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The White Sox received a split grade here. They got an A in regards to how well they managed to fill their pre-meetings needs, but a C- for the other moves they made. Yes, they pulled the trigger on the big-name starting pitcher Michael Pineda at 1^st overall, despite the rumours of shoulder problems in the youngster, and then they added a 2-inning closer in Fernando Salas, that effectively pushes back the rest of their bullpen to the 7^th inning and sooner. Not bad when you can go to Daniel Bard for the 7^th.

They also signed Omar Infante, a decent solution to their 2^nd base need.

But when they were not looking to fill holes, they made several questionable moves. Firstly, they added depth to their bullpen by drafting Vinnie Pestano with their high 4^th, and then shelling out some big bucks for left-handed reliever Jeremy Affeldt. These moves are questionable, because ideally the Sox starting pitchers should be going 6 or 7 innings per start, so where exactly does Neil envision using Affeldt and Pestano? Besides, by adding to relievers like these who only are effective against one type of hitter, it certainly makes the White Sox less idiot proof. Bringing in one of these guys at the wrong time against the wrong team will almost certainly lead directly to a loss.

A better move would have been to add to the offense. In that 4^th round, Chris Heisey was a perfect guy to grab, someone who can come off the bench and just absolutely crush right-handed pitching. And in free agency, perhaps they should have pooled the $100 bucks spent on Infante, and the $115 bucks spent on Affeldt, and signed themselves Michael Young to play 2^nd base.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: The Sox didn’t hurt themselves, but they didn’t help themselves either, other than filling their holes.

SEATTLE – Grade D

Seattle came in needing a 3^rd baseman, along with depth at starting pitcher and bullpen. They came away with a starting pitcher, and a middle reliever.

If this was a rebuilding team, we might grade them a C, but assuming the M’s are hoping to finish in the top 3 in the AL this year, it was not a good winter meetings. Sure, they were limited in what they could do in the rookie draft, having just a 2^nd and a 4^th, but did okay with their high 2^nd, snagging a much-needed starting pitcher, but was it the right one? Josh Collmenter will fool teams in his first year, but this pick may turn out to be a one-year wonder, as all the scouting reports are negative on this guy. While the alternatives of Ivan Nova and Vance Worley weren’t exactly mouth-watering, Seattle could have traded down to the late 2^nd, early 3^rd and snagged Josh Tomlin. And with their late 4^th, they bypassed several blue-chip set-up men in order to takeon a project – Henry Rodriguez. Again, great for rebuilding, but for winning?

And then in free agency, Seattle cornered the market on guys who’s last good year was when ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ was still a hit TV sitcom. Geoff Blum, Chin Min Wang, Brian Bruney, Aaron Rowand, and Chone Figgins seem to have very little upside. And signing Ichiro Suzuki, who has entered the twilight of his career, had to be an exercise in over spending for very little upside, especially considering that Seattle has a younger version of Ichiro in Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury (assuming Ellsbury comes back down to earth as far as home runs go).

FINAL ASSESSMENT: Seattle may have helped their line-up for 2012 with the Collmenter pick, but that’s it. Almost no help whatsoever from the Meetings. And considering every other contender did a lot more at the Meetings, hence the poor grade.

TORONTO – Grade B-

Toronto came in needing help at 3^rd base, and their starting pitching, and came away with a 3^rd baseman (David Freese) and 2 starting pitchers (Ivan Nova and Vance Worley).

The Jays had a so-so draft this year. None of their picks would appear to be long term prospects, save for their 1^st rounder, underager Matt Moore, who has the potential to be something special. The Jays also added bullpen. That having been said, Toronto did as well as could be expected with their draft picks, given the weak rookie crop.

Toronto could have made a splash in free agency, since they had almost their entire salary cap to spend, but chose instead to sign a comeback candidate in Alex Rios, and a few spare parts to help the bench this year. While the draft gave them stop gap measures in the pitching staff. Antonio Bastardo, Sam LeCure, and Ben Revere figure to be spare parts in another year. If not for drafting Moore, they would get a much worse rating.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: Had the rookie draft been stronger, Toronto may have been able to rebuild their team overnight, just like they did last year. But they did the best with what was available, and have a playoff caliber team after filling some holes.

