Offseason Trades

Even though it is offseason, there is still a lot of baseball going on. Teams are quietly working hard to get ready for the upcoming season. The first step of improvement comes from having the best players. Offseason trades are very prominent in these months, and in this past week, we have seen four big deals already made. 

Many teams had their eyes on Japanese star Shohei Ohtani. The talk was non- stop about how valuable he would be on the field, as he can be used as both a starting pitcher and designated hitter. Angels who have struggled several seasons in a row with pitching thought Ohtani would be a great addition to their team. With many offers, Ohtani took the deal with the Angels as he felt it was the right fit. When the deal was signed it was disclosed that he currently has torn a ligament in his elbow. In the long run, this deal may pay off significantly but as of now it looks like Ohtani will not pitch anytime soon, but a DH position may look hopefully for the Japanese star. Aside from that Angels were also able to snag 2B Ian Kinsler from the Detroit Tigers. Last season the Angels rotated the 2b position heavily, so adding Kinsler is comforting. Kinsler finished his 2017 season with a .236 average with 22 home runs and 52 RBI's.  

Speaking of batting averages, power hitter Giancarlo Stanton who was the 6th player to hit 50 home runs before the end of August, became a Yankee. The former Marlin who finished the season with 59 homers signed a deal to join the team. The Marlins received cash, 2B Starlin Castro and minor leaguers Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers in exchange for Stanton.The Yankees who already have homerun star Aaron Judge will be unstoppable now with Stanton. I definitely feel bad for the pitchers having to face these two hot hitters next season.

Also leaving the Marlins is All-Star Marcell Osuna who just got traded to the Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Magneruris Sierra, RHP's Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen, and LHP Daniel Castano. Getting rid of two star players may hurt the Marlins big time who were 

77-85 last season. However, with these two trades and their acquired new players, it seems like the Marlins are doing some serious rebuilding. 

Which in the end is what trades are all about rebuilding the team for another season.

Guess we will have to stay tuned to see just how these players work out!

Happy Baseball 

P.S Spring training is 62 days away!