Spring Training games begin this month, so I took a look at how each MLB team did this offseason when it comes to upgrading their team. Here is every MLB team’s offseason grade. Is there a grade too high? Too low? Let me know in the comments!
Arizona Diamondbacks: B+
The D’Backs might have lost Christian Walker, but adding Josh Naylor and Corbin Burnes will keep them in the Wild Card hunt.
Atlanta Braves: D
Losing Max Fried and Charlie Morton hurts but the Braves have terrific young arms coming up from the minors.
Athletics: B+
Luis Severino and Jeffery Springs will slide right into the A’s starting rotation.
Baltimore Orioles: D-
Lost Burnes, who was their best starter, and Santander, who was a beast in the middle of the batting order.
Boston Red Sox: B
Getting Garret Crochet alone was worthy of a B. If Walker Buehler or Patrick Sandoval make the rotation this grade jumps to a B+.
Chicago Cubs: A
This was going to be an A- with Kyle Tucker, but the late addition of closer Ryan Pressly boosts this to an easy A.
Chicago White Sox: F
Martin Perez and Josh Rojas do nothing to move the needle on this South Side disaster.
Cincinnati Reds: B
Would have liked to keep Jonathan India, but Gavin Lux is a solid replacement and Brady Singer will be a main part of their rotation.
Cleveland Guardians: D
Losing Josh Naylor is going to hurt an offense that was lacking power to begin with.
Colorado Rockies: F
Does adding Thairo Estrada even count as an off-season addition?
Detroit Tigers: C +
Willing to move this grade to a solid B IF Gleyber Torres can regain some of that magic in his bat.
Houston Astros: INC
If by moving Ryan Pressly, the Astros use the money to re-sign Alex Bregman, then Houston gets a B. If Bregman signs elsewhere, losing Bregman and Tucker seems like a lot for this offense to overcome.
Kansas City Royals: C+
The Royals traded Brady Singer for Jonathan India which is an offensive upgrade. They then re-signed Michael Wacha to a 3-year contract.
Los Angeles Angels: B
Travis d’Arnaud will be a nice complement to Logan O’Hoppe and Jorge Soler can mash with the best of them.
Los Angeles Dodgers: A++
Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Roki Sasaki, Michael Conforto, Hyeseong Kim, AND re-signing Teoscar Hernandez?! The World Series goes through LA once again.
Miami Marlins: F
Losing Luzardo was bad; losing Burger was awful.
Milwaukee Brewers: D
Lost Devin Williams and Willie Adames and basically added Nestor Cortes and a young hitter in Caleb Durbin. The Brew Crew is in trouble.
Minnesota Twins: F
Didn’t really add anyone of note as the team pairs down payroll to find new ownership.
New York Mets: A+
Adding Juan Soto alone would give them an A. Adding Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, and Frankie Montas makes it a solid A, and re-signing Pete Alonso makes it an A+.
New York Yankees: B+
Losing Soto really hurt, as did Torres to a lesser extent. Adding Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt helps a little, but together, they are not Soto. Bringing in Max Fried to the rotation and Devin Williams to the bullpen might be enough to win the division.
Philadelphia Phillies: B-
Losing Jeff Hoffman hurts, but Jordan Romano is capable of closing if he can regain his stuff from 2 years ago. Jesus Luzardo needs to stay healthy.
Pittsburgh Pirates: C-
Many will lament losing Luis Ortiz, but gaining Spencer Horwitz could be a stroke of genius as he could man first base for the next 5-7 years.
San Diego Padres: F
Losing Tanner Scott, Kim, and Jurickson Profar is going to hurt in a division that already has the best team in baseball.
San Francisco Giants: C
The Giants are going to need Willie Adames to hit 30+ HRs if they want to make the post-season. Losing Blake Snell to the Dodgers hurts a ton.
Seattle Mariners: F
Seattle did not make any notable additions or subtractions this off-season.
St. Louis Cardinals: F
Losing Paul Goldschmidt is a huge blow, and the team is also trying to move Nolan Arenado desperately.
Tampa Bay Rays: D
Danny Jansen is a solid backstop, but the Rays let Jeffrey Springs leave, which hurts their rotation. Kim was a nice addition, but not enough.
Texas Rangers: B
Tons to like here as Joc Pederson and Jake Burger will bring a ton of power to the Rangers’ lineup.
Toronto Blue Jays: B+
Anthony Santander is a great middle-of-the-lineup bat, Andres Gimenez is a solid infielder, and Jeff Hoffman should be a reliable closer.
Washington Nationals: C+
Nathaniel Lowe gives the Nats a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, and adding Mike Soroka should help their rotation. If their young players step up, they might be closer to the playoffs than most people think.
