MLB front office check-in: Key offseason needs and goals for all 30 teams

One of the many things front office executives accomplish at the general managers meetings is to meet with their counterparts and learn each teams needs and goals for the offseason.

They also share which players they have interest in trading for, which players they are trying to move and which other players from their team are potentially available.

Advertisement Before this weeks GM meetings in San Antonio, Texas, I reached out to decision-makers in all 30 MLB front offices to get their teams offseason needs and goals directly from them.

Ive listed their responses below.

Ive also included my thoughts on areas some teams need to improve and what Ive been hearing about free agency from people in the game this offseason.

American League East Bring back or replace Corbin Burnes, Anthony Santander and James McCann; add pitching and depth The Orioles are going to do everything they can to re-sign Burnes, whom I ranked as the No.

2 free agent in this class .

If they cant, theyll pivot to the next best starting pitchers on the market such as Max Fried, Blake Snell and Nathan Eovaldi.

They also want to bring back Santander, who wont be easy to sign with so many teams looking to add corner outfield power.

And finally, theyll look to improve their pitching staff overall.

Starting pitching, relief pitching and a right-handed hitter The Red Sox want to improve their rotation and bullpen this winter and I expect them to land at least one impact starter in free agency.

Theyd also like to add a right-handed hitter to their lineup and are flexible on the position.

Re-sign Juan Soto, upgrade first base, address second base, third base and left field Re-signing Soto is the top priority but the Yankees have a long laundry list of areas to improve, from base running to team defense.

If Soto departs, theyll move Aaron Judge back to right field and then decide if they view Jasson Dominguez as their next center fielder or left fielder.

They have to decide whether Jazz Chisholm Jr.

will stay at third base or move to second base, depending on whether they bring back second baseman Gleyber Torres.

They have to solve first base with Anthony Rizzos departure; if they dont re-sign Soto, both Pete Alonso and Christian Walker become first-base alternatives to consider.

It will be an interesting and eventful offseason for the AL champions.

GO DEEPER Top 45 MLB free agents for 2024-25 with contract predictions, team fits: Will Soto get $600M+? A place to play; catcher and a left-handed hitter Tropicana Fields roof was blown off during Hurricane Milton and the field has no drainage system it never needed one because it had a roof and features turf, not real grass.

The team would either have to install a drainage system or fix the roof, and both options might be too costly considering the Rays are supposed to move into a new stadium in 2028 .

They could consider playing at spring training complexes in Dunedin, Clearwater or the Disney complex in Orlando; the league would prefer the Rays stay within their market in Florida.

In terms of player personnel, the Rays will be searching for a long-term answer at catcher or another stopgap and also will be pursuing inexpensive left-handed hitters to complement their roster.

Advertisement Sign their stars, trade for or sign complementary impact players Once again, the Blue Jays need to try to re-sign their young stars, shortstop Bo Bichette and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

, who both will be eligible for free agency after next season.

Then, through free agency or trades, they need to surround them with at least two more impactful players.

The areas of focus are corner outfield, second base and third base, in that order.

The Blue Jays also need to upgrade their pitching staff.

They have a lot of work to do this offseason, and no front office in the sport is under more pressure.

American League Central Improve the entire organization, from top to bottom The 2024 White Sox were one of the worst major-league teams ever.

But the team got off to a strong start this offseason, hiring Will Venable as its new manager.

Venable was the Rangers associate manager under Bruce Bochy the past two years and will be able to handle the 100-loss seasons his new team could be dealing with for the next few years.

No team needs to improve more in absolutely every area than the White Sox .

Their two biggest trade assets on the major-league roster are lefty ace Garrett Crochet and center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

The White Sox dont have to trade either one, but to get better in the long run, it makes sense to deal them in separate trades, especially if they can get three to five legit prospects for each to help expedite their rebuild.

The White Sox have made it clear to opposing GMs that theyll at least listen on both players.

Improve starting pitching and add a bat, likely in the outfield The Guardians made it to the ALCS with the youngest roster in the major leagues, which bodes well for the future.

Cleveland is loaded with players who arent yet eligible for arbitration, making a splash move much easier than in prior years.

They will focus on improving the starting rotation and will pursue former Guardians Shane Bieber and Matthew Boyd in free agency.

Theyd also like to add an impact bat; in all likelihood, it will be an outfielder.

Advertisement Pitching and a right-handed bat The Tigers made great progress this year and finally got a taste of a pennant race and the postseason.

They are expected to be aggressive this offseason as they look to improve their starting rotation and add a right-handed bat.

Because their roster has significant flexibility, that bat could come from almost any position.

Top-of-the-lineup on-base player, a middle-of-the-order bat and bullpen depth The Royals offseason got off to an auspicious start with the signing of Michael Wacha to a three-year, $51 million deal that allows them to run back the same starting rotation they rode to the playoffs this past season.

They have made it clear theyre looking for a leadoff hitter who is an on-base machine and can create traffic for Bobby Witt Jr.

, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez in the middle of their lineup.

They also want to lengthen that part of the lineup by adding another bat.

GM J.J.

Picollo will look to add more bullpen depth as well.

Pitching and right-handed outfield corner bat The Twins ended the season with a 12-27 thud after struggling all year to keep their star players including shortstop Carlos Correa , center fielder Byron Buxton and third baseman Royce Lewis healthy.

They will need the trio to stay on the field more in 2025 if they want to return to the postseason.

Theyll spend the winter trying to add more pitching depth and a complementary right-handed-hitting corner outfielder, likely without adding to the teams payroll .

Dont expect huge moves from the Twins this offseason; rather, they will be tinkering in those areas.

American League West Upgrade starting pitching and third base The Athletics are no longer shopping players on their major-league roster after making significant progress last season, improving from 50-112 in 2023 to 69-93 in 2024.

Instead, they are offering to trade prospects from their farm system to address their biggest needs, which they believe are starting pitching and third base.

The As feel they are getting closer to contending by 2024 or 2025, while the team is playing in Sacramento and before it relocates to Las Vegas.

Their moves will reflect that organizational timetable.

Re-sign Alex Bregman, add a left-handed-hitting outfielder and a depth starter and improve the bullpen It will be interesting to see if the Astros contract offer to Bregman is for more years than they were willing to give Carlos Correa and George Springer , both of whom previously left in free agency after receiving shorter-term offers from Houston.

They have made Bregman their top offseason priority , but will they do enough to keep him? Advertisement Improve second base, third base and center field; add pitching The Angels have already added a power bat, acquiring outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler from the Braves in a swap for righty Griffin Canning.

They also are finalizing a one-year deal with righty Kyle Hendricks , according to sources briefed on the negotiations.

Now theyre focused on improving at second and third base and in center field.

General manager Perry Minasian always looks to add pitching at every level and will do so again.

The Angels are making organizational progress, but at a turtles pace; a good offseason could expedite their timeline.

Solidify the corner infield spots The Mariners had the best rotation in baseball and still didnt make the postseason because of a weak offense that led the majors in strikeouts.

Theyre looking to put the ball in play more and are focused on improving the infield corners.

Several strong corner infielders including Pete Alonso and Christian Walker at first base and Alex Bregman and Willy Adames at third base are free agents.

(Adames is a shortstop but can play third base.) Add starting pitching, multiple relievers and a left-handed hitter The Rangers want to improve their starting pitching via free agency and/or trades and plan to add multiple relievers.

Theyre also looking for a left-handed hitter to better balance their lineup.

General manager Chris Young and manager Bruce Bochy are obsessed with getting back to the World Series and Texas will be aggressive this winter in pursuit of that goal.

National League East Starting pitching The Braves could lose both Max Fried and Charlie Morton in free agency this offseason.

Theyve made several offers to Fried and will continue trying to re-sign him and hoping Morton decides to hold off on retirement.

Theyre also hoping Spencer Strider returns from Tommy John surgery next season and pitches like himself.

More questions than answers though.

Therefore, a key focus this winter will be to bring back those pitchers or replace them via free agency or trade.

I also think the Braves could use an upgrade in left field.

Advertisement Improve offense; continue building all aspects of the organization The Marlins are building their organization from scratch under the leadership of president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, who is doing it with the same model that he followed as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Miamis major-league team desperately needs upgrades on offense and the Marlins prefer to find those via trade rather than free agency.

However, the most daunting task facing them is the revamping of their front office and various departments (scouting, player development, analytics) after widespread staff changes ; theyve gotten a head start but have a long way to go to become the Miami version of the Rays.

Starting pitching, signing a star position player Put your seat belt on: Steve Cohen is the wealthiest of the 30 MLB owners and hes ready to spend.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has the keys and ample funds to work with.

The Mets will be chasing Corbin Burnes and every other top starting pitcher on the market.

Theyll be involved in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.

Theyll look to bring back Pete Alonso while pursuing similar talents on the open market.

If youre a Mets fan, the second half of the season and the playoff run were fun a lot of fun but this offseason has a chance to be even better.

Right-handed reliever and impact outfielder High-leverage relievers Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman have hit free agency and the Phillies are unlikely to re-sign both, though a reunion with one is still possible.

They will be aggressive in trying to sign a reliever in free agency.

In addition, dont be surprised if they make a stealth run at Juan Soto.

Dave Dombrowskis calling card has always been to pursue the biggest stars on the market and with J.T.

Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber coming off the books after 2025 and Nick Castellanos coming off after 2026, the Phillies have plenty of future payroll space to shock the world and sign him.

Soto is close friends with shortstop Trea Turner and Dombrowski has done many big deals with Sotos agent, Scott Boras, over the years.

Two power bats to surround their developing young hitters and a depth starter; improve team defense Advertisement The Nationals are making progress as an organization and are ready to make a splash signing or two this offseason.

Their top priority is to add middle-of-the-order impact bats and free agents such as Anthony Santander, Pete Alonso, Willy Adames and Alex Bregman would fit that bill and be significant upgrades.

