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Poll: Who’s Winning The Offseason In The AL West?

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The calendar has flipped to February and the start of spring is just a matter of days away. While some notable free agents (including seven of MLBTR’s Top 50) remain unsigned, most clubs have already done the heavy lifting in terms of preparing their roster for the 2025 season. In the coming days, we’ll be taking a look around the league at which clubs have had the strongest offseason to this point. After the Mets, Cubs, and Dodgers have decisively won the polls covering the National League’s three divisions, the focus now shifts to the American League starting with the AL West.

The junior circuit’s west coast teams have been busy for the most part, perhaps reflecting the division’s tightly contested nature. A three-way race for the AL West came down to the final day of the 2023 season, and despite the Astros’ division title, the Rangers were the ones to be crowned World Series champions. In 2024, Houston’s long reign over the division started showing signs of cracks as they struggled out of the gate, won “just” 88 games (down by their standards) and were bounced from the playoffs in the AL Wild Card Series.

Which team has done the best job setting themselves up for 2024? Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record:

Houston Astros

The winds of change are blowing through Houston, and they’ll enter 2025 with a significantly reshaped roster. The most notable move this winter was to ship star outfielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago ahead of his final season under team control. Losing a player of Tucker’s caliber is always a brutal blow, but Houston did fairly well in the trade. They not only added a new top prospect in third baseman Cam Smith, but they also managed to bring in All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes and bolster their rotation depth with right-hander Hayden Wesneski.

The additions of Paredes and Wesneski have patched holes left by the departures of Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander in free agency, though the club has apparently not completely closed the door on a reunion with Bregman. Meanwhile, the need at first base caused by Jose Abreu’s dramatic decline was filled by the addition of three-time Gold Glove winner Christian Walker. Solid as those moves have been, though, the Astros have subtracted more than they’ve added. Ryan Pressly, Yusei Kikuchi, and Jose Urquidy are no longer with the club, and the Astros’ replacement for Tucker as a left-handed outfield bat to this point appears to be a reunion with journeyman Ben Gamel.

Seattle Mariners

Seattle has had the quietest offseason in the division despite typically being one of the most active teams on the trade market. Rumors of a Luis Castillo deal have not come to fruition, and trade targets to bolster the club’s lackluster infield such as Nico Hoerner, Alec Bohm, and Triston Casas have all remained with their current teams. The Mariners’ lack of activity on the trade market has led them to make mostly ancillary moves. As ownership has scaled back the budget substantially, the Mariners have re-signed Jorge Polanco and added Donovan Solano for a combined $11.25MM. Their only other additions have been minor trades for players with minimal big league experience like Austin Shenton and Miles Mastrobuoni.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers’ front office has had a tall order placed in front of them this winter: navigate under the luxury tax while supplementing an offense that struggled last year and completely rebuilding a pitching staff that saw seven major pieces reach free agency. They’ve most succeeded in those goals. Robert Garcia, Chris Martin, Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong, and Hoby Milner were all brought in to help patch up one of the league’s weaker bullpens. The club parted with first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to bring Garcia into the fold, but his bat has been effectively swapped out for free agent pickup Joc Pederson and trade acquisition Jake Burger in trade.

Meanwhile, the club added some pop behind the plate by pairing Kyle Higashioka with Jonah Heim after Heim struggled through a down season offensively last year. The Rangers managed to keep Nathan Eovaldi on a three-year deal despite the soaring cost of starting pitching. Whether these additions will be enough to make up for the losses of Lowe, Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Jose Leclerc, Andrew Heaney and Max Scherzer remains to be seen.

Athletics

After shuttering the Coliseum and departing Oakland for a temporary stay in West Sacramento, the A’s have begun to spend more aggressively than they have in years. The club locked up breakout slugger Brent Rooker for the next five seasons on a $60MM extension and has been active both the trade and free agent markets. The A’s signed Luis Severino to a club-record three-year, $67MM deal while also agreeing to deals with third baseman Gio Urshela, former Rangers closer Jose Leclerc and lefty T.J. McFarland. On the trade market, they added southpaws Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez in a deal with the Rays that saw them surrender Joe Boyle, their Competitive Balance Round A pick, and two prospects.

Los Angeles Angels

After narrowly avoiding the first 100-loss season in franchise history, the Angels were heavily active in the early stages of the offseason. They acquired slugger Jorge Soler in a trade with the Braves on day one of the offseason, surrendering only non-tender candidate Griffin Canning. They added Scott Kingery in a cash swap with the Phillies shortly thereafter. The early days of free agency brought deals for Yusei Kikuchi, Travis d’Arnaud, Kyle Hendricks, and Kevin Newman.

Things have been mostly quiet in Anaheim since that flurry of moves back in November, and it will surely take a strong, healthy season from Mike Trout in addition to steps forward for multiple youngsters if the Angels are going to contend for the postseason in 2025.

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The AL West appears to have moved towards parity somewhat this winter. The Astros have sacrificed maximizing their immediate odds at continued dominance in the name of longer-term stability. The Mariners opted to keep their elite rotation together rather than risk breaking up the group to strengthen a mediocre lineup. The Rangers have been very active in reshaping their roster in hopes of recapturing the glory of 2023, while the fourth- and fifth-place A’s and Angels have been surprisingly aggressive in their efforts to separate themselves from the AL’s cellar dwellers.

