Two major moves were made over the last week as Tori Hunter left the only team he has known, the Minnesota Twins, for the Los Angeles Angels. Later, surprisingly dominant closer Francisco Cordero moved within the NL Central from Milwaukee to Cincinnati. How did each team fare in these big winter signings? Read on to find out. Hunter heads to Angels Centerfielder Tori Hunter left the Minnesota Twins for the Los Angeles Angels for a five-year, $90 million. Hunter had a career year last year, batting .297 with 28 home runs and 107 RBIs, while still showing his excellent range in centerfield. Hunter is a doubles hitter who still shows the ability to hit for power and be a force in the middle of the line-up. However, he shouldn?t be counted on to be the man in any line-up. Defensively, he is in the discussion for best in the game and will improve any team?s defense and ERA immediately. With Los Angeles, Hunter is a nice complement piece to outfielder Vladimir Guerrero and will make opposing pitchers work to Guerrero more frequently. He also will improve the defense because he is still an upgrade defensively over Gary Matthews Jr. and gives the Angels depth in the outfield to keep Guerrero healthy and limit the at-bats for Garret Anderson so as to keep him fresh for September and October. However, it appears this signing is for the exact same reasoning as the Gary Matthews signing last winter. With Hunter, Anderson, Matthews and Guerrero the Angels have invested roughly a little over $50 million into their outfield, according to Cot?s Baseball Contracts. I think Hunter is a borderline all-star player who will improve the Angels' roster in 2008, but I?m not sure he was the wisest place to dump money into when it was evident last season against the Red Sox that they have other holes which need to be filled. Grade: B Cordero to close for Reds Right-handed closer Francisco Cordero cashed in on his rebirth with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 to sign with the Cincinnati Reds for four years at $46 million. Cordero has some of the best late game stuff in baseball and after losing confidence late in his time with Texas, he rebuilt his career with Milwaukee. Last season, he had 44 saves, a 2.98 ERA and a 12.22 strikeouts per nine innings mark. Cordero is a hard thrower who relies on his fastball and slider to dominate. He will use either pitch to start a hitter but likes to use the slider when he gets ahead. In their first major move under new Manager Dusty Baker, the Reds have shored up their bullpen that was better than it should have been last year but no question struggled at points during the year. With Cordero, the Reds have a steady man in the ninth and can push all their other arms up an inning to create a deep bullpen. Also, Cordero has pitched successfully for extended periods in hitter?s parks in Arlington and Miller Park in Milwaukee, so he shouldn?t fazed by Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati For a team trying to change a losing culture, it is paramount they don?t lose close games because it can be deadly to a franchise. Also, with starters like Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo and super kid Homer Bailey to go along with a good offense, the Reds could have their fair share of leads heading into the late innings that they will need to be protected. For these reasons I really like this deal, but the actual contract bothers me. It isn?t a terrible deal, but $46 million for a closer should be reserved for the game?s elite (Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, etc.) and four years is a big investment for a player who has shown to lose his craft from time to time. Overall though, this was a good move by General Manager Wayne Krivsky. Grade: A- Did the Reds and Angels improve themselves? How much do these moves hurt the Twins and Brewers? Email your thoughts to [email protected]