February 23, 2025
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iWhile some final free agency moves still need to be made even as spring training begins, most of the heavy lifting of the MLB offseason has been done and we can now evaluate which teams had the best — and the worst — winters.

From the big spenders who owned the headlines this offseason to the teams that sat back and watched, there are some obvious picks among our choices — hello, Dodgers and Mets– and some that might surprise you.

Here are the teams that stood out as the biggest winners and losers of the MLB offseason.

Winners

 

Los Angeles Dodgers

Yeah, yeah, I know. I won’t spend too much time here, but they have to be mentioned first. After starting the offseason with a roster fresh off a World Series title, the Dodgers added Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott to the bullpen, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to the rotation, and Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim to the lineup. They lost only Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty in free agency and Gavin Lux via trade, with all three of those players replaced by one of their free agent signings

They also just re-signed Clayton Kershaw as they did Teoscar Hernandez, Enrique Hernandez and Blake Treinen from last year’s team. Los Angeles also extended Tommy Edman and, while not a free agent deal signed this winter, also will be getting the pitcher version of Shohei Ohtani this season. Keep an eye on top 100 prospect shortstop Alex Freeland as a potential addition this summer.

New York Metsi

The Mets entered the offseason with a slew of free agents but lost only Luis Severino to a multiyear deal with another team, along with a few other role players who signed one-year deals. They brought back Sean Manaea, Ryne Stanek and Jesse Winker, and then, at a much lower price than expected when the offseason began, signed Pete Alonso. Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes were key external free agent additions for the rotation, and A.J. Minter was the big external bullpen addition, coming from division rival Atlanta. Oh, yes, the Mets also gave Juan Soto the biggest deal in baseball history, swiping him from the Yankees.

Detroit Tigersi

The Tigers are on an upswing in almost all phases, with prospects from the third-ranked farm system continuing to arrive in the majors on the heels of a well-ahead-of-schedule postseason appearance last season that ended a nine-season playoff dry spell.

Detroit played the market well this winter, landing Gleyber Torres and re-signing Jack Flaherty for below pre-offseason expectations while losing no one to a true free agent deal. The Tigers also added Alex Cobb to the rotation and Tommy Kahnle to the bullpen. There are now a number of promising young players, many recently graduated from the farm system, filling most of the other spots on the roster behind cornerstones Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene. Detroit’s rebuild is looking as if it will be a model for others to follow.

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