Johnny Damon says Dodgers will win World Series again in 2025
Johnny Damon explains why he thinks the Dodgers and Yankees are bound for a rematch, but why the former is an easy choice to win again.
Sports Seriously
Major League Baseball’s offseason is never really over, but it’s about time to call it.
From Juan Soto in December to Andrew Chafin come late February, all 30 teams took steps to improve themselves – some more aggressively than others. But a big spend and a lot of noise doesn’t always add up to a prosperous winter.
Sure, there’s still the chance a late veteran signee wanders into your spring training camp, or a major trade is pulled off before teams head north. But what you see now is almost certainly what you’ll get – at least until the trade deadline.
With that, USA TODAY Sports hands out the off-season grades for major league franchises:
American League
By Gabe Lacques
Baltimore Orioles: B-
Didn’t really have a shot at retaining Arizona-bound Corbin Burnes, but a team in the heart of contention still left itself plenty of question marks, much of it riding on Charlie Morton, 41, continuing to see the sixth inning.
Boston Red Sox: A-
Forget Alex Bregman: Perhaps the most impactful acquisition this off-season was the trade for Garrett Crochet, giving Boston an ace for two years and significant hope that an inconsistent club will finally land its win total in the mid- to high 80s for the first time in four years.
Chicago White Sox: D
A decent but not overwhelming return for Crochet, as Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel profile as potential regulars, if they can navigate this moribund franchise without incident.
Cleveland Guardians: C
Encouraging move to bring Shane Bieber back and some intriguing high-upside plays on Jakob Junis and John Means. It’s on right-hander Luis Ortiz to prove that the trade of Andrés Giménez wasn’t just a salary dump.
Detroit Tigers: B+
Bregman would’ve been a nice cherry on top, though he might not have fit Comerica Park so well. Still, they lured Jack Flaherty back after trading him for their eventual starting shortstop last summer, added solid bullpen pieces and Gleyber Torres for reasonable prices.
Houston Astros: C
Losing Bregman and Kyle Tucker in one offseason feels like walking a tightrope without a net. The winter can eventually be viewed a success if two things happen: Isaac Paredes becomes the fixture he wasn’t in Tampa Bay and Chicago, and Cam Smith – acquired for Tucker from the Cubs – populates the Crawford Box with baseballs as they anticipate.
Kansas City Royals: B
Adding Jonathan India and Carlos Estévez lengthens the lineup and bullpen, respectively, for a club that won 86 games and reached the AL Division Series.
Los Angeles Angels: B-
Signs of a presentable, or at least recognizable squad: Yusei Kikuchi joins Tyler Anderson as effective lefties atop the rotation, Kenley Jansen is a capital-C closer, Travis d’Arnaud can still handle a staff and swing the bat, Yoan Moncada pragmatically replaces Anthony Rendon and veterans Kyle Hendricks and Kevin Newman are also present.
Minnesota Twins: D+
Tempting to grade this on a curve, as the Twins – up for sale and taking a hit on TV revenues – are apparently financially hamstrung. But losing Max Kepler and backfilling with Ty France and Harrison Bader won’t do the lineup many favors.
New York Yankees: B+
The relatively quick strikes for Max Fried and Cody Bellinger were great, but the team might have truly solidified its 2025 hopes by adding Devin Williams and Fernando Cruz and retaining Tim Hill from a bullpen beset by defections.
(Sacramento) Athletics: B
Pretty decent maneuvers under the duress of “spend money or lose your welfare checks,” even if Luis Severino was a significant overpay and Brent Rooker might be 34 by the time they play a game in Las Vegas.
Seattle Mariners: D-
We double- and triple-checked it and yes, retaining Jorge Polanco and adding Donovan Solano constituted the bulk of “maintaining” an offense that ranked 22nd in OPS and 21st in runs scored. Criminal support of a unicorn pitching staff.
Tampa Bay Rays: C
A .500 team added bats Danny Jansen and Ha-Seong Kim – who will miss the first couple of months – and will lean on a pitching staff that should be incredibly deep as the franchise remains in a bit of limbo.
Texas Rangers: B+
They brought back rotation rock Nathan Eovaldi thanks to a $75 million guarantee, traded for corner slugger Jake Burger and added Joc Pederson’s left-handed bat at DH – a nice amalgam of 2023 championship holdovers, new blood and legit hope that folks like Jacob deGrom will make impactful injury returns.
Toronto Blue Jays: D
Imagine having three or so years to cram for a final and still flunking it. Forget the noble but fruitless pursuits of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto: Failing to extend Vlad Guerrero Jr. was such an unnecessary failure.
National League
By Bob Nightengale
Arizona Diamondbacks: B+
They stunned the baseball world by digging into their wallets and signing ace Corbin Burnes for $210 million. They have a starting rotation that could beat anyone, even the Dodgers, in the postseason with Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez. Yet, they also lost a valuable piece of their nucleus in three-time Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker and still don’t have a proven closer.
Atlanta: C-
They lost valuable starters Max Fried and Charlie Morton in free agency without trying to keep them, and dumped outfielder/DH Jorge Soler. But just when you thought they were in a tight money crunch, they paid $42 million over three years for Jurickson Profar, hoping that last year wasn’t an aberration. They badly need Ronald Acuña and Spencer Strider to bounce back from their injuries if they’re going to win the NL East again.
