On the day after the World Series, an agent for a prominent free agent this winter expressed shock at how busy his day had been. In the past two seasons, free agency began with a whimper -- few texts, fewer calls. Thursday was different.
"I don't know if it's going to mean anything," he said. "But at least they're acting interested."
Free agency is at the heart of the discord between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. The misgivings started in the winter of 2016-17, graduated to anger a year later and remained that way last winter.