As teams were preparing to go to Spring Training this year, my colleague Anthony Castrovince put together this top 10 list of teams that had won the offseason.
The top two teams on the list were the Mets and the Padres, a pair of teams that paid a lot of money only to miss the 2023 postseason. The World Series champion Rangers, though, ranked third. So, you can’t totally discount making big offseason moves. But the Braves ended up winning a Major League-best 104 games despite not vying for that mythical offseason championship.
It’s great to see fans get excited about what is happening during the offseason. Dodgers fans should be thrilled. That’s good for the game. It was also fun to see D-backs owner Ken Kendrick react to the Shohei Ohtani signing by reminding reporters the superstar is just one of nine players for a team his club beat in this year’s postseason.
The offseason is fun, but it’s different for every team. Some teams need significant upgrades. Other teams just need some patchwork. At the end of the day, October is really the only month you want to win. You can help yourself from November to January, but nothing is guaranteed during these winter months.
My mother has always preached that it’s not how much money you have -- it’s how you spend your money. Spending lavishly is fun. Spending effectively is rewarding.
Here are four topics to ponder as we look forward to the upcoming season: