What a week baseball fans! The 2014 MLB Winter Meetings was probably the most active in recent memory, with stars such as Matt Kemp, Jimmy Rollins, and Jeff Samardzija being traded and Jon Lester and David Robertson signing impressive free agent contracts. There was a flurry of activity this week and amongst this frenzy a few teams separated themselves as “Winners and Losers”.

In consideration for this list, I only placed teams based on signings and trades done Monday through Thursday, and did not penalize teams for a lack of activity. Opening Day is 14 weeks away, so there is plenty of time to alter rosters. In the name of instant gratification and satisfaction, these are my choices for “Winner and Losers” from this week.

Winners:

1) Chicago White Sox – Acquired Jeff Samardzija from Oakland for Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, Rangel Ravelo, and Josh Phegley; Signed David Robertson for 4-years $46million; Acquired Dan Jennings from Miami for Andre Rienzo

Bravo my new favorite general manager crush Rick Hahn, who has transformed a 73 win team in 2014 into a legitimate wild card contender next season. Samardzija is a strong #2 starter who will slot in well behind Chris Sale in the White Sox rotation, and to acquire him, they parted with quality, but excess pieces. The Robertson signing feels a little pricey, but he was clearly the best closer on the market this winter and fills a major need for the White Sox. Finally, the subtle trade late Thursday getting Jennings from Miami now gives Chicago two quality lefties in their bullpen (Zach Duke and Jennings) and transforms their relief corps from a weakness in 2014 to now a projected team strength.

2) Anaheim Angels – Traded Howie Kendrick to Los Angeles for Andrew Heaney; Traded Jairo Diaz to Colorado for Josh Rutledge

Many would automatically place the Dodgers or Cubs in this spot, but the Angels made two shrewd trades this week, turning one year of Howie Kendrick into six years of Andrew Heaney. Heaney was the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball six months ago, and although he has lost some prospect luster, he projects as a strong #4 starter for many seasons – a terrific return for one year of Kendrick.

Then to replace Kendrick, the Angels bought low on Josh Rutledge, a personal favorite who is only 25-years-old. With four years of player control left, the Angels did a solid job of replacing Kendrick in the lineup with Rutledge. Although these were two smaller trades, Anaheim filled a major need in adding a young controllable starting pitcher and did not significantly weaken their 2015 roster in the process.

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Many might question Philadelphia’s inclusion, but they find a spot on this list due to the sheer nature that these two trades might finally signal that the Phillies realize they need the major rebuild they have been delaying for 3 years. The Phillies now find themselves as sellers in a very aggressive buyers’ market, and they still have assets Cole Hamels, Marlon Byrd, and Chase Utley to deal. In addition, the two trades they did make this week produced three intriguing young arms to add to their dreary farm system, a strong first-step in this organizational transition.

Losers:

1) Minnesota Twins – Signed Ervin Santana 4-years $55 million

Giving a 32-year-old non-elite starting pitcher a 4-year contract is nearly automatic grounds for a spot on this list, but when the signing STILL makes you the 5th best team in your division, it is inexcusable. The Twins should have used this money on 3-4 players with some youth and potential, as they could either be useful trade bait or a part of the next winning team in Minnesota. Especially considering where the team is in the win cycle, this is my early leader for worst signing of the offseason.

2) Kansas City Royals – Signed Kendrys Morales 2-years $17 million

For a small market team coming off a wildly successful season, the Royals have been relatively quiet, allowing Billy Butler to sign with Oakland and replacing him with a lesser version in Kendrys Morales. Morales was dreadful last season and is now 31-years-old. Morales might have been an intriguing bounce-back signing at 1-year and less than $5 million, but to guarantee two years and $17mm leaves little possible value in this deal. Kansas City would have been wiser to allocate these resources differently to improve the overall roster.

3) San Diego Padres – Acquired Matt Kemp, Tim Federowicz, and Cash from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Yasmani Grandal, Joe Wieland, and Zach Eflin

I understand the Padres felt pressure to make a major splash at the Winter Meetings due to the new front office in San Diego and the meetings occurring in their backyard. However, I am not quite sure how much better Kemp makes the Padres compared to Grandal and I have a terrible feeling they helped a division rival get out from a bloated contract. San Diego needed to add an impact player to help sell tickets and optimism to their fan base, but this does not feel like the right bold move to make in terms of wins and losses.