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The MLB offseason has been insane so far with star players signing enormous deals and players wearing different threads. Even though many teams have been making moves and have improved there are some that stick out.
It is easy to look at the Mets and what they have done in the offseason with all the money they have spent. Justin Verlander taking Jacob deGrom’s spot in the rotation and Kodai Senga seemingly taking Chris Bassitt’s spot. It is hard to say they have made a huge jump in improvement in their roster.
Although, there are a few teams who might take big jumps with their acquisitions so far.
Philadelphia Phillies
Fresh off of a World Series appearance the Phillies decided that they were not satisfied. They picked up superstar infielder Trea Turner who might just be the best at his position. Adding him to this lineup who got hot at the right time last year should add more consistency. The threat of his speed while on base will interesting to see with the new-sized bases.
They signed Turner to an 11-year, $300 million contract that will put him at 40 years old by the end of it. They will hope to take advantage of him now though with how close they came last season to winning it all, they are ready to strike.
If the Phillies had concerns at the beginning of last season, it was the pitching. However, that rotation led by Zack Wheeler showed up when they needed to and took them to the biggest stage in baseball. The Phillies also acquired Taijuan Walker on a four-year deal to solidify that rotation. Walker has had struggles in the second half of the season with the Mets but is a reliable arm who can be dominant at his best.
San Diego Padres
The Padres have made it extremely clear that they were ready to spend this offseason. Well, they did just that, signing one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Infielder Xander Bogaerts signed an 11-year $280 million deal that will most likely move Fernando Tatis Jr. to the outfield when he gets back from his suspension. Bogaerts had a 131 OPS+ last season and has been one of the league’s premier infielders for the last five years.
The Padres made it to the NLCS last season and still managed to make a huge splash in free agency. Let’s not mention the Padres trading for young phenom Juan Soto in the middle of last season. The Padres are not messing around when it comes to acquiring new talent to win now.
St. Louis Cardinals
Over the last 19 years, the Cardinals have had star catcher Yadier Molina catching for the them. After last season Molina decided to retire and the Cards did not waste any time trying to replace the generational talent. They signed three-time All-Star Willson Contreras to a five-year $87.5 million deal. This move will provide a great offensive boost to this team that hasn’t gotten much offensively from Molina in a few years.
Contreras had a 128 OPS+ last year and a 115 OPS+ over his career which will pair well with Paul Goldschmidt at first base. This team made it ot the postseason last year but did not get past the wildcard. The team may have to make another move before the season starts but this was a huge step for them.
