The NFLPA will no longer compile team report card rankings after the NFL prevailed in its grievance filed against the NFL Players Association, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The NFL released a statement on Friday.
“We are pleased with the decision from the arbitrator, upholding the parties’ collective bargaining agreement and prohibiting the NFLPA from disparaging our clubs and individuals through ‘report cards’ allegedly based on data and methodologies that it has steadfastly refused to disclose. … We remain committed to working in partnership with the NFLPA and an independent survey company to develop and administer a scientifically valid survey to solicit accurate and reliable player feedback as the parties agreed in the CBA.”
In response, the players union released its own statement saying the program “is not going away.”
“The ruling upholds our right to survey players and share the results with players and clubs. While we strongly disagree with the restriction on making those results public, that limitation does not stop the program or its impact.”
The NFL filed the grievance against the NFLPA in August. The league’s grievance stemmed from CBA Article 51, Section 6, which requires the NFLPA and league management council to “use reasonable efforts to curtail public comments by Club personnel or players which express criticism of any club…”
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The league also alleges the report card surveys interfere with the union upholding Article 39, Section 5, which mandates the league and union jointly conduct an anonymous survey at least once every three years regarding players’ opinions on medical care and staff. The CBA also mandates the parties “commission independent analyses of the results of such surveys.”
Despite the NFL filing the grievance, the NFLPA continued to survey players for the 2025 report cards in November.
Since 2023, team report cards ranked teams from best to worst based on criteria such as treatment of families, food/dining, locker room and ownership. Last year, nearly 1,700 players participated in the 2025 NFLPA report card survey.
J.J. Watt, who played in the NFL for 12 seasons, questioned why the NFL won’t allow players to grade their workplace when the NFL allows player rankings to be displayed on national TV.
The surveys were anonymous and were an attempt for players to hold NFL clubs, owners, coaches and other personnel accountable. The NFL argued that the survey’s negative anecdotes and feedback emerged from the report cards.
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Last year, the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings ranked as the top two teams for the second straight year, while the Arizona Cardinals were at the bottom.
Chris Paul officially ended his 21-season career as one of the NBA’s greatest point guards, announcing his retirement on Friday on Instagram.
“This is it! After 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball,” Paul wrote in the social-media post. “As I write this, it’s hard to really know what to feel, but for once — most people would be surprised — I don’t have the answer lol! But, mostly I’m filled with so much joy and gratitude!
“While this chapter of being an ‘NBA player’ is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life.”
The fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Wake Forest, Paul ranks second on the NBA’s all-time assist list — his 12,552 assists trail only John Stockton’s 15,806. He is also second behind Stockton in steals. He leaves as a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA point guard, five-time single-season assists leader, nine-time All-Defense selection and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
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For his career, Paul averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. men’s national team. His next stop will be the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In a statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Paul “one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and a true steward of our sport.” Silver also credited Paul for his role as president of the NBPA.
Paul and the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James are the only players with at least 20,000 points and 10,000 assists in their careers.
“Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that came with lots of responsibility,” Paul also said in his Instagram post. “I embraced it all. The good and the bad. As a lifelong learner, leadership is hard and is not for the weak. Some will like you and many people won’t. But the goal was always the goal, and my intentions were always sincere (Damn, I love competing!!)”
Paul had previously announced this would be his final season, a farewell tour of sorts, after he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason. The Clippers struggled to a 5-16 start and then sent him home from a roadtrip on Dec. 3, saying they planned to part ways with him after he reportedly clashed Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank.
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The Clippers kept Paul on the roster until trading him to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline earlier this month. There was never an expectation Paul would play for the Raptors, and the team waived him on Friday shortly before his retirement announcement.
The final game of Paul’s career was a 140-123 loss to the Miami Heat on Dec. 1 in which he had eight points and three assists in 14 minutes. He averaged a career-low 2.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 16 games with the Clippers this season.
This was Paul’s second stint with the Clippers. He also played for the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets after beginning his career with the New Orleans Hornets.
Last season with the Spurs, Paul was the oldest player in NBA history to start all 82 games. It was only the second time in his career Paul played all 82. He finished his career having played in 1,370 regular-season games and 149 playoff games.
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Despite Paul’s success and longevity, he never won an NBA championship. Untimely injuries sometimes limited his advancement in the playoffs, including in 2018 when he missed the last two games of the Western Conference finals as the Warriors beat his Rockets. He reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 2021 with the Suns and took a 2-0 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks only to lose the next four games.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Major League Baseball is changing … again.
Amid an era that has already seen significant alterations to the sport, most of which have been received favorably by fans and players alike, MLB will introduce perhaps its most dramatic change yet in 2026: the ability to challenge ball and strike calls.
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For the past four seasons, MLB has invested heavily in testing the use of Automated Ball Strike (ABS) technology, predominantly at the Triple-A level but also during 2025 major-league spring training and the 2025 All-Star Game. At the minor-league level, early experimentation included the use of ABS to call all balls and strikes based on a designated virtual strike zone — crafted in space using 12 Hawk-Eye cameras placed around the perimeter of the field and tracking the pitch’s location, with the top and bottom boundaries of the zone determined by the batter’s height — with calls communicated to the home plate umpire via earpiece. But feedback on such a comprehensive system was less than positive among fans and players.
Instead, there was quickly a consensus among all parties that ABS would be better deployed in a limited capacity. Rather than completely eliminating the home plate umpire’s perspective, ABS — which offers a more black-and-white interpretation of the strike zone than a human ever could — could act as more of a support system than an overarching rule of law. Indeed, starting this season, no longer will MLB players have to begrudgingly accept a home plate umpire’s ruling no matter what; modern technology has provided the chance for recourse.
In September, the Joint Competition Committee — a group of six owners, four active players and one active umpire — voted to introduce the ABS challenge system for the 2026 season. On Thursday, at the conclusion of the annual Cactus League media day, former big-league pitcher and current vice president of on-field strategy for MLB Joe Martinez gave a presentation on how the ABS challenge system will function in 2026. It was similar to the one MLB gave a year ago ahead of its first round of testing in big-league spring training games, but this time, the stakes are considerably higher. This is no longer some early-stage experiment. This system is coming on Opening Day.
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Welcome to a world in which players can argue balls and strikes — at least some of the time. In reintroducing the concept of the ABS challenge system, MLB stated its objective early and emphatically: “To provide players with an opportunity to correct missed calls in high-leverage moments in a manner that fans like.”
Here are the basics of how the ABS challenge system will work:
Each team will have two challenges to begin each game, and all successful challenges will be retained.
Only the batter, catcher and pitcher are allowed to challenge a ball or strike call; protests from the bench or elsewhere on the field are prohibited, and umpires have the ability to deny a challenge if they believe it was aided or influenced by anyone else on field or in the dugout.
To challenge a call, the pitcher, catcher or batter must tap his head immediately (in less than two seconds, roughly) to initiate a review. At that point, the umpire will announce the call is being challenged, and a graphic showing the ball’s location as determined by ABS will be displayed on the scoreboard and broadcast. The result of the challenge will be announced, and play continues. (In the past, even before ABS was a factor, there have sometimes been minor discrepancies between the strike zone displayed on the broadcast, the one embedded in MLB’s Gameday app and the one appearing on Baseball Savant’s Gamefeeds. MLB is working to ensure that all available forms of the strike zone are reflective of the zone being used by the ABS challenge system.)
MLB defines the strike zone as “a two-dimensional rectangle that is set in the middle of home plate with the edges of the zone set to the width of home plate (17 inches) and the top and bottom adjusted based on each individual player’s height (53.5% of the batter’s height at the top and 27% at the bottom).” If any part of the ball is touching that strike zone — as tracked by the Hawk-Eye cameras — it is considered a strike.
Because the system is based entirely on player height, MLB has arranged for independent testers to measure all players during spring training using a standardized process to ensure that no player’s zone is too large or small based on a misreported height.
If a game goes to extra innings, each team will be awarded one extra challenge each inning, but only if they do not have any remaining. For example, a team that has two challenges left after nine innings would not gain a third challenge for the 10th, but a team with zero challenges remaining after nine innings would regain one challenge for the 10th. This repeats with each successive extra inning.
Challenges cannot be used if a position player is pitching.
On Thursday, MLB also supplied some data regarding how challenges came into play during spring training last year and another full season of testing in Triple-A. The overturn rate in Triple-A in 2025 was 50%, while the rate in spring training was 52%. Interestingly, catchers (56% overturn rate) were notably more successful at overturning calls than batters (50%) or pitchers (41%), lending credence to the possibility that some teams will institute strict guidelines regarding which of their players have the latitude to challenge calls. That’s just one of several strategic elements of the ABS challenge system that are still being contemplated by front offices, coaches and players in camp.
Another data point that could illuminate potential strategy is when during games the challenges have most commonly been deployed. In Triple-A, challenges were far more frequent in the later innings than the early innings, perhaps a reflection of a strategic preference to save challenges for more consequential or higher-leverage moments later in a game.
