In case it’s not clear yet that the modern Winter Meetings are the midpoint of the winter, not the end of it, note how many top free agents are still available – and how many teams still have needs to fill. Among the top 30 free agents on Mark Feinsand's offseason list, 19 still remain without a home, in addition to a handful of other useful names who didn’t make that list, like Ryan O’Hearn, Harrison Bader, and Rhys Hoskins. That’s just free agents, too; we know trades are still out there to be made.
While that may seem like an offseason that’s unfolding too slowly, consider the silver lining here. We have so much more excitement yet to take in. Put it this way: While the top team projection for 2026 belongs to the Dodgers, at 51.3 WAR on their roster, there’s still 141.3 WAR in projected value just among unsigned free agents. There are so many ways left to improve your team.
But where will all these players go? Which teams still have the biggest trouble spots? As we’ve done in the past, we’re going to set a few simple rules, then round up the absolutely-have-to-be-improved spots. The rules are simple, and few:
- We’ll just look at the top 26 projected teams, because the bottom four all lost 90 or more games last year and need long-term help everywhere, rather than trying to find a playoff spot in 2026. (That’s the Rockies, Nationals, White Sox, and Angels.)
- We’re not bothering to say “pitching,” because every team needs pitching. This is just about positions on the field.
Given that, and using FanGraphs’ 2026 projected rankings at each position, we’ll identify a handful of the largest remaining issues, with a little context included; just because the Red Sox shortstop situation rates near the bottom, for example, doesn’t mean they’re rushing out to replace Trevor Story. (They’re not.) If your team isn't listed here, it might just be the spot that feels so problematic isn't that bad after all.
In positional order, the biggest needs yet to be filled are …
Catcher: Phillies (projected 30th)
It’s been a very long time since Philadelphia needed to worry about catcher, because the last time a backstop other than J.T. Realmuto was playing regularly here, it was Jorge Alfaro back in 2018. In the seven seasons since, Realmuto has been the most valuable catcher in the game, and while there are obvious signs of decline on both sides of the ball as he enters his mid-30s, he was still essentially an average catcher last year. If “average” sounds unexciting, then realize that the current projected tandem is Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs – hence the last-rated projection – and that the crop of free agent catchers is unexciting. It’s all pointing to another engagement with Realmuto, particularly with Kyle Schwarber already back in the fold.
Potential fixes: Re-sign Realmuto to a short-term contract.
First base: Twins (projected 25th)
This was going to be the Marlins before they turned to Christopher Morel to play first; that may or may not be good enough, but it does mean they’ve at least made a move there. Instead, we turn to the Twins, who got decent performance from Ty France before trading him to Toronto last season and enter 2026 with journeyman Kody Clemens, who was designated for assignment by the Phillies in April, atop the depth chart. Clemens, to his credit, was fine – 19 homers from a multi-positional waiver claim is a win every single time – but with Minnesota apparently looking to add more than sell, fine isn’t enough. Like everyone else, they’re looking for a righty swinger; like everyone else, they’ll find it hard to do so. Fortunately for them, first base options do abound.
Potential fixes: A small deal for a veteran like Paul Goldschmidt, Rhys Hoskins, or Ryan O’Hearn or a trade with Baltimore for Coby Mayo or Ryan Mountcastle seems most likely. But can we interest you in shooting higher and seeing about taking Houston's Christian Walker (120 OPS+ in the second half last year) or St. Louis' Willson Contreras (126 OPS+ over the last four seasons), given how motivated those teams may be to move them?
Second base: Giants (projected 29th)
The Guardians are actually a slot lower here, but we’ll give them a pass because they’re clearly keeping the position open for top prospect Travis Bazzana. So we focus on San Francisco, because incumbent Casey Schmitt might be more of a utilityman than a daily starter -- and recently underwent wrist surgery that may affect his ramp-up for 2026. Going with Christian Koss and/or Tyler Fitzgerald won’t be good enough, though a larger issue may be that the rotation and outfield could be viewed as larger needs here. Still, you don’t get to the playoffs with a position rated this poorly either, and while Bo Bichette would be an absolutely perfect fit, it seems unlikely they’ll use that level of resources at this spot. Unless they go for Jorge Polanco, this has “trade” written all over it, and there’s some very good fits out there.
Potential fixes: Trade for Brandon Lowe (Rays) or Brendan Donovan (Cardinals).
Shortstop: Braves (projected 30th)
As we dug into when we investigated Bichette’s case, the shortstop market is beyond dire, with the only real options being Bichette (who may end up playing a different position) or Ha-Seong Kim, who finished last year with Atlanta but didn’t really impress, coming off of shoulder surgery. That’s … it. When Atlanta traded for Maurio Dubón last month, it at least gave them a Plan B here, but ideally he’s a valuable utilityman, not the starting shortstop (hence the projection). Given the team’s aggressiveness in adding pitching and outfielders already, they may not want to offer Kim more than the $16 million he already declined. That would apply to Bichette as well, who could probably stay at shortstop for a year or two if necessary.
