Just one year and one day ago, the wildest 24 hours in the history of baseball free agency unfolded. With the inevitability of a lockout by the league placing an artificial deadline on transactions, teams rushed to sign free agents, and over a 24-hour period from Nov. 28-29, they guaranteed nearly $1 billion.
No such urgency has graced this offseason. None of the eight free agents projected to receive the largest deals has signed. The biggest contract thus far, a $102 million deal for New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz, happened the day after the World Series, nearly four weeks ago.