The MLB WAR Winners and Losers of 2023-24 Offseason So Far

Wondering how your favorite MLB team stacks up to the rest of the league in terms of the talent they have added this offseason?

Ahead, we've ranked all 30 teams based on the projected WAR total of the newcomers to the Opening Day roster.

The 2024 WAR totals in this article come courtesy of the depth charts projections at FanGraphs, while Opening Day roster expectations were also pulled from the team roster pages of FanGraphs.

Only newcomers were included in this conversation, so guys such as Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did not impact their team's spot in the rankings.

There is still plenty of impact talent available in free agency and plenty of time for these rankings to shift, but this should serve as a snapshot of how all 30 teams stack up so far this offseason.

Quiet Offseasons

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Isiah Kiner-Falefa

• 29t. Philadelphia Phillies: N/A
• 29t. Chicago Cubs: N/A
  
• 28. Minnesota Twins (0.1 WAR): RP Josh Staumont (0.1)
• 27. Washington Nationals (0.6 WAR): 3B Nick Senzel (0.4), RP Dylan Floro (0.2), IF Nasim Nuñez (0.0)
• 24t. Texas Rangers (0.8 WAR): SP Tyler Mahle (0.6), RP Kirby Yates (0.2)
• 24t. Los Angeles Angels (0.8 WAR): SP Zach Plesac (0.5), RP Luis García (0.5), RP Adam Cimber (-0.2)
• 24t. Baltimore Orioles (0.8 WAR): RP Craig Kimbrel (0.7), OF Sam Hilliard (0.1)
• 23. Toronto Blue Jays (0.9 WAR): IF/OF Isiah Kiner-Falefa (0.9)
• 21t. Milwaukee Brewers (1.1 WAR): SP Joe Ross (0.8), 1B/OF Jake Bauers (0.1), C/OF Eric Haase (0.1), RP Taylor Clarke (0.1)
• 21t. Miami Marlins (1.1 WAR): C Christian Bethancourt (0.8), IF/OF Vidal Bruján (0.3)
• 20. Houston Astros (1.5 WAR): C Victor Caratini (1.5)

The biggest surprise from this group might be the complete inactivity by the Chicago Cubs since they made a splash in early November by hiring Craig Counsell and making him the highest-paid manager in baseball. They still have time to make a run at bringing back Cody Bellinger or a wide variety of other moves, but it's been radio silence so far.

The most disappointing inclusion on this list has to be the Baltimore Orioles, who have done virtually nothing to supplement a talented young roster coming off a 101-win season. Finding a reliable veteran starter to front their young staff should have been a top priority.

The Toronto Blue Jays are another team that felt poised to make a big move when the offseason began but have thus far done nothing to move the needle, while the Texas Rangers are attempting to navigate uncertainty with their TV deal while looking to shore up the roster for another World Series push.

Those four are the most likely to make the jump to at least the next group of teams before the offseason comes to a close.

Middle of the Pack

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Jung Hoo Lee

• 19. Colorado Rockies (2.0 WAR): SP Cal Quantrill (0.8), SP Dakota Hudson (0.7), RP Jalen Beeks (0.3), C Jacob Stallings (0.2), RP Anthony Molina (0.0)
  

• 18. Cleveland Guardians (2.1 WAR): C Austin Hedges (1.0), OF Estevan Florial (0.6), RP Scott Barlow (0.4), RP Ben Lively (0.2), IF Deyvison De Los Santos (-0.1)

• 17. Oakland Athletics (2.8 WAR): IF Abraham Toro (1.1), IF/OF Miguel Andújar (0.7), SP Osvaldo Bido (0.5), RP Mitch Spence (0.3), RP Trevor Gott (0.2)

• 16. Chicago White Sox (3.0 WAR): SP Mike Soroka (1.3), SP Erick Fedde (0.6), 2B Nicky Lopez (0.6), C Max Stassi (0.6), SS Paul DeJong (0.4), RP Chris Flexen (0.1), RP Shane Drohan (0.0), RP Tim Hill (-0.1), C Martín Maldonado (-0.5)

• 15. Tampa Bay Rays (3.2 WAR): IF José Caballero (1.0), SP Ryan Pepiot (0.9), OF Jonny DeLuca (0.8), OF Richie Palacios (0.5), RP Tyler Alexander (0.0)

• 14. Pittsburgh Pirates (3.7 WAR): SP Martín Pérez (1.2), SP Marco Gonzales (0.8), 1B Rowdy Tellez (0.8), C Ali Sánchez (0.5), OF Edward Olivares (0.4)

