This past offseason had an abundance of potential free agent targets. Teams spent massive amounts of money to lure players to their cities, with the hopes of contributing to a playoff-caliber team this summer.
The Angles decided to bring C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols to the West Coast to try and compete with the Rangers for the AL West title. The Athletics and Rangers went oversees to get their biggest accusations, with Yoenis Cespedes and Yu Darvish. Then the Athletics turned around and traded staff ace Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals, while Prince Fielder made the jump to the AL and joined the Tigers.
Many were surprised when Pujols left St. Louis after winning a World Series, but that paled in comparison to the surprise at his awful start to the year. However, he's since heated up and has 22 home runs with 73 RBIs, anchoring one of the best lineups in baseball.
Wilson is enjoying himself away from the Ballpark in Arlington, sporting a 2.88 ERA on the year for Anaheim. With Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Zach Greinke next to him, he doesn't have the pressure of needing to be the staff ace, and has flourished.
Up a little further north, there is no questioning Yoenis Cespedes' power. However, he has proven people wrong when it comes to his overall level of play, in leading the A's to one of the best records in baseball. Billy Beane seems like a genius after giving him $36 million this offseason.
A former A's player, though, might be the biggest impact player added — to another team. Gio Gonzalez has been stellar with the Nationals after signing a five-year, $42 million contract extension after an offseason trade. Along with Stephen Strasburg, Gonzalez has anchored one of the best pitching staffs in the big leagues and has been one of the top pitchers in the National League.
And of course, Red Sox fans have felt the wrath of Prince Fielder this season. He won the Home Run Derby in July, and joined Miguel Cabrera to form one of the scariest No. 3 and 4 combos in baseball. He inked a monster deal with the Tigers, but if they can keep it up and capture the AL Central, it could turn out to be worth it.
Which off-season acquisition has paid off the most this season?
