How NL Teams Have Addressed Their Weakest Positions Of 2025

Opening Day is a little under three months away, so there’s still lots of time for clubs to fill roster holes.  As the new year approaches, however, let’s look at what each team has thus far done about fixing its biggest problem area from last season.  Using Baseball Reference’s position-by-position bWAR ranking as a guide, let’s begin with the 15 National League clubs…

Braves (Shortstop/left field, 0.8 bWAR): Claiming Ha-Seong Kim off the Rays’ waiver wire gave Atlanta a boost at the shortstop position late in the season, and perhaps laid the groundwork for Kim’s decision to return to the Braves on a one-year, $20MM contract.  A shoulder surgery in late 2024 delayed Kim’s 2025 debut until July, but a full and healthy season from the infielder should result in a nice upgrade for the Braves’ infield.  Even before Kim re-signed, Atlanta made another shortstop-related move by trading incumbent shortstop Nick Allen to the Astros for utilityman Mauricio Dubon, giving the Braves a solid backup option all over the diamond.  As for left field, Mike Yastrzemski was signed to deepen the outfield mix altogether, but having a full season of Jurickson Profar should alone help the position.  Profar missed 80 games due to a PED suspension, but posted a 122 wRC+ over 371 plate appearances in 2025.

Brewers (Shortstop, 0.7 bWAR): Joey Ortiz’s defensive work earned a standout +12 Outs Above Average, though the Defensive Runs Saved metric was less flattering, giving Ortiz a -2 for his 1217 2/3 innings at shortstop in 2025.  There was no debate about Ortiz’s hitting, as his .230/.276/.317 slash line over 506 PA resulted in the third-lowest (67) wRC+ of any player in baseball who took at least 500 trips to the plate.  There has been speculation that Brice Turang could be moved to shortstop if the Brewers feel more offense is needed from the position, though that would then require a replacement for Turang at second base (or for Chad Durbin at third base, if Durbin shifted over to the keystone).  Milwaukee’s had a pretty quiet offseason so far, and might be waiting to see where the bigger names in the infield market might land, in order to then explore options in the second or third tier of available free agents or trade targets.

Cardinals (Right field, -0.8 bWAR): Since the Cardinals are in rebuild mode, the club is prioritizing playing time for its youngsters, rather than necessarily looking for veteran upgrades.  This means Jordan Walker will get another chance as the primary right fielder, but it is worth wondering if this might be Walker’s last chance in the wake of unproductive 2024-25 seasons.  Between Walker’s struggles and Lars Nootbaar’s recovery from heel surgery, St. Louis could look to bring in a veteran outfielder on a one-year deal just to give the team some cover on the grass.  The Cardinals’ rebuild efforts could also bring another younger outfielder into the mix, perhaps in exchange for any of Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero, or Nolan Arenado.

Cubs (Bullpen, 0.4 bWAR): Between re-signing Caleb Thielbar and bringing new additions Phil Maton, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner into the fold, Chicago has invested $24.25MM into its bullpen revamp this winter.  This counts as a spending spree by Jed Hoyer’s standards, as the president of baseball operations has traditionally eschewed devoting much payroll space to the pen.  Andrew Kittredge was traded to the Orioles in what was essentially a cost-cutting move to avoid Kittredge’s $9MM club option for 2026, but the Cubs also had bigger relief names (i.e. Robert Suarez, Pete Fairbanks, and Ryan Helsley) reportedly on their radar before these pitchers signed elsewhere.  It leaves open the possibility that the Cubs might look to swing a trade for another reliever with closing experience, if the team would prefer to move Daniel Palencia into more of a high-leverage role rather than a strict closer deployment.

Diamondbacks (First base, -0.2 bWAR): Pavin Smith missed roughly half of the season due to injury, and even when healthy, Smith was shielded from left-handed pitching.  A right-handed hitting platoon partner seems like a must for the D’Backs, and while Luken Baker was just inked to a minor league deal, there has been rumors that Paul Goldschmidt could potentially be returning to the desert.  Beyond the first base position, Arizona also didn’t get much from left field (0 bWAR) or center field (0.1 bWAR) due to rough seasons from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas.  Some kind of outfield help will be needed since Gurriel will be out until mid-2026 due to recovery from a torn ACL, and top prospect Jordan Lawlar has gotten some center field work in winter ball, just in case the D’Backs wanted to move him out of the infield picture.

