Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
A.J. Preller will be busy at MLB Winter Meetings
Sep 6, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller looks on from the dugout before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

3 teams that were losers at the MLB Winter Meetings

San Diego Padres

The Padres reportedly offered more money to both Aaron Judge and Trea Turner, only to have both free agents sign elsewhere. While the Padres were aiming for the stars with both offers, they also didn’t do anything during the meeting to fill the holes they have in their lineup at first base and on the mound.

San Diego was strong enough to get to the National League Championship Series in 2022, but the Padres will need to add to their roster if they plan to contend in the NL West against a Los Angeles Dodgers team that will be motivated to flex their muscles after the Padres ousted them in the postseason.

UPDATE: Since writing, the Padres signed SS Xander Bogaerts on an 11-year, $280 million deal.

Houston Astros

The defending World Series champions lost Justin Verlander to the Mets and then lost the bidding war for Willson Contreras to the St. Louis Cardinals. Not being able to land Contreras this offseason is even more painful for the Astros after Houston nearly had him on their roster at the 2022 MLB trade deadline before the deal was scrubbed by owner Jim Crane and manager Dusty Baker.

Will Houston pivot to try a trade with division rival Oakland to land Sean Murphy? The cost was “too expensive” for the Cardinals. Will it be for the Astros?

Atlanta Braves

Kenley Jansen has signed with the Boston Red Sox and it sure sounds like the door may be closing on Dansby Swanson’s time in Atlanta. Division rivals Philadelphia and New York improved greatly during the MLB Winter Meetings while the Braves are seemingly still trying to figure out which way the franchise will go this offseason at shortstop and in left field.

“With the resources we have, whether that’s trade or dollars, it’s about how can we make the best 2023 Braves? What makes the most sense? We can get better in the bullpen. We can get better in the rotation. We can get better from an offensive standpoint,” Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com. “We can get better in all areas. It’s just about finding the deal that makes the most sense.”

Patience may be a virtue, but after an early exit from the postseason in 2022, Braves fans are starting to get antsy about exactly how Atlanta will get better.

Next. How does the first 2023 MLB mock draft shake out?. dark

Home/MLB Free Agency