(Revised Friday, Dec. 16, after Carlos Rodon deal lifted Yankees to first place.)
The New York Yankees and New York Mets lead Box-Toppers offseason rankings after landing the winter’s two biggest free agents.
Box-Toppers offseason team rankings
The New York Yankees are the top-ranked offseason team for 2023 as of mid-December 2022. Players currently on the roster accumulated 128.5 Box-Toppers points during the 2022 season, most of any team. Shown below in the 2022 column is the team’s final Box-Toppers point total for 2022. The 2023 column is the total of points for signed players currently on the roster. The next column (+/-) shows the change in team rosters’ Box-Toppers points from the end of last season until now. And the final column (Rank end ’22) shows how each team finished among the 30 teams at the close of the 2022 regular season.As of Dec. 16, 2022, the 30 teams have a combined net loss of 296.8 Box-Toppers points from the end of 2022. Unsigned free agents have a combined 285.6 Box-Toppers points.
| Team | 2022 | 2023 | +/- | Rank end ’22 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yankees | 125.9 | 128.5 | +2.6 | 4 |
| 2 | Mets | 125.8 | 124.6 | -1.2 | 5 |
| 3 | Braves | 129.0 | 110.4 | -18.6 | 3 |
| 4 | Mariners | 114.9 | 107.9 | -7.0 | 7 |
| 5 | Blue Jays | 113.4 | 103.4 | -10.0 | 9 |
| 6 | Cardinals | 118.3 | 102.4 | -15.9 | 6 |
| 7 | Dodgers | 133.1 | 101.9 | -31.2 | 1 |
| 8 | Brewers | 107.7 | 101.9 | -5.8 | 10 |
| 9 | Guardians | 105.5 | 101.8 | -3.7 | 12 |
| 10 | Astros | 131.4 | 99.9 | -31.5 | 2 |
| 11 | Angels | 87.3 | 96.8 | +9.5 | 18 |
| 12 | Rangers | 77.7 | 96.5 | +18.8 | 23 |
| 13 | Padres | 114.7 | 95.3 | -19.4 | 8 |
| 14 | Orioles | 100.3 | 94.1 | -6.2 | 14 |
| 15 | Phillies | 105.3 | 93.3 | -12.0 | 13 |
| 16 | White Sox | 98.5 | 90.0 | -8.5 | 16 |
| 17 | Twins | 105.6 | 89.9 | -15.7 | 11 |
| 18 | Rays | 100.2 | 85.4 | -14.8 | 15 |
| 19 | Giants | 94.9 | 83.1 | -11.8 | 17 |
| 20 | Marlins | 75.4 | 73.4 | -2.0 | 24 |
| 21 | Diamondbacks | 84.6 | 72.1 | -12.5 | 20 |
| 22 | Cubs | 77.8 | 71.3 | -6.5 | 22 |
| 23 | Rockies | 77.9 | 71.2 | -6.7 | 21 |
| 24 | Royals | 68.5 | 65.8 | -2.7 | 26 |
| 25 | Tigers | 73.4 | 59.4 | -14.0 | 25 |
| 26 | Pirates | 61.0 | 56.5 | -4.5 | 28 |
| 27 | Athletics | 63.2 | 55.7 | -7.5 | 27 |
| 28 | Nationals | 58.3 | 50.9 | -7.4 | 29 |
| 29 | Red Sox | 86.8 | 49.7 | -37.1 | 19 |
| 30 | Reds | 54.7 | 41.2 | -13.5 | 30 |
Back to top
The Yankees rank first after Carlos Rodon Thursday agreed to a free agent deal. Rodon earned 19.8 Box-Toppers points in 2022 with the Giants, sixth overall and third among National League pitchers. He ranked second among all free agents going into the 2023 season.
The Mets are Box-Toppers’ second-ranked team going into 2023 on the strength of signing free agent pitcher Justin Verlander, who led all players in 2022 Box-Toppers points.
Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers have made the biggest offseason jump in rankings, rising from 23rd among all teams at the end of 2022 to 12th as of mid-December after signing pitchers Jacob deGrom, Jake Odorizzi and Andrew Heaney.
