MLB HOT STOVE PREVIEW

First off, congratulations to the Texas Rangers on their first World Series title in franchise history. Once the final out was recorded in the World Series, it officially became Ohtani Watch. The entire offseason will be focused on who lands Shohei Ohtani and for how much. His decision is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to offseason movements. Craig Counsell was the first to rattle the baseball world when he chose to become the manager of the Chicago Cubs for a record price. His payday has reset the market for manager salaries and did it by crushing the hearts and hopes of Brewers fans everywhere. This offseason will be loaded with free agent signings and stars like Corbin Burnes and Juan Soto probably being dealt in blockbuster trades. Considering how limited the Free Agent class is for relief pitchers and middle infielders, don’t be surprised if teams are very active in the trade market to fill areas of need. This is going to be a crazy offseason and you’ll see desperate teams making head scratching moves as they chase their elusive World Series trophy. I have listed the top available players, potential trade candidates and my predictions for some major moves this Hot Stove Season.

AS OF NOVEMBER 21ST:

BEST FREE AGENTS ON THE MARKET:

• SHOHEI OHTANI. P/ DH
• AARON NOLA P. (RESIGNED WITH THE PHILLIES)
• YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO. P. (COMING FROM JAPAN)
• BLAKE SNELL. P
• JOSH HADER. P
• CODY BELLINGER. 1B / OF / DH
• MATT CHAPMAN. 3B
• SONNY GRAY. P
• JORDAN MONTGOMERY. P
• BRANDON WOODRUFF. P
• CLAYTON KERSHAW. P

BEST FREE AGENT CATCHERS:

• YASMANI GRANDAL
• MITCH GARVER
• MARTIN MALDONADO
• VICTOR CARATINI
• GARY SANCHEZ

BEST FREE AGENT 1ST BASEMEN:

• CJ CRON
• RHYS HOSKINS
• CARLOS SANTANA
• BRANDON BELT
• JOEY VOTTO

BEST FREE AGENT 2ND BASEMEN:

• WHIT MERRIFIELD
• DONOVAN SOLANO

BEST FREE AGENT SHORTSTOPS:

• TIM ANDERSON
• BRANDON CRAWFORD
• DIDI GREGORIUS
• AMED ROSARIO
• ELVIS ANDRUS
• ADALBERTO MONDESI
• ISIAH KINER-FALEFA

BEST FREE AGENT 3B BASEMEN:

• MATT CHAPMAN
• JUSTIN TURNER
• JEIMAR CANDELARIO
• EDUARDO ESCOBAR
• JOSH DONALDSON

BEST FREE AGENT OUTFIELDERS:

• CODY BELLINGER
• TEOSCAR HERNANDEZ
• LOURDES GURRIEL JR
• JOC PEDERSON
• TOMMY PHAM
• DAVID PERALTA
• ADAM DUVALL
• HARRISON BADER
• EDDIE ROSARIO
• JURICKSON PROFAR
• KEVIN KIERMAIER
• ROBBIE GROSSMAN

BEST FREE AGENT DESIGNATED HITTERS:

• SHOHEI OHTANI
• JD MARTINEZ
• JORGE SOLAR
• MICHAEL BRANTLEY
• JOEY GALLO

BEST FREE AGENT STARTING PITCHERS:

• SHOHEI OHTANI. (CAN’T PITCH IN 2024)
• AARON NOLA. (RESIGNED WITH THE PHILLIES)
• YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO. P. (COMING FROM JAPAN)
• BLAKE SNELL
• SONNY GRAY
• CLAYTON KERSHAW (RECOVERING FROM INJURY)
• BRANDON WOODRUFF (RECOVERING FROM INJURY)
• JORDAN MONTGOMERY
• MARCUS STROMAN
• LUCAS GIOLITO
• EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ
• KENTA MAEDA
• MIKE CLEVINGER
• COREY KLUBER
• ZACK GRIENKE
• LUIS SEVERINO
• JACK FLAHERTY
• KYLE GIBSON
• SETH LUGO

BEST FREE AGENT RELIEF PITCHERS:

