Free agency is not the only way for teams to address needs at this time of year. Since Major League Baseball came to terms with the Major League Baseball Players’ Association on a new collective bargaining agreement last week, we have seen some intriguing deals.
On Monday, there were two more trades in Major League Baseball. One deal saw the Seattle Mariners trade third baseman Eugenio Suarez and outfielder Jesse Winker to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Jake Fraley, pitcher Justin Dunn, and pitching prospect Brandon Williamson. We also saw the Oakland Athletics trade first baseman Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Cristian Pache, and three prospects.
Suarez had a poor season when it came to average in 2021. He only batted .198 with 31 home runs and 79 runs batted in. Winker meanwhile batted an excellent .305 with 24 home runs and 71 runs batted in. Fraley batted .210 with nine home runs and 36 runs batted in, while Dunn pitched 11 games for the Mariners in 2021, and had a record of one win and three losses with an earned run average of 3.75, with 49 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings.
The biggest name to be traded on Monday was Olson, who becomes the second Athletics player to be traded in the last week, joining starting pitcher Chris Bassitt who was moved to the New York Mets. Olson, who has since signed an eight-year deal worth $168 million with the Braves, batted .271 with 39 home runs and 111 runs batted in last season.
With the addition of Olson, it is highly unlikely that Freddie Freeman will rejoin the Braves this season. The three teams that are showing the most interest for Freeman are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays.
In free agency, the Baltimore Orioles signed catcher Robinson Chirinos to a one-year contract worth $900,000 (played last season with Chicago Cubs, .227, 5 HR, 15 RBIs), the Colorado Rockies signed pitcher Chad Kohl to a one-year contract worth $3 million (played last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-7, 75 K, 4.82 ERA), and the Philadelphia Phillies signed relief pitcher Brad Hand to a one-year contract worth $6 million (played last season with the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets, 6-7, 21 SV, 3.90 ERA).
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