I have to say, I am truly enjoying the tepid FA market this offseason. Yes, there have been a couple deals where you wonder, but most of the "big name" free agents are sitting there watching their market shrink and their price go down. And this is gratifying not because I don't want those guys (whom I don't know personally) to not get paid (from someone else's bank account) -- that's none of my business. It's gratifying because it suggests some adjustment in the valuation of free agents generally. At first it was just money, and you could come up with a formula that, assuming the player reaches his expected performance level, made it profitable to sign guys regardless. Then it was money with a soft cap, which would increase the cost, but you could still do stupid shit like pay Albert Pujols into the next decade and assume it'll all work out. Now it's money, plus more money (cap), plus young talent, and suddenly GMs are hesitating. Next year the strategy could be completely different -- the Stephen Drews of the world won't be so quick to turn down qualifying offers, which in turn may mean that teams won't be so quick to offer them.
Ah, who am I kidding, the real reason I like this is because the agents are being made to look stupid. And when that happens, everyone else wins.