Players currently signed to the Yankees 40-man roster accumulated 128.5 Box-Toppers points during the 2022 season, most of any team. (See Box-Toppers offseason team rankings chart elsewhere on this page for complete details.)
The Mets rank second with 124.6 Box-Toppers points, most among all NL teams.
The Boston Red Sox have the biggest offseason decline in rankings, falling 10 spots from 19th to 29th and losing 37.1 Box-Toppers points, falling from 86.8 at the end of 2022 to 49.7 as of mid-December.
The 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros have the second-biggest decline among all teams, falling eight spots from second to 10th overall with 99.9 points as of mid-December, a loss of 31.5 points from their 131.4 at the end of 2022. Most of that loss comes from losing free agent Justin Verlander’s 26.0 points to the Mets.
Box-Toppers’ top-ranked team in 2022, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have the third-biggest decline, falling six spots from first to seventh, losing 31.2 Box-Toppers points, falling from 133.1 at the end of 2022 to 101.9 as of mid-December.
•
Here is a closer look at how key teams fare in Box-Toppers’ team standings as of mid-December:
New York Yankees
Rank: First with 128.5 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Rise three spots from fourth.
Net change in points: +2.6.
Key addition: Pitcher Carlos Rodon (19.8 points) from the Giants.
Key loss: Pitcher Jameson Taillon (10.7 points, 22nd among American League pitchers) to the Cubs.
Currently unsigned: Matt Carpenter (4.5 points, 35th among AL batters) is a free agent.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Gerrit Cole (15.4 points, eighth among AL pitchers), pitcher Nestor Cortes (15.4 points, ninth among AL pitchers) and outfielder Aaron Judge (13.2 points, first among AL batters).
New York Mets
Rank: Second with 124.6 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Rise three spots from fifth.
Net change in points: -1.2.
Key additions: Pitcher Justin Verlander (26.0 points, first overall) from the Astros and pitcher Jose Quintana (11.4 points, 18th among NL pitchers) from the Cardinals.
Key losses: Pitcher Chris Bassitt (11.0 points, 19th among NL pitchers) to the Blue Jays, pitcher Jacob deGrom (9.4 points, 28th among NL pitchers) to the Rangers and pitcher Taijuan Walker (7.7 points, 37th among NL pitchers) to the Phillies.
Key holdovers: First baseman Pete Alonso (14.9 points, most among all batters in 2022, 20th overall), pitcher Max Scherzer (10.0 points, 24th among NL pitchers), pitcher Carlos Carrasco (9.7 points, 27th among NL pitchers), left fielder Mark Canha (8.7 points, third among NL batters), closing pitcher Edwin Diaz (7.0 points, second among NL closers).
Atlanta Braves
Rank: Third with 110.4 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Steady in third place.
Net change in points: -18.6.
Key addition: Catcher Sean Murphy (3.5 points, eighth among AL catchers) from the Athletics.
Key loss: Pitcher Jake Odorizzi (9.4 points, 31st among NL pitchers) to the Rangers.
Currently unsigned: Shortstop Dansby Swanson (5.7 points in 2022 with the Braves, fourth among NL shortstops) is a free agent.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Max Fried (16.0 points, eighth among NL pitchers), pitcher Kyle Wright (14.4 points, 12th among NL pitchers), pitcher Spencer Strider (13.4 points, 13th among NL pitchers), Charlie Morton (10.4 points, 23rd among NL pitchers) and third baseman Riley Austin (8.0 points, sixth among NL batters).
Seattle Mariners
Rank: Fourth with 107.9 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Rise three spots from seventh.
Net change in points: -7.0.
Key addition: Right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (5.5 points, eighth among AL outfielders) from the Blue Jays.
Key loss: First baseman Carlos Santana (4.5 points, seventh among AL first basemen) to the Pirates.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Robbie Ray (14.4 points, 11th among AL pitchers), pitcher Logan Gilbert (14.1 points, 12th among AL pitchers), pitcher George Kirby (11.4 points, 19th among AL pitchers), pitcher Luis Castillo (10.0 points, 25th among AL pitchers), third baseman Eugenio Suarez (8.0 points, sixth among AL batters), catcher Cal Raleigh (7.5 points, seventh among AL batters), center fielder Julio Rodriguez (7.5 points, eighth among AL batters) and first baseman Ty France (7.0 points, 10th among AL batters).
