It’s been three months since Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Max Scherzer found new baseball homes amid an unprecedented spending spree on free agents.
Three long months of nothing, at least for fans used to filling their winters with updates off the hot stove.
That’s about to change – and fast. Players voted Thursday to halt the sport’s lockout and agree to terms with Major League Baseball on a new collective bargaining agreement. That ended a 99-day work stoppage and an accompanying roster freeze that left stars such as Carlos Correa and Freddie Freeman among the 138 MLB free agents in limbo.
It’s hard to imagine anything can compete with the last-minute splurge by clubs before the lockout, when they committed a record $1.4 billion in a single day. However, with Kris Bryant and Clayton Kershaw among those still without a team for 2022 and beyond, expect another big buzz as MLB formally lifts its freeze on transactions.
MLB management held a call with the teams’ general managers Thursday night, going over the rules for free agency.
“When that call ends,” Arizona Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall predicted, “the frenzy begins.”
Fans of the Atlanta Braves will continue to hold their breath on the fate of Freeman, the 32-year-old first baseman who was the National League MVP two years ago and last fall led the franchise to its first World Series championship since 1995.
The team’s title capped a fifth All-Star season for Freeman – he batted .300 with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs and had an on-base plus slugging percentage of .896 – who could eventually be a candidate for a designated hitter’s role. One of the changes brought on by MLB’s new labor deal is the expansion of the DH to the NL; the American League has allowed someone else to hit for its pitchers since 1973.
A native of California, Freeman was a second-round pick of the Braves in 2007 as the No. 78 overall selection of that year’s draft. He has never played for another MLB team, but despite his apparently tight ties to Atlanta, his contract with the Braves expired without a new deal in place.
Freeman seemed like a prime candidate to follow friend and mentor Chipper Jones, the Hall of Fame third baseman, in being a lifelong Brave. If that doesn’t happen, it’s not hard to picture nearly every big-market team trying to take a run at him.
AP file photo by Winslow Towson / Carlos Correa spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Houston Astros, but the 27-year-old shortstop and two-time All-Star is one of the biggest names on a free agent market that is expected to be very busy now that MLB’s work stoppage has ended.Here are some other developments to watch:
IN SHORT SUPPLY
A star quintet of shortstops headlined this year’s class of free agents, but three of them came off the board before the work stoppage: Seager and Semien went to the Texas Rangers, and Javier Báez signed with the Detroit Tigers.
Correa and Trevor Story remain unsigned, with Andrelton Simmons also available for suitors who might miss out.
Correa, the 2015 AL rookie of the year and a two-time All-Star, was considered the top player on the market entering the offseason and is certain to get the biggest deal of the players left this spring. The 27-year-old batted .279 with 26 homers, 92 RBIs and an .850 OPS for Houston in 2021, perhaps shaking some concerns about his durability by playing 148 games – his first time with at least 111 since 2016.
Two targets loom for Correa: Seager’s $325 million, 10-year deal was the biggest signed this offseason, and Francisco Lindor’s $341 million, 10-year contract with the New York Mets is the record payday for a shortstop.
Correa is looking for a deep-pocketed team in need of infield help. Conveniently, the New York Yankees top the list of clubs without a shortstop.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman has heaped praise on Correa, saying in November that negative fan reaction tied to Houston’s sign-stealing scandal was “not going to enter my calculus” and that Correa was “clearly not afraid.”
The 29-year-old Story has played six stellar seasons with the Colorado Rockies and hit .251 with 24 homers and 75 RBIs in 2021, surprisingly remaining in Denver all season instead of being traded to a contender. He could get something similar to Báez’s $140 million, six-year deal with Detroit.
Simmons won the most recent of his four Gold Gloves in 2018 and batted just .223 with three homers for the Minnesota Twins last year.
UNIVERSAL DEMAND
Several players stand to benefit from waiting to sign until the NL’s permanent adoption of the DH was in place.
Nick Castellanos should get the biggest payday of the group. The 29-year-old hit .309 with 34 homers and 100 RBIs for the Cincinnati Reds in 2021, but his outfield defense is just OK. Kyle Schwarber, who hit 32 homers for the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox last year, has a similar profile.
Nelson Cruz struggled after a midseason trade to the Tampa Bay Rays last year, but the 41-year-old still hit 32 homers and should get an everyday job. World Series MVP Jorge Soler also remains available after making a postseason splash with the Braves.
FANCY IMPORT
Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki was posted by Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hiroshima Toya Carp on Nov. 22, and his 30-day window to sign with an MLB team was paused by the shutdown. He’ll have 20 days to find a deal. Agent Joel Wolfe told Japanese media in November that from eight to 15 teams had expressed interest.
ON THE RANGE?
A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Kershaw hasn’t committed to a reunion with the Los Angeles Dodgers – where he’s spent his entire career – and there’s speculation he could try to stay closer to his Dallas home by joining the Rangers. The Dodgers did not extend a qualifying offer to the 33-year-old pitcher as a courtesy, meaning Texas would not have to sacrifice a draft pick to sign the ace left-hander.
TRADE MARKET
Trades were also put on hold during the freeze, but front offices have had months to cook up some headline-worthy swaps. There’s speculation the Oakland Athletics may look to unload star infielders Matt Chapman and Matt Olson as part of a cost-saving teardown, and the Chicago White Sox might move reliever Craig Kimbrel with Liam Hendricks locked into the closer’s role. Teams searching for starting pitching might inquire with Cincinnati on Sonny Gray, a two-time All-Star.
BEST OF THE REST
Bryant could fit onto nearly any roster because of his versatility – he played more games in the outfield than at third base for the first time last season, including 19 appearances in center. … Left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodón didn’t get a qualifying offer from the White Sox despite finishing fifth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021.. … Other names of note: outfielder Michael Conforto, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, right-handed pitcher Kenley Jansen and outfielder Eddie Rosario, MVP of the NL Championship Series for the Braves.