Offseason Breakdown

[Brewers GM]

This is just my little tid bit on how I see this offseason for each team. Please keep in mind this is one man's opinion and nothing more.

[Brewers GM]

Angels


Similar to the real Angels, the Franchise Angels lost a few veteran pieces that helped them make playoffs last year. The Angels will replace Paul Goldschmidt's bat with another fellow vet in JD Martinez. The offense should remain solid from top to bottom with Andrew Vaughn taking over at first base, Drury and Marte holding down 2b, Boegartz at SS, and newly acquired Jaimer Candelario manning the hot corner. The Angels are expecting big things from Candelario as he moves into a hitter friendly new home. The outfield will remain strong as the Angels made a trade that brought Christian Yelich home as well as post season MVP Adolis Garcia. The addition of Teoscar Hernandez and Martinez will help round out what should be a solid offense.
The pitching on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired. In order to bring in Yelich and Garcia it cost the Angels their ace Logan Webb. The Angels will try to piece together a pitching staff with some vets that they signed in free agency hoping there is still enough gas in the tank for 1 more season. The additions on the pitching side consist of Miles Mikolas, Hyun Jin Ryu, Alex Cobb, and the grizzly veteran Lance Lynn. The Angels will go into the season with 10 pitchers and hope that the arms can hold up. If the team is pushing playoffs by the trade deadline a pitcher or 2 could be added to stabilize this average group. If Munoz and Duran can stay healthy the relief core is as good as any in the league.
Because the Angels typically trade from the minor league system or from their draft picks, the minor league system is weak. The Angels are hoping that the remaining prospects, O'Hoppe, Vientos, Pages, Neto, Festa, and Peguero, can soon produce for the major league team. Good Luck Angels!

[Brewers GM]

Mariners



This Mariners team was an expansion team 2 years ago. The Oakland A's at the time, the owner drafted and then neglected the team similar to the real-life A's. Once the owner signified he would not be coming back I reached out to Joey and the rest has been smooth sailing. When Joey took over this team it was rough. But after several trades, a couple of minor league drafts, and 2 seasons of free agency, Joey has made this team his.
I think this Mariners team has had a great offseason this year. With the team having some young returning offensive players such as CJ Abrams, Jaren Duran, Josh Naylor, Jackson Chourio, Heston Kjerstad, Jordan Westburg, and Yanier Diaz, the offseason focus has been on pitching.
The Mariners drafted some of the best young arms available in Paul Skenes and Noble Meyer. The later rounds yielded some high upside talent with A's right hander Luis Morales and Reds right hander Ty Floyd. To bridge the gap until those guys are ready to produce at the major league level the Mariners opened the pocketbook and signed Shane Bieber, Adrian Houser, and Jon Gray and traded for Aaron Civale.
The minor league system is pretty stocked for the Mariners. Skenes and Meyer will be joining current Mariner prospect arms Mason Miller, Tink Hence, and Jack Leiter. The likes of Chourio, Hunter Goodman, and Nick Yorke should get a look this year in the majors.
This Mariners squad is on the right track with its youth movement. There are a lot of players on 1yr deals that could be tradeable pieces at the deadline to bring back more young players and draft picks. Good Luck Joey!

[Brewers GM]

Brewers



This Brewers squad is in it to win it this year. Or is it just in it until the next trade comes along?? Anyhow, this team looks strong coming into the season. There is a solid mix of youth (7 players on arbitration contracts) and vets on this club that are looking to take it to the top level. The team was looking for more power this season so early in the offseason they worked a deal to land the top power bat in baseball, Aaron Judge. After bringing some key bats back, Bellinger, Santander, and Josh Lowe, the focus became pitching.
Typically, the Brewers do not like to spend a bunch of money on pitching, in fact, history shows the Brewers usually trade all its top-level pitching throughout the season. But this offseason the Brewers decided to add to the pitching staff that was mainly Pablo Lopez, Griffin Canning, and Kyle Bradish. Early in the offseason the Brewers acquired $20 million Logan Webb from the Angels, then traded for Corbin Burnes, Sonny Gray, Braxton Garrett, Adrain Houser and Patrick Sandoval. Free agent additions Seth Lugo and Dane Dunning round out the major league pitching staff. Hopefully carrying 11 arms on the roster will help with the expected injuries.
Looking at the draft and minor league roster, the focus was pitching here as well. The Brewers drafted 7 pitchers in the draft this year to join Woo, Gasser, and Snelling. One of the main targets in the draft this year was Chase Hampton, SP for the Yankees. The Brewers never had a chance to draft him picking so late in the draft but a trade sending DL Hall to the Tigers brought Hampton to the Brewers completing what looks like a solid 2024 draft.

