OPINION

By Gerry Fraley

updated 5:26 p.m. ET Dec. 29, 2008

Christmas has come and gone, and teams still have crying needs. A look at a major remaining hole for each American League team:

EAST

Baltimore: The Orioles do not have a catcher on their 40-man roster. As Casey Stengel pointed out, a team without a catcher is likely to have a lot of passed balls.
Top prospect Matt Wieters will move into the position at some point this season, possibly by opening day. Wieters is only 22 and would benefit from having a veteran catcher around to counsel him. All-Star Ivan Rodriguez would be a good fit, but he seems unwilling to become a part-time player.

Boston: Josh Bard returns, which indicates the problems the Red Sox have at catcher. Bard, unable to handle knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, was terrible in a brief stay with Boston in 2006. His defensive skills have gotten worse.
The Red Sox could still re-sign veteran clubhouse leader Jason Varitek, but those talks seem to have stalled. Varitek is finding little interest on the open market because of his "Type A" status, which would cost a signing club a high draft choice.
Management's decision to let Kevin Cash depart as a non-tender free agent is increasingly hard to understand.

New York: Could Nick Swisher be a Yankee without ever making it to the city?
The signing of free-agent Mark Teixeira means no time at first base for Swisher, acquired in November from the Chicago White Sox. Swisher is ill-equipped to play center field on a regular basis, but the Yankees' choices are to play him there, trade him or trade another corner outfielder to create a spot.

Tampa Bay: Right field and designated hitter remain in a state of flux for the defending league champions.
The Rays wanted Milton Bradley but appear to have missed out on him. They could add another free agent, such as Jason Giambi or Ken Griffey Jr., or bring back some or all of the players who manned the positions last season: Rocco Baldelli, Cliff Floyd and Eric Hinske.
Tampa Bay needs more run production from right field. Rays right fielders combined for only 74 RBIs last season, second-lowest total by the position among AL teams.

Toronto: Canada's declining dollar has put the Blue Jays in a difficult spot. Simply put, they have lost about 15 percent of their buying power.
Right-hander A.J. Burnett, who had 18 wins and 221-1/3 innings last season, opted out of his contract and signed with the Yankees. That freed up $24 million over the next two seasons, but the Jays do not appear inclined to spend it to replace Burnett or a pair of injured right-handers: Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan.
Interim CEO Paul Beeston admitted to reporters that the Jays could stay out of the free-agent market altogether.
In that scenario, Toronto's rotation would start with right-handers Roy Halladay and Jesse Litsch, who combined for 33 wins last season, as the top two starters, with a steep drop from there. Left-hander David Purcey and right-hander Scott Richmond, who combined for four wins, would be the Nos. 3-4 starters, with a fifth starter to be determined.

CENTRAL

Chicago: Center field has been a revolving door since the White Sox traded Aaron Rowand to Philadelphia after the 2005 season. Since the deal, seven different players have made at least 20 starts in center. The White Sox, in a salary-cutting mode, must decide if they want to recycle Brian Anderson, Dewayne Wise and Jerrry Owens in the position to find an inexpensive candidate.
The bullpen also needs reinforcements. The White Sox' season started downward last year when right-hander Scott Linebrink went on the disabled list in late July because of shoulder inflammation.

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Cleveland: The Indians have addressed only one of their significant needs, signing free-agent closer Kerry Wood. They still need a front-line third baseman, a corner outfielder with power and a mid-range starting pitcher.
Third base is the most pressing concern. The Indians would prefer to sign a free agent such as Joe Crede or Ty Wigginton rather than deal for help at the position.
They will do everything to avoid going back to Andy Marte at third. Marte, a once-heralded prospect, now qualifies as a flop. Marte has hit .211 with a .337 slugging percentage in 513 career major-league at-bats.

Detroit: As expected of a disappointing last-place team, the Tigers have been busy. They have added a new catcher in Gerald Laird and a new shortstop in Adam Everett.
They still need a closer, and the market is shrinking. Trevor Hoffman, the all-time saves leader, would switch leagues at this point of his career only as a last resort. The Tigers cannot count on their in-house possibilities: right-handers Fernando Rodney, who had six blown saves in 19 chances last season; and Joel Zumaya, whose season was ruined by shoulder problems.

Kansas City: The Royals made a big run at free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal but lost out. They would still like to add a shortstop, allowing Mike Aviles to move to second. Aviles did well as an unexpected shortstop last season, but he is better suited for second.
A defensive upgrade at shortstop to go with the defensive upgrade in center with Coco Crisp would help the pitching staff.
The Royals have some players to deal. They would like to unload a corner outfielder, Mark Teahen or the more expensive Jose Guillen. They will also listen to offers for right-hander Zack Greinke but have made it clear that any offer must be overwhelming to be considered.

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