About a week ago, several teams, players and agents apparently checked a calendar, realized spring training was a month away and decided it was — finally — time to make some decisions.
Four of the market’s top 10 free agents signed in the past week. The Big Board’s last middle infielder signed Thursday. Arguably the top two free-agent catchers signed Friday. Third baseman Nolan Arenado and lefty Ryan Weathers were traded, and there was a three-team trade that was almost immediately overshadowed by the No. 1 free agent signing with the two-time defending World Series champions.
A lot’s happened in a short amount of time, so it’s worth taking stock with an updated set of offseason tiers. Which teams are aggressively building a contender? Which are aggressively rebuilding? And which have us scratching our heads about what exactly they’re even trying to do this winter?
Tier 1: Winning the offseason in two moves
Los Angeles Dodgers — They’ve won the past two World Series. Their only glaring weaknesses were the bullpen and the outfield corners. So, they’ve signed the best free-agent closer (Edwin Díaz) and the best free agent, period (Kyle Tucker). Bringing back World Series hero Miguel Rojas was also adorable.
Tier 2: Actively trying to win the AL East
Toronto Blue Jays — Despite their run at Tucker falling short, the Blue Jays have spent more than $300 million this offseason on starters Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, third baseman Kazuma Okamoto and reliever Tyler Rogers. The reigning American League pennant winners are clearly motivated. They’ve been aggressive enough to make us wonder if they have another big move in them.
Baltimore Orioles — The Pete Alonso signing was the big move, but the Orioles also have traded for outfielder Taylor Ward and starter Shane Baz, signed closer Ryan Helsley and starter Zach Eflin, and brought back reliever Andrew Kittredge, whom they traded in July. They still don’t have an ace, but this does feel more deliberate — and likely more effective — than what they did last winter.
Boston Red Sox — Starter Ranger Suárez is their only Major League free-agent signing, but the Red Sox have completed a whopping 10 trades this winter — seriously, 10! — most notably adding first baseman Willson Contreras and starter Sonny Gray in different deals with the Cardinals. They’ve transformed their rotation behind lefty ace Garrett Crochet but could still use an infield replacement for third baseman Alex Bregman.
Tier 3: Trying something new
The Cubs, with new signing Alex Bregman, are very clearly among the teams giving it their all. (Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs — They lost the best free agent on the market (Tucker) but added the third-best free agent (Bregman) while also trading for a high-upside starter (Edward Cabrera), signing four relievers (Phil Maton is maybe the most notable), and retaining Shota Imanaga with a qualifying offer. That might be enough to win the NL Central. Could their infield redundancy lead to another trade?
New York Mets — Lost a star: Alonso. Gained a star: Bo Bichette. Lost Díaz but signed leverage relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. Traded away outfielder Brandon Nimmo and infielder Jeff McNeil. Added three infielders: Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco and Bichette. Getting Tucker would have been a splash, but even without him, the Mets will look a lot different.
Tier 4: Getting the band back together
Philadelphia Phillies — Look at it this way: They needed a designated hitter and a catcher, and they got the best ones on the market. Granted, they did it by re-signing Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, but that’s not nothing. The Phillies also signed outfielder Adolis García and right-hander Brad Keller to address needs in the outfield and the bullpen. But, man, losing Bichette to the Mets hurt. A lot. And who knows about Zack Wheeler’s status after thoracic outlet syndrome?
Atlanta Braves — Quick, name the team with the fifth-highest payroll in baseball. It might surprise you to learn that, according to both FanGraphs and Cot’s Contracts, it’s the Braves. They re-signed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and closer Raisel Iglesias, and they added late-inning reliever Robert Suarez, proven lefty bat Mike Yastrzemski and one-man depth chart Mauricio Dubón (in the wake of Kim’s latest injury, they added another shortstop: speedy utility man Jorge Mateo). Now, if only Spencer Strider hadn’t pitched to a 4.45 ERA last season.
