The Storm Before the Calm

When Corey Seager indicated he wanted to sign before the lockout, you knew he wouldn't be the only one.  But I don't think anybody expected the crazy flurry of free agent signings we've seen over the past 72 hours.  Instead of the typical Hot Stove League, where we have to wait months for anything to happen, there's so much going on it's enough to give you whiplash.  The December 1 CBA expiration has suddenly turned the end of November into the trade deadline!

They're not all going to sign before the lockout, of course.  Kris Bryant has said he'll wait, and he won't be the only one.  Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo, Carlos Correa and Trevor Story are also still out there, along with plenty of others.  So the Hot Stove will definitely heat up again once the labor situation is settled.  We just have no idea when that'll be!  (My guess is late January/early February.)

It isn't just the marquee free agents who've gotten the big contracts, either.  The Rays locked in Wander Franco to a mega deal, and the Twins made sure they got Byron Buxton paid before he hit free agency (remember when Buxton was hitting like .180 and got sent down a couple years ago?).  And Brandon Belt never even hit free agency, agreeing to the Giants' qualifying offer instead.

What's been surprising, though, is the teams that have been involved.  Or, more specifically, which teams haven't.  The Mets and Rangers have gone all-in (more on that in a second).  The Tigers have been big spenders for the first time in forever.  And the Blue Jays have shown they clearly were NOT happy about finishing fourth last season.  Meanwhile, not a peep from the Yankees, Red Sox or Dodgers.

While there's still plenty of time for the usual suspects to get involved after the transaction freeze is lifted, it's already clear that several teams will look drastically different in 2022.  Whether it's for better or worse remains to be seen.  But none of these teams can be accused of sitting on their hands and doing nothing.

Mets: The most obvious of those teams is the Mets.  In the span of about 12 hours over the weekend, they signed Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha.  That was just the warm-up act, though.  They landed the biggest fish out there in Max Scherzer, giving them the scariest 1-2 pitching combo in all of baseball.  Steve Cohen clearly isn't afraid of spending money to make his team better.  And he's shown it!

Rangers: Why sign one free agent shortstop when you can sign two?  Texas got Marcus Semien, then gave Corey Seager his megadeal.  Now Seager will get to play all of his home games in the stadium where he was both NLCS and World Series MVP in 2020.  Although, the Rangers signing a shortstop a 10-year deal immediately made me think "A-Rod!"  My prediction is that history repeats itself and Seager is traded long before then.

Tigers: Carlos Correa reuniting with A.J. Hinch in Detroit was evidently a done deal.  Until the Tigers went and got Javy Baez to play shortstop instead.  And they also enhanced their rotation by adding Eduardo Rodriguez.  The White Sox are still the best team in the AL Central, but the Tigers already look like they'll actually be competitive.  I have a feeling they aren't done, either.  (This is just me randomly throwing it out there, but how about a reunion with Nick Castellanos?)

Mariners: Seattle won 90 games last season and hasn't made the playoffs since 2001.  So the Mariners are obviously in win now mode.  That's why they traded for second baseman Adam Frazier.  But that's not all.  They got reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray from the Blue Jays.  Now, I'm not sure Ray can carry a rotation the way the Mariners are hoping, but I guess we'll find out.  Just like Detroit, I don't think we've heard the last from Seattle.  I curious to see what else the Mariners do after the lockout.  (Could Seattle be Bryant's landing spot?)

Angels: Can you tell the rest of the AL West is getting sick of seeing the Astros win all the time?  The Angels made the first real big splash of the winter with their one-year, $21 million deal with Noah Syndergaard.  They've since added Michael Lorenzen, who, like a certain other player on their roster, both hits and pitches (I guess the theory is, "We've already got one, so why not two?!")  And, hey, they finally addressed the pitching staff, which has been their glaring weakness for years!

Blue Jays: Toronto's chances of keeping Semien probably weren't that high, and they also lost a pair of starting pitchers in Ray and Steven Matz.  So what did they do to make up for those losses?  Re-sign Jose Berrios and go get Kevin Gausman for five years!  You've got a sense they aren't done, either.  While the aren't necessarily better, they've at the very least made sure that the AL East will once again be a four-team race.

Marlins: Believe it or not, Miami has been one of the most active teams in baseball so far this winter.  They've only made one big free agent singing in Avisail Garcia, but have made a couple significant trades.  They picked up catcher Jacob Stallings from the Pirates and Rays infielder Joey Wendle.  There's still a large talent gap in the NL East, but the Marlins have definitely improved.

Rays: Tampa Bay doesn't give out long-term contracts.  Which tells you all you need to know about what they think of Wander Franco!  Plus, they shored up their rotation by inking Corey Kluber to a one-year deal.  That, of course, comes with considerable risk because of Kluber's injury history.  But if he can stay healthy for the entire year and return to his old form, that could be a steal.  This is a team that won 100 games last season, mind you!

That's just what's happened so far.  Things will surely pick up again after the lockout.  And, I have a feeling, even though they've been quiet so far, the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers will enter the fray before all is said and done.  Because as frenetic as the past week has been, we're a long way from the end of this year's Hot Stove League.  Not by a long shot.