Championships are won and lost with the moves that are made during the offseason, whether it's shoring up the roster in free agency or swinging a blockbuster deal to acquire a key piece of the puzzle.

With the MLB playoff picture taking shape and the start of another exciting postseason right around the corner, now is the perfect time to look back at the offseason moves that have had the biggest impact in 2022.

Ahead, we've highlighted 15 players who were either signed by contenders in free agency or acquired by contenders via trade, and their contributions this year have played a major role in their club reaching the postseason.

MLB

1 Thing We've Learned About Every MLB Team During the 2022 Season

 

Jason Adam, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

Transaction: Signed to a one-year, $900,000 deal in free agency.

With a career 4.71 ERA in 79 appearances, including a 5.91 ERA in 12 games with the Chicago Cubs in 2021, right-hander Jason Adam was little more than a line item on the transaction log when he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays in March.

Once again, the Rays have found a diamond in the rough to help bolster their ever-revolving relief corps.

The 31-year-old has a 1.56 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 10.7 K/9 with eight saves and 22 holds in 67 appearances, employing a more slider/changeup-heavy approach to help take his game to another level as one of baseball's best relievers in 2022.

 

Tyler Anderson, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Transaction: Signed to a one-year, $8 million deal in free agency.

Left-hander Tyler Anderson pitched his way to being a sought-after trade chip in 2021 after signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, eventually landing with the Seattle Mariners at the deadline and finishing with a 4.53 ERA in 167 innings.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him in March, hoping to add some useful depth to the back of the rotation, and they wound up getting one of the best starters in the National League this year.

The 32-year-old is 15-4 with a 2.54 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 128 strikeouts in 173.2 innings, and he was an All-Star for the first time this season. With Walker Buehler and Dustin May on the injured list, expect him to be part of the postseason rotation behind Julio Urías and Clayton Kershaw.