The Astros won’t win in 2013 no matter how much they spend on free agents. So what should we make of their moves?
Ben and Sam answer listener emails about R.A. Dickey, the Red Sox, and more.
Ben and Sam discuss what they see as the worst signings so far this winter.
The Cardinals lure Randy Choate out of Los Angeles, while the Angels sign Sean Burnett away from Washington.
Four free agents go online dating.
What can we conclude from the free agents who did and didn’t receive qualifying offers in the first season under the new CBA?
Smart GMs don’t pay for the brand name, but for the product. These players might have baggage but they get the job done as well as their expensive counterparts.
Ben and Sam discuss the discrepancies between lists of the top free agents this offseason.
Adapting the rules governing free agency might seem like sound policy, but it comes with considerable risk.
Ben and Sam discuss what the Ervin Santana trade says about the Royals’ rotation and the pitching market, then talk about what Rick Hahn’s ascension to the GM role in Chicago means for the future of front offices.
Ben and Sam discuss the decline of Ubaldo Jimenez and whether the Rockies saw it coming when they sent him to Cleveland, then talk about the Angels’ off-season plans for Torii Hunter and Dan Haren.
Are the Phillies doomed to enter a lengthy period of losing, or can they make a quick return to the top by selling their expiring assets now?
Soliciting scouts’ takes on the four remaining free agents who made significant contributions to their teams last season.
Flash back to January 1987. Walk Like an Egyptian is at the top of the pop charts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has coasted past 2,000. John Elway has broken Cleveland’s heart for the very first time. And in baseball, the free agents are getting utterly and completely shafted.
The notion of “freely available talent” is something of a Sabermetric piety. Savvy waiver claims and judicious use of the Rule 5 draft are two sources, but it’s mostly by trawling through the minor-league free agents each year that many organizations fill their holes at the highest level.