CALIFORNIA – Grade B-

The World Champion Angels came in needing an almost entire new pitching staff, as well as upgrades on offense. They added John Mayberry and Darwin Barney to the offense, and Ernesto Frieri to the pen. In free agency, Chipper Jones and Ramon Hernandez further strengthen the offense to at least a “satisfactory” level for the AL, but all they got for their beleaguered pitching staff was Cory Wade. A Meetings trade had earlier brought Fausto Carmona to the squad.

The drafting of young Mayberry is somewhat odd, given the relatively few left-handed pitchers in the AL. And when you consider hitters like Brenan Boesch and Lucas Duda were still on the table, not to mention Mark Trumbo, again, one wonders what Mr. Tavella knows that the rest of us don’t.

In the end, this team did fill holes, but not very efficiently, since most of their drafts and signings aren’t even up to last year’s level, while most of their future’s look bleak. All we can assume is that they had plenty of cash to spend coming off their Championship, and wanted to put it towards building a 5^th place team, instead of sitting out the season in rebuilding mode.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: If we judge the Angels on how well they plugged their many holes and got this team looking like a 4^th or 5^th place team, when they came into the meetings looking like a 60 loss team, then they did extremely well. But the reality is that barring a miracle for next year, this team will be in even worse shape in 2013, as they did nothing to address the future.

KANSAS CITY – Grade B+

The Royals came into the Meetings needing tons of starting pitcher help, as well as some additional offense. Unfortunately, they only had one rookie pick, their late 1^st rounder. Yet, through no doing of their own, perhaps the best current and long term starting pitcher fell in their lap – Brandon Beechy. And when they signed free agent starter Kyle Lohse, suddenly the Royals had the makings of a pretty good pitching staff.

But they did fail in their quest to sign a slugger to play 1^st base, as they were outbid for Paul Konerko. But KC does have enough offensive DH-types to allow them to mix and match a 1^st baseman. Had they succeeded in signing Konerko though, their rating would be a solid A.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: With the dire shortage of starting pitching this winter, the fact that KC came out of the Meetings with Beechy and Lohse was a huge boon that cannot be understated. KC is now a solid top 3 team in the AL.

OAKLAND – Grade A

The A’s were an interesting team coming into the Meetings, as they had some stud ball players on their roster, but they all had a lot of mush. The question on everyone’s mind was, would Oakland rebuild, or would they look to strengthen their core. The answer was, both. And yes, we know that it is near-impossible to do both, and so from that perspective, that likely rules Oakland out of winning a Championship in 2012. But in the young stud prospects they added, several of them are very intriguing even now.

Craig Kimbrel and JP Arencibia certainly help now, as do free agent acquisitions Paul Konerko, Jake Peavy, and resigning Michael Young. And Brandon Belt could become one of the best rookies from this year’s draft. And then they acquired in trade Andre Ethier and Chad Billingsley in exchange for a #5 starter (John Lannan) and a 3rd next year.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: Not many teams will be able to look back fondly on this year’s rookie draft, but Oakland may just be the exception.

NEW YORK YANKEES – Grade A-

New York came into the Meetings with a great pitching staff, especially starters, but no real hitting to speak of, save for Prince Fielder. There was talk the Yanks could add some one-year wonder-type hitters and attempt to contend this year, but they resisted that urge, and did the right thing, building for next year. Grabbing Brett Lawrie was the best thing they could have done for the future of their franchise, given how difficult it is to find 3^rd basemen, let alone 22 year olds who have the potential to win several MVP awards. Mark Trumbo was a gift, falling to their 3^rd rounder, and Chris Heisey will help keep them competitive in the present, as will Michael Brantley. They also traded awa their 4^th this year for a 3^rd next year.

In free agency, they only targeted a couple of journeymen to fill out the roster in Harang and Westbrook, anything they get out of these guys for next year will be strictly bonus.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: Although Winter Meetings 2012 was not the best year to be rebuilding, given the sorry state of the rookie draft, NY did well. An offense with Lawrie at 3^rd, Trumbo at 1^st, and Fielder at DH has the makings of putting some real fear into the opposition, especially when you glance over at NY’s starting pitchers.

BOSTON RED SOX – Grade C-

The Red Sox came in with plenty of holes in their line-up, but very few resources to fill them with. Their only draft pick was a middle 1^st rounder, which they used to draft Alexei Ogando, who will pair up with Johnny Cueto to give Boston a one-two punch. In free agency, they lost slugger David Ortiz, and only signed Andruw Jones, who’s last big year was when Monika Lewinski was caught blowing the President.

However, what saved Boston from earning the first ‘F’ grade we have ever given out, was a pre-meetings deal that addressed several of their holes. They acquired a catcher – Kurt Suzuki, a secondary closer in Carlos Marmol, a 3^rd baseman in Danny Valencia, and depth in Ian Stewart and Craig Breslow. While some experts feel they gave up too much for these 5 guys – a 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th in 2013 – the bottom line is that Boston used their future draft picks to acquire known commodities.

WINTER MEETINGS

REVIEW

MARCH 2011

AMERICAN LEAGUE

KANSAS CITY - Grade B

The Royals are looking at repeating as AL Champs, but they broke the #1 commandment of contending by trying to simultaneously build for the future. In the rookie draft, all 3 of their picks are future potential only - Alcides Escobar, Kila Ka"Ahue, and Matt Joyce. Had they focused on further improving their team with these picks, they easily could have opted for Jonny Venters and Danny Valencia. Time will tell if this strategy will backfire on them.

But KC did not fool around in free agency, adding several key building blocks for this season's title defense, led by Jose Bautista. If KC is able to return to the World Series, it will be quite a coup, considering their younger players will only make them even stronger in future years.

OAKLAND - Grade C-

The A's did not make their usual splash at the winter meetings, although again, much like their sister team the Pirates, Oakland strengthened itself via trades leading up to the meetings. But of their 3 draft picks, only Madison Baumgarner has long term potential, while Brian Duensing and John Jaso are now players. Oakland lost a lot of points in their free agency performance, as all they have to show for their efforts are long time usbl journeymen Kyle Farnsworth, Ryan Langerhans, and Brad Penny.

As we mentioned in our Winter Meetings preview, this team is getting old quick, and the few young players they have are taking much longer to develop. These winter meetings did nothing to address this issue, which puts even more pressure on said youngsters to take some major steps forward in their development, and soon.

NY YANKEES - Grade C-

The Yanks are looking to contend in 2011, but the rookie draft saw them take a pitcher who had his first good season in 3 tries - Ian Kennedy - and then proceed to draft 2 backup catchers, Francisco Cervelli in the 2nd, and Ryan Hanigan in the 3rd. And that was all the drafting the Yankees did. The free agent signings were worse, as they added Reed Johnson, Geoff Blum, and comeback hopefuls Brian Roberts and Jesse Litsch.

CALIFORNIA ANGELS - Grade A-

The Angels came into the Meetings with a team that was sitting smack in the middle of contending and pretending, yet with no draft picks and almost zero salary cap room. So what they proceeded to do was near-miraculous. They traded away picks for next year to obtain a 2nd and 3rd rounder, which they parlayed into Jamie Garcia, a guy many expected to go in the middle 1st round, but who slid down to the late 2nd due to some concerns over his arm. And while Jake Fox is serving the backup catcher position, there are some that feel he is close to exploding with the bat.

In free agency, the Angels used their limited funds to pick up another decent starting pitcher in Carlos Silva, an experienced left-handed reliever in Dennys Reyes, the best utility infielder in John McDonald, and, a comeback hopeful in lefty reliever and former closer Mike Gonzalez.

