The Snakes didn't exactly have a sprawling winter, but trading away Daulton Varsho for their catcher of the present and future (Gabriel Moreno) and a needed right-handed outfield bat (Lourdes Gurriel Jr.) was a canny move. As well, veteran third baseman Evan Longoria remains a useful player heading into his age-37 season. Grade: B+
They addressed the catcher position in a big way -- and did so offensively and defensively-- by dealing for Sean Murphy, and then Murphy became the latest young to young-ish Braves core contributor to commit to the organization on a long-term basis (and on a contract that looks pretty team-friendly). GM Alex Anthopoulos also added bullpen depth via trade. Grade: A
The Orioles have an enviable young core, and they were surprise contenders last season. This winter, however, the front office did not much of anything beyond signing some mid-tier players to one-year contracts and trading for decline-phase James McCann. Grade: D
They frittered away yet another homegrown star (Xander Bogaerts, who signed with the Padres), let Nathan Eovaldi walk, overpaid for Masataka Yoshida, and even diminished their draft-pick compensation for Bogaerts and Eovaldi with their puzzling 2022 trade deadline performance. Lifting them out of "F" territory, however, is the 11-year extension for Rafael Devers. Maybe that signals that Red Sox ownership is again ready to take its obligations seriously. Grade: C-
The Cubs let long-time catcher Willson Contreras walk, but they offset that by investing in free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson. On the downside, Swanson's bat raises concerns moving forward. Elsewhere, Jameson Taillon is a reasonable addition to the rotation, and taking a flyer on Cody Bellinger makes sense. Overall, though, this really wasn't enough to move the needle in the NL Central. Grade: C+
Taking a low-risk swing at a Mike Clevinger rebound season is a nice move, but giving five years to Andrew Benintendi is a dubious proposition given his possible loss of power. They'll also miss those surprise quality innings that Johnny Cueto gave them last season. Grade: C
The Reds lost 100 games last season, and their most notable additions this winter have been Wil Myers and Kevin Newman. Maybe Myers winds up being someone they can flip at the deadline. Get excited, Reds rooters. Grade: D
Josh Bell should give the lineup some badly needed pop and OBP, and catcher Mike Zunino is a good bet to have at least a modest rebound at the plate. Overall, though, this isn't a particularly strong effort from the Cleveland ownership group, which is thoroughly on-brand for the Dolans. Grade: B-
What else can give you a bad team whose offseason additions consist of names like T.J. Zeuch, Pierce Johnson, Nick Garcia, and Jeff Criswell? Nolan Jones, acquired from Cleveland, is potentially sort of interesting, but that's really it. Grade: C-
Detroit had done really nothing of consequence this offseason until the team traded away closer Gregory Soto to the Phillies for a package that includes outfielder Matt Vierling. It's understandable that it's been a quiet winter in Detroit. It's been a matter of mere months since Al Avila was (belatedly) cut loose and replaced by former Giants GM Scott Harris as the new lead exec in baseball ops. Harris is in the midst of rebuilding the entire organizational infrastructure, and with the Tigers far from contention at the moment and quiet winter in terms of roster churn is somewhat understandable. Grade: C
Houston has done a terrific job of remaining elite despite the loss of several key free agents since their first belt and title in 2017. Speaking of which, they indeed have the rotation depth to withstand Justin Verlander's departure, so give them the benefit of the doubt on that front. The addition of José Abreu should upgrade the status quo at first base, at least in the near term, and bringing back Michael Brantley is a sound decision. Less laudable is the catcher situation the Astros failed to address. Grade: B
The only long-term contract handed out is Jordan Lyles' two-year deal. That's inoffensive enough, and every team needs innings. That said, you'd like to see bolder steps in a lackluster division like the AL Central -- even if the Royals are still in building mode. Grade: C-
It remains to be seen whether resisting calls to trade Shohei Ohtani is in the best long-term interests of the Halos, but doing so certainly betters (maintains?) their outlook heading into 2023. The free-agent addition of rebuilt lefty Tyler Anderson helps the underwhelming rotation, and trades for Hunter Renfroe and Gio Urshela give the lineup some pop and flexibility. Grade: B
The Dodgers once again project as one of the best teams in all of baseball, but their offseason work has little to do with that promising outlook. They brought back franchise legend and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, yes, but they allowed to walk the likes of Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Cody Bellinger, Joey Gallo, Crag Kimbrel, and Tommy Kahnle. Miguel Rojas, acquired via trade with Miami, is a good glove and will theoretically pair well with lefty infield bats, but he's not much of a hitter. Grade: F
Signing Jean Segura is a passable start toward improving what's been a bad offense for years. However, there's much, much more work to be done. Informed speculation continues to have it that the Marlins will tap into their impressive rotation depth in order to add potent bats (the signing of veteran Johnny Cueto gives them even more depth). So there's potential for this grade to improve substantially. Whether the organization can start to identify young hitters with real potential at the highest level is another matter. Grade: C+
The addition of All-Star catcher William Contreras was quietly one of the best moves of the winter, and getting Jesse Winker allows Craig Counsell to stagger his lineup lefty-righty all the way from top to bottom. However, the losses of Hunter Renfroe and Kolten Wong will be keenly felt. Milwaukee should really be doing more to build around the one-two punch of Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff while they're still under team control. Grade: C
