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MLB trade rumors highlight how busy the off-season can be as teams are strategizing their rosters in preparation for spring training. These rumors revolve around several key figures, the type of contracts they are willing to commit to and their potential new homes within the MLB organization.
One particular storyline of the current off-season is that Alex Bregman remains unsigned despite less than a month before pitchers and catchers report for spring training. After declining a large 6-year offer from his previous team the Houston Astros he still has teams showing potential interest.
Teams like the Cubs Red Sox, Mariners and Tigers all showed interest as a long term possibility. His initial ask seemed to be $200 million. Recently the Cubs made casual conversations with his agent at the Boras Corporation, but they are not looking at a long term plan but instead consider a three year deal with potential opt out clauses.
The Cubs had a specific trade with Kyle Tucker which showed they needed a solid option at third base after making trades of previous candidates for those positions. Now they see top prospect Matt Shaw being a top pick for third base. They continue to show a more cautious budget with most other large opportunities.
As many teams show some uncertainty of overcommitting in longer term deals this shows how this market is creating tension with new strategies for all involved parties. Many organizations see they can not easily offer high amounts for long periods of time creating difficulty for both players and teams to come to a conclusion.
Other teams also could give short term offers like those who are in the big market cities of New York and Boston. The market itself will help to drive the choice that will eventually come from these negotiations.
Short term contracts with high annual pay are now a common aspect of current player contract. Some teams see this as a way of mitigating a player’s market value by agreeing on shorter commitments but in exchange players want higher values. This concept allows teams more flexibility while giving some sort of a security measure for players.
These types of offers provide players flexibility along with an opt out clause to ensure higher pay with less time. These agreements have allowed a type of freedom and give a player a short commitment with options on what they want to do long term. It shows a different path in professional sports.
Recent discussions show high profile free agents seeking maximum profit. Also showing an interesting balance on market realities and where organizations are more comfortable to create parameters for the length of these deals while trying to accommodate individual players desires for money and freedom.
Alex Bregman originally was looking for massive contract deals with the start of free agency in what seemed to be $300 million contracts which created doubt on his approach. Though the details for deals were not as clear he had turned down six years with 156 million and that had created an impasse where most deals seemed impossible because of how aggressive those terms were.
Another example is with a baseball star Pete Alonso who may be in a similar situation of being on the wrong side of 30. Many teams are taking notice of how these trends have been affecting various negotiations and are cautious on adding commitments that they may not fully be comfortable with.
As this off season continues the balance of risk management is seen on both the player and organization side. There is an emphasis on individual value versus team commitment which creates issues when long term big deals are at stake.
The role that agents play within MLB is crucial and the primary goal is to maximize value of every contract. When big name agents get involved players also tend to pursue the largest financial gains despite what some consider a fair offer. There seems to be a clash of what a player believes he is worth versus what his previous career showed him which creates new situations of challenge and unique strategies.
With each organization their is a financial strategy they must adhere too while also staying competitive. Teams may use a specific budget which means they may not see fit to engage with long high value contracts that can affect them. With some cases for team value and popularity playing a big part of if an organization can go far beyond traditional boundaries.
These aspects and limitations impact the teams flexibility in the trade market for future needs which makes management seek more cost effective choices for new contracts.