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MLB’s offseason is officially underway, and all 15 National League teams have difficult decisions to make.
Everyone on the senior circuit is chasing the Brewers, who took home their first World Series title in 2026. Some teams must figure out how to compete with the defending champions or get past the free-spending Dodgers, while others must decide whether to tear it all down and start over.
From Milwaukee to Colorado, every team faces a decision that will define the shape of its offseason. After my colleague Karl Rasmussen examined the American League teams on Thursday, here’s a look at the biggest question facing each NL club this winter.
Key decision: Figuring out Ronald Acuña Jr.’s future
Will Acuña be on the Braves next season? It’s a valid question at this point as he has repeatedly had friction with the franchise, and injuries have made him unreliable over the past few years. Atlanta picked up Acuña’s $17 million option for 2027, and they have another on him at the same price for ’28, but extension talks have not progressed.
Acuña remains one of baseball’s most talented players but the former MVP has missed 235 games over the past three seasons. The 28-year-old only played in 107 this season and slashed .255/.345/.451 with 20 home runs, 55 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and a wRC+ of 120.
Atlanta has three options here: extend him, let him play out his contract or trade him. Whatever they decide will give the situation clarity heading into next season.
Key decision: To spend or not to spend?
The Marlins went 80–82 in 2026 after going 79–83 in 2025. They aren’t far from competing for a playoff spot, but they sold at the deadline this year, moving Liam Hicks to the Rays, Braxton Garrett to the Cubs and Lake Bachar to the Pirates. The moves were defensible, but they also reflected a franchise still prioritizing the future over present contention. It may be time to reverse the trend.
Miami has a solid core emerging led by Max Meyer, Otto Lopez, Eury Pérez and Kyle Stowers. The franchise exercised Alcantara's $21 million option for 2027, but the question is whether the team’s rebuild has progressed enough to justify a significant investment. If not, moving Alcantara, who will be entering the final year of his contract, would seem to be the right move. After finishing 23rd in home runs in 2026, the franchise needs to find power to compete. Moving Alcantara could help find that kind of bat.
The Marlins have spent years building for the future. Now they have to decide if the future is now.
Key decision: Do they break the bank for Tarik Skubal?
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns tried to overhaul the team’s roster last offseason. The results were awful. Baseball’s most expensive team actually wound up selling at the deadline. It’s doubtful he does a full overhaul again this winter, but it may be time for New York to finally pay for an ace.
Last offseason, the Mets landed Freddy Peralta, who posted a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts before being moved to the Rays. They need a cornerstone guy atop the rotation that they simply don’t have right now. Nolan McLean looks like a top-end guy and pairing him with a veteran No. 1 is likely the best path forward. New York is expected to be in the mix for Tarik Skubal but Stearns has historically been reluctant to hand out massive contracts to starting pitchers. This winter may test that philosophy.
If the Mets want to turn the current roster into a legit force in the National League, they will need an ace. That will cost money. Stearns has to decide if the price is worth the risk.
Key decision: What to do about Trea Turner
Turner will be entering the fifth season of an 11-year, $300 million contract in 2027 and he’s coming off the worst campaign of his career. The 33-year-old posted full-season career lows in batting average (.242), on-base percentage (.297), slugging (.378), wRC+ (83) and bWAR (-0.1). Defensively, he also hit career worsts in defensive runs saved (-17) and outs above average (-8). That’s a problem for an aging roster that needs to win now.
The Phillies are effectively stuck with Turner, as no one is trading for him coming off his 2026 numbers and with nearly $191 million left on his contract. So what can they do? The simplest answer would be to move him off shortstop, either to second or third base. Bryson Stott, the incumbent second baseman, didn’t have a great season either. Philadelphia could explore moving him to third with Alec Bohm gone, allowing Turner to shift to second. That would open shortstop for top prospect Aidan Miller, who missed most of 2026 following back surgery but has three plus tools and grades above average in all five.
