Earlier this week, I wrote about the seven teams that improved the most this offseason. Here’s a look at five teams that appear to be heading in the wrong direction.

Keeping in mind that there are still plenty of potential impact acquisitions these teams can utilize to turn around the offseason, let’s take a look at some of the moves these teams have made, or not made, so far this winter.

1. New York Mets

The Mets were adamant about negotiating with first baseman Pete Alonso, rejecting a long-term offer. That approach worked for them last year as he decided to stay on a short-term contract with an opt-out clause, but they weren’t going to give them the benefit of the doubt for the second year in a row. He left as a free agent in December, leaving the Mets without their most consistent power hitter over the past seven seasons.

The Mets signed Jorge Polanco to replace Alonso. He is a year and a half older than Alonso and averaged just 23 home runs in 162 games over his 12-year career. Polanco is expected to be New York’s first baseman, but he has only played one inning at first base in his major league career.

The Mets traded 32-year-old outfielder Brandon Nimmo and 35-year-old second baseman Marcus Semien to the Texas Rangers. Last season, Nimmo had 25 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a 114 OPS+, while Semien had 15 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and a 97 OPS+. Semien remains an elite defender at second base, and from a defensive standpoint, the deal made sense. But age and decline have clearly affected Semien, especially offensively, and those factors haven’t slowed Nimmo’s bat yet. A three-year age difference is a bigger problem than it appears on the surface.

With Semien at second base, the Mets traded veteran second baseman Jeff McNeil to the Athletics in exchange for a teenage pitcher still in rookie ball. McNeil isn’t in the same category as Semien defensively, but he’s two years younger and had a better offensive season in 2025.

New York had one of the best closers in the league last year in Edwin Diaz, who had a 1.63 ERA, 28 saves, and 3 WAR. He left in free agency after the Mets decided to sign another closer, Devin Williams, before making their best effort to bring Diaz back. Williams, who pitched for the Yankees last year, had a 4.79 ERA, 18 saves, and a WAR minus (-0.3). In addition to Williams, the Mets added Luke Weaver and Richard Lovelady to the bullpen mix, but released Tyler Rodgers and Ryan Helsley as free agents (Helsley clearly didn’t pitch well for them after his midseason acquisition, while Rodgers was effective).

Needless to say, losing Alonso, Diaz, Nimmo, McNeil, and Rodgers and replacing them with Polanco, Semien, Williams, and Weaver would be a setback, at least for the 2026 season.

2. New York Yankees

There are three postseason teams in the AL East in 2025, but with one notable exception, AL East clubs have been active this offseason. The Blue Jays have signed a trio of impact pitchers (Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers) and a power bat (Kazuma Okamoto) and are dominating the hot stove. The Red Sox improved their roster by acquiring starting pitcher Sonny Gray and first baseman Willson Contreras from the Cardinals, while the Orioles improved their offense by adding power bats Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, and strengthened their pitching staff by adding Shane Baz, Zach Elfin, Ryan Helsley, and Andrew Kittridge. Even the Rays have made a lot of moves, with two of their trades going to sellers.

The Yankees have made the return of Cody Bellinger a top priority, but they have yet to accomplish that goal. (Kent J. Edwards/Getty Images)

That leaves the Yankees, who sent Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to the Mets in free agency and are trying to convince outfielder Cody Bellinger to return. The only moves the Yankees made during that time were giving outfielder Trent Grisham a qualifying offer (a surprising move, which he quickly accepted), bringing back utility player Amed Rosario, and signing veterans Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn for a cheap starting pitching staff. In addition to bringing Bellinger back, they still have some holes to fill, especially with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clark Schmidt, and Anthony Volpe all expected to miss the beginning of the season as they recover from surgery.

The Yankees have time to make important moves, but with three other teams in the division already beefing up their lineups, the pressure is on for New York State to do something meaningful to keep pace with the rest of the AL East’s powerhouses.

3. Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians appear to be looking to acquire Ambien this offseason, as they have done virtually nothing other than add depth to their pitching staff by signing Sean Armstrong, Colin Holderman, and Connor Brogdon. For a team in dire need of a mid-major offense, it’s a shame they haven’t done anything to address that area.

The Tigers haven’t been particularly active either, but at least they were able to bring back Gleyber Torres and Kyle Finnegan and add Kenley Jansen to the bullpen. Meanwhile, the Royals continue to add to their outfield and bullpen, and could theoretically overtake the Guardians in the AL Central division. Even the White Sox made strides with the addition of third baseman Munetaka Murakami and pitchers Sean Newcombe and Anthony Kaye.

In a division with championship potential, the Guardians’ lack of positivity this offseason is puzzling, especially considering the depth they have in their farm system to sign. Trade rumors have surfaced this offseason, with several players being named as impactful acquisitions, including Jalen Duran of the Red Sox, Brenton Doyle of the Rockies, Luis Robert of the White Sox, Jesus Sanchez of the Astros, and Lars Notevaal and Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals.

4. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds have future Hall of Fame coach Terry Francona, a young starting rotation capable of winning a division championship, and a budding superstar in Elie Delacruz. What they lack is enough offense for this team to play in the postseason.

The Reds had high praise for Kyle Schwarber, but when he returned to Philadelphia, they didn’t pivot to another big bat. (Heather Barry/Getty Images)

To their credit, they made a significant offer to Kyle Schwarber and wanted him to return to his Ohio State roots by leaving Philadelphia for the Queen City. Unlike the Orioles, who also lost Schwarber, the Reds let Pete Alonso go instead of pivoting to him. Because they thought Schwarber’s intangibles were the key to why they actually made a financial commitment they were comfortable extending. They brought back closer Emilio Pagán and were able to add depth to the bullpen with Caleb Ferguson, but they haven’t done anything to improve their offense. They added Dane Myers and JJ Breday to the outfield, but neither is a starter on a championship-level team.

Meanwhile, the Pirates also have an excellent young starting rotation with Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Jostinkson Garcia, and elite prospect Connor Griffin. If the Reds aren’t careful, they could see Pittsburgh fly right past them this year.

The Reds have a strong farm system, and even though they don’t want to trade away from that treasure chest, they have a chance to win right now. There are plenty of hitters still available, including free agents Cody Bellinger and Bo Bichette. There is also the possibility of a trade to address the offense, with big names such as Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks, Luis Robert of the White Sox, Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees, and Byron Buxton of the Twins (if he waives his no-trade clause) likely being targeted.

Like the AL Central Division, the National League Central Division has a chance of winning, but the Reds need more offense if they intend to return to the postseason this October.

5. San Diego Padres

The Padres lost closer Robert Suarez, starting pitcher Dylan Cease and first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn to free agency and have done little to improve the team this offseason. They were able to add infield depth by bringing back starter Michael King and signing Son Sung-moon. But in a division where the Dodgers added Edwin Diaz and the Giants beefed up their starting pitching depth with Tyler Marr and Adrian Hauser, the Padres appear to have suddenly slipped down the NL West pecking order.

With Cease in Toronto, the Padres need at least one more starting pitcher and should target Zac Gallen, Lucas Giolito or Chris Bassitt in free agency.

There’s still time to prepare a better roster for incoming rookie manager Craig Stammer, but so far they seem to be heading in the wrong direction.