We covered the NL list on Sunday, and now let’s look at what the American League’s 15 teams have thus far done to upgrade their weakest positions (as gauged by the bWAR metric) of the 2021 season…

Angels (Shortstop, -1.0 bWAR): No team in baseball had a lower non-pitching bWAR than the Angels’ 7.1 number in 2021.  Beyond Jose Iglesias’ woes at shortstop, Los Angeles also received sub-replacement production in left field (-0.7), right field (-0.2) and third base (-0.1).  Considering Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon spent much of last season on the injured list, their returns should instantly shore things up, and top prospects Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh are also expected to play bigger roles in the outfield mix.  This leaves shortstop as the biggest problem area, and while Tyler Wade was acquired from the Yankees, Wade might be better suited for a utility role — the Angels also continued to have interest in Chris Taylor after Wade was acquired, and before Taylor re-signed with the Dodgers.  With the Halos continuing to focus on pitching, it remains to be seen if they’re also willing to make a big investment in the shortstop position.

Astros (Catcher, 0.6 bWAR): Houston isn’t likely to tinker with the defensively-sound Martin Maldonado/Jason Castro tandem, yet more will be expected at the plate, particularly from Maldonado.  While never even a league-average hitter during his career, Maldonado particularly struggled last year, batting only .171/.272/.300 over 426 plate appearances.

Athletics (Designated hitter, 0.5 bWAR): Between league-average offense from Jed Lowrie and subpar production from Mitch Moreland and Khris Davis, the DH spot was a weak link in Oakland’s lineup.  All three players are free agents are may not return, and this may just be part of the forthcoming roster overhaul as the A’s are reportedly looking to cut payroll.  In this regard, the DH spot may be on the back burner to some extent, as the A’s might just use in-house options or a low-cost veteran or two to rotate at-bats in the position.  The DH barely edged out shortstop (0.6 bWAR) as the Athletics’ weakest position of 2021, but Elvis Andrus is currently expected to return at shortstop, given the difficulties involved in trading him.

Blue Jays (Third base and center field, 1.5 bWAR each): A healthy season from George Springer should take care of the center field spot, leaving the Jays to deal with third base and the second-base vacancy that now exists due to Marcus Semien’s departure.  The consensus feeling is that Toronto will deploy a Cavan Biggio/Santiago Espinal platoon at one of the two infield spots and find another everyday player for the other, and the Jays are open to thinking big, as they were reportedly interested in Corey Seager before Seager signed with the Rangers.

Guardians (Catcher, -0.3 bWAR): Cleveland chose to decline its $7MM club option on Roberto Perez, leaving the Guardians with a tandem of Austin Hedges (who was tendered a contract and is projected for a $3.8MM salary) and minor league signing Sandy Leon.  While there’s still plenty of room for improvement, the Guardians have traditionally prioritized defense and game-calling ahead of offensive production from their catchers, so it’s possible they might only add another veteran on a minors deal to provide Leon some competition.

Mariners (Center field, -1.0 bWAR): The M’s only got 1.6 total bWAR from their outfield, the second-lowest total of any team.  Left field produced only 0.2 bWAR, while right field was a much more respectable 2.4 bWAR (thanks in large part to Mitch Haniger).  With Kyle Lewis hopefully healthy, Jarred Kelenic hopefully adjusted to big league pitching after a tough rookie season, and uber-prospect Julio Rodriguez hopefully ready for his MLB debut in 2022, Seattle’s outfield issues may resolve themselves.  However, since that’s a lot of “hopefully” for a team intent on ending its playoff drought, the Mariners have been linked to such major outfield free agent targets as Kris Bryant and Seiya Suzuki.

Orioles (Second base, -2.0 bWAR): With the bullpen delivering -1.5 bWAR and third base -0.9 bWAR, it took some doing for the Orioles’ second base revolving door to take the backhanded top prize as the least-productive position on a 110-loss team.  Rougned Odor was signed to be at least a placeholder at the position, though if the former Ranger does enjoy any first-half success, the O’s could certainly flip him at the trade deadline.  Recent international signing Cesar Prieto is an intriguing wild card for the second base job later in the season, if Prieto is able to make a quick transition from Cuban baseball to affiliated ball.

Rangers (Left field, -0.7 bWAR): For all the money they’ve spent this winter, the Rangers haven’t directly addressed the left field spot, though the signing of Kole Calhoun (likely slated for regular right field duty) should improve the outfield mix as a whole.  Texas is another team known to be in the Seiya Suzuki race, and given how aggressive the Rangers have already been, pursuits of Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, or other major bats or trade targets can’t be ruled out.  2021 All-Star Adolis Garcia could be an option in left field if the Rangers don’t use him in center, and beyond Garcia, the Rangers’ internal left field options include Nick Solak, Willie Calhoun, and Eli White.  Beyond the left field spot, Texas has already signed Jon Gray, but pitching stands out as another major need on the to-do list — Rangers starters combined for a -0.1 bWAR in 2021, while the bullpen was an even 0.0.

