Decade in Review: The Five Biggest Free Agent Signings of the 2010s

By: Chris Larson 

To conclude the Decade in Review mini-series and before the calendar officially flips to 2020, we will examine the five biggest and most impactful free agent signings from the past decade. Over the last ten years, all thirty MLB teams have invested billions of dollars in free agent signings to help improve their club in some way, shape, or form. In fact, dating back to the 2013 regular season when Spotrac started tracking spending in free agency and not counting the current offseason, teams have invested almost $1.4 billion dollars in free agent signings over that period of time.

When you look back at some of those signings, some of them ended up yielding terrible results for the team and didn't work out for the player, while others ended up exceeding expectations and were worth every dollar of the contract. Furthermore, there were other free agent signings that turned out to be just mediocre over the last decade and really didn't impact a team's chance at contention or winning a World Series title in one way or another. Free agency is always a risk for both the team and player involved and given the amount of money that is invested into free agency every single offseason, it can be a huge gamble for both parties.

With that being said, here are five of the biggest free agent signings from this past decade.

Photo Courtesy of WXYZ.com 

1. January 2015: RHP Max Scherzer Signs with the Washington Nationals 
Terms of the Deal: Seven-Years, $210 Million Dollars

When the Washington Nationals identified Max Scherzer as their primary target in free agency during the 2014-2015 offseason, the team knew that Scherzer was the guy they were missing at the top of their starting rotation. As you begin to look back at the past decade, the Washington Nationals have never been gun shy about investing significant amounts of money into their 25-man roster and have always gone above and beyond to assemble a core that could bring Washington DC a World Series Championship. After much defeat and plenty of frustration for the Washington Nationals players and fans alike, that reality finally came true this past year, but it likely wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Max Scherzer anchoring things down at the top of the rotation. Add to the fact that the Washington Nationals finished either in first or second place in the National League East every year dating back to the 2015 regular season and you can see exactly why this signing has paid the biggest dividends of any free agent signing over the past decade. In addition, since signing with the organization, Scherzer has appeared in five consecutive All-Star Games, won the National League Cy Young Award twice in 2016 and 2017, and finished in the Top Ten in National League Most Valuable Player voting three of those five years. That sure seems like money well spent.

Photo Courtesy of Dallas Morning News

2. January 2011: 3B Adrian Beltre Signs with the Texas Rangers 
Terms of the Deal: Six-Years, $96 Million Dollars

At the time of the Adrian Beltre signing, the Texas Rangers were sort of in a weird position. They had All-Star third baseman and superstar, Michael Young anchoring things down at the hot corner and had just lost out in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes to the Philaldephia Phillies. However, the organization just came off of their first World Series appearance in franchise history and were ready to spend big as they continued to pursue their goal of winning a World Series Championship once the 2011 regular season rolled around. Unfortunately, that never transpired that year for the Rangers, but they did make it back to the World Series only this time it was against the St. Louis Cardinals. When Beltre signed with the Texas Rangers, he had just spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, five with the Seattle Mariners, and was with the Boston Red Sox for only a year, but was towards the end of his prime at thirty-two years old. By signing Adrian Beltre to a significant free agent contract, the Texas Rangers knew there was definitely some risk involve and that Beltre might not stay healthy over the entire course of the contract, but they also knew that he was very close to sealing his case to be a future Hall of Fame player and wanted him for the veteran leadership that he could provide on and off the field. As a result, the contract ended up transpiring and now looking back on it, it was a very good one for the Rangers as Beltre left his mark on the franchise and is now a lock to be named a Hall of Famer someday. The other thing we all learned though was: to never touch his head!

Photo Courtesy of The Seattle Times

3. December 2014: DH Nelson Cruz Signs with the Seattle Mariners 
Terms of the Deal: Four-Years, $57 Million Dollars

The Seattle Mariners are the only franchise to have never appeared in the World Series and when the organization signed Nelson Cruz, their primary goal in doing so was to help the team break that curse and hopefully end up with a championship ring. However, those hopes and dreams ended up not working out for the Seattle Mariners, but the impact that Nelson Cruz had on the team is undeniable. Cruz was an offensive juggernaut during all four of those seasons in the middle of the Mariners lineup and certainly put up his fair share of offensive impact. Over those four seasons, Nelson Cruz put up a slash line of: .284/.362/.546 with (163) home runs, (414) RBI, and an OPS+ of (148). In fact, Nelson Cruz had such an impact on the Mariners lineup that he eventually developed the nickname "The Boomstick" because every time he would step up to the plate, it seemed as though he was ready to go yard and the baseball would basically make a boom sound off of his bat. Furthermore, during those four seasons, the Mariners had a very respectable grouping to go along with Nelson Cruz including second baseman Robinson Cano, third baseman Nelson Cruz, and catcher Mike Zunino. That was a foursome that many opposing teams pitchers were afraid of and one that showed other teams exactly what they should strive for when assembling their daily lineup. Just this past offseason, Cruz ended up signing a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins that included an option for the upcoming 2020 regular season (which has since been picked up) and the Twins have already reaped the rewards of having him in their lineup.

Photo Courtesy of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch

4. January 2010: LF Matt Holliday Signs with the St. Louis Cardinals 
Terms of the Deal: Seven-Years, $120 Million Dollars

Looking back at the past decade for the St. Louis Cardinals, there have been some notable acquisitions for the team, but none is bigger than that of the trade-then-free agent signing of slugger, Matt Holliday. Holliday was originally acquired during a mid-season trade by St. Louis from the Oakland Athletics during the 2009 regular season, but inked a deal with the team later on that offseason and it certainly paid off high dividends for the organization. During the seven year deal, Holliday appeared in four All-Star Games, won a Silver Slugger Award during the 2010 regular season, and finished in the Top Twenty of the National League Most Valuable Player Award voting three of the seven seasons. Additionally, Matt Holliday played a significant role in the success of the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2011 regular season which ultimately led to a World Series Championship and if it weren't for his bat, the Cardinals might have not won a World Series that year. In addition, during those seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Matt Holliday finished every single season with a slugging percentage over (.400) and had at least (60) walks in five of those seven seasons which helps to demonstrate the type of discipline Holliday had during many of his at bats. The contract lifespan might have ended poorly, but it brought a World Series Championship to the organization and Cardinals fans will be forever grateful of that.

Photo Courtesy of Cubbies Club

5. December 2014: LHP Jon Lester Signs with the Chicago Cubs 
Terms of the Deal: Six-Years, $155 Million Dollars

During the 2014-2015 offseason, the Chicago Cubs were starting to prime themselves as a potential dynasty and were starting to really establish their brand among the rest of the competition in the National League Central. General Manager, Jed Hoyer and President of Baseball Operations, Theo Epstein knew that the time for a World Series Championship was quickly approaching on the Northside, but also knew that the organization lacked impactful starting pitching to get to the promise land. Therefore, Epstein reunited with Jon Lester, who he knew from his days with the Boston Red Sox, and Lester played a very significant role in the Chicago Cubs success during the 2016 regular season which ultimately led to a World Series Championship. In fact, Lester was so impactful that postseason that he was named co-National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player alongside Javier Baez. Obviously, when you look over the last five seasons of this deal that was the peak moment and the one that yield the Chicago Cubs the highest return on their investment and things haven't gone nearly as well for Lester over the last two years in many regards. Lester has one season remaining with the team coming up in 2020 before becoming a free agent again, but the moment that will always stay in the minds of Cubs fans is the one mentioned above. It was hard to beat the work ethic, confidence, and skillset of Jon Lester during that 2016 regular season.