9 MLB Teams with the Most Work to Do Before 2024 Spring Training

Spring training will be here before you know it, which is a glad tiding for most of us.

But for some MLB teams, it should function more as a warning.

The looming spring means the offseason is winding down, and I'm looking at nine teams—originally 10 before the Baltimore Orioles traded for Corbin Burnes on Thursday—that can't look at how they've rearranged their rosters for 2024 and call it a job well done. They still have work to do.

One could count clubs like the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals among this group. But it seemed a lot more instructive to focus on contenders, be they legitimate or merely ostensible, whose efforts this winter have thus far been underwhelming. So, that's what I did.

After first touching on some honorable mentions, let's count down these nine teams in descending order of how solid their footing is heading into the '24 campaign.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians haven't added even one power source to a lineup that produced a league-low 124 home runs in 2023. But with their payroll not expected to budge any higher this year, it's perhaps useless to even suggest potential solutions for this problem.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers took care of first base when they signed Rhys Hoskins, but a question mark still looms across the diamond at third base. And while the Burnes trade did clear valuable payroll space, whether it'll be put toward the hot corner is anyone's guess.

New York Yankees

Marcus Stroman doesn't seem like a good enough stabilizer for the Yankees' rotation after Gerrit Cole, yet the team's focus has reportedly moved to the bullpen anyway. New York really only needs one reliever, which is a small need in the scheme of things.

2023 Record: 90-72, 2nd in AL West

Notable Signings: RHP Tyler Mahle, RHP David Robertson, RHP Kirby Yates, C Andrew Knizner, OF Travis Jankowski

Notable Trade Additions: None

Let's not get too down on the Rangers. DraftKings gives them +1200 odds of repeating as World Series champions, with only four teams ahead of them in that particular pecking order.

Yet whatever Rangers fans envisioned for the winter after the club's first championship, it probably wasn't an offseason highlighted by a $22 million deal with an injured pitcher in Tyler Mahle, with lowlights including surgeries for Max Scherzer and Corey Seager and inaction in general.

In theory, the Rangers could still bring back Jordan Montgomery. But in reality, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News suggests we shouldn't count on it:

Still, this was before Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported on Thursday that Rangers games will continue to be broadcast via the Diamond Sports Group in 2024. It's only a one-year deal, but it could be worth close to $100 million.

If not for Montgomery, that kind of money should at least buy lesser insurance options for Scherzer in the rotation and Seager at shortstop. And possibly a regular designated hitter, for which ESPN's Buster Olney says the Rangers have some interest in Brandon Belt.

2023 Record: 88-74, 3rd in AL West

Notable Signings: DH Mitch Garver

Notable Trade Additions: 2B Jorge Polanco, LF Luke Raley, RF Mitch Haniger, INF Luis Urías, C Seby Zavala, RHP Jackson Kowar

The Mariners arguably don't belong on this list, both because they've been plenty busy this winter and because their roster looks better because of it.

To wit, FanGraphs projects the Mariners to produce slightly more wins above replacement than the Rangers. I come down on the side of that being overly optimistic, but it's not an entirely unrealistic outcome in context of how little Texas has done this winter.

Yet the general vibe coming out of the Pacific Northwest is that the Mariners aren't done yet.

They've had talks with the Chicago White Sox about Dylan Cease, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, and simply adding him might not be the endgame. As Jon Morosi of MLB.com pondered, a trade for Cease could trigger a subsequent deal for a hitter:

If the dominoes fall just right, the Mariners would stack up pretty well against both the Rangers and the Houston Astros in the American League West. Heck, simply adding a hitter would arguably do the trick, especially if they surprise everyone with a winning bid for Cody Bellinger or Matt Chapman.

2023 Record: 83-79, 2nd in NL Central

Notable Signings: LHP Shōta Imanaga, RHP Hector Neris

Notable Trade Additions: INF Michael Busch, RHP Yency Almonte

The Chicago Cubs probably should have won more like 90 games last season, so it's possible that hiring Craig Counsell as their manager will prove to be their biggest move of the winter.