BOSTON RED SOX - Grade D+

The Sox had just 1 rookie pick, and that was a 4th rounder where they grabbed set-up man Jason Motte, leaving several high profile future prospects on the table. In free agency, they did slughtly better, as they filled some holes economically, signing Miguel Tejada to play 3rd, Adam Kennedy to play 2nd, and retainer starter Mark Buehrle. All in all, it was a winter meetings that will have zero impact on future Red Sox teams.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS - Grade B

The Jays were a team many were watching, as they came into the meetings with a truck load of rookie picks, and an entire roster to fill. They did well, as they grabbed some of the top young talent available, including Buster Posey and Starlin Castro in the 1st round. They could have done better though, as they may have jumped the gun on taking reliever Drew Storen in the late 1st, leaving Stephen Strasburg on the table. Other picks like Neil Walker and Danny Valencia remain to be seen whether these work out or not.

In free agency, they filled some holes with Jim Edmonds, and acquired a comeback possibility in Ty Wigginton. All in all, while these meetings will not make them an instant contender, they do provide Toronto with a solid foundation to contend within a year.

SEATTLE MARINERS - Grade A-

Seattle is another rebuilding team, and they came out of the rookie draft with players they expect to be productive for many years to come. Mike Stanton has the potential to be an annual 50 homer guy, while Logan Morrison and Justin Smoak are coming up with enormous press clippings. Even backup catcher Alex Avila may surprise many and take up a regular catcher gig where he gets to show off his strong arm and 20 home run power. Brett Gardner is the only pick we might question, given that the M's already have a singles-hitting outfielder in Ellsbury, which in the power laden American league, singles-hitters might as well be named Mario Mendoza.

In free agency, Seattle made just one signing, picking up veteran Todd Helton to take over 1st base for the departed Adam Dunn.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Grade B-

It was a good weekend for the White Sox! They swung a big trade to move up and grab outfielder Jayson Heyward, who should be a fixture in right for the Sox for the next 10 years. They also snagged hotshot shortstop prospect Ian Desmond in the 3rd round. Mike Leake should fullfill his promise considering he was rated 1-2 with Strasburg all through college. But Leake is currently fighting a tired arm that first popped up last August, so he could be a prospect who takes a bit longer to develop. The one questionable move was Pedro Borbon, although he only wasted a late 4th to take a flyer on this guy who has done nothing but frustrate his coaches with his bonehead thought processes, both on defense and on offense. Will Venable was on the table, and perhaps he offers a better short term solution than does Borbon.

In free agency, the Sox took a flyer on comeback candidates Josh Beckett, and Lance Berkman, while re-aquiring potential closer Frank Francisco. But they again shoot themselves in the foot by signing left-handed reliever jeremy Affeldt to just a 1-year deal, thus eliminating any upside for next season whatsoever in case Affeldt returns to the 2.50 ERA levels he has touched in the past.

National League

CINCINNATI - Grade A-

The Reds came into the Winter Meetings with their offense intact from their World Series winning team in 2010...but a pitching staff that had gone to the dogs, especially their bullpen. With lots of work to do to get this team back to serious contender category, GM March did exactly what he had to do. He rebuilt his bullpen to the point where it is now even better than it was last year. Rookies Jonny Venters and Evan Meek were the best two non-closers available in the rookie draft, and the Reds snagged them both. And then in free agency they added Kameron Loe, for good measure. Cinci also resigned their playoff MVP Joel Piniero, thus maintaining their top 3 starters in Sabathia, Wainwright, and Piniero.

The Reds not only rebuilt their bullpen and in the process made themselves contenders again, but with the players they did this with, there is no reason to expect a letdown from this team in 2012.

PITTSBURGH - Grade B+

The Pirates came in with very little salary cap room, and were of course limited by what they could do in free agency. And as far as improvement from rookie picks goes, they had already filled their few holes via the trade market prior to the meetings. So this draft was about future for them, and they may have struck the mother load when injured phenom Stephen Strasburg fell to their pick. They also scored a coup when they were able to pick up perennial phenom Cameron Maybin late in the 4th round. They also picked up Derek Holland, a lefty starter who throws 96 mph and is still only 24 years old, despite having pitched in the majors for parts of the past 2 years.

