First up, the Phillies:
Like the move to replace Pat Burrell with the more steady Raul Ibanez.
Now the Red Sox:
The Red Sox were reduced to taking stabs on pitchers like John Smoltz, Takashi Saito and Brad Penny, who are all coming off major injuries. Despite a truly disappointing offseason, the returning base remains among the league's best.
There's absolutely no reason to be disappointed with the Red Sox off-season. They took on a few players, yes, but low-risk, high-reward types for a team that's all ready stacked is hardly a bad thing.
More fun, the Astros are ranked 16th:
16. Houston needed to improve its rotation. If you call taking shots on Russ Ortiz and Mike Hampton an improvement, then you have to love the Astros' offseason. The offense remains stout, though.
And here's what they say about the Mariners:
30. There seems to be no upside with the M's. There may be more wins with a good version of Erik Bedard, but this team is far from making a serious bid in the West. And there's nothing truly exciting to point to on the farm.
Somehow the Mariners are the worst team in the league and Houston is in the middle? Their pythag records were within 10 games of each other, and unlike Houston, Seattle made some clear upgrades. I don't know if the M's have enough to win the divsion, but I wouldn't be shocked one bit if they finish with a better record than Houston.