Of the five AL West clubs, which one has had the strongest offseason so far? Have your say in the poll below:

Which AL West team has had the best offseason so far?
The Athletics 30.47% (2,576 votes)
Texas Rangers 28.29% (2,391 votes)
Houston Astros 18.94% (1,601 votes)
Los Angeles Angels 14.69% (1,242 votes)
Seattle Mariners 7.61% (643 votes)
Total Votes: 8,453

The Opener: Bregman, Twins, 40-Man Moves

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One free-agent deal is already in the books this morning. Here are three more things to keep an eye out for today:

1. Bregman stands alone:

After slugger Pete Alonso finally agreed to return to the Mets last night, third baseman Alex Bregman stands as the lone top tier bat in free agency. With the start of spring training looming, Bregman’s market has been fairly quiet in recent days. The Tigers reportedly remain in on him even after their deal to re-sign righty Jack Flaherty. The Cubs, Blue Jays, Astros, and Red Sox are all involved in Bregman’s market on at least some level. It seems possible that at least a couple of those suitors have eased off their pursuits of Bregman, however. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart relayed yesterday that, per GM Dana Brown, the Astros have not recently spoken to Bregman’s camp and that their discussions about a reunion with him “remain internal.” Meanwhile, the Red Sox continued their ongoing talks with the Cardinals about third baseman Nolan Arenado. A Bregman decision could be a catalyst for resolution on the Arenado front, or vice versa.

2. Could a Twins trade be on the horizon?

All winter long, it’s been clear that the Twins were operating at or near their maximum capacity for payroll and wouldn’t be able to make significant additions on the free agent market without clearing payroll via trade. Despite that long-anticipated reality, however, the Twins have made multiple free agent signings in recent days. The additions of center fielder Harrison Bader and southpaw reliever Danny Coulombe are set to cost the Twins $9.25MM, and according to RosterResource that puts them around $18MM over their 2024 payroll. While it’s possible that the front office has simply been provided more financial flexibility than initially believed, it’s worth noting that Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey recently acknowledged an uptick in trade discussions. Could a deal or two that clears payroll space be coming? Minnesota needs to open two 40-man roster spots to finalize their deals with Bader and Coulombe.

3. Several 40-man moves pending:

In addition to that pair of 40-man moves pending for the Twins, there are several other clubs who need to open 40-man spots to finalize agreements of their own. Last night’s Alonso reunion in Queens will force the Mets to open a spot on their 40-man roster that features a number of depth arms on the bubble (e.g. Austin Warren, Tyler Zuber, Max Kranick, Kevin Herget). This morning’s Tommy Pham deal will require the Pirates to jettison someone else from their 40-man, which could prove problematic for offseason DFA pickups like Brett de Geus, Peter Strzelecki or Chase Shugart. The Yankees still need to make roster space for their reunion with southpaw Tim Hill, which could lead to a quick DFA turnaround for recent waiver claims Braden Shewmake or Owen White. Over in Detroit, the Tigers still haven’t announced their deal to re-sign Jack Flaherty, which will prompt a 40-man subtraction in the Motor City as well.

Poll: Who’s Winning The Offseason In The NL West?

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The calendar has flipped to February and the start of Spring Training is just a matter of days away. While some notable free agents (including nine of MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents for the 2024-25 offseason) remain unsigned, most clubs have already done the heavy lifting in terms of preparing their roster for the 2025 season. In the coming days, we’ll be taking a look around the league at which clubs have had the strongest offseason to this point. So far, the Mets and Cubs have decisively won the polls covering the NL East and Central respectively. Today, the focus shifts to the NL West.

The west coast represents the class of the National League given that they’ve represented the senior circuit in the World Series in each of the past two seasons. The division has sent at least two teams to the postseason in each of the past five seasons, and this offseason finds three of the club’s five teams firmly in win-now contention windows while a fourth has also begun acting aggressively. Which team has done the most to set themselves up for success this winter? Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The reigning World Series champions may have stayed mostly on the sidelines during the bidding for top free agent and $765MM man Juan Soto, but that in no way means they’ve had a quiet offseason. The Dodgers have been one of the league’s most active teams this winter, re-signing Teoscar Hernandez and Blake Treinen, extending Tommy Edman, and also making a number of additions in free agency. The club kicked off the winter by poaching lefty Blake Snell from their division rivals in San Francisco and haven’t let up since, adding Michael Conforto to the outfield and Hyeseong Kim to the infield while bolstering the bullpen with both Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, arguably the two best closers available in this winter’s market.

The most notable addition of the winter for Los Angeles, however, was surely longtime NPB phenom Roki Sasaki, who was posted despite not yet being eligible for anything more than a minor league contract and international bonus pool money. Getting Sasaki under such favorable terms would be a coup for any team, and it only serves to strengthen the Dodgers further. That’s not to say their offseason has been flawless, however. Their roster crunch reached a point where they had to sell off some of their less-necessary 40-man prospects and depth pieces like Diego Cartaya, Gavin Lux, and Ryan Brasier. Aside from that, the club’s biggest question mark in 2025 was the shortstop position, and that remains largely unaddressed as the club plans to give veteran star Mookie Betts another run at the position despite his lack of experience there. Even with a potential hole at short if Betts is unable to handle the position, however, the Dodgers have set themselves up well as they look to defend their World Series title in 2025.

