The start of the 2025 Major League Baseball season is in the offing, and the work of the offseason freshly behind us will play a leading role in how the upcoming campaign plays out. On that matter, it’s time to put a bow – it’s a fetching one, red with polka dots and tied from grosgrain ribbon – on that offseason. Let’s do that now by assigning grades to each team based upon their work or, in many cases, non-work during the hot-stove interregnum of 2024-25. After that, friends, and it’s time for real and actual for-keeps baseball played on a field and everything. Onward.
Arizona Diamondbacks: A
The D-backs already profiled as wild-card contenders coming into the offseason, and then they went out and strengthened their hand quite significantly. Getting ace Corbin Burnes to join them in the desert even though he reportedly had higher offers on the table was a coup. The trade for Josh Naylor was a strong move to replace Christian Walker’s lost production, and bringing back lefty masher Randal Grichuk was also a sound decision.
Athletics: B-
The A’s, contrary to the recent despicable history under controlling saboteur John Fisher, have made no substantive efforts at improving on the field. That changed this offseason, even if the spending is nothing more than an effort to stave off a union grievance over Fisher’s pocketing of revenue-sharing monies. Chiefly, Luis Severino (signed as a free agent) and Jeffrey Springs (acquired via trade with the Rays) become the A’s top two starters for 2025. Bonus points for inking All-Star slugger Brent Rooker to a long-term extension. They don’t look like contenders, even in a declining AL West, but they should be better in part because of their winter.
Atlanta Braves: C
Atlanta in 2025 will contend for the NL East title and thus a deep playoff run, but that’s mostly because of the strength of the returning roster (plus the eventual returns from injury of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider). That’s to say, it wasn’t a particularly active winter. The signing of Jurickson Profar addresses a weak spot in the lineup, and internally they’re bullish on his being able to maintain the gains he made last season. However, there’s real risk there given Profar’s much more ordinary career body of work. Even with Strider coming back, rotation depth is a concern. Stated another way, there’s much riding on Chris Sale’s ability to continue staying healthy in what will be his age-36 campaign.
Baltimore Orioles: C
The O’s continue to risk squandering their enviable young core of position players by not behaving like serious contenders. This winter, they most notably let ace Corbin Burnes walk. Meantime, rotation additions Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano are question marks. Morton is 41 and showed signs of decline last season. Sugano struggled to miss bats in Japan, and that raises concerns about how he’ll fare against the more powerful MLB lineups. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill is coming off a strong season, but he’s an established injury risk and a bit of an awkward fit in Baltimore. This will be a contending team, but that’s a reflection of that aforementioned young core.
Boston Red Sox: A-
The Sox are looking like real contenders in the AL East. That’s in part because of their returning talents and what may be the best farm system in all of baseball. But it’s also because of their winter improvements. Boston notably has added Alex Bregman, Walker Bueler, Aroldis Chapman, and Patrick Sandoval via free agency, and they also swung a trade for frontline starter Garrett Crochet. Those targeted strikes plus the influx of premium youngsters like Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell make the Red Sox a threat in 2025.
Chicago White Sox: B-
It is what it is? It is what it is. The Sox at last traded away Garrett Crochet, and they managed what looks like a nice return from the Red Sox. All that’s left when it comes to the deep teardown that led to last year’s record 121 losses is outfielder Luis Robert Jr.. Hanging on to Robert at least until the deadline to see if he can put together a bounce-back first half is certainly a defensible approach. That “B” mark of course doesn’t mean the organization is in “B” shape right now. It just means they had a reasonable offseason in light of their aims.
Chicago Cubs: B+
If you add a player of Kyle Tucker’s caliber, even at substantial cost in trade, then you’re going to get high marks. The Cubs, however, get dinged a bit for making the Cody Bellinger trade a straight salary dump and then failing to reinvest those savings back into what’s a contending roster. The Cubs continue to have a huge market and revenue advantage in the NL Central, but the Ricketts keep choosing not to press it nearly as much as they should be.
Cincinnati Reds: B
While adding a future Hall of Famer like Terry Francona to the dugout is laudable, the Reds haven’t done enough to advance the cause. The Jonathan India-for-Brady Singer “challenge” trade is interesting enough and may help the rotation provided Singer’s occasional home run issues don’t explode on him at GABP. Gavin Lux is also a compelling addition, but moving him off second base eats away at his overall value. Cincy will be a notable presence in the NL Central, but they should’ve done more this winter.
Cleveland Guardians: C
While bringing back Shane Bieber on such a modest contract is a win for the organization, the remainder of their winter might not be. They’ll miss Andrés Giménez and Josh Naylor, and there’s much risk in leaning on Carlos Santana in his age-39 season. Internal solutions will need to step up for the Guards this season, and it’s of course no guarantee that they will.
