MLB Power Rankings: 5 teams that have improved the most this offseason

Weather on the East Coast hasn't exactly warmed up yet, but Spring Training is rapidly approaching. Pitchers and catchers are set to report in the matter of days, giving MLB fans reason to get excited about what's to come.

While looking ahead is most fun, the offseason being mostly over gives MLB fans a chance to look back at what transpired over the winter. Many teams got better, as is the case in any offseason, but these five teams in particular improved the most over the winter.

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5) The Cubs added the second-best player to change teams this offseason

Juan Soto fetched most of the attention when he was available, and deservingly so, but Kyle Tucker getting traded to the Chicago Cubs is a huge deal. He is the second-best player to have changed teams over the winter, and he should make the Cubs a lot better.

Tucker essentially replaces Cody Bellinger in their outfield. Bellinger has some upside, but is coming off a down year. On the flip side, Tucker is an MVP-caliber player that the Cubs can rely on to give them superstar production. There are long-term concerns given the fact that he only has one year of club control on his contract, but for 2025, he makes them a lot better.

Additionally, the Cubs improved their bullpen by acquiring Ryan Pressly, Ryan Brasier, and Eli Morgan in trades. Their bullpen blew many close games last season, so hopefully, that trio can help mitigate that issue.

The Cubs did not make the major starting pitching splash many fans were hoping for (at least not yet), but their rotation, led by Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, should still be among the league's best as it was in 2024.

This is a complete roster that should be good enough to be considered the favorites to win the NL Central and be competitive in a tough National League.

4) The Red Sox should be in the thick of the playoff race in the AL

The Boston Red Sox were a .500 team in 2024, resulting in their season ending before the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years. Based on what has unfolded this offseason, they should be comfortably above .500 in 2025.

The Red Sox have yet to make the big-money splash fans have been waiting for, but Craig Breslow did make one of the biggest splashes of the winter, acquiring Garrett Crochet in a deal with the Chicago White Sox. Crochet is the surefire ace Boston has been missing in recent years, and offers legitimate Cy Young upside. Suddenly, with Crochet and Walker Buehler joining the likes of Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and even Lucas Giolito, the Red Sox have a rotation nobody will want to face.

The Red Sox have not made a move to address their offense, but they ranked ninth in the majors in runs scored in 2024. Chances are, with healthy seasons from Triston Casas and Trevor Story and the eventual call-ups of prospects like Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, that offense will be even more formidable in 2025.

This Red Sox team probably isn't one that should be considered AL East favorites without making one more major move, but they're a team that should go from average to comfortably above-average.

3) The Diamondbacks are a force to be reckoned with in the NL

How many people had Corbin Burnes going to the Arizona Diamondbacks? That's right, the small-market Diamondbacks splurged and signed the best starting pitcher on the open market. Suddenly, with Burnes joining Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt (with Jordan Montgomery and Ryne Nelson as depth options), Arizona's rotation is as good as any.

This rotation aids a lineup that led the majors in runs scored in 2024. Sure, the Diamondbacks did lose Christian Walker, but they replaced him with Josh Naylor in a trade immediately after Walker left. Naylor isn't the player Walker is, but he is far from a major downgrade. They lost Joc Pederson as well, but were able to keep Randal Grichuk, the other half of their elite DH platoon in 2024, around.

Arizona didn't get much better in many areas, but the Corbin Burnes addition cannot be overlooked. The team's starting pitching was its biggest weakness last season, and they just added an ace to its rotation. The Diamondbacks won 89 games with a rotation that ranked 27th in ERA last season. Assuming that takes a massive leap in 2025 with the Burnes addition, they should find themselves comfortably in the playoffs.

2) The Dodgers added more big names than anybody

You knew they'd be here. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series and have gotten significantly better, and they've done so in dominant fashion.

Their rotation got significantly better with two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell and Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki joining the mix. When healthy, the Dodgers have one of, if not the most talented rotation in MLB history. Their lineup didn't get much better, but the Dodgers did re-sign Teoscar Hernandez and already have arguably the best lineup in the sport.

Where Los Angeles improved the most, though, was with its bullpen. The Dodgers signed the best reliever on the open market, Tanner Scott, to a four-year deal, and didn't even stop there - they got Kirby Yates, arguably the second-best reliever available, as well. Their bullpen was the one area on their roster that felt somewhat beatable, and now, it might be the best in the game.

The Dodgers are far and away the best team in the sport. With that being said, though, they didn't quite improve the most over the winter.

1) The Mets had as good of an offseason as fans could have hoped

Did the New York Mets add as many big names as the Dodgers? No, of course not. They did, however, add the best player who changed teams this offseason, Juan Soto, and made several other intriguing additions as well.

There's no sugarcoating just how big of an addition Soto is. He is, undoubtedly, an MVP-caliber player, who the Mets added for nothing other than money. Soto joins stars like Francisco Lindor, (the newly re-signed) Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, and Brandon Nimmo in a lineup that should be as good as any in the majors.

New York's bullpen also looks much-improved with A.J. Minter being the late-game left-handed reliever they've lacked for years, and Ryne Stanek re-signing after his strong postseason showing. This bullpen is as talented and as deep as it has been in quite some time.

The one area of concern on this team right now is the rotation, but it's better than most give it credit for. The Mets re-signed Sean Manaea, coming off his best season, and replaced Luis Severino and Jose Quintana with a healthy Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes. Sure, there are concerns revolving around Senga's durability and Holmes' transition to the rotation, but the upside is certainly far higher with those two right-handers than what Severino and Quintana had to offer.

Let's make one thing abundantly clear - the Mets are not better than the Dodgers. They did, however, improve more than the Dodgers did, thanks in large part to Soto's arrival. The Mets could easily be the second-best team in the NL once again in 2025, but a lot will have to go their way for them to have any chance of dethroning the Dodgers even after their outstanding offseason.