Date, Marry, or Dump: Rating Each MLB Team’s Offseason

Predicting which teams won the offseason is a bit sketchy as we tend to think that the teams that spent the most are the winners, while those who kept their wallets closed are the losers for improving their rosters for the upcoming season.

So I needed a different approach. After spending weeks tinkering with a formula that considered where each team finished last season, goals for the offseason, and what actually transpired since the last out of the World Series, I settled on something that is tried-and-true.

I turned a popular internet game into a family-friendly MLB game of Date, Marry, or Dump.

Defining these terms is as important as it is assigning a moniker to each team. So here goes:

Date: Take a chance (or chances) without any real commitment beyond this year.

Marry: Good short- and long-term planning.

Dump: Whatever happened was a mistake.

Now that the definitions are set, let’s see the relationship status of each MLB team with its offseason.

 

AL East

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Date

The Orioles were expected to be a significant player, particularly in the pitching market, after a second-place finish in the AL East, then being swept out of the playoffs by the Kansas City Royals in the Wild Card Series. But even with new ownership established early last season, the Orioles were curiously quiet. They did add to the rotation, but with two cost-effective veterans on one-year deals: right-handers Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano, who is coming over from Japan at age 35. That comes with Corbin Burnes, a former NL Cy Young Award winner, and John Means departing via free agency. Outfielder Anthony Santander also left, while Tyler O’Neill essentially replaces him. All of this leaves a little to be desired.

BOSTON RED SOX

Date

This was a tough call as it feels more like a Date offseason, but there is a hint of Marry in here with the additions of left-handed starter Garrett Crochet and infielder Alex Bregman. Crochet could have made it a banner offseason with a contract extension, but it sounds like the new Red Sox ace is going to wait a bit. Bregman’s late addition has a valid argument for a Marry label and the value of the opt-outs could keep him around, but a big season is likely to see him try free agency again next offseason. Right-hander Walker Buehler was a surprising add who could pay dividends before returning to the open market. Other veterans came in on one- or two-year deals as the Red Sox await the arrival of some key position-player prospects.

NEW YORK YANKEES

Date

While the Yankees tied the knot with left-hander Max Fried to be a main cog in the starting rotation for the next eight years, this was definitely not a great offseason for the Bronx Bombers. Sure, they got right-hander Devin Williams, one of the game’s best closers, but to replace superstar right fielder Juan Soto, they traded for former NL MVP Cody Bellinger, who was available because he was a disappointment in his second season with the Chicago Cubs and came with two years and $52 million on his contract, a figure the Yankees can easily absorb. With Fried’s addition—a definite upgrade from left-hander Nestor Cortes, who was shipped to the Milwaukee Brewers for Williams—to the rotation and the bullpen in pretty good shape, will the offense be good enough? Paul Goldschmidt takes over for Anthony Rizzo in a swap of aging first basemen, but there still is a hole on the infield.

TAMPA BAY RAYS

Date

It feels like just being healthy is a win for the Rays going into the season. Typically, the Rays work their magic via trades and bringing up the next prospect or two. The biggest move was adding shortstop Ha-Seong Kim on a two-year, $29 million contract. Kim isn’t expected to join the lineup until May due to his recovery from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. They did send center fielder Jose Siri to the New York Mets for a minor-league reliever, but his production should be easily replaceable from within. The Rays don’t generally commit long term and only have $23.8 million on the books for future seasons while entering 2025 with a payroll of $81.7 million. The question will be whether the Rays can rediscover their formula after a season of not contending.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Dump

Fitting that this article is relationship-themed because the Blue Jays feel like the ultimate bridesmaid with what has happened over the last two offseasons, seemingly being the runner-up on a number of big-name free agents. Sure, the Jays did shore up their bullpen with right-hander Jeff Hoffman and bringing back Yimi García, while adding 40-year-old right-hander Max Scherzer to the rotation and acquiring defense-first second baseman Andrés Giménez, but there seems to be something amiss in Toronto. Maybe it was the unknown status of star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whom the team was trying to sign to an extension before he reported to spring training. That didn’t happen and it appears Guerrero and another key young player in shortstop Bo Bichette will be hitting free agency after this season, along with right-hander Chris Bassitt. Changes would seem to be coming for the Jays. Oh, yeah, and what was up with that Myles Straw trade?