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Conversely, in big-league spring training last year, the bulk of the challenges were used earlier in games, often in the first three-to-five innings. But as Martinez pointed out, that likely had less to do with a conscious strategy and more with who was playing earlier in those games: veterans testing the system before they exited to make way for the prospects and minor leaguers who often occupy the later innings of Cactus and Grapefruit League contests. This dynamic is crucial to keep in mind as we prepare for another spring with the ABS challenge system in action.
Before we get to Opening Day, this spring will provide a larger sample of data for us to glean a preview of what’s to come. Last year, Hawk-Eye was installed in a select number of spring training ballparks, thus limiting certain teams’ exposure to the system; this time around, Hawk-Eye is in every spring training ballpark. But while teams are now preparing behind the scenes for how to take advantage of the challenge system in games that count, it’s unlikely that will meaningfully change their behavior — or that they’ll reveal such strategies — in exhibition contests.
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Further complicating matters is the high percentage of players who will depart spring training early to participate in the World Baseball Classic — in which the ABS challenge system will not be used — and thus miss out on the reps with the system leading up to its official introduction in the regular season.
All of this adds to the intrigue surrounding a new technology that will transform the sport in myriad ways we are still in the earliest stages of fully grasping. A spring training with widespread use of the ABS challenge system will serve as an appetizer to this new world we’re about to enter.
But we won’t know the full scope until the real games commence at the end of March. Opening Day can’t get here soon enough. Let the head tapping begin.
During the 2026 Winter Olympics, interest in curling from fans in the United States has developed from curiosity to full-blown interest amid the mixed doubles team of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin winning a silver medal on Tuesday and the women’s team prevailing over Canada during Friday’s round-robin session in Cortina.
Much of the fascination with curling likely comes from being so different than other winter sports like skiing, skating, snowboarding and hockey. Why does the playing surface — called a sheet — look like a giant shuffleboard court? Why are the players sweeping the ice? And what are those large stones that are slid down the rink toward the target — or “house?”
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The stones! Those large, heavy discs — weighing between 38 and 44 pounds — are not something fans would typically find in a sporting goods store or in an aisle next to the basketballs at Walmart. At least not a professional, competition-grade curling stone. The stones used for the Olympics are made in a small-town factory by a company called Kays Scotland, which crafts the curling stones by hand for professional and Olympic competition.
Olympic and professional-grade curling stones are only made in one location: Ailsa Craig, an island off the coast of Scotland where Common Green and Blue Hone granites are found. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ailsa Craig’s distinct granite
But the source granite used to make those stones is found in only one place, an uninhabited island located 10 miles off the country’s coast named Ailsa Craig. Formed by a volcano 60 million years ago, the island — also known as “Paddy’s Milestone” — is made up of dense granite, the stuff from which curling stones are created.
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A remote island where curling stones are made sounds like a folktale or the stuff of mythology. But it’s true. Ailsa Craig is made up of “microgranite” — formed from magma that cooled quickly, via The Athletic — that makes curling stones ideal for sliding on ice and staying intact when colliding with other stones during a match.
Jim English, Kays Curling managing director, examines a boulder of granite on the island of Ailsa Craig, off the coast of Scotland, in November 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Blue Hone granite, Common Green granite and Red Hone granite from the island are distinct from other granite seen and used around the world. The rock has tight molecular structures that make it water- and crack-resistant, according to NASA. That tight grain also helps the granite stand up to polishing and to “curl” as it glides along ice.
Kays Scotland has exclusive rights to quarry Blue Hone, which is very water-resistant, and Common Green, resilient against colliding with other rocks at frozen temperatures, through 2050. The company, based in Mauchline, has been making curling stones from the granite for 175 years.
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As could be expected, the growing popularity of curling since becoming an official Olympic sport in 1998 has necessitated more granite be mined from Ailsa Craig.
Originally, Kays Scotland quarried 210 tons of rock, enough for at least 1,000 curling stones. By 2013, the company was harvesting 2,500 tons of Common Green and 500 tones of Blue Hone, The Athletic reported. And according to Kays operations manager Ricky English, that amounts to taking “a teaspoonful” from an ice cream tub through the length of its agreement in terms of available supply.
It was a year of change in the AL West in 2025. After a historic run of dominance, the Houston Astros finally sputtered out, missing the postseason for the first time since the Obama administration. But how long will the Seattle Mariners reign atop this division? Did they do enough this winter to keep a stranglehold on the AL West, or did the Astros maneuver their way back into pole position? What about the Rangers, just two years removed from a World Series? And will the A’s or Angels ever be good again?
Let’s fly through the AL West and hand out some grades.
Acquired INF Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals as part of a three-way trade with the Rays for 3B Ben Williamson, two prospects and a Comp B pick
Signed OF Rob Refsnyder to a 1-year deal
Signed C Andrew Knizner to a 1-year deal
Retained 1B Josh Naylor on a 5-year deal
Acquired RP Jose A. Ferrer for C Harry Ford and a pitching prospect
Offseason grade: A-
After falling a few outs short of reaching the World Series for the first time in franchise history, the Mariners attacked the offseason with a refreshing sense of urgency. They acted swiftly to re-sign Naylor, agreeing to terms with the pugnacious slugger just two weeks after the World Series concluded. The 28-year-old isn’t a perfect player, and he provides less home run juice than you’d like from a first baseman, yet Naylor ranks seventh in fWAR at the position over the past two seasons.
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Donovan was the other major bookend to Seattle’s productive winter. The utility man was a heavily rumored target for long stretches of the offseason because of how well he fit into the Mariners’ position-player mix. Donovan’s ability to play second and third should allow for two highly touted youngsters, Cole Young and Colt Emerson, to find playing time in Seattle. And despite all their success in 2025, the Mariners struck out a lot. Donovan’s high-contact approach should help on that front.
Seattle’s other moves were more supplementary. Ferrer is a flamethrowing lefty who should slot into the back of the pen. Refsnyder obliterates left-handed pitching and should form quite a formidable platoon at DH with righty-killer Dominic Canzone. Knizner will hold the cushiest job in baseball as Cal Raleigh’s backup. Perhaps the Mariners could’ve used another reliever, but that’s nitpicking. This was a pretty darn good offseason.
Acquired SP Mike Burrows from the Pirates as part of a three-way trade with the Rays for OF prospect Jacob Melton and SP prospect Anderson Brito
Acquired SP/RP Kai-Wei Teng from the Giants for a prospect and international bonus pool space
Acquired SS Nick Allen from the Braves for UTIL Mauricio Dubón
Signed SP Ryan Weiss to a 1-year deal
Offseason grade: D+
This position-player group still doesn’t make sense. Bringing Carlos Correa back at last year’s deadline made sense in the short term. That shocking reunion energized the fan base and gave Houston dependability at third base after All-Star Isaac Paredes hit the IL. But it also put too many cooks in the kitchen. With Yordan Alvarez at DH, Correa at third, Jeremy Peña at short, José Altuve at second and Christian Walker — last winter’s big free agent — at first, Paredes simply has nowhere to play.
Entering the season with Paredes as a bench bat makes little sense, particularly in the context of Houston’s underwhelming outfield group. Maybe a trade is still in the cards, but if it isn’t, well, this is a very weird dynamic and a questionable offseason for the Stros.
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These pitching acquisitions are interesting, though. Imai entered the winter as a potential $100 million guy, and Houston landed him on a nice, short-term deal. They paid a pretty prospect penny for Burrows — people really like Melton — but he’s a reliable mid-rotation arm. But altogether, this was a bizarre offseason for an organization that should be doing everything in its power to keep its window of contention propped open.
Will the Mariners repeat as AL West champions? Can the Astros or Rangers challenge them?
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Texas Rangers
Significant outgoing free agents: OF Adolis García, C Jonah Heim, SP Patrick Corbin, SP Merrill Kelly, SP Tyler Mahle, SP Jon Gray, RP Phil Maton, RP Hoby Milner, RP Shawn Armstrong, RP Danny Coulombe, 1B Rowdy Tellez, UTIL Dylan Moore
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Major moves:
Non-tendered OF Adolis García and C Jonah Heim
Acquired SP MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals for five prospects
Acquired OF Brandon Nimmo from the New York Mets for 2B Marcus Semien
Signed C Danny Jansen to a 2-year deal
Signed RP Alexis Díaz to a 1-year deal
Signed RP Jakob Junis to a 1-year deal
Signed SP/RP Tyler Alexander to a 1-year deal
Re-signed RP Chris Martin on a 1-year deal
Signed SP Jordan Montgomery to a 1-year deal
Offseason grade: B-
Since winning the World Series in 2023, Texas’ offense has slogged aimlessly through the void. That surely motivated president of baseball operations Chris Young to part ways with Semien, García and Heim, all of whom were integral in the franchise’s first title. A change in direction makes sense, but none of the incoming offensive pieces is particularly electrifying. Jansen is a professional, capable every-day catcher, and Nimmo is a defensively declining corner outfielder whose on-base skills took a step back last year. Whether the 2026 Rangers rake will likely depend on the health of Corey Seager, Josh Jung and Evan Carter.
