It’s St. Patrick’s Day and Opening Day is only a few days away, so today we’ll be grading the off-seasons of all 30 MLB teams as we prepare for the 2024 season. This includes trades, free agent signings, extensions, coaching moves, and anything else that was done to improve the team going forward.
Latest update: 3/18/24 - SF Giants Sign BLAKE NELL - Grade promoted to an A
Los Angeles Angels
Grade: D
It’s obviously been a tough offseason for the Halos, losing the biggest superstar in the game with Ohtani heading across town to the Dodgers. Offensively, they really didn’t do anything to replace him, picking up a few role players like Ehrie Adrianza and Aaron Hicks. They did a decent job of fortifying the bullpen with a several arms like Adam Cimber, Robert Stephenson and Luis Garcia, but unless they sign Blake Snell at this point, it was definitely a disappointing offseason and I gotta give them a D.Houston Astros
Grade: B
This is a team that didn’t need a ton of help, but they did lose a few mid-tier bullpen arms, so they signed a top-tier arm in Josh Hader, who joins Ryan Pressly and Rafael Montero in a very impressive looking pen. They gave a 5-year extension to Jose Altuve and signed Victor Carintini to help make up for lost depth at catcher with Martin Maldonao heading to to the White Sox. And of course they hired a new manager in Joe Espada. Overall, the team doesn’t have ton of holes, so they did what was needed to to stay competitive but they didn’t really make any major splashes with the rotation or lineup, so I’ll put them in the B tier.
Oakland A’s
Grade: D
The A’s are obviously in a crazy situation right now with the move to Las Vegas and the uncertainty of where they’ll be playing next year, but on the field they didn’t do a whole lot to improve their team after losing 112 games last year. But they did recently add J.D. Davis, who I think is going to have a great year; he’s a fantastic hitter and was looking good in Spring Training when the Giants suddenly waived him after signing Matt Chapman. They also picked up more former Giants – Ross Stripling and Alex Wood will be in the rotation – if they can stay healthy they will be a big help but that’s a big if; neither did much last year. They signed a few other bullpen arms like Michael Kelly and more former Giants, Trevor Gott and Scott Alexander. But until the J.D. signing, the A’s really didn’t do much to guarantee a better record than last year. I’ll give them a D.
Toronto Blue Jays
Grade: C
The Jays didn’t make any massive splashes this offseason, but did make some lowkey moves that should help them after losing some big time players like Matt Chapman and Jordan Hicks – weclome to San Francisco. Justin Turner is great but he’s almost 40 years old, so we’ll see how he does. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a solid defender and if he has a bounce back season after a tough 2023 with the Yankees, he could definitely this team. They picked up Joey Votto, who won an MVP back when Ken Griffey Jr. was still playing. We’ll see if he even makes the team. Pitching-wise, they signed a Cuban pitcher with great stuff named Yariel Rodriguez. Overall, the Jays didn’t do anything crazy but didn’t completely ignore their needs either, so I’ll give them a C.
Atlanta Braves
Grade: B
I think the Braves had a fine offseason, considering they were already pretty stacked and didn’t really need to do a ton. They might have had a slight need in the outfield after losing Eddie Rosario, so they picked up a one-time serious prospect in Jarred Kelenic, who I think has a ton of potential if he can stay healthy, and brought back the powerful Adam Duvall. They fortified the bench with Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher, and even tried to improve the pitching staff by acquiring Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez to join Strider, Fried and Morton. They added a lefty to the bullpen in Aaron Bummer. The Braves addressed pretty much every need, although they could’ve maybe gotten more reliable names – Chris Sale obviously has an injury history and is a little older; Jared Kelenic hasn’t had a fully healthy season yet, but overall I’d say they get a B.
