Free agency in baseball has long been difficult to navigate, for both players and teams alike. However, after a historically strange 2020 season, the upcoming free agency period could be unlike any other.
Major League Baseball reportedly lost over $8 billion during the 2020 campaign, according to commissioner Rob Manfred. Combine this with the fact that it is not likely fans will be attending games at the beginning of next season either, and owners aren’t exactly jumping to open their checkbooks.
Many people expected the market to be much different than in most years, but if the first days are any indication, it will be worse than initially believed.
A Bad Sign
Earlier this week, the St. Louis Cardinals declined to pick up their option on Kolten Wong’s contract, making him a free agent. He was set to be paid $12.5 million next season but instead received a $1 million buyout. Wong is 30 years old and won a Gold Glove at second base last season. He is one of the finalists for that same award this season and is a career .261 hitter since his debut in 2013.
Wong was a fan-favorite on the team, and seemingly one of the team’s leaders in the locker room. The Cardinals have several young infielders and could look to someone like Tommy Edman (a young up-and-comer with a league-minimum salary) to fill his role going forward.
The Cleveland Indians also let one of their most important players walk this week, as closer Brad Hand became a free agent after the Indians placed him on waivers. Hand recorded 16 saves in 16 opportunities this season, with a 2.05 ERA. He went 58/65 in save opportunities in 3 seasons with Cleveland. If a team should pick up Hand, he will have a team option of $10 million.
It was relatively expected that the Indians would sell, at least somewhat, starting this offseason. However, this move came as a complete surprise. Hand is still just 30 years old and has been one of the more reliable late-inning pitchers for the last few seasons. A price tag of $10 million (for one year) is startlingly low to scare off a team from an elite relief pitcher, especially considering Cleveland elected to outright waive Hand instead of shopping him around for a potential trade.
Pinstripe Blues?
The New York Yankees bucked this trend a bit by picking up their team option on reliever Zack Britton. However, they also declined options on both outfielder Brett Gardner and pitcher J.A. Happ. Many expect the team to attempt to resign “Gardy” at a lower price tag, however.
The Yankees also face a major free-agency dilemma, as star infielder D.J LeMahieu will hit the market when it opens on Sunday. Typically, money is never an issue for the Yankees. They have shown in the past that they are willing to spend more than any other team. However, team chairman Hal Steinbrenner recently said the Yankees lost more money than any other team during the 2020 season. This, coupled with the fact that the Yankees will likely need to bring in more pitching as well, makes for some tough decisions that the Bronx Bombers usually don’t have to make.
In Uncharted Waters
The 2020 free agency period will be full of uncertainty, and nobody quite knows exactly what to expect. It will be an extremely difficult market for the players, as teams become less willing to payout. Players will likely be offered contracts far below their actual value, and there will likely be many situations similar to Wong and Hand.
One thing is for certain, however: Even though the MLB season may be over, the stove is just heating up. It will only get hotter from here, and probably not in a good way.