The Gore trade reinforces what was, statistically, the best rotation in baseball a year ago. He’ll pair wonderfully with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to make one of the most imposing top threes in the sport. Evaluators across the game believe there’s still growth to be had for Gore, who suffered greatly under the Nationals’ formerly outdated pitching development structure.
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Did this team get better? Maybe a bit. Did the Rangers push themselves into no-doubt contender status? Absolutely not.
Athletics
Significant outgoing free agents: RP José Leclerc, OF JJ Bleday
Major moves:
Acquired 2B Jeff McNeil from the Mets for a pitching prospect
Non-tendered OF JJ Bleday
Signed RP Mark Leiter Jr. to a 1-year deal
Extended OF Tyler Soderstrom on a 7-year deal
Extended SS Jacob Wilson on a 7-year deal
Signed RP Scott Barlow to a 1-year deal
Signed SP Aaron Civale to a 1-year deal
Traded SP Mitch Spence to the Royals for a pitching prospect
Offseason grade: D
Everything about this franchise is in a weird state, with the abandoning of Oakland and all. But as the A’s ready themselves to move to Vegas in 2028, they’ve assembled quite an enviable assortment of talented young hitters. Unfortunately, the front office has done little to give the current roster anything resembling reinforcements to the pitching staff.
In some ways, that makes sense. Why spend money to make the current team better in front of 10,000 people in Sacramento when you could secure core pieces on extensions to sell out a big-league stadium in a few years? It’s ruthless but also shortsighted. Because contention windows rarely play out as expected.
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This lineup, with Soderstrom, Wilson, Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker, has a chance to compete right now. This pitching staff does not. Had Athletics brass dished out just a little bit of dough for a few veteran starters, this team could’ve been a fun wild-card dark horse in 2026. Instead, they’ll probably be a weird historical footnote.
Los Angeles Angels
Significant outgoing free agents: SP Kyle Hendricks, SP Tyler Anderson, RP Kenley Jansen, INF Luis Rengifo, OF Chris Taylor, RP Andrew Chafin, RP Luis García
Major moves:
Hired Kurt Suzuki as manager
Acquired SP Grayson Rodriguez from the Orioles for OF Taylor Ward
Acquired 2B Vaughn Grissom from the Red Sox for a prospect
Acquired OF Josh Lowe from the Rays for RP Brock Burke as part of a three-team deal with the Reds
Signed RP Jordan Romano to a 1-year deal
Signed RP Drew Pomeranz to a 1-year deal
Signed RP Kirby Yates to a 1-year deal
Signed RP Brent Suter to a 1-year deal
Retained 3B Yoan Moncada on a 1-year deal
Offseason grade: D
Hiring a manager for just one season, as the Angels did with Suzuki, is incredibly rare and makes little sense. For an organization as directionless as this, though, it’s par for the course. Anaheim’s attempt to leverage a personal services contract with former first baseman Albert Pujols to get him to be the manager for free failed brilliantly. That’s when leadership pivoted to Suzuki, who will get a short leash to lead this team back to contention.
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Transactionally, none of these player additions moves the needle for the Angels, who have wallowed in mediocrity for more than a decade now. Rodriguez is the best of the bunch, exactly the type of high-upside, controllable arm the Angels should be targeting. But this is still a team with myriad holes and no real plan to fill them. The veteran bullpen reinforcements should help raise the floor, but this roster needs a lot of help that it did not get this winter.
Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa told reporters that Grammy Award-winning artist and Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny offered to cover his insurance so he could play for the Puerto Rican national team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
“He tried to do everything possible,” Correa said. “I wanted to play and make sure that I was going to go out there and play for Team Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico …The fact that he did that means a lot in how much he cares for the country, how much he cares for the fans back home. I’m deeply grateful that he tried that hard.”
But after consulting with the league, the Astros and his agent, Scott Boras, Correa declined the offer, saying the insurance provider had a history of not paying players back.
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“I couldn’t sign my life away to something that three people I trust are advising me against,” he said.
The 31-year-old also didn’t want to risk his regular-season salary if he missed any games due to injuries sustained in the WBC. Correa is set to make $31 million next season and has battled injuries in the past.
The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants voided $300 million agreements with Correa in 2022 due to concerns over his ankle. Also, Edwin Díaz and José Altuve suffered significant injuries during the World Baseball Classic in the past, making it more difficult to secure insurance.
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All World Baseball Classic participants on an MLB 40-man roster must undergo an insurance evaluation process, which involves an insurer agreed upon by MLB and the players’ union. A player’s injury history is reviewed to determine if coverage for his contract will be provided. If the insurer decides a player is uninsurable, then, unless the team makes an exception, the player’s contract is not guaranteed should an injury occur during the event.
Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rico native, also agreed to cover New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor’s insurance after he was denied coverage and said he would not participate.
When pitchers and catchers began reporting to Florida and Arizona this week, it marked the official start of spring training and the unofficial end of the MLB offseason. That means that even though a few free agents remain unsigned, it’s time to grade the offseasons of every team in baseball, looking at which players they lost, which players they added and whether they got better heading into Opening Day 2026.
Let’s get to it.
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Jump to a team by clicking on the links below:
Bo Bichette’s three-year, $126 million deal with the Mets represents the flashiest addition to the NL East in 2026.
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Philadelphia Phillies: C
Philadelphia’s offseason will likely be remembered, fairly or not, by the move it failed to make. Bo Bichette and the Phils were at the 1-yard line on a long-term deal when the Mets, jilted by Kyle Tucker, swooped in from the treetops to poach the free-agent infielder. Rarely does a baseball executive publicly express frustration over a missed target the way president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did after losing out on Bichette, referring to the result as a “gut punch.”
The Phillies didn’t enter the winter expecting to pursue Bichette, but when a contract standoff emerged with catcher J.T. Realmuto, the club saw an opportunity. So when all things Bichette fell to pieces, Dombrowski and Co. simply reverted to their original plan and paid Realmuto what he wanted. It was a sequence that concluded a reasonable and rational, if overly safe, offseason.
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That’s by no means a knock on Schwarber, whose return to Philadelphia should have hoagie-mouthers climbing light poles. Reuniting with the stout slugger was priority No. 1, 2 and 3 for the club at winter’s outset. To get it done, the Phillies paid a hefty price — five years and $150 million is a sturdy sum for a 33-year-old DH — but Schwarber was simply too important to the entire operation, both between the lines and in the clubhouse.
Dombrowski’s decision to let Suárez waltz up to Boston was curious. The pudgy southpaw was a rotation stalwart the past few seasons and left a void on the staff that the Phillies have yet to fill externally. That route puts a world of pressure on (1) injured ace Zack Wheeler to return swiftly and effectively, (2) yet-to-debut top prospect Andrew Painter, who struggled in Triple-A last season and (3) back-end hurler Taijuan Walker. For all its offensive star power, this era of Phillies baseball has been made possible by impact starting pitching. Will the team have enough of it in 2026?
With all due respect to García ($10 million is a lot for a bounce-back candidate) and Brad Keller (his arrival and Strahm’s departure effectively cancel each other out), the Phillies have clearly opted to stay the course. Handing top prospect Justin Crawford the every-day center-field job and jettisoning Nick Castellanos to Narnia qualify as something of a new path, for sure, but the 2026 Phillies are primed to look a lot like the 2022-25 Phillies.
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New York Mets: B+
*Exhale*
We could sit here and debate the merits of the Mets’ offseason until the sun explodes and our memories become memories. Undeniably, it was a dramatic, bold course of action by POBO David Stearns, who ripped up the club’s core in the wake of a historically calamitous 2025. Four cornerstones — Alonso, Díaz, McNeil, Nimmo — left via free agency or trade. While manager Carlos Mendoza survived the purge, most of his coaching staff was overhauled.
But this is certainly not a rebuild, nor should it have been with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor purring at their peaks. Instead, Stearns assembled a golden stopgap, a short-term solution that makes the Mets better in 2026 without sacrificing the future. Few of the players added this winter are under contract for the long haul. Most are on one- or two-year deals. Bichette, the flashiest new name, can opt-out next winter if he has a strong 2026. Peralta, the team’s new ace, will hit free agency after the season. It’s a strategy that allows New York to leave a handful of opportunities open for the slew of talented prospects funneling up from the farm.
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Stearns was honest from the jump about wanting to improve his team’s run-prevention unit. Peralta will help that cause, as will Semien’s and Robert’s defensive chops in the middle of the diamond. Teaching Polanco and Bichette to play new positions won’t be a breeze, but both former shortstops are more than capable.