Milwaukee Brewers
Grade: C
Next up is the Brewers, a team I was pretty high on last season. They made the playoffs but got bounced by the D-Backs pretty quickly. This year, they got a really good looking young team and added some solid talent with Rhys Hoskins and veteran catcher Gary Sanchez. But their rotation is pretty suspicious in my opinion. They brought back Wade Miley, who’s solid, but he’s been around a long time and already is having injury issues in Spring Training. Brandon Woodruff is still recovering from surgery so he won’t be a factor anytime soon. And they traded their best starter Corbin Burnes for an exciting prospect with infielder Joey Ortiz and a starter in D.L. Hall, but the rotation was already a little iffy, relying on guys like free agent signings Jakob Junis and Joe Ross, who are fine but not exactly top tier starters. Joe Ross was with the Giants and never even appeared in a big league game; he’s been hurt for a number of years. D.L. Hall is one of the prospects they got for Burnes, and he’ll have a lot of pressure on him to fill those shoes. They also brought back Colin Rae, who was fine last year. If everything goes right and the prospects tear it up, this could be a big year for Milwaukee, but the offeason moves were very risky – too risky in my opinion and the best I can do is a C.
St. Louis Cardinals
Grade: B
After last years disastrous season, the Cards front office got to work in improving the rotation, adding Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson and Sonny Gray. They added some veteran role players with Matt Carpenter and Brandon Crawford, neither are going to light the world on fire but both are experienced big leaguers who could definitely help the team. They also added quite a bit of bullpen help and recently extended their manager, which pissed off Cardinals fans, but I think it was done to give Marmol a sense of security so he can relax and focus on winning games this year. They don’t blame the 2023 season entirely on him and are going to give him every opportunity to be better this year, and I think the Cardinals did was they had to do. They didn’t do much with the lineup, but since it’s already stacked with talent, they didn’t need to do much. I’m sure fans wanted even better starters than Lynn and Gibson, who are a little older and certainly not guaranteed to have big seasons, but considering what was out there, I think they did really well this offeason and I’ll give them a solid B.
Chicago Cubs
Grade: B
The Cubs made a lot of logical moves this offseason, although maybe there weren’t any massive splashes. Recently, they were able to bring back Cody Bellinger, which is huge and they didn’t have to pay the huge contract that Scott Boras was wanting. They brought in another former Dodger in Michael Busch, who has a great swing and huge potential. They didn’t get Yamamoto but did get Shoto Imanaga to fortify the rotation, so he’ll join Justin Steele, Jordan Wicks and Kyle Hednricks in a pretty damn solid rotation. They also signed a few bullpen arms like Hector Neris, and the very intelligent and experienced Craig Counsell takes over as manager. Overall, I think this was a fine offseason for the Cubbies, they addressed every aspect of the team, even adding some bench help with Garrett Cooper. I gotta give them a strong B.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Grade: B
The National League Champions showed that they were not going to lie down after falling short in 2023 and will be trying to win it all in ‘24. They brought back Loudres Gurriel Jr, signed free agent Joc Pederson and traded for Eugenio Suarez to replace Longoria at third base. And they also signed a very solid stater in Eduardo Rodriguez and he’ll jump right into that rotation alongside Zac Gallen, Merill Kelly and Bradon Pfadt. Just like the Braves, you can’t complain that they didn’t address their needs, but some fans might complain about the quality of players – Suarez does strike out a lot but unlike Longoria, he stays healthy and will probably hit more home runs. And Joc Pederson can’t really hit lefties, but the D-Backs have plenty of solid right-handed bats and switch hitters to put out a strong lineup against any pitcher. Overall, I think the D-Backs did what they had to do and I’ll give them a very strong B as well.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Grade: A
Next up is the Dodgers, who spent over a billion dollars to get whoever they wanted and their dog. #1 free agent Shohei Ohtani – Dodgers. #2 free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Dodgers. And on top of that, they traded for Tyler Glasnow, and added big power in Teoscar Hernandez. That alone gives them an easy A. They also went hunting for some veteran players like James Paxton, some former top prospects like Austin Beck who they’ll stash in Triple-A. They have literally four MVP’s on this roster and every name in entire lineup except youngsters Gavin Lux and James Outman are All-Stars. So, this is just insane – the Dodgers obviously get an A.
