Although a lot of us had correctly predicted that the few days leading up to the CBA expiration (Wednesday at midnight, after which there will likely be a lockout) would be a bonanza of rumors and signings, there was a key factor that I’d totally whiffed on: getting physicals done.
The logistics of actually agreeing to a deal and then scheduling and executing a proper physical takes time. You can’t just start hitting up a free agent on Wednesday morning and have a deal completed, fully, by the time the lockout likely begins at midnight that day. Thus, as Kiley McDaniel pointed out today, teams and free agents are clearly getting after it today so that there’s plenty of time to take care of the necessary finalization steps before Wednesday.
Sure seems like the industry has decided that today is the soft/informal deadline to get deals done to ensure physicals and whatnot are all completed prior to December 1.
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) November 28, 2021
Thus, tons of deals already, tons of rumors flying, and much more to come. Byron Buxton extended, Marcus Semien signed, Avisail Garcia signed, Kluber signed, Kole Calhoun signed, and more possible tonight and into tomorrow:
The madness is just beginning. This is gonna be a whale of a 24 hours.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 28, 2021
Hearing from a couple places that Jon Gray will make his decision soon. Plus slider, the curveball is above-average outside of Coors, and the team that gets him will believe they can maybe make some changes on the fastball profile, which fit Coors. Either way, floor's super high.
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) November 28, 2021
Mets full attention at moment is on Max Scherzer, who may make a decision tonight. While the incumbent Dodgers are perceived as the favorite, the Mets are determined and financially formidable. If Scherzer goes elsewhere, Mets are expected to pivot to Kevin Gausman.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 29, 2021
The Rangers aren't done. Even though they got Marcus Semien, they're still in the Trevor Story sweepstakes. They went into this winter with money to spend, they got a whole lot better with Semien and now they're targeting more offense as well as starting pitching.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 28, 2021
None of that is to say that Wednesday won’t also seem wild. For one thing, the non-tenders will have just happened, and for another thing, deals that were in the pipeline – but not yet reported – will be revealed for the first time on Wednesday.