Which Offseason MLB Trade Will Be the Biggest Difference-Maker This Season?

When the New York Yankees acquired Michael Pineda from the Mariners in exchange for Jesus Montero, they thought they were acquiring a legitimate No. 2 starter who could shut down a lineup every five days with dominating stuff.

Instead, Pineda showed up to spring training looking overweight and was placed on the disabled list while Montero has flourished behind the plate for Seattle.

Such is the risk and reward of a big-time offseason trade, which the Yankees and Mariners are learning firsthand in 2012. However, those two teams are far from the only two in the bigs who pulled the trigger on a splashy trade over the winter.

The Red Sox made waves themselves when they shipped out outfielder Josh Reddick to Oakland for clsoer Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney. While Bailey has been injured all year, Sweeney has been a pleasant surprise for the Sox and has fit in nicely to the lineup. The A's have to be pretty happy with the results as well, considering Reddick has been batting third for the Athletics much of this season.

Elsewhere in the AL East, the Orioles traded Jeremy Guthrie to the Rockies in exchange for a pair of pitchers, Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. While Lindstrom has been good out of the bullpen, Hammel has been the Orioles' ace so far and a big reason why the O's are in the playoff hunt early on.

The Nationals, another surprising team to start 2012, have been bolstered by their offseason deal for former A's pitcher Gio Gonzalez in exchange for prospects. The lefty is 4-1 with an ERA of 1.94 thus far, so it would appear that things worked out pretty well for the Nats in that one.

Looking across the landscape of the MLB reveals this handful of offseason moves that have shook up the teams involved, some for the better and some for the worse. Which deal do you think will have the biggest impact in 2012?

Which offseason trade will be the biggest difference-maker in 2012?