Which MLB Team Had The Most Disappointing Offseason Entering 2025?
Image credit: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, radio host Rob Long, majority owner David Rubenstein of the Baltimore Orioles and Orioles General Manager Mike Eli talk to the media during a press conference ahead of Opening Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
In a series of MLB predictions and preview posts, BA’s editorial staff goes on record with their bold—and not so bold—thoughts about what’s to come in the 2025 season.
We ask the question: Which team had the most disappointing offseason?
Our prognosticators this year are Ben Badler, Jesús Cano, Mark Chiarelli, Carlos Collazo, J.J. Cooper, Matt Eddy, Josh Norris, Geoff Pontes and Dylan White.
Blue Jays
Dylan White: On paper, the Blue Jays added Anthony Santander, Max Scherzer, Jeff Hoffman, and traded for Andres Gimenez– adding nearly 10 wins even after deducting Spencer Horwitz and Jordan Romano’s expected contributions. But dip a toe into Toronto-focused social media and you would think the offseason was an unmitigated disaster: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wasn’t extended and seems poised to leave the team, Bo Bichette was never seriously approached for an extension and is also all but gone, while the organization continues to fool itself into thinking that no, it wasn’t being used as a bargaining chip in the free agency courtships of Roki Sasaki, Corbin Burnes, and Juan Soto. Still, from an emotional point of view, it stings to think what might have been.
Cardinals
Mark Chiarelli: There’s a laundry list of teams that could’ve done more this winter, but the Cardinals’ decision to lower payroll and punt on improving their roster is the most egregious given their stature within the sport and an NL Central that’s ripe for the taking. St. Louis didn’t spend a single dollar on a major league free agent this winter. The club didn’t do much to help accelerate a rebuild, either. It failed to facilitate a trade for Nolan Arenado. Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Ryan Helsley are all valuable trade pieces still on the roster. That’s pretty disappointing for a team that finished 83-79 last year and isn’t completely bereft of talent on the farm. The Cardinals instead seem content to spend 2025 stuck in baseball purgatory–unwilling to go all in on contention, yet likely too good to have strong odds at landing No. 1 overall in the draft lottery.
Guardians
Matt Eddy: So many choices for this one. The Orioles seem stuck in neutral, while division rivals in New York, Boston and Toronto improve. The Mariners are standing pat with an elite rotation and flawed lineup. But the biggest disappointment for me is the Guardians. A year after winning 92 games and reaching the ALCS, Cleveland’s biggest moves involved trading away Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor, the right side of their infield, in an eminently winnable AL Central. For the remaining Guardians players, it begs the question: What more do they need to accomplish to get any sort of buy-in from ownership?
Mariners
Ben Badler: The Mariners are right on the bubble of being a playoff team. Does their ownership realize that? A team that won 85 games last year brings back a strong core, particularly on the pitching side, but needed another boost to get them to a 90-plus win projection and into the playoffs. I don’t care that the Marlins or the White Sox or other teams that have no prayer of playing a postseason game in 2025 didn’t do anything this offseason to help their major league team win a few more meaningless games. Seattle’s unwillingness to do anything to strive (or just hope) for more than 87 wins is a waste of talent and opportunity.
Jesús Cano: ‘F’ in the chat for the Seattle Mariners. They were one game out of a playoff spot and decided to stay silent during the offseason. They even hinted at trading Luis Castillo last season, which would have been a major step back regardless of the return. The Mariners didn’t need to go on Dodgers-like free agency run, but adding a couple of pieces to add thump into the lineup would better the team’s chances of winning the AL West.
Marlins
J.J. Cooper: There are several teams in bleak situations, but after finishing 27th in the majors in runs scored per game in 2024, this year’s lineup looks worse, not better. The pitching staff should be healthier and improved, but two years after making the playoffs, this team seems 20 wins and several years away from a return.
Orioles
Carlos Collazo: Other teams are in worse spots but because Baltimore’s young core is so talented it makes their lack of supporting moves even more frustrating. The team’s payroll has gone up this offseason, though mostly thanks to marginal additions and as younger hitters become more expensive. After losing Corbin Burnes, their additions to the rotation were 42-year-old Charlie Morton (one year, $15 million) and 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano (1 year, $16 million. The team’s biggest outlay was for Tyler O’Neill (three years, $49.5 million), who plays a position of strength for the org. Meanwhile new owner David Rubenstein spent his offseason begging for a salary cap.
Geoff Pontes: I’m most disappointed by the Orioles lack of aggression. They didn’t have the worst offseason, that belongs to the St. Louis Cardinals who stood inactive, but the Orioles were far more disappointing. With their young core they have the ability to challenge for World Series titles for the next several years. Re-signing Corbin Burnes or acquiring one of several potential No. 1 pitchers are the market would have made a major difference for the Orioles 2025. While they added veteran starters on low-risk deals, other teams in their division fortified their rotations.