San Diego Padres

It’s been a quiet and disappointing offseason in San Diego amid discord within the club’s ownership group and a clear budget crunch that has hampered president of baseball operations A.J. Preller all throughout the winter. The departures of Scott, Jurickson Profar, Donovan Solano, and Ha-Seong Kim in free agency have left the club’s strong core without much of its supporting cast, and San Diego’s hopes of landing Sasaki were dashed by their rivals in L.A. despite a strong push that made them a finalist. The club’s only big league signing to this point in the winter has been re-signing Elias Diaz to help shore things up behind the plate. It’s a welcome addition but hardly a needle mover, and it seems as though the Padres may not be able to make more impactful additions without trading a player like Dylan Cease or Luis Arraez to clear salary.

Arizona Diamondbacks

After missing the playoffs by just a hair in 2024, the 2023 NL champions have not been resting on their laurels this winter. The club re-upped with Randal Grichuk yesterday to keep a key right-handed bat in the outfield mix, and while the losses of Joc Pederson, Christian Walker, and Josh Bell to free agency are all sure to sting the lineup the addition of Josh Naylor in a trade with the Guardians should help to ease that blow considerably. By far the club’s most notable addition, however, is that of Corbin Burnes. Arizona managed to reel in the offseason’s top pitching free agent on a surprisingly favorable six-year guarantee, and the 2021 NL Cy Young award winner will now join Zac Gallen at the top of an already-strong rotation that also features Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, and Jordan Montgomery. With that being said, the club still has one major question mark in the lineup after letting Pederson’s role as the regular DH go as-of-yet unfilled, and the club’s efforts to add a closer to their relief corps have not yet come to fruition either.

San Francisco Giants

Much like the Diamondbacks, the Giants’ offseason is highlighted by one major, splashy signing: they added shortstop Willy Adames to their infield on the largest free agent contract in club history, pairing him with recently-extended third baseman Matt Chapman to form a dynamic duo on the left side of the infield for years to come. Aside from that signing, perhaps the biggest addition to the Giants organization of the offseason was longtime franchise face Buster Posey taking over for the exiting Farhan Zaidi as president of baseball operations.

Since adding Adames just before the Winter Meetings, however, things have been fairly quiet in San Francisco. Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander was brought in to help Logan Webb anchor the rotation after Snell departed for Los Angeles, but Verlander turns 42 later this month and it’s fair to wonder how much he has left in the tank after a difficult 2024 season. That appears to be all the club plans to do this winter, as Posey recently suggested that the organization feels “pretty set” with their offseason moves despite departures like Michael Conforto and Taylor Rogers having gone as-of-yet unanswered.

Colorado Rockies

Coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons, the Rockies have continued to eschew the full rebuild strategy other bottom-feeders like the White Sox and Marlins have taken up in favor of retaining their veteran players to serve as a bridge to their younger pieces. That’s led to extremely quiet offseasons in recent years, and this one has been no exception to that. The club added some infield depth by signing Thairo Estrada and Kyle Farmer to one-year deals as they look to replace Brendan Rodgers, but those are the club’s only big league free agent additions of the winter.

Arguably their most impactful move was re-signing catcher Jacob Stallings on the heels of an excellent rebound season with the club last year, and he should help to solidify the catcher position until well-regarded prospect Drew Romo is ready to take over regular catching duties. The pitching staff has been almost entirely unaltered aside from the departures of Daniel Bard and Cal Quantrill, however, and there hasn’t been a bat brought in to replace the production of retiring franchise stalwart Charlie Blackmon.

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This offseason has been a bit of a mixed bag around the NL West, with three of its five clubs making multiple major additions to the roster but the other two having done very little to this point in terms of either buy-side or sell-side moves, instead largely remaining stagnant. The Dodgers have been, unsurprisingly, the most active club of the winter both within the division and arguably in baseball as a whole. With that said, however, Arizona’s coup in bringing Burnes into the fold and San Francisco’s record-setting deal for Adames are strong moves that could catapult either club back into the postseason after missing out last year. Colorado’s trend of modest offseasons has continued, however, and with the caveat that Preller can never be counted out when it comes to making bold moves, it seems that the Padres have elected to join them in that quiet approach to this point in the offseason.

Of the five NL West clubs, which one has had the strongest offseason so far? Have your say in the poll below:

Which NL West team has had the best offseason so far?
Los Angeles Dodgers 77.03% (6,229 votes)
Colorado Rockies 8.31% (672 votes)
Arizona Diamondbacks 7.40% (598 votes)
San Francisco Giants 3.80% (307 votes)
San Diego Padres 3.46% (280 votes)
Total Votes: 8,086

The Opener: Arenado, Left-Handed Relief, White

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With the start of spring training now just a few days away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Arenado talks picking back up?

After weeks of radio silence on Nolan Arenado’s trade market, it appears there may be renewed movement on that Cardinals’ top offseason priority. Reporting indicated yesterday that St. Louis has had “recent communication” with the Red Sox regarding Arenado after talks had stalled last month. The Cardinals would surely prefer to move him in the next two weeks and avoid a potentially distracting storyline as the club opens camp. Of course, it remains possible (and perhaps even likely) that Arenado’s market will remain fairly stagnant until Alex Bregman signs somewhere in free agency.

2. Lefty relievers coming off the board:

Yesterday saw two of the top remaining lefty relief arms land contracts as the Twins brought in Danny Coulombe while the Yankees re-signed Tim Hill. For teams looking to add a southpaw to the bullpen, the market is becoming increasingly barren. Veteran lefty Andrew Chafin is the best option still on the board with Colin Poche, Drew Smyly, Jalen Beeks, and Ryan Yarbrough highlighting the remaining depth options. One other notable name on the market is veteran Brooks Raley, who has generally pitched quite well as a late-inning arm since returning to the majors from the KBO in 2020 but will not be ready for Opening Day after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer.

