The offseason is over! Spring training is here! The dust has finally settled on the hot stove season, and while some teams are entering the 2023 season with a familiar squad, others have a completely new look.
Yes, it does help to have an owner who is willing to spend money, but there is no grading on a curve here. If the Padres can run one of the highest payrolls in the sport, then your local small-market owner can afford to spend a little more.
Let’s hand out some offseason grades — starting with the clubs that dominated the offseason and ending with the ones that left much to be desired.
Jump to a team:
AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
AL West: HOU | LAA | OAK | SEA | TEX
NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF
Additions: RHP Justin Verlander, RHP Kodai Senga, LHP Jose Quintana, RHP David Robertson, LHP Brooks Raley, C Omar Narvaez, OF Tommy Pham (re-signed OF Brandon Nimmo, RHP Edwin Diaz, RHP Adam Ottavino)
Departures: RHP Jacob deGrom, RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Taijuan Walker, RHP Seth Lugo, RHP Trevor Williams, C James McCann
The Mets’ payroll, including tax penalties, will be a projected $468.5 million — more than $150 million higher than the Yankees’ payroll. That has inevitably led to some backlash from fellow owners. There is crying in baseball. “I’m not responsible for how other teams run their clubs,” owner Steve Cohen told ESPN’s Jeff Passan in a recent interview.
