MLB Offseason Up To ->
Baseball games begin in 19 days! Here's what happened in the MLB Offseason so far, and all the storylines heading into Spring Training. Edition #219
With Spring Training just around the corner, and the MLB season coming soon, there’s no better place other than Sports Square, for the BEST MLB News and Coverage. While this post is very informational (it’s targeted to people who have not been following MLB coverage this offseason), I’ll be back soon with amazing hot takes and content that you will relish. Be sure to subscribe to Sports Square, for the best of the best.
So, here we are. The final leg of the MLB offseason. Spring Training begins in 19 days, with the Cubs playing the Dodgers—two teams who have been extremely active this offseason.
This year’s free agent market has been incredibly competitive, but it's also been pretty slow. As many of you may know, Alex Bregman has still not signed yet, and Carlos Estevez, who was rumored as one of the best relievers on the market, signed 2 days ago. Plus, Tanner Scott, the best reliever on the market, and Kirby Yates, one of the best relievers, signed with the Dodgers last week or so.
The most pressing question on MLB fans' minds right now is: Where is Alex Bregman going to sign? As many of you know, Bregman has yet to make a decision, despite a hefty six-year, $156 million offer from the Astros that's been on the table all offseason.
The longer this goes, though, the more and more rumors are heading around. I’ve always said Detroit, and I do support my statement, but the Cubs are taking the edge here late in the game, especially with the Astros-centric additions. Bregman still has connections to the Astros though. All I can say is, Boras cannot make the same mistake he did last time.
The country is waiting on Pete Alonso’s decision, but his deal could be wrapped up soon. According to this post by Zac Wassink of Yardbarker, “…Alonso had instructed agent Scott Boras to get a deal done.”
The Mets are not budging from the 3-year offer given to Pete Alonso, but they might soon. All Mets fans want him back, and even with the addition of Juan Soto, this team cannot run without Pete.
Now, the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago Cubs all have an interest in signing Pete Alonso. It’s looking like Alonso is in it for the money, and only a few teams have been ruled out. I just don’t see Alonso going back to the Mets, even if they bump up the money. What do you think? Leave a comment below!
Now, on the topic of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s hard not to include this team as a section, even if I’m trying to limit writing about them.
I saw this awesome tweet the other day, that absolutely describes all these Dodgers haters.
You guys haven’t won since 1988
Dodgers always choke in playoffs
Win 2020 WS
that’s a Mickey Mouse ring, anyone could have won that.
sign Shohei, Yamamoto. All those guys for first round exit.
Dodgers win 2024 WS
sign Snell, Roki, Scott, Kim, Teo
MLB needs to do something. Baseball is broken. Can’t allow this.
Biases aside, none of this is wrong. If you’re new to this MLB thing, the Dodgers were one of the worst teams in the league before this era. Then they get to the playoffs or World Series, then they lose. Then they win the 2020 WS, but no one appreciates it, calling it a Mickey Mouse ring (this is harder than winning it with 162 games).
The Dodgers then went out and signed Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and then began the talks about the Dodgers ruining baseball. Still, no one cared, because with the Dodgers’ history, even getting these awesome players would lead to a first-round exit. Then, they win the World Series. Then, they go out and sign every single amazing player there is.
And now, the Dodgers are ruining baseball.
I don’t want to expand on this more, because I’ve talked about this an ample amount of times. The MLB has a problem. The Dodgers Are Not Ruining Baseball.
Now, one of the biggest “surprises” would be the Oakland Athletics. I guess John Fisher was hellbent on ruining Oakland fans because after not signing huge free agents for years, he finally went out and spent money to make the team better. Granted, he had to spend because of MLB rules, and it wasn’t really him who spent the money, but it’s not like he/David Forst signed the worst players. He went and got Jose Leclerc and Luis Severino, while also adding 2-way superstar Shotaro Morii.
Honestly, I really like the prospectus of this A’s team, and I really feel like this team can make a huge push and make the playoffs this season. Yes, I really believe.
One more thing before we move on from the West altogether. Buster Posey and the Giants are making some small, but awesome moves. The Rockies haven’t done anything. The Diamondbacks have signed Corbin Burnes. The Dodgers stole Roki Sasai from the Padres, who signed Michael King to a 1-year deal, and maybe just maybe are going to move Dylan Cease.