Díaz, who signed with those plucky Los Angeles Dodgers, was probably the one that got away, the only regret of an otherwise prudent offseason. The Mets should have matched what L.A. paid (3 years, $69 million). Díaz wasn’t blocking anybody else from pitching in the ninth, he’s still an elite closer, and his return would’ve been a reasonable bit of fan service.
And besides, money to Steve Cohen is just a concept. But at least this Mets team should make the playoffs, right?
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Miami Marlins: C-
The 2025 Marlins were much, much better than expected. But instead of amplifying that momentum with a flurry of offseason moves, the Fish spent this winter treading winter. Miami’s projected $69 million payroll is an utter embarrassment, the lowest in baseball. Of the $15 million the Marlins committed this winter, $13 million belongs to Pete Fairbanks, who will be dealt at the deadline if the Marlins are out of it. Of course, not every club needs to or can spend $60 million per year on Kyle Tucker, but Miami’s passivity in free agency was nonetheless disappointing.
Trading away Cabrera and Weathers was rational, considering the organization’s surplus of highly regarded arms in the upper minors. But the returns on both were somewhat underwhelming. Caissie, the best player acquired this winter, is a boom-or-bust type with big whiff issues. Nobody else who was added this winter seems primed to help the club in the short term.
Somewhere, a timeline exists in which the Marlins acted aggressively this offseason to reinforce a compelling core of young pieces and enter 2026 as a cheeky wild-card pick. Unfortunately for the hardball lovers of South Florida, that’s not the reality we’re living in.
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Atlanta Braves: B-
Solid, if unspectacular. Reassuring, if uninspiring. Generally speaking, this was a good winter for the Atlanta Braves — that is, except for the $20 million Korean ice tumble.
None of Atlanta’s moves was a franchise-altering wowzer, but considered together, they represent a doubling down on the club’s current core. The Braves crashed and burned in 2025, in part because their stars underperformed and in part because the supporting cast didn’t rise to the occasion. So instead of shaking things up, POBO Alex Anthopoulos sought to enhance Atlanta’s secondary pieces.
Yastrzemski and Dubón will become valuable bench bats and occasional starters, the type of depth a competitive team like the Braves should have. Kim would’ve represented a nice upgrade at shortstop had the perils of winter not consumed him. Letting longtime DH Marcell Ozuna walk in free agency — Ozuna is still out there, but a reunion seems unlikely — will allow for greater roster flexibility. And unlike many MLB execs, Anthopoulos has always been willing to spend on relievers. Keeping Iglesias and snatching Suárez should help a bullpen that was bottom-10 in ERA last season, though committing to three years with the 34-year-old Suárez is definitely a gamble.
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In the end, none of these supplementary transactions will matter one iota if Atlanta’s franchise players don’t stay healthy and produce. The Braves will live and die on the exploits of Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Spencer Strider, Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach. Anthopoulos’ winter was a bet on that core bouncing back.
Washington Nationals: B+
A new day has dawned in the district.
After 16 seasons with GM Mike Rizzo — the last few an aimless slog — the Nationals finally changed course and cleared house. In is former Red Sox exec Paul Toboni as president of baseball operations, whose hiring is more significant than any single transaction this club has made since the Juan Soto trade. Toboni, just 35 years old, spent most of the winter infusing the club’s baseball operations department with some much-needed youth.
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In the span of a few months, Toboni brought in 33-year-old Blake Butera as manager, 30-year-old Simon Mathews as pitching coach, 32-year-old Anirudh Kilambi as GM and 31-year-old Devin Pearson and 34-year-old Justin Horowitz as assistant GMs. It’s a bold direction, a fresh start and a fascinating science experiment about the limits of modern baseball thinking.
It’s also a sign that the Nationals don’t expect to compete for a World Series title in 2026, and their moves this winter told the same story. Dealing Gore, a flawed but effective pitcher two years from free agency, for a quintet of prospects does not scream “win-now.” And that was to be expected. Toboni inherited an operation well behind the times. Modernizing the club’s processes, principles and priorities is the right place to start, frustrating as it might be for Nats fans.
With Alex Bregman now leading the offense, the Cubs earned the best offseason grade in the NL Central.
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Milwaukee Brewers: C+
Doubting Milwaukee’s operation might be naive at this point. But for a franchise that’s still looking to break through for its first World Series appearance in decades, it is simply disappointing to see the roster in an objectively lesser state than it was when last season concluded.
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That’s not to say the three fascinating swaps won’t yield any positive returns. Zerpa, Sproat, Harrison and even Drohan could all impact the major-league club in some form in 2026, and the Brewers often do well to get the most out of pitchers arriving from other orgs. It’s also reasonable to suggest the Brewers might have sold high on Collins and Durbin after their surprising contributions as rookies. But it’s also fair to say that no matter what president of baseball operations Matt Arnold says, third base is an enormous question in the short term, and replacing a legit ace in Peralta is no small task.
Regardless of Milwaukee’s strategy on the trade market, its complete disregard for free agency is discouraging. Excluding the retention of Woodruff via the qualifying offer, the Brewers have handed out zero guaranteed major-league deals this winter, and they are the only team with that designation (Baddoo received a split deal that does not guarantee him a 26-man roster spot). Splurging in free agency doesn’t always equate to getting better, but Milwaukee’s complete lack of spending stands out this winter, particularly when several other small-market teams spent real dollars.
Tagging Milwaukee with a less-than-stellar hot stove grade doesn’t mean I’m dooming them to a regular season of assured failure, nor will I rule out the possibility of another move or two to round out the roster before Opening Day. The Brewers are still quite good on paper, and there’s reason for optimism on both sides of the ball. But if we’re strictly grading offseason moves, it has been an underwhelming and perplexing winter for the Brew Crew.
Chicago Cubs: A-
In signing Alex Bregman to a heavily deferred, five-year, $175 million deal, the Cubs finally flexed the financial might typically associated with a big-market club of their ilk. It’s the kind of addition that carries more weight than just the projected WAR the player brings, as Bregman’s unrivaled baseball IQ and leadership qualities can positively impact the entire roster. Plus, the Cubs finally landing Bregman after a failed pursuit a year ago is a massive organizational victory — and a crucial one in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s departure.
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Chicago’s moves on the mound this winter were less straightforward. The offseason started with Chicago retaining left-hander Shota Imanaga via the qualifying offer after declining the three years and $57.75 million remaining on his previous deal, ensuring some short-term rotation stability albeit for a hefty 2026 salary. Rather than spend further in free agency on another starter, the Cubs spent prospect capital to acquire right-hander Edward Cabrera from the Marlins.
Cabrera arrives with an array of promising pros (three years of team control, huge stuff) and troubling cons (lengthy injury history, limited track record of throwing strikes), and the cost to acquire him notably included outfielder Owen Caissie, who appeared to be in line to replace Tucker in right field as soon as this year. That — in tandem with Bregman taking over third base – has led to a lack of clarity regarding the positional plans for sophomore infielder Matt Shaw and Seiya Suzuki, whom the Cubs seemed to prefer in a DH role last year rather than as an every-day outfielder.
However the position player group shakes out — Austin is another intriguing addition after a prolific half-decade in Japan — manager Craig Counsell should be able to roll out one of the best lineups in baseball. The question is whether adding Cabrera and redesigning the bullpen with a new crop of solid if unspectacular veterans is enough of an upgrade on the mound to vault Chicago into a higher tier of contention in the National League.
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Cincinnati Reds: B
The Reds gradually improved their lineup, defense and bullpen over the course of the offseason — no small feat for a team coming off a postseason berth, but also a reminder that Cincinnati’s roster was notably worse than the rest of last year’s playoff field. After unsurprisingly coming up short in its long-shot, free-agent pursuit of local native Kyle Schwarber, Cincinnati pivoted to a collection of smaller transactions to improve its roster in the aggregate, rather than making one humongous splash.
Adding power was paramount for a club that finished 21st in home runs last season — a particularly paltry output when playing half their games at MLB’s second-most homer-friendly ballpark. Credit to Cincinnati for pouncing when the market didn’t materialize for old friend Eugenio Suarez, who rejoins the Reds coming off a 49-homer season, strengthening a lineup that sorely needed more over-the-fence pop. Concerns about Suarez’s defense will be less relevant for the Reds with Ke’Bryan Hayes entrenched at third base; Suarez can focus on mashing, primarily at DH with the occasional infield cameo.
Hayes’ acquisition at last year’s deadline is still a bit of a head-scratcher. His contract (guaranteed $30 million over next four seasons) in tandem with his meek offensive output (63 wRC+ the past two seasons) could be cumbersome for a team on a limited budget, but at the very least, he provides elite defense at the hot corner. New outfielder Dane Myers also brings a plus glove with a weak bat, though his defensive impact will be felt less frequently in a part-time role. Exactly how much playing time Myers and fellow new outfielder JJ Bleday will get remains to be seen, but each should help if deployed selectively.