MONTREAL - Grade C-

The Expos came in looking to fill just a few holes in order to be the favorite in the NL, and although they did fill their holes, some feel they did so with players who do not offer Montreal much upside beyond this season, thereby raising the possibility that the Expos drop to the second division again after their expected run this year.

They needed outfield help, and filled it with Jeff Tabata, a player who's actual age has been questioned, and who has not shown any power or speed thus far in his career, and an aging minor league journeyman in Mike Morse. Andres Torres was a good pick, but Jhoulys Chacin was snagged 6th overall, and many observers feel that Montreal could have grabbed Neftali Feliz with this pick to upgrade over Papelbon in the closer role, and then still could have still picked up Chacin with their high 2nd rounder.

In free agency, Matt Thornton will be dominant, and may be a closer next year, but the rest of the signings represent either consistent under achievers or players who are nearing the end of their careers in Cairo, Scutaro, Rhodes, Helms, Betemit, and Schneider.

CUBS - Grade B+

The Cubs are also contenders in the NL, and they came in looking to improve themselves, and they did just that. Just for the fact that they drafted Daniel Hudson and Travis Wood in the 2nd round gets them top marks. John Axford in the 1st round was a disappointment, considering that Neftali Feliz should have dropped down to this pick for them, and if that had happened they would be receiving an A for their draft performance. Sean Rodriguez could be the steal of the 4th round, while trading for Daric Barton, although paying a steep price, gives them the slick fielding on-base machine that they love.

They didn't sign any free agents save for Matt Stairs, but they didn't really have to.

LOS ANGELES - Grade B-

The Dodgers have indicated their goal in 2011 is to be competitive while they aim for a resurgence in 2012, and from that point of view it was mission accomplished. They picked up possible young stars in Kenly Jansen, James McDonald, Andrew Cashner, and Reid Brignac, all players who are being counted on by their major league teams to play key roles in 2011. The one knock on LA is that they likely jumped the gun on Jansen, and maybe even McDonald, thus losing out on grabbing a better player in the 3rd round, while still getting these guys in the 4th round.

The Dodgers were one of the stars of free agency, as they utilized their low cap amount by signing Adam Dunn, Scott Rolen, and Rafael Soriano, which will help keep them competitive in 2011.

SAN FRANCISCO - Grade B-

The Giants made it obvious early on that their plan was to continue stockpiling talent with a view to 2012, and to that end adding the best catcher in the draft in Santana and the best 3rd baseman in Alvarez was a huge step towards that goal. But they lost some grades when they picked up starting pitcher in Brett Cecil in the 4th round, a guy who not only has lost 7 mph of velocity off his fastball, but who also pitches in the dreaded AL East. Many felt that with their obvious need for an upgrade at short, a guy like Reid Brignac might have made more sense with this pick. In free agency, they retained the services of set-up man Jesse Crain, who seems to have finally figured things out on the mound. The other questionable move was giving up a pick this year (via the Daric Barton trade) for a pick next year, given that many acknowledge this year's draft was the deepest in 5 years, and next year's draft may be much thinner. Time will tell.

PHILADELPHIA - Grade D

The Phillies and relatively new GM Neil are still learning, and it shows. Their plan coming into the meetings was to build towards the following season. To a certain extent, they did that, but not without raising some eyebrows. Taking a closer 7th overall, even one as impressive as Nefatli Feliz who is set to become a starting pitcher in 2 years, is still a risk not worth taking, considering everyday position players are available like 21 year old shortstop Starlin Castro or 24 year old 3rd baseman Pedro Alvarez. But Neil has shown that he can be seduced with dominant pitching cards over players who's best seasons will come in the future.

