Every blockbuster trade and free-agent signing during the offseason is made with a high level of confidence that everything will play out according to plan.
As we know, though, that’s not always the case.
Last offseason some brilliant moves were made, headlined by the Toronto Blue Jays’ acquisition of Josh Donaldson and a string of under-the-radar moves by the Kansas City Royals that worked to perfection.
On the flip side, the Boston Red Sox signings of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval proved to be a huge flop, and busy offseasons from the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox yielded little success in the win-loss column.
There is still a ways to go until the MLB offseason comes to a close and spring training begins, but we’ve already seen a number of significant moves made this offseason.
Ahead is a look at each big offseason move to date, and my take on whether it will be a boom or bust for the team involved.
Some of the predictions are stat-based, some are situation-based and some are simply gut feelings. Nothing here is meant to be a calculated attack on a specific player or team, just one person’s opinion on each major move.