How every team's top acquisition is doing
Remember all that excitement you had this offseason about your team’s top new addition? About how you couldn’t wait to see what he looked like in your team’s jersey? Well, we’re two-plus weeks into the season now, and it’s remarkable how used to seeing them wear your team’s colors has become already, isn’t it? It’s funny how the brain adjusts.
But, you know, how are they doing? Today at the Thirty, we look at the top offseason acquisition for each team this offseason, and how their season is going so far. It’s early, sure. But you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: George Springer, OF
Springer’s oblique injury was the first real bummer of Spring Training -- there would be plenty more to come -- and he suffered a setback when he hurt his quad, but he’s due to come back as early as this week. The Jays, a team that considers itself a contender, are hovering around .500, so they could clearly use him.
Orioles: Freddy Galvis, SS
Count Galvis among the veterans who have looked comfortable at the plate once they arrived in Baltimore. He carries a .725 OPS, just below his career best. (He’s still playing every game, too.)
Rays: Michael Wacha, RHP
Remember how you sniffed when the Rays brought in Wacha after his struggles with the Mets last year? His last start, he looked like the 2013 Wacha, striking out nine in six scoreless innings.
Red Sox: Garrett Richards, RHP
The Red Sox’s pitching has been a pleasant surprise, but Richards hasn’t been much of a part of it, putting up a 6.00 ERA in three starts. Each start has been a little bit of an improvement, though.
Yankees: Corey Kluber, RHP
He’s healthy, so that’s a start, and his strikeout rate (22.6%) looks good. But he’s walking guys at a rate (13.2%) we’ve never seen him close to in his career.
AL CENTRAL
Cleveland: Eddie Rosario, OF
He has been a perfectly average hitting outfielder for Cleveland, which is to say, he has given them incredible production, relatively speaking.
Royals: Carlos Santana, 1B
It has been a rough start for Santana; he’s hitting .208, though he has walked 10 times in his first 59 plate appearances.
Tigers: Robbie Grossman, OF
The Tigers were looking for an above-average hitter, any above-average hitter, for their lineup. Grossman has been that … and there are a few more of those in the Tigers’ lineup right now than you might be used to.
Twins: Andrelton Simmons, SS
The veteran defensive whiz got off to a roaring start with the bat, hitting .355 in his first 10 games, but he is on the COVID-19 injured list now.
White Sox: Lance Lynn, RHP
Lynn has essentially gotten better every season for four years now, and he has been brilliant so far in 2021, giving up just two earned runs in 19 2/3 innings. He even threw a shutout, in case you thought those had been permanently banned. However, he was placed on the IL on Sunday with a trapezius strain.
AL WEST
Angels: José Quintana, LHP
The Angels have been a fun, happy story in the early-going, but it isn’t due to Quintana, who has struggled in both of his starts so far. (He’s only had two because games he was supposed to pitch have been postponed twice.)
A’s: Elvis Andrus, SS
It is reasonable for an A’s fan to wonder if Andrus is some sort of Rangers double agent. He has been a nightmare so far: He has played in every game, but only has seven hits. (That is not good.)
Astros: Jason Castro, C
He was going to share time with Martin Maldonado behind the plate, but with Maldonado’s injury, he’s the full-time catcher now … and hitting well enough to hold onto the spot.
Mariners: Rafael Montero, RHP
He is one of three Mariners with two saves, and he hasn’t done anything to elevate himself above (or drop himself below) either one of the others.
Rangers: David Dahl, OF
Dahl looked like a stealthily smart acquisition in the offseason, but he’s off to a slow start in his first season outside Colorado, recording a .598 OPS in his first 13 games.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: Charlie Morton, RHP
In his first go-around with the Braves since 2008, he doesn’t look like the Cy Young contender he was two years ago … but he doesn’t look nearly as bad as he did the last time he was wearing a Braves jersey, either.
Marlins: Anthony Bass, RHP
Signed to help out that bullpen, he has shown up in seven games, pitched six innings and given up six runs.
Mets: Francisco Lindor, SS
He’s off to a little bit of a sluggish start by his standards, but his big hit to win Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Rockies over the weekend feels like the start of something exciting coming.
Nationals: Josh Bell, 1B
He started the year on the COVID-19 list and hasn’t looked like himself yet, which is hardly something specific to him.
Phillies: Archie Bradley, RHP
He made four appearances and gave up runs in two of them before going on the injured list with an oblique issue.
NL CENTRAL
Brewers: Kolten Wong, 2B
He was off to a rough 2-for-19 start before hitting the injured list with an oblique strain.
Cardinals: Nolan Arenado, 3B
The Cardinals are having all sorts of offensive issues, but Arenado is doing his part: This would actually be his highest OPS+ (152) of his career.
Cubs: Joc Pederson, OF
Part of the reason he signed with the Cubs was so that he could start against lefties. But he’s 1-for-13 against them so far. (He’s not hitting righties much better, though.)
Pirates, Wil Crowe, RHP
The Pirates’ top offseason acquisition has faced five batters so far, if you were wondering how active the Pirates were this offseason.
Reds: Sean Doolittle, LHP
The lovable Reds lefty is looking like his old self again. Considering his strikeout rate (37.5%) right now, he might be looking better than his old self.
NL WEST
D-backs: Joakim Soria, RHP
Soria faced four batters before going on the IL with a calf strain, and he walked two of them. (He did get the other two out.)
Dodgers: Trevor Bauer, RHP
If you were thinking Bauer was a one-year wonder who might struggle after signing that huge contract, well, sorry: He’s more than holding his own among the other giants in that rotation.
Giants: Tommy La Stella, 2B
It looked like the Giants knew what they were doing when they pounced on La Stella in the offseason, and his numbers -- .333/.379/.444, albeit with no homers or RBIs -- have been all they could have hoped for so far. He's been a big part of the team’s fun start.
Padres: Blake Snell, LHP
For all the questions about which Padres’ acquisition, Yu Darvish or Blake Snell, would end up being the ace … it has clearly been Joe Musgrove so far.
Rockies: Austin Gomber, LHP
For all the talk about the Rockies not getting enough of a return for Nolan Arenado, Gomber has been excellent so far, recording a 3.52 ERA in 15 1/3 innings. Do the Rockies have four solid starting pitchers right now?