San Francisco Giants
Grade: A
Update: Signed Blake Snell 3/18/24 - Grade promoted to an A
Although a lot of my subscribers tell me this offseason was a disaster, I couldn’t disagree more – yes, it could’ve been better, but the Giants made a ton of moves this offseason to at least try to compete with LA and try to get back in the playoffs. In fact, they spent more money than any team except the Dodgers. Jung Hoo Lee was a huge signing and he’s looking great in Spring Training. They added big power with Jorge Soler as the DH. Obviously, Matt Chapman is an elite glove at third and he brings a powerful bat the lineup. Nick Ahmed is looking impressive and will probably be the opening day shortstop. Offensively, I couldn’t have wanted more, although I think the pitching staff still looks a little shaky. They did sign Jordan Hicks and he’s going to try to be a starter this year. Robbie Ray is a former Cy Young winner but he’s still hurt at the moment. The Giants signed some good young arms like Ethan Small, Landen Roupp and Spencer Howard, so at best this could be a hugely successful offseason, but it all depends on how some of these pitchers do. If they would’ve signed a top starter instead of Matt Chapman and stuck with J.D. Davis, I think it would’ve been better for the overall team, but as is, I’m going to give them a B.
Cleveland Guardians
Grade: D
The Guardians are not a team known for big spending in free agency and true to form, they didn’t spend much in free agency. Carlos Carrasco is back in Cleveland but he did not pitch well with the Mets last year and he’s a bit passed his prime at this point. They picked up an interesting Rule 5 guy in Deyvison De Los Santos who hit 20 homers in Double A last year, so that could be some one to keep an eye on. Austin Hedges is back, but he can’t even hit over the Mendoza Line and isn’t going to be a big difference maker. They signed a couple decent bullpen arms like Scott Barlow, but really did nothing to stand out and I still love their pitching staff, and I think they have a good team but they didn’t do anything to improve their lineup, which lacks some thump. If not for Barlow and De Los Santos, they’d get an F. Those two guys make it a D.
Seattle Mariners
Grade: B
The Mariners are a young and exciting team that should be ready to compete for a championship. They just needed to add some more power to the lineup to help out that amazing rotation and they did that, bringing back Mitch Haniger and adding Jorge Polanco and Mitch Garver. All three of those guys can hit well over 20 homers each and they’ll jump right into the middle of the lineup with Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. Haniger is injury prone, though, but if he can stay healthy he has big pop. They also made a ton of trades, I can’t say how well each one will work out but at the end of the day, they picked up a lot of help for their bench like Luke Raley and some good bullpen arms as well like Carlos Vargas and Ryne Stanek. Overall, I think they’re slightly better than last year despite losing Teoscar Hernandez, and I like their chances to compete in the AL West this year. I’ll give them a very very strong B.
Miami Marlins
Grade: F
The Miami Marlins surprised the baseball world in 2020 by making the playoffs, but people said oh it was because of the shortened season. Then, last year, in 2023, they did it again this time with a full 162 game season and to capitalize on that success, the Marlins did almost nothing this offseason to improve. They did make some moves to replace lost talent, but almost every move was a downgrade. They will be without Sandy Alcantara, who had Tommy John, and only picked up Yonny Chirinos, who is injury prone and hasn’t been very good for a long time. They lost Jorge Soler, and didn’t sign any one to make up for that loss in power. They did need a shortstop and picked up Tim Anderson; I don’t hate that move as supplementary move, but that was their big free agent signing and Anderson was coming off a season so bad, no one else wanted him. Other than some other minor moves, the Marlins did nothing to get back in the playoffs in 2024 and I have to them an F.
New York Mets
Grade: D
The Mets did make moves to address their needs, but the additions just weren’t anything overly special. For the lineup, they needed some help with the outfield and DH, so they added Harrison Bader and Ji-Man Choi, decent names but nothing spectacular. The rotation looks quite a bit different this year with no Verlander, no Scherzer. Senga is hurt to start the year. And to make up for all, they signed Luis Severino, who was awful last year, and Sean Manaea, who was on and off with the Giants last year, he is pretty inconsistent. They traded for Adrian Houser, who is okay, but the rotation is nowhere as good as it looked entering 2023. And they did get some bullpen help, but nothing splashy. Overall, I think they did just enough to fill some needs to get through the season, but definitely a downgrade from last year; I gotta give them a D.
