2010 MLB: American League Free Agency Tracker

2010 Major League Baseball Free Agent Look/Breakdown

Check in with Capperspicks.com all MLB Betting season for the best baseball betting and gambling tips all season long. Here we go with a recap/review of the the BIG offseason moves in Major League Baseball for the 2009/2010 season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL EAST

Baltimore Orioles

The O’s stepped in the time machine and brought Miggy Tejada back to play third base in 2010. Anything to bring some media buzz to a franchise that struggles to tread water in a division with the big-budget clubs is good news for Baltimore. The team also hopes corner infielder Garrett Atkins can have a bounce-back year in 2010 after he saw sharp dips in all statistics last year with the Rockies.  The pitching staff should be helped with the addition of veteran Kevin Millwood, who will likely step in as Baltimore’s ace.

Boston Red Sox

If everyone stays healthy, the Red Sox might have the best rotation in baseball this season. The addition of Angels stud John Lackey improves the depth greatly. Marco Scutaro, an on-base machine for Toronto last season, was acquired to play SS, and veteran Mike Cameron will play CF. Jeremy Hermida and Bill Hall were acquired for outfield depth. Boston will have to rely on its pitching, as its bats aren’t as strong as they were in the past.

New York Yankees

The reigning World Series champs lost some pieces from the 2009 unit, but as always Steinbrenner the Younger was looking to plug the gaps. Gone is World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, but the speedy duo of Curtis Granderson and Randy Winn were nabbed from Detroit and San Francisco, respectively, to provide an explosive dynamic and some offensive production. Javier Vazquez, Lord of the K, makes a return to the Bronx and will be in the starting rotation. Look for the Bronx Bombers to be characteristically strong.

Tampa Bay Rays

This young team has another year of experience under its belts, but the Rays will need to swat and play sound baseball to keep up with the Sox and Yanks. In the pitching rotation, the top two of James Shields and Matt Garza is excellent and Tampa has one of the best young players in the game in 3B Evan Longoria. Utilityman Ben Zobrist also really emerged last season and look for him to take a more assertive role. The Rays’ line-up returns largely intact from 2009.

Toronto Blue Jays

In losing ace Roy Halladay to the Phillies, the Jays lose what is likely the franchise’s best pitcher of all time. That loss will hurt and it could be a long season north of the border. Toronto has a couple of great hitters in 2B Aaron Hill and OF/DH Adam Lind, but it isn’t enough to keep pace with others in the division. Relief pitcher Kevin Gregg was acquired to carve out a spot in the bullpen, and C John Buck will likely handle Toronto’s starting duties.

AL CENTRAL

Chicago White Sox

With the addition of old guys like OF Andruw Jones and IF Omar Vizquel, the Pale Hose are hoping to wheel back the clock a little bit. Chicago is also one of a few teams in the hunt for aging OF Johnny Damon. The Sox also look to Mark Teahen, over from the Royals, to provide some respectable production at third base. A full season from ace pitcher Jake Peavy will be nice for White Sox fans.

Cleveland Indians

The Tribe has started a youth movement of the first order. Cleveland had its shot in 2007 and now, as a smaller-market club, it must turn over its roster. Centerfielder Grady Sizemore is the most talented player on the roster and Cleveland will look for significant contributions from youngsters like 1B Matt LaPorta and catching prospect Lou Marson. Can P Fausto Carmona ever be effective again, like his scary run in 2007? A chunk of Indians wins could hang in the balance, but still not enough to vault them into the playoffs in 2010.

Detroit Tigers

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is driving to the hoop for veteran OF Johnny Damon. In the Curtis Granderson trade with the Yankees, Detroit grabbed promising prospect Austin Jackson, who will now patrol centerfield for the Tigers. Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello is a great duo of starting pitchers, and if young Max Scherzer continues to emerge, it’s a strong top three. Other resident mashers, like Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez, return.

Kansas City Royals

KC made a couple intriguing additions in the outfield in Rick Ankiel (from the nearby-Cardinals) and Scott Podsednik (from the White Sox, who came over with 2B Chris Getz). Ace Zack Greinke won the A.L. Cy Young Award last season, but can other hurlers like Gil Meche and Luke Hochevar regularly make a difference? At catcher Jason Kendall, who seems like he’s been in the bigs since Vietnam vets were being spit on, will take the reins.

Minnesota Twins

As the franchise that seems to be the Little Engine That Could year after year, there is some new excitement in the Twin Cities: the new Target Field brings outdoor baseball for the first time in decades and the Twins scrapping to sign MVP Joe Mauer to a long-term deal. Switch-hitting 2B Orlando Hudson joins the fray from the Dodgers and ancient Jim Thome will hope to provide some power from the bench (sidenote: Thome is just making the rounds in the A.L. Central – Cleveland, Chicago and now Minny!)

AL WEST

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels can never be ruled out from season to season; they have a phenomenal baseball mechanism in the L.A. suburbs. Outfielder Bobby Abreu came over from the Yankees in 2009; former teammate Hideki Matsui follows him west this season. “Godzilla” will handle the DHing in Anaheim. Brandon Wood, who seemed like an eternal prospect, will probably get his shot at the starting third base job. Vlad Guerrero is finally gone, but the Angels are more than set in the outfield with Juan Rivera, Torii Hunter and Abreu. Reggie Willits provides depth and Matsui can still move his creaky joints around if need be.

Oakland Athletics

An exciting acquisition for the A’s in the offseason is injury-prone ace pitcher Ben Sheets. He will join a young rotation and Oakland hopes he provides mentorship and strikeouts. The A’s outfield is dexterous with LF Rajai Davis and CF Coco Crisp; Kevin Kouzmanoff comes over from lowly San Diego to man the three bag. A step forward from 1B Daric Barton would surely help Oakland greatly in the win column.

Seattle Mariners

In Cliff Lee, the excellent hurler the Phillies used as a rental last season, and P Felix Hernandez, Seattle could have the best one-two in the MLB. Seattle was busy in the offseason, also adding 3B Chone Figgins, 1B Casey Kotchman and testy corner outfielder Milton Bradley. In RF, Ichiro is going to agelessly do what he does; with so much new help, Ichiro et al. could have a promising season in 2010.

Texas Rangers

Often the pin-cushion of the division in the past, the Rangers made substantial strides last season, and talented OF Josh Hamilton is confidently predicting 96 wins for his club in 2010. The intra-division competition is much stiffer in 2010, but 2B Ian Kinsler is an absolute stud, RF Nelson Cruz simply mashes dongs and explosive P Rich Harden comes over from the Cubs. If everyone can stay healthy and if Hamilton can avoid prolonged slumps, the Rangers might just make Hamilton look perceptive.

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