It’s been a weird winter, with a full 40 percent of the cash spent by the Dodgers ($1.1 billion of $2.7 billion) and more than 50 percent spent by the NL West, according to @CodifyBaseball (the Giants are the second biggest spenders at $262 million, the Diamondbacks fourth at $136M.)
So many big teams are still sitting on the sidelines. Though the Giants and Angels remain our best guesses for NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, and the Rangers and Red Sox for Jordan Montgomery, they aren’t the only big-market teams with reasons to spend.
Here are thoughts on teams with work to do.
1. Red Sox
Lucas Giolito may be out for the year with an elbow issue, yet Bosox watchers say they wouldn’t be surprised if they simply replaced Giolito with a solid innings-eater (Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevinger remain out there).
2. Giants
They’ve done good work, signing Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jung Hoo Lee, Jordan Hicks and Tom Murphy. But there’s still a wide gap between them and the Dodgers. “They should sign Snell. They can afford to,” one rival said.
3. Mariners
Their 54 percent solution apparently meant sitting out the winter. “He wants to be there. Sign him,” one rival said of Snell.
4. Cubs
They brought back Cody Bellinger but still look like barely the cream of a middling NL Central. “Monty would be perfect for the Cubs. They can afford him,” one competitor says.
5. Rangers
They appear to be resting on their significant laurels after winning their first World Series. They were caught in the RSN mess, but made tens of millions winning the World Series and have the All-Star Game coming. Montgomery and J.D. Martinez could fit there.