But there was nothing wrong with taking Gio Gonzalez with the 2nd pick, and Jonathon Niese with the 3rd, these guys should flourish. But Takahashi at age 36 is a questionable choice for a semi-rebuilding team, and the odd choice of drafting Matt LaPorta instead of a catcher cost the club $110 dollars when they were forced to sign aging veteran Jorge Posada to fill the backup catcher's spot. Time will tell if LaPorta will be worth the pick (and the $110 bucks)...

And in free agency, the Phillies needed to fill some spots, but again, its questionable to fill them with aging vets like Guilermo Mota, Tim Byrdak, Jason Varitek, and Alex Gonzalez instead of younger players who may not perform as well this year, but who could be stars in 1 or 2 years from now. The learning process continues...

SAN DIEGO - Grade C+

The Padres plan for these winter meetings were to use their many draft picks to make some major headway into the rebuilding project that lies ahead of them. And after the draft was over, the main consensus was that they could have done better, but also could have done worse. All in all, time will tell how successful they may have been.

The concern is that they didn't get enough bang for their buck at each rookie selection, given with where the pick was and what else was available. For example, with the 5th pick overall, Austin Jackson is a solid player, and could blossom by adding some power to his game, but the ultimate measure of success of this pick will come when we compare him to what the other options were for the Padres with this pick, namely Castro, Baumgarner, Alvarez, and Strasburg. Other questionable picks include guys like Bud Norris. But again, don't get us wrong, Norris still has a lot of upside, and could yet blossom into a top notch starting pitcher, but our point is that there may have been guys with less risk who have not failed in their past major league cameos the way Norris has. It means that Norris has that many fewer opportunities to prove himself at the major league level, whereas a Derek Holland or Andrew Cashner are young enough and promising enough that they will still be given auditions in 2 to 3 years from now if they still haven't proven themselves.

But as we said, the draft picks could have been worse. Jackson and Franklin Stubbs could evolve into 2 of the top young outfielders in all of baseball, and Tyler Colvin is a self-made man who has played better than any of the scouts ever gave him credit for, so he has a chance to continue getting better through his hard work and endless drive. And Wade Davis was the talk of the town a year ago after his September callup with Tampa Bay, as he was hearing Hellickson-type media clippings. So despite the fact that he did not blow the majors away in his first full year, the sky is still the limit for this guy.

San Diego chose not to sign any free agents, and rightly so.

WINTER MEETINGS 2011

FEBRUARY 2011

Fresh off the 2010 World Series, its time to prepare for the most exciting time of the year for USBL managers - the annual Winter Meetings.

This year's version of the Meetings features a deep 1st round group of rookies, a slim free agent crop, but led by 2 epic sluggers, and a trade market that could take off at any moment.

As for the Rookie Draft, it will be a very interesting 1st round. The top 3 choices are easy - Buster Posey, a catcher who can hit and is a proven winner; Jayson Heyward, a 22 year old destined for stardom in the Ken Griffey Jr. mold; and Mike Stanton, a slugging outfielder who could be an annual 50 home run a year man.

The next tier of promising rookies come with plenty of question marks beside their names. Neftali Feliz, the young fireballing closer, has an uncertain future - will he be starting, or relieving? If he starts, how can we predict how he will fare? Jonathon Papelbon was a starter who began his mlb career as a closer, but when he finally got his chance to start, the results were mixed before an arm injury put an end to starting.

Carlos Santana appears to be the next coming of Victor Martinez, but how does his off-season knee injury factor into his future? Ditto for Steven Strasberg, who may emerge from his Tommy John surgery and pick up where he left off, but even if he does, do future shoulder problems loom, given the history of Tommy John survivors? How about young Starlin Castro? The sky appears to be the limit, but wait...he showed zero pop and not much speed in his debut, and there are rumours his eventual position will be at 2nd base.

This year's 1st round features a wealth of left-handed pitching, but can we trust these guys? Jamie Garcia, a Tommy John survivor who came out of nowhere; Madison Baumgarner had a great rookie year, but how much can young lefties be trusted? And, Gio Gonzalez enjoyed a stunning breakout year with Oakland, but can we trust a guy who's paraded ERA's in the 5's and 6's until this past season?

