MLB GM: Teams Have to Be 'Pretty Desperate, or Even Stupid' to Trade for 1-Year Stars

This year's MLB offseason has the chance to be "boom-or-bust" for MLB general managers.

The free agent class is headlined by the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger and Josh Hader, but plenty of other available players have shown flashes of greatness but have lacked in some consistency.

Pitchers like Corbin Burnes and Tyler Glasnow and hitters like Juan Soto look like prime trade targets for teams, especially since the free agent class is lacking in depth among high-end players.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that GM's are curious to see which team's will make a big swing at the high-risk, high-reward players.

"I think the most fascinating part of these winter meetings,'' one GM told Nightengale. "is to see if anyone will bite on any of these one-year guys like Soto, [Tyler] Glasnow and [Corbin] Burnes . There's not a Mookie Betts here. The Dodgers didn't give up anything to sign Betts and were still able to sign him to an extension."

The team that does make that swing may not be looked at as the most savvy among the rest of the league, especially if the trade package includes significant assets.

"You've got to be pretty desperate, or even stupid, to give up a ton for one of these guys," one GM told Nightengale.

Burnes has shown flashes of being the best pitcher in MLB during his time. This was best defined by his 11-5, 2.43 ERA season in 2021 that saw him take home the NL Cy Young award. He has remained effective, sporting a 10-8 record with a 3.39 ERA in 2023, but is a somewhat risky acquisition because he could be a candidate for regression.

Glasnow is lights out when healthy. This is best defined by his stretch in 2019 when he sported a 1.78 ERA and a 6-1 record in 12 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays. However, his significant injury history complicates his value, and parting with significant prospects could really damage whatever team acquires him if he were to continue to struggle with injuries.

Soto is certainly the most renowned, most significant and safest bet of the three players mentioned. He hit .275 with 35 home runs and 97 RBIs in 2023, is a three-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger and helped guide the Washington Nationals to a World Series in 2019.

The issue with Soto would come with the significant haul a team would need to part with to acquire him and the lack of a long-term commitment. He notably would like to test free agency in 2024, so mortgaging a team's future for possibly just a single season of Soto is something that could certainly set a franchise back significantly.

Team's like the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers always appear to be options to make a splash for these types of players, but whatever team does decide to make the splash will need to hope the reward is worth the high risk.