As baseball’s winter meetings concluded this week, the divide between the haves and the have-nots continued to expand.
The Boston Red Sox sent prospects to cash-strapped San Diego for slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and sent a boatload of cash to Carl Crawford.
The Washington Nationals paid huge dollars for outfielder Jayson Werth, and if you don’t think the Nationals are one of baseball’s haves, well, know that Nats owner Ted Lerner is baseball’s wealthiest with an estimated worth of $3 billion.
The results of winter moves ultimately can’t be graded for months and possibly years. That said, there were definitely winners and losers from the deals so far. Let’s examine.
Winners
The Atlanta Braves: The Braves filled their biggest void – adding a right-handed power bat by acquiring Dan Uggla from Florida – and replaced the veteran bullpen departures by adding Scott Linebrink and George Sherrill. Plus, Atlanta’s main rivals in the East – the Phillies, the Mets and the Marlins – either lost key pieces or did not do a lot.
Cliff Lee: The biggest name left on the free agent landscape, Lee’s value has grown in the last few days by the big-dollar deals awarded to Werth and Crawford, among others. The New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers are the front-runners for Lee, the left-handed pitcher who was dominant down the stretch as the Rangers reached their first World Series. The numbers likely will be around seven years and $160 million. Wow.
Albert Pujols: The Cardinals slugger is under contract for the 2011 season, but he will be a free agent this time next year. And if middle-of-the-road power hitters such as Paul Konerko, Carlos Pena and Adam Dunn are getting deals that average more than $10 million per season, what is the game’s best player going to get? Seriously, Werth got a seven-year, $126 million deal for .296 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs in 2010 and career totals of .272, 120 and 406 in an eight-year career. What in the world is the starting price for Pujols, who is a .331 career hitter with 408 HRs and 1,230 RBIs in a 10-year career that included a .312 average, 42 homers and 118 RBIs in 2010? Truly, if Werth gets roughly $18 million a season, isn’t Pujols worth $36 million per year?
Losers
The Los Angeles Dodgers: As the McCourts battle for control of the club, the team has remained stagnant. They did not offer a contract to catcher Russell Martin, and the problems in left field and third base are still there.
Royals fans: The talk of building with draft picks and pitching is looking more and more like just talk. Former Cy Young Award winner Zack Grienke is on the block, and there are a lot of retreads – hello, Jeff Francoeur – on the roster.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6273.