This MLB Offseason Is… Great?
After two straight winters of despair, filled with star players languishing unsigned deep into April, teams being straight up dishonest about their financial constraints, and a work stoppage looming ever larger, the 2019 MLB offseason is BACK!
This winter has seen tons of player movement, with big stars getting massive pay days (Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg); middle of the road teams (Rangers, Reds, White Sox, Blue Jays) jumping in on really good veterans; heck, even some trades. The OTBB Free Agent Predictor has been busy, and some franchises have really struck it rich.
Let’s take stock of the field.
Chicago White Sox
After sitting all winter with no deal, Dallas Kuechel singed a multi-year, big money contract on the South Side – with a third or fourth place team that sees its window opening and thinks if it can add some pieces in strategic spots; can contend in the next couple years.
The White Sox, of course, weren’t content with just Keuchel. They also added Gio Gonzalez and Yasmani Grandal via free agency and Nomar Mazara via trade.
Cincinnati Reds
Similarly, the Reds are a third or fourth place team that sees an opening (we’ll get to that in a second). They went out and proved us right, adding Mike Moustakas on that multi year deal he’s been after forever. (Not the only one we nailed, by the way.)
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are also a third or fourth place team who see an opening (theirs, admittedly, is a little harder to see). First, Toronto added high-upside vet Travis Shaw on a small deal – something more in line with what we’ve been seeing over the last couple years and with what we might expect from the Jays. But there were rumblings of something bigger. First, rumors that the Jays were interested in their former hurler JA Happ, most recently of the New York Yankees, and then David Price of the Boston Red Sox (and his massive contract).
And then out of nowhere, they swooped in and signed Hyun-Jin Ryu to a 4 year, $80 million deal! That’s exactly the type of ‘they did WHAT?!’ signing that has made us love the Hot Stove so much (before the last couple seasons.)
Texas Rangers
Another mid-division team is making moves, as the Rangers added 2 time Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber via trade with the Indians. Coupled with Lance Lynn and Mike Minor, the Rangers have a suddenly formidable rotation with which to go chasing the Astros and A’s.
New York Yankees
The Yankees see themselves as as title contenders, one starter away from a championship. And just like in bygone years, Brian Cashman went out and got his fanbase the best starter available. This offseason, it happened to be All-World Gerrit Cole, and the cost attested at $324 million, the largest contract ever for a pitcher.
This deal is right in line with previous Yankee signings of guys like Jason Giambi, CC Sabathia, and even Alex Rodriguez – it echos the much-maligned mega contracts of the early 2000’s. The Yankees are a team that goes and gets the guy they think can most help them, without financial constraints, and with the Cole signing they’ve re-embraced that identity.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Anthony Rendon to the Angels, is also a pretty typical old school free agent contract, even mirroring the tit-for-tat, rivalry-driven behavior that made that era’s offseasons so engaging. The Angels made a run at Cole, came up short, had money to spend that they’d already earmarked for a big name free agent, and went and got the next best guy. I love it. It makes baseball fun.
Where does that leave us?
As I sit here writing now, Josh Donaldson and Marcel Ozuna are the only impact free agents left on the board – and that’s exactly what’s supposed to happen! That’s exactly the type of thinking that free agency is designed for! The whole idea is that among the 30 teams, enough of them will be in different points of their contention cycles that there will always be someone willing to spend big on free agents.
The structured frugality of these last few seasons has been the exception to a longstanding rule, but it’s been a harsh exception. And it still hangs thick over baseball, despite the money changing hands the past few months.
Despite record revenues in the sport, the Red Sox are rumored to be trying to trade Mookie Betts; the Cubs are shopping Kris Bryant; the Indians traded Corey Kluber to the Rangers for a bag of peanuts to shed his salary. It’s utter nonsense and it’s a serious problem.
We’ve said it in this space and elsewhere ad nauseam: as long as teams are fraudulently crying poverty to avoid putting the best possible team on the field – be it the Florida Marlins or the Red Sox – the sport is in trouble and things are going to come to a head.
I’m not sure how long this return to more traditional free agency will last, and I bet we’re still likely headed for some labor acrimony, but I’m glad for this interlude of normalcy, however brief. Let’s enjoy that the Blue Jays think they can catch the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays – and are willing to spend now to prove it. Let’s get ready for a 4 way race for the NL Central title, and let’s get excited to watch Corey Kluber dominate the Trashstros in the middle of a playoff race in October.
Shheeit – I’m already excited.