Colorado Rockies: F
This may be MLB’s worst team in 2025, which means they may be bound headlong for a third-straight 100-loss season. What’s remarkable about that is that the Rockies aren’t really rebuilding. So they’re enduring the struggles and failures of a rebuilding team without, you know, rebuilding anything. That’s a dangerous place for an organization to be. That brings us to a necessarily brief discussion of their offseason. Congrats on the Thairo Estrada signing and the Keston Hiura NRI, I guess?
Detroit Tigers: B
While their good-faith efforts to land Alex Bregman came to grief, the Tigers still had a useful winter for a team that’s looking to return to the postseason. Gleyber Torres helps matters in the infield on a pillow contract and could be a rebound candidate, and the rotation behind ace Tarik Skubal has been improved with the return of Jack Flaherty and the signing of Alex Cobb. Tommy Kahnle and John Brebbia are also sensible bullpen additions.
Houston Astros: D
The Astros are trying to wedge that competitive window open a bit longer, but bidding adieu to Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman does not help to that end, to say the least. They did well in the Tucker trade with the Cubs, but it does harm their near-term hopes. The Christian Walker signing may not age too well, which is how it’s gone lately with the Astros and their first basemen. Payroll is declining when it doesn’t need to be doing such a thing, at least if the Astros want to win a third title before their current run is over.
Kansas City Royals: B-
The trade for Jonathan India is a nice targeted strike for a team that badly needs a dose of OBP in the lineup, and Carlos Estévez is a welcome high-leverage addition to the bullpen. Mostly, though, the Royals are running it back, and that’s not indefensible for a team that plays in the AL Central and in 2024 under-played its run differential by five full games.
Los Angeles Angels: B-
The Halos certainly don’t profile as contenders, even with the return of Mike Trout, but they’re at least trying a bit. Free-agent addition Yusei Kikuchi will be their Opening Day starter, and further back in the rotation they’re taking a flyer on a Kyle Hendricks post-decline renaissance. Jorge Soler adds pop to a lineup that needs it, and Yoán Moncada, who’s still not 30 years of age, makes for a good low-risk, high-upside play at third base. As well, the bench has been drastically improved by offseason additions, and Kenley Jansen is the new closer. It probably won’t afford contention, but, again, at least there’s an attempt to get better and maybe matter in a down-cycling AL West.
Los Angeles Dodgers: A
Rare is the defending World Series champ that’s still in foot-on-gas mode, but the Dodgers, when it comes to actually trying to win baseball games, remain a credit to their guild. Already with a star-stuffed roster and overflowing rotation, the Dodgers brought back Teoscar Hernández, inked Blake Snell to a nine-figure contract, landed Roki Sasaki, and added a pair of lockdown arms to the bullpen in Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates. If any team could justify resting on recent laurels, it’s the Dodgers, but they’re not doing that.
Miami Marlins: F
This is not a serious major-league organization:
To repeat: This is not a serious major-league organization. The Marlins’ signature offseason addition is Cal Quantrill, and the biggest story going into the season is when they’ll trade Sandy Alcantara. Speaking of trades, they shipped off Jesús Luzardo and Jake Burger earlier in the offseason. It’s been more than a decade since the Marlins have run a serious payroll, which means the next genuine effort owner Bruce Sherman makes will be his first.
Milwaukee Brewers: C
The Brewers are adept at overcoming talent churn and low expectations, but they’ve given themselves a heavy lift in 2025. Willy Adames departed via free agency, which is a huge loss. Even with the Nestor Cortes addition – which came at a cost of the best reliever in baseball – rotation depth is a serious concern. It won’t be all that shocking if Milwaukee manages to win the NL Central again, but this winter they’ve ceded the on-paper advantage to the Cubs.
Minnesota Twins: D
As the Pohlads try to sell the Twins and in light of some local-broadcast uncertainties, they’re not investing in the roster and it shows. The Twins last season finished in fourth place and 10 ½ games out of first. This being the AL Central, however, they have designs on contention in 2025, given some modest roster improvements. Adding, most notably, Ty France and Harrison Bader does not pass muster.
New York Yankees: A-
It’s hard to lose Juan Soto and wind up on the honor roll, but the Yankees pulled it off. Chiefly, that’s because they landed the excellent and underrated Max Fried to slot in behind Gerrit Cole in the rotation. That’s not all, though. Cody Bellinger’s a great fit for Yankee Stadium, and he allows Aaron Judge to finally move off of center field. Bellinger also came at very modest cost in trade. Devin Williams, nabbed from the Brewers in trade, is perhaps the best closer in baseball when healthy. Paul Goldschmidt is in decline, but he’s likely to give the Yankees a solid upgrade over what Anthony Rizzo did last season as their first baseman. On top of all that, Fernado Cruz has elite strikeout stuff in a setup role. Yes, the Yankees would be better off if they still had Soto in the fold, but as Plan Bs go this one is an A (minus).
New York Mets: A
There’s a strong case to be made that the Mets should’ve done more to address their rotation, which lacks a true frontline presence. However, let’s not overthink this: They signed Juan Soto, one of the greatest free agents ever to hit the market and, at age 26, a producer who figures to churn out MVP-caliber seasons for years to come. Getting things done at the tip-top of the market is the most obvious path to a successful winter. That’s the one the Mets took.
Philadelphia Phillies: B+
It’s been a quiet winter by recent Philly standards, but that reflects the reality that they don’t have all that many roster holes. What they did do was add Jesús Luzardo to an already powerhouse rotation. As well, Max Kepler gives them a useful platoon bat in the outfield, and Jordan Romano is an interesting bounce-back candidate in a high-leverage relief role.
Pittsburgh Pirates: F
What is the point of Bob Nutting? He rakes in revenue-sharing money and runs payrolls so meager that, in essence, other teams are paying the Pirates’ salaries. Right now, they have Paul Skenes and Jared Jones at the front of the rotation, under deep team control and making a pittance as pre-arbitration talents. When you have that much value at such a low cost, that’s precisely when you should be complementing it with market additions. Nutting, though, can’t be bothered to see to the most basic of his duties, which is trying to win baseball games. The Pirates have done next to nothing this winter, and that’s a direct reflection of Nutting’s utter and long-standing uselessness in his role.
San Diego Padres: C
The $55 million commitment to Nick Pivetta gives the Padres a mid-rotation presence they needed, but the fear is that they’ll at some point trade Dylan Cease or Michael King in front of him. Such is the current post-Peter Seidler phase of disinvestment in which they find themselves. The loss of Jurickson Profar’s 2024 value hurts their outlook in what’s going to be a highly competitive NL wild-card fray (we’ll give them very little chance of prevailing in the division).
San Francisco Giants: B-
The Giants have had an active offseason under first-year lead operator (and franchise legend) Buster Posey. One can question the wisdom of committing to Willy Adames and at such cost, but there’s no doubt he significantly improves the Giants in the near- to mid-term. The addition of Justin Verlander to the rotation behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray is also a reasonable calculated risk. It’s almost certainly not enough to make the Giants contenders in the brutal NL West, but at least there’s an effort level.
Seattle Mariners: D
The Mariners remain in contending mode, and as a franchise that’s never won a pennant they should be leaning hard into it. Instead, they continue to run payrolls that are out of step with their market size and resources. In 2025, the M’s are on the wrong side of age 30 at a number of key spots in the lineup, and the infield is a particular concern. There was power to be found on the free-agent market this winter, and the Mariners needed some of it. Instead, Jerry Dipoto’s big move has been to add Donovan Solano to the bench.
St. Louis Cardinals: F
A key plank in the Cardinals’ self-described reset was trading Nolan Arenado and thus clearing additional space and runway for younger plans. To hear lame-duck president of baseball operations John Mozeliak tell it, moving Arenado was his leading objective of the winter. Well, they’ve failed at that, and at the same time they signed not a single free agent to a major-league contract. While it’s quite possible Arenado’s return makes them a better team in 2025, the writer is merely holding them to their own stated standard.
Tampa Bay Rays: B-
The Rays of course weren’t among the most active of teams, but they did at least land a notable free agent in infielder Ha-Seong Kim. As well, Danny Jansen should give them some needed pop from the catcher position. The NRI extended to Eloy Jiménez also makes for an interesting low-risk flyer. The Rays’ season will probably hinge on all those arms returning from injury, but these modest moves helped their overall profile a bit.
Texas Rangers – B
Trading Nathaniel Lowe for a bullpen arm is a dubious decision, but otherwise the Rangers have nicely complimented their returning core. This winter they re-upped with Nate Eovaldi, added left-side thump and OBP with the Joc Pederson signing, and drastically overhauled what was one of the league’s worst bullpens last season.
Toronto Blue Jays – B+
The Jays will be facing long odds in the AL East, but a bounce-back season could put them in the mix for a wild-card spot. In part that reflects the inferiority of the AL right now compared to the senior circuit, but it’s also about Toronto’s active offseason. Anthony Santander gives them needed pop in the outfield, and Andrés Giménez gives them an upgraded infield defense plus value on the bases. The Max Scherzer signing constitutes a wise calculated risk in the rotation, and the bullpen has been significantly upgraded.
Washington Nationals – C
On the one hand, it’s not hard to blame the Nats for doing so little in light of how strong the NL East is and how competitive the NL wild-card jumble will be. On the other hand, there’s some impressive young talent in place, and this roster was crying out for complimentary pieces. Trading for Nathaniel Lowe, solid as he is, signing Michael Soroka, and partaking in bullpen churn doesn’t give them enough of a boost.
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