Major League Baseball’s offseason has been uncharacteristically slow this year. It isn’t uncommon for all-star caliber players to sign deals in February and sometimes March. However, what isn’t normal is the amount of quality players without a team for the 2024 season. While mega agent Scott Boras can hold up the offseason by himself, MLB teams have also had some unprecedented events happen this season, and two players held up the free agent market by themselves as well. There are plenty of reasons why baseball’s offseason has been slower than usual.
Shohei Ohtani’s Free Agency
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter the World Series ended, all eyes were focused on the free agency of Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani wasn’t your typical star-free agent. Given how successful Ohtani is at both hitting and pitching, it was expected that his contract would be the highest ever. However, what complicated things was that he underwent Tommy John surgery. This means that Ohtani won’t be able to pitch until 2025 at the earliest. This also isn’t the first time that Ohtani has had the surgery. It is very difficult to get back to form after having Tommy John surgery twice.
The teams that were reportedly involved in the Ohtani sweepstakes were the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Cubs, Angels, and Giants. After very extensive negotiations, Ohtani eventually signed with the Dodgers on a ten-year $700 million contract. $68 million of his salary is deferred until after the contract expires. The Dodgers will be paying this out from 2034-2043. Ohtani’s free agency was going to be a major impediment to how quickly players were willing to sign deals this offseason.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Posting
Embed from Getty ImagesNo sooner after Ohtani’s free agency ended, the focus shifted to another Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto officially posted in late November and was free to negotiate with any MLB team. The Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox were all interested in signing the young talented pitcher. After a long period of negotiations and visits, Yamamoto eventually decided to sign with the Dodgers on a 12-year $325 million deal. This was yet another player who held up the market and players wanted to wait until he signed.
Scott Boras
Embed from Getty ImagesEvery baseball fan should know who Scott Boras is. He knows you blame him when your favorite players sign with other teams, the price of game tickets and concessions rise, and right now holding up the entire offseason. Boras has been in the game for years and this is almost becoming an annual offseason patience exercise for both MLB front offices and fans. One could make the argument that Boras has control of baseball’s offseason right in the palm of his hand.
In what has become known as the “Boras Four”, stars Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, and Jordan Montgomery all remain unsigned. Given what the “Boras Four” have accomplished in their careers, it is very surprising that all four still haven’t signed with a team yet. Blake Snell has won the Cy Young Award twice, Bellinger won Comeback Player of the Year last season, Montgomery has blossomed into a dependable starter, and Chapman is still a reliable third baseman.
However, teams are currently unwilling to meet the salary demands that Boras is making for these four players. Reportedly, he’s asking for a multi-year $270 million deal for Snell, a muti-year and at $200+ million for Bellinger, Montgomery wants to top Aaron Nola’s contract, and Chapman is looking to have a contract in the $150 million range. However, no team is willing to meet those demands so far this offseason. The interested teams and the Boras camp aren’t budging from their desires.
Diamond Sports Bankruptcy
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen Diamond Sports (AKA Bally Sports) declared bankruptcy, this left 1/3 of MLB’s team with a bit of uncertainty when it came to TV money. Approximately 23% of a team’s revenue comes from broadcasting their games on TV. It’s reportedly part of the reason why the Padres traded Juan Soto. Fortunately, the sinking network secured $450 million from creditors to reorganize plus an investment of $115 million from Amazon. The affected teams will at least have their games broadcast for at least this season. In return, the multinational technology giant acquired the broadcast rights for the Rays, Brewers, Marlins, Tigers, and Royals.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding the TV deal, this has required the affected teams to be more frugal. It has required teams who are interested in making their teams better for 2024 to improve more along the margins. For example, the Rangers had been spending money freely the past two off-seasons. However, partially due to the TV deal issues, Texas hasn’t been spending nearly as much this offseason. The uncertainty has also led people to doubt that Jordan Montgomery will return to Texas next season despite him being interested.
There Are Unprecedented Factors Affecting The Offseason
There is no singular reason why baseball’s offseason has been very slow this year. While Scott Boras will forever be an impediment, the other issues aren’t normal. Ohtani’s free agency and Yamamoto’s posting held up the market and 1/3 of the league’s TV deals are in trouble. I can’t remember the last time two players held up an offseason by themselves. Not even when Bryce Harper was a free agent did that happen. The teams with uncertainty surrounding their TV money have had to cut back on how much they spend. This further holds up the market as more teams were uninterested in spending lots of money.
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