2023 MLB offseason grades: Dodgers, Yankees earn ‘A’ at winter midpoint, Mets, Padres, Astros close to failing

While most people bring in the new year with resolutions about what they will change, we here at CBS Sports like to use the fresh start to reflect upon what teams have changed during the first half of Major League Baseball’s offseason. That’s right, we’re already nearing the midway point between the final out of last fall’s World Series and the first pitch of Opening Day 2024.

If that feels off, it’s probably because this offseason has been unevenly paced. The prolonged, sequenced free agencies of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto put the rest of the market on ice. As a result, 15 of CBS Sports’ top 25 free agents remain available. The trade market has also moved at a glacial pace, with several big names still expected to change hands before springtime.

Nevertheless, we wanted to stay true to our tradition by handing out grades to every MLB team for their winters to date. With so much offseason left to go, in terms of movement if not time, we feel obligated to compare these marks to progress reports rather than report cards. A lot can change, in other words.

Now, on to the good stuff.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The reigning National League champions worked quickly to address their biggest weaknesses. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, a reliable above-average starter, should slot in nicely to Arizona’s rotation behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. Eugenio Suárez may be strikeout prone, but he ought to represent a clear upgrade over what was one of the worst third-base situations in the majors. (Suárez has averaged nearly 30 home runs per season since 2021; the D-backs received all of 10 home runs from their third basemen in 2023.) Don’t overlook the retention of outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., either. He should remain a steady two-way contributor. Overall, we like Arizona’s offseason to date, even if it’s not as flashy as their chief division rivals. Grade: A.

Atlanta Braves

Realistically, there’s only so many upgrades available to a team as stacked as these Braves. Maybe it’s not a surprise, then, that Alex Anthopoulos spent most of the winter enacting a series of red paperclip trades. The end result saw the Braves gain outfielder Jarred Kelenic and lefties Ray Kerr and Aaron Bummer through increasingly elaborate swaps. (The Braves also signed righty Reynaldo López.) Anthopoulos ended 2023 by obtaining Chris Sale, a storied veteran who has dealt with injury woes in recent years. Sale continues to show above-average bat- and barrel-missing abilities, suggesting there’s still a good starter in here if his body holds up. Given the cost — Vaughn Grissom had no home in Atlanta’s lineup — we think it’s a worthwhile gamble. Grade: A.

Baltimore Orioles

We’ve been waiting for the Orioles to consolidate their position player depth into a frontline starter. We’re still waiting. What they’ve done this offseason has been more of their usual fare. Craig Kimbrel‘s production last year was better than his shaky reputation indicates, making him an OK stand-in for injured closer Félix Bautista. Outfielder Sam Hilliard and reliever Jonathan Heasley are the kind of lottery-ticket plays Baltimore has converted into winnings. That’s all good and fine, but there’s more work to be done. Grade: C.

Boston Red Sox

Craig Breslow‘s first offseason has contained some interesting moves, even if they fall short of crowd-pleaser status. Gambling on Lucas Giolito and Tyler O’Neill regaining their past forms and Vaughn Grissom blossoming into a bat-first second baseman are sensible decisions for a middle-of-the-road team. Ditto ridding the roster of Alex Verdugo, who seemed to be a headache for manager Alex Cora. We’ll see what the rest of the winter brings, but we’ve seen enough to give the Red Sox a passing grade. Grade: B.

Chicago Cubs

Should hiring Craig Counsell count toward the Cubs’ offseason grade? We’re not so sure. In theory, Counsell should improve Chicago’s roster with his leadership and creativity — there’s a reason the Cubs gave him a massive contract. In practice, we can’t pretend we can measure a manager’s influence with any degree of accuracy. If we could, we’d probably note that — despite their best efforts and pursuits of this and that star — the Cubs have thus far splurged on a manager and called it a year. Better times ahead. Grade: D.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are one of several American League Central teams jockeying for position in what they must view as a wide-open division. Fair play to that. Rookie GM Chris Getz has spent much of the winter adding depth to his roster. He traded Aaron Bummer to the Braves for a slew of end-of-roster types; he quickly signed Paul DeJong to a big-league deal; he gambled on Erick Fedde‘s South Korean form being an evolution and not a reflection of lower quality of competition; and so on. All together, the White Sox should have a higher floor in 2024. We’re just not sure Getz has improved their ceiling all that much — or that he intends to in the near term, given the likelihood of a Dylan Cease trade robbing the roster of an impact-level talent. Grade: C.

Cincinnati Reds

As with the Orioles, we keep waiting on the Reds to turn their logjam into a premium veteran. Maybe that’ll come with time. For now, the Reds have added Jeimer Candelario, Nick Martinez, Frankie Montas, and Emilio Pagán to their roster. We’re not at all sold on the home-run happy Pagán being a good ballpark fit, and both Martinez and Montas have some risk to their games. Still, this winter represents a step in the right direction. Grade: B.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians haven’t traded Shane Bieber. They haven’t sorted out their infield logjam. They haven’t added any hitters of note to bolster their chances of again claiming the Central. They did win the draft lottery, we suppose, and they have added a few interesting downroster types in Scott Barlow and Estevan Florial. The second half should offer more action. For now, it’s hard to give the Guardians a passing grade. Grade: F.

