As the calendar flips to 2026, it’s time for all of us to reflect on what was and dedicate ourselves to personal improvement. For MLB front offices, it’s time to get this offseason off the ground. A lot has happened, to be fair, but the pace of this winter has become somewhat aggravating for the average fan. So many big names remain unsigned, with no end in sight, and spring training is right around the corner. It’s hard to pin the blame on any one entity for this (okay, Scott Boras), but we could all use a pick-me-up in the form of a big move.
Japanese stars Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto gave us a bit of a jolt, signing with Houston and Toronto, respectively, in quick succession. When it comes to the NL East in particular, however, the streets are barren, the tumbleweeds on tumbling, and nothing much is happening. Here’s what each team needs to do next as we embark on this new year.
Washington Nationals: Sign UTL Miguel Andujar
Miguel Andujar split last season between the A’s and the Cincinnati Reds. He was quite effective in Sacramento, but really took off after arriving in Cincy. The 30-year-old appeared in 34 regular season games for the Reds, posting a .944 OPS and 153 OPS+ with four home runs and 17 RBI. That is a small and noisy sample, but it’s a taste of what Andujar can accomplish when he’s on a roll.
The power element really isn’t a thing with Andujar, but he’s a contact machine. He gets on base and makes things happen. For a Washington Nationals team in desperate need of stability, especially in the infield, Andujar could go a long way. He’s especially dominant against lefties — and spent much of last season as a platoon accordingly — but his numbers against righties aren’t shabby either. The Nats can pencil him into a full-time gig if need be.
Andujar spent a lot of time in all four corners last season: third and first base, and left and right field. The Nationals can find room for him at all of those positions, although he figures to see the most run at third base. Andujar is not a successful defender metrically, but he’s got a real canon attached to his shoulder and the versatility is valuable in and of itself, even if he’s not especially gifted at any one position.
Washington has an excellent young core with James Wood, Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile and CJ Abrams. This team isn’t as far from contention as it may seem, but it takes real commitment from the front office. New GM Paul Toboni isn’t going to spend on the top shelf of free agency, but if he can strike the right short-term bargains, the Nats can elevate their floor considerably.
Atlanta Braves: Sign SP Chris Bassitt
The Atlanta Braves are going to be really good if they can stay healthy, he said again, for the 1,000th time, sure that this time will be different. Look… Atlanta has all the pieces. A full season of Ha-seong Kim shores up their one real weak point positionally, the Robert Suárez signing spices up the bullpen, and this rotation — on paper — has a ton of upside. But health is an omnipresent factor when discussing Atlanta’s ceiling as a team.
Injuries to the pitching staff in particular have decimated Atlanta these past couple seasons. The Braves aren’t going to spend top dollar on a Framber Valdez or a Ranger Suárez, but the right mid-rotation signing could work wonders. Chris Bassitt is 36 years old, on the back end of a negative aging curve, but he’s still quite effective. The curveball maven pitched 170.1 innings last season, notching a 3.96 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.
Bassitt relies on soft contact over punch-out stuff, but he mixes speeds and angles effectively. And most importantly, the dude is a paragon of durability. He has made 30-plus starts and pitched 170-plus innings in four straight seasons. He hasn’t really missed significant time since 2019. Health is a fickle thing sometimes, and the narrative can flip in a hurry — especially with older pitchers. But the proof is in the pudding with Bassitt. He doesn’t overexert himself on the mound and he just keeps on shoving.
If the Braves suffer through more unfortunate injuries, Bassitt’s steadfastness becomes a real boon. If Atlanta’s pitching staff is actually healthy and new manager Walt Weiss can field his full arsenal on the mound, Bassitt ought to function just fine in a long relief, swingman-type role. This feels like a perfect low-risk investment.
Miami Marlins: Sign 3B Eugenio Suárez
Miami Marlins fans began the offseason with optimism that the front office might finally spend a bit of money, at least in keeping with other small-market clubs on the prowl, like the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last season was a pleasant surprise in South Beach. The Marlins couldn’t quite crack the Wild Card picture, but they almost did behind a scrappy collective and a few standout youngsters.
The Pete Fairbanks signing was a nice gift for the holidays, but Miami has otherwise stayed far out of the running for free agent bats of note. We can go ahead and cross the Marlins off the list for the marquee names like Bo Bichette and Alex Bergman, but there should be more affordable swings available to them. One such option is veteran third baseman Eugenio Suárez.
