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Nonstop madness. The only two words bold enough to give a realistic definition of this year's first stages of the MLB off-season. Free Agency period has been off to a historic start, with still some big names remaining. Already we have seen over a billion dollars (today's value) spent on two international superstars; a handful of massive trades; and a spaceship filled with generational type talent move across the vortex droppin' assault drops to teams with championship aspirations.
What an unforgettable collection of headlines that struck pure electricity across the diamond. Breaking news after breaking news and it all has come fast and furious. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are now teammates in the MLB. That is no cap; pure fact. Earth-shattering to the landscape of baseball. Yankees got on the phone to make a rare trade with their "who must not be named" enemy then follow it up with a blockbuster. Dodgers humiliate the MLB and the CBA agreement. That's just the brunt of it.
Yankees are back to makin' blockbuster trades and added some rare flare to spark the off-season skies across the diamond. Yankees struck a deal with their "he who must not be named" arch rival 'Sox to acquire 27 year old outfieder Alex Verdugo in just the eighth trade between the rivals since the start of the divisional era in 1969. Boston received right-handers Richard Fitts (24); Greg Weissert (28); and Nicholas Judice (22) in exchange for Verdugo, who was a well-liked fan favorite in Boston for the past four seasons. Yanks were not done dealin'; not in the slightest. New York raised the bar when they met up with San Diego in an agreement for superstar slugger Juan Soto.
Yankees and Padres sent the first major offseason shockwave across the league as the high energetic Soto gets flipped for the second time since 2022. Yankees gave up a slew of players to land the 25-year old stud slugger to create a pinstripe wearin' power duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto to reek havoc on pitching staffs. The full trade deets:
Yankees add a needed three-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger to their lineup going into 2024. The outfield is stout offensively; while adding a big time arm of Soto to help things on the defensive, which faces challenges as Aaron Judge switches to center-field. Verdugo has a solid glove, but the speed across the outfield is middle of the line at best. Gappers could cause impact, but havin' a cannon in Soto on the outside is a win. The lineup has been elevated; and the roster in general has been elevated after adding Soto. That was Brian Cashman's mission here. Now we see how many wins they get from the trade. Soto played in all 162 games for the Padres last year, a note that was highlighted thick on Cashman's brainstorming board. Childish Bambino has played in 150+ games in four consecutive seasons and in five of his seven big league seasons. He has proven to be reliable and a non-injury risk. Soto also posted his best batting average (.275) since his MVP runner up campaign in 2021- his solid average; 35 homers; and league leading 132 walks (last season) does WONDERS for a Yankees lineup that is coming off a lackluster campaign that had them miss the playoffs for just the 5th time in the past 30 years.
Dealin' for Soto is the biggest trade in New York since their acquiring of Giancarlo Stanton. Comin' off some tough luck with the Gallo trade; the Donaldson trade ($); and well... the Stanton trade, the Yanks look for Soto to break the newly created barrier on that side. A move they desperately needed to aid Aaron Judge whom declined last season after playing in just 106 games. Judge still got to yackin' as he smashed 37 homers in his light load at the plate (367 at-bats). Adding in Soto could help Judge get his game back to MVP type mode. The projected Yanks' lineup has some INTRIGUE, yah. Major intrigue. I like the trade. Lets see what this does for the Yankees next year, but be wary! They may not be done makin' moves.
The story of this free agency will be the international superstars who opened up the vaults to make BANK. San Francisco made sure to grab one of the three major free agents as they opened up their pocketbook to sign KBO transfer, 25 year old outfielder Jung Hoo Lee. The deal with the certified Korean star is a six-year pact valued out at $113M. Lee has the right to opt out of the deal after four seasons and $72 million to become a free agent in 27-28. The contract is higher than most expected, but I for one am not surprise by that value.
Jung Hoo Lee has major upside. More so than Masataka Yoshida had when he made his switch last winter. I do expect Lee to have a slightly difficult adjustment period, similar to Yoshida, but his upside and overall potential for the future is at a higher level. Mostly due to his youth, at 25 this guy should be done with his transition period right as his prime begins. Lee makes the switch five years younger than when Yoshida did, and two years younger than when Ichiro did. Lee was a stud in the KBO league... a STUD. With baseball rich in his family and in his blood and roots; I am confident he will continue to ride his wave of diamond success in North America.