Yet there's still time for the Cubs to add another contender for that honor. And as Olney heard from a high-ranking evaluator in January, they're "the team to watch" for a big move.

This was before the Cubs added Neris, but a $9 million deal with a reliever barely counts as a splash. Even their $53 million pact with Imanaga was a lesser splash than expected, in part because the southpaw reportedly left money on the table to sign with the North Siders.

The signs point to the Cubs re-signing Bellinger, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post saying on a B/R livestream last week that the "likelihood" is that the erstwhile Rookie of the Year and MVP will return to Chicago:

The Cubs would still have minor needs (i.e., a lefty reliever) even if they do re-sign Bellinger, yet that move alone would definitely shake up the National League Central. Whereas there arguably isn't a favorite to win the division right now, re-upping with Bellinger would put that hat firmly on the Cubs.

2023 Record: 79-83, 4th in NL West

Notable Signings: CF Jung Hoo Lee, RHP Jordan Hicks, C Tom Murphy

Notable Trade Additions: LHP Robbie Ray

Even though it wasn't unexpected, it was still painful when the Giants added Shohei Ohtani to the growing list of stars they've swung and missed at in recent years.

It's commendable that the Giants didn't just stick their hands in their pockets and walk away after this latest heartbreak. Lee's and Hicks' deals amount to $157 million worth of commitments, putting the Giants squarely among the winter's top spenders.

It's OK to be unimpressed, though. That's my feeling, anyway, as I feel that a team that went 81-81 in 2022 and 79-83 in 2023 needed more than a new leadoff guy and an electric, yet wild right-hander. And for his part, Ray likely won't retake the mound until the middle of 2024.

Luckily, the Giants still have a $33 million gap between what they spent in 2023 and project to spend in 2024. That's enough for a big splash, whether it's on Blake Snell, Montgomery, Chapman or even Bellinger.

One, two or even three smaller splashes aren't going to cut it. As currently situated, the Giants are at best the No. 3 team in the NL West. And they could go down to No. 4 depending on what the next team does with the time it still has.

2023 Record: 82-80, 3rd in NL West

Notable Signings: LHP Yuki Matsui, LHP Wandy Peralta, RHP Woo Suk Go

Notable Trade Additions: RHP Michael King, RHP Randy Vásquez, C Kyle Higashioka, RHP Enyel De Los Santos

If all you look at is what the Padres have gained this winter, then you'll come away thinking they've done pretty well. That's a lot of new players! Good for them.

It's too bad this is not how, well, anyone is looking at the situation. As nice as those gains are, what's not so nice are the losses of Juan Soto, Josh Hader, Michael Wacha, Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo and the pending loss of Snell.

Together, those six produced 19.5 rWAR in 2023. Or, close to half the team's total of 44.1 rWAR.

The Padres still project better than the Giants despite all this, but they're looking up at the Arizona Diamondbacks and way up at the Los Angeles Dodgers. If they're going to close those gaps, they'll have to do it on a budget amid an apparent mandate to cut payroll below $200 million.

More starting pitching depth would be nice, but what San Diego absolutely needs are outfielders and a designated hitter. Michael A. Taylor is out there for them, but they could potentially pursue Jorge Soler or J.D. Martinez and still come in under budget.

2023 Record: 78-84, 5th in AL East

Notable Signings: RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Chris Flexen

Notable Trade Additions: LF Tyler O'Neill, 2B Vaughn Grissom

It's hard to take the Red Sox seriously as a contender when even their ownership isn't all-in on winning this season.

Where there was once talk of going "full throttle," now there's talk of the team "probably" having a lower payroll in 2024 than it did in 2023. It's a frustrating bit of self-stagnation, especially given that the Red Sox only finished six games under .500 last year.

Yet could it be a smokescreen? Maybe, as Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox are still in on the top free-agent starters despite the payroll-cutting chatter:

It's hard to imagine the Red Sox signing Snell, but Montgomery has been consistently linked to them since pretty much the start of the offseason. Adding him would be huge for a rotation that, though it gained Giolito, also lost Chris Sale.

