Most MLB insiders expected free agency to heat up after Shohei Ohtani ultimately decided where he would sign. However, that has not been the case whatsoever, as some of the biggest names are still available and don’t appear to be eager to make a decision quickly.
Aside from the Los Angeles Dodgers signing both Ohtani and Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, free agency has been moving unusually slowly.
Robert Murray, FanSided’s National MLB Insider and co-host of The Baseball Insiders Podcast, spoke about this year’s free agency period on the most recent episode of the Short and to the Point podcast, comparing it to the offseason going into the 2021-22 season where there was a lockout.
“This kind of reminds me of the lockout because there is just nothing happening,” Murray told STTP host Jessica Kleinschmidt. “I say that because we’ve seen very little movement whatsoever. I wanna say I saw somebody tweet the other day that nine players out of the MLB trade rumors top-50 have signed. Which is crazy considering we are almost at the new year.”
Murray did add that while things have been uncharacteristically slow to this point, he is optimistic based on some reports he has heard that things are going to heat up quickly to begin 2024.
“It depends on who you talk to. One person will say ‘Yeah it’s pretty dead right now’. Another person literally just told me that s*** is about to go down. I’m hoping that’s a sign that the offseason heating up a bit. It’s been a very puzzling offseason. I was of the belief that once Ohtani signed it was going to be a free-for-all with all these other free agents. (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto then ended up signing and it stalled things.”
Another reason that free agency could be stalling is that a number of the big free agents remaining on the market are represented by Scott Boras, an agent who will notoriously wait to get his clients the best deal possible.
“Right now you look at the top guys on the market and you have Cody Bellinger, you have Blake Snell, you have Jordan Montgomery, Lucas Giolito, Josh Hader as well. What do a lot of those players have in common? Most of them are represented by Scott Boras. Boras is someone who is always really patient with the market and is not going to rush to take a deal. He’s someone who’s not afraid to wait it out. It has resulted in this moving way slower than I ever expected. But I think next week is really when it all starts to heat up.”
Only time will tell whether Murray is right and things will begin to heat up in the next few weeks. But for the time being most fans have been sitting on their hands waiting for their favorite team to make a big free-agent signing.
Short and to the Point with Jessica Kleinschmidt is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.