There have been several free-agent signings thus far that, at least potentially, have a solid chance of becoming great values for their new teams.
The Blue Jays picked up catcher Dioner Navarro for two years and $8 million after he posted a .856 OPS with 13 homers in 89 games last season. Corey Hart signed a contract with Seattle that guarantees him only $6 million. If he bounces back from knee surgery and returns to the player who posted a .830 OPS between 2007 and 2012, the additional $13 million he could earn from incentives will still be a great bargain.
Joe Nathan signed a two-year, $20 million deal to fill a major void in the Tigers bullpen, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s $7 million per season deal with the Marlins after his impressive 2013 campaign could end up looking like a steal compared to Brian McCann’s five-year, $85 million deal with the Yankees.
Teams still hoping to find a great free-agent value signing aren’t out of options just yet. While it has gotten extremely thin at certain positions, particularly at catcher, second base and third base, I’ve found a potential free-agent value still available for each position.