Ask any baseball fan which team improved the most this winter and the answer you’re most likely to hear is: The Angels. They can thank their lucky stars ( and owner Arte Moreno) for spending the big bucks to land the best free agent in baseball, Albert Pujols, who has a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) ranking of 6.8. That means Pujols is good for nearly 7 extra victories compared to the average Triple-A player. 
Throw in the acquisition of pitcher C. J. Wilson from the Texas Rangers (WAR value of 4.3)
and you’ve got two players who make the Angels the team to beat in the eyes of the baseball pundits.
The Miami Marlins are 2nd best on paper for winter deals, after picking up speedster Jose Reyes (4.5 WAR) from the Mets,
along with starting pitcher Mark Buehrle from the White Sox with a 
2.6 WAR and closer Heath Bell from the Padres (1.3 WAR).
The Detroit Tigers are ranked 3rd in off-season dealings by signing heavy hitter Prince Fielder (5.8 WAR)
While the lowly Washington Nationals look much improved (4th on the list) for acquiring pitcher Edwin Jackson from the Cardinals (3.2 WAR) and Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland A’s (3.1 WAR).
Add those guys to a team that includes Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper and suddenly the Nationals are relevant. Yet you know what they say about Washington – First in War, First in Peace, Last in the National League East – but maybe not this year.
In the past, the Yankees have always lead the way in buying up talent – but not in 2012, where they rank 18th in off-season deals, according to the Wall Street Journal and FanGraphs. Picking up pitcher Michael Pineda (3.9 WAR) from the Mariners will help
– but losing Jesus Montero, a terrific hitter with a 2.9 WAR
and pitcher Hector Noesi (2.4 WAR) will hurt.
Trailing the pack this year are the Red Sox (28th on paper for new talent), while the Mets rank 29th and the World Series Champions – the St. Louis Cardinals are dead last at 30th, despite picking up Carlos Beltran from the Giants. But then again, they did lose Prince Albert and Octavio Dotel.
But where they start is not where they finish. That’s the fun of the baseball season, in which anything can happen and most of the pundits are proven wrong. For more on “The Hot Stove Index”, check out this great article in the Wall Street Journal:
Who Won Baseball’s Off-Season?
About Mike
Mike Luery is an award-winning journalist with 25 years on TV and radio. Currently, he is the political reporter for KCRA-TV, the top-ranked station in Sacramento.
This is Luery's second tour of duty with KCRA, where he was also a reporter from 1984 - 2000. In between, he was NBC's Capitol Bureau Chief in California and a reporter for CBS 13 in Sacramento.
Luery lives in northern California with his wife Carol. Baseball Between Us is his first book.
