Almost every president of baseball operations or general manager, except for those in organizations that are tanking, feels they have improved their teams over the winter.
That is what makes spring training so exciting. After spending an offseason putting together a roster on paper, the POBs and GMs finally get to see their teams come together as players on a field rather than numbers on a spreadsheet.
With that in mind, here are some teams to watch this spring following interesting offseasons:
Owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns knew a shakeup was necessary when the Mets failed to make the postseason last year.
Franchise icons Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz were allowed to leave as free agents, while second baseman Jeff McNeil and center fielder Brandon Nimmo were traded, and most of manager Carlos Mendoza’s coaching staff were fired. The new faces include first baseman Jorge Polanco, second baseman Marcus Semien, third baseman Bo Bichette, center fielder Luis Robert Jr., No. 1 starter Freddy Peralta, closer Devin Williams and reliever Luke Weaver.
How will all the changes shake out? We’ll start finding out this spring.
The Orioles took a steep tumble to the bottom of the American League East standings last year.
Pitching injuries played a key part in the decline, but the Orioles instead added hitting over the winter. Signing Alonso and trading for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward should enable the Orioles to score plenty of runs. Perhaps not enough, though, to make up for their so-so pitching, though offseason additions Shane Baz and closer Ryan Helsley should help.
After reaching the postseason last year, the Red Sox increased their chances of getting back in 2026 by making significant additions to the starting rotation.
All eyes will be on left-hander Ranger Suarez, who was signed as a free agent in the team’s biggest offseason move. The Red Sox also traded for right-handers Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo. First baseman Willson Contreras and second baseman Caleb Durbin give the Red Sox a new right side of the infield.
The last team that would seem to need to add any big-name players is the Dodgers. After all, they are the first back-to-back World Series champions since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000.
Yet the Dodgers signed Diaz to replace Tanner Scott as the closer. They also signed right fielder Kyle Tucker to bolster a top of the lineup that already included Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
The rich get richer isn’t just an expression.
The Blue Jays did not rest after coming within a whisker of winning the World Series, notably signing right-hander Dylan Cease to strengthen their rotation.
The Blue Jays also looked to Asia to add reinforcements. Right-hander Cody Ponce was signed out of the Korean Baseball Organization, and third baseman Kazuma Okamoto comes to MLB following a distinguished career in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.