MLB Free Agency: Which Teams Have The Most To Gain, Lose In Offseason?

Fasten your seatbelts. Major League Baseball’s offseason roller coaster is about to take off.

MLB general manager meetings begin Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., which means chatter will increase between baseball’s 30 clubs as they survey this winter’s free agent market and eye potential trades. The Chicago Cubs’ first World Series title in 108 years proved there’s hope for every team, but some squads are sitting prettier than others heading into 2017.

So, which teams have the most to gain and the most to lose entering the offseason? Here are six teams to keep an eye on.

MOST TO GAIN
1. San Francisco Giants
The Giants are in desperate need of a closer. Fortunately for them, there’s a trio of shutdown guys on the market in Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon. San Francisco also could use an outfielder with Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco hitting free agency, and while landing Yoenis Cespedes might be a stretch, there are other solid options out there. Expect the Giants to make at least one big move this offseason to try to take back the National League West crown.

2. Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles will be in the market for a starter, and while there virtually are no top-tier arms available, guys like Rich Hill, Ivan Nova and Andrew Cashner should catch Baltimore’s eye in its efforts to boost the rotation. If the O’s can re-sign Mark Trumbo and possibly find another catcher to replace free agent Matt Wieters, they could enter 2017 with optimism after this year’s 89-73 finish.

3. New York Yankees
The Yankees are losing just two players to free agency, one of which is the retired Mark Teixeira. They appeared to be in full rebuild mode after unloading Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller at last season’s trade deadline, but this is the Yankees we’re talking about. New York has plenty of cash to throw at a guy like Cespedes, Trumbo or Edwin Encarnacion, and the pressure always is on to win in the Big Apple. Don’t sleep on the Yanks.

MOST TO LOSE
1. Toronto Blue Jays
Encarnacion. Jose Bautista. Michael Saunders. R.A. Dickey. Those are just four of the nine Blue Jays hitting free agency this offseason. Encarnacion is the most likely to get poached — potentially by the Boston Red Sox — and if Bautista also leaves town, that’s a lot of power to replace for a team that hangs its hat on offensive production.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Even if the Dodgers can re-sign All-Star third baseman Justin Turner, they still could lose stud closer Jansen, starter Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick to the open market. L.A.’s lack of a solid No. 2 arm behind Clayton Kershaw was evident in its National League Championship Series loss to the Cubs, and this offseason’s thin pitching market could make it tough for the Dodgers to fill that role.

3. New York Mets
The Mets will lose their best hitter this offseason if they can’t re-sign Cespedes, while second baseman Neil Walker (23 home runs last season) and starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (15 wins, 3.43 ERA) also are free agents. Like the Blue Jays, New York could be looking at a bit of a power outage if Cespedes and Walker both walk, and the options for shoring up its banged-up rotation aren’t great.