Owners refusing to spend money on free agents has been an ongoing theme this winter. Teams apparently don't want to be saddled with large contracts for players in their 30s, or when a player's performance starts to fall off. However, teams do have a reasonable alternative: paying young players more. They don't do so out of the kindness of their hearts. Signing young players to contract extensions that cover multiple free-agent years has proved to provide massive financial bargains for teams.
Which young stars should teams lock up long term now?