Seattle Mariners — Their biggest move has been re-signing Josh Naylor, a trade deadline pickup last season. Having him for a full year is a plus. Rob Refsnyder was a sneaky addition to crush left-handed pitching. Jose A. Ferrer joined an already deep bullpen, behind an already strong rotation. The Mariners didn’t have a lot of holes after coming within a game of the World Series last fall, though third base is still a question mark.
Tier 5: Definitely doing … something
Pittsburgh Pirates — Yes, they’re still the Pirates, and no, they haven’t signed a top-10 free agent. But the Pirates traded for second baseman Brandon Lowe, signed first baseman/DH Ryan O’Hearn to a (gasp) multi-year deal, added lefty relievers Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery, and acquired a couple outfielders who could help them in 2026, Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon Garcia. That’s something, right?
Houston Astros — They signed the 10th-best free agent on the market, Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai, who has intriguing upside. But the Astros also lost Framber Valdez, the Big Board’s fifth-ranked free agent, and it’s still hard to see how their infield fits together after bringing back Carlos Correa last summer. So, they kinda made a splash. And, boy, new utility man Nick Allen sure can field.
Cincinnati Reds — Gavin Lux is out. JJ Bleday is in. Emilio Pagán re-signed, and a bunch of new relievers are joining him in the bullpen. Ke’Bryan Hayes is still around from last summer’s trade deadline. Is that anything? Elly De La Cruz apparently is not entirely sold.
Arizona Diamondbacks — Apparently, they’re not trading Ketel Marte, but they did trade for Nolan Arenado? Jake McCarthy is gone, but Merrill Kelly is back? Zac Gallen is still a free agent, but Michael Soroka is now in the rotation? I mean, it’s unclear what’s happening with every non-Dodgers team in the NL West, so maybe this is good enough.
Tampa Bay Rays — Perpetually threading the needle, the Rays have traded away Baz, Mangum, Montgomery and the Lowes (Brandon and Josh). They let closer Pete Fairbanks walk in free agency. But they signed outfielders Cedric Mullins and Jake Fraley and left-hander Steven Matz, and they traded for infielder Gavin Lux and a handful of young guys (outfielder Jake Melton, for one, could be in their outfield fairly soon). It’s the Rays. This is what they do.
Los Angeles Angels — The Angels have been busy, actually. Whether it amounts to anything is another question. They traded for starter Grayson Rodriguez (which cost them Ward). They signed pitchers Kirby Yates, Jordan Romano, Drew Pomeranz and Alek Manoah (but lost Kenley Jansen, Brock Burke and Tyler Anderson). They added outfielder Josh Lowe and infielders Vaughn Grissom and Nick Madrigal. Yoán Moncada, Luis Rengifo and Anthony Rendon — officially — are gone. This is a good place to mention that the Angels haven’t been to the playoffs since 34-year-old Mike Trout was 23.
The White Sox aren’t a contender yet, but they’re making moves, like bringing in Munetaka Murakami. (Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox — A rebuilding team lacking many trade chips, the White Sox have instead added some interesting pieces. They won the bidding for Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami and took a shot on a couple of rotation wild cards in Anthony Kay, who was excellent in Japan last year, and Sean Newcomb, who had a breakout season with the A’s. They traded for Everson Pereira, who’s still just 24 and was once a notable prospect in the Yankees system. The White Sox aren’t contenders, but at least they’re making moves.
Tier 6: Technically still the Yankees
New York Yankees — They might eventually bring back Cody Bellinger, but so far, the Yankees’ primary additions have been outfielder Trent Grisham (who accepted the qualifying offer), back-end starter Weathers, utility types Amed Rosario and Paul DeJong and swingmen Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn. Not exactly this generation’s Reggie Jackson, Jason Giambi or CC Sabathia.
Tier 7: Doing what, exactly?
Texas Rangers — Maybe the pieces fit a little better — Nimmo and catcher Danny Jansen in place of Semien and García — but it feels more like shuffling than adding. The Rangers signed some relievers, but their rotation lost Tyler Mahle and Patrick Corbin. Remember, this is the last non-Dodgers team to win a World Series.
San Francisco Giants — Granted, the Giants didn’t lose much in free agency, and there are bats still out there that could help them, but their biggest additions are a couple risk-reward starters, Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser. Is that enough to keep pace in the NL West, or are they simply keeping pace with last year’s .500 record?
