#purchase #winter #Executives
The baseball world spends several months each offseason watching the free market, waiting to see which teams will invest what is necessary to upgrade their rosters with the best talent available.
Some hires go great, while others don’t turn out as anticipated due to a variety of circumstances, with injuries and poor performance chief among them.
That’s why we started thinking about something. Just over a month into the 2024 season, which free agent signings have already paid dividends for teams looking to qualify for the postseason with hopes of winning the World Series?
We put that question to two dozen executives, who gave a wide variety of answers.
Shota Imanaga, Dogs (9 votes)
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (4 votes)
Jack Flaherty, Tigers (1 vote)
Sonny Gray, Cardinals (1 vote)
Jordan Hicks, Giants (1 vote)
Reynaldo López, Braves (1 vote)
Seth Lugo, Royals (1 vote)
Albert Suárez, Orioles (1 vote)
Spencer Turnbull, Filis (1 voto)
Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers (trade/extension) (1 vote)
Zack Wheeler, Filis (extension) (1 vote)
Still very early (1 vote)
Imanaga was the most common answer, which isn’t all that surprising given the great performance the left-hander has had for the Cubs.
“The large number of strikes he throws and the quality of his repertoire have been the strengths that have stabilized a rotation that had questions,” declared an American League manager. “Quite a few teams right now are imagining what would have happened if they had his services.”
In his first six starts, Imanaga is 5-0 with a 0.78 ERA, posting elite numbers in both percentage of swings outside the strike zone and percentage of walks issued.
“This level of performance is not sustainable,” added a Young Circuit executive. “But it seems like Imanaga is at least a pitcher [de WAR de 3] in the near future and the price was not extreme.”
Although Imanaga has shined, when you take into account his contract — the Cubs gave him a four-year, $53 million deal, which could reach $80 million over five years depending on several factors — the signing could end up being a bargain for Chicago.
“Imanaga has impressed and it wasn’t an unreasonable contract, especially compared to the others,” said one National League executive. “It’s fair to say he is exceeding expectations based on market value.”
Based on guaranteed money, Imanaga’s deal was the 11th largest given in free agency last offseason, with other starters Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 years, $325 million), Aaron Nola (seven years, $172 million), the Venezuelan Eduardo Rodríguez (four years, US$80 million), Sonny Gray (three years, US$75 million) and Blake Snell (two years, US$62 million) among those who obtained larger contracts.
“He was very recognized and well evaluated in anticipation of when he entered the post system, but the spotlight was on Yamamoto,” said an American official. “Is older [que Yamamoto] for five years and the Cubs reacted smartly.”
One executive said Imanaga’s contract “has come cheap” at this point.
“The only pitcher who at that time signed for a reasonable amount,” said an American League executive. “It’s not a hindsight thing, but our evaluations were very positive and good for them for making that decision.”
The other player singled out by several executives was Shohei Ohtani, who received a staggering 10-year, $700 million contract from the Dodgers. Of course, this contract is unique due to the large deferred amount of US$680 million, reducing the value of the present to approximately US$460 million.
Even taking into account the value right now, Ohtani’s deal is the largest in baseball history, but as one MLB executive noted, it’s still the best signing of the year “because he’s the best player on the planet.” Another American manager was a little hesitant to answer Ohtani, because “it seems like an unfair answer to the question.”
“He’s the best hitter in the game and will eventually pitch for them, too,” declared one NL executive. “If you have the money, and the Dodgers do, adding a bat like that is a very easy decision to make.”
It’s worth noting that, aside from Ohtani, every player named by an executive was a starting pitcher, demonstrating the value that position has for those working in the front office.
Here are some of the directors’ opinions about the other streamers who received votes:
“(Dominican) Reynaldo López could prove to be a great investment for Atlanta if he continues to have success as a starter.” — American League Manager
“[Seth] “Lugo is exactly what a team like the Royals needed to keep the ship on track for the young players.” — American League Manager
“It is difficult to think that [Sonny] “Gray has reached a higher level than 2023, but his performance so far has simply been dominant.” — American League Manager
“I do not think that [Albert] Suárez is as good as he has been so far, but he could be a good depth alternative and [los Orioles] “They added it for almost nothing.” — American League Manager
Two executives voted for a pair of acquisitions that came to their teams not on the open market, but rather via trade and contract extension, pointing to Tyler Glasnow (going from the Rays to the Dodgers, then receiving a five-year contract and US$136.5 million) and Zack Wheeler (three-year extension and US$126 million) as the best contracts of the offseason.
“That was a bargain,” one AL executive said of the contract the Phillies gave Wheeler.
