30 key offseason moves, covering every MLB team

By Dalton Johnson

The sport that never sleeps is finally inching towards actual games, which means before we know it, the same faces will be sporting new baseball uniforms in new places. Spring training is underway in both Arizona and Florida, two of a handful of states that havent frozen over, with a wide amount of shakeup between the American and National League from last year. Max Scherzer, James Shields, and Jon Lester will be now be making fools of batters in the already pitching-heavy National League. Over in the American League, Adam LaRoche, Hanley Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval will look to launch balls in their new hitter-dominating league.

Between the two leagues, there is no clear-cut winner of who changed the most in a positive way. Only time will tell as a sleeper team such as the rectified San Diego Padres could be this years Kansas City Royals. Even without an early winner of the two leagues, there were certainly plenty of change between the two with a bevy of key offseason additions.

Key Addition Notes

1. Houston Astros

AP Photo Oakland Athletics shortstop Jed Lowrie reaches to stop an infield single hit by Texas Rangers' Adrian Beltre in the eighth inning of a baseball game on July 25, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Key Additions (5): Jed Lowrie, Colby Rasmus, Evan Gattis, Luis Valbuena, Luke Gregerson

The Astros have entered that awkward stage of still being young and a couple years away from truly contending while adding veteran players to halfway compete in the highly competitive AL West. They added power with Gattis (whoshould destroy the short porch in left-field) and Rasmus. Lowrie is back in Houston where he spent one season with the team in 2012 and saw an increase in power, hitting 16 home runs, compared to only his six long balls last season.

The two mystery acquisitions are Gregerson and Valbuena. In his only season with the Oakland As, Gregerson continued his dominance out of the bullpen, giving up only 17 earned runs in 72 innings, but that was not in the role that he is projected to carry with the Astros. With no bonafide closer, Gregerson is the favorite to take over the spot as the everyday closer, but only has 19 saves in his career with just three last season. Valbuena is a different. After a good, but not great season with the Chicago Cubs, Valbuena was pushed out the door with Kris Bryant racing through the minor leagues. The job is his to lose right now after Matt Dominguez had one of the worst seasons in baseball last year, but Dominguez is a former first-round pick with power potential at only 24 years old.

Houstons offseason additions keep them in that awkward stage and show that they are moving towards a mindset of contending sooner rather than later.

2. Los Angeles Angels

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30 key offseason moves, covering every MLB team