In the thick of the 2020 MLB virtual winter meetings and free agency, what should each team's #1 priority be before the start of the 2021 MLB season?
Some teams are much further along than others.
With the MLB winter meetings being held virtually this year, everything may look a little different regarding moves, deals, discussions, and how they all play out. However, one thing that will stay constant is each team’s motivation to either enter 2021 with a better roster than 2020, or if a team is in the midst of a rebuild, enter 2021 with an improved farm system. A lot of these teams need more than just one solution to fix their problems. However, it would take years to illustrate how much help some of these organizations need so I am going to just note the #1 priority each team should have.
National League
NL East:
Washington Nationals
Coming off of a lackluster 2020 season following a World Series title in 2019, the Nationals are a very interesting team heading into 2021. They are hit or miss, meaning they could be fantastic similar to 2019, or terrible similar to last season. This will all depend on the health of the roster, as ace Stephen Strasburg missed most of last season on the IL while superstar left fielder Juan Soto missed the beginning of last season after contracting COVID-19. As their core(Soto, Strasburg, Scherzer, Corbin, Turner) are locked up for the foreseeable future, the Nationals should focus on improving their lineup immediately as they can still compete for a title in 2021. The loss of Anthony Rendon proved catastrophic for an offense that thrived in 2019 but took a huge step back in 2020. Carter Kieboom is thought to fill in again at 3B, but he has not lived up to his expectations. They re-signed Josh Harrison for depth as he can play any position, but if I were the Nationals, I would try to sign Tommy La Stella. Signing La Stella should be their #1 priority this offseason as he would help the team tremendously, and he is very underrated and would sign for a fairly cheap price. This would automatically bolster the depth of the infield as Josh Harrison, even with a decent 2020 season, hasn’t been very good in three years. The Nationals could also look to upgrade right field since current right fielder Andrew Stevenson is not the answer as his production is far from acceptable. Depending on how much they want to spend, the Nationals could go out and sign either Michael Brantley or Joc Pederson to improve their team tremendously.
Philidelphia Phillies
The Phillies should have been a playoff team in 2020. How they let a team with far less talent and depth in the Miami Marlins make the playoffs instead of them should be an embarrassment to the organization. Bryce Harper is still fantastic, Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are dominant starters, and Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, and Jean Segura are great as well. Their bullpen is a huge issue and should definitely be addressed. However, catchers like J.T. Realmuto don’t come along very often and the Phillies’ #1 priority should be re-signing him for whatever it takes. Obviously they do not want to overpay for him, but they did trade Sixto Sanchez for him, so losing Realmuto would only hurt more. If this team is able to re-sign Realmuto and get a couple of pieces for the bullpen such as Alex Colomé, Trevor Rosenthal, Brad Hand, Jeremy Jeffress, and Brandon Kintzler, they will be contenders this season regardless of their past struggles.
Miami Marlins
What a 2020 season for this team. I predicted them to be the worst team in the league, but they proved me and everyone else wrong with a playoff berth and a playoff series win against the Cubs! A lot of this comes down to the manager, and Don Mattingly has done a tremendous job in his short tenure. The team chemistry is there and Sixto Sanchez is the ace they had envisioned him to become when they traded Realmuto to the Phillies for him. Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez have been better than expected, and Trevor Rodgers should continue to improve. But after the front end of their rotation, this team has serious holes and I don’t know if they can make another playoff run behind their mediocre bullpen and lineup. This organization is still in a rebuild, even if they somehow fast-tracked it and won a playoff series last season. They need tons of improvements, and it really doesn’t make sense to spend money in free agency, especially if they are years away from truly competing for a World Series. The only free agents they should sign should be under 30 years old, as they could have years left of production which could help them in the long run when their rebuild is complete. Maybe signing Jurickson Profar or Joc Pederson for cheap makes sense? Even with that, this team’s #1 priority needs to be improving their farm system even further.