And of course there are the dark horse blue chippers, guys who came up with a lot of fan fair, only to play to mixed results in 2010. Alcides Escobar was supposed to be a superstar in the making, but not only did he struggle mightily, but caught a one-way ticket to Kansas City, baseball's version of purgatory. And Pedro Alvarez showed the pop he was expected to bring, but also showed a long swing and a penchant for strikeouts. Pittsburgh people were not exactly thrilled with his performance.

And let's not forget the singles-hitting, Gold Glove fielding players like Austin Jackson, Brett Gardner, and Daric Barton. All 3 can flash the leather, and find their way on base, but with little to no power from all three of them, are they really worthy of being a 1st round pick?

Lastly, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the possibility of managers making underage selections. In past years this practice has been met with mixed results. Last year Montreal chose Brian Matusz, a guy they could just as easily have waited to draft this year in the early 2nd round. But there were rumors last April that Toronto was considering selecting Buster Posey as an underager. Its a good thing those same Blue Jays wound up with the 1st overall pick, because that is the only way they still can grab this up and coming catcher.

Underage selections this winter include hard throwing pitching prospect Jeremy Hellickson, Off-the-radar Aroldis Chapman and his 105 mph fastball, and 5 tool outfielder Dominic Brown.

So there you have it. A draft with very few sure things. Should be very interesting to see what managers do.

We will be posting our annual Winter Meetings Preview soon, but in the meantime, here are our pre-meetings power rankings. Note that last year's pre-meetings power rankings were pretty much bang on, as we picked KC and Cinci as the top teams in each league, and they didn't let us down.

NL:

1. Cincinnati

2. Pittsburgh

3. Montreal

4. Los Angeles

5. San Francisco

6. Chicago

7. Philadelphia

8. San Diego

AL:

1. Kansas City

2. New York

3. Oakland

4. California

5. Boston

6. Chicago

7. Toronto

8. Seattle

WINTER MEETINGS

REVIEW

APRIL 2012

NATIONAL LEAGUE

LOS ANGELES - GRADE A+

The Dodgers went into the Meetings with arguably the best team on paper in the NL, and then added to it, something that wasn't too difficult to do given that they had 6 draft picks with which to work with. LA shored up its bullpen, which is now the best in the usbl, while adding offense in Eric Hosmer and Alan Craig, as well as defense and future potential in Peter Bourjos, a surprise rookie catch that fell to the 2nd round, and Danny Espinosa, a surprise rookie catch in the 3rd round.

But LA made waves in free agency as well, signing CC Sabathia away from arch-rival Cincinnati, thus weakening the Reds, and adding a huge bat in the person of David Ortiz, to add to Matt Kemp and Mike Napoli in the middle of the LA order. The only thing LA didn't do at the meetings was solve the conflict in the middle east.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: LA did what it had to do to get itself in the enviable position of being the pre-season World Series favorite, which really is all that matters.

MONTREAL - GRADE A-

The Expos also have designs on winning it all, and did their part to strengthen their team as well. Unfortunately, they didn't have as many assets as LA did going into the meetings, but just prior to the meetings they traded for catcher Victor Martinez to strengthen their everyday line-up.

In the draft, they focused on pitching - going with Phil Humber, Guilermo Moscoso, and relievers Greg Holland and Aaron Crow. In free agency they signed a second closer in Jose Valverde. We are not sure why they went with Holland in the mid-2nd, when Peter Bourjos was available to solve their outfield needs.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: It appears Montreal moved to strengthen its pitching, while banking that their offense is good enough as is. They do lack a 3rd baseman, and their outfield will be a mix-and-match line-up from one day to the next based on who is pitching for the opponent, but all in all, this team will be very successful.

CINCINNATI - GRADE C+

The Reds decided to bank on their carry-over offense from last year to perform as expected, and focused instead on building up their pitcjing staff. They added Cory Luebke, Josh Tomlin, Christian Martinez, and David Pauley. They added only Miguel Olivo in free agency of any note, to co-catch along with Chris Ianetta.

