by Dylan Gantz
The MLB offseason is nearly done, yet it feels like it’s only been a couple of weeks since the Dodgers won game 7 of the World Series in November. The reason could be the crazy offseason filled with stars on the free agent market; it was a hyped up class that featured some of the best bats in the game. Although most of the big players are gone, I feel like we’ve already figured out three winners of the offseason, all of which are in the National League.
#1 New York Mets
If you told me that Pete Alonso would leave the Mets for the Baltimore Orioles, I’d assume they didn’t do much in the offseason. Instead, they not only grabbed one of the best infielders available in Bo Bichette, but also made some trades, including getting OF Luis Robert from the White Sox, INF Marcus Semien from the Texas Rangers, and SP Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers. After losing the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, I feel like the Mets made the best moves possible and are the biggest winners of the offseason.
#2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Unsurprising to some, they won the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes. If that wasn’t enough, they kept most of their players from their championship run and bolstered their pitching. Last year, lefty closer Tanner Scott struggled in the role for the Dodgers and it got to the point where they put rookie Roki Sasaki into the closer role for the playoffs to avoid a 9th inning meltdown. Now, they have Edwin Diaz, who helps the bullpen even more and gives the Dodgers the best odds once again to win the World Series.
#3 Chicago Cubs
The Cubs lost Kyle Tucker, they lost trusted veterans in the bullpen, and they have a lot of questions about the power in the lineup. Their front office was even questioned after not doing a lot to help the team get better the last few years, other than trading for Tucker last year. President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer took this offseason as a challenge and he made some big moves. Not only did he retool the bullpen by adding veterans with decently good track records, to start 2026, he traded for star SP Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins, and 3 days later signed Alex Bregman. The Cubs feel like a top 5 team in the National League.
This offseason has been wild and there are still some good free agents on the market like Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen, both of whom are starting pitchers. This offseason set expectations high for the Cubs and Mets, and the Dodgers got more ammo for another World Series run. Only time will tell how these moves help or hurt each franchise.