Toronto Blue Jays
Rank: Fifth with 103.4 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Rise of four spots from ninth.
Net change in points: -10.0.
Key addition: Pitcher Chris Bassitt (11.0 points, 19th among NL pitchers) from the Mets.
Key losses: Pitcher Ross Stripling (12.0 points, 17th among AL pitchers) to the Giants and right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (5.5 points, eighth among AL outfielders) to the Mariners.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Alek Manoah (13.1 points, 14th among AL pitchers), pitcher Kevin Gausman (12.7 points, 15th among AL pitchers) and outfielder George Springer (8.0 points, fifth among AL batters).
St. Louis Cardinals
Rank: Sixth with 102.4 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Steady in sixth place.
Net change in points: -15.9.
Key addition: Catcher Willson Contreras (3.0 points, fifth among NL catchers) from the Cubs.
Key losses: Pitcher Jose Quintana (11.4 points, 18th among NL pitchers) to the Mets. Also, two Cardinals stars retired at the end of 2022—first baseman Albert Pujols (3.0 points in 2022) and catcher Yadier Molina (1.0 point in 2022).
Key holdovers: Pitcher Miles Mikolas (12.1 points, 16th among NL pitchers), pitcher Adam Wainwright (10.0 points, 25th among NL pitchers), pitcher Jordan Montgomery (9.4 points, 29th among NL pitchers), first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (7.5 points, seventh among NL batters) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (7.0 points, ninth among NL batters).
Los Angeles Dodgers
Rank: Seventh with 101.9 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Decline of six spots from first.
Net change in points: -31.2.
Key addition: Pitcher Noah Syndergaard (3.0 points, 96th among NL pitchers) from the Phillies.
Key losses: Pitcher Tyler Anderson (12.7 points, 15th among NL pitchers) to the Angels and pitcher Andrew Heaney (8.0 points, 35th among NL pitchers) to the Rangers.
Currently unsigned: Third baseman Justin Turner (6.5 points, fourth among NL third basemen) is a free agent.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Julio Urias (19.4 points, seventh overall, fourth among NL pitchers), right fielder Mookie Betts (11.7 points, second among NL batters), pitcher Tony Gonsolin (11.4 points, 17th among NL pitchers), pitcher Clayton Kershaw (10.7 points, 21st among NL pitchers), first baseman Freddie Freeman (8.5 points, fourth among NL batters) and third baseman Max Muncy (7.2 points, eighth among NL batters).
Milwaukee Brewers
Rank: Eighth with 101.9 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Rise of two spots from 10th.
Net change in points: -5.8.
Key addition: No major additions.
Key loss: Right fielder Hunter Renfroe (5.5 points, fifth among NL outfielders) to the Angels.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Brandon Woodruff (20.8 points, fourth overall, second among NL pitchers), pitcher Corbin Burnes (15.4 points, 10th among NL pitchers), pitcher Eric Lauer (9.4 points, 30th among NL pitchers) and first baseman Rowdy Tellez (8.2 points, fifth among NL batters).
Cleveland Guardians
Rank: Ninth with 101.8 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Rise of three spots from 12th.
Net change in points: -3.7.
Key addition: First baseman Josh Bell (4.5 points, ninth among NL first basemen) from the Padres.
Key losses: No key losses.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Triston McKenzie (15.7 points, sixth among AL pitchers), pitcher Shane Bieber (13.7 points, 13th among AL pitchers) and third baseman Jose Ramirez (11.7 points, second among AL batters).
Houston Astros
Rank: 10th with 99.9 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Decline of eight spots from second.
Net change in points: -31.5.
Key addition: First baseman Jose Abreu (2.5 points, 15th among AL first basemen) from the White Sox. (Abreu led AL batters in 2014 with 15.5 points.)
Key loss: Pitcher Justin Verlander (26.0 points, first overall) to the Mets.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Framber Valdez (16.0 points, fifth among AL pitchers), pitcher Cristian Javier (15.7 points, seventh among AL pitchers), pitcher Luis Garcia (9.7 points, 27th among AL pitchers), designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (8.7 points, third among AL batters) and third baseman Alex Bregman (8.7 points, fourth among AL batters).