[Brewers GM]

Red Sox


I believe that the Red Sox have had one of the best off-season's this year. The decided it was time to rebuild last year and traded away players for picks, taking back bad contracts for minor league upgrades, with sights set on having lots of money available and lots of draft picks for this offseason. Because of the plan there wasn't much to build around coming into this offseason. There are a few key young pieces in Triston Casas, Ezequiel Tovar, Gabe Moreno, Cole Regans, Logan Gilbert, and Hunter Greene but lots of holes to fill. Starting with the draft, Terry jumped on Wyatt Langford who should make his debut this year and the sky is the limit for this kid. Then he came back with some high upside kids in Sam Basallo, Colt Emerson, and Sebastian Walcott.
When free agency opened up Terry opened the wallet and went to work signing Manny Machado, Marcus Semien, Michael Wacha, and Nate Eovaldi. The Red Sox should be in the hunt for a playoff spot with all of the offseason moves, and the Sox still have $24 million in cap space to make a deal or 2 that could catapult him either into the playoffs or deeper into the playoffs. Langford will help, but I think this Red Sox team needs some OF help. Ward, Hayes, and Kepler isn't strong at all.
Terry has done a solid job at rebuilding this roster including his minors. The future is bright with names like Dru Jones, Langford, Basallo, Emerson, Walcott, Matt McClain, Yanquiel Fernandez, Brock Wilkin, and Cedanne Rafaela. The Red Sox have had an A+ off season. Good Luck Sox!

[Brewers GM]

Cardinals


The Cardinals are another team that has had a nice offseason. The Cardinals sold off pieces last year looking ahead to this year taking back picks and prospects. Right off the bat the Cardinals grabbed the top-rated player in the draft Yoshi Yamamoto. It's huge being able to add and ace pitcher on a free first contract. Coming back with Rhett Lowder and Drew Thorpe shows the plan was pitching early. And pitching continued to be the focus of the offseason for the Cardinals as free agency kicked off the Cardinals landed Joe Musgrove, Marcus Stroman, and Yu Darvish. Adding those 4 pitchers to a staff that already includes Jose Urquidy, Nestor Cortes, Bryce Miller, and Gavin Williams gives the Cards a formidable rotation.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cards went all in on Bryce Harper in free agency adding him to a solid group of bats including, Austin Riley, Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez, Jordan Walker, and Jonah Heim. I think this team could use 1 or 2 more outfielders, maybe Kerry Carpenter can be one of those guys.
As far as the farm goes, as I mentioned the pitching got stronger adding Yamamoto, Lowder, and Thorpe to the list that includes Dylan Lesko, Gavin Williams, Ryan Pepiot, and Mick Abel. There are also a few bats that are coming along, catcher Bo Naylor, SS Jett Williams, OF Jonatan Clase, and SS Marcelo Mayor.
This looks like it should be a playoff team as is barring any major injuries, but if they can add an OF bat or 2 it could be a major player come playoff time. Good Luck Cards!

[Brewers GM]

Reds


And that brings me to the Reds. Everyone's favorite team to hate. HAHA. But seriously, hats off to Smac for putting together a good run over the last 5-6 seasons. The Reds had some tough decisions to make this offseason with free agency hitting the team hard. The easiest decision of all was signing the best fantasy player in baseball back, Ronald Acuna. Smac was able to retain Matt Olson for fairly cheap, allowing him to add other pieces throughout the offseason. The plan in the draft looks like it was to take the best talent available at that pick adding Colt Kieth, Max Clark, Nolan Schanuel, and Xavier Isaac. Colt Kieth was impressive in the minors and Smac is hoping that can carry over to the big club. Nolan Schanuel, another major league ready player has added some muscle this offseason in hopes of generating some power from that beautiful contact swing. Smac added some young pitching depth with the trade of Burnes and Lowe, adding Shane Baz, Edward Cabrera, Chase Petty, and Emerson Hancock. The offense is still intact for the most part with returning starters Olson, Acuna, Julio Rodriguez, Byron Buxton, and Corey Seager.
The prospect roster is rich in pitching with Baz, Petty, Hancock, Carlos Rodriguez, Mason Montgomery, Emmet Shehan, and Gavin Stone.
With the loss of Wander Franco, Jose Ramirez, Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Nate Lowe, Josh Hader, and Shane Bieber, this team does not look as strong as some of the teams of the past, but it is still a really good team on paper and Smac is always watching for late season additions. Good Luck Smac!

