Each MLB Team's Biggest Roster Hole to Fix in 2026-27 Offseason
For a lot of Major League Baseball teams, the to-do list for this offseason is a metaphorical mile long.
But every team has one biggest roster hole that it knows it needs to address before the 2027 campaign beginsโwhenever that may be.
For some, it's a brand-new hole left by a player about to hit free agency. They might just need to somehow find the funds to keep that player from landing elsewhere.
For many clubs, though, the biggest problem on the horizon was also what held them back this season. They ought to be extra motivated to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Teams are presented in alphabetical order by location.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Bullpen Arms
Save for Ildemaro Vargasโwho had a .557 OPS over his final 118 gamesโand backup catcher James McCann, the rest of the lineup regulars will be back in 2027. If Jordan Lawler can stay healthy, the Snakes ought to be in business on offense.
The starting rotation also looks to be in good shapeโprovided Corbin Burnes does not opt out of the four years left on his contract, which seems very unlikely. If nothing changes, it'll be Burnes, Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson, with 2026 rookies Mitch Bratt, Josรฉ Cabrera and Kohl Drake available for depth.
But the Diamondbacks sure do have a ton of relievers hitting free agency.
Of the seven who appeared in more than 15 games (each appearing in at least 45), only Juan Morillo and Brandyn Garcia are slated to return.
Granted, those two were the best of the seven. Justin Martรญnez should feature prominently in the 2027 bullpen after missing the first 4.5 months of this past season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. They'll need to add depth, though, and possibly a dedicated closer.
Athletics
2 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Pitching in General
Luis Severino has a $22M player option and will most likely exercise it. Meanwhile, the A's hold a $15M club option for Jeffrey Springs, which they will presumably decline.
Regardless of how things shake out with those veteran arms, though, the A's have a ton of work to do if they're hoping to bounce back from allowing 937 runs this season. That's 127 more runs than the second-worst AL pitching staff.
Best of luck solving that problem while continuing to call West Sacramento their temporary home. Given the way balls soar out of Sutter Health Park during the summer, free agent pitchers are going to be reluctant to sign with the A's unless they overpay or it's more or less their only option.
They can trade for pitchers, though. They have to try to contendโespecially after 81-81 was good enough to win the AL West this year.
Atlanta Braves
3 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Shortstop/Left Field
After watching Atlanta go with openers Ray Kerr, Dylan Dodd and Ray Kerr again as its starting pitchers in consecutive postseason games, the starting rotation may well be the correct answer here.
However, they do still have a deep stable of options. Chris Sale will be back as the ace, with Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, Reynaldo Lรณpez, Spencer Strider, AJ Smith-Shawver, Spencer Schwellenbach, JR Ritchie and maybe Didier Fuentes all in the mix for starting gigs.
The problem was simply that most of those guys had been injured.
Meanwhile, with versatile Mauricio Dubรณn heading to free agency, the Braves are looking at a pretty big hole at shortstop and left field.
Technically, they do still have Jurickson Profar for another year. Maybe he returns from his second PED suspension and makes an impact in left? Short of that, though, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet for Mike Yastrzemski in left and Jim Jarvis at short.
Even if they manage to re-sign Dubรณn, they'll need at least one other option in that LF/SS mixโprobably a right-handed-hitting shortstop, with Yaz's left-handed bat starting in left against righties while that TBD SS typically starts against southpaws.
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Baltimore Orioles
4 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Starting Rotation
Trevor Rogers is going to be one of the five most coveted arms in free agency this winter. Re-signing him will neither be easy nor cheap.
Baltimore also already traded away Dean Kremer and will have to replace Chris Bassitt in the starting rotation.
That leaves the O's with Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Brandon Young and a whole lot of unknowns beyond that.
Cade Povich and Trey Gibson could both be in the mix after each making a handful of starts in 2026, but neither one has quite proven himself worthy yet. The same goes for southpaw Luis De Leรณn, who made a few relief appearances in the big leagues, but needs to work on his walk rate before he can start in the majors.
They also have three highly touted prospects in Anthony Eyanson, Joseph Dzierwa and Caden Hunter, but they haven't even pitched in Triple-A yet. They might still be at least a year away.
