3 MLB teams with plenty of work left to do this offseason
With the Major League Baseball offseason on hold because of the lockout, MLB transactions have come to a halt. However, once a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is in place, it’s expected that there will be plenty of spending on free agents and trades made as teams plan for how they will compete in 2022.
Recently, we touched on three teams that had already been successful this offseason with the moves they made before the lockout. In this article, let’s take a look at three teams that still have plenty of boxes left to check off their to-do list before spring training begins.
MLB offseason: The Los Angeles Dodgers have plenty of pitching questions to answer
While the Dodgers did resign super utility man Chris Taylor just before the lockout commenced, they also saw Corey Seager and Max Scherzer leave for other teams. Replacing Seager with Trea Turner makes sense, but the Dodgers don’t have an answer right now on how they will fill the hole left by Scherzer’s departure. Yes, the Dodgers inked Andrew Heaney, but is that the answer for a rotation that could potentially lose Clayton Kershaw as well?
While the bullpen still has questions with the potential departures of Kenley Jansen and Joe Kelly, it will likely be the starters where the Dodgers try to make the most impact once the offseason begins again. Plenty of other teams have made a splash by signing starting pitching, and it’s very likely the Dodgers will join that group before spring training kicks off.
MLB offseason: The St. Louis Cardinals have pitching needs and could upgrade at shortstop
St. Louis is one of those teams that signed a free agent starting pitcher before the lockout, inking southpaw Steven Matz to a four-year deal. Now the question becomes what else will the Cardinals do to boost the back end of a rotation that was held together in 2021 by signing veterans like J.A. Happ, Wade LeBlanc, and Jon Lester and praying they could eat innings.
Matz will join a rotation that could include a combination of Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, Dakota Hudson, Johan Oviedo, Matthew Liberatore, Alex Reyes, and/or Jake Woodford. There are plenty of questions in that group about what they can contribute in 2022. Having another reliable arm heading into the season to provide quality depth would alleviate some concerns about injuries that caused the Cardinals to sign stopgap veterans last season.
Another reliable starter would be a big boost for the Cardinals. The same could be said for the shortstop position, where Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has confidence in a bounce back season for Paul DeJong and another year of growth for Edmundo Sosa. Our own Robert Murray has reported that the Cardinals are likely out of the hunt for a high-priced shortstop like Trevor Story, but are there other options who could be a fit for the budget and upgrade the position? It’s possible, and something the Cardinals will likely keep an eye on once the offseason begins again.
MLB offseason: The New York Yankees have to figure out where they are going to spend their money
There has been plenty of buzz with free agents coming to New York this offseason, but it has been the Mets who have been doing the spending while the Yankees have been very quiet.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has said that his team is “obviously” looking at the shortstop market, an area where the team could upgrade. However, it’s been said that the team could avoid a high-priced contract this offseason in order to save its dollars for an Aaron Judge contract extension. New York has much-ballyhooed prospect Anthony Volpe on the MLB fast track, so it’s possible the Yankees find a less expensive “bridge option” this offseason to get the team through at shortstop until Volpe is ready.
New York also needs to figure out what its plan is for first base. Is a reunion with Anthony Rizzo a possibility, or could the Yankees made a trade with Oakland for Matt Olson?
Cashman has also mentioned that center field is an area that is ripe for improvement, and let’s not forget that the rotation needs a solid arm to fill in behind Gerrit Cole. It’s one of the reasons why the Yankees went after Justin Verlander before he once again signed with the Houston Astros. Like the Dodgers, however, the Yankees have already missed out on several starting pitchers who have already signed with other teams. Will they find another starter through a trade?
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Will New York figure out a way to afford Judge as well as spending what it takes to acquire the talent it needs to get back to the World Series? That will be a fascinating question to watch when baseball transactions return.