I’ve always loved award season — from the Grammys to the Oscars to the Emmys to the Tonys to the SAG Awards. So this year I’ve decided to get in on the fun and hand out MLB offseason awards to the teams, players, managers, front-office executives and agents who have — thus far — defined this winter.
Now, some of these awards are serious and others are just meant to be entertaining. (I’m just kidding in those cases.) Please use the comments section to share your own awards. Without further ado … the envelope, please.
Teams
Best trade for one team: The Dodgers for their trade with the Rays that sent pitcher Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca to Tampa for ace Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot. Glasnow is the best starting pitcher acquired via trade this offseason and the Dodgers extended him as part of the deal. Margot is an ideal platoon for Jason Heyward in right field.
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Best trade for both sides: The Braves–Red Sox swap of Vaughn Grissom for Chris Sale (and cash). The Red Sox got their long-term solution at second base (Grissom) as they rebuild their roster. The Braves added a much-needed starting pitcher (Sale) to their rotation, which increases their chances of repeating as NL East winners and boosts their bid to win another World Series. This trade should work well for the Braves in the short term and the Red Sox in the long term.
Best value signing: Michael Wacha by the Royals. Kansas City signed the veteran righty to a two-year, $32 million contract that includes an opt out after the first year. Last season Wacha went 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA over 24 starts for San Diego. The previous year he went 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA over 23 starts for Boston. His consistency and strong winning record should have landed him at least a three-year deal — and with a contending team. This move helps the Royals be more competitive but also gives them a strong trade chip for the trade deadline.
Best “under-the-radar” trade: The Giants for their swap with the Mariners for Robbie Ray. Landing Ray, the 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner, was a real coup. He is rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery and might not be ready to pitch for the Giants until late August, but then they’ll (likely) have two-plus years of his services, which is significant. (Ray can opt out after this season.) Meanwhile, the Giants also were able to move Mitch Haniger (-0.3 bWAR in 2023) and his $14 million annual salary and Anthony DeSclafani (4.88 ERA last season) and his $12 million annual salary. (San Francisco included $6 million in the deal to make it cash-neutral in 2024.) Huge win for the Giants in the long run.
Front office that improved its major-league pitching depth the most: The Reds. They added Emilio Pagán, Nick Martinez, Buck Farmer, Brent Suter and Frankie Montas in free agency without giving any of them more than a one- or two-year commitment.
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Best job of reducing payroll: The Padres. They traded outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the Yankees and said goodbye to pitchers Michael Wacha, Nick Martinez, Seth Lugo and Josh Hader, all of whom departed in free agency.
Best job of standing pat: The Twins. The only noteworthy move Minnesota has made this offseason was signing reliever Josh Staumont. The defending AL Central champions can fill all their other needs by tapping their farm system and really don’t have to spend money in free agency or make trades to get better.
Team that raised the salary bar the most: The Mets, who offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto a whopping 12-year, $325 million deal, which was significantly more than any other team in free agency. Los Angeles was given an opportunity to match that offer for Yamamoto, who grew up a Dodgers fan, and took advantage of the situation to land the 25-year-old righty on a record contract.
Best Jerry Dipoto impersonation: GM J.J. Picollo and the Royals. Kansas City has signed six major-league free agents and made six trades as well, leaving Dipoto and the Mariners in their dust. Is Picollo baseball’s newest wheeler and dealer?
Players
Best signing — period: Shohei Ohtani. Who else? Ohtani is the best player in baseball when healthy and now is the highest paid athlete in sports history after signing a $700 million contract. However, the best part of the 10-year deal for the Dodgers, of course, is that $68 million of the $70 million salary each year will be deferred for a decade. (Ohtani will receive $2 million per year for 2024-2033 and $68 million per year for 2034-2043.) This gives the Dodgers flexibility with their payroll, which they’ve immediately started to leverage, and makes it easier for them to surround Ohtani with the best possible team.
Best landing spot for a position player traded: Juan Soto with the Yankees. This is the ideal spot for Soto as he enters his free-agent walk year. No team would have been a better fit for him. He’ll now hit either right in front of or right behind Aaron Judge in the lineup and will get to play half of his games with the short right-field porch beckoning at Yankee Stadium.
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Best landing spot for a starting pitcher traded: Chris Sale with the Braves. The veteran lefty lands on, in my opinion, the best 26-man roster in the sport. He’ll have one of the best defensive teams playing behind him — with a plus, plus-plus, or Gold Glove defender at every position. He’ll have a deep, strong bullpen with an impact closer behind him. And he won’t have to “be an ace,” trying to carry the team, as he joins a rotation with four other quality starters. He just needs to stay healthy.
Best contract extension (player): Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers. Chourio agreed to a record-breaking eight-year, $82 million contract that can expand to 10 years and $142 million based on performance, escalators and option years. Not bad for a 19-year-old who has never played a game in the majors. But it’s also a good contract for the Brewers because if Chourio lives up to his potential, they could be saving as much as $50 million to $100 million over the course of the deal. Chourio is now financially protected if he has a career-ending injury or doesn’t pan out as well as expected. And perhaps the best part of the deal for Chourio is he can still become a free agent again at age 29 and potentially land another mammoth contract.
