1 Sentence to Describe Every Team Entering MLB Winter Meetings 2022
Things move fast at Major League Baseball's winter meetings, so we hope nobody's come here hoping for in-depth breakdowns of every team in the league. Nobody's got time for that.
Instead, we settled on summarizing where all 30 teams stand in just one sentence.
This involved weighing what each club has or hasn't done during since the 2022-23 offseason began following the conclusion of the World Series on Nov. 5. Even more so, it involved taking cues from the rumor mill as to what plots might be afoot.
We'll go division by division, starting in the American League East and ending with the National League West.
American League East
Baltimore Orioles
2022 Record: 83-79
Notable Moves: Signed 1B/OF Franchy Cordero, RHP Kyle Gibson
The Orioles darn well should be browsing the top shelf of the free-agent market after the season they just had, so it's encouraging to hear they have eyes on the star-studded shortstop class and on the best available left-hander, Carlos Rodón.
Boston Red Sox
2022 Record: 78-84
Notable Moves: Signed RHP Chris Martin, LHP Joely Rodríguez; traded for INF Hoy Park
It's about time the Red Sox got serious about a bullpen that has been persistently stinky over the past few years, but it's doubtful anyone will be truly happy about their offseason if they don't follow through on re-signing Xander Bogaerts and extending Rafael Devers.
New York Yankees
2022 Record: 99-63
Notable Moves: Re-signed 1B Anthony Rizzo
Assuming ESPN's Jeff Passan is accurate in noting the Yankees may be willing to go beyond even the $300 million offer they have on the table for Aaron Judge, then they clearly understand that guys who can hit 62 home runs aren't easy replaceable.
Tampa Bay Rays
2022 Record: 86-76
Notable Moves: Signed RHP Zach Eflin
The Rays might not have much more to spend after signing Eflin to the largest free-agent contract in their history, so they'd better be right in thinking that his career 95 ERA+ undersells his potential.
Toronto Blue Jays
2022 Record: 92-70
Notable Moves: Traded OF/DH Teoscar Hernández
There's bound to be another shoe to drop in the wake of the Hernández trade, and chances are it's going to involve Brandon Nimmo, Cody Bellinger or somebody else who can be the impact left-handed hitter the Blue Jays lineup sorely needs.
American League Central
Chicago White Sox
2022 Record: 81-81
Notable Moves: Signed RHP Mike Clevinger
No matter what else they do between now and Opening Day, letting José Abreu take his power and clubhouse leadership to the Houston Astros is going to be the defining decision of the White Sox's offseason.
Cleveland Guardians
2022 Record: 92-70
Notable Moves: Traded INF Nolan Jones
The Guardians made their own run at Abreu, but the fact that they couldn't match Houston's $58.5 million offer raises a question of whether they have the budget to acquire the power their contact-happy offense was missing this year.
Detroit Tigers
2022 Record: 66-96
Notable Moves: Signed LHP Matthew Boyd
Reuniting with Boyd was a solid start, but it's still hard to gauge exactly how Scott Harris, the Tigers' new president of baseball operations, is going to clean up the years-in-the-making mess he inherited from fired general manager Al Avila.
Kansas City Royals
2022 Record: 65-97
Notable Moves: None
J.J. Picollo likewise inherited a mess from Dayton Moore, but the Royals' perennially slender payrolls unfortunately don't give him much choice but to play the long game in getting the team back to contention after six straight losing seasons.
Minnesota Twins
2022 Record: 78-84
Notable Moves: Traded for INF Kyle Farmer; traded 3B Gio Urshela
Even if the Twins have thus far been quiet, the amount of payroll space they have to work with makes it hard to count them out on re-signing Carlos Correa or, failing that, going after any of the other big fish on the open market.
American League West
Houston Astros
2022 Record: 106-56
Notable Moves: Signed 1B José Abreu; re-signed RHP Rafael Montero
The wonderful vibes of the Astros winning the World Series (for real this time) have since given way to weird ones, as the addition of Abreu only does so much to distract from the team's front-office turnover and the hard bargain it's driving with Justin Verlander.
Los Angeles Angels
2022 Record: 73-89
Notable Moves: Signed LHP Tyler Anderson; traded for RF Hunter Renfroe, 3B Gio Urshela
The Angels are mired in an eight-year playoff drought precisely because they've forced their superstars to play with so many bumbling extras, so it's hard to fault the approach they've taken in adding three highly capable role players.
Oakland Athletics
2022 Record: 60-102
Notable Moves: None
If you think the A's are a decrepit carcass of a baseball team right now, just wait until they trade underrated two-way catcher Sean Murphy.
Seattle Mariners
2022 Record: 90-72
Notable Moves: Traded for OF/DH Teoscar Hernández, 2B Kolten Wong; traded OF Kyle Lewis, INF Abraham Toro, OF Jesse Winker; signed RHP Trevor Gott
They don't call Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto "Trader Jerry" for nothing, folks, and he's already done enough on that front to put his club in the running for the most improved team of the winter.
Texas Rangers
2022 Record: 68-94
Notable Moves: Signed RHP Jacob deGrom; re-signed LHP Martín Pérez; traded for RHP Jake Odorizzi
Our thinking is that the signing of deGrom is as risky as it was surprising, and you won't get us to change our tune until the Rangers make additional high-impact moves to further bolster their chances of rising out of the muck in 2023.