• 13. San Francisco Giants (4.4 WAR): OF Jung Hoo Lee (3.2), C Tom Murphy (0.9), SP Robbie Ray (0.3), RP Devin Sweet (0.0)

• 11t. Cincinnati Reds (4.9 WAR): SP Frankie Montas (2.1), SP Nick Martinez (1.2), IF Jeimer Candelario (1.1), RP Emilio Pagán (0.5)

• 11t. Arizona Diamondbacks (4.9 WAR): SP Eduardo Rodriguez (2.9), 3B Eugenio Suarez (1.7), C Tucker Barnhart (0.3)

Not many surprises from this group, as it's largely a collection of small-market teams that generally shy away from making a splashy move during the winter.

The biggest exception is the San Francisco Giants, who potentially looked like serious players in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes and in the market for several other top free agents, only to come up short once again. They did add KBO star Jung Hoo Lee on a six-year, $113 million deal, and the projections are bullish on his stateside debut.

The Chicago White Sox are tied for the second-most offseason newcomers on the projected Opening Day roster, yet it's largely a collection of fringe roster pieces to serve as stopgaps while they retool.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds have done well to upgrade their starting rotations and to add a quality veteran bat, and they should both be in the thick of the NL playoff race after better-than-expected 2023 seasons.

10. Kansas City Royals

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Seth Lugo

Offseason Additions: SP Seth Lugo (2.1), SP Michael Wacha (1.6), OF Hunter Renfroe (0.8), IF/OF Garrett Hampson (0.2), RP Chris Stratton (0.2), RP Nick Anderson (0.1), RP Matt Sauer (0.1), RP Will Smith (0.0)

Projected WAR Total: 5.1 WAR

The Kansas City Royals don't generally make waves in free agency, but after signing Seth Lugo (3/$45M), Michael Wacha (2/$32M), Hunter Renfroe (2/$13M) and Chris Stratton (2/$8) all to multi-year deals, they look like one of baseball's most improved teams.

Considering they have not posted a winning record since 2015 when they won the World Series, this season could prove to be the turning point in a lengthy rebuild.

9. Detroit Tigers

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Kenta Maeda

Offseason Additions: SP Kenta Maeda (2.1), SP Jack Flaherty (1.5), OF Mark Canha (1.5), RP Andrew Chafin (0.3), RP Shelby Miller (0.1)

Projected WAR Total: 5.5 WAR

The Detroit Tigers already had a promising young starting rotation in place with Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning and Reese Olson all showing potential in 2024, and they bolstered that group with the additions Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty, helping to ease the loss of Eduardo Rodriguez.

The pitching staff now looks like a legitimate strength, but little has been done to address an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in OPS (.687, 28th), home runs (165, 24th) and runs per game (4.08, 28th).

8. Atlanta Braves

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Chris Sale

Offseason Additions: SP Chris Sale (2.8), OF Jarred Kelenic (1.2), RP Reynaldo López (0.8), RP Aaron Bummer (0.5), IF Luis Guillorme (0.2), IF David Fletcher (0.1), RP Penn Murfee (0.0)

Projected WAR Total: 5.6 WAR

The Atlanta Braves plugged the two most glaring holes on the roster with a pair of trades to acquire outfielder Jarred Kelenic from the Seattle Mariners to man left field and left-hander Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox to fill out the starting rotation.

Former Chicago White Sox relievers Reynaldo López and Aaron Bummer also have a chance to be key pieces in the bullpen, and there is enough young pitching depth that even if Sale only gives the team 20 or so starts he can still be an asset without hindering the staff.

7. Boston Red Sox

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Vaughn Grissom

Offseason Additions: SP Lucas Giolito (2.4), IF Vaughn Grissom (2.3), OF Tyler O'Neill (1.7), RP Justin Slaten (0.0)

Projected WAR Total: 6.4 WAR

The projections are extremely bullish on what former top prospect Vaughn Grissom will do with a change of scenery and the starting second base job. The 23-year-old is projected to hit .285/.354/.424 with 38 extra-base hits in 123 games, and his 2.3 WAR ranks third among Boston position players.

The Red Sox haven't made a ton of moves this winter, but they've added two new pieces to the starting lineup and did a great job buying low on Lucas Giolito, who was a legitimate staff ace for the Chicago White Sox not long ago.

