Old Faces In New Places: MLB hot stove cranks up the temperature

For those who are counting down the days before pitching and catchers report to spring training, MLB hot stove player movement keeps fans entertained in the winter months. Baseball fans have seen teams make moves, both massive and complementary in nature, that will shape their roster ahead of the 2024 MLB season.

It was a transaction that registered on the Richter scale both in the world of sports and in the realm of world news. Ohtani inked a 10-year pact worth $700 million, and $680 million of it will be paid out after the term of the deal ends. It’s a staggering number any way you slice it, and the Dodgers hope that Ohtani can add value to it by pitching for most of the next decade.

The Yankees have had a busy offseason, and pushed their chips to the middle of the table to acquire Soto from the San Diego Padres. It’s an interesting decision, considering that Soto is in the final year of his deal. New York risks losing him after the 2024 campaign, but it feels like a contract may be in the cards considering how much they gave up to get Soto. For more engaging sports content, please visit:  https://www.msn.com/en-us/channel/source/Sports%20Unlimited%20News/sr-vid-sv72acbrbtj60gfxt6cyi8rerxifgswwu26w4ykawdr7u0cegqts?cvid=701d6f7e5df84a478e0bfe5cbd3dc8b3&ei=13

He’s technically an old face in the same city, but Severino will take his talents from the Bronx as a former Yankee to Queens to play for the Mets in 2024. Severino’s ups and downs have been stark during his career. When healthy, he’s shown that he could serve as the ace of a pitching staff. However, he’s been borderline un-pitchable when he struggles.

Not many expected the Diamondbacks to get to the World Series last season, and it looks like the front office is intent on maintaining that level of play in 2024. Arizona bolstered its rotation by signing Rodriguez, who has a solid track record as a middle of the rotation starter. It’s a solid addition for a team looking to take the next step and win it all.

The Orioles had a superb regular season, but stumbled in the playoffs in 2023. Many attribute this to the talented but prevalent youth that Baltimore featured, which didn’t have the experience to get it done in October. The acquisition of Kimbrel changes the dynamic, as the 35 year-old has been in a plethora of high leverage situations.

The Yankees and Boston Red Sox don’t complete many trades with one another, so this move raised an eyebrow. It’s possible that the Red Sox know something about Verdugo that the Yankees are about to find out, but on paper, he adds to a dynamic outfield that will also feature Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.

Kelenic was once a first round pick of the Mets, but hasn’t quite been the impact player many projected. After spending three seasons in the majors with the Seattle Mariners, Kelenic will join a loaded Braves squad. This may alleviate the pressure to perform, and hitting in a stacked lineup may lead Kelenic to get more pitches to hit.

Uncharacteristically, the Cardinals were one of the worst teams in MLB in 2023. St. Louis fans are hoping that their stay at the bottom of the standings is a short one, as the front office signed Gray to a three-year deal. After somewhat losing his way in the middle of his career, Gray has bounced back nicely in the last few years. He had a 2.79 ERA with the Minnesota Twins last season.