Rays (First base, 1.6 bWAR): As deep and versatile as the Rays were in 2021, it isn’t surprising that they had the highest bWAR of any of the “worst” positions on this list.  The Yandy Diaz/Ji-Man Choi platoon was unspectacular but solid, though it is interesting that Tampa Bay has already traded away other infield depth options (Joey Wendle, Jordan Luplow, Mike Brosseau) in respective deals with the Marlins, Diamondbacks and Brewers.  This could be a hint at a forthcoming move, or perhaps the Rays were just shuffling the deck as always with their roster depth.  For instance, Brandon Lowe could be used at first base more often now that Vidal Brujan and Taylor Walls are ready for bigger roles on the MLB roster.

Red Sox (First base, 0.1 bWAR): If Bobby Dalbec’s second-half surge truly represents a breakout, then the Sox may already have their answer at first base.  Nonetheless, it stands to reason that the Red Sox will add depth in the form of a (probably left-handed hitting) multi-position player, as that player could then contribute elsewhere on the diamond once top prospect Triston Casas makes his expected MLB debut at some point in 2022.  There have also been some whispers that the Red Sox might have a bold move up their sleeves, so we can’t rule the possibility that Boston could acquire someone like Freddie Freeman or Matt Olson, or maybe land a third baseman and shift Rafael Devers over to first base.

Royals (Right field, -1.2 bWAR): Kansas City didn’t get much from right field or the corner infield spots, as third base (-1.0 bwAR) and first base (-0.7 bWAR) were also sub-replacement level positions.  Hunter Dozier is a key figure in this equation, as he dragged down all three positions with his rough showing in 2021.  Carlos Santana also contributed to the first base woes with the worst season of his career, but the veteran slugger believes he can rebound now that he is past the leg injuries that hampered him last year.  The Royals have help on the way in star prospects Bobby Witt Jr. and Nick Pratto, and with Pratto a defensive standout at first base, Santana might find himself relegated to DH or part-time duty unless he can recapture his old form.  Witt is primarily a shortstop but he has played some third base, giving the Royals some flexibility in handling third base and right field depending where any of Witt, Adalberto Mondesi, Nicky Lopez, or Whit Merrifield are lined up on a regular basis.  It’s possible K.C. might pick up a relatively inexpensive veteran bat to lessen the pressure on the young kids, but the Royals aren’t likely to make a big position-player investment until they see what they really have in Witt, Pratto, and Kyle Isbel.

Tigers (Shortstop, -0.5 bWAR): It was widely expected that the Tigers would make a play for one of the big shortstops in the free agent market, and that box was checked when Javier Baez was signed to a six-year, $140MM deal.  With star prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene on the cusp of the majors, their arrivals should boost some other weak positions in Detroit’s lineup.  Tigers second basemen accounted for -0.2 bWAR, but with Torkelson playing first base, Jonathan Schoop can move over to the keystone.  Likewise, Greene is expected to play center field, which allows for a cleaner fit of Akil Baddoo as a left fielder, which will help the Tigers’ collective 0.3 bWAR in left last year.  Of note — Detroit had the lowest designated hitter bWAR (0.1) of any American League team, as even seven NL teams got a little more from their DH position in interleague competition than the Tigers did over 81 home games.  It makes for a bit of a conundrum with Miguel Cabrera, as his knees won’t allow him to take regular duty at first base, yet Cabrera hit decidedly better as a first baseman than as a DH last season.

Twins (Starting pitching, -1.4 bWAR): Dylan Bundy was signed to a one-year/$5MM contract, but given Bundy’s own struggles in 2021, Minnesota still has a lot of work to do in rebuilding its rotation.  A big splash can’t be ruled out, considering the Twins did express some interest in Robbie Ray prior to Ray signing with the Mariners, but it doesn’t seem likely that the Twins will make a major long-term commitment to more than one new pitcher.  Beyond that hypothetical addition, any other new arms will likely take the form of shorter-term acquisitions (such as trade targets with one or two remaining years of control) or rebound-candidate free agents like Bundy.

White Sox (Right field, 0.6 bWAR): While second base is seen as Chicago’s biggest problem area, the Sox at least got 0.9 bWAR out of the keystone last year.  Then again, between Adam Engel, Andrew Vaughn, and Gavin Sheets, the White Sox have a lot more options to at least make do in right field, whereas the depth chart at second base is the re-signed Leury Garcia and not much else.  A free agent like Josh Harrison or Jed Lowrie could at least be a stopgap, but with not much second base help remaining on the open market, the White Sox certainly seem like a team that would be looking to swing a notable trade.

