The most frequently taken path is often not the best path to go down. This is clearly the case regarding how modern day baseball managers acquire new players. For the longest time, managers around the game looked for physically gifted players due to their high potential. Their thinking was that high caliber physical ability meant that the player could reach incredible heights. However, people like Billy Beane have shifted the standard. He realized that many players with the ability to reach stardom often do not. The player’s mindset and physical durability often play a large part in a player’s success. With this in mind, Billy Beane began saying that finding a player who has proven themselves often is better than finding a player that is just a raw talent. More often than not, the player who has proven themselves continues to produce at a solid level, while the athlete with raw talent doesn’t produce at all. People around the game quickly caught on and bought into Billy Beane’s philosophy. Now, teams around the league go crazy for players who’ve proven themselves in the league. This year, despite the lockout, has been no different. Two of the biggest free agent signings this year include the Twins acquiring Carlos Correa and the Dodgers acquiring Freddie Freeman.
One of the biggest signings of this offseason was the signing of Carlos Correa by the Minnesota Twins. On March 19, 2022, former player for the Houston Astros, Carlos Correa, signed with the Minnesota Twins on a 105.3 million dollar deal. Carlos Correa was a relatively successful player for the Houston Astros. He’s won rookie of the year, has gotten to two All-Star games, and came fifth in MVP voting the year before signing a deal with the Twins. He was seen as one of the best shortstops in the country. Also, the Astros were consistently one of the best in the MLB, winning a championship and making it to the World Series again in 2021. However, that championship has been put into heavy scrutiny due to the Astros likely cheating to achieve it. Coming out of the draft, Correa was seen as a top prospect. He was 17 years old when he was drafted and was seen as someone with lots of potential. Correa wasn’t that high on people’s boards until just before the draft, when he shot up into the top few prospects. He was one of those people who was drafted with the possibility of improvement in mind. Correa faced poor competition in Puerto Rico but draft scouts assumed he’d be good looking at his physical attributes. Going onto the Twins roster, the team expects him to continue being the elite shortstop he’s been for the Astros, especially last year. They were among the worst teams in the entire American League last year, so hopefully Correa can do something about it.
Another one of the biggest signings of this offseason was the signing of Freddie Freeman by the Los Angeles Dodgers. On March 18, 2022, Freddie Freeman agreed to terms on a six-year, 162 million dollar contract with the Dodgers. As seen by Billy Beane’s philosophy, it’d be ludacris to spend such a sum of money on an unproven player. So, how does Freeman stack up? Well, he’s certainly proved himself to be worth so much money, especially in the past four. Freeman is seen as one of the best first basemen in the league on both offense and defense. Freeman has won the Gold Glover and Silver Slugger award during his time with the Braves. In 2020, Freeman won the NL MVP in front of elite players such as Mookie Betts, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. The most important thing in baseball is winning, and Freeman has done his fair share of it. Just last year, he led the Atlanta Braves to a “Cinderella” World Series win over the Houston Astros. The Braves weren’t seen as that great of a threat going into the playoffs, but proved themselves and came out on top. Going into the draft, Freddie Freeman was extremely young as was seen as a project. He spent 3 years in the minor leagues and was finally called up to the Braves in 2010. There, he’d struggle early on, but soon found his stride. So, how can Freeman help his team? Well, the Dodgers have been one of the best teams in baseball for many years now, and are poised to continue their form. Freeman will bring improved fielding and hitting to the team, which anyone would benefit from.
In these two signings, it’s displayed how Billy Beane has changed the game. Teams are now willing to spend vast sums of money on players who’ve proved themselves in the league, knowing there’s a higher chance they’ll bring success. Despite being 32 years old, Freeman was able to get a huge contract because the Dodgers are aware of the type of play he brings. Instead of betting on a youngster with potential, these teams are spending insane amounts of money on players they know will bring success.