MLB free agency: Offseason lessons from GM meetings
As MLB’s free agency officially opened this week, baseball’s top executives gathered in San Antonio for the annual general manager meetings, offering the first opportunity to hear front offices discuss their offseason goals.
From teams coming off deep October runs to clubs at a crossroads, we checked in with some of this winter’s most intriguing teams for insight on their hot stove priorities.
Teams fresh off a playoff appearance
Detroit Tigers: Harris aiming to raise bar after unexpected October success
After a playoff run nobody saw coming, the Tigers are in a strong position entering the offseason. Given the performance of their young core, they plan to continue to build from within but also have the opportunity to add from outside the organization this offseason.
In a subtle twist from the usual executive talk that “every team has a budget,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris indicated Detroit does things a little differently.
“We don’t go into an offseason with a firm floor or ceiling that we have to get to no matter what,” Harris said about his payroll. “We just go into the offseason trying to get better. I know Chris [Ilitch] is going to support us if we find compelling opportunities to get better that cost money — we’re going to do it.”
The Ilitches were big spenders while Chris’ dad, Mike, ran the team. The baseball world should find out in the coming years — as the Tigers keep growing — if Chris has the same propensity for high payrolls. In the meantime, Harris has been delivering a message to his team after a successful season.
“The message I’ve been sharing is we have to hold two thoughts at the same time … we can be proud of what we just did … but that second thought is we have to stay very hungry. We have to raise the bar for all of us. The beauty of a young team is it gets better.”
Milwaukee Brewers: Arnold preparing for possibility of life after Adames
General manager Matt Arnold was asked how his team will replace the production it received from shortstop Willy Adames, who had a career year and is now likely to leave via free agency because of the nine-figure payday he is projected to get this offseason.
“Really tough,” Arnold said. “Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz were fantastic. However we want to stagger those types of guys, I think we have depth there. They can cover us up the middle.”
While leaning on two young players already excelling in the organization is in line with how the Brewers often operate, a dip into free agency for a shortstop isn’t out of the question. Could that mean an unexpected reunion with Adames?
“We’ve always had support from ownership to do that, whether that’s the [Jackson] Chourio or [Christian] Yelich extension. [Owner Mark Attanasio] is case specific.”
Despite that support, it might be a tougher road to climb with Adames, as industry sources believe he’ll move on from the Brewers this winter.
New York Mets: Will Stearns land Soto or Alonso? Maybe. Starting pitching? Yes.
As expected, Mets GM David Stearns wouldn’t talk much about specific free agents, including Juan Soto and Pete Alonso, but he did acknowledge that he is in a different space this winter after joining an organization with money to spend on payroll compared with his time with the small-market Brewers.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Stearns said. “I think whenever you have access to every tier of agency and every tier available player, that’s a tremendous opportunity and it opens up doors and we have to decide which door to walk through or which doors to walk through at times.”
