While many had speculated that plenty of action could happen with free agency, trades, and other transactions around Major League Baseball in the coming days before the CBA expired and a potential lock out occurred, few were likely predicting Sunday to be as action packed as it was.
Why the crazy rush of deals this weekend? Multiple executives believe that if deals aren’t agreed to by tomorrow night, it’s unlikely they can get completed with physicals, language, etc, by Wednesday night when the CBA is set to expire. Could be a crazy 24 hours.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 29, 2021
It seems a big reason for the mad scramble and free agent frenzy is because MLB teams want to gain as much certainty about their rosters before the uncertainty of a lock out begins. As a result, many major signings occurred on Sunday, including Kevin Guasman, Marcus Semien, and Jon Gray.
Of course, a few other signings were reported to be close. This included Max Scherzer likely being on his way to the New York Mets. After the Mets already landed Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar, landing Scherzer would certainly make an offseason that looked horrible at times during November look much better moving forward.
Of course, there still are a few days before the CBA officially expires, so even more activity could occur over the next 48-72 hours.
Braves News
- While many other MLB teams made moves over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Braves remained quiet on their end. In the meantime, a few fun player reviews to enjoy on Max Fried and Adam Duvall are available to read on the Talking Chop website.
MLB News
- One of the biggest free agents in this year’s class, Marcus Semien, found a new home on Sunday with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers were expected to be one of the bigger spenders in baseball this offseason, and they certainly did not disappoint landing one of the best hitters in the American League over the past few years on a seven-year, $175M commitment. Semien immediately adds a big bat to the middle of the Rangers order that it has been missing for a few years.
- While Texas a made big addition to its lineup, it also made a big addition to its rotation. The Rangers agreed to a four-year, $56M deal with former Rockies starter Jon Gray.
- The Twins and Byron Buxton agreed to a seven year, $100M extension on Sunday. It seems to be a good value deal for both sides. If Buxton plays, he easily can make the deal into a bargain in a few years. If he were not able to stay healthy, it certainly is a great payday for him. The one thing that seems for sure is that Buxton will be in Minnesota for the foreseeable future.
- Veteran starter Corey Kluber agreed to a one year, $8M deal with the Rays. Kluber, who has battled injuries in recent years and missed a significant part of 2021, may not be the annual Cy Young candidate that he once was. However, Tampa Bay is one of the best places in baseball to get your career back on track if you are a pitcher, so it seems like a good signing for both Kluber and the Rays.
- The Florida Marlins made one of their bigger free agent moves in recent years as they signed outfield Avisail Garcia. Just like when they signed Adam Duvall last year, the Marlins were looking to find a long-term, reliable addition to their outfield this winter. Garcia has been a solid bat for years now with a great arm in the outfield, and the Marlins made sure he would call Miami home for a few years. The Marlins also agreed to a five-year extension with Sandy Alcantara that had been reported to be in the works several days ago.
- After losing Semien earlier in the day and other big contributors from last year currently being free agents, the Blue Jays made sure to make a big move of their own. The Blue Jays signed Kevin Gausman to a five-year, $110M deal on Sunday. Many Teams were reportedly in on Gausman, but the Blue Jays were steadfast on making their interest known and guaranteeing a big commitment to him. Guasman will join a very good Blue Jays rotation that will likely remain in tact for years to come.
- Of course, while the signings above seem to be in a more “official” or “reported” status, many outlets are reporting Max Scherzer is very close to signing a long-term deal with the New York Mets. While the details of a potential deal are yet to be reported, Scherzer could earn around $40M per year over multiple years.
- Reliever Michael Lorenzen also appears to be nearing a deal with the Angels, who continue to try and find ways to bolster their rotation and bullpen for next season.