Opening Day is in under two weeks, which means the offseason is just about over. Also wrapping up is this year’s Offseason Matrices document. With offseason business all but settled (sorry, Lucas Giolito), let’s summarize using my favorite thing: tables and tables of data.
Free Agency by Team
| Team | Free Agents Signed | Free Agent Spending | $ per FA | % of MLB Spending | Spending Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 5 | $340M | $68M | 11.2% | 1 |
| LAD | 6 | $326.7M | $54.45M | 10.8% | 2 |
| NYM | 5 | $240.75M | $48.15M | 7.9% | 3 |
| CHC | 8 | $229.775M | $28.721875M | 7.6% | 4 |
| PHI | 4 | $227M | $56.75M | 7.5% | 5 |
| BAL | 5 | $213.6M | $42.72M | 7.0% | 6 |
| NYY | 6 | $195.525M | $32.5875M | 6.4% | 7 |
| DET | 6 | $187.025M | $31.171M | 6.2% | 8 |
| BOS | 3 | $136M | $45.67M | 4.5% | 9 |
| ATL | 8 | $112.75M | $14.09375M | 3.7% | 10 |
| SDP | 7 | $100.23M | $14.319M | 3.3% | 11 |
| SEA | 3 | $99.75M | $33.25M | 3.3% | 12 |
| CHW | 6 | $78M | $13M | 2.6% | 13 |
| ARI | 7 | $77.325M | $11.046M | 2.5% | 14 |
| SFG | 7 | $68.78M | $9.83M | 2.3% | 15 |
| HOU | 3 | $57.95M | $19.317M | 1.9% | 16 |
| PIT | 4 | $50.25M | $12.5625M | 1.7% | 17 |
| CIN | 5 | $47.4M | $9.48M | 1.6% | 18 |
| TBR | 4 | $38.5M | $9.6M | 1.3% | 19 |
| COL | 4 | $31.9M | $7.975M | 1.1% | 20 |
| MIL | 3 | $27.275M | $9.0917M | 0.9% | 21 |
| TEX | 7 | $25.875M | $3.7M | 0.9% | 22 |
| MIN | 3 | $23M | $7.67M | 0.8% | 23 |
| MIA | 4 | $21M | $5.125M | 0.7% | 24 |
| LAA | 6 | $18.2M | $3.033M | 0.6% | 25 |
| STL | 3 | $18M | $6M | 0.6% | 26 |
| WSN | 3 | $14.75M | $4.917M | 0.5% | 27 |
| ATH | 3 | $10.85M | $3.617M | 0.4% | 28 |
| CLE | 3 | $7.9M | $2.633M | 0.3% | 29 |
| KCR | 3 | $7.15M | $2.383M | 0.2% | 30 |
It’s no surprise to see the two World Series teams spend big, with Dylan Cease’s seven-year, $210 million contract with the Blue Jays and Kyle Tucker’s four-year, $240 million contract with the Dodgers the two largest deals of the offseason. Of the 11 teams that spent at least $100 million, only the Braves did so without signing a player to a $50 million contract; reliever Robert Suarez’s three-year, $45 million deal was their priciest.
Free Agency by Division
| Division | Free Agents Signed | Free Agent Spending | $ per FA | % of MLB Spending | Spending Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL East | 22 | $924.625M | $40.2M | 30.5% | 1 |
| NL East | 24 | $615.75M | $25.65625M | 20.3% | 2 |
| NL West | 31 | $604.935M | $19.51403M | 19.9% | 3 |
| NL Central | 23 | $372.7M | $16.20435M | 12.3% | 4 |
| AL Central | 21 | $303.075M | $14.4M | 10.0% | 5 |
| AL West | 21 | $212.625M | $10.125M | 7.0% | 6 |
The two East divisions combined to spend more than the other four divisions, accounting for 50.8% of league-wide outlay. In addition to its place at the bottom of this list, the AL West was the only division that didn’t sign a player for $100 million or more. Josh Naylor’s $92.5 million deal with the Mariners was the largest handed out by that quintet of clubs.