Washington Nationals
Grade: C
The Nationals look like a team in rebuilding who are just waiting for their very talented farm system to hit the big leagues, but they did make a few moves to try to keep things somewhat exciting. They signed some former Reds talent like Jesse Winker, who hit just .199 last year but does have power, and Nick Senzel, whose career never took off like every one expected it would. Joey Gallo will hit some home runs but also strike out 200 times if he’s healthy enough to play all year. But they did pick up Eddie Rosario and that’s quite a bit of talent right there, but all with some kind of issue – one is a draft bust, one strikes out a lot, one can’t hit the mendoza line, but they all have potential to do damage and combined with a very young but capable rotation, this team might surprise some people. They could’ve used some starting pitching depth with the injuries to Strasburg and Cade Cavali, but signed no one of note there, although they picked up some decent bullpen arms like Derek Law and Dylan Floro. Overall, I think it was a so-so offseason for the Nats given that they have a lot of up and coming young talent that they didn’t want to completely block. I’ll give them a C.
Baltimore Orioles
Grade: A
Just like the Marlins, this is a team that was bad for many years who suddenly made the playoffs, but unlike the Marlins, they actually capitalized and tried to get better going into 2024. The Orioles needed an ace and they got one in Corbin Burnes, who they picked up in a trade without giving up too much. They also signed a possible future Hall of Fame in closer Craig Kimbrell, who can go into bad slumps but when he’s on, he’s one of the best. He’ll replace Felix Bautista, who’s out for the season after Tommy John. The O’s already have one of the best lineups in baseball which is almost entirely homegrown, so they didn’t need to add much there, but they added some depth with Tyler Nevin and Colton Wong. Overall, they only had a couple needs and went all out to fill them – when they couldn’t land a top free agent pitcher, they did it in a trade, and the Orioles are ready to compete again in 2024. I gotta give them an A.
San Diego Padres
Grade: D
Next up is the Padres, who have been trying desperately for years to put together a winning team and you gotta respect that. Unfortunately, it hasn’t really worked and this year, they lost a ton of talent, trading away Juan Soto, Josh Hader’s gone to Houston, Blake Snell’s probably gone. They needed a top-tier starting pitcher to replace Snell, and some help in the outfield and catcher. Kyle Higashioka is a decent backup catcher best and as for the rotation, they got Michael King and Jhonny Brito in the Soto trade and then recently picked up Dylan Cease in a trade with the White Sox. Along with Darvish and Musgrove, the rotation should be decent. They did get a ton of names to help out in the bullpen like Wandy Peralta, Yuki Matsui and a solid Korean arm in Woo Suk-Go. I was considering an F, but because of the Dylan Cease move and the extra bullpen help, I’ll give them a D.
Philadelphia Phillies
Grade: C
It looked like the Phillies were going to have a massive offesason after bringing back Aaron Nola, but since then there hasn’t been too many big moves. They recently added Spencer Turnbull to the bullpen and Whit Merrifeld as a utility player. I feel like this a team that doesn’t need a ton of help; obviously they almost made it back to the World Series last year. But, they could’ve used another bat or two and some extra pitching help wouldn’t have hurt after losing Kimbrell and Lorenzen. So, even though they did the most important thing in bringing back Nola, I can’t really give them credit for going all out and trying to do everything possible to get back to the fall classic. They did what they had to do, but not much else on top of that, so I’m going to give them a solid C.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Grade: D
Up next is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are known for spending as little money as possible. But I must give credit where credit is due – the Pirates picked up Aroldis Chapman, who can still bring it and he’ll be strengthening a bullpen that already had David Bednar. They also got some starting pitching help with Marco Gonzales in a trade with the Braves and the veteran Martin Perez. They re-signed the legend Andrew McCutchen, which is going to at least be cool for the fans for him to be there another year in Pittsburgh. They signed Yasmani Grandal, who was at one time a serious power hitting catcher, but obviously he’s passed his heyday. They signed Rowdy Tellez and Michael A. Taylor for the lineup, two experienced big leaguers, but overall, the Pirates did whatever they could to add the best players they could while also spending as little as possible, although they did give give Chapman $10.5 million so again, shoutout there for doing that. Overall, I gotta say for the Pirates, this was like an A offseason, but compared to your typical MLB team, they did enough to get through the season in one piece, but they’re not going to be winning a World Series. I’ll give them a D just because they at least spent some money for their bullpen, but signing old names who are just trying to hang on in the big leagues doesn’t desreve much credit.