6. San Diego Padres

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Michael King

Offseason Additions: SP Michael King (1.9), C Kyle Higashioka (1.3), SP Randy Vásquez (1.1), RP Yuki Matsui (1.0), RP Woo Suk Go (0.4), RP Enyel De Los Santos (0.3), OF Cal Mitchell (0.3), OF Óscar Mercado (0.2), OF Tucupita Marcano (0.2), OF Bryce Johnson (0.0), RP Luis Patiño (-0.1)

Projected WAR Total: 6.6 WAR

The San Diego Padres acquired Michael King, Kyle Higashioka and Randy Vásquez as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, and that trio will play an important role for the pitching staff this year.

With glaring holes in the outfield, non-roster invitees Cal Mitchell, Óscar Mercado and Bryce Johnson are all projected to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, but that could certainly change if the team makes an outside addition to plug one of the two spots alongside right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr.

5. Seattle Mariners

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Mitch Garver

Offseason Additions: IF Luis Urías (2.0), C/DH Mitch Garver (1.8), 1B/OF Luke Raley (1.2), OF Mitch Haniger (1.1), SP/RP Anthony DeSclafani (0.5), C Seby Zavala (0.4), RP Jackson Kowar (0.0)

Projected WAR Total: 7.0 WAR

After a relatively quiet offseason that was beginning to draw the ire of the fanbase, the Seattle Mariners finally addressed their needs for a power bat (Mitch Garver) and a pair of corner outfielders (Luke Raley and Mitch Haniger), and suddenly the roster looks much more like a finished product.

It's easy to forget Luis Urías is not far removed from back-to-back 3-WAR seasons in 2021 and 2022, and he is still only 26 years old. So, while his WAR projection might come as a surprise, he has proved capable of that level of production.

4. New York Mets

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Luis Severino

Offseason Additions: SP Sean Manaea (1.9), OF Harrison Bader (1.7), SP Luis Severino (1.6), SP Adrian Houser (0.9), OF Tyrone Taylor (0.7), IF Joey Wendle (0.4), RP Jorge López (0.2), RP Austin Adams (0.1), RP Michael Tonkin (0.1)

Projected WAR Total: 7.6 WAR

The New York Mets have quietly done a nice job rebuilding the starting rotation after cutting their losses on Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at the trade deadline, scooping up Sean Manaea (2/$28M) and Luis Severino (1/$13M) on low-risk deals and acquiring Adrian Houser for next to nothing in a cost-cutting trade by the Milwaukee Brewers.

It's not the same headline-grabbing offseason they've had the past couple years since Steve Cohen bought the team, but maybe that's a good thing given how things played out during the 2023 season.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

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Sonny Gray

Offseason Additions: SP Sonny Gray (3.1), SP Lance Lynn (2.3), SP Kyle Gibson (2.1), RP Andrew Kittredge (0.3), RP Ryan Fernandez (0.0)

Projected WAR Total: 7.8 WAR

The St. Louis Cardinals' top five starting pitchers in terms of innings pitched combined for 5.1 WAR in 2023, and the inconsistency from that group was the driving force behind the team's first losing season since 2007.

Veterans Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson were all signed in free agency before the calendar flipped to December, addressing that weakness and shoring up the starting staff alongside Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz.

2. New York Yankees

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Juan Soto

Offseason Additions: OF Juan Soto (6.8), OF Alex Verdugo (1.6), OF Trent Grisham (1.2), RP Victor González (0.2)

Projected WAR Total: 9.7 WAR

The only player projected for a higher WAR total during the 2024 season than New York Yankees' prized offseason addition Juan Soto (6.8) is reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. (7.3), so it should come as no surprise to see the Yankees so high in these rankings.

Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham will also be part of a new-look outfield, with Aaron Judge shifting to center field on a more regular basis. The Yankees still need at least one more quality starting pitcher to round out the rotation, but they have made the offseason splash the fanbase was clamoring for after missing the playoffs.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

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Shohei Ohtani

Offseason Additions: DH/SP Shohei Ohtani (4.2), SP Tyler Glasnow (3.7), SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3.4), OF Teoscar Hernández (1.9), OF Manuel Margot (0.7)

Projected WAR Total: 13.9 WAR

Who else?

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent a combined $1.025 billion to sign Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency, and they have now added two more bona fide superstars to a roster that was already headlined by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

The one-year, $23.5 million deal to sign Teoscar Hernández will further bolster an already potent lineup, And while the team that wins the offseason often falls short of expectations, this is shaping up to be one of the most talented teams ever assembled.