Hold on to your popcorn, baseball fans, because the Hot Stove is colder than a Yeti’s freezer right now. While free agent sluggers have been snatched up quicker than Mike Trout gobbles fly balls, the pitching market? Tumbleweeds, friends. Tumbleweeds. So, what’s the deal with empty innings and stalled deals? Why are aces like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery twiddling their thumbs, waiting for that perfect contract curveball?

In an Exclusive interview with EssentiallySports’ Mohsin Baldiwala and Abhay Aggarwal, revered MLB insider Jim Callis spilled the beans. It turns out that baseball is a game of patience, after all—one that is played on both sides of the diamond.

Jim Callis sheds light on why Snell, Montgomery, and MLB pitching deals are MIA

On the players’ end, it’s all about maximizing their worth. With spring training still a month away, there’s no rush to settle. Snell and Montgomery, Jim Callis suggests, are “holding out to see if there’s more money out there.” And hey, can anyone blame them? If someone throws fireballs for a living, wouldn’t they want the biggest paycheck to match the pace?

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But it’s not just about the moolah. In the EssentiallySports exclusive interview, Callis points out that “those guys are still working out,” staying sharp, and preparing for the season, contract or not. They’re not exactly kicking back on hammocks, sipping Mai Tais, and waiting for offers to roll in. So, where does that leave the teams?

Well, they’re playing their own hands too. While most need pitching desperately, Jim Callis says some might not be “willing to pay what it takes” for top-tier arms like Snell and Montgomery. It’s a classic supply-and-demand tango, with teams waiting for prices to drop before making their move. The result? A slow-motion free-agent waltz, leaving fans tapping their feet and wondering when, oh, when, will the pitching party pick up?

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Jim Callis predicts in the EssentiallySports Exclusive interview that deals will eventually heat up, maybe closer to spring training. Until then, it’s a waiting game—a tense standoff between millionaire hurlers and cautious clubs. Who will blink first? Who will make the move that ignites the off-season inferno?

Read More: EXCLUSIVE: Top MLB Analyst Jim Callis Opens Up on Shohei Ohtani’s Unique Deferrals, Emphasizes It’s Unprecedented Nature

Tune in, folks, because this pitching poker game is just getting started. And when it does explode, get ready for a flurry of fastballs, curveballs, and maybe even a few contract bombshells. Baseball, after all, is never short on drama!