Suárez’s shortcomings are well-documented and oft-cited by fans of more liquid teams, but Miami doesn’t have the luxury of being picky. For a certain market size, Suárez presents more than enough upside to justify a two- or three-year investment. He ought to come at an affordable price relative to last season’s production. Suárez, an All-Star, posted an .824 OPS and 126 OPS+, cranking 49 home runs.
His season was very much a tale of two halves — a dominant pre-deadline display in Arizona, then a swift fall back to earth post-deadline in Seattle. But Suárez has struggled in Seattle before; it’s just not the place for him. Miami provides a soft landing spot in an attractive city. Suárez will strike out a ton and he probably needs to DH some, but if he’s belting 40-plus home runs behind Jakob Marsee, Xavier Edwards and Kyle Stowers, you won’t find Marlins fans complaining much.
New York Mets: Trade for SP Freddy Peralta
It feels like the New York Mets are in position to sign one of the two remaining aces in free agency: Framber Valdez or Ranger Suárez, unless Baltimore swoops in and signs both. While the Mets’ spending power — and the chance to add an All-Star without sacrificing prospects — boosts the appeal of the free agent route, Freddy Peralta is more ideal. It will take a lot to pry him out of Milwaukee, especially since the Brewers probably don’t love the idea of sending him to an NL competitor. But the price is worth it.
First: New York has the money to re-sign Peralta on a competitive market. David Stearns doesn’t typically love high-money, long-term pitching contracts, but certain folks are worthy exceptions. It helps that Stearns knows how just ngood Peralta is from their shared Brewers tenure. Moreover, Peralta is flat-out better than either Valdez or Suárez. Both free agents have their appeal — Valdez for his consistency, Suárez for his postseason résumé — but Peralta is a bonafide 1A, frontline ace.
Milwaukee’s unexpected success last season was very much a collective effort, but to call them star-less was never accurate. Peralta was a star, and a worthy shout in the Cy Young race behind Paul Skenes and Cristopher Sánchez. The 29-year-old pitched 176.2 innings, posting a 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. He was in the 83rd percentile or better for whiff rate, strikeout rate and hard-hit rate.
Peralta gets a lot of ride on his mid-90s fastball and his changeup qualifies as a deadly weapon. He can come in and give New York a second, legitimate Cy Young challenger to Skenes alongside Nolan McLean, who looks ready for the big time himself. The rest of the Mets’ rotation is a bit of a question mark, the New York probably needs to sacrifice a bit of depth to bring in Peralta. Lookin’ at you, Jonah Tong or Brandon Sproat. But it’s worth it, especially if Stearns is serious about keeping Peralta around beyond 2026.
Philadelphia Phillies: Trade 3B Alec Bohm
The Philadelphia Phillies’ offseason has been frustratingly quiet to date. Re-signing Kyle Schwarber was the top priority and Dave Dombrowski delivered. He also made a nifty bullpen addition with the Brad Keller signing. But what happens now? Adolis García is an improvement over Nick Castellanos in right field, but he’s not without his own deep-seated flaws. Justin Crawford as an everyday center fielder, with Otto Kemp sharing the left field platoon with Brandon Marsh, does not exactly inspire confidence that Philadelphia has moved past its outfield woes.
Re-signing JT Realmuto is the next logical step, but really, the Phillies ought to be aiming higher. A serious team might put real effort toward signing either Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette. There’s enough faint smoke to cling to such dreams, however naive, but if the Phillies are going to meaningfully change the product from last season, it starts with trading Alec Bohm.
This needs to be a preceding move, not a final move, but dealing Bohm opens up a spot in the infield. It frees up a bit of cash. And better yet, it should net the Phillies a decent asset or two for an expiring free agent who has struggled to maintain his All-Star reputation from a couple years ago. Bohm generates a lot of solid contact, but he lacks slug and his processing tends to break down under pressure. He’s not a very good defender at the hot corner either. At worst, this is a palette cleanser that sets up a useful addition around the trade deadline.
Aidan Miller also raked his way through the Minors last season. Philadelphia tends to operate a bit more patiently with its top prospects, but there’s a world in which Miller takes the Opening Day job in lieu of Bohm. This is probably not going to happen, but the Phillies cannot “run it back” with minor tweaks. Trading Bohm sets the dominoes in motion for bigger and better things, whether it’s a dream signing like Bichette, a trade, or even Miller’s debut.