Reminder to anyone who tries to predict the baseball standings before the season: Do not fall for the team that made the splashiest moves. This year, perhaps more than ever, proves the difficulty of a quick off-season makeover.
Consider the plights of the Miami Marlins, the San Diego Padres, the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox. All made major moves last winter but entered the weekend with losing records. The Marlins and the Padres have fired their managers, and Boston and Chicago were last in their divisions.
“It’s definitely not easy,” said Alex Anthopoulos, the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.