The MLB offseason — often dubbed the “Hot Stove” for the rapid and rampant wheeling and dealing for free agents — has long simmered down to the faintest of boils. This winter, especially, proved particularly tepid.
That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, not after a shortened 2020 campaign without fans in the stands due to the coronavirus pandemic. Front offices were left to deal with significant revenue losses and an overall air of uncertainty for how the upcoming season will play out.
But even amid the unknown that the coming weeks and months will bring, one constant remained: MLB’s biggest free agent names still got paid — and paid well.