We’ve already seen big swings this offseason from some of the big-market teams: The Mets won the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the Yankees reeled in Max Fried, the Dodgers nabbed Blake Snell, the Giants signed Willy Adames, the Red Sox traded for Garrett Crochet and the Cubs dealt for Kyle Tucker.
Some small- and mid-market teams have also gotten out of the gate quickly, with the Athletics landing Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs, the Orioles acquiring Tyler O’Neill and Japanese righty Tomoyuki Sugano and the Guardians making a pair of significant moves to improve their rotation (bringing back Shane Bieber and trading for Luis Ortiz).
However, every team still has needs to address and some would-be contenders — such as the Braves, Mariners and Diamondbacks to name a few — haven’t done enough.
Therefore, I thought I’d suggest moves to help six teams fill key needs and/or jump-start their offseasons. Please let me know what you think of these proposed trades and signings in the comments section and add your own ideas as well.
1. Reds — Acquire CF Luis Robert Jr. in trade with White Sox
Luis Robert Jr. hit 14 homers last season. He blasted 38 in 2023. (Kevin Jairaj / Imagn Images)
Robert would be a great fit with the Reds, who need another power bat for their lineup and an upgrade in the outfield. Although he’s been inconsistent on both sides of the ball during his career and has a history of nagging injuries, Robert also has won a Gold Glove Award, hit 38 homers in a season and stolen 20 or more bases the past two years. He’s under team control for three more seasons.
The White Sox are looking for major-league-ready talent or position-player prospects and match up well with the Reds. The trade package could include one of the Reds’ top shortstop prospects, Tyson Lewis, and a third-base prospect such as Sal Stewart or Cam Collier. The Reds could afford to part with two from that trio because they have sufficient depth at those positions with Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte in the majors and Edwin Arroyo, their top infield prospect, in the minors. Lewis plus Stewart or Collier would be a strong return for the White Sox but this is a deal that should work for both sides.
2. Mariners — Trade RHP Luis Castillo to Red Sox for 1B Triston Casas and 3B/1B Blaze Jordan
The Mariners have one of the best starting rotations in baseball but have been reluctant to trade from that cabinet — and rightfully so. However, if they can’t afford to lure a corner infielder like Pete Alonso, Christian Walker or Alex Bregman in free agency, they will have to move one of their starters to get a power bat. They should keep all of their young starters and be willing to move Castillo, which would also lessen their future financial exposure and potentially help them acquire more bats. (Castillo, 32, logged a 3.64 ERA last season over 175 1/3 innings. He will make $24.15 million in each of the next three years and has a $25 million vesting option for 2028.)
If the Red Sox don’t land free-agent ace Corbin Burnes, which they are trying to do, they could pivot and sign Bregman to play third base, which would necessitate a move of Rafael Devers to first and allow them to trade Casas and a corner infielder such as prospect Blaze Jordan for Castillo to further improve their rotation. Casas, 24, profiles as a future 25-30 home run power bat; he won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2026. Jordan, who will turn 22 this week, was a third-round pick in 2020; he batted .261/.305/.388 with seven homers and 22 doubles last season at Double A. A win-win for both organizations.
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3. Braves — Sign RHP Jack Flaherty
The Braves lost Fried to the Yankees in free agency and there is no guarantee Charlie Morton will return to Atlanta either. Flaherty would be a nice addition to their rotation if his medical reports check out. (The Yankees backed out of a preliminary trade agreement with the Tigers for Flaherty at the trade deadline after reviewing the righty’s medicals.) Flaherty was considered by many as the Dodgers’ best starting pitcher when the postseason began. He went 13-7 last season with the Tigers and Dodgers, posting a 3.17 ERA and 1.068 WHIP over 28 starts, with 194 strikeouts in 162 innings. I’m not sure what the contract terms should look like because the length will depend on the medical reports and exams, but Flaherty would be a nice pivot for the Braves.
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4. Diamondbacks — Re-sign 1B Christian Walker
Will Christian Walker land a four-year deal? (Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)
The Diamondbacks need to bring back Walker, but they face steep competition in free agency from teams like the Yankees, Mariners, and Mets (if they don’t re-sign Alonso). Walker has won three consecutive NL Gold Glove awards at first base and has averaged 32 home runs per season over that span. He’s one of the Diamondbacks’ leaders and a backbone of their team. If they want to return to the playoffs, it’s imperative they re-sign Walker, even if they have to go to a fourth year to get a deal done. It will probably take four years and $100 million to land Walker, who will turn 34 in March. It would be especially risky at the back end of the deal, but that’s the price to do business in 2024.
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5. Blue Jays — Sign 3B Alex Bregman and RHP Corbin Burnes
The Blue Jays need another bat in their lineup and need to improve the makeup and character of their clubhouse. Bregman would do both, but they’d have to offer much more than the Astros to get him to walk away from Houston, where he wants to play. If the Blue Jays are willing to do an eight-year deal worth more than $200 million, they’d have a legitimate chance to land him. That would give them one of the best infields in the game with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, newly acquired Andrés Giménez at second base, Bo Bichette at shortstop and Bregman at third base.
In addition, they should sign Burnes to a nine-year, $247 million contract to head their rotation. If the Blue Jays could afford to make massive free-agent offers to the likes of Shohei Ohtani last year and Juan Soto this year, why not pivot and add Burnes and Bregman? It would go a long way in making Toronto a contender in 2025 and beyond.
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6. Mets — Re-sign LHP Sean Manaea
While the Mets celebrate the Soto signing, they also must take a breath and realize they still need to improve their rotation to win the NL East. As it stands, the Mets’ rotation includes Kodai Senga, David Peterson, converted reliever Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas, along with depth options such as Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn. Bringing back Manaea would be a huge move. He went 12-6 last season with a 3.47 ERA and 184 strikeouts over 32 starts. He made delivery and arsenal adjustments during a breakout campaign that featured a .185 batting average against and 0.938 WHIP in the second half of the season. The Mets’ pitching room deserves credit for his 2024 success and Manaea, who will turn 33 in February, would be wise to return, all things being equal. A contract in the range of four years and $87 million should get it done.
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(Top photo of Luis Castillo: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