They let Jose Valverde and CC Sabathia walk, while acquiring Ryan Madson. All in all, this team treaded water at the Meetings, and watched as Montreal and LA zoomed past them on the projections. Obviously the Reds have decided to regroup and reload for 2013.

SAN FRANCISCO - GRADE B-

The Giants are still considered contenders, given some of their young talent, but were admittedly behind Montreal and LA on paper. But they had some serious holes at 3rd base and in the bullpen. They did fill the need at 3rd, but with a future guy in Moustakas. They were successful in strengthening the pen, adding Jordan Walden and Mark Melancon, but then perplexed by adding Tim Collins and Danny Duffy, two guys who won't help this year, and who aren't noted as particularly strong prospects. The only move of note in free agency was retaining Michael Cuddyer.

The Giants continue to be a team that is unsure if they want to win now, or win later.

PITTSBURGH - GRADE A+

The Pirates were pretty much written off as a serious contender heading into the meetings, and although they may still not be favorites, they are a far better team after the Winter Meetings than they were before, not to mention they appear poised for greatness in 2013.

The Pirates were a player in all 3 venues - the draft, free agency, and the trade market. They drafted Freddie Freeman, Aroldis Chapman, and Javy Guera, with at least 2 of those 3 being talked as potential underage picks a year ago. Then in free agency, they signed Mariano Rivera and Placido Polanco, two instant contributors, as well as taking flyers on former all-stars Johan Santana and Brad Lidge, two guys who have been superstars until they suffered an injury in the past year.

But the trade market saw them parlay their late 4th into a 3rd next year, plus Franklin Morales, a hard-throwing 25 year old lefty.

CHICAGO CUBS - GRADE B-

The Cubs were the anomoly coming into the meetings - their pitching was all but set - and all they needed was to fill a few spots on offense. And with just 3 draft picks, they pretty much succeeded, picking up Desmond Jennings, Jemile Weeks, and Lucas Duda, three very good-looking young hitters.

But they disappointed in free agency (again), when they failed to make their mark. They signed marginal players to fill their bench, but did not go after any marque hitters, that might have vaulted them closer to the LA & Montreal neighbourhood instead of right back where they left off last year -fighting the Giants for the 5th and final playoff spot.

SAN DIEGO - GRADE B

The Padres were expected to continue the rebuilding job that began moments after Brandon Webb's elbow exploded, and for the most part that is what they did. They added a ton of blue chip talent in Jeremy Hellickson and Dustin Ackley, and made a huge upgrade at closer in Sergio Santos. They also were able to add useable parts for the coming season in Brennan Boesch, Marco Estrada, Ryan Webb, and Mike Dunn. Criticisms include taking a closer in the high 2nd, when it can be argued this team doesn't need a top flight closer. They could have instead added another valuable position player, say a JP Arencibia to solve their abyss at catcher, a future shortstop in Dee Gordon to replace the antiquated Yunesky Bettencourt.

In free agency, the Padres spent some good bucks on a couple of veteran players in Jimmy Rollins and Jeff Francuer, it remains to be seen if these guys have anything left in the tank beyond this season.

PHILADELPHIA - GRADE A-

The Phillies continue to be in rebuilding mode, and the rule of the day was prospects, and plenty of them, and that's exactly what they did. Just the drafting of Mike Trout alone, a 19 yr old phenom, was the right move, because this team figures to be at least 2 to 3 years away from serious contending. But they also added several other young prospects like Dee Gordon, Domonic Brown, Henderson Alvarez, Wilson Ramos, and Mike Minor. Listen, not all of them will pan out, and maybe only one or two will still be around in 3 years, but at least the Phillies gave themselves a shot this time at some future superstars by avoiding the Mike Fontenot's and Glenn Perkins' of the world.

And in free agency, signing Jayson Werth as a comeback candidate is not a bad move at all, considering the real life Nationals invested $140 million in this guy...