New York Mets
The Steve Cohen owned Mets! Their #1 priority should be to SPEND the money that they now have. Go and give Trevor Bauer a blank check… go and give George Springer a blank check…go snatch D.J. LeMahieu from the crosstown rival Yankees! Stroman is so excited for this upcoming season with new ownership that he accepted his player option instead of testing free agency. They still have Conforto, Nimmo, Alonso, Smith, and McNeil to lead an improving lineup. Their rotation will be good as always lead by the best pitcher in baseball in Jacob DeGrom and a solid #2 in Marcus Stroman. Wouldn’t that rotation look even nicer with Bauer at #2 in the rotation? Yes, it would. The Mets have already improved their bullpen this offseason signing Trevor May to a two-year deal. May will help bolster a bullpen that relies on Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, and Dellin Betances in the later innings of the game. Baseball is much more enjoyable when the Mets are good and a big offseason this winter would help make that a possibility right away, even in a very tough division.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves are easily the favorite to win this division again. They have reigning MVP Freddie Freeman and young phenoms Ronald Acuña Jr and Ozzie Albies to lead a dangerously talented lineup. Travis D’Arnaud had a fantastic 2020 season and will look to continue that production in 2021. Austin Riley should be good as well. Oh yeah, not to mention they have the best pitching rotation in baseball now with the signing of Charlie Morton this offseason. Ian Anderson, Mike Soroka, Max Fried, and Charlie Morton are all aces and they are all in the same rotation! Their bullpen will be solid as always, but their #1 priority this offseason should be to maintain their solid pen. Mark Melancon is a free agent, so picking up Brad Hand or Blake Treinen would be great to add to this pen. However, any of the free agent arms should help.
NL Central
Chicago Cubs
Theo resigned. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo have had two straight down years. Not to mention Javy Baez took a huge step back last season. Wilson Contreras should also be hitting better. On a positive note, Jayson Heyward had a better year than his two previous ones combined. However, that’s not the guy the Cubs want their offense to rely on. I think letting Maddon walk was dumb, but this really isn’t David Ross’s issue. He is doing his best and I think that he will be a very good manager(but never as good as Maddon). Yu Darvish was great last season and Kyle Hendricks and Alec Mills should be good again next season as well. They need more production from Craig Kimbrel, but the Cubs should also pick up a couple of other arms for their pen this offseason. They should also be all in on George Springer since Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ should not be relied upon to produce offensively in the near future. However, none of these moves should be their #1 priority. Their #1 priority should be to fire their hitting coach Anthony Iapoce immediately. He has to be blamed for at least some of if not most of the lack of production from Bryant, Contreras, Baez, and Rizzo. How have these young stars regressed so much? Once they implement a new hitting coach, they should be way better and compete again for the NL Central crown.
Milwaukee Brewers
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the Brewers will be much better this upcoming season if their franchise player Christian Yelich has a much better campaign similar to his previous two MVP type seasons in 2018 and 2019. Josh Hader is fantastic and will continue to single-handily keep this team in some ballgames. Starting pitching is key for this team, as they really don’t have any and need to improve drastically there. If you ask any non-Brewers fan who follows baseball what their rotation consists of, many won’t even be able to name one starter, especially once they get past naming Brandon Woodruff. I’ve never even heard of half the guys in their “projected rotation”. I mean really, how hard is it to go out and spend ten million dollars on a decent starting pitcher, or twenty million dollars on two veteran starters? Luckily for the Brewers, lead by Hader and Williams, their pen is dominant and their lineup isn’t bad at all with Yelich, Hiura, Garcia, and Cain. To have any chance of competing this upcoming season they will need to bolster their starting pitching which proves to be their #1 priority.
St. Louis Cardinals
The oh so mighty Cardinals. It doesn’t matter who they have, because we know they’ll be good and they will compete regardless. Jack Flaherty needs to have a better year and if he flashes anything close to his second half of 2019, he will be a Cy Young candidate and a stable ace for sure. He has pinpoint control and great stuff so getting back to that form shouldn’t be a problem. Paul Goldschmidt can still be one of the best players in baseball and he needs to get back to his 2014-2018 Arizona Diamondback production to lead this lineup to any glory whatsoever. Carpenter needs to hit better. Bader and Dejong should be solid pieces in the infield, while Fowler will be solid in the outfield. However, after that their lineup doesn’t really have anyone. Knowing the Cardinals though, someone we’ve never heard of will have a great season and help them be competitive. They will have to be lead by their pitching staff behind Flaherty, Kim, and Martinez. I think their #1 priority should be to further bolster their rotation and bullpen.
