Best MLB offseason moves: Top move by all 30 teams this offseason

It became evident pretty early into MLB free agency that Christian Walker wouldn’t be re-signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Once he signed on the dotted line with the Houston Astros, Arizona quickly pivoted. Josh Naylor is only a one-year rental, becoming a free agent next winter, but he really only cost Slade Cecconi and a draft pick to acquire. In Naylor, the Diamondbacks lineup adds a left-handed bat who has the eighth-highest slugging percentage (.465) and the 10th-highest wRC+ (121), providing similar production as Walker without having to give out $60 million.

It took until nearly the end of the MLB offseason, but the Atlanta Braves finally made a move. With Ronald Acuña Jr poised to miss the first month of the season, Atlanta brought in veteran outfielder Jurickson Profar. Maybe Profar doesn’t replicate the success that led to a career-best .839 OPS in 2024, but he’s a switch-hitter with above-average pop who gets on base consistently. Not only does Profar add depth to the Braves lineup, he’s also an excellent fit in the clubhouse.

Related: Team owner says MLB salary cap coming because of Los Angeles Dodgers’ spending

The Baltimore Orioles quickly moved on from Anthony Santander this offseason, replacing him with Tyler O’Neill. The 29-year-old outfielder does have two Gold Glove Awards on his resume but defense – 17th percentile Outs Above Average and 24th percentile Fielding Run Value – are no longer a ‘plus’ with his game. What Baltimore is getting is a right-handed bat who finished in the 98th percentile for Barrel rate and the 90-plus percentile for expected Slugging, Hard-Hit Rate and Bat Speed last season. O’Neill hit 31 home runs with an .847 OPS in just 473 at-bats last year and if he stays healthy, he could be even more productive in the Orioles lineup and a more consistent on-base threat than Santander.

The Boston Red Sox went after the big fish in MLB free agency, whiffing just as we’ve seen every winter for years now. However, the Garrett Crochet trade redeems a lot of that. Under team control for the next two seasons, the 25-year-old southpaw was phenomenal last season – 209 Ks, 1.07 WHIP, .222 batting average allowed – in 146 innings pitched. He won’t be on an innings limit in 2025, giving Boston a front-line starter and a majority of the Red Sox top prospects didn’t have to be moved.

Related: Longest winning streak in MLB history

When Kyle Tucker is healthy, there are few hitters better than him in baseball. He’s averaged 28 home runs, 90 RBI and 20 steals with a .888 OPS over the last four seasons, earning three consecutive All-Star selections. Since 2021, Tucker has the ninth-highest OPS (.878) in baseball. We have no reason to think ownership will be willing to spend the money necessary to prevent Tucker from hitting free agency next winter, but acquiring him was an outstanding one-year move as a Cody Bellinger replacement.

We can’t really criticize the Chicago White Sox for not moving Garrett Crochet last summer as his innings limit and contract demand made that nearly impossible. So, once the MLB offseason hit, Chicago took care of business. The White Sox wanted young everyday players who could be core parts of the lineup in a few years, catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery provided that. Prospects are always a gamble, so there’s a real chance only one of them hits, but at least Chicago is finally moving forward with a complete teardown.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers dealing with a crowded roster, the Cincinnati Reds swooped in to land Gavin Lux. Once one of the best prospects in baseball, the 27-year-old is under team control for the next two seasons. While he’s a negative defensively, Lux could hit 15-plus home runs and be an above-average producer at the plate while offering multi-position versatility to find multiple ways into the Reds lineup this upcoming season.

Related: Longest MLB playoff, World Series droughts

After trading away Josh Naylor, there were fair criticisms of the Cleveland Guardians front office. Shedding payroll has always been the organization’s top priority, but the club did do a nice job filling the void at first base. While Santana is 38 years old, he ranked in the 93rd percentile for Fielding Run Value this past season (14 Outs Above Average). At the plate, he’s coming off consecutive seasons with a .720-plus OPS, so he’ll be a quality addition for Cleveland both at the plate and defensively.

Thairo Estrada didn’t have much of a market this winter after a miserable 2024 season – .217/.247/.343- with the San Francisco Giants. However, this was a great buy-low opportunity for the seemingly ‘cash-strapped’ Colorado Rockies. From 2021-’23 with San Francisco, Estrda recorded a solid .266/.320/.416 triple-slash line with a 105 wRC+ and .736 OPS. This was a cheap gamble on a player who could become one of the best bargain values in the Rockies lineup for the 2025 campaign. Plus, if all goes well, Colorado could flip him in July for a prospect.

Related: Longest home runs ever

A relatively young Detroit Tigers rotation needed some veteran experience and while a Jack Flaherty reunion would’ve been nice, he seemed to be out of the club’s price range. Instead, Detroit took advantage of Alex Cobb having a weak market after an injury-riddled 2024 campaign. Cobb is already 37 years old and durability is a major concern, but his last two seasons with the San Francisco Giants demonstrate that he can still be a highly effective mid-rotation starter who can mentor the young arms. In a best-case scenario, Cobb could be part of a potential Tigers’ playoff rotation.

