This MLB offseason has been unlike any other in history, as with less than two weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, the likes of J.D. Martinez, Eric Hosmer, Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta and other marquee players remain free agents.
Part of the reason for that is that teams that are usually big spenders in the free-agent market, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, have prioritized remaining below the luxury tax threshold for the 2018 season.
But another explanation is long-term contracts for players north of 30 years old in the past have not worked out so well.