Cincinnati Reds
Losing Trevor Bauer will be a huge blow for an organization that thrived and made the playoffs with him as their ace. I know Bauer could still opt to re-sign with the Reds, but I just don’t find it that likely. Luckily for the Reds, Luis Castillo has some of the best stuff in the MLB and will have to become their ace if Bauer signs elsewhere. He is definitely capable of assuming that role, while Sonny Gray will become a very good #2 starter behind Castillo. Their lineup needs tons of help though. The Reds are betting on Senzel to finally become a great MLB hitter. He has been good and definitely has the potential to become great so I can definitely see this happening. Votto keeps getting older and no one really knows what his production is going to be this year other than he will draw a ton of walks. Nicholas Castellanos will be great again and Eugenio Suarez will probably hit 35-40 home runs if not more. Moustakas will be okay as the Reds are hoping that he can get back to his form in 2018 with the Brewers. However, outside of those five guys and Castillo and Gray, they have serious holes they need to fix this offseason. They should spend some money on a decent third in the rotation guy to help fill Bauer’s role at least a little bit. Maybe go after James Paxton. I also think picking up Liam Hendricks would help this team drastically as its bullpen is very weak right now. However, the #1 offseason priority should be upgrading at Shortstop. Marcus Semien would be a huge help to this team trying to reach the postseason in a second consecutive season. However, his price is steep, and is he actually that good? or did the Athletics make him look way better than he is? He also had very low production last year after finishing third in AL MVP voting in 2019. To play it safe, maybe going after a guy like Tommy La Stella, Ceaser Hernandez, or Jurkickson Profar would be cheaper and provide the need at middle infield.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates will be terrible again. There is nothing they can do to even sniff 65 wins next season. That’s how bad they’ll be. It’s their own fault when they make decisions like giving Gerrit Cole up for nothing and trading Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows for a struggling Chris Archer. Their farm system should also be way better than it is so instead of talking about the countless positions they need to fill to even get close to competing, this offseason their #1 priority should be improving their farm system for the future.
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are a mystery to me. Bumgarner will obviously pitch better this year after a miserable 2020 campaign that can’t get worse in 2021. Zac Gallen should take a leap and be great, while Luke Weaver and Caleb Smith will improve as well. Their rotation really isn’t that bad, and even if their pen isn’t good at all, they should be able to win some games based on their pitching rotation and lineup. Ketel Marte needs to get back to his 2019 MVP type form. Christian Walker and Eduardo Escobar also need to be better. Besides Kole Calhoun, they have huge holes in the outfield so upgrading their outfield should be the #1 priority. I think giving George Springer his money would be a beneficial move for the organization if they hope to compete with the Dodgers and Padres in the near future. If they don’t want to spend that money though, another outfielder that could help them for much cheaper is Robbie Grossman, who had a breakout year with the Athletics last season.
Los Angeles Dodgers
They just won the World Series so how do they get back there? Keep the pieces that helped them win that World Series. Plain and simple. The #1 priority should be re-signing Justin Turner, hopefully at a discount considering his age and the money they will have to give Seager and Bellinger in the next couple of years. If they can succeed in doing that, with their pitching staff lead by Walker Buhler and Clayton Kershaw and their lineup lead by Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, and Mookie Betts, they should be able to get back to the World Series. But knowing the Dodgers, living up to their expectations has been very difficult in the past, even if they finally succeeded last season.
