The Hot Stove is back in session, and there are still plenty of teams who need to make key moves as they gear up for the season.
For all the big moves that have happened already — Max Scherzer to the Mets, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to the Rangers, Robbie Ray to the Mariners, Javy Báez to the Tigers and more — there are going to be a bunch more to come before the regular season begins.
Teams that are aspiring to a postseason run this season still have holes to fill, and even the strongest playoff teams from a year ago aren’t exempt.
Here are the biggest needs contenders still need to address entering 2022.
Carlos Correa is a free agent. If the Astros bring him back, they’ll have one of the deepest lineups in baseball again in 2022. If they don’t, that level of star is not easy to replace — especially with most of the other marquee free-agent shortstops, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Javy Báez, already signed. Trevor Story is still out there, and Houston does have a promising in-house replacement in 24-year-old Jeremy Peña, the team’s No. 4 prospect. But this is still a big question mark for the defending American League champions.
The Blue Jays’ biggest loss was at second base, with Marcus Semien and his 45 home runs signing with the Rangers, but assuming Cavan Biggio goes back to his old position in 2022, their need will be at third. Santiago Espinal did a good job playing third base last season, batting .311 in 92 games, but his projections for 2022 aren’t so favorable, and Toronto as a team is projected for the third-lowest third-base WAR in MLB. If the Jays want to add some depth, free agents like Jonathan Villar and Starlin Castro are out there.
The Braves need to re-sign Freddie Freeman. But they haven’t yet, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote in January (subscription required) that what once seemed like a guaranteed reunion is no longer a sure thing. As of right now, the reigning World Series champions are without their cornerstone, and it won’t be easy to replace the 2020 NL MVP if the 32-year-old slugger goes to a new team. One interesting idea Rosenthal floated: a trade with the A’s for star first baseman Matt Olson.
The Brewers got by far the least offense from the first-base position of any 2021 playoff team. Their first basemen posted an 89 wRC+ for the season, third-worst in the Majors (100 is average). And Milwaukee is in basically the same position entering the 2022 season. The Brewers are projected by FanGraphs to have the fourth-lowest WAR at first base of any team, with Rowdy Tellez and Keston Hiura (who batted .168 last season) their two current options.
The Giants have a lot of outfielders, but their setup right now is more a collection of role players (Steven Duggar, Austin Slater, LaMonte Wade Jr., etc.). The middle of their lineup would benefit from a set-it-and-forget-it outfield bat who can hold down that spot every day — which is what now-free agent Kris Bryant did for them after they traded for him last July. Whether it’s re-signing Bryant or targeting someone else like Seiya Suzuki, Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto or Tommy Pham, such a move would go a long way toward the Giants defending their NL West title.
Especially if that power bat is an infielder. The Mariners made a big move for the rotation by signing the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner in Ray, but as for the lineup, Kyle Seager retiring means one of their biggest sluggers is gone. Seager’s 35 homers were second on the team. The infield loses a lot of power without him — shortstop J.P. Crawford only hit nine homers last year, second baseman Adam Frazier only hit five, and potential third-base replacement Abraham Toro hit five in 60 games with the Mariners after they traded for him. Even projected to a full season, that’s less than half the power Seager provided.
The Padres’ bullpen was a big factor as they fell out of contention down the stretch — in September and October, as San Diego went 7-21, the bullpen had a 5.44 ERA. And now it’s even shakier because closer Mark Melancon, who led the Majors with 39 saves last year, signed with the D-backs as a free agent. The Padres need someone to step in as closer, but maybe their likeliest candidate right now, Pierce Johnson, has zero career saves.
The Phillies have one MVP outfielder in Bryce Harper and … well, that’s pretty much it. Andrew McCutchen is a free agent. Mickey Moniak, who was a former No. 1 overall Draft pick but batted .091 in 21 games last season, looks like the center fielder as of now. And who else is there to fill out the outfield? Maybe Adam Haseley, who missed almost all of 2021 due to personal reasons. Maybe Matt Vierling, who at least showed promise as a rookie last year by batting .324 in 34 games. Either way, the Phillies probably need to go get another outfielder for 2022. That’s probably why Harper has been trying to convince his fellow Las Vegas native and former MVP Bryant to join him in Philadelphia.
Who’s the Red Sox closer? Is it Matt Barnes? He was the closer for most of 2021, but lost the job down the stretch and was even left off Boston’s ALDS roster. Is it Garrett Whitlock? He was lights-out last season, but his real value might be in the same versatile, multi-inning-type role he played. Especially with Adam Ottavino becoming a free agent, the Red Sox could benefit from adding an established back-end reliever who will slot into a late-inning role. The free agents are out there, with Kenley Jansen headlining the large group of relievers available.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman said himself that shortstop is “an area of need” for the Bronx Bombers this offseason. Though DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela are versatile players, neither is a true shortstop, and Gleyber Torres’ struggles at short last season pushed the Yankees to move him back to second base. Thus the flurry of Carlos Correa-to-New York rumors. And the Trevor Story-to-New York rumors. The shortstop star power is out there if the Yankees want to spend for it.