January isn’t the best month for baseball junkies. It’s MLB‘s no man’s land—a slow stretch of time between the main nerve of the hot stove season and spring training.
This January, however, brought some drama for a change.
The hot stove provided more heat than usual, as high-profile free-agent deals were struck, and a couple trades were made as well. One of those was the Justin Upton blockbuster we’d been waiting for since the mid-18th century.
Not all of the headlines were positive, though. Some players didn’t make out so well in January, and the month wrapped up with a Miami New Times report that thrust another PED scandal on MLB’s hands.
Looking back, there were just as many losers in January as there were winners. Here’s a look at who made out the best and who made out the worst.
Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Salary and contract info courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts.