Re-grading each NL team's offseason: Cubs, Mets come out on top

Following the offseason, the National League looked like a superpower. Not only was the NL better than the AL in 2024 overall, but superstars like Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker wound up going from the AL to the NL over the winter. People thought the NL would run roughshod over the AL, and for good reason, but that hasn't exactly happened.

There are some really good National League teams, but others are really flawed as well. This goes to show that games aren't played on paper for a reason. What we thought we knew about teams wasn't and never really is perfectly accurate.

With that in mind, let's take a look at how National League teams should be regraded for their offseason performance. It goes without saying that some teams did better than MLB fans expected, and others didn't quite measure up.

Re-grading each NL Team's offseason

1. Re-grading each NL East team's offseason
2. Re-grading each NL Central team's offseason
3. Re-grading each NL West team's offseason

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Re-grading each NL East team's offseason

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves were always expected to lose more than they gained this past offseason, but Alex Anthopoulos simply didn't do enough. A lot has gone wrong for the Braves this season, but their lackluster offseason is a big reason why the team has disappointed in 2025.

The lone major addition the Atlanta Braves made saw them sign Jurickson Profar to a three-year, $42 million deal, and it backfired spectacularly in record time when he was suspended 80 games for PED use. Profar has swung a good bat since returning in early July, but his suspension has played a huge role in the team's demise in 2025. The Nick Allen addition was a decent one as he's played Gold Glove-caliber defense for Atlanta, but the fact that he's appeared in 129 games despite being one of the worst hitters in the game again explains why the Braves have failed this season.

The Braves were never going to re-sign Max Fried, but that doesn't make his departure any easier, especially when considering the year he's had for the New York Yankees. The losses of Charlie Morton, A.J. Minter and Jorge Soler haven't hurt much, but one that has is Ramon Laureano, whom Atlanta non-tendered. Laureano didn't have a starting spot in Atlanta, but the Braves sure could've used him when Profar was suspended. He's having a career year for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres while playing the same position as Profar.

It's hard to give Anthopoulos much blame for letting Fried go when considering the contract he got, but I absolutely do blame him for losing Laureano and for doing relatively nothing other than sign Profar, which backfired. Anthopoulos didn't do remotely well enough, and Braves fans hope for a better winter in 2025.

Braves offseason re-grade: D+

Miami Marlins

Expectations were low for the Miami Marlins, a franchise that's displayed on numerous occasions that it's unwilling to spend much money and was in the middle of a rebuild. Even with low expectations, the Marlins had a fairly disappointing offseason in hindsight.

The biggest Marlins additions came out of nowhere. Ronny Henriquez, their best reliever, was a waiver claim. Liam Hicks, a player who has appeared in 108 games for Miami, was a Rule-5 pick. The biggest addition was supposed to be Cal Quantrill, who signed a one-year deal, but he struggled to the point where he was DFA'd. Eric Wagaman, the only other player signed to a MLB deal, has had a rough go of it for the most part.

Henriquez alone raises the grade from somewhere in the D-range, but only slightly. He's a piece who should stick around for a while. Failing to add anything of note around Henriquez keeps the Marlins from garnering more praise than that.

The Marlins sent Jesus Luzardo, an arm with a ton of upside, to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for two prospects. Luzardo has had his ups and downs with the Phillies, but the headliner they received in the deal, Starlyn Caba, has a .613 OPS in Single-A. It sure looks like Miami lost this trade. The other big trade they made saw Jake Burger get sent to the Texas Rangers. Burger has had his ups and downs as well, but Miami made little to no effort to replace him or Luzardo for that fact.

Marlins offseason re-grade: C-

New York Mets

Fresh off an NLCS appearance, David Stearns had a lot of pressure to keep the momentum rolling. The New York Mets have had a rough go of it in the 2025 season and might not even make the playoffs, but it's hard to blame Stearns's offseason for that reality.

There's a lot of bad here. Frankie Montas struggled in his eight appearances and is undergoing Tommy John Surgery, costing him the entire 2026 campaign. Sean Manaea looks like a shell of himself right now. Clay Holmes has struggled to even complete five innings in his move to the rotation lately. Ryne Stanek is probably on DFA watch. A.J. Minter, Jesse Winker and Jose Siri have missed most of the season due to injury. Even Griffin Canning is done for the year with injury after a breakout start to his season.

With all of that being said, the good outweighs the bad. Sure, Juan Soto's Mets career got off to a poor start, his play over the final four months of the season is the reason why the Mets still sit in a playoff spot. Pete Alonso has been inconsistent, but he's still one of the best run producers in the National League. These are two bonafide stars the Mets signed. Yes, there are plenty of misses to discuss, but the Mets are in a playoff spot in spite of all of those largely because of Soto and Alonso. Soto, a 26-year-old who might not even be in his prime yet, will be in Queens for a very long time.

