The MLB offseason isn’t officially over, with Zac Gallen headlining the list of remaining free agents. But with pitchers and catchers set to report in just a matter of days, most of the available talent has found a home, and attention has officially turned to the season ahead.
With that in mind, let’s give each of the 30 MLB teams one final offseason grade and determine who the biggest winners are.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Offseason grade: C-
- Notable additions: Merrill Kelly, Nolan Arenado
Ketel Marte trade rumors dominated the Arizona Diamondbacks’ offseason … only for him to stick around after all. Keeping Marte, arguably the best second baseman in the game, obviously isn’t a bad thing, but keeping him only for your best additions to be Merrill Kelly and Nolan Arenado is a bit frustrating. Arizona should score plenty of runs, but its pitching projects to be among the worst in the league, and that, in a tough NL West, is an issue that figures to cost them as they attempt to push for the postseason.
Athletics
- Offseason grade: Jeff McNeil
- Notable additions: C-
The Athletics did well in extending core players like Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom, but when it came to improving their roster, they didn’t do much. Jeff McNeil is an upgrade at second base, and Mark Leiter Jr. is a decent veteran to add to the bullpen, but the A’s didn’t do much of anything to address a rotation that ranked 27th last year with a 4.85 ERA. They could’ve seriously pushed for a Wild Card spot had they added some starting pitching, but their refusal to do so will likely lead to yet another losing season.
Atlanta Braves
- Offseason grade: A-
- Notable additions: Robert Suarez, Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubon
The Atlanta Braves didn’t make any major splashes, but they addressed virtually all of their needs. Their bullpen was their biggest Achilles heel in 2025, so not only did they re-sign Raisel Iglesias and Tyler Kinley, who dominated down the stretch, but they also signed Robert Suarez, forming one of the best late-game duos alongside Iglesias in the NL in the process.
Their other major weakness was the shortstop position, and when healthy, Ha-Seong Kim is a rock-solid option to turn to. Add in bench upgrades like Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon, and the Braves figure to be one of the most improved teams in 2026. They could use more starting pitching depth, but Atlanta is deeper than they’ve been in recent years and should have a big season.
Baltimore Orioles
- Offseason grade: B+
- Notable additions: Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, Shane Baz, Ryan Helsley
The Baltimore Orioles made a strong effort to win now with the moves they made, and for that, I applaud them. The reason I don’t have them with an A grade has to do with just how much they spent to make these moves.
Pete Alonso cost them five years, in a contract they might very well come to regret. One year of Taylor Ward cost them four years of Grayson Rodriguez. Shane Baz cost four prospects and a draft pick. Ryan Helsley cost a $14 million AAV coming off a very subpar season. They paid high prices for all of their upgrades, and while they’re obviously much better, where do they rank in the AL East? Would it even be shocking if this was a fourth-place team that missed the playoffs because of how good the rest of the division is? Had the Orioles added a true frontline starter, they’d have put together one of the best offseasons in the league. Their inability to do so has them in the B range.
Boston Red Sox
- Offseason grade: B-
- Notable additions: Ranger Suarez, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo
The Boston Red Sox were active this offseason, particularly on the trade market. They improved their rotation by adding Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo. But their lineup being what it is played a role in their grade being what it was.
The Red Sox had a clear need to add power, and while Willson Contreras does just that, they also let Alex Bregman walk and whiffed on strong offensive players like Ketel Marte, Brendan Donovan, Pete Alonso and Bo Bichette. Their lineup is still missing the big bat it needed to replace the void left by Rafael Devers, and Craig Breslow’s refusal to make that kind of marquee addition despite the bevy of options available is really hard to overlook. This is likely a playoff team, but the Red Sox had a chance to position themselves among the World Series favorites and failed to do so.
Chicago Cubs
- Offseason grade: A-
- Notable additions: Alex Bregman, Edward Cabrera, Phil Maton
The Chicago Cubs have had a strong offseason, winning the Alex Bregman sweepstakes somewhat unexpectedly, trading for a dynamic starter in Edward Cabrera and remaking their bullpen by signing five different relievers. It was refreshing to see a big-market team act like it by spending big money on a marquee free agent and trading a top prospect for a needed rotation upgrade. With that being said, the Cubs did let Kyle Tucker go and replaced him with an inferior bat. And Cabrera, while supremely talented, comes with some major red flags. The Cubs are probably the NL Central favorites now, and they tried harder than they have in quite some time to seriously improve, but losing an MVP-caliber bat and acquiring Cabrera’s risks leaves their offseason just short of an A grade.
Chicago White Sox
- Offseason grade: B
- Notable additions: Munetaka Murakami, Seranthony Dominguez, Austin Hays
The Chicago White Sox did many good things this offseason, headlined by the Munetaka Murakami signing. I have no idea how his bat will translate to the Majors, but given his absurd power upside, getting him to agree to a two-year, $34 million deal was as low-risk, high-reward as it gets. I didn’t love the Luis Robert Jr. trade, but I did like how they used the money they shed to land Austin Hays and Seranthony Dominguez, both of whom can be traded for prospects at the trade deadline, while also taking on much of Jordan Hicks’ salary to acquire an exciting prospect in David Sandlin. The White Sox won’t be good in 2026, but they’re making the right moves to aid in their rebuild.
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