Winners and losers from a wild MLB offseason Tuesday

Tuesday’s deadline for MLB teams to add minor leaguers to their 40-man roster and for MLB players to officially accept or decline their qualifying offer made for a wild few hours. Which teams did well and which teams stumbled? Here are our thoughts.

Winners and losers from a Tuesday focused on shaping MLB rosters

Winners

New York Yankees — Working out a deal with Anthony Rizzo after he rejected their qualifying offer not only kept one of New York’s big bats in the Bronx, but also was a dagger for the rival Houston Astros, who reportedly had Rizzo as their top target to sign for first base this offseason.

Tyler Anderson — The former first-round pick kept his career ascension climbing, inking a three-year, $39 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. A new grip on his changeup made all of the difference last season with the cross-town rival Dodgers as he logged a 2.57 ERA in 30 games (28 starts) and became a valuable part of the rotation at Chavez Ravine.

Joc Pederson — The San Francisco Giants outfielder will be back in the Bay Area next season after accepting the qualifying offer. The 30-year-old gets a nice payday and avoids any of the drama associated with free agency. Now the big question … can he duplicate his success from last season (.274/.353/.521 slash line with 23 homers and 70 RBI) in 2023 and perhaps grab a bigger payday next offseason?

Martín Pérez — Like Pederson, Pérez accepted his team’s qualifying offer and will be with the Texas Rangers to start the 2023 campaign. Coming off his first All-Star season and being paid $4 million last season, Pérez capitalized on a career year in 2022 (2.89 ERA/3.26 FIP/1.258 WHIP in 32 starts). Can he pitch like an All-Star again in 2023? Texas is counting on it.

Losers

Houston Astros — Rizzo stays in New York and reported plans to fill first base get blown up by a chief American League rival. Looking at the 2022 World Series trophy probably helps soothe some of the pain, but knowing Rizzo isn’t an option cuts down on potential names who could bring more power into the Houston lineup in 2023.

Could it have been a bad day for the Astros on multiple levels? We will have to wait and see about the answer to that question.

Texas Rangers — Putting the qualifying offer on Pérez is taking a big chance on a pitcher with a career 4.43 ERA/4.35 FIP/1.446 WHIP. There’s certainly a possibility that the 31-year-old southpaw duplicates his success from last season, but numbers indicate Texas could see a regression in 2023.

Toronto Blue Jays — With a DFA of Raimel Tapia, it’s clear that the 2022 trade that sent Randal Grichuk to the Colorado Rockies didn’t work out for the Blue Jays. Now the quest begins once again for a left-handed-hitting outfielder who can make an impact in Toronto.