Handing out offseason grades for AL teams
Welcome to theScore's MLB offseason grades, where we look at each AL team heading into the 2025 season.
The Athletics were shockingly aggressive in the first offseason following the club's move away from Oakland. The additions of Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs should bolster a rotation that finished 26th in ERA (4.76) and 29th in strikeouts (658) last season. José Leclerc will be a strong setup man who bridges the gap between the rotation and star closer Mason Miller. The A's also didn't lose anyone of consequence.
The Orioles lost both of their marquee free agents in Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander, the latter of whom joined their division rival, the Blue Jays. Tyler O'Neill will help offset Santander's lost production, but trying to replace Burnes with 41-year-old Charlie Morton and 35-year-old rookie Tomoyuki Sugano feels like a misstep. Ramón Laureano, Gary Sánchez, and Dylan Carlson are all fine bench pieces, but it's hard not to feel like Baltimore got worse at a time when the franchise should be loading up.
The Red Sox finally flexed their financial muscle by ponying up for Alex Bregman. He should rake at Fenway Park and makes Boston a true contender in the AL East - even if he opts out after the season. Acquiring Garrett Crochet without giving up top prospects Roman Anthony or Kristian Campbell was also a great move, especially if Crochet ends up signing a long-term extension. The bullpen is where the team seems to have gotten weaker. Both Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin left town. Aroldis Chapman was the only notable addition on a guaranteed deal, and he's entering his age-37 season.
The White Sox made a lot of moves this offseason. Unfortunately, it's hard to identify any that are likely to make a meaningful difference. General manager Chris Getz recently said he expected the club to win more games after setting a modern-era record with 121 losses last year. Perhaps that happens, but it won't be because of anything Getz and the White Sox accomplished this winter. The hope is the likes of Martín Pérez, Brandon Drury, Joey Gallo, Michael A. Taylor, and Austin Slater can be flipped for future pieces at the deadline.
The Guardians stuck to their usual routine of selling off players after a successful season. Getting the Blue Jays to take on the Andrés Giménez contract was a huge win for the front office, but Carlos Santana alone won't be enough to replace Josh Naylor's 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. The money spent on Paul Sewald should probably have gone toward another bat considering the number of quality bullpen arms already on the roster. It will be interesting to see how recovering pitchers Shane Bieber and John Means look when they return midway into the season.
The Tigers had a decent offseason despite falling short in the Bregman sweepstakes. They secured a reunion with Jack Flaherty on an affordable short-term deal, giving them a proven number two in their rotation behind Tarik Skubal. The bullpen was already in good shape and should be even better with the addition of Tommy Kahnle. It's fair to wonder if the combined $30 million they paid Gleyber Torres and Alex Cobb could have been better spent elsewhere. The former may struggle to hit in the spacious confines of Comerica Park, while the latter was injured for most of 2024 and is already dealing with a hip issue.
Things will look very different in Houston this season with stalwarts Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Justin Verlander wearing different uniforms. The roster is still good enough to be a contender in what's shaping up to be a wide-open American League. Christian Walker will turn 34 at the end of March but still looks to have some gas left in the tank, which will reassure Astros fans that this won't be a repeat of the José Abreu signing. Isaac Paredes' propensity to pull fly balls looks like a beautiful fit for the Crawford Boxes. Hayden Wesneski's shown flashes during his career and boasts a sweeper that looks like a legitimate weapon. He could emerge as a legitimate option at the back of the rotation with the Astros still waiting for Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, and Luis Garcia to return from injury.
The Royals wisely dealt from their wealth of starting pitchers when they sent Brady Singer to Cincinnati in exchange for Jonathan India, who could play second base every day and hit leadoff ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. The trade was made possible by the re-signing of Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen, both of whom impressed in their Kansas City debuts last year. Adding Carlos Estévez also gives them another closer-caliber arm to pair with Lucas Erceg. This lineup still needs more impact hitters, but the Royals should be competitive once again in the AL Central division.
The Angels had another head-scratching offseason. They are nowhere close to competing yet made several win-now moves, including signing 33-year-old Yusei Kikuchi and 37-year-old closer Kenley Jansen. Trading for Jorge Soler at least gives them another legitimate bat, while Travis d'Arnaud should be a valuable mentor to Logan O'Hoppe. You can do worse than Tim Anderson and Yoán Moncada as far as low-risk fliers go. The Angels are definitely better on paper, yet their long-term direction remains unclear.
An ownership in a state of flux led to the Twins making moves on the margins. Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe should both provide good value on one-year deals. Taking a chance on a former top catching prospect like Diego Cartaya is a move that makes a lot of sense and comes with zero risk. The Twins will need internal improvements and their star players to carry the load if the franchise hopes to avoid a repeat of a disappointing 2024.
Losing Juan Soto to the crosstown Mets hurts, but the Yankees wisely allocated the money to several other moves. Max Fried will form a formidable pair with Gerrit Cole atop the rotation, and replacing Clay Holmes with Devin Williams is a huge improvement. Cody Bellinger and his sweet lefty swing could have a huge year hitting in Yankee Stadium. It also felt like the right time to move on from Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo. The real question mark is the Paul Goldschmidt signing. If he can find the fountain of youth, the Yankees might actually be better than they were last year.
It was an uninspiring winter in Seattle. The Mariners brought back Polanco on a one-year deal, even though the veteran infielder slumped to a 93 OPS+ with a .213 batting average and 16 home runs in 118 games last season. Donovan Solano's a pretty safe option but doesn't have much ceiling at this advanced stage of his career. The strength of the club remains the rotation and the bullpen. It's unfortunate that Jerry Dipoto didn't find a way to bring in some much-needed impact to a lineup that struggled to consistently score runs over the past few seasons.
The Rays made several on-brand moves before shockingly being the team to sign Ha-Seong Kim. He was worth 4.2 fWAR as recently as 2023 and could be a massive bargain on a two-year, $29-million contract. Signing Danny Jansen to play catcher also makes sense given his familiarity with the AL East. Trading away Jeffrey Springs, who has excelled when healthy and is under contract through 2026, feels like a move Tampa could regret.
It was a very active offseason for Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young. The additions of Joc Pederson and Jake Burger should help Texas lengthen its lineup and provide more insulation if Adolis García doesn't bounce back at the plate after struggling last season. The bullpen is in a state of flux with proven ninth-inning options in Kirby Yates and David Robertson heading elsewhere. Young did a good job bringing in Chris Martin and Robert Garcia in an effort to replace the lost production. It remains to be seen who will get the first crack at closing games. The Rangers need healthy seasons from Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle as the club looks to internally replace the spot vacated by Max Scherzer's departure.
The Blue Jays had a pretty productive offseason but many will still ding them for their failed pursuits of Juan Soto and Roki Sasaki, combined with their inability to extend homegrown star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. It's hard to argue the various moves don't make the Blue Jays much better after a disappointing last-place finish in the AL East. Even if Santander's power production dips, he will still be a huge boost to a lineup that finished 26th in home runs (156) last season. The Giménez trade raised some eyebrows considering his contract situation moving forward. It will look like a brilliant move if he can be even a league-average offensive player. The additions of Jeff Hoffman, Yimi García, and Nick Sandlin drastically improve a bullpen that cost the Blue Jays countless games in 2024. A healthy and productive Scherzer could be a huge X-factor but is a major gamble given his age and durability.