Remainder of Hot Stove Season looking to be busy

Another MLB Hot Stove season and another offseason where San Diego Padres General Manager A.J. Preller stole the show. This week, Preller and the Padres stepped up and have landed a heavyweight punch to the face of the Los Angeles Dodgers, acquiring ace pitchers Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays and Yu Darvish from the Chicago Cubs. The acquisitions now give the Padres one of the top rotations in baseball.

Snell won the 2018 AL Cy Young Award with the Rays, while Darvish finished second behind Trevor Bauer in the 2020 NL Cy Young voting. Both Snell and Darvish add to the talented Padres roster. Preller sent signal to the Dodgers that the Padres aren’t here to take part, they are here to take over. Now, the ball is in the Dodgers court and it will remain to be seen whether they go and make a major move.

Normally, the week between Christmas and New Years is relatively quiet but the moves made changed that and the ripple effect could be huge. With top free agents Trevor Bauer, George Springer and J.T. Realmuto still available, the movement to sign them is one to keep an eye on. Every year, the free agency period always makes it interesting and fun to watch but this offseason is much different. The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the landscape for teams this offseason, causing some teams to shed money. That was the case for the Rays when they dealt Snell and the Cubs dealing away Darvish.

Next up, could be the Cincinnati Reds.

The Reds spent a lot of money to compete last season and it paid off, seeing the team make the playoffs for the first time since 2013. After falling flat on their face against the Atlanta Braves this past postseason, the Reds are looking to possibly deal some major pieces. If the Reds choose to compete, the National League Central is a division that is very winnable and could see them make the postseason again.

With Darvish and Snell off the market and Bauer being too expensive for most teams, the Reds are sitting pretty with Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray possibly being available. Getting rid of two of their top pitchers could bring a solid haul back to the Reds. Depending on when and where Bauer goes, teams could be quickly reaching out to see what it will take for the Reds to part with their top arms. With top free agents available and some teams punting on competing this season and possibly beyond, stay tuned to see the movement that is sure to happen.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy