For agents, there is a lot of time spent in client management, in making sure the player understands how the market works. Most would probably like to sign quickly, to settle the future and have something concrete to tell family members at the holiday gatherings.
But mostly it does not work out that way, because mostly, players and their agents have to wait for the bottlenecks to clear. Each of the position markets often plays out independently of the others, and it behooves the agents and the players and teams to wait for the "Big Dawg" in each group to set the market price. This is why you will suddenly see a burst of activity for one position or another -- like at the winter meetings last year, when there was a sudden run on relievers.
With that in mind, here are some of the bottlenecks in the free-agent market.
Closers: Craig Kimbrel was the only reliever extended a $17.9 million qualifying offer, and because he rejected that, he is now set up as the No. 1 option among many, many options in the bullpen market.
There are about 60 free-agent relievers, including a whole bunch who have had experience working at the end of games, from Zach Britton to Andrew Miller to David Robertson to Kelvin Herrera to Cody Allen, etc. The Red Sox would like to retain Kimbrel, whose initial asking price was a six-year deal. More realistically, he might have a shot at the Aroldis Chapman/Kenley Jansen territory of a five-year deal, and perhaps $15 million to $17 million annually.
But the sheer volume of options could work against Kimbrel, so it may take some time for his situation to play out -- and the other prime relievers might have to wait for Kimbrel to set the top of the market.
It's possible that some clubs will work to move on and land the best of those relievers not named Kimbrel, and there's something worth remembering. Last winter, the reliever group did much better than some of the other collections of free agents, like the corner outfield/corner infield market. Bullpen guys were paid well. Executives note, however, that so many of those investments did not necessarily pay off as hoped for the signing team:
• Jake McGee, Rockies, three years and $27 million. He posted a 6.49 ERA.
• Brandon Morrow, Cubs, two years and $21 million. The right-hander got hurt and did not pitch after July 15.
• Pat Neshek, Phillies, two years and $16.5 million. Injury limited him to 30 appearances.
• Juan Nicasio, Mariners, two years and $17 million. Nicasio generated a 6.00 ERA in 46 games, and was just dumped by Seattle as financial baggage in the Jean Segura trade.
• Tommy Hunter, Phillies, two years and $18 million. He had a 4.65 ERA before the All-Star break, before throwing better in the second half.
• Bryan Shaw, Rockies, three years and $27 million. A 5.93 ERA in 61 games.
• Anthony Swarzak, Mets, two years and $14 million. A 6.15 ERA, and the Mets unloaded him in the Robinson Cano trade.
Wade Davis got the best deal last winter, three years and $52 million, and then helped the Rockies reach the postseason, with 43 saves. But some evaluators have spoken with trepidation about diving into the relief market in the way that they did last season. "When you're talking about guys over 30 [years old], I'm not so sure what you're getting," said one.
Some agents say that so far, they sense an aggressiveness among teams in the relief market, and they believe and expect that once again, the better bullpen guys will do well. But between the need for Kimbrel's deal to be settled and the high number of relievers in the market, there could be a long, long wait for deals for some.
Other positions with bottlenecks
Starting pitcher: Patrick Corbin is expected to get the biggest deal of any starter this winter and he is expected to choose among offers from the Yankees, Phillies, Nationals and perhaps others sometime soon, maybe this week. The next-best guys in the starting market, Nathan Eovaldi and Dallas Keuchel, figure to do well, although the agent for Keuchel, Scott Boras, might be well-served to target the clubs that miss out on Corbin. Update: Corbin is signing with the Nationals.
Second base: There is a huge number of free agents at this position, and DJ LeMahieu is the most marketable of the group. Once he picks a spot, others will have a clearer view of what might be a bleak picture. A lot of the would-be contenders already have second basemen -- the Astros have Jose Altuve, the Red Sox will again try to make it work with Dustin Pedroia, the Mets landed Cano, the Angels could shift Zack Cozart to second base, the Cubs have lot of infielders, etc. There appear to be a lot more free-agent second basemen than there are landing spots.
Catcher: Going into the offseason, some teams in need of catching considered waiting on the Marlins to see what they would do with J.T. Realmuto before filling the position. But the perception of some rival executives was that Miami's asking prices on Realmuto would remain so high as to be completely out of reach. Teams that had been interested in Realmuto -- Nationals, Braves, Rangers -- moved on to other pursuits, with the Nationals signing Kurt Suzuki and trading for Yan Gomes, the Braves landing free agent Brian McCann, and the Rangers signing Jeff Mathis.
The Astros, Dodgers and Mets are probably the most prominent clubs still looking for catching help, and if and when the Marlins push to finish a Realmuto trade, they are the most likely landing spots, although the Mets might be more inclined to go the free-agent route and sign someone like Yasmani Grandal, rather than give up prospects.