Whether acquired as a free agent or via trade, the biggest acquisitions in baseball this past offseason all arrived in spring training with hefty expectations. Some have lived up to the hype. Others, well, let’s just say they wish we were grading on a curve.
For our red pen spares nobody’s feelings.
While it may seem unfair to grade someone now, considering that the exhibition season is less than two weeks old, those small sample sizes of work may provide some hints at what to expect and were the primary factor in how we handed out grades. Health, as well as off-field impact and issues, were also taken into account.
Players who re-signed with their previous team were not considered, so you won’t see the likes of Yoenis Cespedes or Dexter Fowler on the pages that follow. What you will see, however, is a wide range of marks, from the very good to the very bad.
Who made the honor roll? Who finds themselves in danger of failing? Let’s take a look.