The move is solid for San Fran, who build to their lights out defensive roster. One thing is clear, the expected transition struggles for Lee will be at the plate. He will be an elite performer on the defensive right off the first turn. Giants look great on the defensive, but their lineup still doesn't have much of a ceiling. They tried to get Shohei Ohtani, but came up short. The attempt is good news, shows they know what they are missing in terms of the lineup. That being power. Jung Hoo Lee does elevate the lineup with his contact and vision skills. More good is always better than more bad or no good, cha heard. I just don't want the Giants to lay off the accelerator. Not with a guy like Cody Bellinger still up for the taking. Nonetheless, a basement team in batting average; on-base percentage; and slugging percentage just added a major asset to use to improve those bad numbers.
The Grandson of the Wind looks to carry his family's legacy from the Korean diamond to the North American diamond. Lee also vows to bring electricity to the number 51 in the big leagues, the same way his father electrified baseball wearin' it in the KBO & like the great Ichiro Suzuki who electrified the big leagues in the 2000s wearin' it. San Francisco is excited to feel the vibes that Seattle felt for over ten years. Good move for the Giants as they try to remain a hunter in a FIERCE NL West that has it's teams in a full reload mode for the '24 campaign.
The NL West squads have been the most relentless in spendin' this offseason which has forced the newly crowned pennant champs of the NL diamond to feel the reality of going from hunter to the hunted before the new season even begins. Diamondbacks' front office had to halt their Classic losin'; ice cream eatin' binge and get back to work as they watched teams close to them get better and better by each day. Arizona won the NL pennant behind a small stacked lineup on paper and weak rotation in terms of depth. Diamondbacks were playing on a different planet to secure a trip to the World Series. Only a fool would be quick to think they can do it again with the exact roster after seeing teams like the Dodgers; Braves; and Phillies on paper. They needed to reload too & did so by spendin' some coin on a pivotal lefty arm that will elevate the rotation in the Desert.
Snakes came to an agreement with lefty starter Eduardo Rodriguez who is coming off a solid second season in Detroit. The deal inked is a four-year $80 million contract that will have E-Rod get 20Ms per year to pitch for the next four years. Rodriguez is coming off a solid campaign with a 13-9 record; a rock solid 3.30 ERA; and 143 strikeouts. Arizona was in desperate need of a lefty and got the best one available outside of Jordan Montgomery. The projected rotation has E-Rod as the only lefty with a sharp trio of righties in Merrill Kelly; Zac Gallen; and the playoff riser Brandon Pfaadt. If they really wanted to make a splash, they'd go after Montgomery who just beat them in the Classic. Adding two big time lefties with that trio of righties would give them a top rotation in baseball, especially if we see the Brandon Pfaadt from the playoff run ever again (sorry still in the air).
The move for Rodriguez was huge; they made another move by resigning OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. who made some big plays for them during the playoff run that was highlighted by an epic home-run robbin' web gem in Game-4 of the NLCS. Gurriel Jr. wasn't an eye poppin' free agent, but I like the move to keep him around in the Desert. His charisma and spark is a good potion for this type of team. He also is coming off arguably the best year of his career that saw him go to his first All-Star game. Once you move past Ohtani, Bellinger, and Lee- the OF market is quite slim. Losing Gurriel would have forced them to seek a replacement; I'd rather them go with Gurriel Jr. rather than a Teoscar Hernandez or Harrison Bader.
Arizona won the pennant and made the Dodgers and Giants lose their wits! They remind me of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All the Way tryin' to get Turbo Man for his kiddo. He would have paid ANY buck he had for the action figure, the same behavior we are seeing from the Snakes' inner-division rivals. Arizona was wise to make some moves as they watch those squads spend at will. I suggest they stay close to the phone line; the Dodgers are hellbent to do whatever they need to do to make the Diamondbacks disappear.
Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes are completely unhinged as they have sent a larger than life middle finger to the MLB; CBA drawers; and anyone outside of the Dodgers organization and Dodgers Nation. Movin' it around all disrespectful like Tyrese would do.
