Many major moves were made this offseason, and as usual, the New York Yankees were at the front of the pack. “One of [our] off-season goals was to try to upgrade the offense,” said Brian Cashman, Yankees general manager. They certainly succeeded, adding Gary Sheffield and engineering a blockbuster trade with the Rangers that sent Alfonso Soriano to Texas and secured the arrival of reigning American League MVP Alex Rodriguez.
Other teams in the AL East were active this winter as well. The Toronto Blue Jays signed nine pitchers over the course of the winter, to add to an already strong rotation led by Cy Young winner Roy Halladay. Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke have joined Pedro Martinez in Boston this spring, and will aid in the search for an AL East title.
Anaheim looks to have the brightest future out of the west this season. With acquisitions like Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Guillen to beef up the offense, and Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar on the mound, they covered their bases this offseason.
In the National League, teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros stand out as immediate contenders. The Phillies picked up starting pitcher Eric Milton, reliever Tim Worrell, and snagged Billy Wagner to close this season.
Houston added a lot of depth to thier starting roatation when they signed Andy Pettite and got an added bonus as Roger Clemens returned from a short lived retirement to rejoin his old teammate. The Astros will need this depth on the mound in the tough NL Central with the likes of Mark Prior and the Chicago Cubs, and a renovated St.Louis team poised to strike.
The Arizona Diamondbacks look strong in the west, even after losing their number two starter. In the deal for Schilling they received three young pitching prospects, who should fill in nicely with the added run support of Richie Sexson.