[Brewers GM]

White Sox


The White Sox have had an "interesting" offseason. The Sox had a solid draft, grabbing Tyler Black early, he should be up with the big club early this season. Another good grab was Asian sensation Jung Hoo Lee. Lee will be patrolling CF for the Giants and should have a similar season to the one that Masataka Yoshida had last season. Connor Phillips wasn't great in his brief call up last year, but he could be good when he gets another shot.
The lineup is solid with the addition of Anthony Rizzo, to go with Ha Song Kim, Jake Burger, Luis Robert, Jorge Soler, Shohei Ohtani and Christian Walker.
The key addition this offseason for the White Sox was the $57 million man Gerrit Cole. With Ohtani not being able to pitch the Wsox brought in Cole to stabilize the young staff. If Michael Kopech can ever get it together a staff of Cole, Zack Wheeler, Dylan Cease, Justin Steele, and Kopech would be solid. There are some young arms making their way up the chain in Chicago, Reese Olson had a nice debut last season, Ryne Nelson can take the next step, and Jake Eder could be up with the big club soon. Rounding out the staff is Kyle Gibson and Yusei Kikuchi.
The prospect roster is a mosh pit of young prospects and guys that need to be dropped. Brian needs to hire a minor league GM to take control of his minor league roster.
This team needs a shortstop. That position has been manned by long time Sox shortstop Tim Anderson but the position is vacated now and until Colson Montgomery is ready it is a glaring hole. This Sox team may have some issues with position depth. The pitching could carry them, but I do not see this White Sox team being a playoff Calibur team. Lots of 1yr contracts for the trade deadline fire sale. Good Luck White Sox!

[Brewers GM]

Cubs


The Cubs went into this offseason with the mindset that they would draft plenty of major league ready players, spend a little bit of money on key fill in players then just fill in the rest. The roster as a whole is good. Returning bats Cal Raleigh, Vinnie Pasquantino, Max Muncy, Chris Morel, Marcel Ozuna, Anthony Volpe, Randy Arezorena, and OPS darling Kyle Schwarber are a solid base. Then the Cubs brought in Gelyber Torres, and George Springer for added pop. That is a strong offense on paper.
The plan with the pitching staff....well I don't know if there was one, but from what I understand, the goal was to stay cheap. Charlie Morton was the big pitching add, and then trading for Nick Lodolo I love, (I am a big Lodolo guy) just hate the park. JP Sears, Tyler Megill, James Paxton, Taj Bradley, and Wade Miley round out the rest of this motley crew. The Cubs have $25 million wrapped up in Julio Urias so getting that guy back on the field is a priority for this club.
Thye Cubs farm system is solid. Again, investing in major league ready pieces this season, they added Chase Silseth and Randy Vasquez who should help this staff now. Owen Caissie is a big power bat and Wilyer Abreu should get playing time early in Boston. There are some really good future bats in this system names like Coby Mayo, Conor Norby, Lazaro Montes, Kyle Manzardo, Brady House, James Triantos, and Pete Crow Armstrong. This farm system is not deep in pitching so it looks like the Cubs will be playing the pitching free agent game for the next few seasons.
This Cubs outfit has the bats to compete now, and, in the future, I just don't know if the pitching will be enough to be a playoff Calibur team this year. But there are plenty of bats on both rosters to go get pitching if needed. Good Luck Cubbies!

[Brewers GM]

Yankees


The Yankees chose not to draft this off season by trading all of their picks away. They made a huge splash in free agency by adding Juan Soto for $44 million. The Yankees also brought in free agents Frankie Montas and Alex Bregman, solid veteran pieces. With money tight, the Yankees looked to add a few inexpensive pieces on offense with the additions of Spencer Steer and Alex Verdugo. Theya also made a deal with the Phillies to land 2nd year starter Andrew Abbott. By extending Devers this offseason the offense is solid. With Gelof returning at 2b, Devers at 3rd, Stroy at ss, Bregman at utility, and Soto in the outfield it's a strong start. I would like to see another outfield bat or 2 added for depth. Steer can play 1b, but you usually prefer a more powerful bat at the 1b position. If a 1b is added Steer could move to the OF and fill that spot.
The pitching is a little light. Jordan Montgomery sits atop this staff as the clear #1. Then Abbott, Montas, Brandon Williamson, and Clark Schmidt fill in the rest. Quinn Priester came up last year and struggled, I would think he gets another look in spring this year. Kyle Harrison should see ample innings in SF this year giving the Yankees 6 maybe 7 pitchers going into the season. With teams coming into the season with 10, 11, and 12 pitchers, I don't think 7 is going to provide enough stats to compete for a playoff spot.
The farm system in NY is solid. We saw what Elly could do last year early. But then he fell off, so which Elly will it be? The "Martian" Jason Dominguez will be a beast when he gets healthy, Zack Veen, Trey Sweeney, Henry Davis, Chase DeLauter, Gelof, Curtis Mead, Priester, and Harrison round out a solid minor league system. Good Luck Yankees!

