Diamond: Baseball’s suspiciously slow offseason
From Ben Diamond at Baseball Prospectus on January 3, 2018:
“There is no offseason.” It’s a popular phrase among baseball fans, a saying that normally holds true: as soon as the World Series concludes, the hot stove is lit with a flurry of trades and signings. This offseason, though, is different.
Following the thrilling end to the playoffs, baseball has come to a screeching halt. General managers have gone into hibernation, players and agents are idling empty-handed, and the sport is stuck in a deep slumber. While complaints about a sluggish offseason aren’t new, cries over this winter’s inactivity have grown inescapably loud.
November and December included just two major moves, and both were spurred by rare circumstances rather than teams being proactive. Shohei Ohtani was a generational talent capped at signing for just a few million dollars, while Giancarlo Stanton’s team decided it had little choice but to trade him (or face a possible budget catastrophe).
Compared to the past decade the first two months of this offseason fall near the bottom when it comes to the frequency of signings, trades, and even minor (“other”) moves.
Read the full article here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/36894/baseballs-suspiciously-slow-offseason/
Originally published: January 4, 2018. Last Updated: January 4, 2018.