National League East
Atlanta
2022 Record: 101-61
Notable Moves: Signed RHP Nick Anderson; traded for LHP Kolby Allard, OF Sam Hilliard, RHP Dennis Santana
There's a report out that Atlanta could be willing to exceed the luxury-tax threshold in 2023, and they're indeed going to have to do that if they want to re-sign Dansby Swanson or replace him with a similary talented shortstop.
Miami Marlins
2022 Record: 69-93
Notable Moves: Traded for RHP J.T. Chargois, INF Xavier Edwards
It's all well and good that the Marlins were also in on Abreu before he signed with Houston, but the fact that they ultimately couldn't afford him puts them in the same boat as the Guardians with respect to their questionable resources for attaining the power they need.
New York Mets
2022 Record: 101-61
Notable Moves: Re-signed RHP Edwin Díaz; traded for RHP Elieser Hernández
The Mets failing to retain deGrom wasn't exactly a betting favorite when the hot stove was first lit, so suffice it to say there's now considerable pressure on them to avoid the worst-case scenario of also missing out on Justin Verlander and/or Carlos Rodón.
Philadelphia Phillies
2022 Record: 87-75
Notable Moves: None
The defending National League champions seem to have tens of millions of dollars available for new salaries, which means they won't have a good excuse if they fail to secure Trea Turner (reportedly their top choice) or one of the market's other star shortstops.
Washington Nationals
2022 Record: 55-107
Notable Moves: Signed 3B Jeimer Candelario, OF Stone Garrett
The 125 OPS+ Candelario put up across 2020 and 2021 should be taken as a sign that he could become a valuable trade chip, of which the Nationals need as many as they can get as they seek to build up their middling farm system.
National League Central
Chicago Cubs
2022 Record: 74-88
Notable Moves: None
The Cubs are fresh off going 39-31 after the All-Star break, so it'll be that much easier to talk about them as a contender for 2023 if they can finally land Carlos Correa or successfully pivot to Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts or Dansby Swanson.
Cincinnati Reds
2022 Record: 62-100
Notable Moves: Signed C Luke Maile; traded for INF Kevin Newman, INF Nick Solak
It'll be a while before the Reds finish a rebuild that only just began earlier this year, so we implore them to please trade Joey Votto to a place where he'd have a chance to win a ring before he calls it quits on his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
Milwaukee Brewers
2022 Record: 86-76
Notable Moves: Traded for RHP Javy Guerra, INF Abraham Toro, OF Jesse Winker; traded RF Hunter Renfroe, 2B Kolten Wong
It's fair game to quibble about whether the trades of Renfroe and Wong were truly necessary, but it's undeniably better that the Brewers cleared payroll that way instead of through trades of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff or Willy Adames.
Pittsburgh Pirates
2022 Record: 62-100
Notable Moves: Signed 1B Carlos Santana, traded for 1B Ji-Man Choi
The fact that the Pirates offered to make Bryan Reynolds the highest-paid player in their history only for him to request a trade ought to tell you everything you need to know about the height of that particular bar.
St. Louis Cardinals
2022 Record: 93-69
Notable Moves: Re-signed RHP Adam Wainwright
Given how set they are elsewhere on their roster, the Cardinals' offseason will arguably be successful as soon as they find the heir they seek—especially if it's Willson Contreras or, even better, Sean Murphy—for Yadier Molina behind the plate.
National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks
2022 Record: 74-88
Notable Moves: Signed RHP Miguel Castro; traded for OF Kyle Lewis
The Diamondbacks may not be the main attraction in the NL West, but they may yet make some noise by trading from their outfield surplus or even following through on their reported interest in Xander Bogaerts.
Colorado Rockies
2022 Record: 68-94
Notable Moves: Re-signed RHP José Ureña; traded for INF Nolan Jones
While it doesn't sound like the Rockies have another Kris Bryant-sized splash up their sleeve, it shouldn't be too much to ask that they try to fill their massive hole in center field with a Brandon Nimmo, a Cody Bellinger or a Kevin Kiermaier.
Los Angeles Dodgers
2022 Record: 111-51
Notable Moves: Re-signed LHP Clayton Kershaw; signed RHP Shelby Miller
The Dodgers may have cut more than $100 million in salaries on paper, but their actual budget may be small enough to require them to get creative in filling their holes at shortstop, center field and in both the front end of their rotation and the back end of their bullpen.
San Diego Padres
2022 Record: 89-73
Notable Moves: Re-signed RHP Nick Martinez, RHP Robert Suárez
Even if the Padres are already brushing up against next year's $233 million luxury-tax threshold, their apparent interest in Trea Turner and other top shortstops indicates GM A.J. Preller remains incapable of not inquiring whenever a superstar player is available.
San Francisco Giants
2022 Record: 81-81
Notable Moves: Re-signed OF Joc Pederson
We'll grant that our take that the Giants shouldn't sign Aaron Judge probably isn't a popular opinion, yet Giants fans should take comfort in knowing there's precisely zero chance of the team's ample payroll space going to waste even if Judge doesn't go to San Francisco.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.