The offseason was dominated by the two big fish in - Bryce Harper and Manny Machado - one of whom has found his new home, the other still looking for the team he will have a long-term relationship with moving forward. Need not say more about both of those gentleman, the free agent market also consisted of other marquee names like Patrick Corbin, Marwin Gonzalez, and still consists of the likes of Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, both of whom have yet to be claimed.
However, while there's been some traction at the top of the market, there's also been some names, that might have had success in the past, that have been inked to deals with new teams. Some of those were well talked about, while others weren't talked about and basically swept under the rug like they were nothing.
For this article, we'll focus on the transactions that were made that will likely pay off some big dividends this season, assuming of course that player stays healthy. Here are five transactions that happened this offseason (maybe three quarters of an offseason - since it's not completely over), that deserve more attention than they got when they happened.
1. November 3rd, 2018: Washington Nationals Sign RP Trevor Rosenthal - The Washington Nationals decided to bolster the back end of their bullpen, shortly after the World Series concluded, by inking free agent reliever, Trevor Rosenthal, to a one-year deal that includes a mutual option for a 2020 season. After being released in November 2017, Rosenthal ended up missing the entire 2018 season, as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, but held a showcase last October for all 30 teams, that showed promise and enough convincing signs for a big league contract to be offered. It was only a few years ago when Rosenthal posted a 2.10 ERA over 68.2 IP (in 2015) and a 14.3 strikeouts-per-9 rate (in 2017). Given how much he went through to come back and pitch at the big league level again, shows his commitment level and that could pay off some big dividends this season for the Washington Nationals, who look to return to the postseason once again, amid a tough 4-team derby in the National League East.
2. December 6th, 2018: Minnesota Twins Sign 2B Jonathan Schoop - After being granted free agency about a week prior, the Minnesota Twins decided to make a massive potential bargain pickup by signing former Baltimore Orioles/Milwaukee Brewers second baseman, Jonathan Schoop. Looking back at last season, it's likely something that Schoop would rather forget considering that it was a career low for him to this point, in his big league career, something that has spanned six years now. At the young age of 27, Schoop is going to want to come out of the gates this season with something to prove to everyone around the game and that could end up providing the Minnesota Twins with a significant boost in offense. If you recall, it was just two short years ago that Schoop finished the season with a .293/.338/.503 batting line, over the span of 675 plate appearances, with 182 hits, 35 doubles, 32 home runs, 105 RBI, and 35 walks. Considering that, along with the fact that Schoop now has a new home, the 2019 season could be a massive one for the second baseman.
3. December 11th, 2018: Kansas City Royals Ink OF Billy Hamilton - It certainly wasn't a blockbuster move by any means or something that made the entire baseball industry stop in its tracks, but the pickup of Billy Hamilton could end up being a really nice one for the Royals. When you look at the Royals everyday lineup, they have a tremendous amount of speed and three guys in: Whit Merrifield, Adalberto Mondesi, and the aforementioned Billy Hamilton who can steal bases and make that speed work on the base paths. It's almost reminiscent of the old Kansas City Royals teams that were built with the same philosophy and it's something that the Royals are going to use as a competitive advantage this season. It's not often that you find a team that has three players with the potential to record 30 or more stolen bases over the span of a 162-game season, but the Royals can now throw their hat into that ring. As for Billy Hamilton, last season was sort of a down year for him on the base paths (34 stolen bases), but in 2017 he stole a career high (59), which means that this coming season could be a nice one for him with a change of scenery.
4. January 14th, 2019: Milwaukee Brewers Agree to Deal with C Yasmani Grandal - Yasmani Grandal was likely viewed as a big name on the catching market, but considering the numerous options that were available - both on the free agent and trade markets - the signing of Yasmani Grandal sort of went under-the-radar for the Milwaukee Brewers. Considering that the Milwaukee Brewers had the third lowest on-base percentage (.294), at the catching position among National League teams, the addition of Grandal will likely be a big one that helps to increase the amount of offense for the Brew Crew. Last season alone, Grandal finished the year with a .349 on-base percentage, along with 24 home runs and 68 RBI over the course of 518 plate appearances, which helps to demonstrate the type of offensive potential that he has. Although the postseason left a sour mark on Grandal, especially in Milwaukee, Brewers fans will probably forgive him, as much as possible this year, when they see the power and offense that he is capable of providing on a daily basis.
5. February 23rd, 2019: Detroit Tigers Ink 2B Josh Harrison - When you step back and analyze the free agent market from this offseason, it's amazing to think that it sunk so low that Josh Harrison had to agree to a one-year, $2 million dollar deal. However, the Detroit Tigers got a very good veteran player in Josh Harrison and they certainly will be proud of that investment throughout this coming season. Hamilton is the type of guy that a team brings in to provide veteran leadership to the young players and is very capable of providing plenty of offense throughout the course of the year. For illustration, it was just two years ago in 2017, that Harrison finished the season with a (3.3) WAR and a (.771) OPS. While he might not necessarily lead the American League in those categories this coming season, it is still a fantastic pickup for a young Detroit Tigers squad that is continuing to find their identity and navigate their way through the rebuild process.
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