While they wait on those guys in their early 20s, maybe the Orioles can trade for one year of someone like Sandy Alcantara, Logan Gilbert or Joe Ryan.
Boston Red Sox
5 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Home Runs
Though it sounds like Sonny Gray is more likely to retire than return to the Red Sox in 2027, they still have a stout-looking rotation, thanks to the emergence of Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett. That duo should pair with Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello, with Tanner Houck, Johan Oviedo and Kutter Crawford also candidates for the 2027 rotation after missing most or all of 2026 to injury.
Rather, Boston's big question is where the slugging is going to come from.
Willson Contreras had a great season, clubbing 27 home runs. He led the Red Sox with a .516 slugging percentage. Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela were also quality cogs in the machine, slugging .446 and .442, respectively.
But between Roman Anthony's injury, Trevor Story's injury and Jarren Duran's season-long struggles, this offense was a disappointment overall, just barely averaging one home run per game.
Top prospect Franklin Arias could help solve that problem, but whether he'll be on the Opening Day roster remains to be seen. If they're unsure of the answer there, adding some middle infield pop is a must.
Chicago Cubs
6 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Starting Rotation
Ten pitchers started at least three games for the Cubs in 2026.
Of that bunch, Jameson Taillon is already long gone. Matthew Boyd has a mutual option that won't be exercised (because they never are). Clay Holmes has a player option that he will almost certainly decline. Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman and David Peterson are unrestricted free agents.
That leaves Edward Cabrera (who was a massive disappointment en route to a 5.96 ERA) and a trio of swingmen in Javier Assad, Ben Brown and Colin Rea.
Now, they do have Justin Steele hopefully returning at full strength in 2027. Cade Horton should be back from his Tommy John surgery somewhere around the All-Star Break. But Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer already said, "The great majority of our focus is going to be on pitching acquisition."
It'd be a surprise if they are part of the bidding war for Tarik Skubal, but it'd be equally surprising if they don't either re-sign one of their own free agents or end up with someone from that "best available aside from Skubal" tier of Michael King, Freddy Peralta and Trevor Rogers.
Chicago White Sox
7 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Starting Rotation
The White Sox led the American League in scoring and will retain 12 of the 13 players who made at least 100 plate appearances.
Needless to say, they'll be focused on pitching.
For better or worse, they do have Luis Castillo making $22.75M next season. If he's healthy, he'll be a starter.
Sean Burke is also a lock to start after his breakout season. Davis Martin presumably lands at No. 3 in the rotation, with Hagen Smith getting stretched out and taking on a bigger role in 2027.
Not exactly an irreplaceable arm out of the bunch, though. The fifth spot is anyone's guess between Anthony Kay, Noah Schultz, Grant Taylor, Tanner McDougal and maybe Shane Smith.
Chicago has money to spend, though. They should be looking to add a frontline starter to increase their World Series odds in their second (and possibly final) season with Munetaka Murakami.
Cincinnati Reds
8 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Hot Corner
In Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart, the Reds are more than fine at both shortstop and first base.
Pick anywhere else in Cincinnati's lineup, though, and there is work to be done.
Their third-most valuable position player is catcher Tyler Stephenson, who is now a free agent. They're also losing 26 home runs from Eugenio Suรกrez. While JJ Bleday's May breakout was a fun story, he hit .188 with a .626 OPS over his final 90 gamesโand he's still probably the surest thing in Cincinnati's outfield.
Third base might be the biggest conundrum of all, though.
Ke'Bryan Hayes is still owed a total of $29M over the next four seasons, but he just had one of the worst offensive seasons in MLB history and was nowhere near as great defensively as he has been in the past.
Fortunately, Stewart can also play third base, so any corner infielder would do. But with the right acquisition, the Reds could literally double Hayes' .419 OPS from this past season. That'd be a big first step in the right direction.
Cleveland Guardians
9 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: First Base / Designated Hitter
With Josรฉ Ramรญrez struggling through by far his worst season in more than a decade, the lack of potency in Cleveland's lineup was more glaring than ever.
They were the only team that didn't have at least one player hit 23 home runs, led surprisingly by Angel Martรญnez with 18.
