Thursday marked the four-week point of the 2024 MLB season, meaning there is, oh, another 22 weeks and change to go in the 162-game grind. If the regular season were a nine-inning game, we'd be two outs into the top of the second inning. Your team may have a lead or may be trailing at this point, but there's still a long way to go before the final out is recorded.
This past offseason was a slow one, yet plenty of moves were made, some of which have been more impactful than others. It's not always the splashiest additions that most move the needle, either. With that in mind, here are the 10 offseason moves that have been most impactful to date. Key words: to date. We're ranking these players based on what they've done so far, not what we project them to do in the future.
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Acquired: Signed as free agent (Dec. 11, 2023)
The case can be made Ohtani is worth his massive (and heavily deferred) 10-year, $700 million contract just as a hitter. He won't pitch this season following his September elbow surgery, but he can hit, and he has done so extraordinarily well: .371/.433/.695 with six home runs heading into Thursday's game. Ohtani leads the league in doubles (14), extra-base hits (21), and total bases (73). These last few years Ohtani has made a habit of going out and being better than anyone could have reasonably expected, and he's doing it again in 2024.
Teoscar Hernández deserves some love here as well. He's cooled down a bit of late, but you can't argue with a 120 OPS+ and six home runs from a veteran outfielder on a one-year contract. Nice pickup by the Dodgers.
2. Juan Soto, Yankees
Acquired: Trade with the Padres (Dec. 7, 2023)
The Yankees desperately needed a game-changing left-handed bat over the winter and they landed maybe the best left-handed hitter in the sport in Soto. His first month as a Yankee is going as well as anyone could have hoped. Soto took a .319/.431/.564 line with six home runs and more walks (20) than strikeouts (16) into Thursday's game, and he's top 10 in the league in OPS+ and WAR. Aaron Judge's early season struggles have heightened Soto's importance and he's delivered. So far, so good for Soto in New York (and Soto in his contract year). The case can be made Soto belongs in the No. 1 spot given how much the Yankees have relied on him to generate offense the last few weeks. No shame in being runner-up to Ohtani though.
3. Dylan Cease, Padres
Acquired: Trade with White Sox (March 13, 2024)
Even after netting four pitchers, three of whom have pitched in the big leagues this season, in the Soto trade, San Diego's rotation depth chart looked a little thin at the start of spring training. GM A.J. Preller addressed that with one of his trademark out-of-nowhere blockbusters, landing Cease after the right-hander had been connected to just about every contender throughout the winter. Cease has been brilliant, posting a 1.82 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in five start and 29 2/3 innings. He's struck out 35 and gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts. Bonus points to Cease for being as good as he's been despite changing teams in the middle of spring training and having to hop on a flight to South Korea almost immediately after the trade.
4. Corbin Burnes, Orioles
Acquired: Trade with Brewers (Feb. 1, 2024)
I don't think the Orioles were an ace away from winning the World Series in 2023, though they clearly needed to add a top of the rotation starter to get to the next level, and in Burnes, they landed someone on the short list of the game's top pitchers. He has been as advertised in his first month with the O's, pitching to a 2.79 ERA and holding opponents to a .202/.237/.349 batting line. Burnes has gone at least five innings in all five starts and at least 5 2/3 innings in four starts. Few things in this sport are as comforting as sending a bona fide ace to the mound every fifth day. Baltimore has that now.
Honorable mention to Craig Kimbrel. While stepping in to replace the injured Félix Bautista, Kimbrel is 7 for 8 in save chances and has 17 strikeouts in 11 innings. One month into 2024, he's been close to peak Kimbrel.
5. Shota Imanaga, Cubs
Acquired: Signed as a free agent (Jan. 11, 2024)
As expected, a pitcher came over from Japan this offseason and has been an instant ace. It's not Yoshinobu Yamamoto though. It's Imanaga, who has surrendered four runs (two earned) in 21 1/3 innings to begin his MLB career. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in his season debut and he'd have more innings under his belt had one of his starts not been cut short by rain. The under-the-hood numbers are terrific too: 21/2 K/BB and a 38.6% chase rate that ranks near the top of the league. No, Imanaga will not maintain a 0.84 ERA all season, and some of the contact quality is scary (93.0 mph average exit velocity), but, to date, he has been fantastic every time he's taken the mound for the Cubbies.
6. Michael Busch, Cubs
Acquired: Trade with Dodgers (Jan. 11, 2024)
The Dodgers ran into the "we have too many good players" problem and traded Busch, who was capital-B Blocked at first base by Freddie Freeman, to the Cubs in a four-player swap that netted Los Angeles two prospects. Two very good prospects (Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope), but two prospects in Single-A and not especially close to helping the MLB team. The Dodgers restocked the system and the Cubs landed the slugging the first baseman they sorely lacked. Busch entered play Thursday with a .280/.349/.560 batting line and six home runs, and the ball-tracking data (exit velocity, etc.) to back it up. There was some consternation among the Cubs faithful when they failed to sign Rhys Hoskins. Turns out they landed a power-hitting first baseman anyway.
7. Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers
Acquired: Trade with Rays (Dec. 16, 2024)
The Dodgers needed multiple starters this offseason, and while Yamamoto continues his adjustment to baseball on this side of the pond, Glasnow has been the club's undisputed ace. He did get knocked around pretty good in one of his six starts (six runs in five innings against the Nationals), which bumps him down these rankings, but Glasnow has a 2.92 ERA with a stellar 44/9 K/BB in six starts and 37 innings. Four times in his six starts he's gone at least six innings, and one of the two times he didn't was in the Seoul Series, when he went five innings while on a pitch count because it was the middle of March.
8. Jordan Hicks, Giants
Acquired: Signed as a free agent (Jan. 18, 2024)
The reliever-to-starter conversion could not be going much better. Hicks has gone at least five innings in each of his five starts and he's yet to allow more than two runs in a game. He's made it happen by taking something off his sinker -- his average sinker velocity is 95.8 mph, down from 100.1 mph as a reliever last season -- and landing it in the zone more often. Simply put, Hicks has been far more efficient than I think anyone expected when the Giants revealed their plan to put a control-challenged reliever in the rotation. His walks are down and his ground ball rate is still among the best in sport. One month in, Hicks as a starter has been a smashing success.
9. Reynaldo López, Braves
Acquired: Signed as free agent (Nov. 20, 2023)
I can't lie, I was skeptical the same reliever-to-starter conversion (or more accurately starter-to-reliever-to-starter) would work with López, but four starts into 2024, he has been the best pitcher on the best team in the game. López has gone at least six innings in all four starts despite never throwing more than 94 pitches, and that includes six shutout innings against two pretty good offenses in the Mets and Astros. Atlanta has taken care to give López at least two extra days of rest between each start, which is smart given the move into the rotation. With Spencer Strider out for the season, the Braves will need López for the long haul.
10. Spencer Turnbull, Phillies
Acquired: Signed as a free agent (Feb. 14, 2024)
Taijuan Walker's shoulder impingement created an opening in the rotation and Turnbull, who did not sign until right as spring training opened, has filled in more than capably. He's allowed five runs (four earned) total in his five starts, and three of the five came in one game. Four times Turnbull has thrown at least five innings with no more than one run allowed. You can't beat that kind of production on a one-year, $2 million contract. Walker is expected back this coming weekend and Turnbull is likely to move into the bullpen, the role he was originally expected to fill. At some point the Phillies will need another starter though, and they can feel confident giving the ball to Turnbull when that need arises.
Honorable mentions
Sonny Gray, Cardinals: A hamstring injury delayed the start of Gray's season, so he's only made three starts, but in those three starts he's allowed only two runs and struck out 23 in 17 1/3 innings. He's walked one. Opposing batters have a .237 on-base percentage against Gray. The Cardinals signed him to be a top of the rotation starter and he's been up to the challenge three starts into his first season in St. Louis.
Seth Lugo, Royals: Facing the very bad White Sox twice in five starts helps, but you can only face who the schedule says you have to face, and Lugo is sitting on a 2.03 ERA through five starts. He's gone at least six innings with no more than two runs allowed in four of those five starts. Lugo's pitched well for a fast-rising Kansas City team.
Tyler O'Neill, Red Sox: O'Neill missed some time with a concussion, so he's yet to play in his 20th game, though you can't argue with a .298/.429/.667 slash line and seven home runs. Now the Red Sox just need to get some runners on base for the guy. O'Neill has only 8 RBI to go with those seven homers.
Joc Pederson, Diamondbacks: Joc's tour of the NL West has taken him to Arizona, where he's authored a .326/.468/.543 batting line with two home runs and more than twice as many walks (11) as strikeouts (five). He is once again being heavily platooned (only four plate appearances against lefties) and that's the smart move. Pederson is one of this generation's top platoon bats.
Rangers relievers: Entering Thursday, veterans David Robertson and Kirby Yates have combined to allow three runs (all by Robertson) in 24 1/3 innings while striking out 26 and putting only 17 runners on base. Yates has assumed closing duties with José Leclerc having a rough start to the season. Texas needed to reinforce their bullpen to have a chance at repeating as World Series champs and these two have done fine work in the late innings one month into the new season.
Justin Turner, Blue Jays: Ho hum, Turner is once again terrific at the plate. When is he not? The 39-year-old entered play Thursday hitting .319/.414/.500 with seven doubles, two homers, and nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (13) with Toronto. Second straight year there are a lot of teams out there saying damn, we should have signed him.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers: It feels like the general vibe around Yamamoto is that he's been a disappointment, but six starts into his MLB career, he has a 3.54 ERA with 37 strikeouts and six walks in 28 innings. He gave up five runs in one inning in his first Dodgers start and has surrendered seven runs (six earned) in the five starts since. Three of Yamamoto's six starts are scoreless.
