Winter is coming to an end! I know this not because of Groundhog Day, but because Spring Training is in full swing!
Waiting all winter seemed like an eternity, especially considering the dynamic free agent class this offseason featuring the likes of Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, among others.
Lofty expectations follow some teams, like the defending champion Boston Red Sox, the twice-runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers and the dynamic New York Yankees, who are the preseason favorites to take the World Series crown in 2019.
Bryce Harper is still unsigned—cue the collective eye roll. After Machado signed his $300 million deal and Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies signed a massive extension– reportedly for 8 years and $265 million–Harper remaining unsigned is puzzling. Rumor has it that the LA Dodgers are in a heated bidding war for the 26 year-old superstar with the Phillies and Cubs.
After the aforementioned players got their massive deals, it’s anybody’s guess what Harper will get considering his outstanding OPS and unimaginable power, not to mention his above average fielding ability and athleticism.
However, talking moneyball prompts another discussion.
This offseason has featured two record breaking deals. Machado became the highest paid free agent ever signed, surpassing Alex Rodriguez’s $275 million dollar deal back in ’07, and Arenado signed the second-largest extension ever behind Giancarlo Stanton’s $325 million deal back in 2017 with the Marlins.
What is causing so many astronomical contracts in baseball? Arenado, while a fantastic player, is not widely considered among the top five players in the game, mostly because he plays in the Mile-High City, which inflates his offensive statistics. For example, his career offensive stats at home are a .320 average, .374 OBP, and a .609 slugging equating to a .984 OPS. On the road, those numbers drop to .263, .318, .469 and .787—mediocre at best. Defensively, however, he is statistically the best third-baseman in the game.
So what is it that made the Rockies sign him to such a massive deal? Perhaps loyalty? Ticket sales?
Whatever it is, this is a rising trend in baseball, and I think you will see the icing on the cake whenever Harper signs with a team. Because that deal will be Earth-shattering.