Ranking the MLB Offseason Winners

It's almost February. That means teams are finalizing some important decisions. That also means Bronson Arroyo signing with Washington Nationals is the big news.

That's not totally fair. Howie Kendrick, Dexter Fowler, and Yovani Gallardo are just some of the players that could still make a team better. For the full list, visit our Free Agent Tracker.

They're not going to stop us from deciding who won the offseason thus far. While those players could change a couple things, the larger impact players have all settled. Let's take a look at this year's winners:

Chicago Cubs

This one is a no-brainer. The Cubs and Theo Epstein seem poised to bring the longest championship drought in North America to an end. They signed Jason Heyward and John Lackey from the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. As if that wasn't enough, they signed super-utility player Ben Zobrist which let them part ways with Starlin Castro for some additional pitching help in Adam Warren.

Add a full season of Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber and you have the most captivating team for the 2016 season. Their rotation could use some more depth, but there's little doubt that the Cubs should be the favored to win the NL Central.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Signing arguably the best pitcher on the open market is a pretty good way to get yourself on an off-season winners list. Then add in the blockbuster trade of the past few months and the Diamondbacks have a pretty good case.

Zack Greinke is quite a get for the Diamondbacks. Furthermore, they're quite a loss for the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The NL West is still going to be very difficult to compete in however. So the Diamondbacks and Dave Stewart paid way too much to acquire Shelby Miller from the Atlanta Braves. Sure the price seems astronomical, but if it leads the Diamondbacks to a division title will we really talk about Dansby Swanson anymore?

The Diamondbacks wasted amazing seasons from Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock in 2015. At the very least, it's a good sign that they want to try to build around two of the premier talents in the league. And Yasmany Tomas can't be that bad again, can he?

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox offseason looks pretty similar to the Diamondbacks actually. Both teams didn't perform altogether well in 2015, signed an elite pitcher for the front of their starting staff, and made a trade or two for some additional help.

David Price will join the Red Sox the season after helping the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays make it to the postseason for the first time since 1993. There seems to be a theme here of stealing players from division rivals.

The newly-appointed President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski didn't stop there though. He traded away three top-100 prospects for elite closer Craig Kimbrel. That's a steep price. For what it's worth though, the Red Sox then acquired elite reliever Carson Smith and Roenis Elias for Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro.

While we're a ways away from finding out who truly won that trade, if Smith repeats his 2015 performance, the Red Sox bullpen could compete with the Yankees for the best in the division. Time will tell.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox don't have the payroll flexibility of the Red Sox or Cubs. However, their general manager, Rick Hahn, still played the hand he was dealt fairly well.

Despite yielding the 2015 World Series champions, the AL Central is a tough one to predict. With that in mind, and with the moves they made, the White Sox have as good a shot as any to make some waves in 2016.

First, they signed Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro to replace the departed Tyler Flowers. Depth could be beneficial at catcher, however losing Flowers isn't all that great. Then, they traded for Brett Lawrie, addressing one of the most dire needs: third base. Or so we thought.

It looks like the White Sox will be expecting Lawrie to play second base because they quickly turned around and acquired Todd Frazier from the Cincinnati Reds for three prospects -- none of whom with especially high future value.

With a perennial Cy Young candidate taking the mound for them in Chris Sale, the White Sox's offseason looks like it could bode well for the Southsiders' chances.

Detroit Tigers

It may have taken a while to materialize, but it appears the Tigers offseason will yield yet another competitive team in 2016. After an extremely disappointing 2015 season, the Tigers rebuilt on the fly a bit and will have a full season from the pieces of the Price trade, headlined by Daniel Norris.

The 2016 rotation looks like it could once again be a powerhouse, consisting of a resurgent Justin Verlander and newly-signed Jordan Zimmermann.

While Cameron Maybin doesn't seem like a big upgrade, adding Justin Upton definitely put the finishing touches on the Tigers' weak spot. They even added Mark Lowe to their famously-troublesome bullpen. Since their postseason berths that ended with bullpen trouble, the Tigers have tried some different relievers, so that criticism isn't totally fair.

It would be a shame to waste the twilight of Miguel Cabrera's and Victor Martinez's careers. The newly-promoted Al Avila has given them a good shot to head back to the postseason.

Honorable Mentions

Houston Astros

A little more payroll flexibility could have put them higher on this list and, although it seems like a bit of an overpay, shoring up their bullpen by acquiring Ken Giles was a big move.

Atlanta Braves

It's difficult to congratulate a rebuild, but getting the haul they did from the Shelby Miller trade with the Diamondbacks should be applauded. Furthermore, unloading Andrelton Simmons was a step in the right direction. We're a long way from understanding whether it will work out or not.

★ ★ ★

Which team do you think won the offseason -- and who did they beat out? Share your opinion and defend your analysis with a Fan Post. The best ones will be tweeted out and placed on our front page for everyone to see. Good luck!