Dodgers (Bullpen, -0.4 bWAR): Los Angeles won the 2024 World Series when the bullpen carried a shaky rotation, and the team’s latest championship came after the rotation stepped up big to bail out a shaky bullpen.  Tanner Scott was a bust in the first season of his four-year, $72MM contract, but since the Dodgers have the financial might to double down on addressing problems, the club made an even bigger splash by inking Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69MM pact earlier this month.  Signing one of the sport’s top closers is a clear and obvious way to correct a major flaw, and solidifying the ninth inning should theoretically have the ripple effect of strengthening the rest of the bullpen.  Beyond the relief corps, L.A. left fielders also combined for a -0.3 bWAR, due in large part to Michael Conforto’s struggles.  Since Conforto won’t be brought back in free agency, Los Angeles could use Andy Pages more regularly in left field if Tommy Edman is now healthy enough for regular center field duty.  As always with the Dodgers, of course, another major acquisition is always a possibility, and the team has been linked to such headline names as Kyle Tucker and old friend Cody Bellinger.

Giants (First base, 0.1 bWAR): Rafael Devers played only 28 games at first base in 2025, and top prospect Bryce Eldridge had just four games at the position during his debut season in the Show.  This duo looks to have the first base/DH situation covered in San Francisco for years to come, so the cold corner doesn’t appear to be any kind of priority for the Giants this winter….unless Eldridge is perhaps traded.  Besides first base, left field was also a weak link with just a 1.0 bWAR, but the Giants seem likely to give Heliot Ramos a chance to bounce back from his underwhelming 2025 campaign.

Marlins (First base, -0.5 bWAR): Christopher Morel enjoyed a 26-homer season with the Cubs in 2023, but his production drastically fell off over the last two seasons.  It was enough for the Rays to non-tender Morel in November, but Miami stepped in to give Morel a one-year, $2MM contract and a shot at the first base position.  Morel has never played first base during his pro career, yet it seems like a logical spot for a player who has struggled defensively at multiple other positions.  Given how little the Marlins got from the first base spot in 2025, in a sense there’s nowhere to go but up in giving Morel a chance.  While the Marlins aren’t likely to be big spenders in general this winter, Morel’s deal is inexpensive enough that it wouldn’t necessarily prevent the team from pursuing a more proven first base option if one emerged on the free agent or trade markets.  The Fish also got only 0.2 bWAR from the designated hitter spot, so there’s some room there for Morel or another hitter, depending on how much time Miami wants to give Agustin Ramirez as either a DH or a catcher.

Mets (Designated hitter, 1.3 bWAR): The DH spot edged out the Mets’ collective 1.4 bWAR in center field as the least-productive position the board, but the rotation’s 6.6 fWAR was also among the lowest for any starter group in the game.  In what has been a fascinating offseason thus far in Queens, the Mets have said goodbye to Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil, while Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco were acquired to fill the gaps in the infield.  The DH spot might well more of a revolving door than a position that has a regular player taking the at-bats, but such center field candidates as Luis Robert Jr., Brenton Doyle, and even Bellinger have been mentioned.  Any number of high-profile moves could be plausible for a New York team that seems to be overhauling itself on the fly, while still planning to contend in 2026.

Nationals (Bullpen, -3.9 bWAR): It may surprise you to learn that the Rockies didn’t have baseball’s least-productive group of pitchers in 2025, as even Colorado (at 0.9 bWAR) finished ahead of the collective -0.6 bWAR posted by Washington’s pitchers.  The Nats were dragged down by their bullpen’s terrible performance, and not only have the Nationals not done anything to upgrade their relief corps, but they sent one of their more productive relievers in Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners in exchange for catching prospect Harry Ford.  Newly-hired president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has been busy revamping the team’s front office and dugout staff, without much attention paid to date to Washington’s on-field product.  This includes the bullpen, as well as first base (-0.4 bWAR) and third base (-0.3 bWAR) as other particular weak links on an overall underachieving Nationals team.  While there’s plenty of offseason left, it certainly doesn’t seem like the Nats will be spending big to make a push to contend, so expect any or all of these holes to be filled by lower-cost additions.  If anything, D.C. might continue tearing things down if a rival team makes a good enough offer for MacKenzie Gore or CJ Abrams.

