As Major League Baseball and its players are currently at another impasse and do not have a contract in their collective bargaining agreement, there have been 18 players who switched teams and signed significant contracts at $10 million or more during the offseason to date. Let us take a look at who the 18 players are.
15) James Paxton–The Canadian southpaw nicknamed the Big Maple signed a one-year deal worth $10 million with the Boston Red Sox. Injuries have forced Paxton to throw only six games the last two years.
15) Corey Knebel—The right-hander who was an all-star back in 2017 with the Brewers was 4-0 in 27 relief appearances last year with the Dodgers, and an earned run average of 2.45. He signed a one-year deal worth $10 million with the Philadelphia Phillies.
15) Alex Cobb—In losing Kevin Gausman to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Giants signed Cobb to a two-year deal worth $20 million. Last year, Cobb was 8-3 with 98 strikeouts and an earned run average of 3.76 with the Los Angeles Angels, as he reacquainted with Joe Maddon, his old skipper in Tampa Bay.
15) Eduardo Escobar–The veteran third baseman from Venezuela batted .253 last season with 28 home runs and 90 runs batted in, while sharing his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. Escobar signed a two-year deal worth $20 million with the New York Mets.
14) Steven Matz–The 30-year-old lefty signed a four-year deal worth $44 million with the St. Louis Cardinals. Last year with the Toronto Blue Jays, he had a record of 14-7 with 144 strikeouts and an earned run average of 3.82.
12) Mark Canha–In 2021, Canha led MLB with 27 times hit by a pitch. Also with the Oakland Athletics, he batted .231 with 17 home runs and 61 runs batted in. The veteran outfielder signed a two-year deal worth $26.5 million with the New York Mets.
12) Avisail Garcia—The rightfielder from Venezuela signed a four-year deal worth $53 million with the Miami Marlins. Last year with Milwaukee, he batted.262 with 29 home runs and 86 runs batted in.
11) Jon Gray–The veteran right-hander saw his earned run average drop from 6.69 to 4.59 from 2020 to 2021. Last season with the Colorado Rockies, Gray had a record of 8-12 with 157 strikeouts. He signed a four-year deal worth $56 million with the Texas Rangers.
10) Eduardo Rodriguez–The southpaw from Venezuela led the American League with 75 walks in 2019, despite having a respectable earned run average of 3.81. Then last year in 2020, Rodriguez missed the season altogether due to coronavirus. In 2021, Rodriguez posted a record of 13-8 with 185 strikeouts and an earned run average of 4.74 with the Boston Red Sox. In the offseason, he signed a five-year deal worth $77 million with the Detroit Tigers.
9) Starling Marte—The outfielder from the Dominican Republic batted .310 with 12 home runs and 55 runs batted in last season with the Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics. However, a major reason for his success was the fact Marte led Major League Baseball with 47 stolen bases. He signed a four-year deal worth $78 million with the New York Mets.
8) Noah Syndergaard—The starting pitcher has missed most of the last two seasons with an elbow injury and Tommy John Surgery. The Angels are banking on the hope that Syndergaard can return to his 2016 form when he was an All-Star. He signed a one-year deal worth $21 million with the Angels.
7) Kevin Gausman–The Toronto Blue Jays were the best team in Major League Baseball in 2021 to miss the playoffs. In the offseason, the Blue Jays successfully signed National League All-Star Kevin Gausman to a five-year contract worth $110 million. Last year, Gausman posted a record of 14 wins, and six losses, with 247 strikeouts, and an earned run average of 2.81 with the San Francisco Giants.
6) Robbie Ray—The 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner with the Toronto Blue Jays had a sensational 2021 season as he led Major League Baseball with 248 strikeouts, and the American League with an earned run average of 2.84 and a WHIP of 1.05. As a result, Ray signed a five-year deal worth $115 million with the Seattle Mariners.
5) Javier Baez—The two-time All-Star infielder from Puerto Rico signed a six-year deal worth $140 million with the Detroit Tigers. Last year with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, he batted .265 with 31 home runs and 87 runs batted in. One concern however is the fact Baez led the National League with 184 strikeouts.
4) Marcus Stroman–The veteran righthander had a record of 10 wins and 13 losses with 158 strikeouts and an earned run average of 3.02 last year with the New York Mets. In the offseason, he signed a three-year deal worth $71 million with the Chicago Cubs.
3) Marcus Semien The veteran second baseman was in the heart of the Blue Jays lineup in 2021, as he batted .265 with 45 home runs and 102 runs batted in. His award was a seven-year deal worth $175 million with the Texas Rangers.
2) Corey Seager–Marcus Semien was not the only free agent infield signing by the Rangers of a player whose last name starts with S. They also acquired third baseman Corey Seager to a 10-year deal worth $325 million. Last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seager batted .306 with 16 home runs and 57 runs batted in.
1) Max Scherzer—The New York Mets acquired a starting pitcher to complement Jacob DeGrom. They came to terms with starting pitcher Max Scherzer to a whopping three-year contract worth $130 million. Scherzer had a record of 15 wins and four losses last season with the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. He had 236 strikeouts an earned run average of 2.97.
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