Spring training has begun as MLB teams gather to prepare for the 2025 season. While not every roster is set and there are still moves to be made, it's fair to take a look back at the offseason that was and point out the teams who failed to improve as they should have.
Here's a look at the franchises that had the most demoralizing offseasons this winter.
San Diego Padres
This is not to say the Padres will be bad in 2025, as they'll almost certainly still be in the hunt for a playoff spot. Their inclusion here is more about how they went from one game away from eliminating the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason, to losing significant pieces of their roster without replacing them and missing out on their top target of the offseason.
Key contributors Ha-seong Kim, Jurickson Profar and Kyle Higashioka were allowed to depart in free agency and the team didn't spend to improve at those spots. Catcher Elias Díaz was brought back on a cheap deal, while Connor Joe and Jason Heyward were signed to form a platoon in left field. The recent signing of Nick Pivetta was shrewd, and lefty Kyle Hart dominated the KBO last season and is a lottery ticket signing.
Perhaps most painfully, the Padres threw a lot into landing Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki in what was a multi-year chase only to watch him sign with the Dodgers. A family legal dispute over the team's ownership was the icing on the cake of a brutal offseason for the Friars.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals firmly entered rebuild territory this offseason, as they didn't acquire anyone of note. They also looked to trade several veteran pieces, most notably third baseman Nolan Arenado. As of now, those moves haven't come to fruition. Spring training has begun with Arenado and veteran pitchers Sonny Gray, Steven Matz and Miles Mikolas still on the roster.
The Cardinals watched Paul Goldschmidt, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson walk away, while reliever Andrew Kittredge also left. The team is clearly attempting to turn things over to a younger generation led by shortstop Masyn Winn.
Until they move Arenado, the franchise will remain in a state of limbo. If things are bad early in the season, St. Louis could look to unload a number of pieces, including its best starting pitchers. If that was the route the Cardinals planned, it would have been better to do it this offseason.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners didn't do much of anything this offseason after an 85–77 campaign that saw them miss out on a wild-card spot by one game. While every other AL West team made significant moves to improve, Seattle largely stood still.
Second baseman Jorge Polanco was re-signed and the team added Donovan Solano after a rebound season with the Padres. The team's offense was a mess in 2024 and it doesn't appear anything has been done to remedy that situation.
Luckily, the Mariners boast a phenomenal pitching staff led by Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo. The rotation should keep them in a lot of games as long as the offense somehow finds a way to fix itself.
There is still time to make a move before the season starts, but the clock is ticking.
Minnesota Twins
The best thing about the Twins' offseason is that it is likely the last with the team's current ownership. The Pohlad family is on the way out and a sale could be done by Opening Day, though that's an optimistic timeline.
With budget constraints due to an impending sale, Minnesota's front office could only make limited moves this offseason. The most expensive was inking Harrison Bader to a one-year, $6.5 million deal. That's not going to have fans rushing to ticket windows. They worked a trade for former Dodgers top catching prospect Diego Cartaya and also signed Ty France and Danny Coulombe to cheap deals. Meanwhile, Carlos Santana and Max Kepler left as free agents.
There wasn't much the Twins could do as they're stuck in neutral until the team is sold. It was a rough offseason when you consider the team went 82–80 in 2024 and could have been a playoff team in '25 with a few solid pickups this offseason.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies lost the most games in the National League in 2024 and they could be MLB's worst team in '25. It's not that Colorado is making bad moves in an attempt to improve its roster—rather, the franchise is making no significant moves at all. The Rockies aren't really in a rebuild because they don't have much to rebuild with, but they're not competing either.
Colorado signed Kyle Farmer and Thairo Estrada to one-year deals this winter. Those are fine pickups for improving around the margins, but this is a franchise that needs a shakeup and hasn't had one in years. Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle are nice pieces, but outside of them, the roster desperately needs help.
There is some hope for Colorado, as top prospect righty flamethrower Chase Dollander should hit the majors this season, while slugger and 2024 No. 3 pick Charlie Condon should move quickly through the system. But they'll need quality teammates to surround them at the big league level, and the Rockies haven't seem to be interested in adding those over the past few years.
More of the Latest Around MLB
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five MLB Teams With the Most Demoralizing Offseasons Heading Into 2025 Season.
