Even though some of the top free agents are still available, it’s fair to say the offseason is just about complete. We are days away from the start of the 2024 MLB season, so which teams should be considered the winners of the offseason? Here’s a look at the five teams we consider the winners of the winter.
Dodgers
It’s hard to have a list of the winners of the 2023-24 MLB offseason without the Dodgers. The Dodgers added two-time AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, who posted an absurd 10.0 bWAR in 2023 and led the Majors in OPS (1.066). With the addition of Ohtani, the Dodgers have three of the top nine in the league in wRC+ — Ohtani (4th – 157), Freddie Freeman (6th – 152), and Mookie Betts (9th – 149) — over the last three seasons.
The Dodgers also beefed up their outfield with Teoscar Hernandez, who’s hit at least 20 or more home runs in five of the last six seasons. And on the pitching side of things, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and James Paxton are all now with the Dodgers.
Yes, Los Angeles won 100 games last year and came into the winter as one of the best teams in the league. But, these moves were made with the postseason in mind — a place where the Dodgers have come up short in recent years.
Diamondbacks
It’s fair to say the Diamondbacks won’t sneak up on anyone this season. Arizona made it to the World Series last October but came into the offseason with question marks. Namely, would the D-Backs target another starter? How could Arizona replace Lourdes Gurriel Jr.? And, would Arizona go internal or external for the third base position?
Arizona addressed those questions in the winter. The D-Backs re-signed Gurriel Jr. in the winter and added lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. Arizona also added Eugenio Suarez via trade, a power-hitting third baseman who finished 12th in fWAR (7.1) among third basemen from 2021-23.
Orioles
The Orioles came into the winter with a young core of talented hitters, a deep farm system, and a mostly controllable group. But with Felix Bautista out for all of 2024 and a glaring need for a #1 or #2 starter, this offseason was all about plugging holes for Baltimore.
The O’s did just that, as Baltimore added closer Craig Kimbrel via free agency. While Kimbrel does have his rough spots, his fastball/curveball combo still beat hitters en masse last year. On top of Kimbrel, Baltimore also added Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young winner with the third-highest fWAR (15.5) in the game from 2021-23. Only Kevin Gausman (15.5) and Zack Wheeler (17.3) did better in that category.
Reds
Like the Orioles, the Reds‘ offseason would be more defined by addressing key weaknesses, as opposed to simply adding the best players. After all, the Reds, much like Baltimore, have a dangerous group of young hitters. However, injuries to Graham Ashcraft, Nick Lodolo, and Hunter Greene exposed the Reds’ pitching depth.
Cincinnati added ex-Padre Nick Martinez, who could never stick in San Diego’s rotation full-time but owns one of the best changeups in the game. And, the Reds also added Frankie Montas, who finished sixth in the AL Cy Young voting three years ago and could be a steal if he can round into his old form.
Royals
We finish our profile of our 2023-24 MLB offseason winners with the Royals. Kansas City finished with the second-worst (56-106) record in the Majors last season. Despite positive seasons from Cole Ragans and Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City’s pitching, which finished 28th in SIERA (4.46), played a role in the Royals’ problems from last year.
The Royals addressed their pitching holes, as Kansas City added Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, both of whom had strong seasons in San Diego. Additionally, Kansas City added much-needed bullpen help with Chris Stratton and Will Smith, as well as slugger Hunter Renfroe to help a Royals team that finished 21st in SLG (.398) last season.