These small MLB free agency deals could be big deals

These small MLB free agency deals could be big deals

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This winter MLB will be best remembered for the monster contracts of Aaron Judge, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts, and the three contracts of Carlos Correa. Judge, Turner, and Bogaerts collectively made him $940 million, but Judge and Turner believe that with this trio, he has a bigger deal from other teams that could top $1 billion. I declined. And Correa actually agreed to a deal where he was worth $865 million.

There weren’t many obvious bargains, but there were some deals that could turn out to be just that.

1. Tyler Anderson, LHP, Angels ($40M, 3 years)

With a qualifying offer, it’s understandable that Anderson got this deal before he received a $19 million QO bid from the Cross Freeway Dodgers. With Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker, and Jameson Taillon winning his $60 million+ deal, the deal looked pretty good. It definitely looked good for Anderson, who was mostly a journeyman until 2022.

2. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates ($5 million, 1 year)

This is over $5 million in goodwill for the Pirates, a team in need of goodwill.

3. JD Martinez, DH, Dodgers ($10 million, 1 year)

He had more money elsewhere, but this seems to be the hallmark of a better deal.

4. Ross Stripling, RHP, Giants ($25 million, 2 years)

The Giants get a lot of abuse for failing to secure either Judges or Correa. But they’re making good deals, and Stripling stood out last year.

Toronto Blue Jays starter Ross Stripling, 48, as the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto's Rogers Center.
Ross Stripling wasn’t the star the Giants were looking for, but he’ll likely give them excellent value.
Getty Images Toronto Star

5. Jose Quintana, LHP, Mets ($24 million, 2 years)

The Mets came out of nowhere here, grabbing a veteran who revived his career last year.

6. Brandon Drury, IF/OF, Angels ($17M, 2 years)

Here’s another guy who made a ton of money in his walking years. But I bet on him too. He had his eyes corrected prior to his 2022, which could have seen a significant improvement. He also didn’t take much time signing with the Angels.

    On September 23, 2022, Andrew McCutchen #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers hit a home run in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Andrew McCutchen is back in Pittsburgh in a deal that could be a bargain for the Pirates.
Getty Images

7. Nelson Cruz, DH, Padres ($1 million, 1 year)

The Padres have created some eye-popping deals, but here they land one of the best sluggers of the last decade and a half at a reasonable rate. Yet another man who turned down more money elsewhere.

8. Zach Davies, RHP, Diamondbacks ($5M and $3M incentives, 1 year)

The Diamondbacks have done many good things. Davis is a soft-tosser, which makes him unfavorable on the open market, but with the exception of one year, he’s been very effective.

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