Colorado Rockies
They have Nolan Arenado locked up long term. However, as good he is, this team isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. No one wants to pitch in Colorado because of the high altitude and how their ERA would skyrocket. Their lineup besides Arenado, Blackmon, and Story really isn’t that good. Ever since LeMahieu left, their lineup has not been the same. Brendan Rodgers needs to step up and be their every second baseman, but since the Rockies aren’t competing anytime soon, they might as well trade both Arenado and Story this offseason for a boatload of prospects. That should be their #1 priority….getting a boatload of prospects this offseason, even if it means giving up their most valuable pieces!
San Diego Padres
The Padres have arguably the best future of any organization in baseball. They have superstar shortstop Fernado Tatis Jr, elite 3B Manny Machado, and good pieces in the lineup to go along with them in Jake Cronenworth, Wil Myers, Tommy Pham, and Trent Grisham. Their rotation is still solid even if Clevinger is out all year because of Tommy John surgery. Dinelson Lamet will be great again, Chris Paddack will be back in fantastic form, while Zach Davies has pinpoint control and should help the rotation tremendously as well. MacKenzie Gore will be fantastic when he is brought up from the minors and Luis Patino should continue to improve as well, whether that is in the rotation or in the pen. Drew Pomerantz needs help in the pen this year, especially with Kirby Yates being a free agent. The Padres #1 priority should be bolstering their bullpen by signing Brad Hand, Liam Hendriks, or Trevor Rosenthal, while also going to grab a third in the rotation guy in James Paxton or Drew Smyly as well.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants surprised a lot of people last season, even if they didn’t make the playoffs. Mike Yastrzemski proved to be the cornerstone player and guy to build the organization around. They had fantastic seasons from unexpected players such as Donovan Solano and Wilmer Flores. Kevin Gausman is back after a breakout year, and catcher Joey Bart should have a good year as well. However, they are far away from competing for a title. Their #1 focus this offseason should be to continue getting as many prospects as they can to compete in the future. They should also look to trade valuable pieces like Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt for some more prospects in return.
American League
AL East
New York Yankees
The Yankees will be good as always even if they started the season tomorrow without making any offseason moves. However, both James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka are free agents. They need to at least retain one of them if not both to have a better chance at winning a World Series next year. If they lose both of those guys, they will need to make up for it by signing the only dominant starter on this free agent market in Trevor Bauer. Even with all of the chaos surrounding their pitching staff, their bullpen is still great and their lineup will be great if Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton can finally be healthy. However, because of the past, no one can count on both of those guys being healthy for a full season, so the Yankees need a star that can provide stability in their lineup. This star is D.J. LeMahieu and the Yankees’ #1 priority this offseason should be re-signing him at all costs. The team will be leaps and bounds worse off without LeMahieu.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox still have a good foundation in Xander Bogartes, Andrew Benintendi, and Rafael Devers. Chris Sale is also set to come back sometime this year following his Tommy John Surgery toward the end of the 2019 season. Alex Verdugo is going to improve as will Bobby Dalbec. They need pitching though desperately. Preferably pitching prospects. Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox need to weigh trading Bogartes and Benintendi for pitching prospects as it would set them up nicely for the future. I know this rebuild is not supposed to last long, but other than Sale, they really don’t have anyone in their rotation that can be a front end starter. The #1 priority this offseason is to trade some of their present talent for pitching prospects that can eventually become front end starters when their rebuild is complete.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are closer to competing for an AL East crown than people think. Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio continue to improve. Nate Pearson looks to be their ace of the future with his electrifying stuff. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernández, and Vlad Guererro Jr. round out a very talented lineup. Pearson has Hyun Jin Ryu to help him front the rotation, while Robbie Ray will need to have a better year to become their third starter. They have a ton of young talent and with that a promising future, but their bullpen needs serious help. Even if they don’t wanna spend the money at least get a guy like Jeremy Jeffress or Darren O’Day to help the pen. That should be their #1 priority…getting more help in the bullpen.
Baltimore Orioles
I’m going to make this short. They have so many holes I cannot even name them so this offseason Baltimore’s #1 and only priority should be to continue to bolster their farm system by getting more valuable prospects. The future is not bright yet, but Adley Rutschman coming up this year should give them a glimmer of hope.