The last time the Nationals were building a world championship club, they overpaid for free-agent outfielder Jayson Werth.

It wont surprise me if history repeats itself and they sign one of the four aforementioned hitters even if an overpay is the only way to land them.

The Nationals also want to add starting pitching depth and improve their team defense.

(They were third in the majors with 109 errors this past season.) National League Central Add two star players The Cubs have built a competitive team but now need to build a contending team and that will mean adding stars to their roster this winter.

This offseason has started well for them: Center fielder Cody Bellinger opted into his contract for 2025 and manager Craig Counsell is upgrading his coaching staff .

Now the Cubs must focus on adding a star player to the middle of the lineup and improving their bullpen with more quality and depth.

They have some leeway on the position area of a star because so many of their players have positional flexibility.

Add a starter, bullpen upgrades, a bat (either 3B or corner OF) and a backup catcher; improve overall defense The Reds have already had a successful offseason after hiring manager Terry Francona, who knows how to win World Series and, more importantly, how to develop young players.

This team will be vastly better with Francona at the helm.

In terms of their roster, the Reds want to add a starter if they cant re-sign Nick Martinez.

They want to add another hitter, preferably a corner outfielder, but acquiring a third baseman is also on the table.

They need to improve their team defense after committing the fifth-most errors in baseball last season and would like to add a backup catcher too.

Bring back Willy Adames or replace his offensive production if he signs elsewhere The Brewers goal is to run it back with basically the same group that won the NL Central.

Willy Adames was a key part of that team and theyre trying to convince the free-agent shortstop to stay.

If he departs, they will need to trade or sign an above-average bat to replace his offense.

The Brewers are comfortable moving second baseman Brice Turang to shortstop if needed, which would give them positional flexibility in picking a replacement bat.

GO DEEPER MLB GM meetings: Willy Adames open to Brewers reunion, Blake Snell back on the market An everyday bat The Pirates feel confident about the progress of their rebuild and believe their rotation is good enough for them to contend next season.

However, they know they need to improve their offense and will look to add an everyday bat this winter.

Consistent offense and bullpen arms In his final year of running St.

Louis baseball operations, John Mozeliak will look to tweak, not overhaul the roster, but this is a team in transition.

The Athletic s Katie Woo reports that the Cardinals will look to trade some of their top talent for prospects to restock their farm system.

They want to rebuild through player development and scouting under Chaim Bloom, who will take over as their president of baseball operations in 2026.

In terms of the major-league roster, theyll try to build a more consistent offense and improve their bullpen this offseason.

Advertisement National League West Offense and bullpen help The Diamondbacks hope to re-sign first baseman Christian Walker, but if they cant, theyll look to replace his bat.

Theyll seek to upgrade at designated hitter after Joc Pederson declined his mutual option and became a free agent.

Like most teams, theyll add depth to their bullpen as well.

Experienced relievers and bench depth The Rockies arent expected to sign or trade for any big free agents (pitchers or position players).

Instead they are looking to add veteran relievers and bench depth to their young roster.

Address shortstop, left field and right field; build organizational depth First up for the Dodgers this offseason: Design their World Series ring.

But dont expect the defending champs to rest on their laurels; their goal is to build a dynasty.

If Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki reaches free agency, its expected he will be the Dodgers first offseason signing.

They could use an upgrade at shortstop and free agent Willy Adames would fit perfectly.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had Adames in his organization when he was GM of the Rays and loves him as a player and person.

Mookie Betts is expected to move back to the infield , probably to second base, which would open up right field; the Dodgers could make a run at Juan Soto to play in right and try to re-sign Teoscar Hernandez for left field.

(They made Hernandez the qualifying offer, which he is expected to decline.) They would like to re-sign starter Walker Buehler, who came out of the bullpen to close out their World Series win, but surprisingly didnt give him the QO.

In addition, theyre hoping to extend manager Dave Roberts and are expected to make him the highest-paid manager in MLB history.

Advertisement Left field, shortstop and pitching Left field and shortstop will be the Padres two biggest needs if they are unable to re-sign Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim in free agency.

They have a strong roster but of course with president of baseball operations A.J.

Preller, anything is possible in terms of trades and signings.

Hes always looking for ways to improve his team, as we witnessed last season with his trades for Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease .

He will be active.

Add a middle-of-the-lineup star player, upgrade at shortstop, improve pitching staff The Giants have new leadership with president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian and it will be interesting to see if they can make a splash.

Expect them to focus on free-agent starting pitchers and middle-of-the-order impact bats.

Posey would like the Giants to improve at shortstop and Im hearing theyre going to make a run at free agent Willy Adames.

The Giants have the resources to sign top free agents (and did so last offseason), but can they convince any of them to come play in San Francisco? (Top image: Meech Robinson / The Athletic .

Photos: Brian Cashman: Mike Stobe / Getty Images; Jed Hoyer: Jamie Sabau / Getty Images).

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