MLB Free Agency
The offseason is here with the Houston Astros winning the World Series and wrapping up the 2022 postseason.
So, what's next?
As of now, the 2023 Spring Training will start on Saturday, February 25. There will be the regular MLB teams playing, as well as different World Baseball Classic teams.
Until then, you might think that baseball is at a standstill, but right now, a team's most influential factors are being decided: Who will sign a contract?
Here is a list of my top five free agents to keep an eye on leading up to the 2023 season:
Aaron Judge (RF) - The "Homerun King" himself has not signed back with the Yankees after receiving the 2022 American League MVP award.
Justin Verlander (SP) - The poster child of the Astros bullpen, now the winner of 3 Cy Young awards has not signed back.
Jacob deGrom (SP) - He only had 26 starts over the last two seasons with the Mets, due to injuries, however, he remains one of the most talented starting pitchers in the sport.
Trea Turner (SS) - This shortstop from the Dodgers has record-breaking speed, making this the perfect year to sign him. With bigger bases being installed due to recent rule changes, stealing bases will be more encouraged than ever.
Carlos Correa (SS) - With both the highest number of WAR over the past 2 years in short stops and opting out of his current contract with the Twins, it will be interesting to see where he lands.
!UPDATE!
4 of the 5 players on this list have signed contracts for the 2023 season!
Aaron Judge made history by signing back with the Yankees. His new contract? 9 years for 360 million. That's an annual salary of 40 mil a year!
Justin Verlander left the Astros for the Mets. As an Astros fan myself, I am sad about it, but I really can't blame the guy. The Mets offered him a 2-year contract for 86 million! Annually, he will get 43 mil for what will probably be his last years.
The Mets might have gotten Verlander, but they also lost Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers. He signed a 5-year, 185-million-dollar contract. That means 37 million a year.
The longest contract on this list, however, is the former Dodger, Trea Turner's, 11-year contract with the Phillies. With how far the Phillies have made it and how good their offense was this past season, now bolstered by one of the greatest shortstops in the league, we can expect great things from this team. Even though he had the longest contract, he will get the lowest annual salary on the list, only 27 mil a year. (I hope you know I'm being sarcastic with the 'only')
Finally, the former Twin, Carlos Correa, has not yet signed, but with everyone else on the list spoken for, I feel that he will continue providing a sense of excitement due to the whole 'where-on-earth-is-this-man-going' state of mind.
!YET ANOTHER UPDATE!
Carlos Correa has signed a whopping 13-year-long contract with the San Francisco Giants for 350 million, which comes out to 27.5 mil a year. After the Giant's mediocre season and then losing a possible contract with Judge, they need a new face to bolster the franchise. As long as Correa doesn't have any back pain throughout the season, we should expect him to do the job perfectly.
