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3 winners and 3 losers at the MLB winter meetings

Gary A. Vasquez / US PRESSWIRE

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Winner - Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs took another huge step towards relevance Tuesday night at the winter meetings when Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer signed Jon Lester to a six-year, $155-million deal, consequently prying the left-hander away from a reunion with the Boston Red Sox.

Lester's mammoth deal represents the latest move in an organizational renaissance that's on the verge of making the Cubs a legitimate postseason contender for the first time since 2009. Epstein and Hoyer spent the last few seasons sacrificing wins to accumulate prospect capital, and the club's painstaking rebuild is set to pay dividends at the major-league level.

The three-time All-Star will assume the top spot in an increasingly promising rotation that also features Jake Arrieta - the 28-year-old finished 11th among starters in WAR last season - and Jason Hammel, who signed a two-year, $18-million deal with the Cubs on Sunday.

Lester will also have the privilege of throwing to Miguel Montero, whom the Cubs acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. The 31-year-old catcher has regressed offensively over the last two seasons, but remains among the game's best pitch-framers and won't become a free agent until after the 2017 campaign.

When the Cubs signed manager Joe Maddon to a five-year deal earlier this offseason, the moribund franchise received instant credibility. The arrival of Lester, Montero and Hammel, however, suggests the Cubs are once again a baseball team worthy of attention.

Winner - Los Angeles Dodgers

No team was as busy at the winter meetings as the Dodgers, as the club's reconstituted front office replaced shortstop Hanley Ramirez through the acquisition of veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins from the Philadelphia Phillies. The team also bolstered their rotation, added Howie Kendrick, and unloaded an outfielder - all within a matter of hours on Wednesday.

Though Rollins doesn't boast the same offensive upside as his predecessor, he fills a legitimate need for a team built to contend now. The addition also didn't require the Dodgers to part with Joc Pederson, Corey Seager or Julio Urias. The two shortstops, incidentally, provided almost equal value over the last three seasons due to Ramirez's inability to stay on the field and Rollins' superior defensive skills.

Name WAR G wRC+ HR SB
Hanley Ramirez 11.3 371 135 57 45
Jimmy Rollins 10 454 96 46 80

Mere hours after acquiring Rollins, the Dodgers traded second baseman Dee Gordon and Dan Haren to the Miami Marlins for a package highlighted by left-hander Andrew Heaney. However, the 23-year-old's tenure with the organization lasted just a few moments. He was soon flipped to the Los Angeles Angels shortly thereafter for Kendrick, who's set to become a free agent next winter but will provide significant value in 2015.

In between the various trades, the Dodgers reportedly secured a four-year deal with Brandon McCarthy, who boasts a 3.44 FIP with a 4.34 strikeout-to-walk ratio since 2011 and fortifies a rotation that already features a pair of Cy Young award winners.

Hours later, though, the Dodgers brokered another massive swap, sending Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres for a package centered around catcher Yasmani Grandal. The deal not only liberates the Dodgers from the $107 million remaining on Kemp's contract, but also provides the club with a talented catcher who remains under club control for the next four seasons and posted a 112 OPS+ over a career-high 128 games in 2014. By trading Kemp, the Dodger also alleviated some of the congestion in their crowded outfield and created an opportunity for top prospect Pederson to receive regular playing time at the major-league level.

Winner - Chicago White Sox

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn watched his club manage a 73-89 record in his first season at the helm and decided this winter to expedite the rebuilding process. Though the White Sox didn't at all resemble a postseason contender when the 2014 campaign ended, a couple of big moves at the winter meetings put the club in a position to at least flirt with a playoff berth in a division that appears to be trending downwards.

Resolved to improve a bullpen that provided less value than all but five teams last season, Hahn finalized a four-year, $46-million deal with closer David Robertson on Wednesday. It's traditionally inadvisable to hand out long-term deals to relievers, but the club's resources are geared towards making the playoffs in 2015 and Robertson's presence dramatically improves Chicago's bullpen for next season - only seven relievers have produced more WAR than Robertson since 2012.

Shortly thereafter, Hahn swapped Marcus Semien and three others for one season of Jeff Samardzija. Semien, a sixth-round pick in 2011, could've eventually succeeded Alexei Ramirez at shortstop, but Samardzija is certain to provide more value next season and affords the White Sox one of the strongest rotations in the league.

Player ERA FIP xFIP WAR
Chris Sale 2.17 2.57 2.83 5.4
Jeff Samardzija 2.99 3.2 3.07 4.1
Jose Quintana 3.32 2.81 3.37 5.3
Carlos Rodon - - - -
John Danks 4.74 4.76 4.62 0.8

Loser - Oakland Athletics

Billy Beane continued to dismantle his 25-man roster at the winter meetings, trading first baseman Brandon Moss to the Cleveland Indians for prospect Joe Wendle, a second baseman selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft.

Moss labored through a disastrous second half in 2014 while battling a hip problem, but the return still seems underwhelming, just as it did when Beane shipped Josh Donaldson to Toronto for Brett Lawrie and a trio of prospects. Despite showing symptoms of decline, the 31-year-old still has two years of arbitration-eligibility remaining and managed a 119 OPS+ last season.

Wendle, who was drafted out of Division II school, wasn't terribly impressive in his first test against high-quality arms, as the 24-year-old hit just .253/.311/.414 with eight home runs in 87 games for Double-A Akron of the Eastern League in 2014. 

Loser - New York Yankees

Injuries ravaged the Yankees' rotation last season, but veteran right-hander Brandon McCarthy was a revelation following a midseason trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The nine-year veteran rediscovered his cutter and proceeded to fashion a 2.89 ERA over 14 starts in the Bronx while Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, and Ivan Nova nursed their respective ailments.

Though he was seeking a four-year this winter, McCarthy's financial demands weren't all that hefty, especially for a team as well endowed as the Yankees. Despite letting closer David Robertson leave without so much as a contract offer, the Yankees still proved unable (or unwilling) to re-sign McCarthy, squandering an opportunity to shore up a rotation that inspired little reason for optimism in 2014.

Loser - San Francisco Giants

A potential seven-year offer from the reigning World Series champs wasn't enough to lure Jon Lester to San Francisco. The Giants were unable at the winter meetings to recoup the value lost when Pablo Sandoval signed a five-year deal with the Boston Red Sox last month.

Though the club could still replace Sandoval's value by signing either Chase Headley or Melky Cabrera, the Giants missed an opportunity to add premium talent to a rotation that has regressed in recent years and won't be receiving any high-upside reinforcements from the farm system any time soon.

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