Jayson Stark released his NL West Offseason Grades today, and I must say, I don't agree with some of them.
First off, he rated the Giants' offseason a C-.
To be honest, this doesn't really bother me. Their biggest additions were Miguel Tejada, Elmer Dessens, and Jeff Suppan. They did a nice job finding a filler at short, but Tejada is certainly no long-term solution. However, they were successful in keeping the gang together -- the group of players that won a World Series last year -- and they will most assuredly be competitive again.
But I can't see how they could be given a high grade when they've had such a quiet offseason. If they had master-minded some elaborate trade that got them a great long-term solution at short, then they would deserve a higher grade. But I'll take a C-. They did what it took to stay competitive, but certainly did nothing special.
What really bothers me, however, are the respective grades given to the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Let's start with the Padres. They got a C...which feels a little harsh.
They traded away Adrian Gonzalez -- but is that really such a bad thing? After all, the move was beneficial for them, as they improved their farm system.
Most importantly, though, they filled their infield with quality veterans at relatively cheap prices. Brad Hawpe is certainly not Adrian Gonzalez, but the Padres are paying him little money, and his on-base skills are quite useful. That's a contract that I can't possibly view in a negative light. The Padres even have a nice little platoon going at first, with Jorge Cantu added to the mix, and that should -- while of course not filling the void created by the Adrian Gonzalez trade -- generate some offense from the position. They also added a seasoned duo of somewhat-speedy players in the middle infield by getting Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson.
Aaron Harang isn't a great pitcher, but for $4MM, I think he'll do well for the Padres. After all, he's a flyball pitcher and he'll play half his games in PETCO Park.
And, perhaps the most underrated move of theirs, they traded for Cameron Maybin, forfeiting two bullpen arms in the process. The relievers were expendable to them -- as their bullpen was already quite deep -- and their return has quite a potential. Maybin, a former top prospect, has a nice skill-set. Even if his bat is rather weak, he plays great center-field defense and has a good amount of speed. Add that to his on-base abilities, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that trade pan out very well for them. It was a classic change-of-scenery trade, and Maybin might finally become a valuable centerfielder.
Perhaps most ridiculous, though, is the fact that the Dodgers received a B+. Seriously?
They went out and got Marcus Thames as their left-fielder, turning a bad outfield defense into a horrendous one. Sure, they'll have Tony Gwynn Jr. as a late-inning defensive replacement, but the idea of having Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Marcus Thames playing together in the outfield for seven innings is just scary. Which is, well, good for Giants fans.
More importantly, they handed out a couple of three-year deals in which they overpaid. They gave three years at $12MM for Matt Guerrier -- a guy whose career K/9 is below 6. They also gave three years at $21MM to Juan Uribe...look, I love Uribe, but who knows what kind of player he'll be in 2013? He doesn't exactly have a great track record, and he's already battled some injuries. The guy has a career wRC+ of 80, and didn't even post a wRC+ above 100 last year. So I'd say they overpaid -- gave Uribe too many years, and too much money.
I will applaud the Dodgers for their acquisition of Jon Garland, a solid #5 starter who will surely be worth the $5MM he makes next year....the Dodgers, in general, did a nice job keeping together their great rotation by re-signing Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, and Vicente Padilla; but they failed to address their offensive needs, and did not find an adequate solution to their left-field issue.
A decent offseason, I guess, but a B+? Come on.
