Five Storylines From Winter Meetings as MLB’s Hot Stove Season Continues

The hot stove season continues in baseball.

Nothing will top Juan Soto and the Mets reaching a historic 15-year, $765 million deal this offseason, but here are five storylines to watch as the offseason rolls on a week after the winter meetings.

Where does Corbin Burnes land?

Burnes, the 2021 Cy Young winner, is the top starting pitcher on the market and rumors are swirling about his potential landing spot. The Giants? The Red Sox? A mystery team as Scott Boras’ clients always seem to have? Burnes is in line for a massive payday regardless. It’s been a good market for starters, as Max Fried (eight years, $218 million from Yankees) and Blake Snell (five years, $182 million from Dodgers) have shown.

Whoever lands Burnes will be adding an unquestioned ace to their staff. Burnes has finished in the top eight of the Cy Young voting for five straight seasons. He went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in helping the Orioles reach the playoffs.

Eyes on Sasaki

Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki is not expected to choose his landing spot until next month, as teams can negotiate with him through Jan. 23. Still, there is plenty of intrigue about where the hard-throwing right-hander will end up.

Sasaki posted a 2.02 ERA over the last four seasons with Chiba Lotte of Nippon Professional Baseball. He is viewed as the next big thing to come out of Japan and is coveted by a number of teams, ranging from the Yankees to the Rangers to the Padres.

Difference-making bats on the market

There are several difference-making bats still on the market, headlined by Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman and Christian Walker.

Alonso has become a fan favorite over his years with the Mets, so it’ll be interesting if he’s wearing another uniform next season. There’s no question he’d be a nice addition to any lineup as a guy who has belted 226 home runs over the last six seasons.

Bregman is an elite third baseman who provides pop in the lineup as well. His last three seasons have produced WAR numbers of 4.6, 4.9 and 4.1.

Walker, meanwhile, has belted 95 home runs the last three seasons and has won three straight Gold Gloves at first base.

What’s next on the trade market?

As the winter meetings wound down last week, the trade market picked up. The Red Sox landed left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox on the final day of the winter meetings. Then, in recent days, we’ve seen All-Star closer Devin Williams move from the Brewers to the Yankees, and Kyle Tucker go from the Astros to the Cubs.

 Who’s next to move? Nolan Arenado and Cody Bellinger were a couple of names mentioned frequently at the winter meetings in Dallas last week.

What under-the-radar signing will make the biggest impact?

The splashiest signings don’t necessarily translate to the best. There are plenty of examples of free agents who may not have signed market-defining deals that paid off for both sides. 

Around this time last year, for example, the Royals and Seth Lugo reached a three-year deal. Lugo responded with a Cy Young-caliber season in helping the Royals return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

There will be several signings of that nature in the coming days and weeks, ones that will generate nowhere close to the buzz surrounding Soto’s deal but still make a significant impact on the 2025 season and beyond.