First of many, good start?

It’s always important for a team to add good players into the team. Signing a free agent is a way to add good players. Each year, there are free agents available on the market. And, for players, they would like to sign a good deal when they become free agents. Before the start of the 2022 season, many players decided to sign with a new team.

In particular, several players signed a 5-year contract or even longer. After playing 12 years in Atlanta, Freddie Freeman decided to come back to his hometown, California. He signed a 6-year contract with the Dodgers. By far, Freeman is hitting .291/.375/.457 with 6 home runs and 35 RBI in 65 games. Freddie Freeman won the 2020 NL MVP award and last season, he hit .300/.393/.503 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI with the Braves. Kris Bryant won the 2016 NL MVP award and last season, he was traded to the Giants. He stays in the NL West and decided to sign a 7-year deal with the Rockies. He’s currently on the IL. So far, Kris Bryant only played 17 games for the Rockies and he hasn’t crushed his first home run in the Rockies uniform. Moreover, Trevor Story left for Boston after playing 6 seasons with the Rockies. Story inked a 6-year contract with the Red Sox. He currently slashes .221/.304/.411 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI. In addition, the Texas Rangers signed two big deals last December. They agreed with Marcus Semien on a 7-year deal and inked a 10-year contract with Corey Seager. By far, Semien hits .223/.288/.338 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI. Seager bats .230/.305/.440 with 15 home runs and 31 RBI. These two players each have an OPS under .750. Back in 2021, Semien had an .872 OPS and Seager’s OPS was .915. Furthermore, Javier Baez crushed 31 home runs in 2021 and Nick Castellanos blasted 34 homers last year. However, Baez is hitting only .194/.237/.306 with 4 home runs and 18 RBI. The Tigers and Baez agreed to a 6-year deal last December. Castellanos signed a 5-year contract with the Phillies and he’s now hitting .253/.312/.401 with 7 HRs and 36 RBI. Seiya Suzuki was posted by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp last November and in March, he agreed to a 5-year deal with the Cubs. Suzuki was named NL Rookie of the Month for April and by far, he’s hitting .245/.344/.432 with 4 HRs and 21 RBI in 41 games. Finally, Kevin Gausman and Robbie Ray each signed a 5-year deal before the lockout. Gausman joined the Blue Jays and he now owns a 3.21 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in 13 starts. At the same time, Robbie Ray chose to go to Seattle. By far, Ray posts a 4.25 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 14 starts. He pitched for the Blue Jays last year and won the 2021 AL Cy Young award. Kevin Gausman has been pitching well in his first season with the Blue Jays and Freddie Freeman has an OPS over .800 so far in his first season with the Dodgers. But, most of these players who signed a long-term deal before the 2022 season don’t have a good start in the first season in the new team. Well, signing a free agent is not an easy decision and signing a long-term deal is surely a tough decision to make. Let’s see whether some of these players will bounce back later this season.