There's nothing sports fans like to do more than complain about the state of their team. I mean, even while 29 other fan bases rip the Los Angeles Dodgers for "ruining baseball," some Dodgers fans are probably upset that Andrew Friedman hasn't traded for Tarik Skubal yet.
Every fan base, even the Dodgers fans, has something to complain about, but these fan bases have the biggest grievances right now.
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds fans were excited leading up to the Winter Meetings. Their team had just made the postseason for the first time in a full season (excluding 2020) since 2013, and seemingly had a legitimate shot at signing Kyle Schwarber. Well, the Reds fell short in the Schwarber sweepstakes, and rather than turn their attention to a different marquee free agent, the team is unlikely to make a major splash this offseason.
What's even worse than the Reds not making another attempt at signing a high-end free agent is that it's being reported that the Reds only pursued Schwarber as an attempt to boost ticket sales. Reds fans had long suspected that ownership doesn't care about winning, and this further proves that. The Reds have money they can spend, but they simply choose not to. Why should fans be okay with that?
With their pitching, the Reds could've been a dark horse in the National League if they added a big bat to hit behind Elly De La Cruz in their lineup. Their refusal to do so will likely result in a wasted window.
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins orchestrated one of the biggest trade deadline sell-offs in recent memory, parting with legitimately half of their active roster by deadline day. This massive sell-off made it clear that the Twins were tearing things down and starting over. Or so we thought. The Twins have not continued selling off parts this offseason, and in fact, have said veteran stars Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez aren't going anywhere.
Now, you'd think this would be music in the ears of frustrated Twins fans who just want to see their team win, but is this really the case? As fun as it is to see those stars stay in Minnesota, it's not as if they can win the division or even make the playoffs with their roster as constructed. As decent as Josh Bell is, having him be the marquee addition isn't going to change much of anything.
Selling high on Buxton, Ryan and Lopez would've stung, but at least the Twins would've gone all-in on the rebuild and set themselves up beautifully to compete in two or three years. Keeping those guys would've been fine if the Twins surrounded them with additional talent. Keeping those guys and making no effort to win is just a slap in the face. If you're going to rebuild, go all the way. Going halfway won't lead to successful results, especially when all three players dangled in rumors are 29 years old or older.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies' fan base might be the most underrated in the sport. Despite putting up one of the worst seasons in modern MLB history in 2025, the Rockies still drew over 30,000 fans per game, good for 15th in the league. Their loyalty has been rewarded with, well, nothing, this winter.
The Rockies have not signed a single player to an MLB contract. They've made one trade for an MLB player, and that deal saw them acquire Brennan Bernardino, a decent left-handed reliever who the Boston Red Sox were likely going to look to replace. Rockies fans aren't asking them to sign Kyle Tucker or anything, but can the Rockies do something?
I mean, in the past few days alone, we've seen the Pittsburgh Pirates sign Ryan O'Hearn, the Chicago White Sox sign Munetaka Murakami and the Miami Marlins sign Pete Fairbanks. If those teams are able to make moves, what's stopping the Rockies, a team that drew over double the fans as the Marlins on average, from doing the same? Being bad, but not even trying, is just impossible to defend.
Chicago Cubs
Speaking of fans who show up to the ballpark in droves, Chicago Cubs fans constantly show up to Wrigley Field and are simply not rewarded for it. The team finally got back to the playoffs for the first time in a full season in over half a decade, but then lost in the NLDS to the Milwaukee Brewers. Rather than try to right that wrong, the Cubs appear set on letting Kyle Tucker walk with no resistance, and it's unclear as to whether the Cubs will add the ace they desperately need.
Sure, the Cubs' payroll is in the top half of the league as they ranked 11th this past season and currently rank 11th, but they also play in one of the sport's largest markets and again, drive a whole lot of fans to the park. They make so much more money than they spend.
The Cubs have the financial wherewithal to dominate the NL Central, but instead, they appear content with playing second fiddle to the Brewers. Fans, obviously, are beyond frustrated with this reality. The Cubs could've easily re-signed Tucker while also adding to their rotation. The possibility of them doing neither is far too realistic for Cubs fans to sit idly by this winter.
New York Mets
It feels like David Stearns has broken the hearts of every New York Mets fan this offseason. Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil, the core of the team for more than half a decade, are all gone. They all left in the span of roughly a month. The worst part is, Mets fans are still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Trading Nimmo was justifiable, but only if they replaced him with a better option in left field. That has not happened. Refusing to pay Diaz made sense if the Mets wanted to spread the wealth in the bullpen. It feels like there's still more work to do in that regard. Not wanting to give Alonso a five-year deal was understandable, but how is Jorge Polanco supposed to come close to replicating his production? McNeil is easier to replace, but even he is a versatile utility man.
