So the MLB season is officially over and the Hot Stove season is upon us. As of November 13, 2017, players get 7 days to decide if they will return to their team. For players who accept this offer; they return to their team for one year for a contract worth $17.4 million. Indeed, not too shabby!
Hot Stove 2017 – 2018 Season
Although the season has officially ended, the hot stove season is heating up. Are you ready to track this year’s class of Free Agents. In the first place, the top free agents available for Pitchers are Shohei Ohtani, Jake Arrieta, Wade Davis, Lance Lynn and Yu Darvish.
Additionally, there are some elite offensive players available. At this point, some of the top names being floated are J.D. Martinez, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Jonathan Lucroy and Eduardo Nunez.
Holiday Shopping Season
First and foremost, many teams in the MLB have a long holiday shopping list. With a new ownership group in South Florida; the Miami Marlins are looking to make a splash by trading Giancarlo Stanton.
At this week’s General Manager’s meeting there will be a lot of discussions. However, there probably won’t be any big deals made until next month’s Winter Meeting.
Hot Stove Teams
In any case, we will see a lot of activity between the Manager’s meetings and the Winter Meeting. In addition, most General Managers will be meeting with several Free Agent Representatives. Although the Hot Stove season is just beginning; we can expect to hear a lot of rumors.
Because there has already been three managerial changes by post season teams; we can expect a lot of buzz. Which team will make the biggest moves during the hot stove season?
Since I’m a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan; I am excited to see what changes will be on deck for the 2018 season. As a result of the Red Sox being eliminated early in the playoffs for the last two years, I expect them to be pro-active in the off-season. Visit my Red Sox Season Ending Loss post to read more.
As I mentioned in my post, I felt the team needed a new voice. Of course, that has already happened. The Red Sox hired Alex Cora. Due to Cora’s experience of playing for the Red Sox in the past and coming off of a World Series win with the Houston Astros; I think he will bring a different energy to the team.
As always, I welcome your comments.