3 winners and 3 losers from a busy 2022 MLB Winter Meetings
By Kevin Henry
![Apr 15, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks during the Tom Seaver Statue unveiling ceremony prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports Apr 15, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks during the Tom Seaver Statue unveiling ceremony prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/c2cb564ee50c502130592940789f6b85beab509083cf457478c3cb043bd0600d.jpg)
Philadelphia Phillies
Trea Turner is one of the newest members of the Phillies, inking an 11-year, $300 million deal on Monday and setting the bar for the other three high-profile free agent shortstops (Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, and Dansby Swanson). Philadelphia secured a game-changer in their lineup and in their infield, serving notice that the defending National League champions aren’t ready to give up their crown in 2023.
The Phillies also filled one of their needs and put a dent in one of their division rivals when Philadelphia swiped starting pitcher Taijuan Walker from the Mets. While New York quickly pivoted to fill the hole in the rotation, it remains to be seen if Jose Quintana can indeed outperform Walker on the mound.
Texas Rangers
Speaking of the Mets losing pitchers, Texas made a strong statement by pulling Jacob deGrom out of Queens and landing him at the forefront of a rebuilt Rangers rotation. That rotation got another new face on Tuesday with Andrew Heaney signing a two-year, $25 million contract. Combine that with deGrom’s $185 million over five seasons and last year’s contract with Jon Gray (four years, $72 million) and there is little doubt that Texas believes it can buy a rotation that can help the Rangers compete with the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners in what could be a tough American League West.