Texas Rangers
Grade: C
After winning it all in 2024, the Texas Rangers did lose some talent – Jordan Montgomery could still be back as of now, he’s a free agent. They signed Tyler Mahle, but he’s still recovering from Tommy John, as is Jacob Degrom. Max Scherzer’s also out for now after back surgery. So, the rotation really hasn’t been upgraded, although it stills looks okay all things considered. It was a weird choice to sign Mahle, who’s also hurt, instead of some one who could instantly help out while waiting from Degrom and Scherzer. They added David Robertson and Kirby Yates to the bullpen. Yates isn’t as good as he was a few years ago, but had a solid 2023 with Atlanta. Offensively, nothing much was needed and nothing much was done except some extra depth like Jared Walsh, who’s tearing it up in Spring Training. Overall, this is a great team as is, but unless they sign Snell or Montgomery, at this point, I can’t give them higher than a C just for maintaining.
Tampa Bay Rays
Grade: C
Next up is the Tampa Bay Rays and maybe their biggest move of the offseason was actually trading Tyler Glasnow to the Dodgers for Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca. For a lot of fans, this looks crazy getting rid of Glasnow, but Glasnow is injury prone and the Rays obviously love Pepiot, who has great stuff and could very well stay more healthy. They also get DeLuca, who has great potential – unfortunately he just broke his hand so he’ll be out a for about a month or 2. But it’s a risky trade for sure since the Rays rotation does lack some superstar power, but if Zach Eflin can repeat his 2023 season and Pepiot has a breakout year, it could work out well for the Rays. The Rays also added some decent help to the bullpen like Phil Maton, and a some depth to the lineup while they await some of their up and coming prospects. Overall, the Rays just did what the Rays do and made some interesting trades that don’t look too great on paper but ultimately might make them look like geniuses. Until we know, I’m just going to them a C.
Boston Red Sox
Grade: C
The Boston Red Sox are obviously a top tier franchise who are supposed to be landing top talent year in and year out, but that hasn’t really been the case lately. They’ve been losing more talent than they’ve been gaining and this year, they lose Chris Sale, Justin Turner, Adam Duvall, James Paxton. To replace the lost talent, they signed an injured Lucas Giolito, who is going to miss the entire season. They did trade for Tyler O’Neil, who should replace Duvall pretty easily, and did acquire a few interesting names like prospect Vaughn Grissom, who can swing a pretty good bat, and C.J. Cron, who has 30 home run power if he can stay healthy. But they did nothing to address the rotation, which could really use a solid lefty like Jordan Montgomery. Cron, Grissom and O’Neil are solid pickups and the bullpen got some help, but nothing too splashy. I’ll give them a generous C-, but they’re very close to a D. If they sign Montgomery, bump it up to a B.
Cincinnati Reds
Grade: A
Next is the Reds, who just recently looked like a last place trash team until last year they go on this huge winning streak, led by an array of talented young players, and convince the front office that they might just be a few moves away from becoming a playoff team. So, in response, the front office did what had to be done and added more talent, spending over $100 million on free agents like Jeimer Candelario and starting pitchers Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez. They also brought in a bunch of solid bullpen arms like Emilio Pagan and Brent Suter, and even added some catching depth with my man Austin Wynns- with Wynns comes winns and a few decent former top prospects like Edwin Rios, who might have a chance to play this year. Overall, the Reds did what was needed to capitalize on their extremely talented roster and I think they got a good chance to make the playoffs this year. They didn’t make any one massive crazy splash signing, but instead put their eggs in several baskets by getting lots of solid players to round out the team; I think the Reds have to get an A.
Colorado Rockies
Grade: F
The Rockies already have a decent lineup; it could be better, but they did nothing to really improve it. They added Jacob Stallings and brought back Sam Hilliard – average bench players. Pitching is really where they needed help and they did next to nothing. They traded for Cal Quantrill, who is solid for most teams but does give up a lot of hits and is a finesse guy, not a strikeout guy – so, basically, he’s a recipe for disaster at Coors Field. Dakota Hudson hasn’t been good for several years and being in Colorado is not the place to revitalize one’s pitching career, but we’ll see. The bullpen is pretty much the same except a Rule 5 guy who has good stuff but is pretty raw and that’s Anthony Molina, and they picked up Jalen Beeks off the wavier wire. Overall, the Rockies did not do anything to improve upon their 103 loss season last year, and as a Giants fan, I appreciate it because we need all the help we can get this year. Rockies offseason, straight up F.
