MLB Free Agency

MLB Free Agency is in full swing and there have already been some major moves sending waves through the hobby. It’s the holidays so let’s get right to it and check in on five guys and see how their new teams are affecting their place in the hobby.

Juan Soto

Soto is the biggest name moving wit his new mega contract. Sometimes there is backlash with big contracts and Soto seems to be garnering negative attention. It’s essentially a lateral move and while Mets fans might be excited, the disappointment from Yankees collectors offsets that.

It’s Soto’s fourth uniform in four years and the real hobby impact will be the decline in demand for his Yankees cards. His Padres cards are tough sales and his Yankees issues will likely follow suit.

Max Fried

Fried is the consolation prize for the Yankees. He was already high profile for a pitcher as a Braves ace. Still, the added attention has seen a brief surge in his pricing. His 2018 Topps Chrome RC Auto is going for $50 now and could be found for as little as $20 a month ago. To be fair, there were sales around $40 then as well. It’s a nice jump for Fried, but I don’t expect the interest or price increases to last long.

Kyle Tucker

I’m not sure what the Astros are up to, but the Cubs will enjoy Tucker who has been playing at an MVP level when healthy. Tucker has been excellent and on the cusp of stardom for several years now. It looked like he would finally get there last year before being injured.

Tucker is mentioned quite a bit as an overlooked guy (enough that I don’t think he actually is). There have been a few high sales since the trade, but it looks as if the move isn’t affecting his prices that much with most of his Topps Chrome RC Autos selling in the $120-$200 range which they were previously as well.

Garret Crochet

I was thrilled to see Crochet freed from the White Sox. He averaged 12.9 strikeouts per 9 innings last year to top all starters (yes even Skenes) and is poised to become a rival for Skenes and Strider for the top young strikeout artist title.

Crochet’s cards have gone up substantially, but sales are still very slow. Red Sox fans have been in a funk recently which hasn’t helped cards of their best players at all. Crochet might reignite their passion and I can see him being a favorite in Boston.

Andres Gimenez

Gimenez getting traded to the Blue Jays was the biggest surprise for me this offseason. Trading a 26-year-old WAR machine who just won his third straight Gold Glove at a premier defensive position and is under a reasonable contract for the next five years is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Gimenez has struggled at the plate though and the Guardians didn’t feel like paying for just elite defensive production. Gimenez has been productive in the past at the plate and is young enough to turn things around at 26. His defense is good enough that he could shove his way into HOF consideration if he can just become a league average hitter.

Put another way, if he hits like he did in 2022 he’s a first-ballot HOF player. If he hits like in 2023, he might sneak in on his ninth ballot. If he hits like in 2024, he’s buying a ticket to Cooperstown. The Guardians seem to be banking on the latter.

Wrap Up

That’s it for this week. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas. Next week starts the SCN Newsletter Awards so stay tuned!