MLB Blockbusters

More baseball content because I miss it! Because the Nationals are boring, I’m gonna talk about all the deals that are actually worth mentioning AKA the “blockbusters.” I’ll cover the ones featured on the MLB.com website, as well as some others that I find particularly interesting or noteworthy. 

Yankees sign Aaron Judge; 9 years, $360 million

If the Yankees had allowed Judge to walk, New York may have burned to the ground. Unfortunately for Red Sox fans, Steinbrenner did not allow that to happen, shelling out record money for the reigning AL MVP. To clarify my opinion here, I think the Yankees made the right call. They had to keep Judge for many reasons: not only is he a generational talent, but they would’ve lost the support of their entire fanbase had they allowed him to walk, not to mention a whole lotta production. Do I think he’s worth that much? Yeah, probably, but not for that long. Again, they had no other option, but Judge is gonna be 40 at the end of this contract, and just like other aging sluggers (cough cough Albert Pujols), the back end of long contracts like this usually don’t work out. Judge wouldn’t have stayed if he wasn’t offered a contract like this, so the Yankees will have to live or die by the terms that were essentially forced upon them. If they win a ring, it’ll all be worth it. 

Rangers sign Jacob deGrom; 5 years, $185 million

Not a fan of this one. deGrom has been dominating the NL East with the Mets for years now, and he’s the greatest pitcher on the planet when healthy. Unfortunately for every baseball fan, he hasn’t been healthy; I’m not sure that a huge investment in an aging, perpetually-injured starter was the smartest decision for a rebuilding franchise, but if deGrom can give the Rangers any version of himself from the past 8 years for 100-150 innings a season over the duration of this contract, it would be difficult to say it wasn’t worth it. I don’t think that’s what’s gonna happen, but I hope he proves me wrong.

Phillies sign Trea Turner; 11 years, $300 million

This one hurt me on a personal level, but I have a hard time saying it’s a bad deal. Not only is Trea somehow receiving less than $30 million AAV, but he’s also locked up for 11 years. Remember, folks, in a stacked class of shortstops, this guy was the best one, and somehow the Phillies got him on a bargain. Like Judge, Turner will be 40 years old at the end of this contract; unlike Judge, Turner is not being paid $40 million a year, and will probably age better, considering his track record of success and his play style. In 6 years, players like Trea Turner will be receiving wayyy more money, and the Phillies will thank their lucky stars that they got him at such a bargain. 

Twins sign Carlos Correa; 6 years, $200 million

What a chronicle. Correa was a Giant, then a Met, then a Twin again, all because nobody was willing to take on the risks evident in his pre-signing physical evaluation. The whole situation was a complete fiasco; for once, I’m with Boras on this one. I’m not sure why the Mets thought they could get the same doctor’s opinion that the Giants did, and come away with a different opinion on the matter; regardless, the Twins got their guy. 

To be honest, though, I’m not sure they needed him. Sure, if he stays healthy, this contract could be a pretty good detail, but I’m not sure how they could justify paying him more than Turner, who has a less dangerous injury history and similar, if not higher, productivity (Turner’s career OPS is, believe it or not, higher than Correa’s). Maybe I’m biased, considering Trea was my favorite player for a long time, but I’m not sure the Twins would’ve wanted to make this deal even if Correa wasn’t injury prone, but when you add in multiple failed physicals, I have a hard time believing this deal will work out for Minnesota.

Padres sign Xander Bogaerts; 11 years, $280 million

If Turner’s contract is fair, this one is most certainly fair as well. A slightly lower AAV for a slightly less productive player, but the gap isn’t wide. Bogaerts has been criminally underrated for his entire career, so I’m glad he got compensated fairly for his incredibly consistent production. My only question: what are the Padres gonna do with all their infielders? Between Machado, Kim, Tatis Jr., Bogaerts, Cronenworth, and Carpenter, I really question whether the Padres know exactly what the plan is at this point. Especially when I look at the depth chart, it becomes clear that other needs could’ve been addressed here, like catching, where the Padres will somehow attempt to eke out league-average value from Luis Campusano and Austin Nola. I wouldn’t expect all those infielders to be on the major league roster come August, but I’m surprised they didn’t strike a deal for one or two of them while the stove was hot. 

Cubs sign Dansby Swanson; 7 years, $177 million

I worry that the Cubs may have extrapolated Swanson’s 2022 production a bit too far. In some ways, this deal is comparatively low-risk next to the other major free-agent shortstops. Swanson will only be 35 at the end of this deal, so the Cubs will probably not be saddled with an extremely high AAV dead-weight player. But if we ignore the shortened 2020 season, Swanson has only had an “above-average” season by OPS+ in two of six seasons so far, with the first of those two coming in only 38 games wayyy back in 2016. Swanson’s stock was high entering this offseason, and he definitely made the most of it; hopefully the Cubs get a good return on their investment. Worst comes to worst, the Cubs get above-league average defense and average offense, but you don’t usually want to pay $25 million a year for average. 

Yankees sign Carlos Rodon; 6 years, $162 million

The Yankees needed rotation help, and they got a pretty consistent workhorse in Carlos Rodon. The last two years have been extremely solid, and he’ll probably be solid for the majority of this contract; he’ll only be 35 by the end. This is a signing with an eye towards the near future, similar to the Judge deal; the Yankees are impatient, and they’re willing to throw as much money as they have to in order to get back to the pinnacle. Credit where credit is due: Rodon is a solid pickup. 

Blue Jays sign Chris Bassitt; 3 years, $63 million

This is the best sneaky signing of the offseason, at least in my opinion. Bassitt flew under the radar with the Athletics, and he somehow flew under the radar with the Mets. He’ll be 34 this year, so he’s not getting any younger, but Bassitt is the definition of a workhorse, delivering 181.2 innings for the Mets last year with a sub-4 ERA. $21 million AAV for two-slot production, and you’re not saddled with an aging pitcher for more than a couple years? Absolute steal. Bassitt is exactly what the Blue Jays needed to give their rotation a boost, and if he does anything like what he did last year, the league will look back on this contract and wish they’d taken a longer look at Chris Bassitt. 

Mets sign Brandon Nimmo; 8 years, $162 million

2022 marked the first time since 2018 that Nimmo played upwards of 100 games; if he can stay on the field, this is a solid, cornerstone signing that the Mets had the money to make. Allowing consistency to walk for nothing is always a mistake, so credit to Steve Cohen for locking up a consistent, above-average outfielder for a while. Again, it comes down to if Nimmo can stay healthy, but I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that he can’t. Solid pickup, as much as I hate to admit it. 

Nats roster rundown coming soon! Stay tuned, if that’s your thing.