The Winter Meetings had some stunners (see: Pete Alonso signing with the Baltimore Orioles) and some obvious moves (Kyle Schwarber re-signing with the Philadelphia Phillies). But there are plenty of players who are unsigned, which means the days leading up to Christmas should be very active.
So what teams will be active? What teams will be inactive? Let’s dive into 5 teams who will be active and 5 teams who won’t.
Active: Los Angeles Dodgers
Whether it’s Kyle Tucker or another big name, the Dodgers will be involved in the market for another splash. Andrew Friedman confirmed as such. He just doesn’t know the likelihood. But it’s clear that the Dodgers are once again thinking big, and if they end up adding another star they’ll have an extremely good chance of winning their third World Series in a row.
Active: New York Mets
I mean … they have to be, right? Losing Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo in less than a month is a massive blow to the Mets. They need to replace each player, and also address other areas on the roster, in order to have a chance at the postseason. I trust David Stearns. He’s a brilliant executive and has Steve Cohen’s deep pockets at his disposal. He cannot get this wrong, though, otherwise Mets fans will be all over him. Look for their focus to be on run prevention, also known as pitching and plus-defenders.
Active: Toronto Blue Jays
Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker remain in play for the Toronto Blue Jays. So that automatically qualifies them for the ‘active’ category, and it would hardly be a surprise if they landed one. Two, however, might be a stretch. But look for the Blue Jays to add a big name to the offense while exploring the bullpen markets, perhaps other areas as well.
Active: Pittsburgh Pirates
How about that! The Pirates in the active list. They absolutely belong here because in talking to team executives and agents at the Winter Meetings they were poking around on a bunch of stuff, mainly the offense. They were active in the bullpen market, ultimately signing Gregory Soto to a one-year deal. Look for Pittsburgh to add multiple bats to the offense this winter.
Active: Seattle Mariners
Do they get Ketel Marte? Do they re-sign Jorge Polanco? Either way, the Mariners will do stuff. Jerry Dipoto is the American League’s version of A.J. Preller where he’s always moving and shaking and I expect him to do anything necessary to get the Mariners to the World Series.
Inactive: Milwaukee Brewers
Maybe they trade Freddy Peralta or another reliever. But all indications are it may be another quiet offseason in Milwaukee, which would be unfortunate. They have an incredibly talented roster, great coaching and a brilliant front office. I’d love to be proven wrong here and watch them go out and spend big in free agency. I just don’t see it happening.
Inactive: Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are a long, long way from contending. Paul DePodesta has his work cut out for him. I don’t anticipate them being active in free agency, instead leaning toward more cost-effective moves after a 43-win season.
Inactive: Texas Rangers
The word from the Rangers all winter is saving money. That meant trading Marcus Semien and non-tendering a few relievers. Perhaps that extends to trading Corey Seager, but word is the team will not just trade Seager just to trade him. They’ll want a meaningful haul, which could make a trade tough. Still, if the Rangers add this winter, look for it to be smaller signings rather than a splash.
Inactive: Minnesota Twins
Let me make this clear: I can still see the Minnesota Twins doing something this winter, possibly a Ryan O’Hearn type. But I can’t see them doing anything too big after their epic trade deadline selloff. So that’s why they’re in this category.
Inactive: Cincinnati Reds
This one is unfortunate. They really wanted Kyle Schwarber this winter, instead losing him to the Phillies. Now, they’re signaling that it was their one opportunity to spend big this winter. That shouldn’t be the case. That team has pieces, has a great manager in Tito Francona, and they complement each other very well. Spend!