Los Angeles Angels
Rank: 11th with 96.8 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Rise of seven spots from 18th.
Net change in points: +9.5.
Key additions: Pitcher Tyler Anderson (12.7 points, 15th among NL pitchers) from the Dodgers and right fielder Hunter Renfroe (5.5 points, fifth among NL outfielders) from the Brewers.
Key losses: No major losses.
Key holdovers: Shohei Ohtani (24.7 points, second overall, second among AL pitchers), pitcher Jose Suarez (9.0 points, 30th among AL pitchers), pitcher Patrick Sandoval (8.0 points, 34th among AL pitchers), right fielder Taylor Ward (5.9 points, seventh among AL outfielders) and center fielder Mike Trout (5.0 points, 12th among AL outfielders).
Texas Rangers
Rank: 12th with 96.5 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Rise of 11 spots from 23rd.
Net change in points: +18.8.
Key additions: Pitcher Jacob deGrom (9.4 points, 28th among NL pitchers) from the Mets, pitcher Jake Odorizzi (9.4 points, 31st among NL pitchers) from the Braves and pitcher Andrew Heaney (8.0 points, 35th among NL pitchers) from the Dodgers.
Key losses: None.
Currently unsigned: Pitcher Matt Moore (3.0 points, 13th among AL middle relievers) and outfielder Kole Calhoun (3.0 points, 32nd among AL outfielders) are free agents.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Martin Perez (9.1 points, 28th among AL pitchers) and second baseman Marcus Semien (7.0 points, second among AL second basemen).
San Diego Padres
Rank: 13th with 95.3 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Decline of five spots from eighth.
Net change in points: -19.4.
Key addition: Shortstop Xander Bogaerts (7.0 points, ninth among AL batters).
Key losses: Pitcher Mike Clevinger (6.4 points, 43rd among NL pitchers) to the White Sox, pitcher Sean Manaea (6.0 points, 45th among NL pitchers) to the Giants and first baseman Josh Bell (4.5 points, ninth among NL first basemen) to the Guardians.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Joe Musgrove (17.4 points, ninth overall, sixth among NL pitchers), pitcher Yu Darvish (16.8 points, 10th overall, seventh among NL pitchers), pitcher Blake Snell (13.1 points, 14th among NL pitchers), closing pitcher Josh Hader (6.0 points, third among NL closers) and third baseman Manny Machado (5.5 points, seventh among NL third basemen).
Philadelphia Phillies
Rank: 15th with 93.3 Box-Toppers points.
Change in ranking since end of 2022: Decline of two spots from 13th.
Net change in points: -12.0.
Key addition: Pitcher Taijuan Walker (7.7 points, 37th among NL pitchers) from the Mets.
Key loss: Pitcher Kyle Gibson (9.0 points, 32nd among NL pitchers) to the Orioles.
Key holdovers: Pitcher Aaron Nola (16.0 points, ninth among NL pitchers), pitcher Zack Wheeler (14.4 points, 11th among NL pitchers), first baseman Rhys Hoskins (6.5 points, sixth among NL first basemen), designated hitter Bryce Harper (6.0 points, second among NL designated hitters) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (5.5 points, first among NL catchers).
•
The remaining 16 teams standings can be seen in the chart on this page. A couple of highlights:
The Boston Red Sox have the biggest offseason decline in rankings, falling 10 spots from 19th to 29th and losing 37.1 Box-Toppers points, falling from 86.8 at the end of 2022 to 49.7 as of mid-December. Several Red Sox players from 2022 are free agents, including pitchers Michael Wacha (8.4 points), Rich Hill (7.7 points), Nathan Eovaldi (6.0 points) and designated hitter J.D. Martinez (5.0 points). The Red Sox also lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts (7.0 points) to the Padres.
The Cincinnati Reds are in 30th and last place. Players on the current 40-player roster accumulated 41.2 Box-Toppers points in 2022. The Reds also ended 2022 ranked last in Box-Toppers team rankings with 54.7 points. The 13.5-point decline from the end of 2022 to mid-December is the 12th-largest decline.
