This MLB offseason was among the most wild in recent history. Here are three moves that teams would already like to have back.
The MLB offseason provided some major twists and turns, perhaps none bigger than the Carlos Correa sweepstakes. He agreed to a $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, who then failed his physical hours before a press conference to introduce him. He quickly agreed to a $300+ million deal with the New York Mets, who also failed his physical.
Correa, of course, ultimately ended up with the Minnesota Twins. But that deal — and many others, especially Aaron Judge and Jacob deGrom — helped reshape baseball in 2023 and beyond.
Many of those deals have paid off. But there were some moves — and moves that weren’t made — that teams already would want to take back after a month into the regular season.
St. Louis Cardinals failing to add another starting pitcher
The St. Louis Cardinals are 10-19, their worst start in 50 years. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and are in last place in the National League Central.
Some of the blame can be directed toward the Cardinals’ offense, which ranks 20th in runs scored (123). But a concern that could even be pinpointed in the offseason was their starting rotation, especially with Adam Wainwright in his 40s and question marks with Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz coming off injury.
Thus far, the Cardinals’ pitching staff ranks 17th in team ERA (4.45). Wainwright remains out with an injury. While Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery have pitched well, Miles Mikolas has struggled mightily, and has an ERA that’s approaching 8.
Already 10 games back in the NL Central, the Cardinals need to be proactive in addressing their starting pitching. If they wait any longer, the deficit could be too much for them to overcome — and could prompt difficult internal decisions about the direction of the franchise.
Chicago White Sox signing Andrew Benintendi to five-year deal
Immediately after the Chicago White Sox signed outfielder Andrew Benintendi to a five-year, $75 million contract, I received this text from a National League executive: “I don’t know, man. That feels like a lot.”
The White Sox giving Benintendi a five-year deal was something that no other team was willing to do. There were other teams who were willing to go three and four years, but the White Sox’s willingness to go five years was what ultimately landed them the talented outfielder.
While Benintendi has solid numbers, hitting .281/.337/.333 in 104 plate appearances, he has not hit a home run and only recorded five RBI. His OPS sits at .670 and his hard-hit rate sits in the fourth percentile in baseball.
The White Sox, meanwhile, look like baseball’s biggest disappointment as they are 8-21 and nine games back in the American League Central. If they are to bounce back, they’ll need Benintendi to step up in a big way. But if his OPS and hard-hit rate are a sign of things to come, that contract could soon look like a mistake for general manager Rick Hahn.
Philadelphia Phillies signing Taijuan Walker looks like early mistake
The Philadelphia Phillies giving Taijuan Walker a four-year, $72 million contract felt like a lot at the time of signing. But team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is always aggressive in addressing his rotation and with the team in the middle of a sustained period of World Series contention, they felt like Walker was worth the investment.
But the signing, at least early on, looks like it may have been an overpay.
Walker, 30, has a 6.91 ERA in six starts and just allowed eight runs in 3.1 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has only 29 strikeouts in 28.2 innings while surrendering 22 walks. He’ll need to harness his control if he has any hopes of turning his season around, but it’s been a slow start for most Phillies pitchers.
And for the Phillies to reach their potential, they’ll need all of their pitchers to step up. Especially Walker.