Biggest Hall of Fame snub this year: Andruw Jones, who clearly belongs in Cooperstown. Jones was arguably the best defensive center fielder ever to play the game. He won 10 Gold Glove awards at the position. He also hit 25 or more home runs nine times and stole 20 or more bases in four seasons. He scored 100 or more runs four times and drove in 100 runs or more five times. I once asked Hall of Famer Frank Robinson to name the best best defensive center fielder he ever saw and he told me 1A was Andruw Jones and 1B was Willie Mays. I have asked Hall of Fame executive John Schuerholz and Hall of Fame pitchers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux whether they thought Jones was a Hall of Famer and the best defensive center fielder they ever saw, and all of them said “yes.” I also gave serious consideration to Gary Sheffield, Billy Wagner and Carlos Beltrán in this category, but for me, Jones is the biggest snub.
Biggest free-agent surprise: Josh Hader signing a five-year, $95 million contract with the Astros. He had been linked to several teams this offseason, including the Rangers, Yankees and Phillies, but many in the industry were surprised when the news broke that he’d be an Astro.
Worst outfit worn at a press conference: Josh Hader. Let’s just say he won’t be winning best dressed honors on the red carpet at the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, this July. At his introductory presser, Hader hit the trifecta of out-of-style color, style and fabric. Embarrassing, really. Houston, we have a problem.
Josh Hader press conference has begun pic.twitter.com/jCa0ffIXqp
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) January 22, 2024
GO DEEPER
Eno Sarris’ 2024 MLB starting pitcher fantasy rankings, with Stuff+ powered projections
Managers and coaches
Best managerial hire: Craig Counsell, Chicago Cubs. The Cubs stunned the industry and landed one of the sport’s best managers when they signed Counsell away from the division-rival Brewers in November and made him the highest-paid manager in MLB. However …
Worst managerial firing: David Ross, Chicago Cubs. They fired Ross to hire Counsell after most of the managerial openings had been filled, which left him with little to no chance of landing another manager job this offseason. Ross led the Cubs to a second-place finish and an 83-79 record in 2023, his fourth year as the club’s manager. He’s expected to be one of the first managers hired when there are openings in 2024.
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Best contract extension (manager): A.J. Hinch by the Tigers. The Tigers weren’t afraid to give Hinch a long-term contract to ensure he will be in Detroit when they are ready to be a playoff team again.
Most enthusiastic newly hired manager: Ron Washington of the Angels. At his introductory press conference, Washington said, “Once we get things together and we get these guys together in spring training and start our work, our whole focus is going to be on running the West down. And you can take that to the bank and deposit it.” I’m not sure whether he’s aware that the world champion Texas Rangers, the AL West champion Houston Astros and the up-and-coming Seattle Mariners are in his new division, and that quite frankly the Angels are a turtle “running” a thoroughbred race, but give Washington credit for setting the tone with his positivity and energy.
Best coaching staff addition: Brad Ausmus by the Yankees. Hiring Ausmus as bench coach gives the Yankees another experienced former manager on staff. He’s managed 808 games in the majors and won 90 with the Tigers in 2014. The Dartmouth graduate also brings a sense of calmness, which is always needed in the Bronx.
Executives
Best offseason: Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations. The Dodgers signed Ohtani, Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernández, traded for Glasnow and landed lefty Jackson Ferris, a top pitching prospect, in a swap with the Cubs. Spending over a billion dollars certainly helped a lot, but when you consider everything the Dodgers have done, this has been one of the best offseasons for a team in history.
Best contract extension (exec): Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, who landed a record-breaking seven-year contract. It was well-deserved because Anthopoulos not only built the Braves into a powerhouse, but also signed the nucleus of their team for years to come. He’s already won the Executive of the Year Award in both leagues and has put himself on a path to potentially become a Hall of Famer.
Best “under-the-radar” performance by a GM: Mike Hazen of the Diamondbacks. He landed Eduardo Rodriguez in free agency to give the Diamondbacks another solid veteran starter, acquired more power at third base in the trade with the Mariners for Eugenio Suárez, and re-signed left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to a reasonable three-year deal. A very impressive offseason. Next up for Hazen: adding a quality bat for the DH spot.
Best front office hire: Mets owner Steve Cohen hiring David Stearns to run the club’s baseball operations department. Stearns is one of the most respected and smartest executives in the industry, and he gives the Mets strong leadership for years to come.
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Agents
Agent who did the best job of delaying free-agent signings: Scott Boras. Boras Corporation represents top free agents such as Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger and J.D. Martinez, all of whom remain unsigned. (They also represent Rhys Hoskins and Aroldis Chapman, who recently agreed to deals.) International free agents, along with some trades, dominated the first months of this offseason, but now the spotlight has shifted to the remaining free agents. With signings expected over the next couple of weeks, Boras’ top clients are well-positioned.
Agent who devised the most creative contract for his client: Creative Artists Agency’s Nez Balelo, who landed a record $700 million contract for Ohtani that included record deferrals. No player in any major sport has ever been guaranteed a salary that high.
Best agent comeback story: Brodie Van Wagenen of Roc Nation Sports. The former Mets GM secured a free-agent deal for one of his former pitchers, Marcus Stroman, with the Yankees. He’s gone from being one of the best MLB agents with CAA to running the Mets’ front office to now returning to the agency side as a top executive with Roc Nation. He is the first person to successfully go from agent to team executive and back to agent. Others who have gone from agent to team executive include Dennis Gilbert and Jeff Moorad, but neither returned to the agency side.
(Top photo of Juan Soto: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
