After doling out a whopping $144 million to sign Eric Hosmer the previous winter, the San Diego Padres lobbed a cool $300 million at Manny Machado last winter, and promptly missed the playoffs, again. That Machado deal served as a record free agent contract for about a minute, only to be busted by the $330 million guarantee given to Bryce Harper by the Philadelphia Phillies who, like the Padres, promptly missed the playoffs, again.
The bonanza at the top-end of last year’s free agent market was hardly an isolated silo of spending, as the Los Angeles Angels re-upped Mike Trout to the tune of $430 million and the Colorado Rockies went to $260 million to extend Nolan Arenado, as well.