Tampa Bay Rays
Yes the Rays lost Charlie Morton. But they will still compete for another world series this year because they are simply one of the best organizations in baseball. A full season of Randy Arozerana should be fun, to go along with a lineup that already includes Austin Meadows, Brandon Lowe, Manuel Margot, and Ji-man Choi. However, their strength will continue to be their pitching rotation and bullpen. Tyler Glasnow should continue to improve, and Blake Snell should be his usual Cy Young type self. Josh Fleming and Ryan Yarbrough will be good, while their pen consists of elite arms Nick Anderson, Diego Castillo, and Pete Fairbanks. They do need one more starter since Morton left and since the Rays don’t like to spend money, their #1 priority this offseason should be to sign either Bret Anderson or Yusmerio Petit. Both of those guys are good pitchers and can eat up innings, while Tampa’s coaching staff can turn up their production to another level.
AL Central
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers will have Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, and Casey Mize at the top of their rotation eventually, but not for the next couple of years. They have no offense or pitching whatsoever right now. Daz Cameron could be good, but they need to continue developing their prospects and hope that better days are to come, since this season will result in another losing season. I know this sounds repetitive but this offseasons #1 priority for the Tigers is to get more prospects by trading away older and proven guys that do not fit the future of this organization.
Kansas City Royals
They already have some good pieces in Adalberto Mondesi, Jorge Soler, White Merrifield, and Hunter Doizer to go along with Brady Singer and Kris Bubic in the rotation. They won’t be competitive this year, but Bobby Witt Jr and Erick Peña are coming to Kansas City soon. It just won’t be for at least three- four more years. Their #1 offseason priority should be to get rid of older players with larger contracts than needed.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins have a great team every year, but they always come up short. I would love to point out one reason why, but I just happen to think its a mix of bad luck and bad managing. They have a great staff lead by Jose Berrios and Kenta Maeda. They have a solid lineup lead by Josh Donaldson, Miguel Sáno, and Jorge Polanco. They also have a good pen lead by Taylor Rodgers. However, their #1 priority should be to get more depth in their lineup, specifically in the outfield. Signing Joc Pederson, Michael Brantley, or Jackie Bradley Jr. would help this team tremendously. However, unless they sign George Springer or Trevor Bauer, I don’t see this team finishing above the White Sox.
Cleveland Indians
They have a fantastic staff. Cy Young winner Shane Bieber. Strikeout machine Carlos Carrasco. Inning eaters in Zach Plesac and Adam Civale. Not to mention they have Triston McKenzie and Adam Plutko that can fill in if needed as well. Brad Hand is a free agent so finding a dominant closer is important for this team to stay in the mix for a playoff spot. Even though they have Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, the rest of their lineup is lackluster to say the least. There has been talk about trading Lindor and Ramirez for prospects to start a rebuild. I don’t see that happening considering they have a good enough team to make the postseason if they can sign an arm in the pen and improve the depth in their lineup. Even though they need a dominant closer and a better lineup, the Indians #1 priority this offseason needs to be figuring out if they are going to keep Lindor and Ramirez in the long-run. If they are, might as well spend money and create a win now team, but if they aren’t, they need to quickly deal Lindor and Ramirez for prospects before the years on their contracts are up. They cannot continue to engage in talks then not come to a deal.
Chicago White Sox
What an offseason it has already been for the White Sox. They further improved their pitching staff by trading for Rangers ace Lance Lynn to help Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and Dallas Keuchel in the rotation. They may still be in play for George Springer and Trevor Bauer. No one really knows, but I can assure you they are not done yet with their win now buying strategy. They have the pieces to win a World Series this year behind their ultra-strong lineup with Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Nick Madrigal, Yóan Moncada, Tim Anderson, and reigning AL MVP Jose Abreu. Garrett Crochet should become the teams closer as he has electryfying stuff, but Michael Kopech will be back and should be in the running for that job as well. I would say the White Sox’s #1 offseason priority is to keep spending and go out and get George Springer, Trevor Bauer, Michael Brantley, Liam Hendriks…etc. This team is stacked and even if they do nothing else this offseason, they will be favored to win the AL Central.
