Breaking down every team’s impact offseason moves which saw Reds made an exceptional addition to their roster
MLB’s offseason has been dominated by headline-grabbing superstar signings and blockbuster trades, so it’s understandable if some of your favorite teams’ moves went under the radar. To help you out, here is a list of each team’s offseason moves, breaking down who has left and who’s been acquired for all 30 teams.
Offseason focus: Toronto’s focus was more internal than external, which isn’t the most common approach to an offseason. The Blue Jays are betting big on their own players rebounding and improving, choosing to supplement them with several veteran pieces after their pursuit of Shohei Ohtani fell short in December. In short, they’re running back a similar roster with belief that it will function better than one year ago.
Biggest question: Where does the upside come from? There are easy candidates like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Alejandro Kirk, but the Blue Jays also need to consider the other side of this. What if their pitching regresses after a phenomenal 2023? Will the internal offensive improvements be enough to support that? As it stands, the Blue Jays need a couple of legitimate breakouts at the dish.
Offseason focus: Baltimore wanted an ace. General manager Mike Elias said as much on numerous occasions — at the GM Meetings in November, at the Winter Meetings in December and during Birdland Caravan in January. Then, on Feb. 1, Elias landed the top trade target on the Orioles’ board in Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner with the Brewers and the No. 2 starting pitcher in baseball, per MLB Network’s latest positional rankings. It was a massive move, one that significantly upgrades the O’s rotation for 2024.
Biggest question: Can Baltimore’s bullpen withstand the loss of All-Star closer Félix Bautista (out for 2024 after Tommy John surgery) and get repeat performances from several breakout relievers? Kimbrel, who was signed to serve as a one-year fill-in at closer, has 417 career saves (eighth most in AL/NL history), but he’s also been shaky at times in recent years. The Orioles will likely need consistency from Kimbrel, as well as quality innings from setup relievers Yennier Cano (a 2023 All-Star), Danny Coulombe and others.
Offseason focus: Facing a potentially massive increase in payroll to field a roster that still held a great deal of uncertainty, specifically due to Wander Franco’s status and several key injured pitchers’ recovery timelines, the Rays instead did what they often do. They moved on from several experienced, proven veterans and supplemented their remaining core group with young, controllable talent. Interestingly, many of their deals included one-for-one replacements, most notably with Pepiot and DeLuca coming in for Glasnow and Margot, emphasizing their intent to contend.
Biggest question: Do they have enough starting pitching and catching? They traded Glasnow, and Shane McClanahan will spend the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen won’t return until later in the season, putting a lot of pressure on Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Zack Littell, Taj Bradley, Pepiot and Shane Baz in the rotation. Meanwhile, the Rays entered Spring Training with just one catcher on the 40-man roster: René Pinto, who has all of 63 MLB games to his name.