Kansas City Royals
Grade: B
Up next is another terrible 2023 team, the 106 loss Kansas City Royals. Unlike the Rockies, they actually tried to get a little better. The rotation needed serious help and they signed Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, not necessarily superstars, but solid starters. The bullpen got a complete makeover with very reliable arms like Will Smith, Chris Stratton, Sam Long, Nick Anderson and a few others including a Rule 5 guy, Matt Sauer, who had a 10.9 per 9 strikeout ratio in Double A. They signed Adam Frazier, a pure hitter who can play a variety of positions and can get plugged into the lineup or serve as a solid backup utility guy. They added 30 home run power with Hunter Renfroe in the lineup and you just gotta give props to the Royals for trying to get better, and even more of their young prospects will be ready to contribute this season, so I see the Royals as being a lot better, and I gotta give them a solid B for the offseason.
Detroit Tigers
Grade: B
The Tigers are coming off a decent – for them anyway – 78 win season and are looking to get back above .500 and into the playoff conversation. So, they added some experienced starters in Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty to help soften the blow of losing Eduardo Rodriguez. Andrew Chafin and Shelby Miller were signed to fortify an already solid looking bullpen. They also extended top propsect Colt Keith, who will make his big league debut likely Opening Day. Mark Cahna and Gio Urshela also improve the lineup and overall, the Tigers look full ready to compete this season with a roster full of hot young talent and capable big league veterans. They could’ve got all out and added even more, but all things considered, I gotta give the Tigers a solid B.
Minnesota Twins
Grade: D
The Twins unfortunately had a situation with their TV provider and evidently couldn’t spend as much money as they would’ve liked during free agency as they were focused on getting a TV deal done. They signed Carlos Santana, who’s about to turn 38 but did hit 23 homers last year. They picked up Anthony Desclafani who I like, but really can’t stay healthy and is hit or miss. The bullpen added some pieces like Jay Jackson and Josh Staumont but nothing crazy, and they also signed Manuel Margot for some outfield depth. Ultimately, the Twins in my opinion look at lot worse after losing Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda, and definitely did not have a great offseason, but they still have a lot of talent and could compete in the Central, although I have to give them a D for the offseason.
Chicago White Sox
Grade: D
The White Sox were a team I was very excited about back around 2020. Since then, they have really disappointed and their lineup just never came together in the way I thought it would. This offseason, they did not really add anything to fix this issue; there’s some recognizable names like Paul Dejong, Nicky Lopez, Kevin Pillar, Dominic Fletcher and Martin Maldonado but none of them I would consider big difference makers. They added some good young talent in the Dylan Cease trade like Steven Wilson, who should be really good in the bullpen. They also signed John Brebbia and Tim Hill, very experienced and reliable bullpen arms. It’ll be interesting to see how Michael Soroka does in a new environment after all his years of injury issues in Atlanta. Erick Fedde and Chris Flexen were also signed as free agents, but neither one has been particularly effective in the big leagues recently, although Fedde dominated the KBO, so we’ll see how he does. Overall, the White Sox addressed some needs but not with any top MLB talent, but they did some pick up good prospects for the future, but as far as competing in 2024, I gotta give them a D.
New York Yankees
Grade: A
And last but not least is the storied New York Yankees, who acquired one of the biggest superstars in the game, Juan Soto, who gets plugged right into that lineup alongside Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo. The Yanks lost some good pitching in that trade, but they tried their best to make up for it with quality starter Marcus Strohman and they picked up two solid relievers in a trade with the Dodgers, Caleb Ferguson and Victor Gonzalez. And that’s not even all – the Yankees also got Trent Grisham in that Soto trade, and acquired a very solid outfielder with Alex Verdugo. So their outfield will be Verdugo, Judge and Soto with Trent Grisham as a 4th option – that is a freaking sick outfield. They’re basically covered at every other position, so, all things considered, I have to give the Yankees a freaking A.