 

AL Central

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Dump

After a record 121 losses in 2024, there wasn’t a whole lot the White Sox did to improve their outlook or build a future. Trading ace left-hander Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox did net a few good prospects, led by catcher Kyle Teel, but that was about it. A few journeymen signed one-year deals, mainly hoping for playing time in order to be traded midseason and/or land a new job next season.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

Date

After a fairly uplifting first season under Stephen Vogt, the 2024 AL Manager of the Year, the Guardians were a bit puzzling this offseason. They traded away first baseman Josh Naylor, second baseman Andrés Giménez, and center fielder Myles Straw. They did supplement a pitching staff that lost Alex Cobb and Matthew Boyd by acquiring John Means, Jakob Junis, Paul Sewald, and Luis L. Ortiz and signed Carlos Santana to fill Naylor’s spot. The Guardians do like to work the margins, which is why their payroll currently sits a tick or two under $100 million.

DETROIT TIGERS

Date

The feel-good story of September and into October didn’t have much to accomplish this offseason. The Tigers didn’t lose anyone of note and then went out and re-signed Jack Flaherty, whom they traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline, and added second baseman Gleyber Torres on a one-year deal. The success of the Tigers will come from how the young players continue to progress. This could have been a Marry if they had reeled in Alex Bregman to play third.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Marry

Similar to the Tigers, the Royals didn’t have a big to-do list this offseason, but they made two moves that should make them the front-runner in the AL Central. By trading for second baseman Jonathan India, sending right-hander Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds, and signing closer Carlos Estévez, the Royals not only kept their core intact around superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., but gave themselves a chance to be much better.

MINNESOTA TWINS

Dump

Just what are the Twins trying to do? Like some other teams this offseason, it was hard to tell if they were actually trying to improve. First baseman Carlos Santana and outfielder Max Kepler were among those who left via free agency, replaced by Ty France and Harrison Bader, respectively. That was really it as far as notable moves following a late-season collapse that took the Twins out of the postseason picture. Thankfully, the Twins still have a decent pitching staff and a few bats that could do some special things, but otherwise, the front office is just running it back.

 

AL West

ATHLETICS

Date

The team that is expected to call West Sacramento, Calif., home for at least the next four seasons is looking much better on the field than it did a couple of years ago when it had an awful start. While 2025 will bring a lot of unknowns playing in a Triple-A stadium that gets really hot during the summer, they made a splash early by signing right-hander Luis Severino (three years, $67 million) to lead the rotation. Signing masher Brent Rooker to a five-year contract extension, and buying out two free-agent years, was probably more surprising, considering Rooker gave up a couple of years on the open market. Another key addition was trading for left-hander Jeffrey Springs, who was squeezed out of the Tampa Bay Rays‘ rotation and helps fill the void left by a few veteran starters who hit free agency.

HOUSTON ASTROS

Dump

Will the Astros’ frugalness cost them a shot at a ninth straight trip to the postseason (and 10th in 11 years)? That is suddenly a huge question after the Astros dumped slugging outfielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, acquiring infielder Isaac Paredes, right-handed starter Hayden Wesneski, and third baseman Cam Smith. Combine that with another salary dump in sending former closer Ryan Pressly to the same Cubs in another deal six weeks later for a Class A reliever. The Astros are paying $5.5 million of Pressly’s $14 million salary. All of this transpired as the Astros came up short in their attempt to retain third baseman Alex Bregman. They did add first baseman Christian Walker (three years, $60 million). For one of the AL’s dominant teams over the past decade, this was not a good effort.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Date

For a last-place team, the Angels certainly did OK as far as acquiring players to be somewhat competitive in 2025. Of course, they did nothing to address the future. But judging the offseason, the Angels picked up left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi, right-handed starter Kyle Hendricks, outfielder-designated hitter Jorge Soler, closer Kenley Jansen, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, third baseman Yoán Moncada and shortstop Tim Anderson, plus a few others. Those were certainly choices and could make the Angels slightly entertaining, but no chance of threatening the top of the AL West.

SEATTLE MARINERS

Dump

If there was a team that many expected to strike it big in the offseason, it would have been the Mariners. Their starting rotation is among the best in MLB but needed an offensive boost to avoid the woes of 2024. With relatively minor pieces in third baseman Justin Turner and first baseman Ty France departing, the Mariners struck out by not doing anything noteworthy, unless you count adding 37-year-old journeyman infielder Donovan Solano as something big. The Mariners’ front office is banking on bouncebacks from star center fielder Julio Rodriguez, shortstop J.P. Crawford and left fielder Randy Arozarena, but certainly could have brought someone in to boost their chances.