Christian Walker has been one of the most underrated players in baseball for the last three seasons. While he will be 34 in March, Walker provides Gold Glove defense at first base and he ranks second in OPS (.817) at the position over the last two seasons, even higher than Vladimir Guerero Jr. (.804). Between the defensive value and the possibility of a 30-homer season, Walker was an outstanding addition by the Astros front office.

Related: Longest hitting streak ever

Even with AL MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr., the Kansas City Royals lineup wasn’t remotely good enough in 2024. Kansas City finished the season 19th in OBP (.306), prompting the front office to find an adequate leadoff hitter. Jonathan India might not hit for as much power with the move to Kauffman Stadium, but a career .352 OBP with the ability to challenge for 25-plus doubles and double-digit steals can make him a reliable run producer atop the Royals lineup this season.

There’s certainly plenty of risk for the Los Angeles Angels with the signing of Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year, $63 million contract. A history of durability issues is alarming and he was abysmal in 2022 (5.19 ERA) and 2024 (4.74 ERA) with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the Houston Astros seemed to unlock something in him after the trade – 2.70 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 60 innings pitched – with Kikuchi able to take some of the things he learned in the move to Los Angeles. We’re skeptical he’ll even approach 160 innings pitched this season, but a sub-4 ERA is doable.

Related: Best MLB team of all time

While other teams made it hard to pick a top addition, many of the best MLB offseason moves were done by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Factoring in cost, the choice has to be Roki Sasaki. There are certainly lingering injury concerns, which hampered the 23-year-old last season in Japan. When healthy, though, Sasaki could be even better than Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Plus, thanks to MLB’s international signing rules, Sasaki is playing on a standard contract and won’t even be arbitration-eligible for several years. If all goes well, he’ll be one of the most cost-effective starters in MLB.

Related: Los Angeles Dodgers News, Rumors

The Miami Marlins are following the all-too-popular model of gutting a roster, not spending any money during the winter and then fielding as bad of a roster as possible for a year or two. So, the only ‘best move’ this club made was the Jesus Luzardo trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. The top prospect landed in the deal, 19-year-old infielder Starlyn Caba, enters the year rated by MLB.com as the 81st-best prospect in baseball while ESPN ranks him as the 66th-best prospect. The sad part is, even after all the teardown trades, Miami still doesn’t have a top-10 farm system.

Related: Miami Marlins to receive staggering amount of money from MLB revenue sharing

It was inevitable for the Milwaukee Brewers to trade, who is in the final year of his deal. The team took a similar approach with the Josh Hader trade a few years ago and netted a strong return from the New York Yankees for Williams. Nestor Cortes gives Milwaukee a cost-effective starter for the 2025 season and the front office could flip him as a rental in July if this team isn’t contending. The really intriguing piece, of course, is infielder Caleb Durbin, whose bat-to-ball skills and positional versatility could make him a nice Swiss Army knife for the Brewers over the next five-plus years.

We would consider the Diego Cartaya trade the team’s best baseball move, but the fact of the matter is the former top-50 prospect is unlikely to fare any better with his new club. Instead, the hope here is that the decision by the Pohlad family to put the Minnesota Twins up for sale. We have seen owners back out on this before – Los Angeles Angels – but the potential for a new ownership group to take over this club and give the front office the green light to actually spend money, offers hope for the future.

Related: MLB stadium rankings

Thanks to the help of the New York Mets coaching staff, veteran Sean Manaea rebounded in 2024 (3.47 ERA and 1.08 WHIP) with an outstanding season. New York might not have preferred a three-year commitment, but Manaea adds a dependable left-handed starter near the front of this Mets rotation. There was also some consideration here given for Frankie Montas, who could be the club’s 2025 reclamation project. As for Juan Soto, he was grossly overpaid in terms of his on-field impact.

Related: Highest paid MLB players 2025

The best thing that happened to the New York Yankees in the last two years is Juan Soto turning down the club’s offer to rejoin the Mets. It would’ve been a colossal mistake to spend $760-plus million on the perennial MVP candidate. Besides, letting him walk opened up the financial flexibility to bring in Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Devin Williams. The Yankees roster on paper, is much better than it was last season.

The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen has been in rough shape in recent years, especially at closer. While Jordan Romano was ineffective last season – 6.59 ERA – injuries that limited him to 13.2 innings can be blamed for that. Before the 2024 campaign, Romano held a 2.29 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 200.2 innings pitched from 2020-’23. Already a two-time All-Star, as long as Romano stays healthy, the Phillies have a lights-out option to close out critical situations.

Related: Best batting average ever

With ownership essentially unwilling to spend money to make even marginal improvements to the roster, the only alternative for the Pittsburgh Pirates front office was the trade market. Fortunately, the Cleveland Guardians were willing to immediately flip Spencer Horwitz after acquiring him from the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s already 27 years old, but Horwitz slashed .265/.357/.433 with 12 home runs and a.790 OPS in 328 at-bats last season with the Toronto Blue Jays. Even if he can’t quite replicate that OPS, he can provide above-average production for a Pirates lineup that needs it. Plus, he’s under contract through 2030.

