Handing out an offseason grade for every NL team
Welcome to theScore's MLB offseason grades. Here, we look at how each NL team fared over the winter as they now head into spring training. View the AL edition here.
The Diamondbacks made one of the offseason's biggest splashes when they unexpectedly signed Burnes. The four-time All-Star will team with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt to form one of baseball's best and deepest rotations. Burnes also provides insurance if Gallen leaves as a free agent after this season. Arizona replaced Walker's bat with the savvy addition of Naylor, who enters a contract year after belting 31 homers with 108 RBIs and a 118 wRC+ across an All-Star campaign.
Alex Anthopoulos had an uncharacteristically sleepy winter. The Braves' only impact move was bringing in Profar after a breakout All-Star year with the Padres. It's a nice addition, but there are questions whether the 32-year-old can replicate the career-high numbers he posted in his 11th season. Atlanta will also count on Spencer Strider returning to his pre-elbow-surgery form in May after losing Fried and Morton in free agency. The club should also get a major boost with a healthy Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and eventually Ronald Acuña Jr.
The Cubs have a legitimate star in the middle of their lineup for the first time in years after acquiring Tucker, who put up 23 homers with a .993 OPS in just 78 games after missing three months with a fractured shin in 2024. However, the 28-year-old is primed to hit free agency after this season, so Chicago may only have him for one year. The bullpen also looks improved after adding Pressly. The Cubs could've scored a full letter grade higher if they managed to sign Alex Bregman, but they had to settle for the 40-year-old Turner.
The most interesting move the Reds made outside of hiring future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona was the India-for-Singer trade. Cincinnati gets a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm coming off a 3.71 ERA with a career-high 179 2/3 innings last year in exchange for a former NL Rookie of the Year who hasn't built off his award-winning 2021 season. Lux, a former top prospect who's been unable to reach his potential, and Hays, a 2023 All-Star looking to bounce back, add some intrigue as well.
The Rockies are staring down a third straight 100-plus-loss campaign following an uneventful offseason. Estrada is the biggest addition, but his production fell off a cliff last year with a .217/.247/.343 slash line over 96 games with the Giants. However, the 28-year-old was solid in 2022 and '23, going deep a combined 28 times with 44 stolen bases and a 6.3 fWAR across 260 contests. The Rockies will need to lean on youngsters like Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, Michael Toglia, and Nolan Jones to find a new level and end the club's prolonged rebuild.
If there was a letter grade above A+ the Dodgers would've received it. Los Angeles owns all the tools to become a dynasty thanks to the seismic additions of Sasaki and Snell to a star-studded rotation that already had Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and a soon-to-be returning Shohei Ohtani. The club also improved a bullpen that was nails in the postseason by adding a pair of All-Star closers in Scott and Yates. The lineup is as dangerous as ever with Teoscar Hernández re-signing, and it could be even deeper than last year if Conforto and Kim make meaningful contributions.
The Marlins will have a difficult time escaping the NL East basement after handing out their only major-league contract to Quantrill, who amassed a 4.98 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, and 6.7 K/9 for the Rockies in 2024. The 30-year-old will be counted on to eat innings in a young rotation that will also see the return of 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara from Tommy John surgery.
The Brewers responded to a surprising NL Central title by doing what they always do: letting their stars go. Adames walked to San Francisco without so much as a shrug, while Williams was traded to the Yankees. Yes, they still have William Contreras and a good, young infielder in Joey Ortiz. Cortes, acquired for Williams, could be solid if he rediscovers his form. Still, fans in Milwaukee have a right to be disappointed by this offseason, even if they're used to it by now.
Steve Cohen ushered in a new era of Mets baseball when he lured Soto across town on a 15-year, $765-million megadeal. Adding a 26-year-old superstar in the prime of what should be a Hall of Fame career is always a win, but he'll be especially impactful for a Mets team that's clearly pushing for a dynasty. After locking up Soto, it was imperative for the Mets to bring back Alonso, and they did that after a winter-long staredown. It's fair to quibble with some of the pitching moves, especially after Montas' injury. Still, it's impossible to say the Mets came out of this offseason as anything but a clear winner.
The Phillies didn't have a ton of holes to patch even after their shocking NLDS exit, though Dave Dombrowski worked hard to fix what needed fixing. Romano won't replace all the big bullpen arms who left, but he is a former All-Star who was worth the low-cost flier. If he's healthy, that signing could be a steal. Luzardo is a clear upgrade over Taijuan Walker at the back of an already formidable rotation, and Kepler is an intriguing bounce-back candidate.
It seems the Pirates' offseason goal was to build a team that can stay out of the NL Central basement. In that sense, they may have succeeded. Horwitz should solve Pittsburgh's revolving door at first base once he's healthy, and Pham provides a solid short-term solution in left field that can be flipped at the deadline if things go bad. But after Paul Skenes' emergence, it would have been nice to see the Pirates try and make a push to expedite this turnaround and maybe try to challenge in a winnable division. By those standards, the offseason was a disappointment.
Signing Pivetta to a creative four-year, $55-million contract on the eve of spring training helped salvage an otherwise lackluster offseason. To be fair, the Padres' ownership dispute that's dominated their winter isn't general manager A.J. Preller's fault. But it is disappointing to see the club do basically nothing as the likes of Profar, Kim, and Scott walked away - in Scott's case, to a bitter rival. The Padres are still a good team, but this is far from what you want following a 93-win season.
New president of baseball operations Buster Posey wasted no time making a splash when he inked Adames to a megadeal in free agency. Adames was a good pickup to be sure, as was Verlander for the back of the rotation. But the rest of the Giants' moves won't necessarily move the needle. Losing Snell, to the Dodgers of all teams, hurts. How much better are the Giants now? The jury's still out.
The Cardinals haven't done anything this offseason. Literally. Even as they move toward a rebuild, St. Louis has yet to sign a big-league free agent and has made just one trade, acquiring utility player Michael Helman from Minnesota for cash. The Cardinals spent the entire offseason publicly pushing to trade Nolan Arenado (after he vetoed an agreed-upon move to the Houston Astros using his no-trade clause), only to fail at that too. Any way you slice it, John Mozeliak's final offseason in charge of the Cardinals has been a disaster.
Washington's most interesting move was trading for Lowe, who could become an anchor of the team's young lineup. Beyond that, however, the Nats' offseason consisted largely of low-cost fliers on veterans, perhaps with an eye toward some midseason trades. The Nationals have developed some nice young pieces but clearly didn't think this was the right time to make a big splash and expedite the rebuild. Time will tell if they were correct.