Power Rankings- Week of 12/24

National League:

1 (1) Dodgers
2 (2) Rockies- Signed 8-2 reliever Luis Vizcaino
3 (4) Padres
4 (5) Diamondbacks
5 (3) Phillies- After signing Geoff Jenkins, Chad Durbin, and So Taguchi, it looks unlikely that the Phillies will make any more moves. Should they end up doing so, they should drop a bit further down. Dissapointment in Pat Gillick is rampant. At this point, it looks like the Phillies are hoping that one or more of their many pitching prospects will step up to fill the fifth spot in the rotation or help in the bullpen.
6 (6) Mets
7 (7) Braves
8 (8) Cubs
9 (9) Brewers
10 (10) Cardinals
11 (11) Astros
12 (12) Giants
13 (13) Nationals
14 (14) Reds
15 (15) Pirates
????? (19) Marlins- The Dolphins won a game! For the Marlins, that should be a tough act to follow.


American League

1) Red Sox- They have reclaimed the title as the front-runner for Johan Santana.
2) Yankees- Still have a chance with Santana.
4) Indians
5) Tigers
6) Mariners- Signed Carlos Silva
7) Blue Jays
8) Athletics
9) Twins
10) White Sox- Signed outfielder and Cuban defector Alexei Ramirez
11) Rangers
12) Orioles- Will probably hold on to starter Erik Bedard, but the Phillies don't really have a chance with him anyway at this point.
13) Rays
14) Royals

Phillies Sign So Taguchi

The Phillies signed outfielder So Taguchi to a one year deal valued around $1 million, with a team option for 2009.

The Phillies have done a lot of replacing of their players this off-season. Here's a simple rundown of the big replacements...

• Tadahito Iguchi > So Taguchi
• Geoff Geary & Brett Myers > Brad Lidge
• Mike Costanzo & Michael Bourn > Eric Bruntlett
• Kyle Lohse > Chad Durbin & Brett Myers
• Aaron Rowand > Geoff Jenkins

Worrisome? Yes, considering the fact that we presumably had more cap room to work with this season than last season, we should have a better roster, not a worse one. Hopefully this squad will manage to improve on last year's; this greatly depends on the contributions of Brad Lidge, Geoff Jenkins, the bullpen, whoever the fifth starter is, and last but not least, avoiding any major injuries to starting pitchers- unless we have another surprise rookie sensation such as Kyle Kendrick come along again.