Padres (Left field, -0.1 bWAR): This is another case of a position that has already been addressed, as Ramon Laureano did a great job of stabilizing the left field position after being acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline.  The Padres made the easy call of exercising their $6.5MM club option on Laureano for 2026, though interestingly, the outfielder’s name has also come up in trade talks with the Mets.  It remains to be seen if those talks were anything beyond names being floated, or if San Diego could be clearing room for some kind of longer-term left field answer.  Assuming Laureano stays in left field, his presence probably keeps Gavin Sheets as San Diego’s primary DH, which should help boost the 0.3 bWAR the Padres got from the DH spot in 2025.  The catcher position also generated only 0.3 bWAR, but the Padres are hoping their deadline trade for Freddy Fermin helps solve matters behind the plate.

Phillies (Right field, -0.9 bWAR): Adolis Garcia’s diminished numbers over the last two seasons led the Rangers to non-tender the former ALCS MVP, but the Phillies stepped in to sign Garcia to a one-year, $10MM deal.  Despite Garcia’s struggles over the last two years, he was still more productive (3.0 bWAR to 0.0 bWAR) in that span in Nick Castellanos, and at the very least Garcia will be a huge defensive upgrade.  It is an open secret that the Phillies want to move on from Castellanos, and the team may end up just eating the $20MM owed to Castellanos in the final year of his contract if a trade partner can’t be found to cover at least a slim portion of that money.

Pirates (Second base, 0.0 bWAR): Beyond the goose egg from keystone, the Buccos also got 0.1 bWAR from center field, 0.4 bWAR from the DH position, and 0.6 bWAR from left field.  The team responded to this lackluster offensive showing with one of the busiest Pirates offseasons in years, as Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Jake Mangum have all been acquired in a spate of trades and signings.  With O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz likely handing the bulk of first base/DH duties, Lowe will probably be spending most of his time at second base, giving Pittsburgh an established veteran bat in what should be a big step forward at the position.

Reds (Third base, -0.4 bWAR): Ke’Bryan Hayes was acquired at the last trade deadline, and while his outstanding glovework improved the hot corner from a defensive standpoint, it wasn’t enough to drag the position’s overall production into the bWAR plus column.  Third base was just one of three infield positions that posted subpar bWAR numbers, as the Reds also got -0.3 from their second basemen and -0.1 from their first basemen.  All in all, Cincinnati’s collective 8.1 bWAR from non-pitchers was the lowest of any team in baseball in 2025 apart from the Rockies, making it a real testament to the Reds’ pitching staff that Cincinnati still reached the postseason.  The Reds haven’t done much of anything yet with their infield or with their offense as a whole, apart from a one-year deal with JJ Bleday signed just today.

Rockies (Rotation, -3.2 bWAR): The Nationals had a collective 11.9 bWAR in 2025, ranking 29th of the 30 teams.  Coming up 30th with an unspeakable -3.8 bWAR were the Rockies, as Colorado suffered through a nightmare of a 119-loss season.  The grim set of numbers include negative bWAR totals at first base, second base, DH, right field, and the outfield as a whole.  At the bottom of the barrel, however, was the rotation, as the Rockies’ starter ERA of 6.65 was the worst in modern baseball history.  New president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta hasn’t done much to address the rotation or much of anything roster-wise yet, perhaps due to the fact that DePodesta himself wasn’t hired until early November, after the offseason had officially gotten underway.  Whatever starting pitching adds the Rockies make figure to be of the low-cost variety on either the free agent or trade front, as Colorado is only in the early stages of what promises to be an extensive rebuild.