Jeffrey Springs has had his share of elbow issues in recent years, with Tommy John surgery and fatigue limiting him to just 10 starts in the last two seasons. When he’s on the mound, however, Springs has been an excellent mid-rotation starter. From 2021-’24 with the Tampa Bay Rays, Springs had a 2.63 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and a 7.3 H/9 across 229 innings pitched. The Athletics might not be able to bet on Springs throwing more than 100-120 innings, but he’s a very effective starter under team control through 2026.

Considering the choices are the signings of Martin Maldonado and re-signing Elias Diaz with not a single noteworthy trade, there’s nothing here to like about the San Diego Padres offseason. They couldn’t even shed payroll effectively, heading into February with the likes of Jake Croneworth, Luis Arraez, Robert Suarez and Xander Bogaerts still on the roster. It’s a shame to see what this franchise has become and the worst part is, it’s going to get much worse in future years.

Related: MLB executive, inside raise concerns about San Diego Padres’ future

Justin Verlander had a disastrous final season (5.48 ERA and 1.38 WHIP) with the Houston Astros, but he is just a year removed from a stellar campaign with a 3.31 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. The San Francisco Giants also have a strong record with pitchers, especially with the pitching-friendly environment that Oracle Park offers. Verlander can be a great mentor for Kyle Harrison and, if the likes of Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks can stay healthy, this could be an above-average rotation. If it doesn’t work out, San Francisco only made a one-year commitment.

The Seattle Mariners front office also found itself in a position where it wasn’t really allowed to spend this winter. As a result, the re-signing of Jorge Polanco is the only other option here. That’s not worth labeling a ‘best’ move. Seattle wasn’t good enough to compete in 2024, wasting excellent pitching and there’s no reason to believe the lineup will improve enough in 2025. It’s a massive disappointment considering the excitement surrounding this franchise just a few years ago, but disappointment is a familiar feeling for this fan base.

While the St. Louis Cardinals did nothing to improve their chances of competing in 2025, we see a reason to have hope for the future. John Mozeliak’s replacement is in the building and while Chaim Bloom was fired by the Boston Red Sox, it’s worth looking at what he left behind. Three of the best MLB prospects in 2025 – OF Roman Anthony (79th overall pick in 2022), INF Kristian Campbell (42nd overall pick in 2023) and Marcelo Mayer (4th overall pick in 2021) – were drafted by Bloom. He helped build up Boston’s farm system and given time, there’s hope he can help rebuild the Cardinals’ farm system. If St. Louis can get its minor-league development back on track, that changes everything.

Shoulder surgery tanked Ha-Seong Kim’s potential earning power in MLB free agency and it will force him to miss the start of the season. When he returns, though, he can be an excellent contributor for the Tampa Bay Rays. There is risk here as labrum surgery could diminish the defender we saw when healthy – 95th percentile Outs Above Average in 2023 (9 OAA) – but Kim is also a plus-baserunner which is paired with a solid .721 OPS over the last three seasons. Signed to a two-year deal worth $29 million, his defense and overall game can make him one of Tampa Bay’s best players if he stays healthy in 2025.

The Texas Rangers lineup needed more depth after finishing last season 18th in runs scored *(683) and 23rd in slugging (.380). Acquiring Jake Burger already helped in that regard, but Texas added to it with the signing of Joc Pederson. Consider that in 2024, the Rangers ranked 26th in OPS (.683) versus right-handed pitchers. Meanwhile, Pederson slashed .281/.392/.531 with 22 home runs and a .923 OPS against righties last season. This is a massive gain for Texas and it restores a lot of confidence in this batting order this year.

The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t get the big fish they wanted, but there’s no shame in coming out of the MLB offseason with Andrés Giménez, Max Scherzer and Anthony Santander. Giménz provides the stellar defense the club needed at second base, plus he’s a safe bet for 30-plus steals and 10 home runs. Meanwhile, Scherzer fortifies the back of this rotation. Our favorite move, though, was adding Anthony Santander’s switch-hitting power bat (.506 SLG and 44 home runs) into the heart of the Blue Jays lineup. Toronto also didn’t rush negotiations, resulting in a deferred contract structure that allowed the club to invest more in other areas. After how poorly things started, Toronto salvaged its winter.

We liked the Washington Nationals’ trade for Nathaniel Lowe, who should be a 3 WAR player for the club this coming season. What makes the Josh Bell signing our favorite is the cheap cost at just $6 million. Bell slashed .279/.361/.436 with a .796 OPS after being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the deadline last year. Over the last three seasons, he is responsible for a productive .734 OPS, and hitting can be his focus as the Nationals’ designated hitter. Of course, Washington’s cost-effective offseason means there will be a lot more money to spend in 2026 (Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Kyle Tucker, Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen and Framber Valdez).