Offseason Power Rankings

Monday, December 22 2003 @ 06:00 AM EST

Contributed by: Coach

ESPN.com offers rankings of how teams have fared in their offseason moves. Obviously, they were unswayed by Richard Griffin's "stuck in neutral" propaganda, as the Blue Jays are rated third in all of baseball. No credit is given for improving the bullpen with Ligtenberg and Speier, but we're told that Toronto has "quietly added some solid starters to complement a dangerous offense."

The Phils, who acquired Billy Wagner, Eric Milton and Tim Worrell without losing much, are accorded the top spot. Their divisional rivals in Atlanta, clearly moving in the opposite direction, are ranked 26th. I think the Red Sox, with Schilling and Foulke, have improved more than anyone, and I don't understand the reference to 5th-rated Boston's "overall loss of offense," but I love the comment on the 25th-place Bronx Bombers:

Yankees' players thought '03 was a dysfunctional mess; they ain't seen nothing yet.

These lists aren't scientific, just fun. Whoever compiled this one thinks that the Mariners haven't slipped, which is amusing, and they seem to be giving credit for moves that haven't happened yet, especially in Baltimore, L.A. and San Francisco. When the music stops and another 150+ free agents scramble for jobs, we'll have a better idea of the real winners and losers, but no matter what else happens, the Jays' efforts have put them near the top of the pack.

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