So far, MLB free agency has been moving at a snail’s pace. It appears that the stove is beginning to warm up a bit as the last couple of days have seen a few significant(ish) signings. Unfortunately, none of them have been by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The holes in the Pirates’ roster are quite obvious, and it’s somewhat disheartening to see an apparent lack of urgency in filling those voids. I would like to see Ben Cherington engaging with this current crop of free agents while some solid options still exist within the pool. Hopefully, he’s doing just that.

Cardinals Bolster Starting Rotation

Today the St. Louis Cardinals signed starting pitcher Sonny Gray to a three-year deal worth $75 million. This comes on the heels of them adding Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson last week. Sonny Gray was an American League Cy Young Award finalist after a very strong 2023 campaign with the Minnesota Twins.

Since 2019, the 34-year-old has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball, going 39-33 with a 3.22 ERA while striking out 732 batters in 670.1 innings pitching for the Cincinnati Reds and the Twins.

A three-time All-Star, Gray added a sweeper in 2023 that was ranked as one of the best pitches in baseball, and has showed no signs of regression with his stuff entering his 12th season.

Only two pitchers were left from the Opening Day rotation in St. Louis coming into the offseason, so the Cardinals addressed that issue early signing pitchers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to deals before making the big splash with Gray.

These three additions are joined by returning Cardinals pitchers Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz in the rotation, but the Cardinals are very likely to still be in the market for another arm.

Tigers Add Kenta Maeda

The Detroit Tigers also jumped into the starting pitcher market by landing Kenta Maeda on a two-year contract with a $24 million price tag. Like Sonny Gray, Maeda is coming off of a pretty good 2023 season with the Twins.

The 35-year-old heads to the Tigers on the heels of a solid comeback season for the Minnesota Twins. After missing all of 2022 following elbow surgery, Maeda returned to post a 4.23 ERA, 4.02 FIP, and 1.17 WHIP with 117 strikeouts in 21 appearances (20 starts). His 10.1 K/9 rate was his best mark since 2020.

Maeda’s splitter and slider are his primary offerings in his five-pitch arsenal. He also uses a four-seam fastball and the occasional sinker and curve. Opposing batters hit just .182 and slugged .263 off his splitter in 2023.

Although he was roughed up during two postseason relief appearances, Maeda finished his regular season on a high note by posting a 2.81 ERA and holding opponents to a .208/.269/.375 slash line over 25.2 innings in September.

He’ll be looked upon to provide a steadying presence atop a talented but young rotation in Detroit. Maeda is currently slated to be the team’s only starter above age 27. His new rotation mates include former top prospects Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, and Casey Mize, who’s set to return from Tommy John surgery.

Dodgers Re-Sign Jason Heyward

After a bounce-back season in 2023, the Dodgers have decided to bring outfielder Jason Heyward back on a one-year deal worth $9 million. I know calling this one significant is a bit of a stretch, but the stove just isn’t that hot yet so we’re going to include this.

After a largely underwhelming seven-year run with the Cubs, Heyward signed with the Dodgers and had a bounceback season at the plate, turning in a strong .269/.340/.473 batting line with 15 home runs and 23 doubles in 377 trips to the plate. Last years’ 17% strikeout rate was his lowest since 2018, while his 9% walk rate was his best mark since the shortened 2020 campaign. Some of those improvements stemmed from being shielded almost entirely from left-handed pitching — just 7.4% of his plate appearances came against lefties — but Heyward also showed dramatic improvement against right-handed pitching as well.

Beyond his strong year at the plate, Heyward continued to rate as an above-average defender in the outfield. Los Angeles gave him the vast majority of his work in right field, but Heyward also logged 120 innings in center field and the first 25 innings of his career in left field. On the whole, Defensive Runs Saved (+3) and Outs Above Average (+6) felt he was a strong defensive presence in his 769 frames of work.

That steady glovework from Heyward also freed the Dodgers to get creative with perennial MVP candidate Mookie Betts, who not only logged time at second base but also spent considerable time at the shortstop position for the first time in his career. Lack of experience notwithstanding, Betts proved an apt defender at both positions, giving manager Dave Roberts significant flexibility in filling out the lineup card without needing to sacrifice substantially on the defensive side of things.

Heyward’s return could once again free Betts to log significant time in the infield — particularly against right-handed pitching. Against southpaws, Betts can return to his more customary right field. Other names in L.A.’s outfield mix include center fielder James Outman, utilityman/left fielder Chris Taylor and top prospect Andy Pages, who might’ve debuted in 2023 had shoulder surgery not cut his season short. Pages is expected to be ready for spring training, the Dodgers announced at the time of his June surgery, but Heyward’s return takes some pressure off him as he ramps back up from that procedure. And, if Pages ultimately pushes his way onto the big league roster, his right-handed bat will give Roberts a natural complement to lefties like Heyward and Outman.

I know that it feels like this year’s free agency is moving very slowly. I imagine that a lot of the uncertainty surrounding Regional Sports Networks is fueling some of it. There is still plenty of talent left out there and hopefully, Cherington is working those phone lines. We’ve only seen a small handful of starting pitchers sign and that’s the area of biggest need for the Pirates.