Hot Stove League Update: The Hot Stove Is Roaring!

The popcorn is popping furiously on the Hot Stove with at least 10 major deals announced in the past 2 days.  We wake up with four more this morning.  Here's what we've got:

Sean Manaea LHP re-signs with the Mets for 3 yrs/$75 M.

2024(Mets):  12-6, 3.47, 181.2 IP, 9.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 2.8 fWAR.

Perhaps no player has used the opt-out clause as a ladder more effectively than Sean Manaea.  After partially rebuilding his stat line mostly out of the bullpen for the Giants in 2023, he opted out of the second year of his contract and signed a new 2 yr with opt-out deal with the Mets.  He put together a strong performance as a full time SP and now gets the big payoff.  Good for him!  FZ might look back and think maybe he should have been more aggressive in re-signing Manaea after 2023.

Walker Buehler RHP signs with the Red Sox for 1 yr/$21.05 M plus incentives.

2024(Dodgers):  1-6, 5.38, 75.1 IP, 7.6 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, -0.2 fWAR.

Buehler was kind of my white whale this offseason but I have to admit that while the reward is high, so is the risk.  Hewas a rising star in the NL from 2018-2021.  He showed some regression in 2022 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.  From what I remember he had some setbacks and missed all of 2023.  He struggled all season in 2024 but after one disaster start in the postseason looked like his old self with 10 consecutive scoreless innings to help The Hated Ones to a World Series win.  So is that 10-inning run a sign he is finally healthy and has his mojo back or is it because he was pitching for the Dodgers and.....well, you know?  The Red Sox are taking the one year gamble at a significant price.

Joc Pederson DH signs with the Rangers for 2 yrs/$37 M with an opt out.

2024(D'Backs):  .275/.393/.515, 23 HR, 7 SB, 18 HBP, 12.2 BB%, 23.4 K%, 449 PA, 3.0 fWAR.

Joc Pederson is an extreme one-dimensional ballplayer doing one thing and only one thing well:  He kills RHP's.  He's terrible against LHP's and he is a terrible defender in the OF.  Just imagine.  He signed with the Giants before the 2022 season for 1 yr/$6 M.  He re-signed for 2023 but somehow got partially blamed for the chaos in the Giants clubhouse that got Gabe Kapler fired  involving an addictive Filipino card game of all things!  He signed with the D'Backs who used him exclusively at DH and almost exclusively against RHP and he rewarded them and himself by raking.

Andrew McCutchen OF/DH re-signs with the Pirates for 1 yr/$5 M.  

2024(Pirates):  .232/.328/.411, 20 HR, 3 SB, 11.3 BB%, 25.8 K%, 515 PA, 0.5 fWAR.

Not a terrible offensive season for Cutch and it's a bit surprising he didn't get more $ in this contract.  His WAR value was limited by playing mostly DH.  Hard to believe he is entering his age 38 season.

Summary:  As a Giants fan it's hard to watch this storm of Hot Stove League activity while we wait, hopefully not in vain, for a Corbin Burnes signing.  The downer here is not that any of these players are must-haves for the Giants but the back up options if they lose out on Burnes are dwindling rapidly.