Another reason why this offseason can be viewed as a win for New York is that the guys they let go haven't come back to bite them too hard. Luis Severino has an ERA a shade below 5.00. Jose Iglesias has a .563 OPS. The losses of Bader and especially Quintana do sting in hindsight, which is why the grade isn't even higher, but again, the additions of Soto and Alonso overshadow them.

Mets offseason re-grade: A-

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies had a very important offseason after losing in the Wild Card Series, but much to Phillies fans' disappointment, Dave Dombrowski didn't do much. The Phillies are going to win the NL East, but their offseason doesn't have much to do with that.

Outside of a couple of brutal appearances, Jesus Luzardo has been everything the Phillies could've expected in the middle of their rotation. As for the other three additions, well, they leave a lot to be desired. Max Kepler has been much better lately, but he was practically unusable the entire first half. Jordan Romano is having one of the worst seasons a Phillies reliever has ever had. Joe Ross struggled to the point where he was DFA'd.

None of the additions, other than Luzardo, has made a real impact. The Phillies deserve credit for winning at the clip that they have in spite of that, but that does not excuse them for a poor offseason.

There's some good and some bad here. Jeff Hoffman has allowed more home runs than any qualified reliever (15) and has blown seven of his 37 save opportunities this season, making it look awfully wise that the Phillies passed on bringing him back. On the other hand, Carlos Estevez leads the majors with 39 saves in what has resulted in an All-Star campaign, and Austin Hays (108 OPS+) has been far more productive than Kepler (90 OPS+). I don't necessarily blame the Phillies for letting Estevez or Hays walk, but they didn't replace them with anyone better.

Phillies offseason re-grade: C+

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals hoped to take a step forward this season, but have only taken two steps backwards. Their offseason miscues weren't the only reason for that, but a lackluster winter certainly didn't help.

The Nationals made a slew of additions, but how many of these were truly impactful? Kyle Finnegan had another strong year as the closer, but he was moved at the trade deadline. Nathaniel Lowe was the biggest addition, but that experiment went so poorly that he was DFA'd. Josh Bell has been fine, and has been red-hot lately, but it hasn't led to much winning. Guys like Amed Rosario and Michael Soroka were decent low-cost veteran additions, but both of them were moved at the deadline as well.

Overall, the Nationals made a ton of minor additions, none of which added much value and many of which didn't even last the whole season. They did well to flip guys like Finnegan, Rosario and Soroka in a lost year, but if the Nationals made bigger moves, perhaps this wouldn't have been a lost year to begin with.

Patrick Corbin was really the only notable player Washington lost, and it came as no surprise when they elected to let him go. Corbin was instrumental to the team's run in 2019, but he was nothing but subpar afterwards. Corbin has had a bit of a bounce-back year with the Texas Rangers, but it was never likely he was going to do that in D.C.

Nationals offseason re-grade: C-

Re-grading each NL Central team's offseason

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs needed a big offseason in order to get back to the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2018, and Jed Hoyer delivered. Without their offseason, I'm not sure that the Cubs would be postseason-bound, which is their likely outcome.

Say what you want about Kyle Tucker's second half, but he had an MVP-caliber first half and was arguably the biggest reason they got off to the sensational start they had. Matthew Boyd has also had a bit of a lackluster finish to his season, but he made the All-Star team and has a sub-3.00 ERA in 28 starts. Even guys like Carson Kelly, Brad Keller and Colin Rea have drastically exceeded expectations. The Tucker addition by itself was a great one, but the supplementary additions have come up huge as well.

The additions were mostly outstanding, but it's hard to ignore the fact that Ryan Pressly, their closer entering the year, is no longer on their roster because he was DFA'd. Justin Turner likely won't get DFA'd, but he hasn't met expectations either. The same can be said about Ryan Brasier. Hoyer did a great job for the most part, but his big whiffs prevent Chicago from earning an A+.

Most of these subtractions are fine. The Cubs had to trade Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith to get Tucker, so that context is important. Mike Tauchman wouldn't have had much of a place to play, so the Cubs don't miss him too much, even if he's had a solid year on the South Side. Their one big whiff here was essentially salary dumping Cody Bellinger. Trading Bellinger made sense, but if the Cubs were so eager to shed his money, it would've been nice to have seen them re-invest some of it. Their unwillingness to do so, combined with Bellinger having an outstanding year and the Cubs receiving nothing but salary relief for him, bumps down their offseason grade ever so slightly.

Cubs offseason re-grade: A-

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds made several offseason moves in an effort to improve, and to their credit, they've done so. They're just three wins away from matching their 2024 win total with 16 games to go, and they're in the thick of the NL Wild Card race.

The Reds addressed the back-end of their rotation by handing Nick Martinez the qualifying offer and trading for Brady Singer. Their rotation is the biggest reason why they're still alive in the postseason race. Gavin Lux and Austin Hays have been regulars for Cincinnati, and Jose Trevino has been a solid addition as well, even if his bat has lagged for the entire second half after a strong start.

I'd argue Singer has outperformed Jonathan India, and the Reds don't miss Ty France all that much. Two players they'd like to have right now, though, are Fernando Cruz and Justin Wilson, two relievers having strong years. It was easy to expect the Cruz deal to backfire, but Wilson breaking out in Boston came out of nowhere. The Reds made some nice additions, but didn't bat 1.000 on those, and had some key losses as well, overall.

Reds offseason re-grade: B

Milwaukee Brewers

I thought the Milwaukee Brewers had a disastrous offseason, but in true Brewers fashion, they enter Thursday's action with the best record in the sport. As impressive as their season has been, I can't exactly say their offseason is the reason why they've been thriving.

You'd be lying if you said the Brewers crushed it in the addition department. I mean, the biggest addition they made, Nestor Cortes, is no longer with the team. Jose Quintana has settled into the back-end of their rotation nicely, Caleb Durbin is a decent starting infielder, and Grant Anderson has been a pleasant surprise, but I wouldn't call any of these players game-changers or close to it.

This is particularly notable because of the players the Brewers lost. Willy Adames got off to a very slow start, but he's back to reminding the world that he's a star shortstop. The Brewers made no real attempt to replace him. Devin Williams hasn't had the season anyone expected with the New York Yankees, but I have no reason to believe he wouldn't have thrived in Milwaukee. Even guys like Colin Rea and Hoby Milner are serviceable relievers.

The Brewers have had an outstanding season, but they absolutely lost a lot more than they gained.

Brewers offseason re-grade: C

Pittsburgh Pirates

With a solid starting rotation in place, the Pittsburgh Pirates needed to add to their bullpen and lineup to compete for a postseason berth. Ben Cherington failed to address either need in a meaningful way, and the Pirates have had a disastrous season as a result.

Most of these players aren't horrible. In fact, Horwitz, McCutchen and Pham are this team's best hitters. With that being said, the other players being even worse than mediocre at best doesn't mean that trio is anything more than mediocre. The Pirates needed a whole lot more than mediocre. Oh yeah, Andrew Heaney was so bad that he was DFA'd. The best player on the list of additions turned out to be Caleb Ferguson, a journeyman left-handed reliever that the Pirates traded away.

The additions alone would probably give the Pirates a C grade, but they let Aroldis Chapman walk. I didn't think much of the Pirates letting Chapman walk, but Chapman is having one of the best seasons a reliever has had in recent memory. The odds of him replicating his success in Pittsburgh were probably slim, but it certainly hurts to watch him pitch like this for another team.

Pirates offseason re-grade: D

St. Louis Cardinals

Most of the St. Louis Cardinals' offseason was spent shopping Nolan Arenado around, and no deal was made. John Mozeliak did basically nothing all winter, which is a shame, because with some moves, this Cardinals team might've found its way into the postseason.

The only major addition made by the Cardinals was signing Phil Maton, a reliever who pitched well for them in a setup role before getting traded at the deadline. An under-the-radar move that gets brushed aside was the Cardinals' acquisition of Michael Helman for cash. It's easy to forget about this since Helman didn't play a single big league game for St. Louis, and he was DFA'd in May, but in his one-month cameo with the Texas Rangers, he's played an instrumental role in keeping that team in postseason contention. His .928 OPS in 23 games with Texas sure would be nice to have in St. Louis right about now.

None of these losses has stung much. Losing Kittredge but replacing him with Maton has made that essentially a wash. Gibson and Lynn have made no impact in 2025. Even Goldschmidt got off to a great start and crushes left-handed pitching, but he's looked his age as the year has progressed. They didn't lose much, but the fact that they made no meaningful gains makes this offseason a clear failure.

Cardinals offseason re-grade: D

Re-grading each NL West team's offseason

Arizona Diamondbacks

I thought the Arizona Diamondbacks were one of the biggest winners of the winter, winning the Corbin Burnes sweepstakes and making a couple of other nice additions. In hindsight, though, their offseason wasn't nearly as impactful as expected, and they aren't entirely to blame for that.

