Over the course of baseball’s offseason, each team aims to address existing problems, increase roster depth, and develop its organizational talent in order to prepare for a successful season. Every year, some teams benefit more from this preparation than others, and some simply get worse. Making good acquisitions during the offseason is a crucial factor of team success, so here are some of the winners and losers of the 2022-2023 MLB offseason.

Winner: Texas Rangers

Despite possessing losing records for each of the past six seasons, the Texas Rangers have gone all in on a playoff berth. After making two major signings in Marcus Semien and Corey Seager during the 2021-2022 offseason, the Rangers still finished fourth in the AL West, posting a subpar 68-94 record. The pitching staff was in the bottom third of the league in run prevention during the 2022 campaign, so the Rangers’ front office was more than ready to bolster the rotation. They started by signing historically great pitcher Jacob deGrom to a five-year deal. Although deGrom has struggled with injuries throughout his career, when healthy, he is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. If he can stay on the field, this deal could be huge for the Rangers. In addition to deGrom, the Rangers signed starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, and Martin Perez, as well asAll-Star reliever Will Smith—all decent pitchers with solid upside. While many of these moves aren’t exactly blockbuster deals, the Rangers did have themselves a solid offseason, and they could definitely be a threat in the West.

Loser: Atlanta Braves

After winning the World Series in 2021, the Braves followed up their championship playoff run with a rather underwhelming one. They were eliminated early in the playoffs, and instead of addressing minor issues and gearing up for another hopeful World Series run, they stayed pretty quiet. While the Braves have one of the best rosters in the league, they entered the offseason needing two things: additional starting pitching and retaining breakout Shortstop Dansby Swanson. Neither happened. The Braves were affected greatly by free agency; more from losing players rather than signing them. They lost key players Adam Duvall, Luke Jackson, Kenley Jansen, previously mentioned Robbie Grossman, and Dansby Swanson to the free-agent market. In an inadequate response to these losses, the Braves signed middling reliever Nick Anderson. They did trade for rising star catcher Sean Murphy in a three-team trade with the Brewers and Athletics, trading away William Contreras and prospects. However, Sean Murphy just is not the answer to this team’s problems. While the Braves still have a solid young core in Austin Riley, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Spencer Strider among others, they simply lost too much value this offseason. In an already competitive NL East, competitors like the Phillies and Mets got significantly better this offseason, while the Braves floundered in comparison.

Winner: New York Mets

The New York Mets made a big splash in free agency this offseason. Contrary to the Braves, they filled existing holes in their lineup, signing Brewers catcher Omar Narváez and veteran outfielder Tommy Pham, along with some other smaller acquisitions. After losing rotation cornerstone Jacob deGrom, they made up for it by signing 2022 Cy Young Winner and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, as well highly touted Japanese ace Kodai Senga; both have upside, especially Senga. With his overpowering ‘Ghost Forkball,’ he can seriously dominate MLB hitters for years to come. In an already stacked roster and pitching staff, these acquisitions are going to make the Mets a team to watch.

Loser: San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants were poised to make a monumental splash in free agency. During the offseason, they were reported to have signed both Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa on massive contracts, but neither signing actually happened. Everyone expected the Giants to revitalize their mediocre roster, gear for a deep postseason run, and dominate in the stacked NL West, but they ended up with aging veterans Mitch Haniger and Sean Manea. Don’t get it twisted—these two are solid players, but they are no Judge or Correa. Honestly, this offseason wasn’t as much of a ‘loss’ as it was a disappointment. When you’re expected to sign a player coming off a historic 60+ home run MVP campaign and a perennial all-star shortstop, and end up signing players that are merely solid, it’s hard not to call this offseason a loss. At the very least, it’s a loss for the baseball fans of San Francisco.