MARKET MOTIVATION
Handful of teams under pressure to act quickly
PRIOR to Thanksgiving last offseason, just two multi-year deals were reached — both went to catchers, both for two years. Kurt Suzuki received $10 million from the Nationals and Jeff Mathis got $6.25 million from the Rangers.
Before the Lions lost on the holiday again this year, seven multi-year freeagent deals were done this season — eight if you include the three-year extension the White Sox constructed with Jose Abreu after tendering him a contract. Representatives generally had reported more aggressive talk and action with clubs this offseason than the slow walk in recent years that has so infuriated the Players Association.
Still, the multi-year markets have mainly been restricted to relief and again catching, with Washington once more handing out a two-year, $10 million pact to a receiver, this time to Yan Gomes. The Braves have been the most aggressive team, with three multi-year deals — to relievers Chris Martin and Will Smith, a nd c atcher Travis d’Arnaud.
One agency (CAA) represented the top two lefty relievers in Smith (three years, $40 million) and Drew Pomeranz ( four years, $ 36 million, Padres) and another (Wasserman) repped the top two catchers in Yasmani Grandal (four years, $73 million) and d’Arnaud (two years, $16 million). Thus, they were able to quickly decipher the market peaks and act.
At this point, Scott Boras has held to his more familiar playbook of letting markets slowly develop as he reps seven of the dozen or so elite free agents, including the three best — Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon.
There also has not been a stop-thepresses trade a month into the offseason, despite the belief that Boston’s Mookie Betts, the Cubs’ Kris Bryant and Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor are attainable.
Historically, teams feel out markets through Thanksgiving, then grow bolder post-turkey. So here are the five teams under the most pressure to act:
ANGELS
A fourth straight losing record made Brad Ausmus a oneand-done manager, with owner Arte Moreno motivating the hiring of Joe Maddon, who inherits a roster with Mike Trout and … Shohei Ohtani, returning from Tommy John. Andrelton Simmons and Justin Upton are coming off injury-filled down years. Albert Pujols is mainly a payroll albatross. The threat of what can still come out from investigation into Tyler Skaggs’ opioid-related death last year looms over the organization.
They should probably act cautiously. Except t hey already have wasted so much of Trout’s prime that they must act. Cole grew up near their stadium, and perhaps the Angels have to give him a blank check. They can’t stop there. They need lots of pitching. Remember how the Dodgers gave the Red Sox a financial get-of-jail card assuming the contracts of Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez in August 2012? Could the Angels do the same now for a Red Sox team desperate to reduce payroll?
If the Angels were willing to take on David Price (three years, $96 million) and Nathan Eovaldi (three years, $51 million), how little would Boston take in prospects for Betts, who the Red Sox have to know at this point will test free agency next offseason?
PHILLIES
No team has spent more on free agency the past two years, plus spent big prospect capital to l and J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura. Yet they still have no winning seasons since 2011. Gabe Kapler was fired and Joe Girardi will bring a greater experience and sense of order as manager. But the Phils still have the fourth-most talent in the NL East and an owner (John Middleton) hungering to get back to the playoffs. Like the Angels, they need multiple starters.
RED SOX
They won it all in 2018, missed the playoffs in 2019, fired Dave Dombrowski (head of their baseball operations), have a manager in Alex Cora who might be tied up in the Astros’ electronic pitch-stealing scandal from when he was their bench coach in 2017, owners calling for major pay reductions, and a great, popular homegrown player in his prime in Betts, who has given no indications he will re-sign in Boston before free agency.
So Chaim Bloom, who replaced Dombrowski, has a full plate at what feels like a pivotal moment for the organization to try not to get so caught up in maximizing this year’s team as to mess up the near future. Can Bloom trade Price or Eovaldi? What can be gotten for Betts, whose value is hurt by having just one year of control and a 2020 salary that will at least approach $30 million?
NATIONALS
They succeeded the Red Sox as champs, erasing their reputation as postseason chokers. So that stigma no longer lingers. But they have made attempts to retain Rendon and Strasburg, so far unsuccessfully. How long will they dance with Boras — with whom they have a superb relationship — before having to pivot elsewhere to make sure they are not locked out of other strong options at third base and in the rotation?
Keeping a strong rotation is always a Washington priority, so will the Nats risk letting, say, the Zack Wheelers and Madison Bumgarners come off the board and then if Strasburg, say, signs with his hometown Padres, have fewer appetizing options? This is not a team that has any plans to take a step back. The Nats want to try to win again and know the Braves are going to be tough to eclipse in the NL East — not to mention the Mets and Phillies.
TWINS
They have a window to be more than one-year wonders in the AL Central. The Royals and Tigers are two of the majors’ worst teams. The White Sox are trying to improve, but have a lot of road to cover. The Indians are still strong, but facing reality with Lindor. Minnesota has a strong positional nucleus and barely more than $10 million committed for the 2021 season. So the Twins have lots of payroll flexibility and a strong farm system to pursue a top starter or two, plus some relief help. If the Twins play this right, they can be more than an AL Cen
tral power.