Teams have been busy over the past two months, putting their offseason plans in place and trying to fill as many holes as possible. For many of those teams, however, there are still needs to address, and time is running out before it’s time to report to spring training.
With the posting process for Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka now underway and expected to come to a conclusion over the next few weeks, there are still four available starting pitchers—Tanaka, Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana—who will be penciled in to the front part of a big league rotation before the start of the season.
Nelson Cruz and Stephen Drew are the lone free-agent hitters who could make an impact on a lineup, while Grant Balfour and Fernando Rodney are the best remaining from what was initially a very deep group of relievers on the free-agent market.
Trades are also a possibility this time of year—the Atlanta Braves acquired Justin Upton last January; the Oakland A’s acquired Jed Lowrie in February.
A lot can still happen, which is why baseball fans should still be paying attention between now and when actual baseball will be played again.
Here is an updated look at the remaining “to-do” lists for each of the 30 teams.