10 offseason additions already paying off in a big way

April 21st, 2024

It hasn’t taken long for the impact of this past offseason to be felt around the Majors.

A number of offseason additions -- including both marquee names and under-the-radar acquisitions -- are already paying off for their new clubs.

Here are the 10 biggest success stories so far, ranked based on each player's personal performance and importance to his team in the early going.

1. , OF, Yankees
How he was acquired: Trade with Padres

Although reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is sidelined with an elbow injury and superstar slugger has a .682 OPS, the Yankees nonetheless own one of MLB’s best records (14-7) this season. Soto has been the driving force behind the Bronx Bombers’ excellent start, putting up a .354/.469/.608 slash with five homers, 18 walks and 20 RBIs in 21 games, all while providing much-improved defense in right field. The 25-year-old, who can test free agency at season’s end, has already been hearing “M-V-P” chants in the Bronx.

2. , DH, Dodgers
How he was acquired: 10-year, $700 million deal in free agency

The Dodgers easily “won” the offseason, but they have been stuck in neutral since the season got underway. With a mediocre performance from its pitching staff and a lack of production from the bottom third of its batting order, Los Angeles has gone 12-11 with a +5 run differential. Ohtani, though, has given the Dodgers exactly what they expected when they signed him to the richest contract in global sports history, hitting .359 with four homers, 11 doubles, five steals, 11 RBIs and a 1.049 OPS over 23 games. Along with fellow superstar , Ohtani is a big reason why the Dodgers are still above .500.

3. , SP, Orioles
How he was acquired: Trade with Brewers

The Orioles’ offense has done a lot of the heavy lifting during the team’s 13-7 start, but Burnes deserves his share of the credit, too. With working his way back from a UCL injury in his right elbow and the trio of , and combining for a 5.71 ERA in 10 starts, Baltimore’s rotation would look a lot worse if the team didn’t swing a February trade for the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner. Over five starts, Burnes has a 2.76 ERA with 29 strikeouts, five walks and a 0.92 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings. The Orioles have gone 9-0 in games started by Burnes and and 4-7 in all other games this season.

4. , OF, Red Sox
How he was acquired: Trade with Cardinals

O’Neill is currently sidelined after suffering a concussion in a collision with third baseman on Monday, but he made quite an impact before his injury. The outfielder has the highest OPS (1.209) among players with at least 50 plate appearances this season and was third in the Majors with seven homers -- six of them coming in Boston wins -- entering Saturday. While Boston’s pitching staff has been a pleasant surprise, posting an MLB-best 2.59 ERA, O’Neill has been the team’s single most important player so far.

5. , SP, Cubs
How he was acquired: 4-year, $53 million deal in free agency

Imanaga has made a seamless transition from Japan to Major League Baseball, recording a 0.84 ERA with 21 strikeouts and only two walks over 21 1/3 innings in four starts (all Cubs wins). His performance has provided a big lift for Chicago’s beleaguered rotation, which began the season without due to a back injury, lost ace to a left hamstring strain on Opening Day and has seen and combine for a 9.00 ERA over eight starts.

6. , 1B, Cubs
How he was acquired: Trade with Dodgers

The Cubs’ acquisition of Busch and reliever from the Dodgers for a pair of Minor Leaguers in January didn’t receive much attention at the time, but the rookie slugger has given the Cubs’ offense a huge boost from the first-base spot. Busch homered in five straight games from April 10-15 and has produced six homers overall to go with 15 RBIs and a .328/.405/.656 slash over 74 plate appearances. With on the injured list and some of the Cubs’ established veterans struggling out of the gate, Busch’s production has been a welcome surprise for Chicago.

7. , SP, Royals
How he was acquired: 2-year, $30 million deal (with a 2026 player option) in free agency

After pitching mostly as a reliever with the Mets from 2016-22, Lugo received his first chance to be a full-time starter as a member of the Padres last season and passed the test with flying colors, leading to a multiyear contract with the Royals in free agency. Lugo has been an incredible addition for a surprising Kansas City club, allowing no more than two runs in any of his four starts and registering a 1.05 ERA over 25 2/3 innings.

8. , SP, Giants
How he was acquired: 4-year, $44 million deal in free agency

Given Hicks’ injury history, the Giants’ decision to make the flamethrowing righty a starting pitcher after signing him in free agency certainly came as a surprise, but there’s no arguing with the early results. Hicks has had to dial back his velocity some in his transition to the rotation, but that hasn’t hurt the effectiveness of his sinker. Meanwhile, Hicks’ sweeper and new splitter have been virtually untouchable, limiting batters to a .080 average (2-for-25) with 11 strikeouts in 30 plate appearances combined. He has pitched to a 1.57 ERA over 23 innings through four starts with San Francisco.

9. , SP, Padres
How he was acquired: Trade with White Sox

The Padres didn’t add Cease to their roster until March 13, but with sidelined by a neck injury and working his way through some early struggles (6.29 ERA in five starts), Cease has become an integral player for the club in short order. The righty has posted a 1.99 ERA with 27 strikeouts and a .130 batting average against over 22 2/3 innings spanning four starts, looking much closer to the pitcher who placed second in the 2022 AL Cy Young Award race than the one who finished 2023 with a 4.58 ERA.

10. , SP, Dodgers
How he was acquired: Trade with Rays

Glasnow’s last start (6 ER in 5 IP) put a dent in his ERA (3.72), but he still belongs on this list for the weight he has shouldered for the Dodgers’ rotation this season. Entering Saturday, the 30-year-old righty ranked second in the Majors in innings (29) and batters faced (115) and was tied for the MLB lead with 34 K’s. Los Angeles has gone 4-1 in games started by Glasnow and 6-9 in 15 games started by the other four members of its season-opening rotation -- , , and , who have combined for a 4.65 ERA over 67 2/3 innings.

Honorable mentions: Sonny Gray, SP (STL); Mitch Haniger, OF (SEA); Teoscar Hernández, OF (LAD); Craig Kimbrel, RP (BAL); Michael King, SP (SD); Reynaldo López, SP (ATL); Lance Lynn, SP (STL); Joc Pederson, DH (AZ); Martín Pérez, SP (PIT); David Robertson, RP (TEX); Luis Severino, SP (NYM); Marcus Stroman, SP (NYY); Spencer Turnbull, SP (PHI); Justin Turner, DH (TOR); Kirby Yates (TEX)