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On the mound, Cincinnati had a ton of innings depart in free agency (Martinez, Littell, Suter, Barlow) and decided to focus its rebuilding of the pitching staff on bolstering the bullpen. That began with retaining Pagan as the closer, and adding Johnson, Burke and Ferguson provided manager Terry Francona with a trio of veteran options to call on late in games. Trading Brady Singer, scheduled to make $12.75 million in his final season before free agency, was rumored as a possibility to ease payroll, but the Reds opted to hold on to the right-hander (their 2025 innings leader), ensuring some stability in a rotation that will be counting on several young arms to step up.
On the whole, the Reds achieved modest upgrades across the roster, even if some major questions remain about how the position-player group will fit together. Solid work.
St. Louis Cardinals: B
The rebuild is on. New president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom did not take any half-measures in his efforts to dramatically turn the page on an era of Cardinals baseball that flamed out into unsustainable mediocrity. The quality of the returns netted in St. Louis’ four major trades ranged wildly in terms of the players and contracts involved, but St. Louis broadly accomplished its goal of flipping its accomplished (and expensive) veterans for future assets.
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Considering how far behind the Cardinals have fallen on the mound in recent years, it’s no surprise the four deals focused on adding arms; seven of the nine acquired players are pitchers. The two picks acquired in the Donovan deal should also enhance St. Louis’ ability to reel in a major haul in this summer’s draft, which should add further to a farm system that rates as one of the strongest in baseball.
Grading offseasons for rebuilding clubs is a tricky task, and it feels fair to judge them based on only how well they achieved their organizational goals; evaluating a team in the Cardinals’ position based on how much they improved their major-league roster doesn’t make much sense. As such, this grade is awarded to St. Louis based on its successful unloading of its most glaring trade candidates in exchange for an intriguing assortment of upside and depth. Rather than slow-playing the painful part of the rebuilding process, executing all of these deals in one winter makes the organizational direction clear. Competing in 2026 might be off the table for the Cards, but there’s enough exciting, young talent in the upper levels that a leap back into relevance in 2027 is not out of the question.
Pittsburgh Pirates: B-
The Pirates unquestionably got better, dealing from their wealth of pitching depth to upgrade the lineup while pushing their payroll above $100 million via multiple free-agent additions. Pittsburgh finished 30th in home runs by a mile last year — its 117 homers were the second-lowest team total of the past decade (excluding 2020) — and responded by adding a trio of former All-Stars with track records of power production: second-base slugger Brandon Lowe, the late-blooming Ryan O’Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. Add an outfield prospect with real pop in Jhostynxon Garcia and a switch-hitting speedster in Jake Mangum, and it’s not hard to envision this group of new personnel driving a meaningful step forward offensively. And while the Pirates subtracted from their rotation depth via trade, they added two of the hardest-throwing lefty relievers on the planet in Soto and Montgomery to enhance the bullpen’s ultimate potential.
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The “minus” component of Pittsburgh’s offseason grade is rooted in concerns about how all the new pieces fit together, particularly defensively. Lowe’s glove rated as the worst among every-day second basemen last season. O’Hearn is solid at first base, but incumbent Spencer Horwitz is a better fit there, and the addition of Ozuna — who hasn’t played in the outfield since 2023, when he did it just twice — removes the DH spot as a regular option for him. That would seem to push O’Hearn to a less-favorable role as a regular in the corner outfield, where he would join another poor defender in Bryan Reynolds and a wild card in Oneil Cruz, who became a full-time center fielder just last year. The current depth chart also features Nick Gonzales as the starting shortstop, despite the bulk of his reps as a pro coming at second; presumably he’s a placeholder until top prospect Konnor Griffin is ready.
If all the new guys rake in support of what should be a terrific pitching staff led by Paul Skenes, perhaps the defensive deficiencies go unnoticed. But a lot is riding on the new bats to produce in a big way, particularly in the pitcher-friendly confines of PNC Park. And if this ill-fitting collection of hitters is how the Pirates want to unceremoniously move on from Andrew McCutchen — perhaps another reunion is in store, but it’s tough to see after the Ozuna addition — that’s fine, but it better work.
Will the Dodgers three-peat in 2026? Will the Rockies rebound from being the worst team in the sport?
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Los Angeles Dodgers: A+
After the Dodgers became the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back World Series titles, the baseball world waited to see what Los Angeles had in store this offseason. Like any team, the Dodgers came into the winter with some roster holes. But with an already loaded lineup, stacked rotation and overwhelming payroll, the idea of more significant additions seemed far-fetched. No matter. Early in the winter, the Dodgers shocked the industry by landing arguably the best closer in baseball, Edwin Díaz, on a three-year, $69 million deal. Díaz gives L.A. something it hasn’t had even in its recent run of dominance: a shutdown closer.
The Dodgers have a superstar-studded roster and have made themselves as close to infallible as any team in recent history. They go into 2026 as the overwhelming favorites to win another title.
San Diego Padres: C
The Padres, like the Dodgers, have an extremely top-heavy roster when it comes to their talent. And with the combination of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatís Jr. and Jackson Merrill, San Diego has the foundational pieces in the lineup. That’s something many teams around baseball would covet.
Losing Dylan Cease to the Toronto Blue Jays was huge, as it increases San Diego’s need for starting pitching — which they didn’t address prior to the start of spring training. But the Padres were able to re-sign Michael King, who when healthy is one of the better pitchers in the National League. And they were able to add outfielder Miguel Andujar, giving them another solid bat behind Tatis, Machado and Merrill.
San Francisco Giants: C-
It has been an interesting offseason in the Bay, as the Giants have tried to find their way out of the doldrums of mediocrity (321-327 the past four seasons). Given that this is one of the teams in baseball with the resources to make a huge splash, there was reason to believe president of baseball operations Buster Posey would make the most of this offseason. But that’s not exactly what happened.
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The two biggest moves of the Giants’ offseason have come in the past few weeks. The team brought in Harrison Bader to play center fielder, allowing Jung-Hoo Lee to shift to right. The Giants then signed Luis Arraez to a one-year deal to play second base, giving them a table-setter atop the lineup. They also signed right-handers Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser, who should provide quality innings and rotation depth.
In totality, none of these are bad moves, and all are likely to help the Giants be a better team in 2026 than they were in 2025. But in a division with as much high-end talent as the Dodgers and Padres have, you have to wonder if it’ll be enough.
But with so much energy focused on Marte, the D-backs hardly made any significant improvements to the rest of their roster. The biggest splash was probably their trade to acquire eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, though given Arenado’s decline the past few seasons, it was largely a salary dump for the Cardinals. The D-backs’ other two major moves this winter were bringing back right-hander Merrill Kelly after trading him at last summer’s deadline and signing 39-year-old DH/1B Carlos Santana.
An “incomplete” might be a better grade to give the Rockies, considering they didn’t do much to improve their major-league roster or farm system. They did sign utility man Willi Castro to a one-year deal and just this week brought in Tomoyuki Sugano and José Quintana to be innings-eaters, but that’s about it. Not exactly needle-moving acquisitions, but … it’s something, right?
Perhaps the Rockies‘ biggest move of the offseason was bringing in longtime baseball (and football) executive Paul DePodesta to be the team‘s new president of baseball operations. That marks the organization’s first major front-office shakeup since the team’s inception in 1993, as Colorado finally brought in someone from outside the organization. That in and of itself is a huge win for the Rockies, but only time will tell if it works.
Can the Yankees and Blue Jays repeat as the American League’s top two teams? Can the Red Sox and Orioles bounce back into the mix?
The club’s complete disinterest in retaining the franchise icon, whose Game 7 homer was two outs away from immortality, was fascinating. Perhaps the singular focus on Tucker played a factor. Perhaps both parties were ready to move on. Either way, the Jays will enter 2026 with a worse lineup and an improved infield defense, with Okamoto at third, Ernie Clement at second and Andrés Giménez at short.
Had they landed Tucker, this would be an easy A, but Toronto failed to land a top-tier offensive partner for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
New York Yankees: B
The epitome of running it back, New York’s offseason was the transactional equivalent of reheating leftovers. That’s not an egregious strategy, considering how good the 2025 Yankees were, but the sheer scale of the continuity here is striking. In all, the Yankees retained six (!!) free agents from last year’s club and made just one significant external addition.
Keeping Bellinger in pinstripes was downright massive. He’s a perfect fit for the current roster, with his stellar outfield defense a real asset in Yankee Stadium’s spacious left field. Bellinger’s bat isn’t what it once was, but he finished second in WAR among Yankees last year, behind only Aaron Judge, for a reason. He’s a valuable player, one who helps give the 2026 Yankees one of the best lineups in baseball.
Beyond that, it was a generally underwhelming winter in the Bronx. GM Brian Cashman is clearly comfortable banking on another strong year from his offense to go with a returning-from-injury Gerrit Cole and a full season of young flamethrower Cam Schlittler. But it’s hard to give a team with only one new face anything higher than a B. Besides, this bullpen still feels … under-addressed, with Williams and Weaver leaving via free agency.
