MLB Power Rankings: Who's No. 1 as season approaches?

We're about halfway through winter and the top free agents have signed, meaning it's time to look ahead toward the start of the 2023 season.

Where does every team stand heading into spring training? Despite not being at the center of this year's free agency, are the reigning World Series champions atop our rankings? Did the Mets' and Padres' offseason acquisitions help push them to the No. 1 spot? And where do Aaron Judge and the Yankees sit?

Our expert panel has combined to rank every team in baseball based on a combination of last year's performances and what we've seen this offseason. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez and Buster Olney to weigh in with the biggest question for all 30 teams.

1. Houston Astros

The Astros remain a solid member of baseball's upper crust, but after a winter in which a number of recognizable and aging players departed only to be replaced by a small group of free agents who are just as old, you wonder if this offseason will come back to haunt the champs. The pitching depth, even with the loss of Justin Verlander, is tremendous. And the cornerstones of the lineup are elite. But you wonder if a James Click front office would have been engaged in a much different approach in rechanneling the payroll space opened up by the exits of Verlander, Yuli Gurriel and others. The initial forecasts see a slight step back for the Astros, though they remain in the thick of the World Series race. The forecasts might well be wrong but the thing is, it's been a while since there have been these kinds of questions about the Astros. -- Doolittle

2. Atlanta Braves

While the Mets spent the offseason flashing their wallet, the Braves aim for a sixth straight National League East title. The biggest move was acquiring catcher Sean Murphy from the A's and, as the Braves do better than any other club, immediately signing him to a six-year extension to give them a long-term answer behind the plate. He's a strong two-way performer and a big defensive upgrade over Travis d'Arnaud (who is still with the team) and William Contreras (who went to the Brewers in the three-way trade for Murphy). They lost Dansby Swanson in free agency but appear confident that Orlando Arcia and/or Vaughn Grissom can replace him at shortstop. -- Schoenfield

3. New York Yankees

They won baseball's best division -- the American League East -- with relative ease, re-signed reigning AL MVP Judgeto a huge contract and landed one of the best free agent starting pitchers in Carlos Rodon -- and yet the Yankees were one of the most scrutinized teams in the offseason. Welcome to life in the big city.

It is unusual that a team with an enormous payroll faces a major question in a key spot, but as spring training nears, it's unclearwho will be the Yankees' shortstop in 2023. Maybe it'll be Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who faded defensively and was benched in the midst of the postseason. However, the Yankees would love for one of their top prospects, Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza, to win the job in camp or early in the regular season. -- Olney

4. New York Mets

It's been a whirlwind offseason for the Mets, from signing Verlander to not signing Jacob deGrom to signing and not signing Carlos Correa. Even without Correa, repeating last year's 101 wins is in play -- especially if Verlander can give them 30 starts compared to the 11 deGrom gave. They should get more offense from catcher with the additions of Omar Narvaez and rookie Francisco Alvarez and the bullpen added Brooks Raley and David Robertson on top of re-signing Edwin Diaz and Adam Ottavino. The Mets will own the highest payroll in history and will rely heavily on the 40-year Verlander and 38-year-old Max Scherzer, but it's World Series or bust for the 2023 Mets. -- Schoenfield

5. San Diego Padres

Shortstop was the last position the Padres needed to address this winter and yet it's the one they splurged on, committing $280 million to Xander Bogaerts. Top to bottom, the Padres might be the most talented team in the sport. But how is it all going to work?

Fernando Tatis Jr., coming off a lost 2022 that began with a wrist injury and ended with a PED-related suspension, will suddenly have to adjust to the outfield on a full-time basis.Ha-seong Kim, a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop last season, will probably move to second base, with Jake Cronenworth shifting over to first. These are not insignificant transitions -- but they are also first-class problems. After Tatis serves the remaining 20 games of his suspension, he'll join a top half of the lineup that will also boast Bogaerts, Manny Machado and Juan Soto. It's crazy just to type that. -- Gonzalez

6. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers' lineup has been deep, decorated and flat-out overwhelming in recent years. But now -- on paper, at least -- it feels relatively lacking, with Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger gone and not necessarily replaced. The Dodgers essentially swapped Justin Turner for J.D. Martinez, the latter of whom will absorb most of the playing time at designated hitter. But it looks like they will fill most of their remaining holes internally.

Center field and left field are a major question, and three of the infield spots -- second base, third base and shortstop -- will be filled by the foursome of Gavin Lux, Max Muncy, Miguel Vargas and the recently added Miguel Rojas. Will infield defense be a problem, particularly in a year with shift restrictions? And will their promising crop of young players be good enough to make up for major losses? -- Gonzalez

7. Toronto Blue Jays

The Rangers augmented their rotation this winter, the Mets revamped their bullpen and the Cubs improved their defense. But the Blue Jays may have made the most meaningful unit change with the way they added balance to a lineup that has been stacked with right-handed hitters in recent years.

Toronto added three experienced left-handed hitters -- trading for outfielder Daulton Varsho, who likely will hit in the middle of the batting order, and signing Brandon Belt and Kevin Kiermaier. No team faced more unfavorable platoon matchups than the Blue Jays last year, as opposing managers stacked up right-handed pitching against Toronto's lineup, making life more difficult for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,Bo Bichette, et al. The new lefties should help the Blue Jays' offense significantly, particularly if Belt and Kiermaier can stay healthy. -- Olney

8. Philadelphia Phillies

Final 2022 regular-season ranking:11

As good as the Phillies looked in October, they were a team that finished 14 games behind the Braves and Mets and barely made the playoffs by one win over the Brewers. Now, they will be without Bryce Harper for several months as he recovers from elbow surgery. Signing superstar shortstop Turner will help bridge that gap and they're gambling on veteran closer Craig Kimbrel and hard-throwing but wild lefty Gregory Soto to bring more bullpen depth. The key: The Phillies went 13-25 against the Braves and Mets last year. The new balanced schedule means they will play just 26 games against those two clubs instead of 38, but they will need to beat their rivals to improve on last year's 87-75 record. -- Schoenfield

9. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have one of the smallest margins for error in MLB, given their low payroll, so they will need their highest-paid players to perform. This is why they will need a big rebound from Wander Franco, in whom they made the most significant investment in franchise history. Franco played in just 83 games last year because of injuries, posting an OBP of .328 and scoring just 46 runs. This winter, Franco has been working on his flexibility, on getting leaner.

"He looks great," Rays manager Kevin Cash said recently. "If we can keep him healthy, I'm confident that we will see the player we all know he can be. He seems very motivated and excited to get going." -- Olney

10. Seattle Mariners