Philadelphia doesn't have easy avenues for improvement. The roster is old, expensive and has underachieved three years in a row. Things have to change and Turner’s position seems the easiest to fix.
Key decision: Trade CJ Abrams or build around him?
Abrams had a breakout campaign in 2026 and became one of the best hitters in the National League. He notched career highs in batting average (.261), on-base percentage (.336), slugging (.497), home runs (33), RBIs (106), wRC+ (124) and bWAR (5.1). The downside? Abrams remains a liability defensively at shortstop, posting -3 defensive runs saved and -17 outs above average.
The Nationals finished 77–85, and while their offense finished third in runs scored (821), the pitching staff ranked 26th in ERA (4.67). The team doesn’t have a wave of pitchers ready to take over its beleaguered rotation. Top prospect Travis Sykora is likely two years away, while Jarlin Susana has thrown just 66 ⅓ innings over the past two seasons after undergoing lat surgery in 2025. Trading Abrams could help boost the pitching staff. He’s under team control through ’28 and, coming off a career year, his trade value may never be higher.
Washington could try to lock its All-Star up to a long-term contract, or move him to improve the rest of the roster. The franchise has spent years accumulating talent and trading Abrams could accelerate the process. But at some point, the Nationals have to start building around the players they have.
Key decision: Do they finally spend big on starting pitching?
The Cubs won 89 games in 2026 relying heavily on one of baseball’s best offenses. The rotation was a mess thanks to injuries and underperformance. Now, several of Chicago’s starters are hitting free agency. The franchise must rebuild its pitching staff with few options you can feel confident about penciling in for a postseason start available on the open market.
Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, David Peterson and Clay Holmes are all free agents. Injuries further complicate the picture, as Cade Horton is still recovering from elbow surgery, Justin Steele missed all of 2026 and Ben Brown finished the season on the IL due to a neck injury. Meanwhile, last offseason’s biggest acquisition, Edward Cabrera, saw injuries and inconsistency derail his first season on the North Side.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has to decide whether to finally spend big this winter to fill out his staff. He could pursue a frontline starter like Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta, make another trade for a top arm or spread his resources across several pitchers. Chicago’s lineup is capable of competing for a championship. It needs a rotation to match.
Key decision: The Elly De La Cruz question
The Reds finished last in the NL Central in 2026 after going 75–87 and posting a horrendous -160 run differential. While the season was a disappointment, the franchise has several tantalizing young players to build around moving forward. Tops on that list is shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who is coming off his best season. Contract extension talks have stalled, and his value has never been higher. Cincinnati needs to make a long-term decision on its franchise player.
De La Cruz notched career highs in batting average (.283), on-base percentage (.365), slugging (.515), OPS (.880), home runs (30) and bWAR (5.6) in 2026. He’s still a below average defender but more than makes up for it with his offense, while being one of the game’s most exciting players. He’s the rare player who can draw fans to games by himself. De La Cruz is under team control through 2029, so this would be the time to lock him up, but he already rejected what would have been the largest contract in franchise history before the 2025 campaign.
The Reds don’t have to trade De La Cruz now, but waiting carries a ton of risks. If Cincinnati doesn’t believe it can sign him long-term, it has to determine when his trade value will be highest.
Key decision: What to do about William Contreras?
The Brewers are coming off a historic championship run led by All-Star catcher and World Series MVP William Contreras. The 28-year-old was the best hitter in the playoffs after an excellent regular season. He also guided one of MLB’s best pitching staffs from behind the plate. Milwaukee picked up the $15.5 million option on his contract for 2027, but he’ll hit free agency after next season and will have no shortage of suitors given how few two-way catchers are available.
This is typically the point when Milwaukee would trade one of its stars. For years, the Brewers have moved players shortly before they hit free agency to recoup value instead of losing them to the open market. Unless the team is set to change its ways and begin spending more money to keep its stars, Contreras will be a trade candidate this winter.
