Print   Recommend

At this point, every team in the Major Leagues is good. Everyone is tied for first place in their respective divisions and all is well with the world. But when it is all said and done, many of those teams are going to be bad, and some will be downright ugly.

The good teams in baseball took steps in the offseason to get even better, thanks to the plethora of top-of-the-line free agents and players available through trades. The NL champion San Francisco Giants may have improved the most, adding Edgardo Alfonzo, Ray Durham, Marquis Grissom, and Jose Cruz, Jr.

Durham will try to fill the void left by Jeff Kent, who left for Houston. Though Durham is not known for his defensive play, he is a speedy lead-off man who will get on-base consistently. Edgardo Alfonzo will be as sure-handed as David Bell, whom he replaces at third, and will also provide more spark at the plate, provided that his back problems don't hamper his playing time as they did last year with the Mets.

The most important on field supplement will be Jose Cruz. Not only will he improve the team defensively in the outfield, but he will provide stability in the lineup and provide Barry Bonds with more opportunities to swing the bat at the dish.

Even though the Giants lost Bell, Kent, and pitcher Russ Ortiz, they have greatly improved over last season's numbers. Their pitching staff will be steady enough and their offense will put them at the top of the NL West.

The Giants' World Series opponents, the Anaheim Angels, took a very different approach to the offseason than the team they defeated to capture a title. The Halos did not add one player to the team that improves them for a run this season. The only losses were Dennis Cook, who was usually only visible through the "dugout cam," Orlando Palmeiro, and Alex Ochoa.

Although the very same Angels team won them a World Series last year, the other teams that they beat to get to the final series have improved, leaving us to wonder if they can make a magical run again.

The New York Yankees had another impressive offseason, making more additions than an elementary school math teacher. The Bronx Bombers signed reliever Chris Hammond to replace Mike Stanton whom they lost to the crosstown Metropolitans.

The Yanks also picked up Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui, Cuban pitching phenom Jose Contreras, utility man Todd Zeile, former Cub Jon Lieber, Antonio Osuna, and former Tigers closer Juan Acevedo.

The Yankees may arguably be the most improved team this offseason, along with the Giants, after losing Orlando Hernandez, Stanton, Ramiro Mendoza, and Shane Spencer. The loss of Mendoza, though it seems like a defeating blow, may not be such a bad thing. Ramiro had a history of injuries and inconsistency with the Yankees and can be replaced by Steve Karsay or Hammond.

Contreras has had a shaky start this spring, but will most likely improve once adjusted to the atmosphere of the major leagues. Matsui, used to the pressure of the media while playing for the Japanese equivalent of the Yankees, will probably thrive in New York and has already shown evidence that he is for real after an impressive spring start.

The bad teams in baseball were also dealers this offseason, as the Mets added several players and the Phillies made a bid to run wild in the NL East. Houston also gained ground with the addition of Jeff Kent. The Mets, even after adding Tom Glavine and Cliff Floyd, haven't seen many bright things this spring, other than their blinding orange uniforms. Glavine will be a stable starter and will bolster the NY rotation, but it won't be enough to bring them out of the gutter that is the National League East. Floyd was shaky last season, and has only had one year where he put up great numbers.

The rest of the Mets outfield consists of Timo Perez, Roger Cedeno, Jeromy Burnitz, and Tsuyoshi Shinjo. Cedeno and Burnitz will likely be the other starters and both are coming off of terrible 2002 seasons.

The pitching staff of New York isn't good enough yet to lead them to a title. The offense has improved with the addition of Floyd, but also lost ground after Alfonzo signed with San Francisco.

The Phillies are one team that did improve overall. After signing the most coveted free agent this offseason, Jim Thome, the Phils immediately went after David Bell to fill the void at third left by the departed Scott Rolen. They also seemingly stole away Kevin Millwood from Atlanta, who needed to dump him because of salary reasons.

Philadelphia's young rotation is good enough to keep them in games and their offense should give them the extra boost they need to rise to the top of the NL East.

The ugly teams in the majors stayed just that -- ugly. The Brewers, Royals, and Devil Rays will continue their runs at baseball's losing streak and lowest runs-scored records while losing their only talent because of money troubles.

One "ugly" team that might make a run at success this season is the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs have always shown signs early in the year that they might make it, but then will quickly fizzle out into the backdrop of baseball ugliness. This year, with a healthy Jason Kendall, Reggie Sanders, and with the possible addition of Kenny Lofton, the Pirates might have the pieces they need to get over the hump.

Several teams left out, including Boston and Oakland, will stay right where they are now. One vital piece away from the gold. The Red Sox will hold steady at the second spot in the AL East, where they have been for years now. Pedro looks impressive now, but when he quits early in September, Boston will slide back down to where they have always been, one spot behind the Yankees.

Have something to say? Visit the message boards and discuss this article. Comments? Agree? Disagree? Send in your feedback about this article.