The Angels are actually signing free agents, and are predicted to sign Jack Flaherty. The Rangers lose out on Max Scherzer but sign Jesse Chavez—the only thing they’ve really done all offseason. The Mariners are competing for a lot of free agents. The Astros traded Ryan Pressly, and are trying their best to sign free agents, but things aren’t looking to good. Honestly, the path for the A’s has never been clearer.
While the AL Central hasn’t seen a lot of fireworks this offseason, a few teams have made interesting moves. The Royals signed Estevez, and made a huge push at Anthony Santander, according to reports. The Guardians signed Paul Sewald and Carlos Santana. The White Sox signed Josh Rojas and Martin Perez. The Twins acquired Diego Cartaya, and the Tigers signed Gleyber Torres.
In the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs have made the most noise. They got Kyle Tucker, and Pressly, and made a push at many others including Bregman. The Reds did acquire Gavin Lux. But, the Brewers and Pirates did absolutely nothing, and the Cardinals have only been looking to dump Nolan Arenado and his contract somewhere.
The NL East has been relatively calm, but the Mets’ signing of Juan Soto could change the entire landscape of the division. The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t made any notable additions, other than acquiring Jesus Luzardo in December. The Marlins have been making a lot of trades to start rebuilding their roster. From here on out, things get interesting. The Braves got Jurickson Profar this month and paid Bryan De La Cruz last month. The Nationals agreed to terms with Amed Rosario, Josh Bell, Trevor Williams, and Michael Soroka. But, the New York Mets agreed to a record-breaking $765,000,000 contract with Juan Soto.
The AL East has been dominated by the Blue Jays. I never thought the CEOs of not finishing up a deal, would actually do something. They went ahead and got Andres Jimenez, Yimi Garcia, Jeff Hoffman, Myles Straw, Anthony Santander, and Richard Lovelady. The Yankees did go ahead and pay Max Fried and Jonathan Loáisiga, while also acquiring Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers, but they lost Juan Soto, which will impact the Yankees big time, even if they replaced him with Cody Bellinger.
The Red Sox have just been involved in rumors all free agency long, but they did go ahead and sign Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, and Aroldis Chapman, and they also traded for Garrett Crochet. Safe to say that I’m extremely excited for this Red Sox rotation. It’s going to be firecrackers. If the Yankees don’t do well this season, don’t be shocked to see the Red Sox make the playoffs.
The Rays and the Orioles have been the two most frustrating teams. The Rays, who are in the midst of a partial rebuild, went ahead and agreed to terms with only Danny Jansen. The Orioles have yet to do anything, letting Corbin Burnes, one of the greatest pitchers in the game right now, just walk.
If I had to rank the offseasons so far, here’s who would be in the top 5.
Dodgers (Nothing to explain. We all know why.)
Athletics (This team would be in the top 5 anyway, but I put them so up because nobody thought that the A’s would sign quality free agents, and even give on of the best on their team, Brent Rooker, an extension.)
Cubs (This team has made some awesome additions this winter, and it’s certainly going to help them. Yes, they traded Cody Bellinger, but it really helped them open more avenues.)
Red Sox (Great additions on the rotation side of things. Very impactful.)
Mets (Juan Soto time baby!)
So, that’s it for me. Yes, it was a bit of a filler post for all you MLB fans, but trust me, I’ve got some amazing posts in the make that I would love to share with you guys.
Also, if you’re interested, I’m running a fantasy baseball league for people to join. The only rule is that you need to be subscribed. So, enter your email below, subscribe, and then join in on all the fun!
Love your optimism for the Red Sox. I think they still need a right handed bat.
Great Post Smayan! I'm actually working on a post similar to this currently, except it will be a lot bigger. I do agree with almost everything you've said surprisingly! The only exception though, I disagree when you said that Jesse Chavez was really the only move the Rangers made this offseason, when he was a Minor League contract signing while Texas signed Joc Pederson to a major league deal & traded for Jake Burger as well. I'm not saying that the Rangers did a lot this offseason, because they didn't, but they definitely made some bigger moves rather than signing Chavez. Can't wait for more MLB content from Sports Square!