First base was the biggest disappointment, though.
Kyle Manzardo, Rhys Hoskins, Nathaniel Lowe and David Fry each played at least 14 games there. None finished the regular season with an OPS better than .684. (With Cleveland, at any rate. Lowe had an .820 OPS with Cincinnati before the trade deadline.)
They do have Ralphy Velazquez waiting in the wings. He hit .326/.401/.761 with 18 home runs in his final 37 games at Triple-A Columbus this season, but they refused to call him up. Maybe he can bring the big lumber to first base in 2027?
Even if he does, they could still use a right-handed bat at DH. Hoskins was their only player to hit at least nine right-handed home runs in 2026. He most likely will not be back next season.
Colorado Rockies
10 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: A pitcher worth building around
Over the past six years, there have been 680 cases in which a pitcher posted an ERA of 4.32 or lower while logging at least 30 innings as a starter.
Every single team has had at least 14 such seasons.
Except for the Colorado Rockies.
Their home-field disadvantage doesn't help matters, of course, but the Rockies also have an MLB-worst 5.22 ERA away from home since the beginning of 2021. They simply never have any pitcher worth starting on Opening Day, let alone further down in the rotation.
Can they do something to get one?
Preferably one with at least three years of team control so they can eventually stockpile some talent around him?
Detroit Tigers
11 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Bullpen Arms
Detroit's starting rotation also has some serious question marks, at least in terms of big league experience. Beyond Framber Valdez, Keider Montero is their most established option with 53 career starts. Troy Melton, Jackson Jobe and River Ryan have combined for 49. They may well be Nos. 3-5 in this rotation in 2027.
Jobe was one of the top prospects in all of baseball heading into the 2025 campaign. Melton has been great when healthy. Detroit wanted Ryan in the Tarik Skubal trade for a reason. They aren't household names yet, but it could be a respectable starting five.
What isn't respectable is that the bullpen was largely responsible for one of the "unluckiest" seasons in MLB history.
With a +71 run differential, Detroit should have gone 89-73. Instead, it went 76-86, missing their pythagorean record by a minus-13. It's the first minus-12 or worse since the 1993 Mets went 59-103 for a minus-14.
Blowing 31 saves played a big part in the Tigers' underachievement. Now, they have to decide whether Kenley Jansen is worth a $12M club option. You've got to think they'll be investing in different relievers this winter.
Houston Astros
12 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Outfield
Houston's starting rotation could also use a makeover this offseason.
However, there's a perfect world in which Hunter Brown, Hayden Wesneski and Cristian Javier all stay healthy in 2027, buttressed by another good year from Peter Lambert, a better sophomore season from Tatsuya Imai and maybe Brandon Walter returning from Tommy John surgery and picking up where he left off in August 2025.
Good luck cooking up a similar best-case scenario for a team that started 12 different players in left field and had just two players start at least 50 total games in the outfieldโCam Smith with 139 and Taylor Trammell with 73.
Overall, Houston got a .662 OPS from its outfield, good for second-worst in the majors. That includes 25 games when Yordan Alvarez played left field and had a 1.239 OPS. Taking away those 105 plate appearances plummets them into dead last with a mark of .632.
Maybe they found something late in the year with Lucas Spence at center field, but he had a .237 batting average in 239 games played in the minors and was never regarded as a top prospect.
Basically, they're heading into the offseason to prepare for open auditions for starting roles at both left and center field. Even in right, Smith has a .670 OPS two years into his career and is the lone sure thing in this outfield, pretty much by default.
Kansas City Royals
13 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Outfield
At the plate, Jac Caglianone had a pretty great second season in the majors, posting the same .834 OPS as Washington's CJ Abrams. However, the former starting pitcher/first baseman is still adjusting to life in right field, posting a minus-9 fielding run value and minus-10 outs above average in 2026.
He's the one player who will definitely be starting in Kansas City's outfield in 2027.
Kyle Isbel and Isaac Collins played a combined 234 games in the outfield this season. They were the definition of replacement-level players, whether you use FanGraphs or Baseball-Reference as your source for that metric.
They kept starting, though, because the other options weren't any more promising.
