What a winter it’s been so far for the MLB. The free agency period has been exciting and the movement has been thrilling. We’ve seen teams as expected make big splashes such as the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, and even the Giants. The Red Sox have made big trades and the Diamondbacks shocked the world with the Corbin Burnes signing. With plenty of time and numerous big names still out there, here’s what teams need to do more.

Baltimore Orioles

Welp, the Baltimore Orioles are back to where they started. After making the big splash trade to acquire Corbin Burnes last winter, the Orioles are now searching once again for a legitimate ace. They have A LOT of work to do.

This is a front office and a new ownership that has made it clear that things will be different. However, they have not been operating different. Sure, they’ve spent money, but not a ton. They handed Tyler O’Neill $49 million across three years that includes an opt out after the 2025 season. Coming along is catcher Gary Sanchez and Tomoyuki Sugano on one year deals. Not only did they need to invest in Burnes, but in pitching.

The Orioles rotation is not sexy by any means and doesn’t even feel like a playoff caliber rotation. Zac Eflin is a fine pitcher, but he was brought in to shore up depth not be the ace. Tyler Braddish is out with Tommy John and banking on Grayson Rodriguez to stay healthy isn’t the best basket to place all your eggs. It’s definitely a rotation that needs to be shored up.

The options are beginning to dwindle down. Numerous pitchers are way off the board now and the only prominent name left is Jack Flaherty. This team is meant to contend now and meant to compete now. The kids in the pipeline are already on the big league roster, so the time to build a World Series contender is now. But with the way the pitching rotation is, it’s questionable to see how it holds up.

Seattle Mariners

I am not sure which team isn’t the smartest. The Mariners for not accepting the trade or the Red Sox for offering what was on the table. Before signing Walker Buehler, the Red Sox wanted to acquire Luis Castillo. It is cost efficient and with term. However, the Mariners did not want to acquire four years of team control in first baseman Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida. Yoshida is owed $18 million per season, which is likely why the deal was off the table.

The Mariners are not known to spend money. They operate under a tight budget and love cost control players. Shedding money while also absorbing money isn’t going to be their cup of tea. But the Mariners need to do more.

Things were looking great, until the Houston Astros clawed their way back into the season and took the division crown. Despite them losing Kyle Tucker and likely Alex Bregman, they’ll still be competitive. The Texas Rangers are also not going down quietly and have made some noise this winter. The Mariners need to keep pace and address the clear weaknesses.

The Mariners have the best pitching staff in baseball. Place any one of George Kirby, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo on any staff and they are immediate aces or front line starters. To have a more well rounded group they need bats.

The Mariners were dreadful at the plate and one of the worst offenses in baseball and for a team that was in the thick of things in the playoff race. Having the 29th best average (only ahead of the White Sox), while striking out the second most percentage wise is a recipe for disaster. They need bats and need them badly.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Let’s keep this one sweet and to the point. The Pirates should do everything in their power to build a competitive team. They have tremendous position players with O’Neil Cruz, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds, and bringing back Pirate legend Andrew McCutchen. As great as those guys are, they need more bats in their lineup. As an offense, they were 23rd in average and 27th in OPS. They need more bats. They don’t need to spend the most money and add the best players at each position. But taking a page out of the Kansas City Royals book from last winter and adding players to allow them to compete further should be the play.

The biggest key is that they have generational talents on the roster. The Pirates have a generational talent in Paul Skenes and Jared Jones is a legitimate young presence. Factor in Mitch Keller and the Pirates have a nice three headed monster in the rotation.

Chicago Cubs

You have to love what the Chicago Cubs are doing. They were aggressive and it was something everyone wanted to see. They have good players, but they needed a true ground breaking star. Adding Kyle Tucker gives the Cubs a legit bat and also a legitimate defensive outfielder. Tucker can do it all, but the Cubs should in fact do more.

After trading Cody Bellinger and giving the Yankees cash to take it off their hands, the Cubs now have the money to spend. They should in fact want to bolster the roster in every way possible. The starting rotation should be set in stone and has the depth to be a key factor. They finished sixth in ERA (3.77) during the 2024 season, but the bullpen has been quite the mess.

The bullpen overall was 12th in ERA, but struggled mightily in the first half of the season. They improved after the All-Star break, but could easily use reinforcements. If they are done after Tucker and don’t want anymore added bats, bolstering the bullpen should be the play.

With names like Tanner Scott and Jeff Hoffman still out there, those are elite options for the back of the bullpen. With a division that’s entirely up for grabs, the Cubs should get aggressive and push the chips in.