It should come as no surprise that the Los Angeles Dodgers, headlined by Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz, have added the most projected WAR of any team this offseason. Somehow, the back-to-back defending champions project to be even better in 2026.
With that being said, the margin of WAR added isn't as stark as some might think. Here's a look at how close to the pack the Dodgers really are, thanks to Thomas Nestico of TJStats.
MLB standings based on WAR added this offseason
AL East
Rank | Team | WAR Added | 2025 Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Red Sox | 4.5 | 89-73 |
2 | Toronto Blue Jays | 4.5 | 94-68 |
3 | Baltimore Orioles | 3.6 | 75-87 |
4 | New York Yankees | 1.5 | 94-68 |
5 | Tampa Bay Rays | -0.8 | 77-85 |
It's only fitting that the best division in baseball, the AL East, has three of the top five teams in terms of WAR added this offseason. Ironically enough, the New York Yankees, the team in this division most expected to spend the most, are at a below-average mark of 1.5 WAR added. Perhaps the Yankees will re-sign Cody Bellinger, but barring that, it'll likely be an extremely disappointing offseason for the Bronx Bombers, especially with three of their rivals getting so much better.
What's most surprising in this division is seeing the Boston Red Sox tied for the most WAR added. Red Sox fans are frustrated by how this offseason has unfolded, and I don't necessarily blame them considering their need for a power bat, but sitting at 4.5 WAR added even with Alex Bregman's departure shows how active Craig Breslow has been.
AL Central
Rank | Team | WAR Added | 2025 Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Detroit Tigers | 2.4 | 87-75 |
2 | Chicago White Sox | 2.2 | 60-102 |
3 | Kansas City Royals | 2.1 | 82-80 |
4 | Minnesota Twins | 1.1 | 70-92 |
5 | Cleveland Guardians | 0.0 | 88-74 |
All eyes are on Tarik Skubal in the Motor City, and understandably so, but this makes it clear that the Detroit Tigers have added shrewdly on the margins this offseason. Have they done enough to get into the World Series picture in what could be their last season with Skubal? That can be debated. Still, they might be AL Central favorites right now.
This is especially the case because of how underwhelming an offseason the Cleveland Guardians have had. Despite winning last year's AL Central, the Guardians have done virtually nothing to improve, and nothing suggests that's going to change anytime soon.
AL West
Rank | Team | WAR Added | 2025 Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Houston Astros | 3.2 | 87-75 |
2 | Los Angeles Angels | 2.2 | 72-90 |
3 | Texas Rangers | 1.4 | 81-81 |
4 | Seattle Mariners | 0.6 | 90-72 |
5 | Athletics | 0.2 | 76-86 |
It's a bit surprising seeing the Houston Astros at the top of the AL West and within the top 10 in the Majors in WAR added, yet that's where they are right now. Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows figure to be massive additions to a rotation that needed improvements, and they haven't lost much outside of (likely) Framber Valdez. Perhaps we'll see Houston back in the postseason after a rough finish to the 2025 campaign.
On the flip side, it's clear that the Seattle Mariners need to do more. Bringing Josh Naylor back was nice, but the Mariners lost Jorge Polanco and might lose Eugenio Suarez as well. Bolstering the lineup is a must for Jerry Dipoto.
NL East
Rank | Team | WAR Added | 2025 Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Philadelphia Phillies | 4.6 | 96-66 |
2 | Atlanta Braves | 3.3 | 76-86 |
3 | New York Mets | 3.0 | 83-79 |
4 | Washington Nationals | 1.4 | 66-96 |
5 | Miami Marlins | 1.2 | 79-83 |
The Philadelphia Phillies have added the second-most WAR this offseason, but that figure can be taken with a small grain of salt. Just about all of the WAR they've added came from re-signing the likes of Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto. Ensuring Schwarber, in particular, stayed put was important, but are we sure the Phillies are any better than they were in 2025?
On the other end of the spectrum, it's hard not to be a little demoralized if you're a Miami Marlins fan. The Marlins looked like a team on the rise in the second half of last season, but they traded both Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers and haven't added much beyond reliever Pete Fairbanks.
NL Central
Rank | Team | WAR Added | 2025 Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chicago Cubs | 3.3 | 92-70 |
2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2.5 | 71-91 |
3 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1.8 | 97-65 |
4 | Cincinnati Reds | 1.5 | 83-79 |
5 | St. Louis Cardinals | -2.4 | 78-84 |
The Chicago Cubs lost Kyle Tucker, but pivoted by trading for Edward Cabrera and winning the Alex Bregman sweepstakes. It remains to be seen whether they'll be better overall, since they lost a marquee piece, but Cubs fans can't say their team hasn't tried to improve.
As for the St. Louis Cardinals, the opposite is true. They have not tried to get better: They've only tried to get worse. Entering a rebuild makes sense, though, and it'll be interesting to see just how much of their roster they're willing to tear down. Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado are gone; might Brendan Donovan be next?
NL West
Rank | Team | WAR Added | 2025 Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 4.9 | 93-69 |
2 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 3.0 | 80-82 |
3 | San Diego Padres | 2.8 | 90-72 |
4 | San Francisco Giants | 1.5 | 81-81 |
5 | Colorado Rockies | 1.4 | 43-119 |
The Dodgers have added more WAR than anybody, and that isn't a surprise, but they have only added 0.3 more WAR than the Phillies and 0.4 more WAR than the Red Sox and Blue Jays. Now, the Dodgers loading up even further and acquiring a Skubal or Freddy Peralta would make the gap ridiculous, but for now, they have some competition at the top.
It'd be nice to see their division rivals try to improve a bit more, though. The Arizona Diamondbacks keeping Ketel Marte helps, but it's not as if Nolan Arenado and Merrill Kelly are marquee additions. The San Diego Padres re-signed Michael King, but can they afford to do anything else? Are the San Francisco Giants willing to spend this winter? Without action from the non-Dodgers teams out west teams, it feels as if Los Angeles is going to sleepwalk to another division title.
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