Biggest team gains and losses
Only three of the 30 teams have net gains in Box-Toppers points from the end of 2022—the Rangers (in 12th place with an 18.8-point net gain), the Angels (in 11th place with a 9.5-point net gain) and the Yankees (in first place with a 2.6-point net gain). All other teams currently have net declines in points because so many free agents remain unsigned. As of Dec. 15, 257 players who have earned Box-Toppers points at some point in their careers are listed as free agents. There are 124 of those 257 players who accumulated Box-Toppers points in 2022, a total of 285.6 points, which is 9.9 percent of the entire season’s total accumulated by all players (2,891.8).
Here are the 10 teams with the biggest gains in points (or in the cases of the fourth-through-10th ranked teams, the fewest points of decline) since the end of 2022:
Texas Rangers +18.8 (12th overall)
Los Angeles Angels +9.5 (11th)
New York Yankees +2.6 (first)
New York Mets -1.2 (second)
Miami Marlins -2.0 (20th)
Kansas City Royals -2.7 (24th)
Cleveland Guardians -3.7 (ninth)
Pittsburgh Pirates -4.5 (26th)
Milwaukee Brewers -5.8 (eighth)
Baltimore Orioles -6.2 (14th)
Here are the 10 teams with the biggest decline in points since the end of 2022:
Boston Red Sox -37.1 (29th overall)
Houston Astros -31.5 (10th)
Los Angeles Dodgers -31.2 (seventh)
San Diego Padres -19.4 (13th)
Atlanta Braves -18.6 (third)
St. Louis Cardinals -15.9 (sixth)
Minnesota Twins -15.7 (17th)
Tampa Bay Rays -14.8 (18th)
Detroit Tigers -14.0 (25th)
Cincinnati Reds -13.5 (30th)
Top unsigned free agents
Here are the top 10 current free agents with the most 2022 Box-Toppers points, listed with their 2022 team:
Corey Kluber, pitcher, Rays, 11.0, 21st among AL pitchers.
Drew Smyly, pitcher, Cubs, 8.7.
Michael Wacha, pitcher, Red Sox, 8.4.
Rich Hill, pitcher, Red Sox, 7.7.
Jesus Aguilar, first baseman, Orioles, 7.0.
Dylan Bundy, pitcher, Twins, 6.7.
Justin Turner, third baseman, Dodgers, 6.5.
Johnny Cueto, pitcher, White Sox, 6.4.
Nathan Eovaldi, pitcher, Red Sox, 6.0.
Dansby Swanson, shortstop, Braves, 5.7
Top players changing teams for 2023
Here are the top 10 players who have changed teams so far since the end of the 2022 season:
Justin Verlander, 26.0 Box-Toppers points with the Astros, first overall and first among AL pitchers, signed as a free agent with the Mets for 2023.
Carlos Rodon, 19.8 points with Giants, sixth overall and third among NL pitchers, with Yankees for 2023.
Tyler Anderson, 12.7 points with the Dodgers, 32nd overall, 15th among NL pitchers, with Angels for 2023.
Ross Stripling, 12.0 points with Blue Jays, 35th overall, 17th among AL pitchers, with Giants for 2023.
Jose Quintana, 11.4 points with Cardinals, 40th overall, 18th among NL pitchers, with Mets for 2023.
Chris Bassitt, 11.0 points with Mets, 43rd overall, 19th among NL pitchers, with Blue Jays for 2023.
Jameson Taillon, 10.7 points with Yankees, 48th overall, 22nd among AL pitchers, with Cubs for 2023.
Jacob deGrom, 9.4 points with Mets, 59th overall, 28th among NL pitchers, with Rangers for 2023.
Jake Odorizzi, 9.4 points with Astros and Braves, 62nd overall, 31st among NL pitchers, with Rangers for 2023.
Kyle Gibson, 9.0 points with Phillies, 65th overall, 32nd among NL pitchers, with Orioles for 2023.
The highest-ranking batter to change teams in the offseason is Xander Bogaerts, 7.0 points with the Red Sox, 95th overall, 18th among AL batters, who is with the Padres for 2023.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.