At 4:55 p.m. ET on Sunday night, as most Americans were traveling back toward home or steeling themselves to return to the grind of everyday life, word hit Twitter that Marcus Semien had agreed to a seven-year, $175 million deal with the Texas Rangers.
It was the first nine-figure deal and first true marquee free agent signing of an offseason that seemed to be gravitating not toward hot stove pyrotechnics, but toward an impending work stoppage and labor strife. At the same hour on Monday afternoon, Semien’s deal was one of five $100+ million contracts on the board after a dizzying day of seismic moves.