Every MLB team’s biggest need this winter, from aces to warm bodies
More than a month into Major League Baseball’s 2023-24 offseason, the hot stove’s two biggest names (Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto) are with new teams, but most of the other dominoes are yet to fall after the unusually slow winter meetings.
Twelve of USA TODAY Sports’ top 15 free agents are still on the board and there hasn’t been a particularly notable trade other than Soto landing with the New York Yankees, meaning there should be plenty of action in the weeks to come.
With about two months until players report to spring training, here’s a look at every team’s biggest need:
American League East
Baltimore Orioles: Starting pitcher – Kyle Bradish had a nice 2023 season, John Means returned in September and you’d expect Grayson Rodriguez to improve in his second year, but Baltimore needs to add a veteran innings-eater (it was Kyle Gibson in 2023) to solidify the rotation.
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Tampa Bay Rays: Starting pitcher – They’ll be without ace Shane McClanahan (Tommy John surgery) this season and Tyler Glasnow looks unlikely to be on the roster come February.
Toronto Blue Jays: Third base – Matt Chapman didn’t put up big offensive numbers (averaging 22 home runs and 65 RBI) in his two seasons for Toronto, but that’s going to be a glaring hole if the Blue Jays don’t bring him back. Cavan Biggio is atop the depth chart at the moment, but he’s much better suited for a super-utility role than being an everyday player.
New York Yankees:Starting pitcher – The Yankees are in on top free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who would obviously look fantastic behind Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, but there’s questions to be asked of their rotation if he signs elsewhere. They’ll be relying on Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes to bounce back and could stand to add a second-tier free agent arm like Michael Lorenzen or Sean Manaea.
Boston Red Sox: Second base – The keystone was a black hole for Boston last season and new Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said the team was ‘open-minded about the possibilities of meaningfully upgrading’ at second base. Whit Merrifield leads a thin free agent class, so a trade might be the more prudent option for the Red Sox.
AL Central
Minnesota Twins:Starting pitcher – With Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda gone, another veteran starter for the middle/back of the rotation would go a long way towards an AL Central repeat.
Detroit Tigers: Infield – Ignoring the Javy Báez problem at short, the Tigers could use an upgrade at second and/or third. This is the weakest division in baseball and even the slightest improvements could change the Central’s balance of power.
Cleveland Guardians:Outfield bat(s) – Steven Kwan is a stud in left but they probably need more contributions than whatever they’ll get from Myles Straw and Ramón Laureano. Maybe old friend Michael Brantley?
Chicago White Sox: Relievers – There’s a lot of holes on this team, but some veterans in the bullpen could keep the White Sox afloat in the summer.
Kansas City Royals: A veteran bat – After losing 106 games, Kansas City made some early moves to bolster its pitching (Seth Lugo, Will Smith, Chris Stratton, Nick Anderson) and an offensive addition would make this team much more palatable in 2024.
AL West
Houston Astros: Center field – AL champions in five of the last seven seasons, the Astros surely feel comfortable going into 2024 with Jake Meyers in center. But it wouldn’t hurt to bring in another part-time player.
Texas Rangers:Bullpen – Expect the World Series champions to push hard for closer Josh Hader.
Seattle Mariners:Designated hitter – Seattle is in desperate need of power and there’s no shortage of hit-first players available on the free agent market.
Los Angeles Angels:Starting pitchers – “There ain’t no rebuild here,’ said new manager Ron Washington.
Oakland Athletics:Anybody fans may have heard of – With one foot out the door of Oakland, the current roster is probably one of baseball’s worst in recent memory. There’s no reason to believe that ownership cares about improving the team, but it would be nice to see John Fisher give even the slightest bit of crumbs to the souls who show up at the Oakland Coliseum this year.
National League East
Atlanta Braves: Fourth outfielder(?) – Probably the most complete team in baseball, Atlanta is expected to have new addition Jarred Kelenic and Vaughn Grissom platoon in left field. They could use another outfielder on the roster, perhaps bringing back Kevin Pillar.
Philadelphia Phillies:Late-inning reliever: The Phillies’ bullpen actually looks much better than recent years but if they’re not going to go get Hader, adding at least one proven arm would help manager Rob Thomson sleep much better.
Miami Marlins: Catcher – Coming off a postseason trip, Miami recently acquired Christian Bethancourt and could use a more offensive-minded backstop to split time with him.
New York Mets: Third base – Mets third basemen were second-to-last in baseball in 2023 with a .324 slugging percentage and Ronny Mauricio’s torn ACL further complicates the team’s weakness at the position. The Mets really can’t afford to live with the struggles of third-year big leaguers Brett Baty (.598 OPS in 353 AB) and Mark Vientos (.620 OPS in 218 AB).
Washington Nationals: Outfield – It’s not like the Nats expect to meaningfully compete in 2024 and huge shoutout to Lane Thomas (28 HR, 20 SB in 2023) in right field, but a low-cost veteran (who they could flip at the deadline!) would provide the roster with some more stability heading into spring training.
NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers:Corner infielders – Hoping to repeat as division champions, Jake Bauers and Andruw Monasterio are probably not who the Brewers want seeing the bulk of at-bats.
Chicago Cubs: A bat – The Cubs could stand to upgrade at both corner infield spots, making the NL Central hopefuls a prospective landing spot for Matt Chapman or Rhys Hoskins. Bringing back Cody Bellinger would be nice.
Cincinnati Reds:Starting pitcher – They’ve already signed Nick Martinez but could use another arm at the back end of the rotation.
St. Louis Cardinals: Relievers – The Cardinals were quick to address their biggest need entering the winter, already signing starters Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. That leaves questions in the bullpen after closer Ryan Helsley missed half of last season due to injury and Giovanny Gallegos struggled with a 4.42 ERA in 56 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates:Warm bodies – The goal here should be signing veterans that may have some value at the trade deadline.
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers: Starting pitcher – $700 million man Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch until 2025 and while Clayton Kershaw may wind up coming back, they’re going to be asking a lot of Walker Buehler, who missed all of last season. They’ll be looking to sign or trade for at least one frontline starter.
Arizona Diamondbacks:Relievers – The bullpen was stellar in the postseason as Arizona reached its first World Series since 2001 and Andrew Saalfrank will step into a bigger role in 2024, but a middle reliever or two would really give them some more depth.
San Diego Padres:Outfielders – With Juan Soto and Trent Grisham gone, the Padres have enormous holes in left and center. A bargain veteran or two might be the best course of action as San Diego tries to keep its payroll down.
San Francisco Giants:Quite literally anybody who can hit – The Giants already signed Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million deal (after years of whiffing on top free agents) but the team had the NL’s worst average and slugging percentage last season – and the lineup is still dominated by replacement-level guys who somehow led them to 107 wins in 2021.
Colorado Rockies:Pitching – The Rockies had an MLB-worst 5.68 ERA last season.