The Stars Have Landed

Last week, we named the biggest free agents available in Major League Baseball. All of them have a home, and most of them relocated.

Late free agency is better than no free agency, and for many fans, it was worth the wait. We mentioned a short list of big names who had yet to sign with a big league squad before the lockout, and those big names are now ready to play ball.

In a surprise move that came in the middle of the night on March 19, the Minnesota Twins signed the most highly coveted free agent shortstop, Carlos Correa. The news shocked the baseball world as the Twins seemed to have come out of nowhere to acquire the former Astro. He clearly improves a team's playoff hopes drastically, and the Twins are looking to rebound after a terrible 2021. It will certainly be a challenge to dethrone the White Sox in the AL Central, but the rest of their competition won't be a handful. Correa inked a 3-year, $105 million dollar contract with opt-outs after the first and second year. If he is unhappy with his situation in the Twin Cities, he and agent Scott Boras can probably grab a record-setting deal elsewhere.

There were rumors swirling for a while, but experts weren't sure of the likelihood surrounding a Freddie Freeman departure from Atlanta. The Braves decided to go after a new First Baseman on the market, Matt Olson. This move all but cemented the team moving on from 2020 MVP and 2022 World Series champion Freddie Freeman. The rumors of his new prospective team began with the two big market teams: The Yankees and Dodgers. Los Angeles signed Freeman and now the Dodgers have an offensive juggernaut if they didn't already. Freeman can replace the departed Seager's offensive prowess and brings a great spirit into the clubhouse. Everyone on the projected starting lineup for the Dodgers has been an All-Star besides Catcher Will Smith, who has been ranked as one of the best Catchers in the sport by various offensive metrics. The acquisition of Freeman slides Max Muncy over to Second Base, where he feels more natural playing, anyway. This is assuming Freeman won't take up the role of primary DH. Here's a likely starting lineup we'll see from the Dodgers this season:

Catcher: Will Smith

First Base: Freddie Freeman

Second Base: Max Muncy

Third Base: Justin Turner

Shortstop: Trea Turner

Left Field: Chris Taylor

Center Field: Cody Bellinger

Right Field: Mookie Betts

Designated Hitter: AJ Pollock

They're also bolstered by young stud Gavin Lux, pinch-hitting specialist Matt Beaty, backup catcher Austin Barnes, utility man Zack McKinstry, and the power hitting Edwin Rios. Their pitching speaks for itself, with a bullpen that was tops in the league last season by various metrics as well as a great starting rotation led by Walker Buehler and 2021 NL wins leader Julio Urias. They'll be missing their longtime closer Kenley Jansen, though, who signed with the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves retain a team that will be a contender out of the NL East, and their big name acquisitions this spring were Matt Olson, who again proved his ability to hit the long ball in Oakland, and the aforementioned Kenley Jansen, who had a resurgence last season with a 2.22 ERA in 38 saves as the Dodger's closer. His fastball velocity was a big reason for the production jump, throwing a couple miles an hour over his average for the few years prior. The Braves can absolutely repeat as World Series champions, especially considering their 2021 postseason run came without their superstar Ronald Acuna Jr., who can easily have an MVP level year if healthy.

The Phillies made some noise this offseason, and are desperate for a playoff run. Philadelphia grabbed two big hitters off the free agent market in Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. They add a great duo of sluggers to a lineup that was middle of the pack last year in Home Runs, Slugging, OPS, and BA. 2021 NL MVP Bryce Harper will surely enjoy some backup as the Phillies try to make the postseason for the first time since 2011.

If you thought the Correa decision was random, here's another strange one. Kris Bryant, one of the best available free agents who just played for the 107-win San Francisco Giants, signed with the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have a history of being strange with money; just look up how they handled the Nolan Arenado trade to St Louis. It seems likely that Bryant got more money from the Rockies than anywhere else, as he is set to collect $182 million over seven years from Colorado. The move makes little sense from a win-now perspective, but the bag was chased. The Rockies are in a very difficult situation in a great NL West, and that was before Trevor story left.

The Boston Red Sox may have lost Kyle Schwarber, but they signed one of the great shortstops on the 2022 market, Trevor Story. The career .272 hitter with 158 HRs since his call up in 2016 has consistently been a difference maker on offense, with two Silver Slugger awards. Regardless of the position entanglement with Xander Bogaerts, the Sox are happy to add to an already explosive offense as they look to make another solid postseason run out of what is quickly becoming the best division in baseball with The Blue Jays and Rays being legitimate threats and the Yankees who always find themselves around despite no playoff success since 2009.

Seiya Suzuki, who we detailed in an article nearly a month ago to the day, did not end up signing with the Red Sox despite several connections to the team over the winter. He ended up in the North Side of Chicago, and the rebuilding Cubs now have an incredible international prospect in their outfield. His potential to improve the number of wins for the Cubs is very high, according to Fangraphs, who are bullish on the Japanese star. With that being said, the NL Central all but certainly belongs to the Brewers, and since the Reds lost both of their 2021 All-Star outfielders in Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker, the Cubs will be competing with Cincy for third place in the division. The Cardinals remain the stronger team in the Chicago/Saint Louis rivalry and are the biggest threat to Milwaukee.

Several other squads made lower-scale moves that will improve their roster, including the Giants who signed pearl-wearing slugger Joc Pederson, who is coming off a powerful postseason, and the Mariners, who acquired Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez from the Reds. Winker was atop the NL in average last season to go along with a 140 OPS Plus, and this was enough for Mariners Assistant GM to label Winker as the "most special bat available" post lockout. 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler agreed to a deal with the Miami Marlins, leaving him in the same division as his former team. The White Sox signed reliever Joe Kelly, who will be playing in the same division as Carlos Correa, who he had a famous incident with in 2020. The Dodgers re-signed Clayton Kershaw to a 1-year deal, which has leaves some feeling like it can be a farewell tour. If it's his last season with the team, they've done everything they can transactionally to set him up to ride into the sunset with another World Series ring.

There were many winners during this year's free agency scramble. Onward.