Corbin Burnes needing to undergo Tommy John Surgery after making just 11 starts was crushing and completely unexpected. It would've been one thing for Burnes to have struggled, but it's another for this pitcher, who was mostly durable in recent years, to suffer a major injury like that.

The Burnes addition doesn't look nearly as good knowing he's out for not only the remainder of this season but much, if not all, of next as well, but there were some other good pickups here. Josh Naylor played well in Arizona before getting flipped at the deadline with the team out of contention. The same can honestly be said about Randal Grichuk and Shelby Miller.

Ultimately, even though it isn't necessarily their fault, the Burnes situation lowers the grade. Who knows when he'll be back, and when he does return, who knows how well he'll pitch?

The D-Backs lost many key players, but most of them have struggled away from Arizona. I mean, Christian Walker has had a nice second half, but he's having his worst season since 2021. Joc Pederson looks like a shell of himself. Slade Cecconi hasn't really made the D-Backs regret trading him away.

Diamondbacks offseason re-grade: B-

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are having a brutally awful season, but imagine how things would've gone had they not made a couple of somewhat respectable moves in hindsight.

Most of these additions haven't done much of anything, but Mickey Moniak has hit 19 home runs and has a 107 OPS+ while looking like a player who could conceivably stick around. Jimmy Herget has a 2.50 ERA in 51 appearances, helping to turn his career around. Tyler Freeman has been getting on base at a decent clip. It isn't much, but it's something.

The best player the Rockies wound up losing was Charlie Blackmon who retired. The rest of these guys haven't made much of an impact at all on their other teams. The Rockies are not good, but their offseason wasn't that dreadful all things considered.

Rockies offseason re-grade: C+

Los Angeles Dodgers

I, and many others, thought that the Los Angeles Dodgers knocked this past offseason out of the park. Coming off a World Series title, they made several big-name additions, many of which frustrated the other 29 fan bases. In hindsight, though, their offseason wasn't nearly as impactful as expected.

I'm not sure how, but this offseason class wasn't a great one for Los Angeles. Blake Snell has been great when healthy, but he's made just nine starts. Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates have proven that relievers are extremely volatile by following up great seasons with bad ones. Teoscar Hernandez has had a down year and has missed time. Michael Conforto has been dreadful for the most part. Roki Sasaki has been one of the biggest busts of the winter. Clayton Kershaw might be the only player to completely exceed expectations on this list, which is crazy to say.

Ultimately, all that matters with this Dodgers team is October, so if these guys produce in the postseason, all will be forgiven. For now, though, it's hard not to feel like the Dodgers didn't dominate the winter as much as expected. They certainly didn't ruin the sport!

They might not have gained as much as expected, but they didn't really lose much either. Jack Flaherty has had a down year, Buehler struggled to the point where he was DFA'd by the Red Sox, Lux and Brasier haven't lit the world on fire in the NL Central either.

Dodgers offseason re-grade: C

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres had their work cut out for them to keep pace with the Dodgers, and from the looks of things, it appeared as if they had failed to do so. In hindsight, though, their offseason is what has them in the NL West race.

Where would the Padres be without Nick Pivetta? I mean, their rotation is an inconsistent mess, but Pivetta is the one constant for them to lean on. Gavin Sheets has had a resurgent year as well. Jose Iglesias hasn't been quite as impactful as expected, but the Pivetta addition alone really has San Diego in the NL West race.

The subtractions looked a lot worse over the winter than they do now. Scott was a huge loss, especially since he signed with the Dodgers, but he's had a brutal year. Profar was suspended for PEDs. Higashioka and Solano haven't met expectations. Kim has been hurt for most of the year. Somehow, Pivetta has been the most impactful player the Padres acquired or lost.

Padres offseason re-grade: B+

San Francisco Giants

At long last, the San Francisco Giants finally landed a big fish, signing Willy Adames to a lucrative seven-year deal. As exciting as that was, they didn't do enough in my mind at the time to make the jump to the postseason. Hindsight has proven that to be correct, but the Giants had a better winter than I initially gave them credit for.

These additions looked brutal in May or June, but the tides have changed in the second half. Willy Adames has bounced back following a slow start and has been San Francisco's MVP down the stretch in their playoff push. Justin Verlander looked washed, but he's pitched well lately. Even Joey Lucchesi, a player signed to a minor league deal, has been a crucial late-inning arm for them out of the bullpen.

As is the case with the Padres, these losses looked far more painful on paper than they've proven to be. The Dodgers got both Snell and Conforto, but Snell has been mostly hurt and Conforto has not played well. Rogers didn't make much of an impact in Cincinnati either. I'd say the Giants gained more than they lost in hindsight, which I did not expect to say at all, and especially after the start of this year.

Giants offseason re-grade: B

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