Biggest free-agent deals in Winter Meetings history
The Winter Meetings are sometimes the setting wherein baseball’s Hot Stove exercise escalates, and that could possibly be true once more in 2022. The trade is descending on San Diego for this week’s occasion — the primary one to be held in particular person since 2019’s enthralling version.
So as we put together for this yr’s festivities, here is a visit down reminiscence lane to take a look at the largest free-agent offers in Winter Meetings historical past:
2019: Pitcher document set, twice, plus one other top-10 deal
The data for free-agent pitcher contracts — for complete worth and common annual worth — had been mentioned at size because the 2019 season ended, and so they modified twice at these conferences, additionally held in San Diego. Stephen Strasburg’s deal to return to the Nationals was price $245 million over seven years, setting a document for complete worth and common annual worth — at $35 million — for a pitcher. But then Gerrit Cole made his splash with the Yankees, and all of that modified. Cole’s $324 million contract is the most important by complete worth for a pitcher and was the second largest for any free agent on the time, behind solely Harper’s $330 million. His $36 million common annual worth over the nine-year deal was the most important for any participant, surpassing Mike Trout’s $35.5 million.
Anthony Rendon’s $245 million take care of the Angels additionally set a document for common annual worth for a 3rd baseman, at $35 million, and tied for third-largest AAV all-time with Strasburg, behind solely Cole and Trout. The complete worth on the contract made it the most important free-agent deal in Angels historical past, surpassing the $240 million that the staff gave one other participant after he gained a World Series — Albert Pujols, for the 2012 season.
The 2014 Cubs had been a last-place staff, however the arrival of Joe Maddon, maturation of Anthony Rizzo, readiness of Kris Bryant and breakout of Jake Arrieta all had the arrow pointed upward. Forgoing the presents of his former staff, the Red Sox, and the defending World Series champion Giants, Jon Lester opted to reunite with Theo Epstein and be part of a Cubs membership that, billy goat curse be damned, gave the impression to be on the cusp of one thing particular. The contract introduced on the Winter Meetings in San Diego was positively particular — six years, $155 million. It was the most important in Cubs franchise historical past and gave Lester what was, on the time, the second-largest common annual worth for a pitcher all time.
The Cubs stormed to a Wild Card spot after which the National League Championship Series in 2015. The following yr, they ended a 108-year World Series title drought, with Lester offering pivotal aid in Game 7.
2012: Small offers, large dividends
The theme right here is “big deal,” however let’s interject a reminder that it does not take a blockbuster to construct a title staff. In the 2013 season, the Red Sox reaped the rewards of two lower-profile signings that each occurred on the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn. Having been not too long ago free of the entanglement of the Carl Crawford contract with an August waiver deal for the ages, the Red Sox went into the winter of 2012-13 solely in short-term investments with second-tier free-agent choices. At the Meetings, they got here to phrases on equivalent three-year, $39 million agreements with Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli (although the Napoli deal would finally be reworked due to his hip situation).
In 2013, Victorino (.801 OPS, 15 homers, 26 doubles) and Napoli (.842 OPS, 23 homers, 38 doubles) had been instrumental in Boston’s third World Series title in a 10-season span.
Traditionally, the ultimate day of the Winter Meetings is highlighted solely by the Rule 5 Draft, which takes place as many executives are pouring out the doorways and headed to the airport. But in Dallas in 2011, many individuals within the trade had been packing up or boarding their flights when phrase unfold that the Angels and Albert Pujols had agreed to a big 10-year, $240 million contract. The deal, which got here on the heels of the Halos signing C.J. Wilson to a five-year, $77.5 million deal, upended a Meetings that had been notable primarily for the Marlins’ exercise (signing José Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell).
In the top, neither the Marlins nor the Angels bought the anticipated return on funding from signing these stars, however Pujols has reached 500 and 600 homers and plenty of different profession milestones with the Angels earlier than the membership launched him in May 2021.
On the alternative finish of the timing spectrum from the Pujols deal was the Jayson Werth take care of the Nationals a yr earlier. This one got here to mild simply as people had been arriving to the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. And the news that the Nats, who had misplaced 93 video games in 2010, had inked the 31-year-old Werth to a seven-year, $126 million deal was actually a stunner.
Whereas the seven-year, $142 million deal the Red Sox agreed to with Carl Crawford later that week could be considered a complete catastrophe, evaluation of the Werth deal requires extra nuance. He was by no means an All-Star in Washington, however the Nats do credit score him with serving to them mature right into a division winner. He additionally hit one of many largest house runs in franchise historical past within the 2012 NL Division Series.
One of the largest Winter Meetings offers didn’t truly happen on the Winter Meetings. And that is what made it so fascinating.
