Well, That Helps Clear Things Up

This hot stove season has been moving along slower than a glacier. Nobody have been making any moves anywhere, and especially not the Red Sox. I'm not exactly sure what the deal was, but it seems like most teams have been waiting on that first shoe to drop.

The shoe that most people are looking at is Giancarlo Stanton. When the reigning MVP is on the trading block, that certainly affects lots of plans. Which team will be able to add his bat? Which team will have to clear his salary? Which team will have to scramble to get their Plan B? That's a pretty significant shift of power. So, teams were kind of mulling about to see if they, or their rivals, suddenly upgraded their roster.

Another, smaller, shoe is the posting of Japanese star Shohei Ohtani. While I'm not sure what he'll do in the states, the two-way threat is an interesting roster addition. Definitely something that a team could use to their advantage.

It appears that both those shoes have fallen off their Red Sox. Boston has been told that they are not in the running for either player. That has given me a nice sense of relief. I wasn't exactly jazzed about either player. Don't get me wrong, if Stanton fell into my lap, I'd find a place for him to play. But, he wasn't enough of an upgrade over the current club to justify the price tag, both in salary and in trade bait. Remember, we're talking about the two-time defending AL East champs. They don't need a wholesale change. So, giving up real talent for a few home runs would have been a risk.

Similarly for Ohtani, there wasn't really a place for him. Sure, the Sox could use a fifth starter. And, sure, using him as a fielder a few days a week would help save a roster spot. But, it seemed like a bit more trouble than it was worth.

So, now what? Well, unfortunately, nothing quite yet. If the Red Sox were going to sign a free agent, I imagine they're still waiting on Stanton. If you're a player waiting to sign your best deal, you're going to wait for the team that misses out of Stanton to start getting desperate. So, JD Martinez might not sign until after Stanton moves. Then, the other free agents will wait to be a team's Plan C or D. 

So, for the immediate future, the Sox are still waiting. But, it's getting closer. Things should be falling into place relatively soon. 

I can't wait to see what happens.