When opening my inbox of e-mails this afternoon, Nino Colla presented me with a tough question:
"Both the Red Sox and Yankees are big spenders, probably one more than the other, but this offseason Boston opted to patch their holes with lower risked-high reward type signings like Brad Penny. The Yankees meanwhile retooled with cash. Which single offseason acquisition will prove to be the most successful in 2009?"
Without any doubt from me, the American League East will be the most competitive division in the MLB for the 2009 season.
The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees have loaded 25-man rosters, and the Rays are no slouches either. The Toronto Blue Jays can be factored in as well, they have long been a good team stuck in the wrong division. The only real cellar-dweller team looks to be the Baltimore Orioles.
The 2008-2009 offseason saw the Yankees bring in marquee names like Sabathia, Teixeira, and Burnett. The Rays added left fielder/designated hitter Pat Burrell, as well as trading for then-Tigers outfielder Matt Joyce. The Red Sox combated these solid acquisitions by the division rivals by adding Ramon Ramirez, Takashi Saito, Brad Penny, Rocco Baldelli, Brad Wilkerson, and John Smoltz.
Of those signings, John Smoltz is the most important of the division from this past winter. Here's my logic as to why.
The Yankees did add two front-line starters in Burnett and Sabathia. However, those are essentially replacements for their 2008 rotation. Mike Mussina, who won 20 games in 2008, retired after the season. He will be replaced with CC Sabathia.
While Burnett is a solid pitcher when healthy, that "when" is a big "if." Injuries have plagued Burnett for years now. In 2008 Burnett made 34 starts, the first time he hit the 30-start mark since the 2005 season, and only the second time in his career.
Obviously, Cashman didn't learn much from the Carl Pavano deal, or he was so desperate he became willing to grossly overpay for a pitcher who owns the Red Sox on a regular basis, despite the fact he is rarely able to put a full season together.
Also, the Teixeira deal is essentially a replacement for Jason Giambi. While Tex obviously is a better hitter and defender than Giambi, their power production is incredibly similar. I would also like to point out that before his Yankees career began, Giambi was essentially the same hitter that Teixeira is now. A perennial .300 hitter with Oakland, Giambi never reached that mark with the Yankees.
The Red Sox flooded their pitching staff with talent this winter. Theo Epstein added depth to the rotation and bullpen by bringing in Penny, Smoltz, Ramirez, and Saito.
The Red Sox already have a dominant front end of the rotation, headed by Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Lester. As if the Red Sox aren't good enough, imagine a healthy John Smoltz pitching as a fourth starter for Boston, with Brad Penny bringing up the rear. Smoltz has won 210 games in his career, serving as an excellent strikeout pitcher. Penny, who was plagued with injuries most of last year, started for the National League All-Star team in 2007.
If Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Smoltz, and Penny are all healthy and locked in at the same time, this would really make the Red Sox a force to be reckoned with. With these five star pitchers firing on all cylinders by the end of the year, paired with Boston's fabulous bullpen and great offense, Boston will be very hard to beat down the stretch or in a short series.
How far the Red Sox go in 2009 largely lies on how Smoltz performs. If Smoltz can click in and find his "A game" in sync with the rest of the Boston staff, the Red Sox could go all the way once again. If Smoltz has more injury trouble or is ineffective, the Red Sox could suffer another disappointing end like in 2008.
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