3. DFA resolution expected today:

One week ago today, the Reds designated right-hander Owen White for assignment to make room for southpaw Taylor Rogers on the 40-man roster after acquiring him from the Giants. The one-week window for a player who’s been designated for assignment to either be moved or clear waivers is closing today, so a resolution can be expected this afternoon. White was placed on waivers by the Rangers earlier this offseason, leading to his claim by the Reds, but has not previously been outrighted in his career. That means that if the right-hander clears waivers, Cincinnati will have the opportunity to outright him to the minors as a non-roster depth option headed into the season.

Poll: Who’s Winning The Offseason In The NL Central?

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The calendar has flipped to February and the start of Spring Training is just a matter of days away. While some notable free agents (including nine of MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents for the 2024-25 offseason) remain unsigned, most clubs have already done the heavy lifting in terms of preparing their roster for the 2025 season. In the coming days, we’ll be taking a look around the league at which clubs have had the strongest offseason to this point. After the Mets decisively won yesterday’s poll on the AL East, the focus now shifts to the NL Central.

It was another down season for the Midwest’s NL teams, as they sent just one club to the postseason and were not represented in the NLDS for the third consecutive year. Three of the division’s teams haven’t made it to the postseason at all in a 162-game season this decade, and the pressure is on for those clubs to start winning again while the two that have found more recent success try to keep their windows open. Which team has done the most to set themselves up for success this winter? Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record.

Milwaukee Brewers

As is typical for Milwaukee, this offseason has seemingly been about balancing the club’s present against their future. The loss of star shortstop Willy Adames was an expected but nonetheless tough blow for the Brewers, and it spurred them to complete their lone major move of the offseason back in December. With a hole on the infield after losing Adames, Milwaukee traded longtime relief ace Devin Williams to the Yankees ahead of his final year of team control. In return, they added big league ready infielder Caleb Durbin as well as southpaw Nestor Cortes.

Cortes, also in his final year of team control, appears poised to join an impressive prospective playoff rotation in Milwaukee alongside Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff. Durbin, meanwhile, will turn 25 later this month and has yet to make his big league debut but hit quite well both at Triple-A and in the Arizona Fall League. He could help solidify the club’s infield situation as soon as Opening Day. Outside of those additions, however, the Brewers have been extremely quiet: one-year pacts with depth arms Grant Wolfram and Elvin Rodriguez are the only two major league free agent signings they’ve made this winter.

St. Louis Cardinals

There isn’t much to say about the Cardinals’ offseason, as the club’s focus has been entirely consumed by their as-of-yet unsuccessful attempts to move on from veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado. That’s led the club to make zero big league free agent signings and trade for zero established MLB players, meaning the only roster changes of note to this point in the winter for St. Louis have been the losses of free agents like Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Kittredge. Off the field, the biggest move of the Cardinals’ offseason to this point has been to announce the day the 2024 campaign ended that Chaim Bloom will take over for John Mozeliak as president of baseball operations following the 2025 season.

Chicago Cubs

It’s been a busy offseason for the Cubs. Most notably, they swung perhaps the biggest trade of the offseason when they acquired star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Astros, though it cost them All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes and young starter Hayden Wesneski from their big league roster in order to do so and they subsequently had to deal Cody Bellinger to the Yankees to make room for Tucker in the lineup. Paredes has not been replaced in free agency or via trade to this point, with that hole seemingly set to be addressed internally by top prospect Matt Shaw. A pair of solid bench moves round out the club’s activity on the positional side. Carson Kelly should help to improve things at catcher and the addition of Jon Berti could help make up for the loss of production on the bench created by the decision to non-tender Mike Tauchman.

The biggest reported goal of the Cubs’ offseason was to upgrade the pitching staff, but those additions have been far more modest as compared to Tucker. It’s not as flashy as the club’s reported interest in players like Max Fried, Jack Flaherty, and Tanner Scott may have suggested, but Matthew Boyd figures to be an upgrade over Kyle Hendricks in the rotation and Ryan Pressly should solidify things in the ninth inning after the club acquired him in a separate trade with Houston. Beyond those two more significant names, the club has added depth in the form of swing men Colin Rea and Cody Poteet as well as southpaw Caleb Thielbar.

Cincinnati Reds

Following a mixed bag of a 2024 season where Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene established themselves as star-caliber players but the rest of the roster largely struggled with injuries and/or ineffectiveness, the Reds have been quite busy in hopes of turning things around for 2025. They kicked off the winter by adding Terry Francona as their new manager, and traded Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer to land Brady Singer from the Royals not long afterwards. They also retained Nick Martinez (who accepted their Qualifying Offer) and brought back veteran lefty Wade Miley on a non-guaranteed deal to further deepen the rotation.

