Catching up on some of the free agent signings from recent days:
- Dansby Swanson, Cubs, 7 years, $177 million
- Justin Turner, Boston Red Sox, 2 years, $21.7 million
- Michael Brantley, Houston Astros, 1 year, $12 million
- J.D. Martinez, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1 year, $10 million
- Joey Gallo, Minnesota Twins, 1 year, $11 million
Swanson was the last high-priced free agent to come off the board. As you can see from the list above, some of the late-career veterans are starting to sign short-term contracts. Brantley decided to stay where he's been in Houston. Turner went from Los Angeles to Boston, while Martinez when from Boston to Los Angeles. The two essentially swapped places.
My main takeaway on Swanson: The Twins are left without a shortstop to this point in the offseason. They sought to retain Carlos Correa, but they were outbid by the San Francisco Giants. Swanson seemed to be their fallback, but he chose to come to the North Side of Chicago.
Now, Minnesota is in a fix. The best free agent shortstop left on the market is ... probably Elvis Andrus, who had a resurgence with the White Sox at the end of 2022, but it's far from certain that the 34-year-old veteran can sustain that level of play moving forward.
The Twins ended up with Gallo to plug an outfield spot, while the Sox signed Andrew Benintendi on a five-year deal. That's a little surprising. At the start of the offseason, no one would have been shocked if Gallo had landed on the South Side on a short-term deal. The Twins seemed more likely to make a multiyear splash on somebody, either an outfielder or a shortstop.
I must say, I did not want Gallo on the Sox. He's a boom-or-bust player, and while I fully acknowledge that he could hit 40 homers for the Twins and make me eat my words, the Sox already have a little too much boom-or-bust in their everyday lineup.
The Sox were better off signing an outfielder who sets a higher floor at his position, and Benintendi is that guy. Gallo simply is not.
Who are the top remaining free agents? Well, I wouldn't say there's anyone left you would call "top of market." Besides Andrus, Jean Segura and Brandon Drury are still out there as infielders. Michael Conforto is available for anyone still interested in an outfielder. Jurickson Profar would be an option for a team seeking an all-purpose type. Nathan Eovaldi is probably the best starting pitcher still out there. Need a closer? I'm not sure Craig Kimbrel will ever regain his "future Hall of Fame" form, but he's available.
