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November 4, 2007

Every Given Sunday

Offseason Plans

by John Perrotto

They hadn’t even gotten all the cigar ashes and champagne stains out of the carpet in the visiting clubhouse at Coors Field when the offseason began in earnest. The Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves pulled off a major trade this past Monday, less than 24 hours after the Boston Red Sox finished their sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. The Tigers acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Braves--making official the shift of Carlos Guillen to first base--in exchange for a pair of top-flight prospects in right-hander Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.

That move likely signaled the start of a crazy winter. With the first major event of the offseason--the general managers’ meetings--beginning Monday in Orlando, let’s take a cue from Nate Silver’s outstanding division-by-division look at where the 30 major-league teams stand as they get ready to make major overhauls, minor tweaks, or something in between. Whereas Nate did a great job of illustrating what the teams should do, the following is more a summation of what they are likely going to do.

Arizona: Add a starting pitcher to both fill the hole left by Livan Hernandez leaving as a free agent and to safeguard against Randy Johnson not being able to return from back surgery.

Atlanta: Make a pitch to Tom Glavine to return home to the Braves as a free agent, and sign Mike Cameron--amphetamine suspension notwithstanding--to fill the hole left by Andruw Jones in center field until either Gorkys Hernandez or Jordan Schafer is ready.

Baltimore: Dismantle the club, as team president Andy MacPhail has seen enough. Miguel Tejada will be moved this winter and so will Ramon Hernandez, and the Orioles would even entertain offers for Eric Bedard if they could get a big haul in return. Aubrey Huff, Jay Gibbons, and Melvin Mora can be had for a song.