Agencies with $20M+ in Contracts
| Agency | % of FA SIgned | Value of Contracts | % of MLB Commitments | Clients Signed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boras Corporation | 16 | $1019.925M | 33.6% | Dylan Cease, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Pete Alonso, Ranger Suarez, Kazuma Okamoto, Tatsuya Imai, Zac Gallen, Ha-Seong Kim, Nick Martinez, Josh Bell, Chris Paddack, Max Scherzer, Paul Blackburn, Erick Fedde, Alex Lange |
| Excel Sports Management | 14 | $594.75M | 19.6% | Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, Michael King, Munetaka Murakami, Cody Ponce, Brad Keller, Luke Weaver, Foster Griffin, Caleb Ferguson, Paul Goldschmidt, Ryan Yarbrough, Shelby Miller, JJ Bleday, Nate Pearson |
| Octagon | 10 | $232.3M | 7.7% | Framber Valdez, Jorge Polanco, Gleyber Torres, Shota Imanaga, Eugenio Suárez, Adolis García, Amed Rosario, Miles Mikolas, Carlos Santana, José Urquidy |
| ISE Baseball | 14 | $212.575M | 7.0% | Josh Naylor, Trent Grisham, Sung-Mun Song, Danny Jansen, Justin Verlander, Willi Castro, Tyler Mahle, Gregory Soto, Michael Soroka, Shawn Armstrong, Caleb Thielbar, Chris Martin, Christopher Morel, Paul Sewald |
| VaynerSports | 2 | $146.5M | 4.8% | Bo Bichette, Harrison Bader |
| Wasserman | 10 | $128.5M | 4.2% | Edwin Díaz, Ryan Helsley, Kenley Jansen, Lane Thomas, Enrique Hernández, Jakob Junis, Griffin Canning, Jason Foley, Jordan Montgomery, Alexis Díaz |
| CAA Sports | 10 | $98M | 3.2% | J.T. Realmuto, Marcell Ozuna, Anthony Kay, Michael Lorenzen, Zack Littell, Miguel Andujar, Drew Pomeranz, Jake Fraley, Ramón Urías, Andrew Knizner |
| Klutch Sports | 3 | $54.1M | 1.8% | Devin Williams, Leody Taveras, Starling Marte |
| ACES | 4 | $50.5M | 1.7% | Ryan O’Hearn, Victor Caratini, Jose Quintana, Colin Holderman |
| Apex Baseball | 3 | $47.4M | 1.6% | Merrill Kelly, Evan Phillips, Connor Brogdon |
| Primo Sports Group | 1 | $45M | 1.5% | Robert Suarez |
| Frontline | 2 | $39M | 1.3% | Tyler Rogers, Taylor Rogers |
| Paragon Sports International | 3 | $31.25M | 1.0% | Phil Maton, Dustin May, Tyler Kinley |
| Jack Toffey | 2 | $29M | 1.0% | Mike Yastrzemski, Aaron Civale |
| VC Sports Group | 4 | $24.95M | 0.8% | Steven Matz, Tomoyuki Sugano, Mark Leiter Jr., Jordan Romano |
| Ballengee Group | 3 | $24.3M | 0.8% | Emilio Pagán, James McCann, Taylor Clarke |
| MVP Sports Group | 4 | $22.75M | 0.8% | Luis Arraez, Hoby Milner, Ryne Stanek, Luis Rengifo |
| Warner Sports Management | 3 | $22.4M | 0.7% | Kyle Finnegan, Scott Barlow, Sam Hentges |
| McKinnis Sports Management | 1 | $22.025M | 0.7% | Brandon Woodruff |
| BBI Sports Group | 1 | $22M | 0.7% | Adrian Houser |
| Epitome Sports Management | 1 | $20M | 0.7% | Seranthony Domínguez |
Source: MLBTR’s Agency Database
Once again, Scott Boras’ clients eclipsed $1 billion in contracts signed, cracking 10 figures for the second straight offseason and fourth out of the last five. His agency could still get Michael Kopech a big league deal before the season starts, too.
As always, there were free agents who got the short end of the stick and had to settle for minor league contracts despite decent showings last year. Leading the pack was Mike Tauchman, the only player worth 1.0 WAR or better who signed a minor league deal. He’s not currently on the Mets’ projected roster, but he’s having a great camp as he makes a strong push for a spot. It’s also worth noting that any XX(B) free agent — free agents with at least six years of major league service time who ended the season on an big league roster or IL — who signed a minor league deal has the right to opt out before Opening Day and try to latch on elsewhere. Non XX(B) free agents like Tauchman often have opt-out clauses, too, so there are plenty of vets auditioning for a spot on another team if not their current one.
In addition to the players listed above who finished with at least 1.0 WAR last year, five players from our Top 100 Prospects were moved: no. 37 Brandon Sproat and no. 75 Jett Williams from the Mets to the Brewers; no. 62 Owen Caissie from the Cubs to the Marlins; no. 74 Harry Ford from the Mariners to the Nationals; and no. 94 Jurrangelo Cijntje from the Mariners to the Cardinals.
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