AL West
Texas Rangers
The Rangers traded Lance Lynn and don’t plan on re-signing Kluber after the expectations for him were shattered by his season ending injury last season, after only one inning pitched. They don’t have much of a lineup, or a pitching staff, so they need to stack up on more prospects, similar to what other teams that are rebuilding should do. Although many Ranger fans may hate this proposal, the #1 priority for them this offseason should be to trade Joey Gallo. Since they have no one that good besides Joey Gallo, they might as well trade him for some prospects since this team isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Houston Astros
There is a lot to say about this organization, most of which isn’t good. Since people reading this probably know what I am talking about, I will go straight into what their #1 offseason priority should be instead. Re-sign George Springer and Michael Brantley. I don’t care whether they can afford them or not because those two pieces are crucial to this teams past and continued success. Losing these two players will result in a down year for the Astros, who have gotten way too comfortable dominating the AL West and coasting to the playoffs over the past four years.
Oakland Athletics
Marcus Semien is bound to sign somewhere else. Same with Robbie Grossman and Liam Hendriks. They don’t have a shortstop or a left fielder. They only thing they do have now is a solid pitching rotation and an acceptable lineup. A.J. Puk when healthy should only further bolster a pitching staff lead by Jesus Luzardo and Frankie Montas. They have some pretty good prospects that should get some time throughout the year as well. Their bullpen will obviously take a huge hit without Hendriks. However, no one should be worried about the Athletics because they will find a way to win 90 games with whoever they have. They could put out their single A team and probably scrap out a 90 win season. It just somehow happens every year so I’m not betting against them and no one should, regardless of who they have. Their #1 offseason priority should be to extend Matt Chapman because everything else will work itself out.
Seattle Mariners
Jared Kelenic will be in the Major Leagues at some point this year. He will join a talented group of young ball players in Kyle Lewis, J.P. Crawford, and Evan White to go along with Kyle Seager and a healthier Mitch Haniger. This team won’t be good this year, but Kelenic should come up and give this team and its fanbase some hope for the future. Their #1 offseason priority should be to add one good arm to a very weak bullpen. Even though they are playing for the future, picking up a reliever such as Darren O’day, Tony Watson, or Blake Treinen would give this team some much needed confidence.
Los Angeles Angels
This team needs to fix a lot of problems in their organization. They have a great core in having the best player in the world in Mike Trout, to go along with Anthony Rendon, Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh, Justin Upton, Jo Adell and others. Their pen should be a bit better this year with the addition of Rasiel Iglesias to go along with talented arms Ty Buttrey, Mike Mayers, and Felix Peña. However, the main problems within this organization lie in the pitching rotation. For the past six years, the organization has failed to surround Mike Trout with a winning team because they have had no pitching! They will have a fantastic lineup again this upcoming season, but who cares if they don’t have enough pitching to win games! Dylan Bundy had a great season but he is the only reliable arm in the projected 2021 rotation. Andrew Heaney is talented but is very injury prone and makes too many mistakes on the mound for his type of talent. Griffin Canning should be better as he has potential, but he is far away from being a reliable starter. Then there’s the two-three unknown starters that will round out the rotation, who likely also won’t be reliable. This team is like the Phillies. They have a great roster and should make the playoffs every year, but somehow don’t. Joe Maddon is a good manager but what can he do without pitching? The Angels #1 priority this offseason is to do whatever it takes to improve their starting pitching. It starts by giving a blank check to Trevor Bauer. I know they are locked into some bad contracts with Albert Pujols and Justin Upton specifically, but they could still make a serious run at Bauer. Whether they sign Bauer or not, their rotation will still need a lot of work. Picking up former Angel Garret Richards on a cheap deal could be beneficial to both parties. They could also make a run at Corey Kluber or Tajuan Walker in the offseason. What makes more sense for the Angels though is to find a RELIABLE arm, someone with consistency such as Jose Qunitana or J.A. Happ.