TEXAS RANGERS

Date

When you lose the most games to injury of any MLB team and those missed days cost you nearly $100 million, just seeing the calendar flip to a new season is worth celebrating. Yeah, what happened in 2024 was not a good way to celebrate the first World Series in franchise history. Some notable departures included right-hander Max Scherzer, left-hander Andrew Heaney, and relievers Kirby Yates, David Robertson, and José Leclerc. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi stuck around to lead the rotation, while youngsters Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter are expected to take more prominent roles. The Rangers are also banking on the brittle Jacob deGrom to play a role in 2025 as he enters his age-37 season. Joc Pederson came aboard to DH, the Rangers dealt for third baseman Jake Burger, and moves were made to shore up the bullpen.

 

NL East

ATLANTA

Dump

Believe it or not, Atlanta has been one of the most quiet contenders this offseason. Even with ace left-hander Max Fried leaving via free agency, veteran starter Charlie Morton as well as a key reliever, A.J. Minter, Atlanta did not sign any pitchers to a major-league contract this offseason. Yeah, the team did add a slew of guys on minor-league deals, but those are usually saved for depth moves, not key roles. There are young guys in the system ready to take more prominent roles in the rotation and bullpen, but for Atlanta to be this inactive didn’t make sense.

MIAMI MARLINS

Dump

The Marlins are one of two franchises that you perpetually wonder what the long-term plan is. Coming off a 100-loss season and trading away half its MLB roster at the deadline, the Marlins are barely keeping their head above water. The biggest addition of the offseason? Adding journeyman right-hander Cal Quantrill.

NEW YORK METS

Marry

The monumental signing of right fielder Juan Soto (15 years, $765 million) will always be the headline-grabber. The protracted dealing with first baseman Pete Alonso may be just as important, at least for this season. Without Alonso, who was going to protect and drive in Soto? The signings of right-handers Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas Jr. were a bit risky even before Montas injured his oblique and will miss six to eight weeks. There are holes and hopes in the rest of the Mets’ lineup, so doing something more, especially among the position players, would have been prudent. But adding a generational hitter gives the Mets a win, at least for this offseason.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Date

Don’t knock the Phillies. There wasn’t much on their list to get done this offseason as virtually their entire roster was expected back, save for a couple of key relievers (Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estévez). This from a team that finished with 95 wins, dethroned Atlanta as the six-time defending NL East champion, and was consistent among the elite in MLB in 2024. Of course, none of that means a lot when you get booted from the postseason by a division rival (Mets) in your first series. But the Phillies fortified their position by trading for Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo, then signing a potential closer in Jordan Romano and a backup outfielder in Max Kepler. Nothing done long-term here, even with Luzardo around for 2026 as well, but pretty solid.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Dump

Finally clear of albatross contracts, the Nationals had an opportunity to add some veterans to young players and prospects ready to make an impact. While there was a little bit of that in bringing back first baseman Josh Bell, most of the other moves felt like adding a journeyman looking for a place to play instead of building around players such as outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews. There was a noteworthy trade, with the Nats picking up first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, meaning Bell will probably DH quite a bit. The only attempts to bolster the rotation came in the form of free agents Michael Soroka and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who will be making his MLB debut after a career in Japan.

 

NL Central

CHICAGO CUBS

Date

The Cubs were the most active team in the NL Central, also netting the headline-grabbing move of acquiring right fielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Astros. That was the only notable move to bolster the offense, as Tucker replaces center fielder-first baseman Cody Bellinger and is a definite upgrade. But Tucker has just one year left before he becomes a free agent. What the Cubs focused on this offseason was their bullpen, acquiring closer Ryan Pressly in a separate deal with the Astros, as well as Eli Morgan and Ryan Brasier, while signing Caleb Thielbar. Other pitching moves included adding left-hander Matthew Boyd and right-hander Colin Rea. The Cubs should be better and deeper on the mound, which they need to be as the offense is unlikely to be improved even with Tucker.

