It’s been eerily quiet on the MLB transaction wire with restless fans waiting for Freddie Freeman and Kris Bryant, among other stud free agents, to make their decisions. Of course, as alluded to by Buster Olney, there’s plenty we’re not privy to behind the scenes, with agents working the phones, fielding offers for their respective clients.
With that in mind, the dam is bound to break sooner or later. Bryant, Freeman, Clayton Kershaw, Carlos Correa and Trevor Story will inevitably find new homes, coming off the board in rapid succession well ahead of Opening Day (tentatively set for April 7th). But until one of them takes the plunge, fans will have to settle for veteran Drew VerHagen, who will forever hold the distinction of being MLB’s first post-lockout signing.
Fresh off a two-year stint in Japan, it’s doubtful fans outside of Detroit, where the 6’6” right-hander spent his first six seasons before heading overseas, had even heard of VerHagen until he joined the Cardinals Friday. A largely anonymous reliever signing a two-year deal wouldn’t normally be a cause for celebration (over 199 big-league innings, VerHagen owns an ERA north of five), but after a longer than anticipated hiatus—the result of MLB’s first work stoppage in a quarter century—fans will take whatever hot stove news they can get.
Congrats to VerHagen for being the first free-agent domino to fall, setting the stage for what should be an eventful few weeks as baseball makes up for lost time.
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