MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS

Evan Davis

The MLB free agency period has kicked off, and boy have there been some questionable deals already made. GMs are just printing money and giving it away to players as if it is nothing. I figured I’d take the time to break down my 5 worst free agent signings so far this offseason. I’m going to start this last at #5 and take you down all the way #1 on this list.

5.) Brandon Nimmo (NYM) - 8 years, $162 million

Brandon Nimmo had a very solid year last season for the Mets, playing in a career high 151 games while having a slash line of .274/.367/.433 with a .800 OPS. With all that being said, giving an 8 year deal to a player who is turning 30 years old, while also playing 100+ games only twice in his career, doesn’t make sense to me.

The Mets have definitely made it clear that they are willing to risk it at all and do whatever it takes to win a World Series, especially given the heartbreak they faced last postseason. The contract should look pretty solid for maybe about 4 seasons, but once Nimmo turns 34, I’d be very curious to see how this contract looks for the rest of the way.

The Blue Jays did have heavy interest in Brandon Nimmo, especially after trading away Teoscar Hernandez, but fans should be happy Ross Atkins didn’t cave to give him 8 years at an even higher AAV.

4.) Taijuan Walker (PHI) - 4 years, $72 million

The Phillies are coming off a NL Pennant, and put up a tough fight against the eventual champ Houston Astros. They already have two star pitchers in Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler, so adding Taijuan Walker will only bolster the starting pitching rotation.

I have no problem with the player, but giving your potential 4th starter $18 million a year for 4 years with Walker being 30 just doesn’t make sense to me. Walker did not have a good year last year, with a 3.49 ERA across 150 IP, which only brings into question how he was able to snag an $18M AAV. I don’t see this contract working out at all for the Phillies, and they will have to eat this contract given his age and the high AAV.

3.) Jacob deGrom (TEX) 5 years, $185 million

God bless Jacob deGrom, but I don’t know how he was able to secure a 5 year deal with any team, given his long history with injuries. The Texas Rangers have now invested close to $700 million in three players, and two of the players have contracts that they won’t ever be able to trade, Marcus Seimen and Jacob deGrom.

I don’t understand the direction the Texas Rangers are taking because they still are so far behind the Houston Astros and I’d argue even with the way the roster is currently constructed, there are still 5-6 teams better than them in the American League.

Given the fact the Rangers still won’t be in contention during the postseason still has me wondering why they were so aggressive to go after the best pitcher on the market. I can see this contract looking good for 2-3 years, which is what I thought deGrom would get in free agency.

2.) Trea Turner (PHI) 11 years, $300 million

Don’t get me wrong, Trea Turner is the undisputed best shortstop in baseball, but that being said, 11 FREAKING YEARS?!?!?! Turner will be 30 when the season is about a quarter of the way through next year, and I just don’t see this contract working out for the last 5 years of this deal. I have no problem with the salary, I actually predicted Trea Turner would go to the Phillies for 8 years, $300 million.

But given his age, giving an 11 year deal out like that is something I don’t understand. The Phillies are now on the clock, and they need to win a World Series within the next 5 years. The other issue I have with them is they now have Bryce Harper and Trea Turner making $25 million + until the age of 40, which is something you don’t want given the direction of the game. Good for Trea Turner, good for the Phillies, bad contract overall.

1.) Xander Boegarts (SD) 11 years, $280 million

AM I THE ONLY THAT KNEW THAT XANDER BOEGARTS IS 30 FREAKING YEARS OLD?!?!?! AJ Preller is confusing the heck out of me as he has 4 shortstops on his MLB roster. I have no clue where Fernando Tatis Jr. is going, but I’ve heard the potential of the Padres trading Tatis Jr. Don’t know how you are going to pull that off, but good luck to you. Bogaerts isn’t the best bat in the postseason either, posting a .691 OPS in his career in October.

This does give me the feeling that Manny Machado is playing his final season in San Diego, as he has the opportunity to opt out of his contract after this season. With Juan Soto entering free agency in 2 years, I gotta wonder what he is getting from San Diego, because if Xander Boegarts got 11 years, $280 million, Juan Soto’s contract has to start at $400 million. The Padres are looking to be competitive, but this contract is going to stink in 4-5 years…

AND IT’S A FULL NO MOVE?!?!