Boston Red Sox: B
The rotation is better, the lineup is worse, and we are tired. Boston’s winter was exhausting to follow. I can only imagine how chief baseball officer Craig Breslow feels.
Opting to let Alex Bregman walk after spending all of 2025 lauding his leadership qualities and offensive reliability was a questionable choice. The immediate pivot to Ranger Suárez was odd but should push this rotation from good to excellent. The same is true for the additions of Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo.
But the Red Sox didn’t exit October prematurely last season because they couldn’t prevent runs. No, they fell to the Yankees in the wild-card round because the offense lacked a difference-maker. Roman Anthony, who was hurt for the playoffs, might end up blossoming into that character, but that’s quite a lot to put on the shoulders of a 21-year-old. Willson Contreras is a proven commodity, but he’s closer to good than great. This corner outfield kitchen still has too many cooks between Anthony, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu. Acquiring Caleb Durbin was a cheeky way to upgrade the infield, but he’s unlikely to compete for MVP votes.
This winter also served to put a bow on last year’s Rafael Devers blockbuster, as two more pieces from that move, Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, were traded away. Jose Bello, a 20-year-old with seven appearances in Low-A, is the only player left in Boston’s organization who was acquired in the Devers deal. It’s yet another reminder that the decision to trade the star was effectively a salary dump and little more. Some of the money saved will go into the pockets of Contreras, Gray, Suárez and others, but it’s difficult to look at this roster and not wonder how much better it would be with Devers in it.
Tampa Bay Rays: B-
Tampa Bay’s carousel to nowhere continues. This franchise, renowned for both its penny-pinching ways and its ability to uncover hidden value, appears to be taking a small step back entering 2026. Thankfully, the Rays went about it in a fun way, inserting themselves into three different three-way deals.
Quite a bit of talent left town among Baz, Montgomery and both Lowes, with mostly prospects arriving in return. Mullins, Martinez and Matz are all worthwhile additions — a sign that even though the Rays are doubtful to contend, the door is still open just in case.
In the main, this franchise is in something of a holding pattern until its stadium situation is resolved. That has been the case for some time now, though the new ownership group should help push the process forward. Until then, it’ll be more nibbling at the margins and hoping the farm system produces another star to pair with Junior Caminero.
Baltimore Orioles: A-
After years of frugality, the Orioles finally broke out the checkbook for a top-tier free agent, inking Alonso to a paradigm-shifting, five-year deal. He’ll provide the type of dependable offensive production Baltimore desperately lacked throughout its immensely disappointing 2025. More importantly, his signing was a signal of a new day in Charm City; new owner David Rubenstein is willing to spend at levels the previous leadership group was not.
The two biggest trades of Baltimore’s winter were also significant departures in strategy for president of baseball operations Mike Elias, who has helmed the club since the 2018-19 offseason. Dealing Rodriguez and his four years of control for an impending free agent in Ward was an uncharacteristically aggressive maneuver for the typically calculating Elias. The same is true of the Baz trade, in which Baltimore parted with a cornucopia of prospects to land a potential frontline arm.
This was not a perfect offseason for the O’s — the bullpen could have used another boost, the rotation didn’t get a true ace — but it was a massive step forward. There’s an argument that no team in baseball improved as much as the one in Baltimore.
Can the Royals or White Sox surprise in the low-spending AL Central?
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Cleveland Guardians: D+
Division champs in three of the past four seasons and postseason participants in seven of the past 10 campaigns, the Guardians have proven to be one of the most reliably competitive teams in baseball. But the offseason is decidedly not when this franchise shines, and this winter was another glaring example of Cleveland’s unwillingness to raise its payroll beyond the absolute basement of the league — the Guardians’ current payroll ranks 29th ahead of only the Marlins — or be aggressive on the trade market in search of more cost-efficient upgrades.
While the club’s decision to extend the face of the franchise, José Ramírez, was a commendable effort to ensure their best player will be a Guardian for life, paying someone who was already under contract for three more seasons did not make the 2026 club any better. It’s a move that can and should be celebrated in the context of Ramírez’s commitment to the organization and the team’s investment in Ramírez in return. But it did little to advance the club’s stated goals of returning to the World Series and ending the longest active championship drought in MLB.
Cleveland’s list of external additions consists primarily of new bullpen pieces on one-year deals, with veteran righty Shawn Armstrong’s $5.5 million pact the most prominent of the bunch. Adding relief depth makes sense as the organization continues to ponder life without closer Emmanuel Clase, but none of the newcomers jumps off the page. As for meaningful upgrades to an offense that ranked 28th in wRC+ last season, there weren’t any, with respect to the minor-league deals with Stuart Fairchild and Carter Kieboom. Given an overflow of young position players either at or nearing the major-league level, the Guardians decided not to block any of them with more proven pieces and are instead banking on internal steps forward to fuel an improved offensive unit.
Of course, pessimism surrounding Cleveland’s offseason inactivity does not preclude optimism that the Guardians can once again be relevant characters in the AL Central race; counting them out prematurely would be foolish. But Ramírez will be an MVP candidate for only so long, and with limited reinforcements joining from the outside, there’s substantial pressure on the inexperienced in-house personnel to form a worthwhile supporting cast around Ramírez sooner rather than later.
Detroit Tigers: B-
For the first three months of the offseason, the Tigers were awfully quiet. A major bit of business was taken care of quickly when second baseman Gleyber Torres accepted the qualifying offer in November, and Detroit bolstered its pitching staff with some modest moves in early December, re-signing Kyle Finnegan, adding veteran closer Kenley Jansen and bringing in rotation candidate Drew Anderson after a stellar stint overseas.
Suddenly, the Tigers boast an outstanding rotation and a payroll well above $200 million, leaps and bounds above their AL Central peers. Both are undeniably encouraging for a franchise that hasn’t claimed a division title since 2014. But without any upgrades whatsoever to a lineup that was roughly average in the 2025 regular season and sputtered badly in October, it’s tough to give Detroit too favorable a grade for its winter activity. Like the rival Guardians, Detroit is counting on the hitters already on the roster — and the ultra-talented prospects on the way — to take the necessary steps forward to enable a more productive offense in 2026. Whether such a strategy will work remains to be seen, but completely neglecting the opportunity to add better bats this winter deserves a demerit on an otherwise solid grade.
Kansas City Royals: B-
Are you sensing an AL Central theme? Here’s another club with some contender-like qualities, but an offensive unit that severely lacks the depth to warrant a bullish forecast. The Royals’ outfield in particular has been problematically awful in recent seasons, even as Kansas City has returned to relevance in the AL. It’s no surprise then that the team made multiple moves this winter to try to address that shortcoming, signing bounce-back candidate Lane Thomas and acquiring unlikely rookie breakout Isaac Collins in a swap with Milwaukee.
Thomas is coming off a completely lost season due to injury but has a solid track record of offensive output. Conversely, Milwaukee’s trade of Collins could be interpreted as a sell-high maneuver, suggesting some regression could be in store for him as a sophomore. Perhaps Thomas and Collins can solidify the Royals’ outfield in supporting roles behind the stars at the top of the lineup, but there are questions with both.
Otherwise, the Royals didn’t do much. Extensions for breakout third baseman Maikel Garcia and franchise anchor Salvador Perez were both nice to see, but they don’t overshadow the complete lack of free-agent spending. Only the Nationals gave out less guaranteed money to major-league free agents this winter than Kansas City’s $6.15 million to Thomas and reliever Alex Lange. That’s disappointing considering the Royals’ recent willingness to occasionally splurge in the middle tier of free agency for guys such as Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.
But the Royals did get better this winter. The outfield additions, plus a reliable lefty reliever in Strahm to backfill the loss of Zerpa, put this roster in position to compete in this mediocre division. It was an uninspiring but respectable winter for Kansas City.
Minnesota Twins: D
Yikes. Despite heavy rumors that the dramatic deadline teardown would continue this winter with the offloading of star veterans such as Joe Ryan, Pablo López or perhaps even Byron Buxton, Minnesota held on to all of its main pieces. That would be fine if the team had decided that July’s roster overhaul was a temporary measure and that this winter would be spent reinforcing the parts of the roster that were diminished with those trades. Instead, the Twins did next to nothing to backfill the depleted bullpen and failed to make other additions that would inspire confidence while payroll sank to troubling lows. To top it off, the club parted ways with longtime front office head Derek Falvey at the end of January, extremely unusual timing for a transition of power to take place in baseball operations.
The lack of cohesion or direction appears to be the result of what’s going on at the ownership level. The Pohlad family’s decision not to sell the franchise after initially announcing their intention to do so has led to a change in leadership structure involving Tom taking the reins from his younger brother, Joe. That turbulence at the top has left the roster and the fan base in a state of unease entering 2026, as there’s just enough talent in place to squint and see a competitive team but such an unstable infrastructure that it’s difficult to feel certain this team will be good enough to avoid another painful sell-off in July. There are some really good players on this roster, but few teams, if any, had a more concerning winter than the Twins.
