Final 2026 Offseason Grades for All 30 mlb Teams: Biggest Mlb Winners and Losers
The mlb offseason has largely wrapped, leaving a clear set of winners and losers as teams head into spring training. Landmark contracts, high-profile trades and a public poll on which club had the best winter defined a reset period that will shape expectations for Opening Day.
Who won the mlb offseason?
One franchise repeatedly cited as a winter winner reworked two key weaknesses: the closer role and the outfield. The club signed a shutdown closer to a three-year, $69 million contract and also added a top outfield bat, joining a roster that already includes several recent marquee acquisitions and a payroll north of $400 million. Those moves left that club widely viewed as the overwhelming favorite to win the World Series in 2026.
Other clubs in the conversation for strong offseasons include teams that pursued notable free agents and rotation upgrades. One club addressed its lineup by adding a sluggers on a five-year, $155 million deal and bolstered its rotation with multiple veteran and younger options, while another landed a five-year, $175 million infielder and reshaped its infield defense while adding rotation depth trade and several bullpen pieces on short-term deals.
Mlb biggest losers and offseason concerns
Not every contender improved. One team that missed the postseason the previous year finished with 87 wins and faces projections pointing to a step back to 81 wins if roster construction remains unchanged. That club entered spring training with an awkward position-player alignment that forced one regular into a fringe role; the front office could move either of two corner pieces before Opening Day, but even a single trade is unlikely to solve the team’s most pressing need: an All-Star-caliber outfielder.
Another club substantially overhauled its roster, moving out several high-profile regulars at season’s end, a sign that its winter tilted toward reset rather than immediate reinforcement. For franchises that made fewer moves, the concern is whether limited activity will be enough to keep pace with rivals who aggressively upgraded.
Skubal arbitration, poll results and what comes next
A prominent arbitration case ended with a record-setting $32 million salary for the 2026 season, expanding what players with similar service time might argue for in future hearings and materially raising one player’s free-agency ceiling. The arbitration outcome is one observable market indicator that could influence contract talks elsewhere this year.
Polling of offseason performance highlighted several of the clubs mentioned above as front-runners for the best winter, reflecting both blockbuster signings and roster construction choices. With spring training under way, a handful of player availabilities remain and the possibility of surprise trades still exists, so final roster tweaks could alter these early grades. If the high-spending club retains its core additions and payroll, it will enter the season with the clearest path to repeating as champions. Conversely, if the team projected to decline fails to add a quality outfielder or balance its lineup, projections suggest a meaningful step back from last year’s win total.
Key indicators to watch over the next month include whether any remaining role players are traded, how injured relievers recover, and if any club makes a last-minute splash before Opening Day. Those developments will determine whether current offseason grades hold or shift before the regular season begins.
