The 2022 MLB season is in the books, and now the world looks forward to freeing agency. This is the time of the year after the season has concluded, and players move around to different teams which can result in new contenders.

 This season, many teams want to repeat their success from last year or improve to get back to where they were. The 2022 World Series champion, Houston Astros, has made the biggest move thus far in making a deal to get former AL MVP first baseman, Jose Abreu. 

 Yes, some of the minor teams have made some pretty good moves to help make them a playoff team, such as the Chicago White Sox, who made a deal to get a quality starting pitcher in Mike Clevinger. But it’s not just them, it’s the Pittsburgh Pirates getting veterans like first baseman Ji-Man Choi and designated hitter Carlos Santana, and the Los Angeles Angels getting pitcher Tyler Anderson. Even little moves such as these could make some big differences for these ball clubs who want to win.

 There is one trade that I think has really been swept under the rug, and it’s one of the best moves that  I’ve seen in a while by the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners made a trade on Nov. 16, to get right fielder Teoscar Hernandez. He’s been in the majors for six years and has continued to improve year after year. His best season to date was in 2021 as he was a critical piece to the Toronto Blue Jays as they tried to make the playoffs. In that season he hit 32 home runs with 116 RBIs while having a batting average of .292. He’s a great outfielder and has a cannon of an arm. Needless to say, Seattle is very happy with this move as this is just another step in the right direction for this team to be a consistently winning ball club.

 Still, free agency has barely begun. There are so many amazing players at every position still on the market. The big names are former all-stars and Cy Young award-winning starting pitchers, Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom, plus the young and upcoming Carlos Rodon. Around the infield, there’s Wilson Contreras at catcher, the switch-hitting first baseman Josh Bell, veteran Brandon Belt, All-Star shortstops, and World Series Champions Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson, and the All-Star slugging postseason hero, Justin Turner. In the outfield and at DH you have Aaron Judge, Brandon Nimmo, Andrew Benintendi, Mitch Haniger, Will Myers, Kevin Keirmaier, Joc Pederson, Joey Gallo, and so many more.

With all of these superstar names on the market, it’s easy to forget all of the great players who aren’t leaving their teams and are coming back. Players like the legendary left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw, and the premium first baseman for the last ten years, Anthony Rizzo. Players like these are noble in their acts to elect to stay with the teams they were on as they continue to march on to the next season and try to win a World Series Championship.

Needless to say, not a lot of big moves have been made yet but don’t underestimate these minor moves either. Anyone can be a hero in baseball at any given moment. It all depends on whether or not you can get hot at the right time. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next.