Ranking the best moves of the MLB offseason so far

Battling a knee injury last season, McCann's offensive production plummeted in Houston. He's likely finished as a regular catcher, but McCann's leadership is acclaimed and he is just one year removed from hitting 18 home runs. He took less money to return to Atlanta, signing for only $2 million to back up Tyler Flowers. That's a big bargain for his clubhouse presence, and he could even be an offensive asset again if his knee is healthy.

Ross's velocity will probably never be the same following thoracic outlet syndrome, but he showed some flashes in the Padres rotation last season with a K/BB ratio back above 2.00. He doesn't get the grounders that he did earlier in his career, but Ross still has a quality slider and proved he could eat innings last year, reaching nearly 150 innings between the Padres and Cardinals. That's exactly what the Tigers need, with further upside for under $6 million next season.

A former top prospect, Lyles didn't panned out early in his career and has been trying to hang on to a roster spot over the last eight seasons. After making some adjustments last season, Lyles posted a 4.11 ERA in 87.2 innings between the Padres and Brewers. Of particular interest was his sharp increase in strikeouts with an 8.6 K/9 between starting and relief. The Pirates have a need in their fifth starter spot as well as the bullpen, and Lyles was added for only $2 million.

Pittsburgh desperately needed an outfielder to fill in for Gregory Polanco early in the year, as the Pirates right fielder will miss the start of the season following shoulder surgery. Chisenhall missed most of last season due to injury, but he's hit .280-plus in four of the last five seasons and has an outstanding .872 OPS over the last two years over 365 plate appearances. At only $2.75 million next year, it's a perfect fit for team and player.

Non-tendered by the Diamondbacks after a forgettable 2018 season, Owings was added for just $3 million by the Royals. Kansas City has plenty of at-bats available all over the field, and Owings has a chance to thrive as a utilityman. He's shown pop and speed in his time with Arizona, producing a career-high .741 OPS with the team in 2017. His ability to play the middle infield positions could be especially valuable at the trade deadline if he's able to rebound at age 27.

Stuck at first base, Bour settled on a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Angels. The move makes sense with Albert Pujols aging and DH Shohei Ohtani likely to need some time off as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery. Over the last four seasons, Bour has an .815 OPS and has averaged 21 home runs per season.

Arizona allowed Patrick Corbin to walk in free agency and also lost Shelby Miller and Clay Buchholz from last year's squad. The starting rotation was a clear need, and Kelly could fill a spot for a reasonable price after signing a two-year, $5.5 million contract from Korea. The right-hander had a 3.86 ERA in four seasons in Korea and looks capable as a middle-of-the-rotation starter for his new team.

Texas remade its rotation by acquiring Smyly from the Cubs for a player to be named later. The trade was basically a salary dump by the Cubs so they could afford to pick up Cole Hamels' 2019 option, but Smyly brings big upside following Tommy John surgery. The lefty had a sub-4.00 ERA in four straight seasons before posting a 4.88 ERA in 30 starts with the Rays in 2016. He is home run-prone and hasn't appeared in the majors in two years due to his slow recovery, but he should be ready for spring training. Set to make $7 million, he's an economical addition with big upside for Texas.

Lynn wanted to sign early this offseason after waiting too long and settling for a one-year deal last spring. He found a three-year, $30 million contract in Texas. That might seem expensive for a pitcher who posted a 4.77 ERA last season, but Lynn has a great track record and was much better after getting traded to the Yankees. He had a 4.14 ERA and 10.1 K/9 in 54.1 innings with the Bronx Bombers and has a career 3.57 ERA, mostly with St. Louis. He's a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm for a reasonable price.

Cleveland was looking to get rid of salary this offseason, and the Nationals were one of the beneficiaries. They've had a black hole at catcher over the last two seasons with Matt Wieters' struggles, so Gomes should be a marked improvement after being acquired for Jefry Rodriguez and prospects Daniel Johnson and Andruw Monasterio. Set to make just over $7 million next season, Gomes hit .266-16-48 with a .762 OPS last season and plays solid defense.

