By Josh
I’ve been thinking about the offseason of Major League Baseball a lot this week. A part of me loves the offseason because of the Hot Stove. Trades, free agent signings and even just the rumors are exciting for me. However, I’ve also realized that I hate the offseason because of the trades, free agent signings and rumors.
Let me clarify why I have this love hate relationship. I love it like any other fan because there is the chance that my team will make a move that will make them better. Last offseason, my favorite team, the Seattle Mariners signed Robinson Cano and that turned out to be a great move. I loved it. Other teams made great moves that helped them as well, both in the short term and the long term.
I love that part of the Hot Stove.
What I hate is when GMs make moves that are truly head scratching. Now I know I am not a scout, an assistant GM, nor am I a GM so I don’t know as much about the inner workings of things as others but there are times that I can say ‘what the hell were they thinking.’
As fans we all have those moments.
But hey maybe signing Billy Butler to a 3 year $30 million dollar contract is a good decision for the A’s. I know he was an all-star just a couple years ago. Maybe his .271 batting average with 9 home runs is what the A’s needed at DH.
How about the Braves trading away Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden. Now Shelby Miller is a solid #3 starter but I have to agree with a lot of my friends that are Braves fans that are a little curious about this trade. Especially since the Justin Upton trade talks seem to be on the rise again.
The Marlins offering a $325 million contract to Stanton. Now this one doesn’t make me scratch my head as much as the fact that they aren’t signing anyone else to play with Stanton. Plus with the Marlins history of signing a big contract then finding a way to get rid of that player I have to scratch my head some.
I’m not saying all of these moves are bad, just head scratching.
I know there will be a lot more of these by the end of the Hot Stove, but that’s okay because it means spring training will be a little closer with each head scratching move.