What else is new for the Royals, though? Isbel in center has been their lone constant in recent years. He's a plus fielder who is consistently ninth in the batting order with a .636 OPS since the beginning of 2022.
They probably can't justify paying the going rate to get Randy Arozarena in free agency, but what a game-changer he could be in left field for an offense that is perpetually sputtering in spite of Bobby Witt Jr.
Los Angeles Angels
14 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Offense in General
Mike Trout had his healthiest season in a decade, while Zach Neto hit 27 home runs and stole 24 bases, yet the Angels suffered 100 losses for the first time in franchise history, almost ranking dead last in the majors in scoring.
Catcher was the biggest black hole of all their positions, with seven backstops combining for a .550 OPS. However, third base (.610), second base (.620) and right field (.647) weren't much better, as the Halos slugged an MLB-worst .369.
Can they plug enough of those holes to turn things around in Trout's age-35 season?
Or would they be better suited to trading away Neto (and Reid Detmers) in hopes of rebuilding and getting Trout the first postseason win of his career in the final year of his massive contract (2030)?
The latter route seems to be the way to go, especially given the lack of MLB-ready talent in this farm system. They've stubbornly refused to embrace a rebuild over the past half-decade, which is why they're in this mess today.
Los Angeles Dodgers
15 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Glue Guys
Everyone knows about the Dodgers' well-compensated star players. With the exception of Tarik Skubal hitting the open market after they rented him for a couple of months, they aren't going to lose any of their big-ticket items.
An underrated factor in this dynastic run has been their glue guys: Utilitymen Miguel Rojas and Kikรฉ Hernรกndez, who play anywhere and seem to always deliver at least one huge moment in October, along with middle relievers like Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen and Evan Phillipsโthe latter of whom has yet to allow a single run in 16.0 career innings in the postseason.
All five are headed to free agency, along with Skubal, while Rojas and Treinen may be preparing to retire.
How many will they be able to retain?
Can they adequately backfill the spots that open up?
Those are the little things that could become the Dodgers' Achilles' heel, especially as the likes of Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Mookie Betts progress deeper into their mid/late 30s.
Miami Marlins
16 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Closer
If Owen Caissie can turn things around after a rough first full season in the majors, Miami's offense has the potential to be pretty good.
Same goes for the starting rotation if Max Meyer (neck) and top prospect Thomas White (shoulder) can bounce back from ending the regular season on the IL.
However, their bullpen situation was far from great. They now have a gaping hole at closer, with Pete Fairbanks and his 6.31 ERA (mercifully) headed to free agency.
Do the Marlins swing big in free agency for Raisel Iglesias or David Bednar?
Or did the $13M whiff on Fairbanks scare them away from once again ponying up eight figures for a reliever?
After posting a positive run differential for the first time since 2010, we'd certainly like to see the Marlins make a real effort to win in their final season with Sandy Alcantara.
Milwaukee Brewers
17 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: First Base
Jake Bauers was one of the biggest breakout stars of 2026, more than doubling his previous career high for home runs in a single season (from 12 to 26) while posting an .874 OPS that ranked 10th-best among qualified hitters.
Bauers is also set to become a free agent, as he is surely headed for a nice pay bump after making just $2.7M this season.
Maybe the Brewers find a way to keep him, but they're going to need to do something this offseason about their first-base situation.
Notably, one option could involve a 19-year-old top prospect in all of baseball, Jesรบs Made. Whether it's moving him, Cooper Pratt or Joey Ortiz to first base, that trio plus Brice Turang could be the best infield in the majors in 2027โif Made is ready for the show.
More likely, though, if they can't re-sign Bauers, they'll roll with Andrew Vaughn as the right-handed half of a 1B platoon, while bringing in a Nathaniel Lowe or Dominic Smith on the cheap for the left-handed half.
Minnesota Twins
18 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Catcher
Perhaps more so than any other team, the Twins need to decide whether they truly believe they can win the 2027 World Series.
They hope to have Pablo Lรณpez back from his Tommy John surgery early in the season, but it will be the final year of his contract. That "final year" part is also true for Joe Ryan, Dean Kremer, Bailey Ober, Jeff Hoffman, Trevor Larnach, Victor Caratini and Anthony Banda.