The only guaranteed free agent signing the club has made was signing non-tendered outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year deal, but Hays is joined by a number of trade acquisitions even beyond Singer. The Reds acquired Jose Trevino from the Yankees in order to pair with Tyler Stephenson behind the plate, and Gavin Lux was brought in to help replace India’s production in the lineup. Rounding out the club’s notable trade acquisitions this winter is southpaw Taylor Rogers, who comes over from the Giants to join Alexis Diaz and Emilio Pagan at the back of Cincinnati’s bullpen.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates’ biggest move of the offseason was its first one of significance, as the club traded right-hander Luis Ortiz to the Guardians alongside a pair of prospects in order to land infielder Spencer Horwitz, who figures to serve as the club’s everyday first baseman this year. In addition to adding Horwitz, the Pirates have retooled their bullpen following the departure of Aroldis Chapman in free agency by signing southpaws Tim Mayza and Caleb Ferguson while also working out minor trades for Chase Shugart and Brett de Geus. Reports have indicated that Ferguson will stretch out during Spring Training and could be a candidate to start, but the club has otherwise not added to a rotation that remains a strength even after losing Ortiz.

On the positional side of things, Horwitz is joined by the additions of Adam Frazier in free agency and Enmanuel Valdez via trade. Both Frazier and Valdez figure to help shore up second base for the club while adding some left-handed options to the club’s predominantly right-handed bench mix. Veteran and longtime franchise face Andrew McCutchen also re-upped with the Pirates on his third consecutive one-year deal as he plays out the twilight of his career as a veteran leader on a young Pirates team. For all the club’s additions this winter, however, right field remains a major question mark after the club non-tendered Bryan De La Cruz without replacing him to this point in the winter.

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The 2024-25 offseason has been one defined almost entirely by major trades for the NL Central’s five clubs, with four of the five clubs having worked out at least one major swap and the fifth still hard at work attempting to do the same. The Cubs, Pirates, and Reds have all supplemented those trades with notable but relatively modest free agent signings as they attempt to claw their way back into playoff contention, and Cincinnati also added a likely future Hall of Famer to the dugout in the manager’s chair to help guide their young ballclub. The Brewers and Cardinals have been quieter by comparison, with Milwaukee largely standing pat outside of the Williams trade while the Cardinals have been paralyzed by their efforts to trade Arenado but have opened up playing time for a number of notable young players like Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera.

Of the five NL Central clubs, which one has had the strongest offseason so far? Have your say in the poll below:

Which NL Central Team Has Had The Best Offseason So Far?
Chicago Cubs 56.79% (6,085 votes)
Cincinnati Reds 25.27% (2,707 votes)
Milwaukee Brewers 9.56% (1,024 votes)
Pittsburgh Pirates 4.55% (487 votes)
St. Louis Cardinals 3.84% (411 votes)
Total Votes: 10,714

The Opener: Brasier, Scherzer, MLBTR Chat

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With spring training just days away, and one free agent deal already in the books this morning, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for today:

1. Will Brasier be traded?

Veteran right-hander Ryan Brasier pitched quite well for the Dodgers last year when healthy, with a 3.54 ERA and 3.31 FIP in 28 innings of work. He was squeezed off the club’s roster due to the addition of Kirby Yates, however, and as such was designated for assignment last week. Brasier’s DFA doesn’t need to be resolved for another two days, but given his solid work out of the bullpen last year and affordable contract it would hardly be surprising if a trade was worked out. Brasier would have to be placed on waivers 48 hours before the end of his DFA window, however, so if he’s going to be traded it’ll very likely have to come together today. Will a deal get done?

2. Blue Jays 40-man move incoming:

Yesterday saw three signings get finalized: Ha-Seong Kim’s two-year deal with the Rays, Jorge Polanco’s one-year pact with the Mariners, and Tim Mayza’s one-year agreement with the Pirates. All three of those moves required a 40-man roster move, and those clubs made space for their new additions by designating Osleivis Basabe, Cade Marlowe, and Alika Williams for assignment, respectively. One other as-of-yet not finalized addition that’s been reported is Max Scherzer’s one-year contract with the Blue Jays.

Toronto’s 40-man roster is full, meaning the club would need to clear a spot in order to officially add Scherzer to the mix. Perhaps that would come in the form of a DFA like the aforementioned trio of corresponding moves did, or maybe the Jays will be able to work out a trade involving a 40-man roster player in the coming days. One other alternative at the club’s disposal would be to wait out the nine days remaining until Toronto’s pitchers and catchers are set to report for spring training, at which point the 60-day IL opens. The Blue Jays are among a number of teams with likely 60-day IL candidates, and they could theoretically take advantage of that status in order to avoid losing a player from their 40-man roster to accommodate Scherzer.

3. MLBTR Chat Today:

With spring training creeping ever closer, we’re nearing the point where the baseball offseason starts to give way to preseason excitement even as major free agents remain unsigned and team needs remain unfulfilled. Whether you have questions about what’s left for your team to do before Opening Day or a trade proposal in the back of your mind, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be here to answer your questions during a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

Poll: Who’s Winning The Offseason In The NL East?

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The calendar has flipped to February and the start of Spring Training is just a matter of days away. While some notable free agents (including nine of MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents for the 2024-25 offseason) remain unsigned, most clubs have already done the heavy lifting in terms of preparing their roster for the 2025 season. In the coming days, we’ll be taking a look around the league at which clubs have had the strongest offseason to this point. Today, that focus is on the NL East division. After sending three teams to the playoffs in 2024 while a fourth debuted a number of top prospects, there’s plenty of big expectations headed into 2025 all throughout the division. Which team has done the most to set themselves up for success this winter? Teams are listed in order of their 2024 record.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies entered the offseason in need of some late-inning relief help after Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez both hit free agency at the outset of the winter. The club signed right-hander Jordan Romano to a one-year deal after he was non-tendered by the Blue Jays in November, but the club’s other pitching additions have actually been focused on the starting rotation. The addition of versatile swing man Joe Ross creates some much-needed depth and fills the role Spencer Turnbull played on the 2024 club, but the club’s biggest move this winter was swinging a deal with the Marlins for Jesus Luzardo. Luzardo will fit right into the Phillies’ powerhouse rotation alongside while also lessening the club’s reliance on right-hander Taijuan Walker after a disastrous 2024 campaign.

