Three big-market MLB teams that are failing their fan bases

With Christmas just days away, several MLB teams have been hard at work, giving their fans stocking stuffers that will have them decking the halls past New Year’s. The Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and even the Chicago White Sox have delivered in big ways. Normally, it’s the big-market teams that dominate the headlines; however, this offseason, numerous big-market teams appear to be slumbering through silent nights.

But while many teams are having a disappointing offseason, there are a few that seem to be stumbling backwards. Let’s take a look at three such big-market teams experiencing a downward spiral.

New York Mets 

Having acquired Devin Williams, Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco, it would be somewhat difficult to say the Mets are having a slow offseason. But when considering their losses, a slow offseason starts to sound good by comparison.

The Mets have lost Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Cedric Mullins, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley this winter. To get Semien, they traded Brandon Nimmo, who had long been an impact bat for New York. Semien, on the other hand, has seen his numbers plummet for the past two years, making this deal perplexing.

Of all their losses, Alonso, once the face of their franchise, will be the most consequential. With Kyle Schwarber and Munetaka Murakami off the market, replacing his production will be much harder. And having missed the postseason last year, the Mets should be feeling the pressure to make a splash.

New York Yankees 

Like their neighbors from Queens, the Yankees are also up against a grueling offseason. Aside from a few losses and free agents, the Bombers look nearly identical to the team that was trounced by the Blue Jays in the ALDS, albeit with a large hole left by Cody Bellinger.

As a matter of fact, the Yankees haven’t yet acquired a major-league player who wasn’t already on the team last year. This stagnation may prove detrimental to the team’s efforts next season, as many impact names are already off the board. The Yankees have several areas to improve upon and a shrinking selection of players to choose from.

Fixing the Yankees’ problems will not be easy. It doesn’t appear as though acquiring one marquee player will make a sizable difference, given their many vulnerabilities. And with the market rapidly contracting, time is of the essence.

Chicago Cubs 

The Cubs bet their 2025 season on one year of Kyle Tucker. It wasn’t a bad gamble, but keeping the team in competitive form will be difficult if Tucker leaves.

The Cubs have made a few moves this winter, picking up Hoby Milner and Phil Maton to solidify the bullpen after the departure of Brad Keller, as well as the potential departures of Eli Morgan and Taylor Rogers in free agency. These moves come in addition to re-signing Shota Imanaga and Caleb Thielbar. One intriguing acquisition came in the form of Tyler Austin.

Best known for his charging-the-mound moment in a tightly-wound Yankees-Red Sox game, Austin hasn’t seen much success in the majors. However, his tenure in Japan’s NPB was a different story, posting a .945 OPS since 2020. But regardless of his recent success, Austin is still a question mark.