Phillies - Buyers
Look for the Phillies to grab a big bat to keep the team winning while they focus on rebuilding their rotation. The sale of the team last year freed up a lot of cash and a lot of holes to fill to get them over the .500 mark.
Pittsburgh Pirates - Mid Season Buyers
They seem doomed to come out of the gates hot next year after a quite off season, only to wind up a few games out at the trade deadline and no cash to make a big splash with. I thought grabbing Wandy Rodriguez and Gaby Sanchez, but ultimately it didn't pan out.
San Diego Padres - Sellers
Though I should put an asterisks on this one, with new ownership that appears to be committed to some of the better trading chips that the Padres have to offer, such as Headley, there may be a bit of a 'wait and see' approach this off season. Making more modest acquisitions and trades.
San Francisco Giants - Buyers
A lack luster season by The Freak doesn't have too many people worried, but the thought is that a few position players could be asking for a lot more then they would normally get thanks to the shiny finger packaging that they now sport. The Giants have had success using the formula of solid pitching and filling a lot of position holes on the fly. Don't expect any big names to be brought in, but expect the lineup to look quite a bit different next year.
Seattle Mariners - Sellers
Might catch some flack for this one, but the Seattle farm system just isn't deep enough to justify bringing in a big player to let them compete against the Rangers, Angels, and A's next year, and the payroll just isn't there. It will probably be more active at mid-season. Another bust year for the Angels and a Hamilton-less Ranger team could swing this race back to the Mariners favor though.
St. Louis Cardinals - Buyers
Proving that there is plenty of life in this club after Pujols, If Berkman calls it quits then look to the team making a splash to replace his bat, or getting a fresh young face to bolster a veteran rotation. In a couple years this club will be faced with the decisions to go young or not, but for now, this team can continue to compete with tweaks instead of rebuilds.
Tampa Bay Rays - Unknown
With Upton, Sheilds, and Pena all having question marks over them, it would be easy to call the Rays buyers to keep up in the AL East, but this is the Rays, somehow they will find another pair of All-Star prospects while fielding a team that makes a total of about $50. How do they do it?
Texas Rangers - Buyers
At the very least, Rangers are going to try and keep Hamilton, which may be a task to great to accomplish. Teams like the Brewers, Giants, Phillies, or even the BoSox will be betting on him to the point that Texas could bow out and pursue a pair of cheaper options. A nightmare scenario has the Yankees decreeing that they will get Hamilton, period. Any route will have Texas forking out some cash.
Toronto Blue Jays - Sellers
They already traded their best Manager, I don't see them making the moves it would tack on the 25+ games they need to make the playoffs, parting with Johnson or Villinueva seem more likely.
Washington Nationals - Buyers
Alert the presses, The Nationals have waited years to make their run, a healthy Strasburg and several other things clicking in their favor, adding a big bat or a relief pitcher could go a long ways.
So there you are, all 29 teams. Wait, whats that? I missed one?
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| What would Theo dp? |
Possibly the biggest sellers of them all, Garza could head out, there are already attempts at moving Soriano and Marmol, no decent offer will be turned away as the Cubbies are at least one more year away from making any huge moves towards being a truly competitive team. A move to bring in a vet in the rotation or the bench isn't out of question, but I'd be shocked if it were Greinke or Hamilton.
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