Things have been very quiet for the club on the positional side of things, however, with the addition of outfielder Max Kepler as their regular left fielder being the only notable addition so far. Kepler should help bolster the club’s outfield depth and push Johan Rojas into a part-time role after a difficult 2024 campaign, but it’s still somewhat surprising to see the club make so few alterations to its lineup in spite of rumors earlier this winter that the club could look to move on from third baseman Alec Bohm or right fielder Nick Castellanos in order to more drastically reshape the lineup.

New York Mets

It’s undeniable that the Mets made the single most significant addition of anyone in the division this winter when they signed Juan Soto to a record-shattering $765MM deal just before the Winter Meetings began. Soto is a transformational player with an MVP-caliber ceiling, and even without other supplemental moves landing him is a feat for the organization to be proud of. With that being said, however, the club’s approach to the rest of its offseason since signing Soto has been surprisingly modest. They reunited with veteran southpaw Sean Manaea in free agency, but opted to replace Jose Quintana and Luis Severino in the rotation by bringing in Manaea’s longtime A’s teammate Frankie Montas as he searches for a bounceback and converting Clay Holmes into a starter after several years of success as a late-inning reliever in the Bronx.

Meanwhile, they made something of a splash in the bullpen by adding lefty set-up man A.J. Minter to the mix behind closer Edwin Diaz while also bolstering the club’s depth with deals for Justin Hagenman, Dylan Covey, and Griffin Canning. Additions to the lineup beyond Soto have been fairly muted as well. The club swung a trade to acquire Jose Siri from the Rays in a move that should help the club weather the loss of Harrison Bader in free agency, while adding Nick Madrigal and Jared Young to the mix has helped improve the club’s bench depth. Noticeably absent from the club’s spending spree this winter, however, is a reunion with fan favorite slugger Pete Alonso. That’s left New York with plenty of questions about the infield corners, where Mark Vientos figures to handle one position with internal youngsters like Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio also in the conversation for playing time.

Atlanta Braves

Despite the club’s history of striking early on the free agent and trade markets, the early part of this winter was extremely quiet for the Braves outside of them moving the salary of slugger Jorge Soler to the Angels on the first day of the offseason. The club watched Max Fried and Charlie Morton depart in free agency from their rotation but have not yet done anything of note to address those departures, instead hoping the return of Spencer Strider from injury as well as depth options like Bryce Elder and Ian Anderson will be able to cover the lost innings. Where Atlanta has made a splash, however, is in the lineup. After losing Ronald Acuna Jr. for most of 2024 amid a season full of disappointing performances up and down the club’s lineup, the club added Jurickson Profar on a three-year deal. Profar supplants Jarred Kelenic as the club’s everyday left fielder, while depth additions Bryan De La Cruz and Carlos D. Rodriguez should help Kelenic cover right field until Acuna returns from injury.

Washington Nationals

The Nationals’ youth movement is in full swing with a number of top prospects having reached the majors, highlighted by an outfield that now includes both James Wood and Dylan Crews. They’ve made a number of short-term moves to supplement their young roster this winter, with the most impactful of those being the trade they worked out to bring in first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Rangers in exchange for southpaw Robert Garcia. Lowe will pair with free agent addition Josh Bell to handle first base and DH duties in D.C. while infield Amed Rosario was signed to shore up the club’s depth all around the diamond.

Turning to the pitching staff, the Nationals have reunited with Trevor Williams while adding both Michael Soroka and Shinnosuke Ogasawara to the rotation mix in order to support a group of young arms led by MacKenzie Gore. The club’s surplus of viable starting options should also help keep things steady in a bullpen that saw more subtractions and additions this winter. In addition to Garcia being shipped out in the Lowe trade, the Nats non-tendered longtime closer Kyle Finnegan back in November. More recently, the club added veteran right-hander Jorge Lopez on a one-year deal to fill Finnegan’s role as a veteran presence in the late innings.

Miami Marlins

As one of the few clubs in the majors committed to rebuilding at the moment, the Marlins’ offseason looks very different than the rest of the division. Infielder/outfielder Eric Wagaman is the club’s only major league free agent signing, and he has just 18 games of big league experience under his belt to this point. The club also added Matt Mervis to the first base mix alongside Jonah Bride in a swap with the Cubs for Vidal Brujan. Other moves to this point have been more focused on shipping out major league talent than bringing it in, with Jake Burger heading to the Rangers and Luzardo moving to the club’s division rivals in Philadelphia. Those deals have brought in a number of prospects, however: Miami’s farm system added Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd in the Luzardo deal while Max Acosta, Brayan Mendoza, and Echedry Vargas all came over in the exchange for Burger.