Moving Contreras would be a hard sell for a team coming off its first championship. The Brewers could try to extend “Wild Bill” or keep him for one more run at the risk of losing him in free agency next winter. The Brewers have never been afraid of making unpopular decisions, but that calculus may have changed after bringing a World Series title home. Trading the team’s MVP would be the hardest pill for fans to swallow yet.
Key decision: Do they finally commit to Paul Skenes?
Paul Skenes is coming off a puzzling season in which his velocity dropped and his effectiveness went with it. Despite his struggles, the Pirates went 82–80 and missed the wild card by just six games. Pittsburgh looks like a playoff contender heading into next season. Even after a down year, Skenes still has the highest ceiling on the roster and remains the face of the franchise. Now would be an ideal time to lock him up to a long term contract. That will be expensive for a notoriously cheap franchise.
In 2026, Skenes went 10–11 with a 3.82 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 200 strikeouts against 49 walks in 174 ⅓ innings. His average fastball velocity also dropped to 96.8 from his mark of 98.2 in 2025. For most other pitchers that would have been a fine season, but for a guy who entered the campaign touted as the game’s best righthander, it was a stunning regression. Skenes is only 24, so Pittsburgh probably isn’t overly concerned about his long-term outlook. But his value certainly dipped and this could be the perfect opportunity to pursue an extension if the three-time All-Star is amenable to one. Of course, Skenes could decide to bet on himself and hope his value rebounds.
The Pirates’ moves this winter will tell us a lot about their future plans. Former No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin is locked up long term. It might be time for Skenes to join him.
Key decision: Is it time to accelerate the rebuild?
Chaim Bloom took over as president of baseball operations in St. Louis last offseason and immediately took a wrecking ball to the roster. He traded veterans Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. At the deadline, the Cardinals moved Dustin May and JoJo Romero. As a result, the roster is much younger and the farm system is much deeper. Despite losing so much established talent, St. Louis went 77–85 thanks in part to strong seasons from Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson, while Joshua Báez and Leo Bernal made promising debuts.
This winter, Bloom could opt to remain patient or supercharge his rebuild by adding established players to his young core. The rotation would be the obvious place to start. The Cardinals’ staff finished 20th in ERA (4.26) and 26th in opponents’ batting average (.254). Notably, they were also 24th in strikeout rate (20.6%), so there isn’t much swing-and-miss stuff on the staff. St. Louis lacks a frontline starter. Former No. 5 overall pick Liam Doyle could debut in 2027, but counting on him to immediately anchor the rotation would be a gamble.
The Cardinals have spent the past year building a good young core. Now Bloom has to decide whether it’s time to start building a winner around it.
Key decision: Can the Diamondbacks finally solve the Ketel Marte riddle?
There isn’t much of a debate here. The biggest question the Diamondbacks have to face this offseason is what to do with Ketel Marte. For two seasons, the team’s All-Star second baseman has appeared increasingly disconnected from the team, and the situation may have reached a breaking point. The 33-year-old was worth the trouble in 2025 when he put up an excellent season. After a down campaign, it could be time to move on.
Arizona explored trading Marte last offseason but ultimately opted to keep him. He went on to slash .249/.316/.432 with 22 home runs, 76 RBIs and a 103 wRC+. That was down significantly from 2025 when he slashed .283/.376/.517, with 28 home runs, 72 RBIs and a 146 wRC+. It was a massive drop-off for a guy who finished third in NL MVP voting in ’24 and won a Silver Slugger in ’25.
Marte has $87.5 million remaining on his contract over the next five years and earned 10-and-5 rights in April, so he can veto any trade. That makes moving him more complicated. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has already said roster changes are needed. Whether he can find a way to move Martel, and get enough in return to justify it could define Arizona’s offseason.
Key decision: Will they trade or extend Hunter Goodman?
The Rockies have lost 100-plus games for four consecutive seasons, something no major league team has done since the 1962–65 Mets. There isn’t much good going on in Colorado, but one of the few bright spots is catcher Hunter Goodman, who had an excellent 2026 campaign. Goodman is a two-time All-Star who blasted a career-high 41 home runs this season while slashing .245/.310/.529 with a 112 wRC+.
