MLB Winners & Losers This Offseason

It’s almost ridiculous to think that MLB spring training will be set in motion in a little less than three weeks. Pitchers and catchers in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization get things underway when they report on Feb. 9. By Feb. 15, all MLB teams pitchers and catchers will be in camp. Position players begin to report on Feb. 14 and will be in spring training by Feb. 20.

As teams prepare for spring training, it’s time to take a look at which teams have “won” and “lost” this offseason. 

Winner: The Dodgers

No brainer here. The Dodgers won the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, signing the top free agent in baseball. Then, Dodgers management opened up the bank account and poured out another chunk of cash to land the best available starting pitcher – Japan Pacific League phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Oh, and there’s the addition of the 25-homer bat of Teoscar Hernandez. They traded for P Tyler Glasnow and they even landed top LHP prospect Jackson Ferris. See The Dodgers odds to win it all

Winner: International players

Ohtani, of course, is the game’s best player and, as a result, signed a contract for $700 million. Yamamoto got another $325 million as the Dodgers spent $1 billion on new talent. CF Jung Hoo Lee, who is from South Korea, signed a six-year, $113 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. Left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Chicago Cubs after eight years in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Loser: Toronto fans

Remember flight N616RH? Yeah, that was the one that was supposedly carrying Ohtani to Toronto. Blue Jays fans were all hyped up in believing Ohtani was on a private jet headed to meet with the Toronto brass. He wasn’t on the flight and the Blue Jays lost out on signing the top talent in baseball. Ohtani announced the very next day he was signing with the Dodgers.

Loser: Mike Trout

Speaking of Ohtani, one of the biggest losers related to his signing with LA is his former teammate. Trout is now stuck with the Angels without a star like Ohtani. Trout, 32, signed a 12-year deal for $426.5 million that has him inked through 2030. He also has a no-trade clause in his contract, which pretty much will keep him with a .500 – at best – franchise for the remainder of his Hall of Fame career. The Angels have done nothing this offseason to bolster the roster and appear headed toward a ninth straight losing season.

Winner: Juan Soto

Soto is sitting pretty right now. He’ll be a free agent next year, which means 2024 is an audition. He’ll get to hit either right before or right after Aaron Judge in the Yankees lineup. That means he’ll face better pitches. He could have an MVP season, which would most likely translate into a half-a-billion dollar contract next year. Soto will turn 26 at the end of the 2024 MLB season.

Loser: Boston Red Sox

With a new chief baseball officer in hand, the Red Sox claimed they would be big spenders this offseason. So far…crickets. They did sign Lucas Giolito, but Boston traded away Chris Sale and Alex Vergugo. Where are all the moves to bulk up the roster? Since winning the AL East Division in 2018, the Red Sox have finished last three times. That includes last-place finishes in each of the last two seasons.

Winner: The D-Backs

Arizona won the National League pennant last year and has used the offseason to ensure it has a shot at repeating. With Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly one of the best 1-2 pitching combinations in baseball, the D-Backs added LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (13-9, 3.30). Arizona re-signed DH Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (.261, 24 HR, 82 RBI) and traded for power-hitting 3B Eugenio Suarez (.232, 22 HR, 96 RBI). The Diamondbacks are still in the running to get one of J.D. Martinez, Justin Turner, or Jorge Soler.

Loser: The city of Oakland

There is so much baseball history in the city of Oakland. The A’s of the 1970s won three straight World Series titles. In the ‘80s, the A’s played in three straight World Series, winning one (1989). Reggie Jackson. Rickey Henderson. Catfish Hunter. Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley. The A’s finished last in the AL West in each of the last two seasons and now the franchise is due to move to Las Vegas. The A’s will play in Oakland in 2024, but they likely are gone after the season. The lease at Oakland Coliseum runs out this year.