Most Impactful MLB Free Agent Signings

Ranking the three most impactful free agent signings from the 2018 offseason

Image Courtesy of Boston Globe

Last season’s free agent market was surprisingly slow, however, the biggest names on the market eventually all found contracts. Some have been much more impactful than others and, as July approaches, it’s time to analyze which signings have been the most impactful early on.

1. J.D. Martinez, Red Sox: Martinez has proven to be a lethal addition in the middle of the Red Sox lineup. In what was already a potent offense, Martinez is still a welcome sign in Boston. After play on Tuesday, Martinez has an MLB-best 24 home runs. It’s quite the change from recent first-year performances by major offseason signings for Boston (Edgar Renteria, J.D. Drew, Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, etc.). In addition to his production on the field, Martinez’s leadership in the clubhouse can’t be overlooked. Much of Boston’s core is young (Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi), and Martinez has assumed a Big Papi-esque leadership role in the clubhouse. His immediate impact has been felt both on and off the field in Boston and it’s hard to argue that any other free agent singing has been more impactful.

2. Lorenzo Cain, Brewers: The Brewers placed Cain on the 10-day DL on Tuesday and his presence will certainly be missed (although it helps they play the Royals this week). Cain had been everything the Brewers imagined when they signed him to a five-year, $80 million free-agent deal in late January. In 72 games, he was batting .291 with a .394 on-base percentage, 48 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, eight home runs, 43 walks and 26 RBI, batting primarily in the leadoff spot. The Brewers occupy the top spot in the NL Central and will be a force all season. Cain has been spectacular for the Brew Crew and he’s brought a sense of stability atop the order.

Aaron Gash, Associated Press

3. Jake Arrieta, Phillies: The Phillies are one of the surprises of the season thus far and Arrieta’s strong start to the season is a reason why Philadelphia is a contender. It took a while for Arrieta to sign during the alarmingly slow free agency period, but the Phillies eventually signed him to a three-year, $75 million deal in March. Arrieta started the season extremely well but has struggles recently, however, his presence is still a major reason why the Phillies (41–36) are only 3.5 games behind the Braves for first in the NL East. Take, for example, the series in San Francisco, when the Phillies were swept and only scored one run over the course of the three-game series. During postgame, Arrieta did not hold back his feelings:

Jake Arrieta calls out Phillies in locker-room rant

“Well, we’ve had bad defensive shifts, we had a check swing, Kingery should have gone to second on that play and they got three hits in a row,” he fumed. “The home run, credit McCutchen for putting a good swing on it, but I did not expect a ball like that to get out. Overall, it’s just a really horses — — series. Really bad. Really bad.” (NBC Sports)

There’s a time and place for everything, and Arrieta certainly exercised that statement at the right time to galvanize the team. Again, his numbers (5–6, 3.54 ERA) don’t look great because of a recent slide in quality, but Arrieta has proven that he’s capable of putting together a fantastic stretch to carry a team (remember 2015?), so look for him to turn it around soon.