Mets fans would be able to stomach losing so many fan favorites in one offseason if the team were better on paper. There's still time for Stearns to build a winner, but he hasn't yet. This being the case, immediately after one of the worst late-season collapses in recent memory, has Mets fans in an all-out panic. I, personally, am more on board with what Stearns is doing than most, but even I understand why fans are airing their grievances the way they are right now.
Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians fans aren't mad, they're just disappointed. I mean, why bother being angry when this outcome was entirely expected? This doesn't mean Guardians fans don't have big grievances.
This team just went on a magical run to make the playoffs this past season, but fell short in the Wild Card Series. If they were to address their offense around Jose Ramirez, who knows what this team could be capable of in 2026? Unfortunately, owner Paul Dolan seemingly has no interest in fielding a winner.
Ramirez aired his frustrations after Cleveland's elimination, but that hasn't led to anything changing. The Guardians have not signed or traded for a single hitter on an MLB contract, and nothing suggests that's going to change in a big way. Guardians fans have every reason to be upset that ownership could wind up running one of the franchise's greatest players out of town.
New York Yankees
The Toronto Blue Jays followed up their World Series appearance by signing Dylan Cease and they could end up with one or both of Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette, too. The Boston Red Sox have traded for Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Johan Oviedo. The Baltimore Orioles spent $155 million on Pete Alonso, traded for both Taylor Ward and Shane Baz, and have even signed Ryan Helsley. Even the Tampa Bay Rays appear to be in the mix for Ketel Marte. The best addition the New York Yankees have made is Trent Grisham, who I'm not even sure the Yankees wanted to accept the qualifying offer. The only MLB player added thus far has been Cade Winquest, a reliever the Yankees took in the Rule-5 Draft.
There's still plenty of time for Brian Cashman to make moves, and admittedly, many of the players the Yankees would be wise to pursue remain in free agency and on the trade market. Still, the fact that we've reached Christmas Eve and the Yankees haven't made a single notable move while the rest of their division seems desperate to win now has to be frustrating.
Yankees fans don't necessarily expect Hal Steinbrenner to be George, but these are the New York Yankees that we're talking about here. How are they not heavily in on Kyle Tucker, this free agency class's crown jewel, who'd fit the team perfectly? How are they not the favorites to sign Tatsuya Imai? How did they not sign a single high-end reliever? It's unreasonable to expect the Yankees to sign everybody as they did in the old days, but can they do something of note? Is that really too much to ask?
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers entered this offseason needing to make a difficult decision, and I'm not sure they've made it yet. That decision, of course, is whether to keep or trade Tarik Skubal, the best pitcher in the world. Keeping Skubal sounds like a no-brainer given his dominance, but if the Tigers know they won't re-sign him, trading him for a haul makes the most sense.
Well, the Tigers haven't traded him. This decision is fine, even without an extension under one condition. The Tigers must meaningfully add to their roster. Unfortunately, while their bullpen is better by re-signing Kyle Finnegan and adding Kenley Jansen, Scott Harris has not made a single big move. Nothing about how their offseason has gone suggests a major move is coming, either.
Keeping Skubal without an extension only makes sense if the Tigers show that they're desperate to win with him. This means being fine with giving an impact bat like Bo Bichette or Alex Bregman big money, even knowing that their contracts might not age very well. If the Tigers win a World Series with Skubal, fans won't care if he signs elsewhere after the 2026 campaign. If they keep him and just elect to run things back, that'll likely lead to another postseason exit at best. That's the worst possible way to risk ending his tenure.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox made it back to the postseason for the first time since 2021, but they were eliminated in the Wild Card Series. Ahead of the offseason, Craig Breslow made it clear that there were two clear needs the Red Sox had to address this offseason. He said he wanted to add a No. 2 starter to pitch behind Garrett Crochet in a playoff series, and he wanted to add more power, as home runs are a major key to winning in October. So far, it feels fair to say Breslow has not accomplished either of those goals.
Sonny Gray is a good pitcher, but is he a legitimate No. 2 starter on a World Series contender at this stage of his career? I mean, this past season, he had a 4.28 ERA in 32 starts, and he's entering his age 36 season. Sure, the advanced metrics were better than the ERA, but I know I'd take other No. 2 starters in his own division over him like one of Kevin Gausman or Dylan Cease from the Blue Jays or Max Fried from the Yankees.
On the lineup front, Willson Contreras is a good player, but he hit 20 home runs this past season and has never hit more than 24 home runs in a single season. That 24-home run campaign came back in 2019. This is the big power bat? They whiffed on Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber, and appear less likely to trade for Ketel Marte with Contreras in town. Breslow's lack of aggression and ownership's reluctance to spend like the Red Sox should are two reasons why Red Sox fans might not be overly thrilled this holiday season.
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