• JOSH HADER
• WILL SMITH (WON 3 STRAIGHT WORLD SERIES)
• CRAIG KIMBREL
• LIAM HENDRICKS
• DAVID ROBERTSON
• ANDREW CHAFIN
• AROLDIS CHAPMAN
• DANIEL HUDSON
• HECTOR NERIS
• DYLAN FLORIO

TRADE CANDIDATES:

• CORBIN BURNES. SP. (CURRENTLY A MILWAUKEE BREWER)
• WILLY ADAMES. SS. (CURRENTLY A MILWAUKEE BREWER)
• DEVIN WILLIAMS. CP. (CURRENTLY A MILWAUKEE BREWER)
• MIKE TROUT. OF. (CURRENTLY A LOS ANGELES ANGEL)
• JUAN SOTO. OF. (CURRENTLY A SAN DIEGO PADRE)
• TYLER GLASNOW. SP. (CURRENTLY A TAMPA BAY RAY)
• GIANCARLO STANTON DH/OF. (CURRENTLY A NEW YORK YANKEE)
• ELOY JIMENEZ. OF / DH. (CURRENTLY A CHICAGO WHITE SOX)
• DYLAN CEASE. P. (CURRENTLY A CHICAGO WHITE SOX)
• LUIS ROBERT JR. OF. (CURRENTLY A CHICAGO WHITE SOX)

NEW MANAGERS IN MLB:

• CRAIG COUNSELL. — CHICAGO CUBS
• BOB MELVIN — SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
• RON WASHINGTON — LOS ANGELES ANGELS
• PAT MURPHY — MILWAUKEE BREWERS
• STEPHEN VOGT — CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
• CARLOS MENDOZA — NEW YORK METS
• JOE ESPADA — HOUSTON ASTROS
• MIKE SHILDT— SAN DIEGO PADRES

NOTABLE TRANSACTION PREDICTIONS:

SHOHEI OHTANI. P / DH

• OHTANI WILL SIGN WITH THE LA DODGERS
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: CUBS, BRAVES AND METS

YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO. P. (COMING FROM JAPAN)

• YAMAMOTO WILL SIGN WITH THE BOSTON RED SOX
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: YANKEES & METS

BLAKE SNELL. P

• SNELL WILL SIGN WITH THE CHICAGO CUBS
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: METS, BRAVES AND ORIOLES

SONNY GRAY. P

• GRAY WILL SIGN WITH THE ATLANTA BRAVES
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: METS, CARDINALS OR DODGERS

JOSH HADER. P

• HADER WILL SIGN WITH THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: BRAVES, DODGERS OR RED SOX

CODY BELLINGER. OF / 1B / DH

• BELLINGER WILL SIGN WITH THE NEW YORK YANKEES
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: CUBS, METS OR DODGERS

MATT CHAPMAN. 3B

• CHAPMAN WILL SIGN WITH THE CHICAGO CUBS
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: BREWERS, METS OR YANKEES

TIM ANDERSON. SS

• ANDERSON WILL SIGN WITH THE LA ANGELS
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: GIANTS, BRAVES OR MARLINS

CORBIN BURNES. P

• BURNES WILL BE TRADED TO THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: DODGERS

JUAN SOTO. OF / DH

• SOTO WILL BE TRADED TO THE NEW YORK YANKEES
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: METS

TYLER GLASNOW. P

• GLASNOW WILL BE TRADED TO THE NEW YORK METS
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: DODGERS, BRAVES OR CUBS

JORDAN MONTGOMERY. P

• MONTGOMERY WILL SIGN WITH THE TEXAS RANGERS
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: DODGERS, CUBS OR CARDINALS

DYLAN CEASE. P

• CEASE WILL BE TRADED TO THE LA DODGERS
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: BRAVES, METS OR GIANTS

LUIS ROBERT JR. OF

• ROBERT WILL BE TRADED TO ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
• OTHER POSSIBILITIES: GIANTS, METS OR BLUE JAYS

THE HOT STOVE IS FIRED UP AND THE EXCITEMENT IS COMING FAST AND FURIOUS!