[Brewers GM]

Rockies


The Rockies often dub themselves the Tampa Bay Rays of Franchise League because they wont always spend the money they have and don't like to carry large contracts. This offseason has been no different. No big dollar free agents, they spent $19.5 million on Paul Goldshmidt but then freaked out and traded him to the Padres. The Rockies brought Blake Snell back and Nick Castellanos back on sizeable contracts but $15 million is the highest deal on the roster. This squad looks like a middle of the road offense, Sal Perez, Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, Starlin Marte, Nick Castellanos, Eugenio Suarez, JP Crawford, and the studs of the bunch Fernando Tatis and Bobby Witt.
The pitching is usually pretty good for the Rockies. With Walker Buehler and Tyler Mahle returning from TJ surgery last year we are not sure what to expect from them. Alek Manoah did his best Rick Ankiel impression last year so there is no way to know if he will be back to his normal self. I believe that Reid Detmers and Joe Ryan are ready to turn the corner and become potential staff aces. But after Snell, Detmers, Ryan, and Chris Bassett, it gets dicey. Andrew Heaney will have a 4+ era and 10+k/9, and Steven Matz may or may not start all season.
The prospect roster for the Rockies is solid. Especially with the pitching. The Rockies are bringing along guys named Andrew Painter, Ricky Tiedmann, Wilmer Flores, Carson Whisenhunt, Cade Cavali, and Eury Perez. It's possible that all of those guys could pitch in the majors this year. There are some good bats as well, Walker Jenkins, Mason Wynn, Roman Anthony, and Evan Carter.
This team looks a lot like a typical Rays team, hoping for career years from the offense and hoping that some of the young talented arms will help later in the season. Ken always finds a way into the playoffs, and I do not think this season will be any different, but I do think he will have to work for it. Good Luck Rockies!

[Brewers GM]

Tigers


The Tigers are another interesting team this winter. They came into the draft with only 1 draft pick, added 2 more in RFA, then proceeded to draft one of my top targets with his 1st available pick. Majority of his moves this offseason have been on the trade market. After adding Ced Mullins to a very week outfield, Slate proceeded to trade for Lourdes Gurriel to add OF depth. The Tigers have majority of their money wrapped up in the pitching staff with appx. $80 million on 9 starting pitchers. Good pitching is needed to win, and the Tigers have it. The offense has the chance to be a solid one even after losing Marcus Semien to free agency, with JT Realmuto, Vlad Guerrero, Bryson Stott, O'Niell Cruz, and Josh Jung rounding out a solid infield. The Tigers are looking for a bounce back season from Cedric Mullins to help Corbin Carroll solidify the outfield. The depth of this team is questionable if the Tigers sustain any major injuries.
The Tigers minor league roster was a little weak due to trading from it last year to make a playoff push. But they made a few trades this offseason to add Spencer Jones and a couple of pitchers in Clayton Beeter, DL Hall, and Bubba Chandler. Unfortunately, Miguel Vargas and Brennan Davis have become afterthoughts in prospect circles.
This Tigers outfit has become a perennial playoff team, and another playoff run should be in order for 2024. Good Luck Tigers!

