Influx of Talent Headed to American League

Jose Reyes will make his American League debut with the Blue Jays in 2013

The rich get richer, or so the saying goes, and it's never rang truer than this winter's MLB signings. The American League, long considered superior to the National League, has acquired some of the top talent in the game for the second straight summer and taken several high profile players from the NL. While it doesn't necessarily matter in the long run, it's easy to see that if fans want to see stars then an American League game is the route they will want to take.

Michael Bourn, a Gold Glove winner and two-time winner, inked a four-year, $48 million deal with the Cleveland Indians and he became the latest NL star to switch leagues. Bourn batted .274 with nine homers, 57 RBIs and 42 steals last season for the Atlanta Braves. The speedy outfielder joins Nick Swisher, Brett Myers (also from the NL's Phillies) and manager Terry Francona on a revamped Tribe roster that promises to be more of a contender this fall.

The Indians' move is the latest in a string of trades and free agent signings that have sent stars across leagues. The Toronto Blue Jays made splashy moves earlier this winter when they acquired the reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and the 2012 All-Star Game MVP Melky Cabrera. Despite being 38-years-old, Dickey baffled opposing hitters with a knuckleball that danced, rolled, fluttered and moved in abnormal ways and he finished 2012 with a 20-6 record for the New York Mets. Cabrera batted .354 for the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants, but his season was cut short due to a failed drug test. His name was also mentioned in reports for PED use at a South Florida clinic. Regardless of his faults, Cabrera is a great pickup for the Jays in the loaded AL East.

Along with the two free agent signings, Toronto also required Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Jose Reyes from the Miami Marlins in a trade that defined the failures of the Miami "rebirth." Buehrle has a perfect game and 174 wins on his resume while Johnson is a 29-year-old fireballer and 2-time All-Star. Reyes, the most recognizable of the trio, has often been injured, but when healthy he is one of the best in the game. He led the NL in stolen bases three times and batted .337 in 2011.

None of these signings are as big as last summer's signings of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, but it's obvious that the American League has lured some of the game's best players away from National League. On top of that, other stars that have left their AL ballclubs are staying in the league, rather than signing with a National League team. Josh Hamilton, Kevin Youkilis and Mike Napoli all moved within the league and it begs the question: why aren't NL teams signing the big names players?

If these signings are supposed to show in the statistics then something is wrong. Since 2003 the American League has won six of nine All-Star Games, but the NL has won the last three. The NL has also won six of the World Series since 2003, including the last three. Those statistics don't reflect the exodus of stars from the NL, but time will tell if this year is different.

As pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the American League looks to be the stronger league. They have some of the game's top managers, pitchers and hitters. However, if recent history tells us anything, it's that the big signings don't always correlate with winning the big games.