The big winners and big losers of the MLB offseason

The great thing about this weekend's Super Bowl is that baseball season is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers start to report for spring training on Feb. 17 and games start on March 2. In case you have not paid attention to the sport since Nov. 4 when the New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies for their 27th World Series title, here are my winners and losers of the offseason.

Winners:

The Yankees had the best offseason of any team. They started early by acquiring center fielder Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers for three players, including a top prospect in the Yankees' farm system. The 28-year-old Granderson should be a fixture in the Yankee outfield for years to come. The Yankees also solidified the back-end of their rotation by trading for pitcher Javier Vazquez. The 33-year-old Vazquez, who was an All-Star in his lone season in the Bronx in 2004, will give the Yankees a power-pitcher as their third or fourth starter. New York also made nice short-term additions by signing designated hitter Nick Johnson and left fielder Randy Winn to one-year deals. Johnson and Winn will give the lineup more balance between power and average.

The Boston Red Sox also had a good offseason. Their additions were better than the Yankees', but they had to give out longer contracts than their rival in New York. The best move was adding pitcher John Lackey to an already formidable rotation. The Sox had to give a five-year deal to Lackey, 31, and there are some questions as to whether he can pitch at a high level for all five years. Boston did greatly improve its defense with the signings of third baseman Adrian Beltre, shortstop Marco Scutaro and centerfielder Mike Cameron. This year's Boston team will be very different than previous years with the team relying on pitching and defense, not offense, to win games.

The Seattle Mariners also had a great offseason, becoming the favorite to win the American League West. They acquired pitcher Cliff Lee from the Phillies and now possess the best 1-2 pitching combination in all of baseball with Felix Hernandez and Lee. The combination of Ichiro and newly signed Chone Figgins at the top of the lineup will cause fits for opposing pitchers. The only thing missing from this team is a power bat, which could have been solved if they had signed Matt Holliday.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals both receive honorable mentions on my list. The Diamondbacks' starting rotation has the potential to be one of the best in the National League with the additions of Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. The Nationals added veterans in catcher Ivan Rodriguez and pitcher Jason Marquis to help Washington's young starters mature.

Losers:

The New York Mets had the worst offseason of any team. Mets fans, who have become accustomed to high expectations and heart breaks over the past few years, enter the 2010 season with holes all over the roster. The biggest problem will be behind the plate for the Mets. Despite rumors that they were on the verge of signing catcher Bengie Molina, the Mets added only career backup Henry Blanco. They did not add a pitcher to go behind ace Johan Santana. Injuries already hit with center fielder Carlos Beltran being out through April after undergoing knee surgery in January.

The Angels have also taken a step back. The Angels tried to replace Lackey, Figgins, designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, and reliever Darren Oliver by signing pitcher Joel Piniero, designated hitter Hideki Matsui, and reliever Fernando Rodney, but that will not be enough. Piniero has only had success with pitching coach Dave Duncan and the Cardinals and he should struggle in the American League. Matsui will provide similar statistics as Vladimir Guerrero and neither can play in the field. Rodney will be used as a bridge to closer Brian Fuentes, but Rodney will blow his share of leads and drive Angels fans insane.

The Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, and Phillies are all honorable mentions on this list. The Jays traded away the best pitcher in baseball in Roy Halladay and now have no ace in their rotation. Toronto will struggle to score runs and may be the worst teams in the league this year. The Cardinals did resign Holliday, but overpaid for him, which may impact their ability to resign Albert Pujols. The Phillies felt they could not afford a rotation of Halladay-Lee-Cole Hamels, which may have been the best in history, and traded away playoff-hero Lee.

By being on this list does not make these teams contenders or bottom-feeders, it is just a gauge of how the teams look headed into 2010. But as the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays exemplified, anything is possible.

Contact staff writer Andrew Prezioso at andrew.prezioso@richmond.edu