Ah, Thanksgiving. Not only is it a time to give thanks, but it is also a time to shop. Undoubtedly in your local mall Christmas music is being piped through, in your town square a tree has been -- or soon will be -- erected, and you will be overwhelmed by Black Friday ads.
In major league front offices, decision-makers are also in transaction mode.
In this spirit we examine one transaction each major league team ought to consider for which fans will give thanks. (It goes without saying, every fan base would be thankful for Shohei Ohtani, not to mention those lucky few clubs in the hunt for the slugging services of one Giancarlo Stanton.)
So, with that, we look at all 30 teams starting with the team with the most wins in 2017 to the fewest.
Los Angeles Dodgers (104 wins)
The Dodgers should re-sign Brandon Morrow.
What do you get the team that has just about everything? How about just keeping the band together? They ought to consider bringing back Morrow, their 2017 breakout reliever whom manager Dave Roberts trusted like no other pitcher in the World Series, employing him in all seven games.
Cleveland Indians (102 wins)
The Indians should extend Francisco Lindor.
The top strikeout pitching staff of all time -- they were the first to average 10 K's per nine innings -- returns largely intact, the entire starting rotation returns, and an enviable young position player core is in place for years to come. To extend their window, this might be their last chance to extend Lindor beyond the 2021 season, his last under club control. He reportedly turned down a $100 million deal last winter, but he'd be worth an extension closer to $200 million that covers his late 20s and early 30s.
Houston Astros (101 wins)
The Astros should sign free-agent closer Wade Davis.
The World Series champs do not have many weaknesses. Only the 1927, 1930 and 1931 Yankees produced a superior weighted runs created plus (wRC+) than their 121 mark last year. Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton, Lance McCullers Jr. and Dallas Keuchel all return to the rotation. However, manager A.J. Hinch didn't trust the majority of his bullpen in the postseason, so the Astros should bid for the top relief arm of this free-agent class.
Washington Nationals (97 wins)
The Nationals should trade for Tyler Flowers.
The Nationals are loaded with star power but they have a glaring weakness at catcher, where Matt Wieters' bat produced an anemic wRC+ mark of 62 last season, and his glove continued to regress, finishing as the 108th-ranked framer (-13.6 framing runs) out of 110 qualifiers, according to Baseball Prospectus. How good could Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg be if they threw to a better receiver? Flowers rated as the top framer in the game last year (+25.8 framing runs above average), and is under contract for just 2018. He was also a well-above-average hitter (120 wRC+). The Braves still aren't ready to contend, which makes Flowers, in the last year of his deal, an excellent trade chip.
Arizona Diamondbacks (93 wins)
The Diamondbacks should sign Anthony Swarzak.
The Diamondbacks have an excellent rotation and star power in their lineup but have questions in their bullpen. Swarzak has a chance to be an excellent value. His strikeout rate has increased four straight years, and it reached 10.6 K/9 last season. The success is tied to increasing his slider usage, throwing it at a 51 percent rate, and his fastball velocity jumped to 95 mph. He would be an upgrade over free-agent closer Fernando Rodney.
Boston Red Sox (93 wins)
The Red Sox should sign J.D. Martinez.
Since 2015, Martinez ranks seventh among all hitters in wRC+ (147). He's an elite bat and the top bat of this class, and it's not as if he's ancient as he's entering his age-30 season. The Red Sox ranked 21st in MLB in runs above average, and they produced -0.7 WAR at DH last season. Martinez is a perfect fit.
Chicago Cubs (92 wins)
The Cubs should sign Yu Darvish.
If the Cubs wish to remain with the super teams, they will need another top-of-the rotation arm as Jake Arrieta heads to free agency, and their system lacks an MLB-ready impact arm. Darvish is the top starter available this side of Ohtani, and it was always the Cubs' plan to stockpile position player talent and fill rotation voids with their considerable financial resources. The Cubs also need bullpen help.
New York Yankees (91 wins)
The Yankees should sign Ohtani.
While many expect the Yankees to win next offseason by signing Bryce Harper, how about winning this offseason by signing Ohtani and next offseason by adding Harper to a playoff team loaded with young talent?
Be selfish, Yankees, as there's dynasty potential here. Given their market size, tradition, international bonus pool money (second after the Rangers) and playing in the DH league, the Yankees are the likely favorite to add the year's top free agent -- assuming final hurdles are cleared to allow Ohtani to play in the States. He is the most intriguing dual-talent player in the modern era.
Colorado Rockies (87 wins)
The Rockies should sign Carlos Santana.