That's...a lot.
If nothing changes this winter, it's four-fifths of the projected starting rotation, two key relievers and two starting position players.
Do they let it ride? Double down with a big acquisition? Or trade away several of those expiring contracts to lay a stronger foundation for a longer push a couple of years down the road?
Well, if they're in it to win it, adding a catcher to replace the outgoing Ryan Jeffers is a near-must, because Caritini and Alex Jackson are hardly a championship-caliber combination at backstop.
They do have quite the stockpile of catching prospects, but Khadim Diaw is the only one who reasonably could be a factor in 2027.
Maybe they extend Jeffers a one-year qualifying offer, even though it's probably an overpay? That move would be a solid stopgap solution until the next generation of catchers is ready.
New York Mets
19 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Starting Rotation
Whether Bo Bichette stays with the Mets or opts out is a pretty massive variable in the MLB offseason. If he does leave, they still have Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Christopher Morel, Jorge Polanco and Ronny Mauricio with hot corner experience in the big leagues, plus Jefferson Rojas as a top prospect who could take those reins as early as next season.
They don't need to do anything about their third-base situation.
Can they honestly justify heading into spring training with Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, Christian Scott, Zac Thornton, Jonah Tong and Tylor Megill battling to fill out the rotation beyond Nolan McLean?
Scott and Thornton were pleasant surprises as fixtures in the rotation this season, but it's hard to believe they might be the No. 2 and No. 3 starters for a team that spends close to half a billion dollars on payroll (and luxury tax) every year.
They'll be in the mix for Tarik Skubal. They almost have to be. If they don't land him, we'd be shocked if they didn't sign at least one of the top six or seven arms on the marketโespecially if Bichette opts out.
New York Yankees
20 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Bullpen Arms
The Yankees' infield situation feels extra dire after Monday night's errors-laden nightmare, but they enter the offseason with a projected infield alignment of Ben Rice, Anthony Volpe, George Lombard Jr. and Ryan McMahon, plus Luis Garcรญa Jr. and Josรฉ Caballero off the bench.
It's not so much "a hole that needs to be filled" as it is "an area where they may look to make a big splash."
With David Bednar, Paul Blackburn and Tim Hill among the Yankees' relievers hitting free agency, they've got pretty much nothing but holes in the bullpen.
Re-signing Bednar is surely within the realm of possibility, if not the likeliest outcome for the established closer.
That's merely the first step, though, as Brent Headrick might be the only returnee who was used somewhat regularly in high-leverage situations.
Go get Adriรกn Morejรณn or Alex Vesia. Bring back Luke Weaver or Jonathan Loรกisiga. Turn this deficiency into a strength, or else prepare to extend what is already this franchise's longest World Series drought in more than a century.
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Lineup Depth
Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott combined for 7.5 bWAR in 2026.
The rest of the Phillies position players combined for a minus-2.1 bWAR.
Trea Turner's fall from grace was the biggest individual contributor to Philadelphia's offensive struggles. In the blink of an eye, he went from a batting champ and MVP candidate in 2025 to one of the most problematic contracts in baseball right now. If 2026 is just his new normal with seven years left on this deal, yikes.
J.T. Realmuto also regressed considerably in his age-35 season. And though Brandon Marsh was awesome in the first half en route to All-Star honors, he had a .482 OPS in his final 73 games played.
For better or worse, those three will be back in 2027. And now the Phillies have to replace some combination of Luis Arraez, Edmundo Sosa and Alec Bohm while trying to address the fact that they had the worst team batting WAR in the majors.
With the eight-man nucleus of Harper, Schwarber, Turner, Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sรกnchez and Jesรบs Luzardo slated to make a combined $198M next seasonโnot to mention Stott, Marsh and Jhoan Duran possibly each headed for eight-figure salaries in arbitrationโgood luck making that happen.
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Second Base
Brandon Lowe had a fantastic season at second base for the Pirates. He wasn't an All-Star, but he might get a down-ballot vote or two for NL MVP for his career-best 152 hits with 35 home runs, 94 runs and 96 RBI.