Colorado Rockies

We suppose there are worse approaches for a team in need of pitching to take than simply picking up spares from the Rays and the Guardians. The Rockies have done just that this winter, signing the non-tendered Cal Quantrill; claiming Jalen Beeks off waivers; and selecting Anthony Molina in the Rule 5 draft. We’re not sure those moves will pay off — do you feel confident about any given pitcher mastering Coors? — but we can see the makings of a throughline, and that’s better than the typical Rockies winter. Grade: D.

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers, like the White Sox and Royals, have used the first half of the winter to add a slew of competent, if unexciting veterans to their roster. That group includes Mark Canha, Jack Flaherty, Kenta Maeda, and Andrew Chafin. It’s fine. Grade: C.

Houston Astros

Dana Brown’s first full offseason in charge has resulted in more movement within the front office than on the roster. Reliever Dylan Coleman is a contact manager who needs to get back to throwing strikes while veteran catcher Victor Caratini should serve as a fine backup to Yainer Díaz. There’s only so much the Astros can do to upgrade at certain spots, but we’re docking them a grade anyway because this is not a club operating with the sense of urgency you’d expect given the Rangers‘ ascent and the impending free agencies of franchise mainstays Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. Grade: D.

Kansas City Royals

We wrote in greater detail about the Royals’ offseason elsewhere. The short version goes like this: they’re much improved after a busy start to the winter, but we think they still fall short of being serious threats in the American League Central. We’re giving them a good grade anyway because we like it when cellar-dwelling teams act aggressively rather than waiting around for draft picks to hit — just not enough for an “A” because there’s a tangible amount of potential downside that comes with giving multi-year deals to players like Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Hunter Renfroe. Grade: B.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels have been tied in rumors to Blake Snell and J.D. Martinez, among others, suggesting that the bulk of their winter lies ahead. As for what they’ve done to date: Perry Minasian has made a series of low-stakes additions, mostly in the form of relievers (Adam Kolarek, Adam Cimber, Luis García) and lefty corner bats (Evan White, Alfonso Rivas, Willie Calhoun). The old saying is that teams are selling either wins or hope. The Angels, fresh off losing Shohei Ohtani to their geographical rivals, are currently out of both. Grade: F. 

Los Angeles Dodgers

We have a rule: you sign the winter’s top two free agents, you get an “A” for the offseason, no questions asked. It says a lot about how good Ohtani and Yamamoto are that the acquisition of Tyler Glasnow, one of the game’s best starters when healthy, from the Rays feels like an afterthought. The Dodgers won 100 games in what represented a down year for them; now, it’s more than fair to put them on parade watch for the foreseeable future. Grade: A.

Miami Marlins

New boss Peter Bendix hasn’t done much to date to buttress Miami’s roster following its first full-season playoff appearance in two decades. Kaleb Ort, Calvin Faucher, and Roddery Muñoz are interesting, if flawed relief additions and catcher Christian Bethancourt‘s strong arm should come in handy. Otherwise? The Marlins are a team in need of direction. They’ll probably find one over the coming months. Grade: F.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers’ offseason has been defined by loss. Of executive David Stearns to the Mets. Of manager Craig Counsell to the Cubs. Of rotation stalwart Brandon Woodruff to shoulder surgery and free agency. Will the Brewers add to that theme by trading ace Corbin Burnes or shortstop Willy Adames ahead of their walk years? We’ll find out. The Jackson Chourio extension is riskier than it appears from Milwaukee’s perspective. Still, the upside there — and the potential for small additions like Jake Bauers, Oliver Dunn, and Coleman Crow to yield greater dividends than expected — keeps Milwaukee from failing. Grade: D.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins will remain a work in progress until they can clear payroll space and/or add pitching by trading outfielder Max Kepler and infielder Jorge Polanco. We can only grade what they’ve done, and so far that ain’t much. Their one addition has been live-armed reliever Josh Staumont, a nice upside play recovering from surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome. Meanwhile, they’ve lost Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda, Tyler Mahle, and Emilio Pagán to greener pastures. We believe the Twins are in for a better second half that will keep them atop the Central. For now, we feel obligated to flunk them. Grade: F.

New York Mets

Hire a Brewers executive, have a Brewers offseason. We’ll cut David Stearns some slack. He’s almost certainly using this winter to assess the franchise’s infrastructure and processes and ward off the baseball front office-equivalent technical debt when they shift once more into large-market monster mode. In the meantime, Stearns has made some understated additions, like Luis Severino, who should prove to be useful — in keeping the Mets respectable and, presumably, relevant at the trade deadline. Grade: D.

New York Yankees

Whiffing on Yoshinobu Yamamoto has cast a shadow on the Yankees’ winter. That’s too bad because Brian Cashman did good work landing Juan Soto and Trent Grisham without giving up any of the organization’s top three prospects. Your mileage may vary on fellow trade additions Alex Verdugo and Victor González, though both could end up as positive contributors. We’d like to see the Yankees add another starting pitcher this winter, but we feel decent enough about their offseason — and specifically the Soto trade — to give them kudos for their efforts thus far. Grade: A.

