MLB Free Agent Market Opening, But Teams Not Eager To Spend

Several Significant Players On Trading Block, Including Halladay

MLB’s free agent market officially opens at midnight tonight, but instead of “long lines and eager shoppers, teams might be waiting for markdowns to entice them to the door,” according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. There are “only a handful of free agents that teams are openly coveting,” and nobody is “expected to come close to eclipsing” the $150M barrier, as Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira and P CC Sabathia did last year. Agent Tom Reich said, “A lot of clubs hope to help themselves through trade rather than free agency” (USA TODAY, 11/19). Nightengale notes several “significant players are acknowledged to be on the block, led by” Blue Jays P Roy Halladay. Several teams said that the reason for the increased trade talk could be that there is “less money to spend on free agents,” meaning if teams “want to improve, they are looking toward the trade market first.” Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio: “It’s hard to know what will happen, but I do know that a handful of teams lost money last year for the first time. The industry showed it is recession-resistant but not recession-proof.” Nightengale notes only eight teams have “more than $60[M] in financial commitments for the 2011 season, opening the way perhaps for a free agent spending spree next winter” (USA TODAY, 11/19).

SITTING ON THE SIDELINES: In N.Y., Tyler Kepner notes the free-agent market is “expected to move slowly, and one reason is a lack of aggressiveness from the Yankees.” The Yankees have “about $50[M] coming off their 2009 payroll, but with few elite players in this free-agent class, they are less motivated to make a splash” (N.Y. TIMES, 11/19). Meanwhile, the Padres “will likely be quiet” on the free-agent front again this offseason (MLB.com, 11/19).