Winter spending spree profits MLB players, but are owners setting them up?

When the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year's Eve in the midst of baseball's past offseason, a total of 54 free agents had signed, according to the research of MLB.com's Sarah Langs. The pace of the action is dramatically different this winter. If you include the Miami Marlins' agreement with Corey Dickerson on Saturday, 77 players have already agreed to terms, or about 40% more than what we saw just a year ago.

Teams have waded into the free-agent market with their wallets open, from Toronto to San Diego, to the White Sox and the Yankees, and yes, to Miami. The agents are pleased, especially for their clients.

But among some of them, a conspiracy theory has hatched. Please remember…