Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings don’t start until next week, but teams aren’t waiting to pursue baseball’s top free agents.
Two highly-regarded starting pitchers came off the market Wednesday as left-hander Cole Hamels signed a one-year, $18 million deal with the Atlanta Braves while right-hander Zack Wheeler reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth $118 million with the Philadelphia Phillies.
After back-to-back offseasons in which the pace of free agency moved slower than a big rig in Bay Bridge traffic, money is flowing freely again and teams appear willing to spend to contend.
That bodes well for many free agents, but particularly for former San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, who figures to command plenty of attention in the coming days.