The Rockies ranked last in first base and right field WAR last season. Santana is arguably the second-best bat available on the market after Martinez and has greatly improved his defense at first base (+10 defensive runs saved last season). His elite eye would play well anywhere, and he'd be a threat to hit 35 home runs in Denver.
Milwaukee Brewers (86 wins)
The Brewers should sign CC Sabathia.
The Brewers surprised everyone by contending in 2017. They need another arm to sustain it, and while this version of Sabathia is not the elite one they enjoyed in 2008 for a stretch playoff run, he has reinvented himself as a king of weak contact. He can likely be had on an affordable, shorter-term, two-year deal.
Minnesota Twins (85 wins)
The Twins should sign Tyler Chatwood.
Chatwood is one of the upside options available who could be relatively affordable. The surprising 2017 Twins ranked just 22nd in WAR (7.7) for starting pitchers.
St. Louis Cardinals (83 wins)
The Cardinals should trade for Stanton.
The Cardinals have a crowded 40-man roster. They have the assets -- and they need to acquire Stanton. Stanton's opt-out and the potential 10 years and $295 million remaining on his deal complicate matters, but his contract might not be such an albatross. FanGraphs' Eno Sarris projects Stanton's performance will be worth $530 million over the remainder of his contract, assuming a win above replacement is about $9 million and the next five years include 5 percent inflation. The Cardinals shouldn't be hesitant to buy a bat that can help them close the divide with the Cubs.
Kansas City Royals (80 wins)
The Royals should trade Whit Merrifield (and anyone else of value).
The Royals will be decimated by free agency, and according to Steamer, they project to have the least positional player WAR in 2018. Wrote FanGraphs colleague Jeff Sullivan of the Royals: "In terms of top talent, the Royals are last. In terms of supporting talent, the Royals are last. In terms of depth, the Royals are last."
So why trade a controllable 2017 breakout player such as Merrifield? Because the Royals should be on the "DisAstros" plan of a complete teardown with an eye on multiple top-three overall picks. To become good again, the Royals must first become really bad again.
Los Angeles Angels (80 wins)
The Angels should sign Mike Moustakas.
The Angels rank near the bottom of the majors in projected third base production. Mike Trout needs help and Moustakas would solidify the left side of the infield.
Tampa Bay Rays (80 wins)
The Rays should build a new stadium.
In October, there was news that the Rays had made progress on selecting preferred stadium sites in Hillsborough County. The Rays need a new stadium to secure the team's future in the region and boost revenues in the competitive American League East. Nothing could have a greater impact on the club's future than new digs.
Seattle Mariners (78 wins)
The Mariners should sign Lorenzo Cain.
Remember Mike Cameron as the center fielder of the last great Mariners team? Cameron, the two-way impact star on offense and defense? Catching everything gap-to-gap in spacious Safeco Field? The Mariners could use a similar two-way impact player, and one is available in Cain.
Texas Rangers (78 wins)
The Rangers should sign Arrieta.
The Rangers, at the moment, have the second-lowest projected WAR total among starting rotations (4.6), according to FanGraphs projections. The No. 2 wild-card race could be wide open in the American League, and signing the native Texan would help.
Miami Marlins (77 wins)
The Marlins should trade Stanton ... and everyone else.
The Marlins have publicly said they are listening on Stanton. And if they are going to move the 2017 National League MVP, they might as well listen on Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna and acquire a wealth of young talent that can be the foundation of their next competitive playoff team. Of course, with a rookie executive leading the way in Derek Jeter, this might not be the optimum time to tear down while Jeter learns a new role -- but Stanton's and Ozuna's value is at a sell-high point.
Toronto Blue Jays (76 wins)
The Blue Jays should sign Lance Lynn.
The Blue Jays need at least one starting pitcher and they have had success with J.A. Happ, a quality arm that, like Lynn, does not miss bats at an elite level.
Baltimore Orioles (75 wins)
The Orioles should sign Alex Cobb.
The Orioles are in a tough spot. They are unlikely to contend in 2018. They also face an inevitable rebuild but have a weak farm system. There is a case to be made for trading anyone of value, but there is another case to be made in making one more run with Manny Machado and Zach Britton under club control for one final season.
Their peak trade value has long since passed given their limited club control. The Orioles are in desperate need of pitching help, as always. While he didn't pitch quite at his pre-Tommy John level, while his split-change has lost some effectiveness, Cobb is a good mid-rotation bet for a club looking for pitching but unwilling or unable to compete in the Darvish-Arrieta market.
Oakland Athletics (75 wins)
The A's should build a new stadium.
