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Which team is taking the biggest risk?

Leon Halip

This offseason has involved quite a bit of risk-taking, from Dayton Moore going all-in, to Walt Jocketty moving Aroldis Chapman to the rotation.

Jim Bowden of ESPN Insider looked at some of the biggest risks($):

To win a World Series you have to take some risks. And this offseason, plenty of contenders have been taking them. Here are the biggest risks I've seen this winter.

In short, his five biggest risks were the following (I encourage you to click through and read his reasoning, and everything the Jim Bowden writes):

1.) Reds moving Aroldis Chapman to the rotation, and Shin-Soo Choo to center field.

The Aroldis Chapman risk has been detailed by many, but I personally like the move. Chapman has the stuff to pitch in the rotation, and that is always more valuable than a good reliever.

The Choo-risk has not been talked about as much, and I think Bowden raises an excellent point: Can he really play center field?

His -2.7 career UZR/150 in right field would seem to suggest otherwise. I wonder if Cincinnati is just hoping his offensive value at the position outweighs the potential defensive struggles.

2.) Detroit putting Bruce Rondon at closer.

Won't get much argument from me here, what do you guys think?

3.) Tampa Bay starting Wil Myers in Durham.

This one was pretty well-documented by DRaysBay in today's Sabersphere. This may be reliant on whether or not he signs an extension.

4.) The Yankees "Senior citizen strategy."

This one has been well-documented as well. Should the Yankees have decided to go over the luxury tax threshold?

Discussion Questions

1.) What do you think of all of these risks?

2.) What risks do you think Bowden missed?