With some of the game’s biggest stars on the move – and the Astros’ cheating scandal stunning the baseball world – this offseason has been anything but slow. So, after all the trades, headlines, and craziness, which teams did the most to improve their rosters?
While the Mets didn’t make this list, fans of the Amazins can take solace in the fact that winning the offseason doesn’t always translate into regular season success. Nothing is ever for certain, but the teams on this list seem primed to either build off their 2019 success, or appear ready to make a significant leap in 2020.
No. 5 Minnesota Twins
Key Additions: Josh Donaldson, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill, Homer Bailey, Tyler Clippard, and Alex Avila
Key Losses: Brusdar Graterol, Kyle Gibson, Jonathan Schoop, Jason Castro, C.J. Cron, and Martin Perez
Fresh off a 101-win season, the Twins fortified their already potent lineup by signing former AL MVP, Josh Donaldson, to a four-year, $92M contract. The slugging third baseman clobbered 37 homeruns with Atlanta last season, and he posted .259/.379/.521 triple slash line over 155 games.
Even though he’s entering his age 34 season, Donaldson’s 2019 performance proved that he still stands among the game’s elite. His 6.3 bWAR fell just shy of the MLB’s top ten players, and his 4.9 fWAR ranked eighth among all MLB third basemen.
While the Twins didn’t land a dominant starter like they wanted, they still improved their rotation by adding a trio of veterans. They traded for Kenta Maeda, who owns a career 47-35 record, 3.87 ERA, and 3.71 FIP. And they acquired both Rich Hill (4-1, 2.45) and Homer Bailey (13-9, 4.57) to round out their staff.
They also locked up Miguel Sano to a three-year, $30M extension, brought back both Michael Pineda and Jake Odorizzi, and solidified their bullpen with Sergio Romo and Tyler Clippard. So, even without getting a topflight starter, the Twins still experienced a solid offseason.
No. 4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Key Additions: Starling Marte, Madison Bumgarner, Kole Calhoun, Hector Rondon, Stephen Vogt, and Junior Guerra
Key Losses: Wilmer Flores, Adam Jones, Jarrod Dyson, Alex Avila, Taijuan Walker
After trading Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke, it didn’t look like the Diamondbacks would be major players in this year’s free agent market. But Arizona surprised everyone by signing former World Series MVP, Madison Bumgarner, to a five-year, $85M contract.
Bumgarner might not be the same pitcher that carried the Giants to the 2014 championship, but he’s still a quality starter. In 207 innings last year, the 29-year-old lefty went 9-9 with a 3.90 ERA, and 3.90 FIP. He also posted a 4.72 K/BB ratio, which ranked 11th among qualified starters.
Arizona made another big splash by trading for Starling Marte, who offers an excellent combination of speed and power. He stole 25 bases with 23 homeruns last season, and he batted .295/.342/.503 with a 120 OPS + in 132 games. While his declining defensive metrics (-9 DRS in 2019) and past PED suspension are concerns, Marte is unquestionably an impact player, posting a fWAR of 3.0 or higher in six of the last seven years.
Arizona finished just four games behind Wild Card spot in 2019, so these additions will help them contend for the payoffs.
No. 3 Chicago White Sox
Key Additions: Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, Edwin Encarnacion, Nomar Mazara, Gio Gonzalez, and Steve Cishek
Key Losses: Yolmer Sanchez, Ivan Nova, and Welington Castillo
Will this finally be the year the White Sox contend? After years of rebuilding, it looks like Chicago has a winning core in place with Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Tim Anderson, and Eloy Jimenez.
To supplement this core, the White Sox spent aggressively this winter. They targeted the best catcher available, Yasmani Grandal, and signed him to a four-year, $73M contract. No catcher has a higher WAR than Grandal over the past five seasons (24.9), and nobody at his position provides more consistent power.
He’s smashed more than 20 homeruns in each of the past four seasons, and he offers solid overall production with a career OPS+ of 115. Last year, Grandal slashed .246/.380/.468 with 28 homeruns and 77 RBI.
The White Sox further bolstered their lineup by adding Edwin Encarnacion to a one-year $12M contract. Encarnacion blasted 34 homeruns with a .875 OPS last season, and he has hit at least 32 homeruns in every season since 2012. They also retained Jose Abreu (.834 OPS) and traded for Nomar Mazara (.786 OPS).
On the pitching side, they signed Dallas Keuchel (8-8, 3.75 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 3.50 ERA). While the White Sox haven’t had a winning record since 2012, they are now a team that’s trending upwards.
No. 2 New York Yankees
Key Addition: Gerrit Cole
Key Losses: Dellin Betances and Didi Gregorius
The Yankees went all in to land this winter’s biggest prize, reining AL Cy Young Award winner, Gerrit Cole. Sure, investing $324M in any player -regardless of his talent – carries massive risk, but a dominant starter like Cole could be exactly what the Yankees need to get back to the World Series.
In 2019, Cole led all qualified starters in WAR (7.4), xFIP (2.48), and K/9 (13.8). His 2.50 ERA ranked as the AL’s best, and his 2.64 FIP also led the AL.
For a team with a top-ranked offense that features hitters like Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, adding a star pitcher like Cole is massive. While the Yankees are dealing with concerning injury news for both James Paxton and Luis Severino, they will still be a powerhouse with Cole leading their rotation.
Honrable Mentions
Los Angeles Angels
Pairing Anthony Rendon with Mike Trout gives the Angels a lethal duo on offense, but they didn’t do enough to improve their rotation. Their staff’s 5.64 ERA ranked as the AL’s worst in 2019, and their only significant pitching additions this offseason were Julio Teheran (10-11, 3.81 ERA) and Dylan Bundy (7-14, 4.79 ERA).
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies enter 2020 with several new faces with manager Joe Girardi, starter Zack Wheeler, and shortstop Didi Gregorius. But are these additions enough for them to stand out in the crowded NL East?
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds obtained a pair of power bats in Nicholas Castellanos and Mike Moustakas, and they signed veteran starter Wade Miley. Another intriguing move was signing Nippon Professional League standout, Shogo Akiyama, to a three-year $21M contract. The Reds will be a team to watch in 2020, especially if Joey Votto and Trevor Bauer rebound from disappointing 2019 seasons.
No.1 Los Angeles Dodgers
Key Additions: Mookie Betts, David Price, Blake Treinen, and Brusdar Graterol
Key Losses: Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda, Alex Verdugo, and Rich Hill
The Dodgers started their offseason slow, but they ended it with a massive bang. They acquired both the 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts, and 2012 Cy Young Award winner, David Price, in a trade with the Red Sox.
Aside from Trout, there may not be a better player in the game than Betts. Over the past four seasons, he ranks second in the MLB in WAR (30.7) and is only one year removed from batting .346/.438/.640 with 32 homeruns and 30 steals.
Even without Betts, the Dodgers were already expected to dominate the NL West. With Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, and Corey Seager, their lineup is stacked. And while their rotation was weakened by losing Ryu, Maeda, and Hill, they still hold one of the NL’s best staffs with Clayton Kershaw (16-5, 3.03), Walker Buehler (14-4, 3.26), and Price (7-5, 4.28).
Other new players to watch are Blake Treinen, who posted a 4.91 ERA last year – but allowed just seven earned runs over 80 innings in 2018 – and the hard-throwing prospect Brusdar Graterol. So, even though they lost the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes, it’s hard not to be impressed with how their offseason turned out.