Yankees (Left field, -0.1 bWAR): Powered largely by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees combined for 7.4 bWAR from the right field and DH positions in the 2021.  The other seven non-pitching positions combined?  Only 5.4 fWAR, with left field standing out as the one sub-replacement total of the group.  New York hasn’t done much in general this winter, but in regards to the outfield, they parted ways with Clint Frazier and added Ender Inciarte as minor league depth.  Many of the Yankees’ outfield questions circle around Aaron Hicks’ health or whether or not Joey Gallo hits better over a full season in the Bronx, and another return for Brett Gardner can never be ruled out.  However, the outfield certainly stands out as a spot for the Yankees to make a splashy addition, if they’re willing to move beyond their recent modest (at least by Yankees standards) spending output.

Since the lockout has resulted in close to two very quiet months of offseason activity, teams will have plenty to do once the Major League transactions freeze is finally over, including addressing many of the positions on this list.  However, some teams have already taken steps to fix their more glaring weak spots from the 2021 season (as determined by bWAR).  Let’s take a look at the progress that has been made, with the note that we’ll ignore the DH position for this look at National League teams…

Braves (Catcher, -1.3 bWAR): With Travis d’Arnaud on the injured list for much of the season, Atlanta turned to a grab bag of catchers to tread water before d’Arnaud returned in August and solidified the position through the Braves’ run to the World Series.  Since d’Arnaud is always an injury risk, the Braves signed Manny Pina to a two-year deal, adding a veteran complement rather than rely on a larger role for youngsters William Contreras or Shea Langeliers.

Brewers (First base -0.5 bWAR): Though Milwaukee didn’t get much from first base as a whole all year, Rowdy Tellez did hit pretty well after being acquired in a midseason trade from the Blue Jays.  On paper, Tellez will be the Brew Crew’s first choice at the position, with the newly-acquired Mike Brosseau and former top prospect Keston Hiura acting as right-handed hitting complements.  There’s some flexibility here for the Brewers to adjust if, say, Hiura can escape his two-year-long slump, or if the team decides to make another in-season trade for a bigger bat.

Cardinals (Relief pitching, 1.0 bWAR): It is a testament to the Cards’ general depth that their “worst” position was a comparatively solid 1.0 bWAR, as while their hitting was generally middle-of-the-pack, even their weakest bats still contributed with excellent defense.  That leaves the bullpen as the relative weak link, and St. Louis has thus far re-signed veteran lefty T.J. McFarland and brought in Kyle Ryan on a minor league deal, while another veteran in Luis Garcia left to join the Padres.  It’s probably more likely that the Cardinals still stick to somewhat lower-level transactions to augment their pen, as the team has some young starters on the farm that could be deployed in relief roles, if they aren’t needed for the rotation.  Giovanny Gallegos pitched well in the closer’s role, though St. Louis get some added depth via a veteran with ninth-inning experience.

Cubs (Starting pitching, -1.2 bWAR): After unloading most of their veterans at the trade deadline, the Cubs indicated they weren’t willing to head into rebuild mode just yet, as they signed Marcus Stroman to a three-year, $71MM deal and claimed Wade Miley off waivers from the salary-dumping Reds.  Neither represents a major long-term commit (Stroman can opt out after the 2023 season and Miley is under contract only through 2022), yet Wrigleyville’s rotation already looks much better on paper.  Kyle Hendricks has another spot claimed, and the Cubs could use any of Adbert Alzolay, Alec Mills, Justin Steele, or top prospect Brailyn Marquez for the final two spots.  Alternatively, Chicago could acquire a fairly inexpensive veteran arm to either be penciled into the fourth rotation spot, or to provide further competition for those younger pitchers.

Diamondbacks (Relief pitching, -3-3 bWAR): There weren’t many areas of strength for the 110-loss D’Backs, yet the bullpen was easily the team’s biggest issue.  Even though the Diamondbacks face an uphill battle in contending next year, the relief corps was dire enough that Arizona felt the need for a notable bullpen signing, adding Mark Melancon for two years and $14MM.  Melancon might end up being the Diamondbacks’ biggest investment in the pen, as the club has also added Keynan Middleton, Edwin Uceta, Zack Burdi, and Kyle Nelson on minor league deals and waiver claims, and could pursue a similar low-cost path with other relief additions.