Detroit Tigers — This is probably their last year with Tarik Skubal, and they’re taking advantage of it by … signing a couple relievers and a fifth starter? Kenley Jansen was great last year, bringing back Kyle Finnegan makes sense and Drew Anderson pitched well in Korea, but this isn’t exactly an all-in offseason before Skubal hits free agency.
Kansas City Royals — Moving in the outfield fences might be their biggest move of the offseason. The Royals traded for outfielder Isaac Collins, rolled the dice on outfielder Lane Thomas, and added some relievers (notably, left-hander Matt Strahm) but they haven’t made anything that qualifies as a splash.
San Diego Padres — Re-signing starter Michael King wasn’t particularly cheap, but it wasn’t really an upgrade, either. Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song might prove to be a smart signing, but otherwise the Padres’ biggest upgrades (reliever Mason Miller and outfielder Ramón Laureano) are guys acquired at last year’s trade deadline. Their offseason hasn’t done much to make up for the loss of starter Dylan Cease, closer Robert Suarez and first baseman Luis Arráez.
Tier 8: Doing very close to nothing
Milwaukee Brewers — It cost a ton of money (a buyout and a qualifying offer) to bring back veteran starter Brandon Woodruff, and they did trade some outfield depth (Collins) for relief help (Angel Zerpa), but that’s about it for the team that had the best record in the NL last season. Still unclear whether Milwaukee could be enticed to trade ace Freddy Peralta.
Athletics — Extending first baseman/outfielder Tyler Soderstrom cost a lot of money, and trading for McNeil added a veteran to the infield, but the A’s remain a team loaded with intriguing young talent and seemingly little ability to add much to it. No one is making a movie about this A’s offseason.
Cleveland Guardians — Shawn Armstrong has been a sneaky good reliever in two of the past three seasons, but as a primary offseason addition he doesn’t move the needle. The Guardians didn’t lose much to free agency, but they haven’t added much of anything, either. Even Armstrong is basically just a lower upside replacement for still-suspended closer Emmanuel Clase.
Tier 9: Actively and openly rebuilding
St. Louis Cardinals — They had a plan. They’ve executed it. The Cardinals have traded Gray, Contreras and Arenado. They still have Brendan Donovan as a potent trade chip at a time when free agent infielders have become few and far between. Dustin May was an upside signing for the rotation, and the trades brought in a couple more arms, Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins, who could make a lot of starts this season. The Cardinals are doing what they set out to do.
Miami Marlins — It’s not a Cardinals-level rebuild, but the Marlins have traded two starters, Cabrera and Weathers, for prospects. One of those prospects, Owen Caissie, could be an everyday outfielder sooner rather than later. They even managed to get something, a minor league reliever, for the light-hitting Eric Wagaman. Fairbanks was an interesting signing who could help the Marlins win a few games before becoming yet another trade chip in July.
Tier 10: But they’re rebuilding, too, right?
Washington Nationals — Right before the Winter Meetings, the Nationals made a trade for former Mariners first-round pick Harry Ford. They’ve since swapped pitching prospects with the Red Sox and claimed some guys off waivers, but they’ve not made any build-for-the-future blockbuster — trading shortstop CJ Abrams or left-hander MacKenzie Gore — or meaningfully added short-term help.
Minnesota Twins — Last year’s trade deadline was a masterclass in fire-sale rebuilding. But rather than continuing full-steam in that direction, the Twins have held onto their remaining trade chips (starters Joe Ryan and Pablo López) while adding some third-tier free agents (first baseman Josh Bell, catcher Victor Caratini and infielder Orlando Arcia). If the rebuild is over, is this how the actual building begins?
Colorado Rockies — Their offseason started with cutting bait with Kyle Farmer, Thairo Estrada and Michael Toglia. But rather than lean into a teardown, the rest of the Rockies’ winter has been small trades for left-hander Brennan Bernardino and outfielder Jake McCarthy, and signing utility man Willi Castro. Is that what this franchise needed?