From what I’ve seen with the Mets, Cardinals and Padres in 2021, it’s clear that making big moves in the offseason does not guarantee finishing at the top of the division.
But that won’t stop fans from getting excited about the weight gains, as their teams show they are looking to improve significantly. The offseason still looks a long way off, but in the blink of an eye, we’ll be back to following up on all the rumors.
Here, six teams – one from each division – capable of making big moves in the winter.
East LA: Blue Jays
In this division, the Yankees and Red Sox will always be able to do something meaningful. The Rays have also shown a willingness to move their roster. And one of these years, the Orioles will be ready to take the next step.
But the Blue Jays present an interesting situation, amplifying the midseason addition of Puerto Rican José Berríos, who will be a free agent after the 2022 season. His roster will go up in price soon, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and others arriving. years of arbitration, although Toronto has a projection of $ 120 million for the 2022 payroll, well below the $ 163 they had in 2017, according to Cot’s Contracts.
The Marlins are an interesting team. No, they are probably not ready to be the favorites to win the East, but they do have the seeds of a competitive team. They’ve been assembling a young and controllable core of starting pitchers – Edward Cabrera, the 30th-best prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, debuted last week – and that could give him the ability to look to improve in other aspects of the game.
Securing a contract for the television broadcasting rights just before the 2021 season and dropping the payroll even further gives GM Kim Ng a lot of flexibility. Maybe the Fish could trade some of their pitching depth to get stronger.
LA Central: Guardians
It will be hard not to see the White Sox as the favorites in the division. The Tigers could also be in position for a weight gain, but let’s focus on the Guardians for a moment. They started 2021 with a payroll close to $ 50 million – the lowest in the sport. And yet, they’ve once again shown some interesting pitching, which promises to improve next year, assuming Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale get back healthy.
Cleveland offices insist that payroll will increase next year. But we do not know to what extent. It is always healthy to assume that the team will not go for the heavyweights in the market, but with the salary space they will have, the Guardians could be fighting for players like Starling Marte and Michael Conforto.
Central of the LN: Cardinals
When you look at the Cardinals, they seem short of excuses. The Nolan Arenado acquisition is the only serious improvement they made in 2021 and despite that, the division appears to be out of reach. Because of the way the Arenado pact is structured, San Luis’ payroll will drop a bit and they could look for an impact move for a roster that, with Puerto Rican Yadier Molina officially back, Adam Wainwright will probably return as well, in addition to Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt as fixed in the corners of the frame, which is not getting any younger.
The Cardinals could restructure their infield if they enter the bid for the best shortstop or maybe they could try to make a deal with Max Scherzer.
LA West: Mariners
The time has come for the Mariners to go for a postseason spot.
It might even happen this month, with Seattle, surprisingly, still in the running for the AL Wildcard. But with the talent they have coming to the majors, Jerry Dipoto could use this offseason to round out his roster in a big way.
The West looks within reach, with the Astros probably losing another of their figures, with the potential departure of Puerto Rican Carlos Correa, and the Angels’ problems of improving their pitching product to their high payroll.
Looking at 2022, the Mariners will need help in the rotation and middle. Marcus Semien could be a fantastic reinforcement. Sure, it won’t be easy – or inexpensive – to reinforce pitching in the winter.
West of the NL: Giants
The Giants have turned the West on its head this year and are really just getting started. His 25-player roster for Opening Day 2021, according to Cot’s Contracts, was valued at $ 149.5 million. The Farhan Zaidi-led offices have been able to find players below the radar and the acquisition of Kris Bryant at the trade deadline has likely been the beginning of what will be more important moves in the offseason.
Just retaining Bryant would be a weighty move and probably no one will be surprised. But the Giants have the ability to go all out for the best free agents.
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