Chicago Cubs: B
The Cubs definitely got better during the winter, while the Brewers, who finished 10 games ahead of them, got worse. Their bold move was acquiring All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker, but they also had to trade center fielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger to get financial relief. While they struck out in an attempt to land third baseman Alex Bregman, they signed veteran Justin Turner for infield depth. Their biggest improvement was shoring up their bullpen with Ryan Pressly, Ryan Brasier, Eli Morgan, Caleb Thielbar and Cody Poteet, while also grabbing starting pitching depth with Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea.
Cincinnati Reds: B
The Reds grossly underachieved a year ago, and manager David Bell paid the price. Now, they have future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona running the show, which should be their greatest acquisition. They also added pitching depth by acquiring Royals starter Brady Singer, bringing back starter Nick Martinez, and trading for left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers. They brought in offensive depth too by signing outfielder Austin Hays, and trading for infielder/outfielder Gavin Lux as well as backup catcher Jose Trevino. And second baseman Matt McLain is back after missing all of last season with shoulder surgery. They could be this year’s biggest surprise.
Colorado Rockies: F+
They lost a record 101 games last year, and didn’t make any significant signings or trades to improve. Their big moves were signing infielder Kyle Farmer, second baseman Thairo Estrada and catcher Jacob Stallings to cheap one-year contracts. One day their youth movement could pay off, but their best hope to contend in the coming years would be realignment – perhaps finding a way to get into the NL Central.
Los Angeles Dodgers: A+
They didn’t sign Juan Soto, because they didn’t need Juan Soto. Instead, they signed absolutely everyone else they desired and wound up with nine legitimate starters (adding Rōki Sasaki and Blake Snell) and four potential closers (adding Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates). They are so rich in talent that they can afford an injury to anyone, even Shohei Ohtani. Grade:
Miami Marlins: F
Another year, another massive rebuild. They didn’t trade Sandy Alcantara or Eury Perez, but if they bounce back from Tommy John surgeries, they’ll be open for business. It’s going to be a long time before they’re competitive again.
Milwaukee Brewers: F
The Brewers lost All-Star shortstop Willy Adames in free agency and traded All-Star closer Devin Williams. They replaced them by signing Elvin Rodriguez, Tyler Alexander and Grant Wolfram. The Brewers defy expectations year after year. They’re going to have to find a way to do it again.
New York Mets: A-
They dropped $765 million on Juan Soto, giving him the richest contract in sports history. They finally relented and re-signed first baseman Pete Alonso too. Yet, their rotation lacks a true ace, or even a No. 2 starter. For a team that spent over $1 billion this winter, they have a questionable rotation with two starters (Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas) already hurt, and losing 21 victories and 352 innings from Luis Severino and Jose Quintana.
Philadelphia Phillies: C+
Agents used them all winter as a stalking horse, but the truth is that they were sitting out free agency They had no interest in Juan Soto. Never talked about Alex Bregman. Their biggest signings were outfielder Max Kepler (1 year, $10 million) and closer Jordan Romano (1 year, $8.5 million), while also trading for starter Jesús Luzardo. The Phillies have a deep, talented rotation led by Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, but need Romano to stabilize their bullpen.
Pittsburgh Pirates: D+
The Pirates have one of the finest young rotations in baseball with rookie sensation Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones, but instead of augmenting their team with proven veterans, all they did was sign Andrew Heaney to a one-year, $5.25 million contract, bring back DH Andrew McCutchen, sign left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson and trade for first baseman Spencer Horwitz. If they ever want to be a contender again, they need to shake the cobwebs off that checkbook.
San Diego Padres: D
They lost two major pieces in outfielder Jurickson Profar and infielder Ha-Seong Kim, not to mention closer Tanner Scott. Yet, despite their money crunch, they were able to convince free-agent starter Nick Pivetta to play for only $4 million this year, and backloaded some contracts. They should have one more ride in them, but they’re not nearly as powerful as a year ago when they had had the Dodgers on the ropes in the postseason and may have won their first World Series title in franchise history.
San Francisco Giants: C+
They started off strong, signing All-Star shortstop Willy Adames to a $182 million contract, but instead of adding more marquee pieces, stopped. They started to pursue ace Corbin Burnes, but never got serious, but they did land future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. They need more help if they’re going to return to the postseason for only the second time since 2016.
St. Louis Cardinals: F-
No trades. No free agent signings. No hope. They’re supposed to be in a rebuild, but they still haven’t been able to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado, after he rejected trades to the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels. They wanted to trade starter Sonny Gray, but he told them he’s not waiving his no-trade clause. And for some reason, All-Star closer Ryan Helsley is still on the team, perhaps believing they’ll get more value for him at the trade deadline. Strange times in St. Louis.
Washington Nationals: D
If they really believed they could contend this year, they would have hit free agency hard. Instead, their biggest signing was starter Trevor Williams (2 years, $14 million). If they show promise this year with their young core, they could jump back into the deep waters of free agency next winter.
