Most Improved American League Rotation: Chicago White Sox

The acquisition of Bartolo Colon essentially gives Chicago a second ace, something no other team in the AL acquired this off-season. They also picked up Esteban Loaiza, who should either provide them with a solid fifth starter or very nice depth at AAA.

Toronto's acquisition of Cory Lidle gives the Blue Jays a solid #2 starter to slot behind Roy Halladay, which is something they severely needed as few of their pitching prospects are ready for the major league rotation this year. Tanyon Strurtze should compensate for the loss of Loaiza, giving the Blue Jays the second most improved rotation in the league.

Most Improved National League Rotation: Philadelphia

Kevin Millwood appears more than willing to take on the responsibilities of a number one starter, allowing Randy Wolf and Vincente Padilla to quietly produce in the background. I wasn't certain they needed to add a starter, but when someone of Millwood's quality falls in your lap, you shouldn't overlook it. Without the Millwood trade, I wouldn't be considering them the favorites for the NL East pennant.

By dumping Mike Hampton, I believe the Rockies may have improved their rotation more than any other NL team with the exception of the Phillies. Hampton was not a particularly good pitcher before the Rockies acquired him, despite his win totals, and he definitely did not react well to Colorado.

Of course the Mets picked up Tom Glavine, but I'm concerned about his ability to adapt to his new surroundings and his advancing age. I think San Francisco may have a more improved rotation than New York, on the basis of the young pitchers that could find jobs this year.

Most Improved American League Bullpen: Oakland

Oakland had a strong bullpen when the season ended, but their relief depth and talent now boggles the mind. Records aside, Keith Foulke is a stronger pitcher than Billy Koch and should outperform him in 2003. The A's also picked up Joe Valentine in that trade and while he should spend the season in AAA, he likely could contribute more than adequately by the All-Star break. Rule 5 picks Mike Neu and Buddy Hernandez both have the skills to hold spots in most bullpens now and considering their upside the A's should absolutely try to hold onto them. Meanwhile, John Halama and Ed Yarnall give them additional left-handed depth behind Ricardo Rincon. All these pitchers join an already strong core of relievers.

While the Red Sox's don't have the outstanding stock of relievers the A's possesses, GM Theo Epstein has done a fine job of assembling a relief staff to fit their needs. Re-signing Alan Embree was a good start and with the exception of Mike Timlin, who is overpaid and underskilled, they've assemble solid depth and a sizeable group of quality arms.

For the second consecutive off-season, the Rangers focused on their bullpen. I didn't think they needed to expend resources in this area, but they did strengthen the pen. Having Urbina available to cover save situations, allows them to use Francisco Cordova for setup work, which is frequently more important. Additionally after their 2002 struggles, I understand their desire for Esteban Yan as depth in case of continued injury problems.

Most Improved National League Bullpen: Chicago Cubs

While some of their pitchers merely underperformed last season, the numbers indicate the Cubs had the worst bullpen in the majors last season. I don't generally believe in spending on a lefty reliever, but Mike Remlinger is much more than a specialist. Chicago would have had a southpaw in the pen regardless of how many superior right-handed candidates were in camp, so they might as well have one of the best. Unfortunately, they didn't stop at one and also added Mike Guthrie (and Shawn Estes to the rotation). I also felt the acquisition of Dave Veres was quite superfluous. Nevertheless, they leave the off-season more improved than any other bullpen.

While I don't particularly approve of the pick-up of Al Levine and re-signing of Jeff Fassero, I think Joey Hamilton and Dustin Hermanson are valuable additions to the Cardinals pen. They also were quite astute with regards to a few of their minor league signings, so they should have considerably more depth heading into 2003 than they had at the end of the 2002 season.

A discussion of off-season acquisition of pitching depth is not complete without mentioning the Pirates. Pittsburgh may not have substantially improved the quality of the pitchers who'll staff their pen during the season, but they will not encounter a shortage of competent arms.

Most Improved American League Lineup: Boston

I believe the improvements the Red Sox made to their lineup at DH, 1B, and possibly 3B this off-season outweigh the boost that Hideki Matsui will provide the Yankees. Boston definitely should give the Yankees a run for their money this season.

Not many other AL teams did much to improve their lineups, so I have to say Seattle strikes me as the third most improved due to the additions of Randy Winn and Greg Colbrunn.

Most Improved National League Lineup: Philadelphia

If Jeremy Giambi had been producing in the Phillies' lineup at the levels of which he's capable, the upgrade to their lineup would not be quite as significant. However given the limited production they were receiving from first base at the end of last year, Jim Thome should give them quite a boost. Additionally, while overpaid, David Bell is an improvement over Marlon Anderson.

Colorado's collection of moves this off-season, including the acquisition of Jose Hernandez, appear to have improved their lineup more than the single addition of Jeff Kent has done for Houston. Meanwhile San Francisco deserves credit for maintaining the quality of their lineup in spite of their departing free agents, though I don't see substantial improvement overall. In terms of improvement, the Pirates again deserve mention for bringing in Randall Simon and Matt Stairs as platoon partners for Kevin Young and Craig Wilson.

Most Improved American League Bench: Boston

The additions the Red Sox and Yankees have made to their lineups have allowed the teams to shift players to their benches, allowing for general improvement. Both teams have also signed players that have started for other teams with the intention of using them in reserve roles. However, I believe Boston has added more depth to their club, so they have an edge over New York for most improved.

Most Improved National League Bench: Chicago Cubs

I detest admitting that the offensive additions the Cubs have made improve the club in any way. However acquiring Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros did nothing if not improve the bench. Unfortunately, the improvement will likely be in large part due to frequently pushing the players who should be starting into reserve roles. The Cubs have also signed a number of players to compete for reserve jobs and should have quite a bit of bench depth at AAA.

The great mass of players fighting for roster spots in Colorado should leave them with one of the deepest benches in the majors. However, more than one quality player is bound to be overlooked in the fray, as there are only so many roster spots available from which players can contribute.