Boston has also been linked to a handful of smaller targets, including hurlers Jakob Junis and Ryne Stanek (see here) and a familiar face in outfielder Adam Duvall (here). Merely signing these guys isn't likely to be the difference in getting the team back toward the top of the AL East, but the attitude frankly needs to be that every little bit helps.

2023 Record: 73-89, 4th in AL West

Notable Signings: RHP Robert Stephenson, LHP Matt Moore, RHP Luis García, RHP Adam Cimber, RHP Zach Plesac, LHP Adam Kolarek, OF Aaron Hicks

Notable Trade Additions: None

It's a nice bullpen the Angels have lined up for 2024, and that's not a small compliment after their relievers coughed up a 4.88 ERA last season.

Yet any team coming off an 89-loss season needs to do more than just patch up its bullpen, and this is no ordinary example of such a team. With Shohei Ohtani now an ex-Angel, the franchise is basically "Not great, Bob" personified.

The Angels probably should be rebuilding right now, but they were adamant upon hiring Ron Washington that this is not the plan. If so, it can only help that they have $43 million in space between their 2023 spending and projected 2024 spending.

There's enough room for Snell, for whom Nightengale classified the Angels as the "strongest suitor" in January. Duvall and, more recently by way of Heyman, Joey Votto have also been connected to the Angels, who are also a hypothetical fit for Montgomery, Bellinger and Chapman.

No combination of the above is going to vault the Angels into contention for the AL West title in 2024. But if they add some more guys and get healthy, productive seasons out of Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, they might at least chase a wild-card berth.

2023 Record: 87-75, 1st in AL Central

Notable Signings: RHP Josh Staumont

Notable Trade Additions: RHP Anthony DeSclafani, RHP Justin Topa

The Twins basically ran unopposed in the AL Central last year, so it wasn't the biggest surprise that they ended up spending 176 days in first place.

Though this perhaps explains the club's complacency, it doesn't excuse it. What would be even more inexcusable, of course, is if they simply let Sonny Gray and Polanco go unreplaced.

One piece of good news is that Minnesota's projected 2024 payroll is down to $118 million. Another is that, like the Rangers, they now know there's at least one year left in their broadcasting partnership with Diamond. Still another is that there's already talk of action.

"I think we're going to be flexible and open-minded to what it looks like with adds to the infield, what it looks like with adds to the outfield," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said after the Polanco trade. "And maybe there's an opportunity to continue to add on the pitching side—I think our focus might turn more to the position player route."

The Twins could reunite with Taylor and Donovan Solano, but bigger fish could be possible if they feel comfortable pushing their payroll back toward $150 million. They could otherwise reboot negotiations for Cease that Dan Hayes of The Athletic says took place earlier in the winter.

2023 Record: 84-78, 3rd in NL East

Notable Signings: None

Notable Trade Additions: INF/OF Vidal Bruján

At this point, one wonders if the true reason the Marlins forced Kim Ng out of her role as general manager was because her plans for the offseason included actually trying.

It's basically impossible to discuss what Miami has done under new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. The club has yet to sign even one free agent to a major league contract, and Soler claims he hasn't even been contacted since filing for free agency:

The Marlins needed a lot of luck to win so many as 84 games last season, and they're going into 2024 knowing that Sandy Alcantara will miss the whole year recovering from Tommy John surgery. On these grounds, one might argue hitting the pause button is appropriate.

Yet treating 2024 as some kind of bridge year would be a waste, and not just of what could conceivably be Luis Arraez's last ride with the team. The Marlins have a good young core. If it's not there to build around, then what is it there for?

The least Miami can do is stock up on low-risk, high-reward hitters such as Tim Anderson and Adalberto Mondesi. They should also consider some thump at catcher, a role for which (the suddenly underrated) Gary Sánchez is perfectly suited.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.