Could the Boston Red Sox improve upon their woeful 2012 campaign and still finish at the bottom of the American League East in 2013?
The unfortunate answer to that question is "yes."
The 2012 Red Sox won 69 games and finished four games back from the fourth-place Toronto Blue Jays, who won 73.
The Red Sox improved this offseason, but not as much as the Blue Jays did.
While the Red Sox purged their roster in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Blue Jays capitalized on a Miami Marlins fire sale with a 12-player deal in November.
Much like the Red Sox deal, the Blue Jays-Marlins one was a case of one team purging their roster of cumbersome contracts in exchange for a package of minor league talent.
For the purposes of evaluating a team's 2013 roster, it is a no-brainer. It made the Blue Jays better. The question is: how much better?
Toronto acquired all star shortstop Jose Reyes, starting pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, backup catcher John Buck and outfielder Emilio Bonifacio. They gave up some marginal major leaguers, and some bonafide prospects. Toronto didn't have to part with anyone who was expected to play a pivotal role in 2013, and that's why the improvements in Toronto are expected to be dramatic.
As pivotal as that trade will be in determining Toronto's fortunes in 2013, it is not the only big deal the team made.
Less than one month after the Marlins deal, the Jays struck again. This time their partner was the New York Mets, and the key player in the trade was the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey.
The Blue Jays had to part with one of baseball's best prospects, catcher Travis d'Arnaud, as well as a highly rated pitching prospect in Noah Syndergaard, but they got Dickey to round out what could be one of baseball's best starting rotations.
Toronto starts the 2013 season with a projected starting rotation of Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow and Rickey Romero. It is a collection of pitchers who could all be considered either No. 1 or 2 starters.
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