Potential fixes: Re-sign Kim, but it sure feels like it’s “roll with Dubón to start the season and re-assess at the Deadline,” too.
Third base: D-Backs (projected 20th)
You may say that teams like Pittsburgh (26th) or Miami (24th) or even Boston (23rd) have bigger needs at third, but we’re pointing to Arizona because it’s not clear that Jordan Lawlar, listed as part of this depth chart, is even an infield option any longer, given his major defensive issues last season and his time in center field in the winter leagues this offseason. After the D-backs traded Eugenio Suárez to Seattle at the Deadline, this job fell mostly to Blaze Alexander, who profiles best as a multi-positional backup. For all the talk about whether or not they’ll trade Ketel Marte, and how the real need is in the rotation, there’s also a big need at third, ideally one who can hit right-handed.
Potential fixes: This isn’t a likely destination for Alex Bregman, and Nolan Arenado may not be much of an upgrade anymore. Bring Suárez back.
Left field: Royals (projected 28th)
Center field: Royals (projected 29th)
Right field: Royals (projected 22nd)
May as well take all these together, because this is a problem, and it has been for some time; the 2024 Royals outfield outperformed only three other teams, and the 2025 group was 30th of 30. It’s simply not good enough, and while you can certainly assume that Jac Caglianone will take some steps forward in his first full season in the Majors, well, there are two other spots to worry about. They know this, of course. While taking a rebound bet on Lane Thomas is reasonable enough, it’s also not nearly enough if he's counted on for anything more than that. The “how” of it all is complicated, given that they may not actually have enough rotation depth to deal for a big-ticket outfielder, and Teoscar Hernández doesn’t seem a great fit in this park. There’s probably a smaller trade coming, and probably another Thomas-like rebound bet.
Potential fixes: Signing Adolis García or trading for the Astros' Jake Meyers may not be earth-shattering. Can we interest you in being the team that sees what White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. has left or pries Brenton Doyle from Colorado?
Left field: Phillies (projected 24th)
Right field: Phillies (projected 30th)
The current last-place RF projection here is both accurate and not, in that it’s based on Nick Castellanos receiving the majority of playing time here, and almost no one thinks he’ll still be in Philadelphia when the season begins. Then again, with Harrison Bader and Max Kepler each free agents, taking Castellanos off the depth charts means he’s replaced with … well, it’s not really clear, is it? There are only three outfielders on the 40-man roster, and only Brandon Marsh is anything resembling a starter. Even if top prospect Justin Crawford makes the team, it wouldn’t be in right, and with Schwarber almost entirely a DH, the outfield remains a large need, second only to catcher.
Potential fixes: Re-sign Bader, or inquire about Boston’s Wilyer Abreu. Luis Robert Jr. may fit here, too.
Left field: Mets (projected 21st)
Center field: Mets (projected 22nd)
Why, did something happen? If you’re surprised this isn’t first base, it’s because despite a generally disappointing 2025, Mark Vientos was A) quite good in 2024 and B) actually pretty decent, .788 OPS, in the second half of 2025. Either way, the outfield is a larger concern, with Juan Soto the only guaranteed starter on the grass, now that Brandon Nimmo is a Ranger. While Carson Benge is indeed an intriguing prospect, there’s not much chance the season starts with him in center, next to Jeff McNeil in left.
Potential fixes: This pretty much has to be Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger, does it not? Wilyer Abreu and Luis Robert Jr. remain options; we also wonder if there’s a pitcher-for-hitter trade that returns A’s left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, who hit 25 homers at age 23 last year.
Giants: Right field (projected 25th)
Last year’s San Francisco right fielders weren’t very good (third-weakest offensive production), and the currently is not projected to change. As we said above about second base, outfield might just be a bigger issue -- specifically right field -- because Jung-Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos are likely to handle the other two spots. Kyle Tucker is the obvious fit here, but if trading for Rafael Devers last summer counted as their big-ticket addition, then they may have to set their sights lower. If that applies to Bellinger also, then the best option may be via trade, where it’s at least been rumored that they’d be open to dealing first base prospect Bryce Eldridge if the right fit comes up. This probably won’t be Grant McCray or Drew Gilbert or Justin Dean or Joey Wiemer or Wade Meckler or any of the seemingly endless other outfielders on the 40-man. It seems like it has to be a trade we haven’t seen yet.
Potential fixes: Trade for Wilyer Abreu or Luis Robert Jr. or perhaps Nathan Lukes, if and when the Blue Jays add a star outfielder.