MLB Preview: Which MLB Team Had The Best Offseason?
Image credit: Bryce Harper (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
This is one of 10 burning questions in our 2019 MLB season preview. To see all of our bold predictions, click here. All answers to the question are from Baseball America’s editorial team.
Carlos Collazo: Astros. The Astros are poised to lose three-fifths of the rotation from a 103-win 2018 team, but they could still be better in 2019 with the return to form of Carlos Correa and the debut of baseball’s top pitching prospect, Forrest Whitley. No one in the AL West seems serious about competing with Houston, despite the potential runner-up Angels sitting on the prime years of the best player in the game—that in itself is a win for the Astros.
Justin Coleman: Reds. The Reds made significant moves this offseason, adding to both the pitching staff and lineup. Top prospect Nick Senzel should be ready to make a big impact. With some growth from their young core, the Reds should find themselves trending positively all season.
J.J. Cooper: Phillies. Philadelphia’s rebuild took steps last spring/summer but fell apart as the season wore on. They’ve fixed multiple defensive problems by acquiring Jean Segura, moving Rhys Hoskins back to first base and moving Scott Kingery off of shortstop. They’ve added cornerstone players in Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto. And they also extended Aaron Nola at a shockingly low price.
Matt Eddy: Mets. As the service-time clocks tick loudly for Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler, new GM Brodie Van Wagenen worked to address the club’s shortcomings: a shortage of position depth and bullpen firepower. He acquired Robinson Cano, Wilson Ramos and Jed Lowrie to pad the lineup and Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia and Justin Wilson to bolster the bullpen.
Kyle Glaser: Phillies. The Phillies made the best trade of the offseason—and it wasn’t the J.T. Realmuto deal. Acquiring Jean Segura while shipping out Carlos Santana was the offseason’s best move because it gave the Phillies an actual shortstop, and an all-star one at that, while allowing them to return Rhys Hoskins to first base. It massively improved both their infield and outfield defense in one swoop, and upgraded the offense with Segura’s skillset. Add in the Realmuto trade and the signings of Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson, and the Phillies had the best offseason of any team even before they signed Bryce Harper.
Josh Norris: Phillies. They upgraded at two prime positions—shortstop and catcher—with Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto—while also bolstering their lineup with Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen (who allows Rhys Hoskins to move back to first base) and their bullpen with David Robertson. They are primed to compete in the NL East.
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