Sometimes, the moves that make the biggest impacts in sports are the ones that are swept under the rug in favor of more high-profile transactions.
It’s no different in baseball than it is in any other sport. Would the Kansas City Royals have won a World Series title without the additions of Kendrys Morales and Edinson Volquez? Jed Lowrie and Colby Rasmus paid huge dividends for the Houston Astros last season, while A.J. Burnett worked out just fine for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In a winter filled with big names and even bigger contracts, there are many impact moves flying under the radar once again.
While the baseball world was fixated on the trades of Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman, the Astros improved significantly with the addition of Ken Giles. The New York Mets didn’t re-sign playoff hero Daniel Murphy, but Neil Walker is more than a consolation prize.
Those are just a few of the players we’ll touch on over the following slides. What other moves are flying under the radar this winter? Make sure to let us know in the comments section below.
Let’s dive right in with our fifth-most underrated move.