Dodgers (Center field, 0.8 bWAR): Cody Bellinger’s brutal 2021 season makes him a big question mark heading into 2022.  The Dodgers aren’t ready to give up on the former NL MVP, yet it’s probably safe to assume their decision to re-sign super-utilityman Chris Taylor was at least partially inspired by the need to have a backup plan in place should Bellinger again struggle at the plate.  Since L.A. probably doesn’t want to use Mookie Betts or AJ Pollock in center more than they have to, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Dodgers target another center field-capable utility type or maybe just a pure outfielder in their post-lockout moves.

Giants (Second base, 1.6 bWAR): This is the best bWAR of any team’s “worst” position, which isn’t surprising given how the Giants expertly juggled their roster en route to 107 victories.  Tommy La Stella spending a big chunk of the year on the IL contributed to the relative lack of second base production, and a healthy La Stella in a platoon with Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores be the in-house answer to improving the keystone.  As always, however, the Giants figure to explore their options for multi-positional names both small and large, and San Francisco has the payroll space to make a bigger infield addition if they chose that path.

Marlins (Catcher, -1.5 bWAR): With the combination of Jorge Alfaro, Sandy Leon, Alex Jackson, and Chad Wallach providing little help behind the plate, the Marlins went for the big swing and acquired Jacob Stallings from the Pirates.  Miami had to give up a package of three prospects to seal the deal, but giving up two controllable minor league arms was an acceptable price for a team with the Marlins’ pitching depth.  The plan now is for Stallings’ strong defense and game-calling abilities to help aid Miami’s arms at the big league level.

Mets (Catcher, 0 bWAR): After signing James McCann to a four-year, $40.6MM deal last winter, the Mets expected a lot more than a .232/.294/.349 slash line over 412 plate appearances.  With backup Tomas Nido not hitting much, New York will just have to hope that McCann needed some time to adjust to a new league, and that the backstop can return to his old All-Star form.

Nationals (Relief pitching, -4.6 bWAR): No team in any positional category had a lower number than the Washington bullpen’s -4.6 bWAR, and the Nats only subtracted from their relief corps in moving Daniel Hudson and Brad Hand as part of their deadline selloff.  The Nationals have added some lower-level arms as depth, and this could wind up as their tactic later in the winter, as it isn’t yet clear if D.C. will use 2022 as a reset year or if they’ll make a larger push to contend.

Padres (Catcher, 0.4 bWAR): With the Marlins ready to move on from Alfaro, A.J. Preller picked up yet another player with former Rangers ties when San Diego acquired Alfaro from Miami just prior to the lockout.  The Padres’ problems at catcher were largely due to an injury-riddled year from prospective starter Austin Nola, so assuming Nola is healthy and productive, the Padres might have something of a surplus at the position (between backup Victor Caratini and top prospect Luis Campusano) if Alfaro can get on track whatsoever.  Campusano’s name was floated in some trade talks with the Cubs and Nationals back at the deadline, and he has been speculatively mentioned as a trade chip again this winter.

Phillies (Third base, -0.9 bWAR): Between the hot corner, the shortstop position (-0.5 bWAR), center field and left field (1.3 bWAR each), the Phillies have a lot of holes to fill prior to Opening Day.  In theory, third base could be the easiest to address if the club decides to just stay the course with Alec Bohm, who followed up a great rookie season with a mediocre 2021 campaign.  Bohm would hardly be the first player to rebound from a sophomore slump, but since shortstop is also a need, the Phillies might look to acquire a multi-positional infield type who could conceivably step in at either short or third base.

Pirates (Right field, -1.5 bWAR): Since the Bucs are still rebuilding, it isn’t clear if they’ll add any significant veteran upgrades at right field or any other position for 2022.  If not, waiver pickup Greg Allen has joined Ben Gamel, Anthony Alford, and 2018 first-rounder Travis Swaggerty in the mix for playing time in the corner outfield positions.

Reds (Third base, -1.4 bWAR): The experiment of Eugenio Suarez as the Reds’ starting shortstop came to a quick end, yet Suarez struggled at the plate basically all season long, and Mike Moustakas (who began the year at third base) also struggled at the plate and battled injuries.  There are some real warning signs about Suarez’s lack of offensive production over the last two years, and with Cincinnati perhaps looking more towards payroll cuts than roster upgrades this winter, there’s no easy fix other than hoping Suarez and/or Moustakas can get back on track.

Rockies (Center field, 0.9 bWAR): The outfield is a need in general for Colorado, and finding a center fielder represents a particular challenge since spacious Coors Field almost demands a good defender up the middle.  None of their 2021 center field options in Garrett Hampson, Yonathan Daza, or Sam Hilliard exactly fit the bill, as Hampson may be the best fielder of the bunch but might end up in the infield rather than on the grass.  The Rockies reportedly had interest in Kris Bryant before the lockout, and a major signing like that would certainly fill the need for a big bat in the lineup, even if Bryant could or would be deployed at several positions rather than be used at a full-time center fielder.