Major League Baseball

MLB Winter Meetings: Five biggest losers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings have wrapped up, and not every team or player was able to get what they wanted.

There are winners, and there are losers in almost any sort of event associated with sports. Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings are no different. While teams like the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox were able to accomplish exactly what they wanted, there were plenty of teams who did nothing at the meetings.

This edition of the Winter Meetings was heavily focused on trades rather than free-agent signings. Aroldis Chapman and Ian Desmond were the only premier free agents to find a home, with several of the biggest names seeing their market and leverage continue to shrink.

We broke down the five biggest winners of the Winter Meetings yesterday. Now, let’s move onto the five biggest losers.

Sep 26, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Carlos Gomez (14) hits an rbi double during the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

5. Texas Rangers

The Rangers entered this offseason as a team many felt could make at least one major splash. So far, all they have been able to do is re-sign Carlos Gomez for one year and $11.5 million. Financially, the Rangers may not have much to work with, as they have already committed over $141 million to next year’s team.

While the Rangers are hemmed in due to their budget, their chief rival in the AL West, the Houston Astros, have had a dynamite offseason. Already, the Astros have landed Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Josh Reddick, and Charlie Morton. Houston was prepared to spend significantly to improve their chances of unseating the Rangers, and they may not be done yet. The Astros have what it takes to acquire a pitcher like Jose Quintana on the trade market.

Texas won the AL West with a lot of luck last season, winning an unfathomable number of one-run games. So far this offseason, they have done nothing to improve at first base or in the bullpen, and still need to replace Ian Desmond. There are several potential upgrades on the market for the Rangers at key positions of need, but it does not appear they will be in on the bidding.

Oct 19, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (10) reacts to striking out during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians in game five of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

4. Edwin Encarnacion

It may be hard for casual baseball fans to label someone who is still in line to receive over $60 million a loser, but this offseason is not going at all according to Edwin Encarnacion’s plan. The 1B/DH had to have expected suitors would line up after he turned down a four-year, $80 million offer from the Toronto Blue Jays. The biggest shocker is that the Red Sox are not interested in Encarnacion to replace David Ortiz at DH.

Entering his age-34 season, this is Encarnacion’s one chance to cash in big as a free agent. He has massively outperformed his team-friendly contract extension in Toronto. Over the past five years, Encarnacion has averaged 44 home runs and 123 RBIs per 162 games while making three All-Star teams and slashing .272/.367/.544. As a hitter, he does not profile as the type that will experience a steep drop in production as the years pile on. Encarnacion struck out over 100 times in 2016 for the first time since 2008, and he has an excellent batting eye.

Teams around the league have shown an increasing uneasiness about signing first-base/DH types to massive contracts in their mid-30s. Jose Bautista and Mark Trumbo are also finding similar difficulty in landing their next big contract. A glut of cheaper power options available on the market like Pedro Alvarez and Chris Carter has also served to reduce the leverage of the bigger name free agents. Eventually, Encarnacion will find his next home, but he will be forced to settle for a far lesser contract than he expected.

Sep 17, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen hits a two-run single against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

3. Pittsburgh Pirates

After all that buildup and chatter, it appears the Pittsburgh Pirates will not be trading franchise icon Andrew McCutchen this winter. After thinking they had a deal in place to trade McCutchen to the Washington Nationals, those talks broke down. Now, the Pirates do not expect to aggressively shop their center fielder to potential trade partners.

The Pirates come out of the Winter Meetings looking a little silly. The move to trade McCutchen now, with two years of control remaining and the team a potential contender next year, was surprising to say the least. Shopping him so aggressively and publicly will only serve to reduce the team’s leverage when the time does come to pull the trigger on a trade. To make matters worse, the rest of the league now knows exactly what type of return the Pirates were expecting for their All-Star and MVP.

McCutchen should be able to handle his near-trade with his typical grace, but knowing that his front office is ready to move on from this current championship window could sour him on staying in Pittsburgh long term, which might actually not be out of the question given the current state of the market. If ownership is not even interested in paying McCutchen under $30 million for the next two seasons, how serious can they be about fielding a winner year in and year out? The Pirates are going to have to trade McCutchen at some point this season or next winter, but their early attempts did not go well.

Nov 8, 2016; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette during the MLB general managers meeting at the Omni Scottsdale Resort. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles entered the Winter Meetings needing to land a right fielder, a DH, and a catcher for next season. At the end of the week, they have filled none of those needs while watching the Boston Red Sox trade for Chris Sale and make a few more key improvements. If the championship window was already closing in Baltimore, it is now about to slam shut with an emphatic THUD!

The most puzzling thing to come out of the Winter Meetings for the Orioles was Dan Duquette’s insinuation that he had no interest in signing Jose Bautista to play right field or DH simply because Orioles fans do not like the braggadocios slugger. Duquette kept doubling down on the comments all week, as if he couldn’t get enough of his own little joke at Bautista’s expense. While it may be true that O’s fans have more than a strong dislike for Joey Bats, they would accept him with open arms in a black and orange jersey. What Duquette said in so many words is that the Orioles are looking at another low-budget offseason.

Baltimore is essentially playing for the Wild Card next season and beyond with the Red Sox the clear-cut favorite in the division and league. The Orioles have two more years with their current core before Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Zach Britton, and Chris Tillman enter free agency. It is painfully clear that either ownership or the front office is simply not willing to spend what it takes to keep pace with the Red Sox and push this team to the next level. Encarnacion is out there just waiting to be scooped up. Same goes for Bautista or Mike Napoli, but the Orioles appear destined to end up with Chris Carter and Angel Pagan.

Nov 8, 2016; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo during the MLB general managers meeting at the Omni Scottsdale Resort. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. Washington Nationals

No team in Major League Baseball has operated in a more helter-skelter manner over the past two seasons than the Nationals. In no particular order, they have tried to trade for or sign Yoenis Cespedes, Ben Zobrist, Aroldis Chapman, Jason Heyward, Brandon Phillips, Chris Sale, Justin Upton, and Andrew McCutchen. They also traded for Jonathan Papelbon, turning highly effective closer Drew Storen into a puddle. At the Winter Meetings, it became more clear why the Nationals have been so aggressive. Reports circulated that Washington has no interest in even attempting to re-sign Bryce Harper at his estimated $400-million asking price. It’s now or never for the Nationals.

Trading for Andrew McCutchen or Chris Sale would have been nice. McCutchen is one of the best outfielders in the game and is due for a breakout season. Sale would have given the Nats a third ace to pair with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. When the Nationals missed out on both of those players, they got desperate and traded for Adam Eaton. Washington ended up giving the White Sox an almost identical package to their Sale proposal — Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Dane Dunning. In the process, the Nationals severely depleted the pool of prospects they have to work with to acquire a much-needed closer.

Regardless of how much depth the Nationals have in their current big-league rotation, it’s hard to believe the rest of the league was ready to give up three front-line pitching prospects to acquire Eaton. It’s not a knock on Eaton to say that the Nationals wildly overpaid for his services. The 28-year-old outfielder is a solid ballplayer, in the Jason Heyward mold, but he has never hit more than 30 doubles or 20 home runs or stolen more than 20 bases. Defensively, Eaton has profiled better in right field than center field. He has a well-rounded game that the advanced metrics love, but is just not worth three future aces.