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The additions of Soto, Luzardo, and Profar in New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta respectively all figure to provide major impact, but all three top clubs in the East have been a bit more measured than expected, outside of those moves. Meanwhile, the Nationals have made a flurry of short-term deals and signings to augment their club but haven’t made the sort of high-impact addition many expected with veteran Patrick Corbin coming off the books this winter. Miami’s approach is different than the other five as a rebuilding club, with a weakened major league roster being the price the Marlins have paid to replenish their farm system. Of the five NL East clubs, which one has had the strongest offseason so far? Have your say in the poll below:

Which NL East Team Has Had The Best Offseason?
New York Mets 66.27% (4,726 votes)
Philadelphia Phillies 14.33% (1,022 votes)
Atlanta Braves 12.38% (883 votes)
Washington Nationals 3.95% (282 votes)
Miami Marlins 3.06% (218 votes)
Total Votes: 7,131

The Opener: Tigers, Pivetta, Arbitration

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With the calendar now flipped to February, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. What’s next for the Tigers?

After catching fire down the stretch in order to win 86 games, make the playoffs, and fight their way to Game 5 of the ALDS against the Guardians, the Tigers have been fairly active this winter as they’ve added Alex Cobb, Gleyber Torres, and Tommy Kahnle. Yesterday they made their biggest splash yet by bringing Jack Flaherty back into the fold on a $35MM guarantee. Flaherty, whom the club traded to the Dodgers ahead of last year’s deadline, will earn $25MM in 2025 and have the opportunity to opt out of one year and $10MM after the season.

With the right-hander rejoining Tarik Skubal at the top of the Tigers’ rotation, is there more in store for Detroit this winter? The Tigers have been one of the teams most frequently connected to third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency this winter, though recent reporting has suggested that talks between the sides are at a “standstill.” Looking beyond Bregman, first baseman Spencer Torkelson appears to be a plausible trade chip given the fact that signing Torres kicked incumbent sec0nd baseman Colt Keith over to first base for the 2025 campaign. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco took a look at plausible landing spots for Torkelson, should the Tigers decide to move him, last week.

2. Will Pivetta’s market begin to move?

Right-hander Nick Pivetta declined a qualifying offer from the Red Sox at the outset of the offseason, but since then there’s been little to say about his market. The Blue Jays were connected to him earlier this offseason, and there’s been some reporting that’s suggested the Padres could have interest if they end up trading Dylan Cease and creating additional budget space. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has hardly been a part of the offseason rumor mill despite being one of the best pitchers remaining on the market since the rush of starting pitching signings during the Winter Meetings. Now that Flaherty has signed and Pivetta is the highest-ranked free agent starter still available on MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents list, could his market begin to show signs of life?

3. More arbitration deals on the horizon?

Johan Oviedo and Dennis Santana of the Pirates, Mickey Moniak of the Angels, and Mark Leiter Jr. of the Yankees are the four players to have already gone to an arbitration hearing against their clubs this winter. Of that quartet, only Moniak has emerged victorious. Five players players are still scheduled to face their team in a hearing over the next two weeks: Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, and Andre Pallante of the Cardinals as well as Nathaniel Lowe of the Nationals and Luis Rengifo of the Angels.

It’s possible, however, that some of those players could agree to deals with their clubs in order to avoid the hearing entirely. Kyle Tucker, Michael King, and William Contreras are among the notable players to avoid arbitration with their clubs in recent weeks, all coming to terms on one-year guarantees after initially exchanging figures with their teams. (King and Contreras have a mutual and club option, respectively.) Will the final five players make it to a hearing, or reach an agreement before then?

Fay Vincent Passes Away

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Former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent passed away yesterday due to complications of bladder cancer, according to a report from George Vecsey of the New York Times earlier today. He was 86 years old. Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement about Vincent’s passing this afternoon in the aftermath of the report.

“Fay Vincent played a vital role in ensuring that the 1989 Bay Area World Series resumed responsibly following the earthquake prior to Game Three, and he oversaw the process that resulted in the 1993 National League expansion to Denver and Miami,” the statement reads. “Mr. Vincent served the game during a time of many challenges, and he remained proud of his association with our National Pastime throughout his life.  On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Fay’s family and friends.”

Vincent took over as commissioner on September 13, 1989, in the aftermath of former commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti’s sudden death due to a heart attack. Vincent was deputy commissioner at the time and almost immediately faced a major crisis when, as Manfred’s statement referenced, the 1989 World Series between the Giants and Athletics was forced to halt due to a major earthquake that wreaked havoc on the Bay Area. The World Series was paused for a week while the surrounding area rebuilt, but resumed a week later under the guidance of Vincent.

That was far from the only important moment during Vincent’s brief tenure as commissioner, however. Vincent took over as commissioner ahead of a fractious time for baseball when relations between the Players Association and ownership were more hostile than ever before. Vincent presided over a lockout in 1990 that delayed the start of the season but ultimately did not involve cancelled games, but in avoiding the loss of games Vincent lost the faith of the owners, who viewed him as too pro-player as he tried to mend relations between the league and the players’ union after the collusion scandal of the 1980s. The league’s owners gathered in September of 1992 and gave Vincent an 18-9 vote of no-confidence, and he was fired shortly thereafter before being replaced with then-Brewers owner Bud Selig. Famously, the sport went on to suffer through a protracted players’ strike and cancelled World Series in 1994 amid Selig’s attempts to implement a salary cap.

“I don’t want to work for these guys,” Vincent said of the owners in an interview with Tyler Kepner of The Athletic when reflecting on his time as commissioner in November 2024. “I know that there’s going to be cheating, and I don’t want to be the policeman without community support. I mean, it’s hopeless.”