Oakland Athletics

There’s not much happening here, as you would expect from a franchise that has forsaken its history and a dedicated fan base in pursuit of public financing. Infielder Abraham Toro and right-hander Osvaldo Bido are the kinds of low-stakes upside plays a team in the A’s position should be trafficking in. Unfortunately, they still haven’t made what we consider to be their most needed move: obtaining a sense of shame for owner John Fisher. Grade: D.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies kicked off the offseason by retaining rotation mainstay Aaron Nola — a necessary move that carries them into good grade territory. Beyond that? Their most notable move has been … inking upside play reliever José Ruiz to a minor-league deal? Grabbing Josh Fleming and Michael Mercado from the Rays? There’s only so much a team with a largely fleshed out roster can do. We suppose that’s why titles are won in the fall and not the winter. Grade: B.

Pittsburgh Pirates

No one is going to confuse the Pirates’ offseason for that of a contender, but it’s an agreeable set of low-stake moves all around. Rowdy Tellez is a year removed from a 35-homer season; Edward Olivares and Billy McKinney could form a decent corner-outfield timeshare; and lefties Martín Pérez and Marco Gonzales may post league-average seasons (or thereabout) in PNC Park. There’s not a clear home-run move in the bunch, but it’s an appreciably more aggressive approach to the winter than the Pirates tend to take. Grade: C. 

San Diego Padres

The Padres tend to have entertaining offseasons and deadlines. Not so much this year. We weren’t juiced about the Padres’ Juan Soto trade, even if we understood why they felt it was necessary (perhaps in more ways than one). That deal, plus their rotation exodus, tanks their grade here. Sorry, San Diego. Japanese lefty Yuki Matsui and minor-league free-agent signing Jeremiah Estrada could end up being nifty additions. Even so, the Padres roster feels worse than it was a few months ago, and that’s not a positive development. Grade: D.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants keep trying (and mostly failing) to land top free agents. What they’ve been left with to date is Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (a real talent, albeit one who comes with risk) and catcher Tom Murphy. At least they landed manager Bob Melvin? Shy of that, San Francisco needs to finish the winter strong to be taken seriously as a wild-card contender in 2024. Grade: C.

Seattle Mariners

In a vacuum, we’re fine with many of the Mariners’ additions. Mitch Garver, when healthy, is a legit above-average hitter; Seby Zavala and Carlos Vargas are interesting; Luis Urías could be too; and so on. The problem is that the offseason doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Add context and this offseason feels like business as usual for a franchise that should be going for the gusto. We’re not going to make a joke about Jerry Dipoto’s “54%” comments because we find no humor there. We miss the days when well-compensated executives, who invariably sacrificed so much to reach their positions, at least pretended to have the ambition to identify winning the World Series as their goal. How sad it is to learn that some androids don’t dream of anything at all. Grade: D. 

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals did most of their moving and shaking early, signing three starters of varying quality (Sonny Gray is undoubtedly good; Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson are open questions) before November ended. The only notable move they’ve made since was an overdue one, trading frustrating outfielder Tyler O’Neill to the Red Sox. The flashiest winter it’s not, but we’ll give them a solid grade for doing the necessary work right away so they could enjoy the holidays. Grade: C.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays are one of the handful of teams to not sign a free agent to a big-league contract this winter. They were involved in a notable trade, netting promising right-hander Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca from the Dodgers for ace Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot. We liked that deal for Tampa Bay. We’re docking a grade anyway because a 99-win squad should be making moves that signal “inclusive welcomeness” to a World Series title rather than a desire to save their owner some pebbles. Grade: B.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers haven’t done much since winning the World Series. That’s OK. They didn’t have much to do. Reliever Kirby Yates and rehabbing starter Tyler Mahle are solid additions at their respective prices. We have reservations about Texas’ injury-depleted rotation — executive Chris Young appears to be banking on Mahle, Jacob deGrom, and Max Scherzer making successful in-season returns — but winning a title gains you the benefit of the doubt. Grade: C.

Toronto Blue Jays

Oh, what could have been. After failing to land Soto or Ohtani, the Jays have prioritized defense by retaining center fielder Kevin Kiermaier and adding infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. This team looks worse on paper to us now than they did entering the offseason. We’re certain they’ll make more additions, but all we can judge is what they’ve done. Grade: D.

Washington Nationals

The Nationals will welcome their brightest young talents to the majors this year, including outfielders Dylan Crews and James Wood and third baseman Brady House. So far, top executive Mike Rizzo has resisted the temptation to add a veteran who can serve as this generation’s Jayson Werth. Fair enough, we suppose. What few moves the Nationals have made have been solid, albeit limited in upside. Sinkerballing reliever Dylan Floro is a decent bounce-back candidate; Rule 5 pick Nasim Nuñez should stick thanks to a quality glove; and it never hurts to kick the tires on someone with Nick Senzel‘s pedigree at such a low price. This grade might be a touch harsh, but sooner than later we would like to see the Nationals use the financial flexibility gained from employing so many cost-controlled players to add impact veterans. Maybe next winter? Grade: D.