At any rate, the only other players to put up numbers at least that high in all four categories were Pete Crow-Armstrong, Yordan Alvarez, Junior Caminero and Pete Alonso.
Now he's a free agent, though, so it's back to the drawing board.
The good news for the Piratesโif they're willing to spend some money againโis that there has perhaps never been a better winter to need a second baseman.
In addition to Lowe, there's Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis Arraez and Gleyber Torres available in free agency. They could also buy low on Ha-Seong Kim or Jonathan India coming off disastrous seasons, or bring utilityman Edmundo Sosa over from the other side of Pennsylvania.
Basically, if they don't enter 2027 with a better plan than Nick Gonzales at second base with Jared Triolo at third base, they've got some explaining to do.
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Starting Rotation
Ten pitchers logged at least 20 innings in a starting role for the Padres in 2026.
Here's where they stand heading into the offseason.
- Already gone: Germรกn Mรกrquez
- Unrestricted free agents: Walker Buehler, Casey Mize, Robbie Ray
- Player option, likely to be declined: Michael King
- Mutual options, which never get exercised: Griffin Canning, Lucas Giolito
- Made 20 starts at Triple-A with a 7.49 ERA: JP Sears
- Should be in San Diego's 2027 rotation: Randy Vรกsquez, Nick Pivetta (club option)
So, you know, there's work to do here.
The Padres did at least finally see Joe Musgrove on a mound again during the postseason after two years away. Maybe he can be their ace next season.
There's also hope that Yu Darvish will return after missing all of 2026โand would do so as possibly the oldest player in the league, unless Max Scherzer comes back again.
But a rotation of Musgrove, Pivetta, Vรกsquez, Darvish and Sears doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Starting Rotation
San Francisco came away from the trade deadline with both Blade Tidwell and Carsen Whisenhunt as key fixtures in the starting rotation, replacing Tyler Mahle and Robbie Ray. In fact, they started for the Giants on the first two days after the deadline.
However, Whisenhunt underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-September, with Tidwell suffering the same fate less than a month later.
They had already lost Trevor McDonald to Tommy John shortly before the deadline, as well as Hayden Birdsong during spring training.
Maybe Birdsong returns around the All-Star Break, but the other three are almost certainly not pitching in 2027.
That leaves the Giants with a projected starting rotation of Logan Webb, Landen Roupp, Adrian Houser and some combination of Anthony Molina, Matt Wilkinson, Yunior Martรฉ and Cรฉsar Perdomo, to be determined in spring training.
Maybe it pans out? Wilkinson, Martรฉ and Perdomo all made their MLB debuts less than two months ago, none of them regarded as anything close to an upper-echelon prospect. But those three and Molina all fared reasonably well in their 25ish innings pitched down the stretch.
Got to think the Giants will be looking to add at least one sure thing to their rotation, though.
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Corner Outfield
Without a close runner-up, Randy Arozarena was Seattle's most valuable player in 2026. He was also the Mariners' only All-Star.
And now that he's a free agent, things are looking especially bleak for an offense that already was a colossal disappointment.
The late-season arrivals of top prospects Michael Arroyo and Lรกzaro Montes inspired some hope for the future. But how much stock can the M's reasonably put in a pair of guys who both turn 22 within the next month and who have combined for 100 plate appearances in the majors?
As things presently stand, it's looking like those two, Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley as the candidates to fill the LF, RF and DH spots in the Opening Day lineup.
Is there any chance they can re-sign Arozarena?
Or maybe snag either Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki from the long list of Cubs free agents?
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Ace-Caliber Starting Pitcher
For a team that was expected to endure at least one more rebuilding year, the Cardinals had a pretty respectable starting rotation.
Matthew Liberatore got roughed up a bit, but Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante, Quinn Mathews and Hunter Dobbins each made at least eight starts while posting a sub-4.00 ERA. Remove Dobbins from the equation after his Tommy John surgery in September and that's the projected starting rotation heading into the offseason.
Here's a question, though: Had the Cardinals made the postseason, who would they have wanted lined up to start in the wild card round?
Or who should toe the rubber on Opening Day?
They have a nice stockpile of middle-of-the-rotation arms, but they are desperately lacking in the ace department.