Aside from labor issues and his handling of the 1989 World Series, Vincent’s tenure included a number of other notable moments. He suspended Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for paying $40K in exchange for damaging information regarding outfielder Dave Winfield, though Steinbrenner was later reinstated in 1993. He also created and served as the chairman for a committee on historical accuracy that more strictly defined no-hitters and removed the asterisk from the AL home run record held by Roger Maris. Notably, Vincent was the one to circulate a 1991 memo reaffirming that players were banned from taking performance-enhancing drugs and other illegal substances. That memo, of course, was not enforced due largely to resistance from the players’ union and the owners’ disinterest in pursuing mandatory drug testing at the time.

Although Vincent’s tenure at the helm of MLB was relatively brief, he made a number of key decisions during that short time and benefited the game by ensuring the continuation of the 1989 World Series and avoiding cancelled games in 1990. MLBTR joins the rest of the baseball world in extending our condolences to Vincent’s friends and loved ones.

Padres Notes: Morejon, Machado, Ownership

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With Spring Training just around the corner, the Padres held their annual FanFest event yesterday and the impending return of baseball was a hot topic. With trade rumors surrounding right-handers Dylan Cease and Michael King while veteran Joe Musgrove figures to miss the entire 2025 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October, the club’s rotation has been under particular scrutiny in recent weeks.

However, the Padres end up filling out their rotation come Opening Day, one potential candidate to start has been eliminated at this point: left-hander Adrian Morejon. According to a report from Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday, club manager Mike Shildt spoke about Morejon’s place on the roster yesterday and gave the lefty a vote of confidence in a relief role.

“Adrián has found a really nice niche in the bullpen,” Shildt said, as relayed by Sanders. “It’s a spot that we think he’s not only going to do as well as he did last year, but take the next step and he’s excited about remaining in the bullpen and just being a dominant guy in that spot.”

That’s a bit of a reversal from earlier this winter, when Morejon was among a handful of relievers identified by president of baseball operations A.J. Preller as potential rotation converts. Moving players from the bullpen to the rotation has become quite popular around the game in recent years, and Preller’s decision to sign Seth Lugo as part of the club’s rotation mix and Lugo’s subsequent transformation into a bona fide top-of-the-rotation arm was a catalyst for that growing popularity.

Morejon was as sensible a candidate for such a conversion as any given his history as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, though given that 2024 was Morejon’s first healthy season as a big leaguer it’s understandable that the club has decided to keep him in the bullpen rather than risk more injuries by stretching him out. Stephen Kolek and Bryan Hoeing have also been discussed as potential converts to the rotation, but it remains unclear whether that’s still on the table for them entering camp or if, like Morejon, the Padres plan to keep them in relief roles for 2025. It’s even possible those decisions have not yet been made given the uncertainty surrounding the club’s rotation amid rumors of the club trading Cease or King.

Turning to the positional side of things, veteran third baseman Manny Machado spoke to reporters (including MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell) yesterday about the progress his elbow has made since undergoing offseason surgery last winter. That surgery cost him the final days of the 2023 season and kept him from returning to his typical post as the Padres’ regular third baseman until May, and continued to mix in occasional DH days throughout the first half. Machado noted that he dealt with the “lingering effects” of his surgery throughout the 2024 campaign, but made clear that “everything” has been different for him this offseason as he’s now “back to normal” for the first time post-surgery.

Whether that will be enough to help catapult the 32-year-old back into the .280/.352/.504 (130 wRC+) form he showed during his first four seasons in a Padres uniform remains to be seen, but it’s surely an encouraging sign for Padres fans that Machado is feeling healthier than he was last season, when he posted a 122 wRC+ with 3.6 fWAR. The veteran slugger has nine years left on the 11-year, $350MM deal he signed prior to the 2023 season, so Machado’s ability to maintain star-caliber production into his mid-to-late 30’s will be key to the Padres’ success over the coming decade.

While the Padres have been preparing for the coming season on the field and in the front office, a squabble between ownership stakeholders has been going on in the background. While the Padres announced back in December that Peter Seidler’s brother John Seidler was poised to take over as the franchise control person, that was seemingly put on hold when Peter’s widow, Sheel Seidler, filed a lawsuit against Peter’s other two brothers (and trustees of The Peter Seidler Trust) Matt and Bob Seidler. Matt Seidler subsequently filed a response to that lawsuit last week, and as the legal battle surrounding the role of Padres control person continues plenty of speculation has gone on among fans and media members about the future of the franchise.

As noted in a column by Matt Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times yesterday, however, one thing the Seidler brothers are resolute on is their commitment to owning the Padres. Shaikin notes that the brothers have “no plans to sell the Padres to anyone.” That apparently includes Sheel Seidler, whose legal counsel Dane Butswinkas, Shaikin reports, refused to answer whether or not she is attempting to buy her former brothers-in-law out of the franchise.

“Ideally, we would like to resolve this with the brothers,” Butswinksas said, as relayed by Shaikin. “However, for that to occur, it would take some level of cooperation from them. So far, we have seen no signs of that happening. The current path towards resolution, unfortunately, is through litigation, which we know can drag on for years and would be in no one’s interest.”

The possibility of a sale comes up in Shaikin’s piece, which MLBTR readers are encouraged to read in full, as part of a larger discussion about recent legal disputes between stakeholders within ownership groups in instances of divorce, illness, or death affecting a club’s primary owner. Those disputes, as Shaikin notes, have a history of being resolved through the sale of the team. Former Padres owner John Moores and, more recently, the Angelos family that formerly owned the Orioles are among previous owners who have sold their teams amid legal battles within the team’s ownership structure.

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