With several elite free players still available who could swing the balance of power once they sign, the MLB off-season has been a drag this winter. However, as of right now, there appears to be a rising trend among the teams who are either solidly in contention or that hope to be included in the postseason picture come October.
In an attempt to have players on the pitch when the games mean a little bit more, one trend is adding players with high ceilings but injury worries.
The Atlanta Braves have added Chris Sale
With a 104-58 record, the Atlanta Braves had the best record in baseball previous season. This winter, they signed a few players that are little step improvements. In another move they hope would be a major upgrade, they dealt starter Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for Vaughn Grissom. Grissom should be moved because he was blocked almost everywhere. It’s a smart move to add a player of Sale’s calibre, but not without danger.
He has thrown 151 innings in total over the last three seasons, recording a 3.93 ERA. Of course, 2023 was when he pitched 102 2/3 of those innings, with an ERA of 4.30. He placed among the top five in the AL Cy Young voting from 2013 to 2018, with a peak of second place in 2017. 2012 saw him finish in sixth place as well. With 11.1 strikeouts per nine, the towering left-hander also has the greatest strikeout rate ever recorded. He has been one of baseball’s top pitchers when healthy.
Everything about that transaction will depend on Sale’s health at the start of the postseason and the kind of starts he provides. Without Sale, Atlanta’s postseason run came easily. What matters is what transpires after they enter. In 34 playoff innings, he has a career 6.35 ERA, which includes an 8.47 ERA in the Divisional Series—a series the Braves have struggled to win the last two years.
Two of the New York Yankees’ (ailing) aces
Compared to the conclusion of the season, the New York Yankees are now a stronger squad. They finished 19 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East and six behind Toronto for the third and final Wild Card slot, meaning they missed the postseason for the fourth time in the previous 11 seasons. They needed to improve.
In order to acquire Juan Soto, a 25-year-old pitcher, the Yankees had to give up a fair bit of depth in their pitching staff. They filled their greatest need last week when they signed Marcus Stroman, a pitcher who has established himself as a reliable starter throughout his career. Despite not being the staff ace, he has made 115 starts since 2019 and has a 3.38 ERA overall. The issue is not with Stroman.
Instead, it’s Carlos Rodón, who agreed to a $162 million, six-year contract with the Yankees prior to the 2023 season. He was on the injured list for the majority of his first season in the Bronx, and in his 14 starts, he had an ERA of 6.85. He was giving up home runs left, right, and centre in addition to having less strikeouts and more walks. Before he signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants in 2022, there were many doubts about the lefty’s health. However, he went on to make 31 starts, record a 2.88 ERA, and place sixth in the NL Cy Young voting. He is New York’s second-best starter, after Gerrit Cole, when he is on.
However, the inquiries about New York don’t end there. Because of a rotator cuff problem, Nestor Cortes only started 12 games for the Yankees in the previous season, going 4–7 in those starts. The ability to pitch well will be necessary for Cole, Stroman, Rodón, and Cortes for New York to succeed in the postseason. Their issue is a little more complex, though, as they’re also playing catch up and probably won’t even be able to make the postseason if their starters don’t stay healthy during the regular season.
The San Francisco Giants are making an effort.
Similar to the Yankees, the Giants placed far behind the Dodgers in their division, finishing 21 games behind. Additionally, they ended fifth behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team in their division, for the last Wild Card berth and fourth place overall. The Giants have had an intriguing off-season thus far, but they haven’t made the same improvements as the Yankees.
Jung-Hoo Lee, who appears to fit in well with the orange and black, was signed by them to serve as their local celebrity. He possesses the talent and the personality, but how soon he adjusts to MLB will decide how quickly fans warm up to him and how successful the team is this season.
San Francisco’s upgrades on the mound raise a lot of questions. They inked Jordan Hicks, a career reliever with a lightning fastball, to a four-year, $44 million contract last week. They intend to have him start games as well. Hey, if everything goes according to plan, the Giants may have signed a major player who can pitch a lot of innings. Even though he only gets five shots, they might be excellent to outstanding.
One major problem is that he has never recorded more than 100 innings in a single season in the major leagues; his closest total was 77 2/3 in 2018. The other problem is that he has been rather prone to injuries over his five seasons, appearing in just 74 games overall over the course of three seasons (he missed 2020). That amounts to about 25 appearances in relief. This is going to be a huge deal for the Giants if it goes through. If not, perhaps he moves to the bullpen and does better there.
In addition, the Giants acquired 2021 AL Cy Young Robbie Ray, who suffered Tommy John surgery in May, will miss the first half of the season. Ray has an opt-out after 2024, although his contract is good through the 2026 season. Depending on what they do with the rest of the winter, the Giants may be more focused on 2025 and beyond. However, if they sign Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, or both, they will also be counting on Ray to return healthy in the second half, providing them with another reliable starter behind Logan Webb and Alex Cobb (assuming he stays healthy).
Three great MLB starters have joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, but nothing is certain.
This off-season, a lot has been written about the Dodgers, primarily because they are the team that is making the most news. Shohei Ohtani was signed by them. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was signed. Tyler Glasnow was acquired through a trade, and he later signed an extension. Alongside young starters Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan and the returning Walker Buehler, they have added several significant players to their rotation.
The issue is that Ohtani is out because he won’t be pitching in 2024. Although Yamamoto hasn’t proven to be a reliable member of the rotation, it is likely that he will flourish in Major League Baseball.
Next up is Tyler Glasnow, who is among baseball’s top starts when he takes the mound. He has made the fewest starts in a season—21—during his time with Tampa Bay last season, when he also had a 3.53 ERA.
Like the Braves, the Dodgers are trying to tackle the problem of what occurs after they make it to the postseason rather than the challenge of making the playoffs. But the National League can only have one representative team, so this winter feels like an arms race. Which of their major winter recruits is healthy come October 1st will ultimately be the decisive element for both clubs.
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