Given the way they have operated over the years, we certainly don't expect them to go sign Tarik Skubal, or even one of the potentially $100M arms available beyond that two-time Cy Young recipient.
Could they trade for one year of someone like Sandy Alcantara, Joe Ryan or Logan Gilbert, though?
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Starting Rotation
With the exception of Cedric Mullins' $10M mutual option for 2027, every remotely noteworthy batter will be back for Tampa Bay. And considering the Rays have already been rolling with Jonny DeLuca over Mullins in center field during this postseason runโplus top prospect Theo Gillen possibly in the mix for an Opening Day roster spotโthat's not a major loss.
Freddy Peralta is a free agent, though. So is Nick Martinez, once his $20M mutual option becomes a $4M buyout. And in the interest of peeking ahead, the Rays have just one year left on each of Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan, Griffin Jax and Steven Matz.
They should be getting Ryan Pepiot back, though, after he missed all of 2026 to hip surgery.
September call-ups Ty Johnson and Brody Hopkins could also factor into the 2027 rotation, although the latter desperately needs to work on his control, issuing 92 walks, 11 wild pitches and nine hit batsmen in 94 innings pitched at Triple-A Durham.
Even this biggest hole barely feels like a speedbump for the AL's No. 1 seed.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Back of the Rotation
The Texas Rangers drafted Jack Leiter No. 2 overall in 2021 and Kumar Rocker No. 3 overall in 2022. Both pitchers made their MLB debut in 2024.
But through a combined 100 appearances in the big leagues, let's just say things haven't gone according to plan.
Rocker had his best/healthiest season yet in 2026 and was a respectable No. 3/4 starter with a 4.38 ERA and 4.31 FIP. He now has a career bWAR of 0.0.
Leiter had a similarly productive year in 2025, but regressed considerably this season, last pitching in mid-June before an ankle surgery and a subsequent biceps injury. He now has a career bWAR of minus-1.6.
But it's kind of now or never for the Rangers.
Nathan Eovaldi has one year left on his deal. So does MacKenzie Gore. And though the Rangers have a $20M club option to bring back Jacob deGrom in 2028, he turns 40 that June.
Could they sign an ace-caliber pitcher to a multi-year deal now?
Or are they going to continue budgeting their way right out of this window of opportunity?
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
Biggest Roster Hole: Left Field / Designated Hitter
If George Springer is hanging up his cleatsโthey would need to re-sign him as a free agent if he's notโthe Blue Jays have one returning player (Kazuma Okamoto) who hit more than 10 home runs this season.
To some extent, they just need to hope for better production (from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement) and better health (from Addison Barger and Anthony Santander) in 2027, but that can't be their entire gameplan for addressing what was the lowest-scoring offense in the majors this season.
As things presently stand, it's looking like Santander, Charles McAdoo and Jonatan Clase sharing the LF/DH duties, at least until Barger returns from his elbow surgery.
And if that doesn't scream "Better go sign Randy Arozarena this winter," pray tell, what does?
If such things concern you, Arozarena does have rather terrible career numbers in Toronto, with just one home run in 34 career games played in Canada. But there are other options like Ian Happ and Joc Pederson available in free agency, not to mention Steven Kwan as a trade candidate.
Washington Nationals
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Biggest Roster Hole: Bullpen
A lot of the picks for biggest roster hole have been debatable.
Not this one, though.
The Washington Nationals blew a record-smashing 42 saves in 2026, with two particular collapses from June that the front office should have to rewatch every time they think twice about investing in better arms.
On June 10, the Nationals carried a 9-1 lead into the eighth inning in San Francisco. They gave up five in the eighth and five more in the ninth, as Bryce Eldridge ended the game with a walk-off grand slam.
Not two weeks later on June 23, they led the Phillies 5-3 heading into the eighth. After a bases-loaded double that blew the lead, Jorbit Vivas put them back ahead with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth. But after striking out the first two Phillies in the ninth, they allowed 10 consecutive batters to reach base, allowing eight runs in an unthinkable meltdown.
They allowed an MLB-worst 86 runs in the ninth inning and a staggering 124 runs in the eighth inning.
What steps will they take to address that massive shortcoming?