There's reason to think Cruz is in decline after his OPS fell by 74 points last season at age 37. Still, no player in the game has hit more home runs since 2014, so Cruz looks like quite a bargain on a one-year, $14.3 million deal. The Twins head into 2019 with a very powerful lineup following the additions of Cruz, Jonathan Schoop and C.J. Cron.

Seattle has been busy in its offseason rebuild, and adding a player like Santana for pennies on the dollar is always an astute move for rebuilding teams. In this case, general manager Jerry Dipoto traded Ben Gamel and prospect Noah Zavolas to Milwaukee for Santana. The outfielder hit 30 home runs with an .875 OPS in 2017 but lost his starting job last offseason after the Brewers acquired Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain. There will be plenty of at-bats to be had in Seattle for him next season.

Stuck in the Indians farm system, Diaz finally has a path to playing time after getting traded to the Rays. The on-base machine was acquired in a three-way trade in which Tampa Bay sent Jake Bauers to Cleveland. Diaz hasn't shown much power yet, but he posted a .375 on-base percentage in 120 plate appearances with Cleveland last season and a career .413 OBP in the minors. That's a quality Tampa Bay covets, and Diaz should be a cheap and welcome addition near the top of the team's batting order.

An under-the-radar signing early in the offseason, Rosenthal signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Nats. The former Cardinals closer is coming off Tommy John surgery and is expected to be Washington's setup man entering the year. If healthy, he could be much more considering his career 2.99 ERA and 12.0 K/9 in St. Louis. Relievers with his upside have already gone for much more this offseason.

Oakland acquired Profar as part of a three-way trade from Texas, giving up prospect Eli White, Emilio Pagan, international bonus money and a draft pick. The price was very reasonable for Profar, who was formerly an elite prospect before shoulder problems. He hit 20 home runs with the Rangers last season. Profar can play three infield positions, giving Oakland further flexibility this offseason and into 2019. The team hopes his power will continue to develop going into his age-26 season.

With a wealth of prospects in their farm system, the Yankees traded top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield and quality prospects in Erik Swanson and Dom Thompson-Williams for Paxton. They have plenty of prospects to replace what they lost, and Paxton has shown the upside to be an ace during his time in Seattle. The lefty's FIP has hovered around 3.00 in each of the last three seasons.

Philadelphia prioritized improving its defense and infield hitting. It clearly did both with this move, moving Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford to Seattle for this trio. Segura is one of the top shortstops in the game, hitting .300-plus in three consecutive seasons, and the move also allows Philly to move Rhys Hoskins back to his natural position at first base. The team wasn't using Crawford, a former top shortstop prospect who still hasn't figured out how to hit, and also added two potential quality relievers in Nicasio and Pazos.

It's tough to find fault with his move for Atlanta. The Braves signed the former MVP third baseman to a one-year, $23 million contract as top prospect Austin Riley continues to develop in the minors. Donaldson was plagued by a calf injury for most of last season, but he averaged 37 home runs per season from 2015 to 2017 and is just one year removed from being an elite hitter. The Braves have a frightening lineup with Donaldson, Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr.

Not every move from new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has been praised, but it's tough to find fault with this one. He added Ramos for just two years, $19 million after the catcher had another great offensive season in 2018, hitting .306-15-70 with an .845 OPS. Van Wagenen is building a formidable offense and, in this case, at a very reasonable price.

St. Louis prioritized adding a premium corner infielder this offseason, and it struck with the biggest addition of the offseason thus far. The Cardinals traded Luke Weaver, Carson Kelly, Andy Young and a draft pick for Goldschmidt, who has one year remaining on his contract. While all three of the players the Cardinals gave up could be solid MLB contributors, Goldschmidt is arguably the best first baseman in the game with four Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves to his name. After a disappointing year, the Cardinals are clearly going for it in 2019.