The East Bay has already lost the NFL's Raiders and will soon watch the Warriors move to San Francisco. Oakland ought to be able to figure out how to build a new stadium so the A's remain in town. In September, the club finally picked out a location near Laney College that features a short walk to a metro station and a stadium backdrop that would include a view of Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland. The site looks good, but now can the A's sell the idea to the local community?
Pittsburgh Pirates (75 wins)
The Pirates should sign Logan Morrison.
Everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Pirates last season, from Jung Ho Kang's off-the-field problems to Jameson Taillon's cancer diagnosis.
But there should be some positive regression toward the mean, and FanGraphs projects the Pirates as an 82-80 team in 2018. The Pirates have a sneaky-good rotation and a relief ace in Felipe Rivero. The Pirates could use bullpen help, but they really need offense, particularly power. A fly-ball revolutionary, Morrison hit 38 home runs last season and his wRC+ of 130 would have been the best on the club. Morrison could play a corner in outfield or man first base, moving Josh Bell to right field.
Atlanta Braves (72 wins)
The Braves should extend Ronald Acuna.
Yes, perhaps the game's top prospect has not even arrived at the major league level, but the Rays signed Evan Longoria to a nine-year deal six days into his major league career. This is the best opportunity the Braves will have to buy out Acuna's arbitration and early free-agency years. Acuna looks like he'd be worth a rare type of risk-reward contract.
San Diego Padres (71 wins)
The Padres should sign Michael Pineda.
While he's still recovering from Tommy John surgery and could miss most of 2018, he could also be a mid-rotation arm or better in 2019 at a discounted price. The retooling Padres need pitching and can afford to wait. Petco Park is typically a good place for pitchers to rebuild value.
New York Mets (70 wins)
The Mets should sign Yonder Alonso.
The Mets are in search of bullpen help, but it's also not clear that Dominic Smith is the answer at first base, as they are reportedly interested in Carlos Santana.
Alonso is one of the players who joined the fly-ball revolution. It worked, as he produced a .266/.365/.501 slash line, yielding career bests with 28 homers and a 132 wRC+ mark in 2017. He produced a 0.78 groundball-to-flyball ratio for the season. He is a potential impact bat at a bargain price. The Mets have prized fly ball hitters in recent years.
Cincinnati Reds (68 wins)
The Reds should trade Joey Votto.
Yes, Votto has a full no-trade provision, so this isn't easy. But the Reds don't want to be in a position the Tigers are in this offseason, with Miguel Cabrera being nearly impossible to move. Votto was two voting points shy of being the named the 2017 NL MVP. If the Reds are willing to take on salary, they could return some young assets for the best hitter in the NL.
Chicago White Sox (67 wins)
The White Sox should extend Yoan Moncada.
While it's become more difficult to extend young stars to long-term deals -- and while there are contact concerns with Moncada's bat -- the former No. 1 overall prospect is the type of talent a team should attempt to lock up well beyond his arbitration years. The White Sox could offer an Evan Longoria-like contract.
Philadelphia Phillies (66 wins)
The Phillies should sign Eric Hosmer.
Scott Boras might not -- and should not -- get anything near the $200 million contract he is seeking for his 28-year-old client. While Hosmer is coming off his best year and he's in his prime, he continues to be one of the most ground ball-prone hitters in the game. He has also been wildly inconsistent in his career with full-season WAR totals of 0.0 (2014), -0.1 (2016) and -1.7 (2012).
At some price point Hosmer has value, and he might even have a lot of value if he can change his batted-ball profile and/or become more consistent. The Phillies have money to spend. Craig Edwards of FanGraphs estimates they have the second-most cash available ($65 million) and are inching closer to relevance. They could wait and make a play for Harper, Machado or Gerrit Cole next offseason. They might also have the cash to get Hosmer, move Rhys Hoskins to left field and still pursue an elite free agent next offseason.
Detroit Tigers (64 wins)
The Tigers should trade Cabrera.
Yes, he's about the most un-tradable player in baseball as he is 34, owed $184 million over the next six seasons, and is coming off the worst season (-0.2 WAR) of his career. There are cheaper first-base alternatives like Alonso and Morrison on the market.
But the Tigers might think about eating the majority of his contract to get back some type of return. At some price point (free?) -- with Cabrera expected to rebound with a 128 wRC+ according to Steamer projections -- he has value to a contending club. The Tigers should be willing to eat the majority of the contract to acquire young talent.
San Francisco Giants (64 wins)
The Giants should sign Jarrod Dyson.
The Giants' outfielders are aging and produced a -42 DRS mark last season, sixth worst in the majors. That's a problem in spacious AT&T Park. Dyson was worth +10 DRS in center in a half a season last year with Seattle.