Two failed physicals with the Giants and Mets acrrued to the Twins's advantage, as they locked up Carlos Correa for at least six years. From the team standpoint, it may be the signing of the winter. As well, Christian Vázquez is a quality addition behind the plate, and Joey Gallo promises power and plus defense at an outfield corner. Those lesser additions are partially offset by the trade with the Angels that sent Gio Urshela out of town. Grade: A
If you're a team owner, then your sole objective should be to win baseball games (and, yes, you're going to be quite profitable along the way). No one right now better lives up to this obligation than Steve Cohen. The Mets were hit by some free-agent losses, yes, but the signings of Justin Verlander, Brandon Nimmo, Kodai Senga, and José Quintana more than make up for the departures. Yes, the loss of Carlos Correa, whose agreement fell apart thanks to ankle concerns, stings, but one can argue he was more luxury than necessity. The payroll and expectations are high, but so are the odds of success and fan enthusiasm. All of that is the whole point. Grade: A
The Yankees invested heavily in re-upping with elite slugger Aaron Judge, and they also fortified the rotation by inking Carlos Rodón, one of the most coveted starting pitchers on the market. As well, they brought back Anthony Rizzo, and Tommy Kahnle is a strong addition to the bullpen. The Yankees probably should've been angling for one of the top free-agent shortstops, but this is strong work as it is. Grade: A
With the Sean Murphy trade, the cynical strip-mining of the Oakland roster is mostly complete. It's too soon for firm returns, but the A's didn't do particularly well in that trade, at least at first blush. The highest paid Athletic in 2023? That would be veteran middle reliever Trevor May. Grade: F
The Phillies continue to do what they should -- invest in the roster in order to make the team better. This time around the signature addition is shortstop Trea Turner, who significantly improves the top of the Philly lineup and allows promising prospect Bryson Stott to shift to the less demanding position of second base. Taijuan Walker serves as a good rotation stabilizer and Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto give the Phillies additional high-leverage bullpen options. Grade: A
Mediocre grade notwithstanding, let's keep it positive. Carlos Santana, one of the most heavily shifted hitters around, could benefit from the new restrictions on infield shifts, and Rich Hill is harmless enough. Otherwise, there's really nothing interesting going on here. Stated another way, owner Bob Nutting plainly doesn't care about the team, so why should we? Grade: C-
Willson Contreras is an excellent targeted addition that significantly improves the offensive outlook at catcher (a major weak spot for the Cardinals in 2022). However, the rotation badly needs additional depth given the age and injury uncertainties therein. Grade: B
The Padres continue to lay waste to the notion that mid- to small-market teams can't afford roster investment (despite incredibly healthy guaranteed revenues and de facto guaranteed profitability). Their latest efforts toward winning the World Series for the first time in franchise history include inking star shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year pact and taking a wise one-year gamble that Matt Carpenter's rebuilt swing can continue to yield big results at the plate. Also, adding Nelson Cruz as a platoon partner for Carpenter was a good play. Given those moves and the talent already in place, you can argue that the Padres are the favorites in the NL West. Grade: A
The Giants were unable to lure Aaron Judge away from the Yankees despite strong regional ties, and the Carlos Correa non-signing was an utter embarrassment for the organization. Then there's the free agent loss of the still-quality Evan Longoria. Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger are reasonable plays, and there's added rotation depth. However, that's all overwhelmed by the inability of the Giants to matter at the top of the free agent market. Grade: F
Trades for Teoscar Hernández and Kolten Wong are praiseworthy, but it should be noted that Mitch Haniger and Jesse Winker are no more. The M's probably should've emerged from the heart of the offseason with a better situation at DH. Grade: B-
There have been moves, but has there been roster improvement? It's hard to find any. The Rays' marquee winter addition so far is Zach Eflin, and the catcher position remains a void. Nothing has been done to improve an offense that ranked 11th in the AL in runs scored and 12th in OPS last season. Grade: D
There's collapse potential in the rebuilt Rangers' rotation, but there's also upside. Perhaps no team better committed to addressing a primary weakness. New to said rotation are Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Andrew Heaney, and Jake Odorizzi has been added for depth as a swingman. Texas still could've used an outfield upgrade, however. Grade: B+
Adding Chris Bassitt to the rotation is an underrated move. Trading for Daulton Varsho was a sound decision, even if the price was a bit high. Varsho's defensive value and flexibility is a factor, and his left-handed bat was sorely needed in a lineup that last season was way too right-handed. Along similar lines, Kevin Kiermaier is also a good fit for the Jays. The signing of Brandon Belt is another low-risk move that gives the team another lefty platoon bat. Grade: B
The Nationals had the worst rotation in baseball, and that addressed that glaring problem by signing ... Trevor Williams. To be sure, no plausible level of activity could turn the Nats into contenders in 2023, and the possible sale of the team puts them in a bit of a holding pattern when it comes to payroll. In the end: Whatever. Grade: D
