MLB Winners of the 2024-25 Offseason

The Los Angeles Dodgers found a way to win the 2024 World Series with just three healthy starting pitchers. Shohei Ohtani, who didn’t pitch at all last season, and former NL MVP Freddie Freeman were both injured and the Dodgers bullpen had to work overtime to produce the franchise’s eighth World Series title. 

So, what do the Dodgers do for an encore? Well, they were busy in the offseason getting ready for the 2025 season. They weren’t the only team either. As teams are starting to welcome pitchers and catchers to spring training, it’s time to take a look at the big winners of the 2024-25 MLB offseason.

The Dodgers

We might as well start with the World Series champions. The Dodgers have what could be the deepest pitching lineup in the history of the game. They could not have a starting pitcher go over 150 innings if they wanted. They re-signed three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw to a one-year deal, but the bigger news was the signing of Japanese ace Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki is a 6-foot-4 specimen with a 100 mph fastball and an evil splitter. He is likely the best young Japanese pitcher ever. The Dodgers coughed up $6.25 million to get Sasaki for six years. Then, LA goes out and gets former two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell. Add in Michael Kopech who was acquired before last year’s trade deadline and two ace closers in Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates and the Dodgers are set in the pitching department.

We all know they can hit. Freeman, Ohtani, Max Muncy, etc. Most sportsbooks now have the Dodgers win total set at 103. They could make a run at the MLB record for wins, 116, shared by Seattle and the Chicago Cubs.

The Bank of Soto

Juan Soto now has enough money to start his own bank. The Soto Sweepstakes netted the star a record 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. The four-time All-Star now moves to his fourth MLB team. The Yankees acquired Soto prior to last season and he produced.

Soto hit .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs for the Yankees last season. He was an All-Star and finished third in the AL MVP race. The Yankees balked at the big numbers Soto was looking for, so he’ll take his game (and money) across town to the Mets. With the Mets also re-signing slugger Pete Alonso, they are now fourth on the World Series betting board at +1000 odds.

The Yankees

Missing out on Soto might have been a blessing in disguise for the Yankees. Instead of Soto, New York was able to acquire perennial All-Star 1B Paul Goldschmidt and LHP Max Fried, formerly of the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees also nabbed another former NL MVP when they traded for former Dodger and Cub Cody Bellinger.

Bellinger hit 44 homers over the past two seasons with the Cubs. Now, the Yankees have a star-studded outfield with Bellinger and last year’s AL MVP Aaron Judge. Throw in DH Giancarlo Stanton to go with Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm, DJ LeMahieu, etc. and pitchers are going to have a difficult time against the Yankees this season.

Don’t forget about the pitching rotation. With Fried the No. 2 starter behind 2023 AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, the Yankees are loaded. Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil round out one of the best starting rotations in baseball.

Left-Handed Pitchers

If you were a big-time left-handed pitcher who happened to be a free agent, this offseason was good to you. Teams are always searching for All-Star caliber lefties and this offseason didn’t disappoint. We just mentioned Fried who signed the richest-ever contract for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history this offseason.

Fried inked an eight-year deal with the Yankees that pays him $218 million. Snell, who signed the the Dodgers, got a new deal for five years and $182 million. Keep in mind, this is the same Snell that was 0-3 with a 6.31 ERA at the All-Star break just last year.

The other big lefty winner was Sean Manaea of the Mets. In addition to getting Soto and re-signing Alonso, the Mets were able to re-sign Manaea who went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA last season. Manaea signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the Mets. 

The Team Formerly Known as the Oakland A’s

Now that the A’s are going to pack it up and head to Vegas, they decided to open up the checkbook and add some meat to the roster. Oakland actually went 39-37 over the second half of the season and escaped last place in the AL West for the first time in three years. 

The A’s went out and got a quality starter in Luis Severino who went 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA last year with the Mets. Add him in with Jeffrey Springs who returned late last year to Tampa Bay after an injury and finished with a 2.27 ERA. JP Sears (11-13, 4.38) is adequate and the A’s re-signed DH Brent Rooker who hit 39 homers and batted .293 in 2024.

The A’s regular season wins total is set at 70.5. That’s a huge boost from last year’s number – 56.5. The addition of Severino, who went 14-6 in 2017 and 19-8 in 2018 with the Yankees, gives the A’s pitching rotation an elite level starter.