Given the dearth of catchers who can hit, the 27-year-old backstop was a popular trade target at the deadline. He’s under team control through 2029, making him enormously valuable. If Colorado is serious about winning any time soon, it needs players to build around. Goodman could be the team’s cornerstone moving forward. A contract extension would make a lot of sense and this would be the moment to do it. If not, they may as well look to trade him.
The Rockies have spent years on a rebuild that has yet to pay off. Trading Goodman could net a significant haul of prospects, but there’s no guarantee any will become players of his caliber. At some point, Colorado has to stop looking for future building blocks and invest in the ones it already has.
Key decision: Do they pay to keep Tarik Skubal?
The Dodgers went all-in during their pursuit of a three-peat and it ended in a stunning failure. Now they have to decide how far to push in 2027. The biggest offseason decision is what to do about Tarik Skubal. Los Angeles acquired him for a significant prospect haul at the trade deadline, and Skubal is expected to command the largest free agent contract ever given to a pitcher this winter. The Dodgers already have more than $2 billion committed to their star-studded roster. Are they willing to add another historic deal?
Skubal dealt with an elbow injury in 2026 but still finished 12–7 with a 2.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 186 strikeouts in 158 ⅔ innings. He wasn’t as dominant as his back-to-back Cy Young campaigns in 2024 and ‘25, but the lefty remains one of baseball’s best pitchers. After joining the Dodgers at the deadline, he went 5–2 with a 2.61 ERA, and was 1–1 with a 2.45 ERA during the postseason.
There will be several big-money suitors for Skubal this winter. To retain him, the Dodgers will have to win a bidding war. Are the Dodgers willing to commit another historic sum to a rotation already loaded with expensive stars, or will they let Skubal walk and allocate their resources elsewhere?
Key decision: Do they bring Michael King back?
Michael King opted out of the final two years of his contract, leaving a massive hole without atop the Padres’ rotation. The veteran righty has repeatedly expressed a desire to remain in San Diego and the Padres would undoubtedly welcome him back. With Nick Pivetta, Robbie Ray, Casey Mize and Walker Buehler also hitting free agency, the Padres will return Randy Vasquez and Joe Musgrove as potential starters. That’s it.
The 31-year-old King was excellent in 2026, as he finished 12–10 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 159 strikeouts against 70 walks in a career-high 185 innings. He was also dominant in the postseason, where he went 1–0 with a 0.64 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 14 innings, including a two-inning save in Game 3 of the NLDS on one day’s rest. He has been the cornerstone of San Diego’s rotation since arriving from the Yankees as part of the Juan Soto trade before the 2024 season.
The Padres should do whatever they can to get King back. But the team already has a payroll well over the CBT threshold. Will the team’s new owners be willing to spend what it will take to retain him?
Key decision: Is it time to rebuild?
The Giants’ 2026 campaign was disastrous. They finished 65–97 with a win-now roster. President of baseball operations Buster Posey is under fire, and the team has made significant financial commitments to veterans who have failed to deliver. Though Rafael Devers was one of MLB’s best hitters this year after a dreadful opening month, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman have become expensive obstacles to the team’s future. Posey began selling at the deadline and acquired some promising young talent in several of those deals. It’s time for a full-scale rebuild this offseason.
San Francisco isn’t going anywhere with the current roster, and trading guys like Adames and Chapman would be difficult. But Posey has valuable assets to move if he commits to a rebuild. He could almost certainly find a home for guys like Devers, Logan Webb and Jung Hoo Lee, though he might have to eat some of Devers’s contract. The Giants already have a deep farm system with several high-end prospects. Guys like Josuar Gonzalez, Luis Hernández and Jackson Flora look like potential building blocks.
The Giants aren’t going to win with their current roster. The question is whether Posey is willing to admit it.
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