Chicago White Sox: B+
We conclude this AL Central offseason wrap-up with some shockingly good vibes on the South Side. While the rest of the division largely lay dormant this winter, the White Sox were busy making a series of moves focused on building for the future but also raising the floor of the present-day club. By surrounding its promising position-player core with reliable veterans on both sides of the ball, Chicago has put itself in position to put a far more respectable product on the field in 2026 than the abysmal displays of the past two seasons.
Let’s be real, though: this winter was all about landing Munetaka Murakami. That his market collapsed to such a degree that the White Sox were involved is obviously a red flag, but the monumental upside remains for the 26-year-old slugger. His arrival will single-handedly bring to spring training a level of anticipation that few other camps will feature, and his transition to the majors will be one of the biggest stories of the season. He has enormous questions to answer at the plate, but credit to Chicago for jumping at the unexpected opportunity to add a rare talent capable of energizing a fan base, even with the concerns attached.
That said, let’s not celebrate this winter of wheeling and dealing too much. This team still projects to be one of the worst in baseball, and no team playing in Chicago should have a payroll that ranks 28th in the sport, no matter where the club is in its competitive window. Still, for the first time in a while, there are things to look forward to with this team, and this offseason featured a more cogent and intentional roster-building strategy. The squad on the South Side is noticeably more compelling because of it.
Will the Mariners repeat as AL West champions? Can the Astros or Rangers challenge them?
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Seattle Mariners: A-
After falling a few outs short of reaching the World Series for the first time in franchise history, the Mariners attacked the offseason with a refreshing sense of urgency. They acted swiftly to re-sign Naylor, agreeing to terms with the pugnacious slugger just two weeks after the World Series concluded. The 28-year-old isn’t a perfect player, and he provides less home run juice than you’d like from a first baseman, yet Naylor ranks seventh in fWAR at the position over the past two seasons.
Donovan was the other major bookend to Seattle’s productive winter. The utility man was a heavily rumored target for long stretches of the offseason because of how well he fit into the Mariners’ position-player mix. Donovan’s ability to play second and third should allow for two highly touted youngsters, Cole Young and Colt Emerson, to find playing time in Seattle. And despite all their success in 2025, the Mariners struck out a lot. Donovan’s high-contact approach should help on that front.
Seattle’s other moves were more supplementary. Ferrer is a flamethrowing lefty who should slot into the back of the pen. Refsnyder obliterates left-handed pitching and should form quite a formidable platoon at DH with righty-killer Dominic Canzone. Knizner will hold the cushiest job in baseball as Cal Raleigh’s backup. Perhaps the Mariners could’ve used another reliever, but that’s nitpicking. This was a pretty darn good offseason.
Houston Astros: D+
This position-player group still doesn’t make sense. Bringing Carlos Correa back at last year’s deadline made sense in the short term. That shocking reunion energized the fan base and gave Houston dependability at third base after All-Star Isaac Paredes hit the IL. But it also put too many cooks in the kitchen. With Yordan Alvarez at DH, Correa at third, Jeremy Peña at short, José Altuve at second and Christian Walker — last winter’s big free agent — at first, Paredes simply has nowhere to play.
Entering the season with Paredes as a bench bat makes little sense, particularly in the context of Houston’s underwhelming outfield group. Maybe a trade is still in the cards, but if it isn’t, well, this is a very weird dynamic and a questionable offseason for the Stros.
These pitching acquisitions are interesting, though. Imai entered the winter as a potential $100 million guy, and Houston landed him on a nice, short-term deal. They paid a pretty prospect penny for Burrows — people really like Melton — but he’s a reliable mid-rotation arm. But altogether, this was a bizarre offseason for an organization that should be doing everything in its power to keep its window of contention propped open.
Texas Rangers: B-
Since winning the World Series in 2023, Texas’ offense has slogged aimlessly through the void. That surely motivated president of baseball operations Chris Young to part ways with Semien, García and Heim, all of whom were integral in the franchise’s first title. A change in direction makes sense, but none of the incoming offensive pieces is particularly electrifying. Jansen is a professional, capable every-day catcher, and Nimmo is a defensively declining corner outfielder whose on-base skills took a step back last year. Whether the 2026 Rangers rake will likely depend on the health of Corey Seager, Josh Jung and Evan Carter.
The Gore trade reinforces what was, statistically, the best rotation in baseball a year ago. He’ll pair wonderfully with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to make one of the most imposing top threes in the sport. Evaluators across the game believe there’s still growth to be had for Gore, who suffered greatly under the Nationals’ formerly outdated pitching development structure.
Did this team get better? Maybe a bit. Did the Rangers push themselves into no-doubt contender status? Absolutely not.
Athletics: D
Everything about this franchise is in a weird state, with the abandoning of Oakland and all. But as the A’s ready themselves to move to Vegas in 2028, they’ve assembled quite an enviable assortment of talented young hitters. Unfortunately, the front office has done little to give the current roster anything resembling reinforcements to the pitching staff.
In some ways, that makes sense. Why spend money to make the current team better in front of 10,000 people in Sacramento when you could secure core pieces on extensions to sell out a big-league stadium in a few years? It’s ruthless but also shortsighted. Because contention windows rarely play out as expected.
This lineup, with Soderstrom, Wilson, Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker, has a chance to compete right now. This pitching staff does not. Had Athletics brass dished out just a little bit of dough for a few veteran starters, this team could’ve been a fun wild-card dark horse in 2026. Instead, they’ll probably be a weird historical footnote.
Los Angeles Angels: D
Hiring a manager for just one season, as the Angels did with Suzuki, is incredibly rare and makes little sense. For an organization as directionless as this, though, it’s par for the course. Anaheim’s attempt to leverage a personal services contract with former first baseman Albert Pujols to get him to be the manager for free failed brilliantly. That’s when leadership pivoted to Suzuki, who will get a short leash to lead this team back to contention.
Transactionally, none of these player additions moves the needle for the Angels, who have wallowed in mediocrity for more than a decade now. Rodriguez is the best of the bunch, exactly the type of high-upside, controllable arm the Angels should be targeting. But this is still a team with myriad holes and no real plan to fill them. The veteran bullpen reinforcements should help raise the floor, but this roster needs a lot of help that it did not get this winter.
MILAN — The public address announcer at the Milano Rho Hockey Arena hadn’t even finished explaining who scored the USA’s third goal of Friday night’s rout of Italy when Laila Edwards cut him off mid-sentence.
The American defender fired a rocket through traffic that beat Italian goalkeeper Gabriella Durante, added to her team’s lead and had the U.S. goal song “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd blaring over the arena speakers yet again.
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“Free Bird” played on a loop during the 6-0 quarterfinal thrashing of eighth-seeded Italy, just as it has throughout this Olympic women’s hockey tournament. It has reached a point where the U.S. isn’t just playing for an Olympic gold medal anymore. The Americans are two victories away from staking their claim as the best women’s hockey team their country has ever produced.
“I’ve been on a lot of teams throughout my career, but there’s something special about this one,” American forward Kendall Coyne Schofield said. “I think it’s ultimately how enjoyable it is to be in that locker room and how everyone is willing to do whatever it takes for this team, no matter what the role is.”
Team USA has been unstoppable at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
(Elsa via Getty Images)
Outshooting Italy 51-6 was the most savage example yet of the team’s tournament-long dominance. The Americans have steamrolled to the semifinals by outscoring their first five opponents 26-1 and outshooting them 225-72.
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The only goal the U.S. has surrendered was a flukey one in its opening game of group play. Czechia’s Barbora Jurickova emerged from the penalty box at the exact same moment the U.S. coughed up possession of the puck, producing a breakaway opportunity that resulted in the lone blemish against the Americans’ record.
“I’m a big believer that the best offense is the best defense, U.S. coach John Wroblewski said. “Possession, hunting loose pocks, making it as hard on the defense as you possibly can make it. So if they are going to go on offense, they’ve earned their entire 200 feet and they’re caught in between changes. Then, you’re ready to reload with fresh players.”
For decades, Canada has been the Americans’ bitter rival and primary competition; the team that has beaten them in five of seven Olympic gold medal matches. On Tuesday, in the final game of group play, the U.S. inflicted the worst beatdown on the Canadians in their brilliant Olympic history, a 5-0 shutout that was every bit as lopsided as the score suggests.
That outcome wasn’t an outlier either. The Americans have now won seven straight against their North American rivals. Earlier this winter, they swept four straight games against Canada in the Rivalry Series by a combined score of 24-7.
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The Americans have been so impressive that legendary defender Angela Ruggiero earlier this week declared this the best U.S. team of all time. Ruggiero, part of the 1998 U.S. team that won Olympic gold, elaborated when reached Friday by Yahoo Sports.