[Brewers GM]

Dodgers


The Dodgers have had a quiet offseason. The draft went well for the Dodgers as OF sensation Dylan Crews dropped to the Dodgers at the 5 spot. Later in the draft they added a couple of highly talented shortstops in Jacob Wilson and Tommy Troy. In free agency the Dodgers added Mitch Keller a much-needed starting pitcher. The Dodgers traded for Tyler Wells and Zach Littel but it looks like with the Corbin Burnes trade to the Orioles, Wells will be relegated to the bullpen. There is the makings of a solid offense in LA, with Francisco Alavarez at the top, followed by Pete Alonzo, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Matt Chapman on the infield. The outfield is a little weak with Jazz Chisolm, Jared Kelenic, and Seiya Suzuki out there. Maybe it looks better with Geraldo Perdomo at 2b and Mookie in the OF, but either way I see some holes.
The pitching on the other hand needs some work. And this seems to be the downfall of the Dodgers every season, well that and actually setting lineups....hahahaha. Sorry Ben, had to. But back to the pitching, with Jesus Luzardo, Billy Miller, and Mitch Keller at the top it's a good start. But then there is very little beyond that. Merrill Kelly had a good season; can he follow it up with another? Taiwon Walker was decent in the first half then tailed off; can he regain form? Then you have James Kaprellian, Cole Irvin, and Zack Littel, who all may or may not be in a rotation this year.
There isn't much in the way of reinforcements coming from the minor leagues either. Jordan Wicks could be a solid arm to join Keller, Luzardo, and Miller this year. With Alvarez already here, Crews, Justin Foscue, Ronny Mauricio, and Michael Busch could all see playing time this year.
Without adding a bat and maybe 5 pitchers, I do not see the Dodgers being a playoff contender this year. Good Luck Ben!

[Brewers GM]

Padres


The Padres are a fun team to track. Donovan has been very active this winter with free agency and trades. He also had a very solid draft. Anytime you can start your draft with Junior Caminero it should be a fun draft.
The Padres pretty much tore it all down last year. They made trades for expiring contracts to add draft picks and young players, similar to what the Cardinals did. Then took those picks and used them in RFA and the draft to rebuild the team back up. The returning group for the Padres was solid, with catcher Will Smith, Gavin Lux, Wily Adames, and Masataka Yoshida. Then they proceeded to add the GOAT Mike Trout, Justin Turner, and Michael Conforto in free agency. Then they went out and traded for Paul Goldschmidt and Nathaneil Lowe. All of a sudden this is a decent offense barring injuries.
On the pitching side, the goal since last season was to add young arms. They brought in an injured Dustin May, and an injured Trevor Rogers last year to add to the pitching rebuild project. The plan is moving forward well as the Padres have compiled several young arms to this point, May, Rogers, Tanner Houck, Hunter Brown, Grayson Rodriguez, Bryan Bello, Joe Boyle and Cade Horton. To make sure they had enough pitching the Padres signed Chris Sale and Jameson Taillon to give them a total of 11 pitchers.
It looks good down on the farm for the Padres with names like Jackson Merrill, James Wood, Caminero, Brooks Lee, Jared Jones, and Victor Scott coming along.
The Padres are a borderline playoff team. There may need to be some 2nd half trades to put them over the top, or they follow the plan and give the rebuild 1 more season. Good Luck Padres!

[Brewers GM]

Rays


Where do I start with the Rays? This team had some very high ranked prospects at one time that just never panned out, names like Corey Ray, Lazaro Armenteros, Asa Lacey, etc. Some of the other high-end prospects like Mackenzie Gore, Casey Mize, and Riley Greene have yet to hit their peak. Then you have the ones that have hit, Bo Bichette, Adley Rutchman, Kyle Tucker, Tyler Glasnow, and Shane McClanahan. The Rays are the epitome of live and die by the draft. With that said, this offseason the Rays continued with this plan by drafting Ethan Salas in the first round and then trading for the top prospect in baseball Jackson Holiday. The difference this offseason is the Rays spent some money to try to fill in around the kids. They opened the wallet and resigned Tyler glasnow, and Mike Clevinger, and then signed free agents Jack Flaherty, Jose Berrios, and Clayton Kershaw, then traded for Justin Verlander investing $99 million back into the pitching staff. Barring injuries the Rays should start the season with 10 pitchers (Kershaw out). Rutchman, Spencer Torkelson, Brenden Rodgers, Bichette, and Noelvi Marte round out a solid but not spectacular infield. This outfield will need a comeback from Kris Bryant and a breakout from Riley Greene in order for it to be productive. With the acquisistion of Holiday, I think a trade of Bo Bichette would bring back some much-needed offensive pieces.
This prospect roster looks great with Salas and Holiday mixed in. Thomas White, Joendry Vargas, Termarr Johnson, Brock Porter, Jackson Jobe, and Jace Jung should be future all-stars or..... could join Ray, Armenteros, and Lacey in prospect purgatory.
I think Jason needs a few bats to be a playoff contender, but the team is not far off. Good Luck Jason.