Nick Carfado of the Boston Globe had one of the first pieces rankings ML clubs' off seasons I've seen this year. He has the Reds at number nine, behind the the Angels, Yankees, Rangers, Cards, Phillies and others.
So, my question is: What do you think? Is number 9 a fair assessment, or is he selling the Reds short?
Personally, I agree with the high rankings for the Angels and Yankees, but I think he's too optimistic about the acquisitions the Tigers and Phillies made. The Tigers overpaid for Fielder, and his offensive impact is going to be partially offset by the defensive cost of having Cabrera playing third. The Phillies, meanwhile, overpaid for Papelbon, are trying to replace Ryan Howard with Ty Wigginton for at least part of the year, and finished their shopping by signing Juan Pierre: not what I'd call a sterling off season.
As for the Cards, I'm split: I loved the Beltran signing, but obviously that doesn't completely offset the loss of Pujols. I suppose my final evaluation would have to be reserved for when Oswalt decides if he'll be a Cardinal or not, but as it stands now, I'd say the Reds probably did better than St. Louis this off season.