“They just have tremendous depth to the roster,” Ruggiero said. “Point producers up and down the lineup. Both goalies are superb. Fast. Youth energy coupled with some veterans.”
“I could go on and on,” she added.
Whereas Canada chose to bring back most of its aging stars from its gold medal run at the 2022 Olympics, the U.S. overhauled its roster after those Games and welcomed a wave of promising newcomers. College stars like Abbey Murphy, Caroline Harvey, Tessa Janecke and Edwards joined longtime stalwarts Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter, among others.
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The chemistry developed over the past four years is paying off now. The newcomers have brought speed, intensity and depth. On Friday alone, Edwards helped put away the game with a goal, Harvey made an impact at both ends and Murphy leaped to the defense of a teammate when she felt Italy was getting needlessly rough.
“A lot of people like to talk about the younger players,” Coyne Schofield said, “but to me they’re young by age only. “They’ve worn the jersey. They’ve played in big games.”
It’s a testament to Italian goaltender Durante that the host country stayed in striking distance as long as it did Friday night. Durante saved 19 of the 20 shots she faced during the first period, including a diving stick save to rob Murphy of what looked to be a certain goal.
The dam broke less than two minutes into the second period when American forward Kendall Coyne Schofield collected the puck behind the Italy net and seemed to catch Durante unaware. Coyne Schofield snuck the puck through Durante from a tight angle to give the U.S. a 2-0 lead and to unleash an avalanche.
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Schofield struck again three minutes later. Then it was Edwards. Then Britta Curl-Salemme and Hannah Bilka. By the end of the second period, it was 6-0 and the U.S. could start looking ahead to the semifinals.
“From their first line to their fourth line, they have amazing players,” Italian player Matilde Fantin said. “That’s what makes them different from other countries. They have so much depth and speed.”
NBA free agent Malik Beasley is signing a deal with Bad Bunny’s professional basketball team in his native Puerto Rico. Beasley, 29, has agreed to play for the Santurce Crabbers of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The nine-year NBA veteran has been a free agent since being investigated by the U.S. District Attorney’s office for allegations of gambling on NBA games and prop bets in June. Beasley confirmed the signing on social media.
“Shoutout to @badbunnypr for giving me the opportunity to just hoop,” Beasley wrote on Instagram, accompanying a video of him dribbling a basketball. “With everything going on, I wanted to be close to home and give myself a chance to be seen again.”
“Coming off my best season in the NBA, I know I can only build from here,” he added. “The grind hasn’t changed. I’m more humble than ever, and I’ve learned a lot about myself through it all. If you’re still with me, you’re still with me.”
The Baloncesto Superior Nacional season begins in March.
As Beasley alluded to in his Instagram post, he’s coming off an excellent season during which he averaged 16.3 points and shot 42% on 3-pointers while appearing in all 82 games for the Detroit Pistons. He helped fuel a resurgence by Detroit, which went from the NBA’s worst record (14-68) in 2023-24 to a playoff team last season that lost a first-round series to the New York Knicks in six games.
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Finishing second in voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, Beasley was in position to cash in as a free agent following the season. But on the verge of signing a three-year, $42 million deal with the Pistons, the reports of Beasley’s involvement in a federal gambling investigation put negotiations on hold. As the NBA also investigated those gambling allegations, no other team showed interest in free agency.
Continuing a tumultuous summer, Beasley was sued by his agency, Hazan Sports Management Group, for breach of contract. And he was evicted from his downtown Detroit high-rise apartment for failing to pay $21,500 in rent.
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In August, Beasley’s attorneys told ESPN that he was no longer a part of the federal gambling probe.
Beasley’s performance during the 2023-24 season with the Milwaukee Bucks is drawing scrutiny from federal prosecutors. A prominent U.S. sportsbook noticed unusual betting activity for prop bets on Beasley beginning in January 2024, ESPN’s David Payne Purdum reported. That season, he started 77 games, averaging 11.3 points per game and shooting 41% on 3-pointers.
The superstar singer and rapper was also revealed to have offered to pay for Carlos Correa’s insurance, which would have allowed him to play for Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The Houston Astros third baseman was denied coverage during the tournament due to ankle and wrist injuries.
However, after consulting with Major League Baseball and agent Scott Boras, Correa declined the offer, saying the company pitched by Bad Bunny had a history of not paying players back.
LIVIGNO, Italy — There were two things everybody agreed on after the men’s snowboard halfpipe final Friday night.
First, what the 12 finalists just participated in was the heaviest, most exciting, most daring halfpipe competition ever held anywhere.
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Second, whatever Japan’s doing to dominate this event, the United States and other countries need to figure it out before the next Winter Olympics in 2030.
After all the corks, switches and grabs that dazzled the crowds stacked up along the halfpipe at Livigno Snow Park, it was Yuto Totsuka sobbing atop the podium with a gold medal hanging around his neck as the Japanese national anthem played. Next to him was another Japanese rider, Ryusei Yamada, who won bronze. And clapping for both of them were Ruka Hirano in fourth and Ayumu Hirano, who finished seventh and wasn’t that far off from the performance that won him the gold medal in 2022.
“Everyone was going massive,” New Zealand’s Campbell Melville Ives said. “It’s not often that so many people land such crazy runs.”
The craziest was the one Totsuka put down about half an hour earlier: A monster with two triple-cork 1440s, a switch backside-double 1080 and a backside-double 1260, good enough for the judges to award a 95.00. And he deserved every bit of it.
Scotty James, the Australian legend who won bronze in 2018 and silver four years ago, has won everything but a gold medal. Starting the final run just 1.5 points behind Tatsuka and the silver in his pocket, the opportunity was right there on the last run to do something historic. It just wasn’t meant to be: James’ final trick, the one he needed to one-up Totsuka, didn’t quite land.
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“I went for a back 1620 on the last hit, and that would have been the run, I think, to do it,” James said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t make it.”
In many ways, though, who hit the podium was secondary to the show everybody put on and the evolving story of the sport itself.
Every four years, halfpipe riders showcase tricks with more amplitude, more flips, more spins, more flair, more fearlessness. Go back and watch Shaun White’s run from 20 years ago in Turin when he won his first of three gold medals. For its time, it was impressive — the best in the world. But by today’s standards? Rudimentary.
When he repeated in 2010, White’s 1260 Double McTwist trick was a ground-breaker. Nobody else could do it. Friday night, if that was your best trick, it would have made you a spectator.
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Or how about this for context: Veteran American rider Chase Josey said every run that landed Friday night could have won a gold medal at some previous point in history.
“That’s just a fact,” he said. “Four years ago, probably the top-five runs [Friday] would have won it. It just goes to show that four years of progression really goes fast.”
It leaves us with a question: Where does it end? How big can these tricks get? And, from an American point of view, can our snowboarders keep up?
Olympic medals from Yuto Totsuka and Ryusei Yamada show how far Japanese snowboarding has climbed.
(Michael Reaves via Getty Images)
Yes, there’s a lot of promise around 17-year-old Alessandro Barbieri, who landed a basic run on his first attempt to score 75.00 points but couldn’t put one down when it was time to go bigger and finished 10th.
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But when you ask these riders what the difference is between the Americans and a Japanese system that has claimed six of the last 12 Olympic halfpipe medals with a deep bench of talent — at times Friday, it seemed like Japan was having its own competition within the Olympic final — there is an answer.
The Japanese have built an airbag training facility that Josey described as “next level” because it allows riders to mimic a takeoff and landing as they would on a real halfpipe.
“That’s something the U.S. doesn’t have right now,” he said. “We’ve made the trip over to that facility and trained it, and you can see the difference it makes for younger riders and high-caliber riders as well.”
And for American riders to access it requires spending their own money to go train in Japan, which is both costly and not particularly practical for most of them when they’re based in the U.S.
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In essence, the Japanese — backed by a lot of technology and funding — are beating Americans at the sport they invented back in Lake Tahoe 45 years ago.
“To be honest with you, there is a huge variable with the funding,” said Jake Pates, who finished eighth after coming back from a four-year hiatus from the sport. “It puts it on the rider to fly to Japan, spend months and months training like they’re doing. I did it last summer, and that’s the only way I’ve been able to come back and do this at all.”
But how realistic is that? It takes resources and sponsors, which Pates hopes he’ll get as a result of performing on the Olympic stage to help him push forward toward 2030.
“U.S. riders are going to have to put up a little bit of money on their end if they want to make it happen,” he said.
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And as we saw Friday, this sport moves on whether or not America comes along for the ride. White carried the banner to three gold medals, but his departure did not slow down the progression of the generations he inspired. Halfpipe specialists are better than ever.
“Everyone is riding to an unprecedented level,” Josey said. “[The Japanese riders] are just hungry, and they know they have to ride hard to get the respect that they want. They’re fiery, they’re strong and they’re ready to push the limits beyond what’s been seen.”