CINCINNATI REDS

Date

A disappointing 2024 led the Reds to an unexpected move, hiring Terry Francona to replace David Bell as manager. Francona is back in the dugout after a year away from the game to address a variety of health issues. Could he be the missing piece the Reds need to motivate a young and talented roster? They added to that group by trading for infielder Gavin Lux, a former first-round pick who struggled with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That came a couple of months after the Reds shipped second baseman Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer to the Royals for right-handed starter Brady Singer, with Cincy banking on a change of scenery to help Singer realize his potential. Other moves made were bringing in veterans to raise the level of play. No long-term commitments keep this from being a Marry.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Dump

With no chance of keeping free-agent shortstop Willy Adames, the reigning NL Central champion Brewers knew they had a hole in the lineup that needed to be addressed. While the Brewers knew that the likely move to cover Adames’ glove was to move Joey Ortiz from third base to short, that left a gap at the hot corner. But the Crew didn’t address that with any external moves, unless you want to count prospect Caleb Durbin, who was acquired along with left-handed starter Nestor Cortes in the deal with the Yankees for closer Devin Williams. That currently leaves the group of Durbin, Oliver Dunn, Andruw Monasterio, and Tyler Black competing for action at third (with Sal Frelick as a wild card), which doesn’t bring much offensively. How the Brewers replace Adames’ offense will depend on returnees producing above what they did in 2024. As far as replacing Williams, the Brewers have a track record of building excellent bullpens, it will just depend on how Trevor Megill and/or Joel Payamps handle the closer title.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Dump

When you have a once-in-a-lifetime player like the Pirates have in 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, you want to surround him with a good roster to take advantage of a dominant pitcher. Apparently, unless you are the Pirates. There were no headline-grabbing additions to bolster the offense. The rest of the rotation will be pretty decent, especially after adding left-hander Andrew Heaney just recently, and the bullpen is solid, but if the Pirates want to compete in the Central, they need to add a couple more bats. Journeyman outfielder Tommy Pham was signed and first baseman Spencer Horwitz was acquired via trade from the Guardians, but he is currently recovering from right wrist surgery. Neither of those are difference-makers, which leaves this offseason as a swing and a miss.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Dump

An offseason reset never materialized for the Cardinals, who struggled the past two seasons. Expected trades of third baseman Nolan Arenado and closer Ryan Helsley didn’t happen. Could they be moved before Opening Day? Sure. But the fact that that duo started spring training in a Cardinals uniform didn’t allow any sort of a rebuild or retool to start to take place.

 

NL West

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Marry

If you make one noteworthy move, you might as well surprise the rest of the league with it. That is what the Diamondbacks did by signing former NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million contract. This move gave the D’backs one of the top rotations in the game and also protects them if Zac Gallen and/or Merrill Kelly leave via free agency after this season. The lineup lost first baseman Christian Walker, a deal for the Guardians’ Josh Naylor filled that void. There weren’t bulk moves, but adding Burnes makes it a successful offseason. One item not addressed externally was replacing Paul Sewald as closer, but A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez are worthy of a good look there.

Colorado Rockies:

Dump

The second of two franchises that don’t seem to have a plan. The Rockies added three journeymen after losing a team leader (Charlie Blackmon) to retirement and releasing their starting second baseman (Brendan Rodgers) and a starting pitcher (Cal Quantrill) due to their arbitration numbers.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Marry

The moves by the defending World Series champions are well-documented, but adding left-hander Blake Snell, right-hander Roki Sasaki, infielder Hyeseong Kim, reliever Tanner Scott and reliever Kirby Yates, while keeping outfielder Teoscar Hernández, utilityman Enrique Hernández, reliever Blake Treinen and former ace Clayton Kershaw give the Dodgers a chance to repeat.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

Dump

The names of shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and left fielder Jurickson Profar don’t stir the social media drink, but they were key to the Padres in recent seasons. Both are gone and there were no real moves to replace them as they try to keep up with the Dodgers and D’backs. The biggest addition was a late one in right-hander Nick Pivetta, who got a four-year, $55 million deal. There was a lot of speculation around trading right-hander Dylan Cease, who will be a free agent after 2025, but keeping him keeps their chances in the division high. Xander Bogaerts slides back over to short and Jake Cronenworth to second. Left field is likely to be a platoon between newcomers Jason Heyward and Connor Joe.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Date

In Buster Posey’s first offseason running the front office, the Giants made a significant move early by bringing in former Brewers shortstop Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million contract. Adames brings more than just a 30-homer bat and good glove, as his clubhouse leadership is just as important as his stats. Whether he hits 30 homers playing half his games in San Francisco is a question. Justin Verlander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, is 42 years old, so how much he adds after signing a one-year deal is another question as he replaces Blake Snell. Adding to Posey’s offseason was the extension given to third baseman Matt Chapman near the end of the season before he officially took the reins. Was that enough to contend?