The days are getting warmer and the sun is starting to shine… it’s time for baseball! The start of every season brings many new changes, and it wouldn’t feel like the season started if you didn’t say, “Wait, he’s on this team?!” To save you from that embarrassment, this article will tell you about all the offseason’s biggest changes. Below is a list of the 5 biggest free-agent signings of the offseason.
- The biggest name going into the offseason was Juan Soto, who was sought after because of his skill and age. Experts have been speculating about his contract for months, but nothing could have prepared the baseball world for a 15 year, $765 million dollar contract with the Mets. The deal contains a full no-trade clause, a $75 million signing bonus, an opt-out after five seasons, and no deferred money. The Mets have the ability to void Soto’s opt-out clause after the 2029 season if they boost the average annual value of the final 10 years of his deal from $51 million to $55 million. In that case, the overall deal would be for 15 years and $805 million — a $53.66 million AAV.
- Two- time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell was a highly sought after pitcher this year. He chose the Dodgers, who were looking for another ace to add to their rotation. He signed a 5 year, 182 million dollar contract.
- Roki Sasaki – Coming from Japan, Roki Sasaki was the biggest international name this year. Many assumed that he would be joining fellow Japanese players Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers, and they assumed correctly. He will not be making as much money as them, as he is only 23 and considered an amateur. This means he has six years under club control and is on a rookie salary with a 6.5 million dollar bonus. Had he waited two years, he could have been on a larger contract, but Sasaki wanted to pitch in the MLB this year.
- The Red Sox wanted a right handed bat, and they got one of the best on this year’s market in Alex Bregman. The long time Astro had many teams interested, but ultimately decided on the Red Sox and signed a 3 year, 120 million dollar contract, with 2 opt outs and deferred money.
- Corbin Burnes was another highly sought after pitcher, and no one expected him to take less money just so he could live in Phoenix, but that’s exactly what he did. He signed a 6 year, 210 million dollar contract with the Diamondbacks. The deal includes an opt-out clause for Burnes after the second season and deferred money.
Beyond those 5 signings, many more star players will be putting on a different uniform this year. Here is a list of those players and their contracts.
Tesocar Hernandez – Dodgers – 3 years, 66 million
Tanner Scott – Dodgers – 4 years, 72 million
Anthony Santander – Blue Jays – 5 years, 92.5 million
Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers – 1 year, 7.5 million
Pete Alonso – Mets – 2 year, 54 million (first year opt out)
Justin Turner – Cubs – 1 year, 6 million
Jack Flaherty – Tigers – 2 years, 35 million
Max Scherzer – Blue Jays – 15.5 million, 1 year
Ha-Seong Kim – Rays – 2 years, 29 million
Kirby Yates – Dodgers – 1 year, 13 million (14 million if 55 games pitched)
Jurickson Profar – Braves – 3 years, 42 million
Jeff Hoffman – Blue Jays – 3 years, 33 million
Kenley Jansen – Angels – 1 year, 10 million
Justin Verlander – Giants – 1 year, 15 million
Hyeseong Kim – Dodgers – 3 years, 12.5 million
Walker Buehler – Red Sox, 1 year, 21.05 million
Joc Pederson – Rangers – 2 years, 37 million (opt out after first year)
Gleybor Torres – Tigers – 1 year, 15 million
Sean Manaea – Mets – 3 years, 75 million
Paul Goldschmit – Yankees – 1 year, 12.5 million
Christian Walker – Astros – 3 years, 60 million
Patrick Sandoval – Red Sox – 2 years, 18.25 million
Now that you know what team free agents chose, all you need is peanuts and cracker-jacks and you are ready for the season!
