MLB offseason normally gets off to a slow start then gradually heats up as the winter meetings progress and teams 
work harder to fill their needs. This year has been an exception. Just barely into December there has already been a flurry of action that includes big names like Uggla, Dunn and Werth.
Shortly after the San Francisco Giants were raising their World Series trophy, the Braves pulled off the first big move by acquiring slugging second baseman Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins. The Braves didn’t give up any major pieces (although technically Omar Infante was an All-Star) and that quick major move was a sign of things to come.
The Nationals have made the most surprising move so far, signing Jayson Werth to a seven-year contract worth $18 million a year. The deal will lock Werth up until he is 39 years old and is the third largest contract to an outfielder in baseball history. The buzz surrounding the meetings is the Nationals may not be done, as they may offer Cliff Lee a seven year deal, something even the Yankees don’t want to do.
The reason the Nationals had so much money to spend this offseason was the departure of slugger Adam Dunn, who signed a deal with the Chicago White Sox. Dunn is a lock to hit close to 40 homeruns and gives the ChiSox an upgraded lineup which may improve even more if Paul Konerko returns.
The White Sox Division rivals, the Tigers have made a couple big splashes as well. They signed catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez and reliever Joaquin Benoit to bolster their team.
The Boston Red Sox, who were favored to land Werth, made a big move by acquiring Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres. Gonzalez will likely play first base in Boston and Kevin Youkilis will move back to third. The Sox would like to lock Gonzalez up long term, but failed in their first attempt to negotiate with him.
The Colorado Rockies haven’t made any major free agent moves, but locked up two of their own players for the next couple (or ten) years. Signing Jorge De La Rosa is nice, but the notable event was when Troy Tulowitski got a contract extension that will keep him in Colorado through 2020.
Finally, we get to the New York Yankees. One of the major players for Cliff Lee, the Yankees have been in the news despite signing any free agents yet. Talks with Derek Jeter got rather heated (Jeter wanted a huge contract with a ton of years and the Yankees wanted something more reasonable) although the two sides eventually reached a deal. The Yankees also re-signed closer Mariano Rivera for another couple years.
Many big name free agents including Lee, Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre are still on the market, so look for more action as the winter meetings continue.
Used with permission of the author.
Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.
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