The Homestretch, Day 16: Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose

Harold Reynolds on MLB Network just claimed Aubrey Huff to be the best offseason acquisition in the majors in 2010. That didn't do the Giants much good tonight as they were shut out by the Milwaukee Brewers at home.

#3 was Jim Thome to the Minnesota Twins. He didn't help them out much either tonight, as the Twins only managed one run against Oakland at home.

But that's not to say that at certain junctions, some more important than others, offseason acquisitions like Huff and Thome haven't made a profound impact on their teams or divisions. Other players to be filed here include Rafael Soriano of Tampa Bay, Billy Wagner of Atlanta, Roy Halladay of Philadelphia, and Vladimir Guerrero of Texas (all were mentioned by the MLB tonight crew).

But I don't wish to merely recount someone else's analysis tonight. Offseason acquisitions are a big deal, and tonight's post is devoted to them. There's really no way to tell whether a player will be a good fit for a team until we see them in action. We knew Aubrey Huff and Jim Thome could hit, but they hadn't been hitting lately up until this season. They were good fits for their teams, and it helped that they were used well. We suspected that Roy Halladay would be dominant for the Phillies, but could we have guessed that Billy Wagner would have this much left in the tank? Or that Rafael Soriano would solve the Rays' bullpen issues? Or that Vladimir Guerrero would be rejuvenated in Texas? I'm not sure the majority of us would have guessed that these players would be producing the way they have this season.

Still, there are two sides to every coin. Some offseason acquisitions have not worked out, also something the majority of us would not come to expect. Joel Pineiro hasn't helped the Angels' pitching staff much. Cliff Lee isn't even a Seattle Mariner anymore. Jason Bay was a complete bust for the Mets. In today's MLB, there really are no guarantees, no matter which player a team signs. Free agency has become a crap shoot, not to mention a bidding war, especially with pitchers. Starting pitchers at that. Barry Zito is just now starting to show some semblance of an arm in his fourth year with the Giants. Oliver Perez has fallen off the map as a Met. Then again, CC Sabathia has been his usual potential-Cy-Young self since becoming a Yankee.

This year, the Rays, Braves, and Phillies got lucky. And here they are, right in the playoff hunt. In the case of the Phillies, the rich were getting richer, and that's why they're headed to the World Series. The Giants, Rangers, and Twins benefited from some luck too, with players past their primes managing above average seasons, and they're all currently first-place teams. Sometimes you gamble and you win, sometimes you lose. The Mets, Mariners, and Angels were losers this season, even though they've been winners in the past. They're now towards the bottom of their respective divisions. Is this the fault of the acquired players? Hardly. But they certainly have something to do with it. Perhaps, in this time of over-valuing professional baseball players (and athletes in general), the moves that are made when no games are being played become more critical than those that are made in-season. For teams have to pick and choose their battles, and when they choose correctly, it can be an incredible thing to witness.