To quote the LA-culture... the Dodgers are goin' brazy in the MLB offseason as they have put a whole new definition on reloading. Dodgers reel in the two biggest fish in free agency spendin' over $1.25B on them collectively. Yes... $1.25 BILLION. That is off today's paper value, but still. What in the blue hell. Oh, oh, oh! When I say the two biggest fish I mean that in all-time regards not just THIS free agency. These cats Friedman and Gomes said F our feelings. No regard for the future of baseball. Selfish spending, ha! Trust me Dodgers "fans", I can hear your chants. That was just the mature, business side of me talkin', I won't send alternative ways: the Dodgers forming the duo of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is f'n legendary and ultra epic for the sport and for the fans of ALL.
Dodgers dropped two nukes on the baseball world and then sent in an airstrike just for safe keeping (not in real order). You know about the unreal Ohtani contract by now. If you don't then reading this deep into the piece must be like reading a foreign language; read my breakdown if you need catching up. The Dodgers somehow thought that signing the Unicorn wasn't enough, and thanks to Ohtani's deferred payments- LA was able to one up it to form a godly pairing on the diamond. Superstar japanese transfer Yoshinobu Yamamoto has signed to become the Dodgers' new ace on a 12-year $325 million contract.
Who would have predicted Team Japan teammates Ohtani and Yamamoto to become big league teammates after they won the WBC together in March? No you didn't, stop it. This is earth-shattering to the landscape of baseball. Everyone is jumping off the walls with how much it cost to bring those two together in LA, but you all need to open your mind on how much money the Dodgers organization is about to bring in from global expansion. The two best players that Asia has seen in decades are now teammates in their prime in the most skilled league in the world (KA'CHING!). The landscape has been revolutionized across the globe from an attraction standpoint and across North America from a talent standpoint as the other 29 teams are in for one helluva ride to stop this duo from winnin' the World Series (or many) to add to their WBC title.
Dodgers signing Ohtani and Yamamoto was the end right? Surely they can't have more money to spend? WRONG. Before the Yamamoto nuke, the Dodgers followed up the Ohtani signing by creatin' some major risk; tradin' for the Rays' right-handed starter Tyler Glasnow and signing him to a five-year extension worth $136.5 million. Glasnow still has major upside at 30 despite being on and off the mound for the past several years due to injuries. When he is on the mound, he's damn good. Glasnow went 26-11 during his Rays' tenure from his first full season to his final in 2023. The risk is high, sure, but the reward is just as high. I can't even fully comprehend a healthy rotation of Yamamoto; Glasnow; Bobby Miller; and Walker Buehler. Key word is healthy. If you grab each of their best seasons and put them on the board in front of you- your eyes will enlarge and your brain will cycle at a high speed trying to comprehend the full potential. When you are someone who trust work ethic and root for greatness like me: your head will explode when realizing that there is still a world out there that has Ohtani as the ace and fifth man of that rotation. Friedman has a chance to be the greatest gambler in sports history, or the worst decision maker in sports history. That brotha is going to be stressed for the next year or so.
If the Dodgers can't win a ring in the next 2 years or at-all in the next decade, then they should be forced to disband the franchise and Friedman; Gomes; and Mark Walter should be shipped off to Moron Mountain. We will take Pete Rose back in exchange. That needs to be their fate. This is either going to go good or legendary bad. They will be chippin' at their teeth as they beg for all to sail well to their first World Series dub since 1988. The haters will be out in FULL force every step of the way with them, waiting to say I told you so. I only feel sick for the future of baseball from a business standpoint. Outside of that- I am all about this noise, baby. Extra juicy storylines; a global takeover; and the making of a legendary duo. Plus seeing everyone root against the Dodgers in winning a ring will bring similar vibes to the NFL/Patriots. If you thought Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge was a good duo; Yamamoto and Ohtani are about to take you for a ride!
This offseason has been off the charts high in decibels... and we are NOT done just yet. We still have some solid talent available in free agency and await Shõta Imanaga to make a decision. The NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell is on the market; Comeback Player of the Year Cody Bellinger; and hard throwin' flamer Josh Hader are as well. Jordan Montgomery and Jorge Soler seek an employer too; plenty of names still out there. More noise is to come and who knows, we may see more trades. All I know? This has been a MLB off season for the ages. I cannot wait until April, lemme tell ya! We are in for a special '24 campaign.
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