On the second day of the 2008 Meetings on the Bellagio in Las Vegas, phrase unfold that Yankees GM Brian Cashman was so inspired by conversations with CC Sabathia that he had left the constructing and flown to the Bay Area to make his closing pitch to the large left-hander. Sabathia’s first inclination had been to return to his California roots, however a record-setting seven-year, $161 million deal lured him to the East Coast. The Yanks gained the World Series in Sabathia’s first yr with the membership.
Prior to the 2000 Winter Meetings in Dallas, baseball had by no means had a participant making $20 million a yr. By the top of these Meetings, there have been two — Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez.
Ramirez’s eight-year, $160 million take care of the Red Sox and A-Rod’s record-setting 10-year, $252 million take care of the Rangers had been introduced inside 24 hours of one another. Nobody knew on the time what repercussions these two contracts would have within the recreation’s best rivalry, as it might be three seasons earlier than Rodriguez was dealt to the Yankees. But over the lifetime of that preliminary 10-year contract, A-Rod gained three AL MVP Awards and the 2009 World Series, whereas Ramirez gained six straight Silver Slugger honors and two World Series in his colourful and memorable time in Boston.
1998: The $100 Million Man
The Winter Meetings have confirmed to be a spot the place groups push contractual boundaries through the years. In ’98 in Nashville, the Dodgers did it with their seven-year, $105 million provide to Kevin Brown, whose single season in San Diego had resulted in a third-place end within the NL Cy Young voting and a World Series look. The deal even included 12 roundtrip constitution flights from Georgia to L.A. in order that Brown’s household may journey to look at him pitch.
This was baseball’s first nine-figure deal, and, although Brown did have two seasons wherein he bought some down-ballot Cy Young assist in L.A., it’s usually considered the primary nine-figure bust. Brown was traded to the Yankees 5 years and at some point later, after posting a 2.83 ERA in 137 appearances for the Dodgers, none of which occurred within the postseason.
When the Winter Meetings got here to Louisville, Ky., a free-agent derby (applicable to the situation) broke out. There had been north of 30 pacts that week, together with the five-year, $28 million deal that wooed future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, who was contemporary off his first of 4 consecutive NL Cy Young Awards, from Chicago to Atlanta with the richest pitching contract in historical past to that time.
That Maddux deal was fairly large, however the largest deal on the epic ’92 Meetings was signed by one Barry Lamar Bonds with the Giants. You know all concerning the data Bonds would go on to interrupt throughout his time in San Francisco, however on the Winter Meetings the one document that mattered was the one Bonds set with a $43 million dedication unfold over six years (he was even the primary participant to barter a lodge suite on the street). That paycheck may look paltry by right this moment’s blockbuster requirements, nevertheless it was an enormous funding on the time for a Giants staff that had simply survived the specter of a transfer to Tampa., Fla., when a neighborhood group of traders stepped as much as hold the staff by the Bay. The Giants would finally get a brand new ballpark, the place Bonds hit No. 756 in 2007.
The Rangers actually went for it on the Winter Meetings in Atlanta, making three trades within the first three days of the occasion, together with bringing in Julio Franco and Rafael Palmeiro. But their largest rating was 41-year-old Nolan Ryan, who was already the sport’s all-time strikeout king and had 5 no-hitters underneath his belt. The Rangers’ one-year, $1.8 million assure to Ryan was truly lower than what he was supplied by the Giants and Angels, however the deal saved him within the state of Texas after 9 seasons in Houston and commenced the ultimate chapter of his legendary profession.
Ryan would go on to pitch 5 extra seasons with two extra no-hitters for the Rangers, although the membership’s Winter Meetings aggression didn’t lead it to October.
1980: Narrowing down the (Win)discipline
By the top of the 1980 season, Dave Winfield was fed up with the Padres, and the sensation was mutual. He embarked upon a free company the likes of which the sport had not but seen — one that might set a template for numerous different blockbuster offers to come back. Winfield had many suitors that winter, together with each New York golf equipment. The Mets had been the staff that pushed bidding as much as $1.5 million per yr (a staggering sum on the time), however Winfield was leery about their lack of lineup safety.
So Mets GM Frank Cashen spent the week of the Meetings making an attempt to make a commerce for Fred Lynn and others, to no avail. Winfield’s camp additionally had severe negotiations with the Indians that week. But at some point after the Meetings wrapped, it was the Yankees who landed him with a record-shattering, 10-year, $16 million deal — one that might develop fairly contentious and result in a significant public feud between Winfield and proprietor George Steinbrenner due to cost-of-living escalators that truly pushed the worth nearer to $23 million.
