Mlb Offseason Grades: Final 2026 Winners, Losers and Key Takes

The 2026 mlb offseason has mostly closed and the winter’s transactions leave a clear pecking order: a handful of teams emerged as clear winners, several contenders posted flat or puzzling winters, and a few individual outcomes rewrote short-term financial expectations. With rosters largely set as spring training opens, these are the final grades and what they mean for the season ahead.

Mlb Biggest Winners: Dodgers and Aggressive Rebuilders

The most obvious offseason winner is the club that added two of the market’s top-impact players to an already championship-caliber roster. That organization secured a high-end closer on a three-year, $69 million deal and also landed a premier outfielder, further addressing bullpen and outfield holes. The same club extended a veteran positional player on a short deal and brought back familiar bullpen and bench pieces, reinforcing a star-studded roster that has delivered back-to-back championships and looks like the overwhelming favorite for the World Series entering 2026.

Other teams that improved meaningfully include clubs that executed bold, targeted upgrades rather than high-volume turnover. One team coming off a last-place finish in its division rebuilt its rotation with several notable additions, signed a high-leverage reliever to close in the short term while the incumbent rehabs, and added a middle-of-the-order power bat on a five-year deal. Those moves transformed a previously thin lineup and rotation into a legitimately improved roster.

Losers and Flat Offseasons: Houston and Partial Rebuilds

Some established contenders left the winter having done little to address obvious roster holes. One perennial playoff team that missed the postseason last year for the first time since 2016 finished with 87 wins and enters the new season with a muddled position-player alignment. A recent projection in the coverage places that club at 81 wins for the coming year, reflecting a step back rather than a rebound. That team did add an international pitching prospect and shuffled its infield and outfield alignment, but the overall impression is of a strange, flat winter that did not solve the club’s most pressing needs.

Other clubs performed mixed offseasons: some major veterans were moved out in favor of a complete roster overhaul, while others lost top free agents yet still found ways to upgrade pieces around the diamond. Those middle-ground outcomes create uncertainty about expectations for the coming season and leave room for spring training surprises.

Notable Individual Outcomes and Roster Architecture

Beyond team-level winners and losers, a few individual results will reverberate through the market. A frontline pitcher in his final arbitration year secured a $32 million salary for 2026, setting a new record within the arbitration system after back-to-back Cy Young-caliber seasons. That decision pushed the boundaries of the arbitration framework and raised the earnings ceiling for comparable players ahead of free agency.

• Rotation remodeling: Several teams added established starting pitchers to stabilize rotations that struggled the prior season.
• Relief upgrades: High-leverage relievers changed hands, with at least one elite closer moving to a new team on a multi-year pact.
• Middle-of-the-order power: A five-year, $155 million contract for a thunderous slugger reshaped another club’s lineup construction.

Finally, a handful of clubs opted for wholesale roster changes, while others pursued surgical upgrades. The coming weeks of spring training will show whether the winners maintain their momentum and if the so-called losers can correct course before Opening Day. Recent updates indicate rosters are largely set, but details may evolve as clubs continue to tweak depth and address injuries during camp.

For now, the offseason narrative is clear: a small number of teams dramatically improved their odds with targeted elite signings, a few contenders underwhelmed, and a pivotal arbitration outcome altered the short-term financial landscape for elite pitchers.