One of the “coldest and miserly baseball offseasons in memory is nearing conclusion” and it “can’t be understated that, other than the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets (on one player), hardly any team spent any money,” according to Bill Madden of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Something “strange is definitely going on when (1) 22 of 30 teams have cut payroll, (2) only five free agents” -- RF Juan Soto, SS Willy Adames, P Corbin Burnes, P Max Fried and RF Anthony Santander -- received contracts of five or more years. There have been “many theories floated as to why so many teams chose not to spend this winter, one of which, with an eye on a new collective bargaining negotiation coming up in 2026, they are gearing up for another battle for a salary cap.” One agent said, “That’s rich. They’ve already proven by what they haven’t done this winter, they can get a salary cap on their own!” Madden noted another related theory is that “so many middle and small market clubs have taken major hits on their local TV RSNs,” they “can’t compete with the Dodgers, Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, et al., for big ticket free agents.” It also “can’t be dismissed the growing number of analytically driven GMs whose credo is no contracts of more than three years,” especially for players in their 30s, and “building clubs through the draft and international signings” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/15).
With MLB offseason winding down, most MLB teams opted not to spend
