Two things were distinctly obvious as the Major League Baseball hot stove season began this winter.
First, the Cincinnati Reds desperately needed some pitching upgrades. Their starting rotation, while talented, was still incredibly young and inexperienced - with much of that inexperience due to their inability to stay healthy.
Second, the Chicago White Sox were entering a rebuild. They finished the 2023 season some 40 games under .500, waived goodbye to longtime SS Tim Anderson, dealt the likes of Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Lance Lynn at the trade deadline, dealt Gregory Santos to the Mariners, and have been flirting with the idea of trading Dylan Cease since November.