Throughout the offseason the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we discussed Bryan Reynolds' future. This week we're going to look at contenders with unfinished business.
Which contender still needs the most help this offseason?
R.J. Anderson: I think it depends on how you define "contender." The Rangers, for instance, seem to have a chance to compete for a playoff spot, but it's not a sure thing. If they upgrade in left/at DH I'd feel a little better about their odds. If we're defining a contender by saying a team that's more certain to be in the thick of the playoff hunt, then I think the Padres could really use some rotation help.
Dayn Perry: I'll go with the Orioles. They were surprise contenders last season, and their young core is absolutely playoff-caliber. The problem is that ownership and the front office have done nothing of note to complement that core. It's really been a pathetic effort by the O's decision-makers this offseason, and that young core deserves better.
Matt Snyder: Since the Orioles only finished three games out of a playoff spot with a winning record last season, I'll take this opportunity to torch them for how they've done business this offseason. It's been pathetic and a total insult to the fan base. They are still shy of $60 million in payroll and the only salaried player past 2023 is James McCann. There are several years before the very-young core (Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, etc.) starts to get expensive and ownership has plenty of money. Even if one wanted to argue it wouldn't be smart to sign one of the gigantic contracts we saw given out to the likes of Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, Aaron Judge, etc., there was plenty of room to supplement the roster with short-term deals that would do absolutely nothing to hamper future spending or the development of their cadre of prospects. This was a total slap in the face to Orioles fans and the best bet is the reward will be a step back in 2023 after a very-fun 2022.
Mike Axisa: I'm not sold on the Orioles as a contender just yet but I agree with everyone else and expected them to have a more active offseason, or rather a more impactful offseason. There are ways to spend and supplement the homegrown core without damaging the long-term plan. Instead the O's picked up a bunch of veterans (Adam Frazier, Kyle Gibson, Mychal Givens, etc.) who won't move the needle much and are the kind of guys who get flipped for a Grade-C prospect at the deadline. I am underwhelmed.
To answer the question though, I feel like it's the Yankees? They brought back Aaron Judge and that was a must, and they essentially replaced Jameson Taillon with Carlos Rodón, which is an obvious improvement. Otherwise they've tinkered with the bullpen and done nothing to improve an offense that a) hit .173/.255/.324 in the postseason, and b) got a .232/.291/.360 batting line from players other than Judge in the second half. Left field is wide open and would be the most straightforward way to upgrade an offense than needs upgrading, but it hasn't happened yet, and there aren't many quality options available now.
