Five Biggest free agent gems thus far in 2016 MLB season

Every year, the hot stove portion of the MLB calendar is filled with headline grabbing signings. Naturally, those signings generate plenty of opinions.

But in the winter, nobody really knows how those moves will work out. In July, we have a pretty good idea.

Of course, plenty of these deals are long term. With those contracts, there’s a lot of time to change the way we’re currently viewing these signings.

But for now, what were the best signings of this past winter?

1. Ian Desmond, outfielder, Texas Rangers

After a terrible 2015 campaign with the Washington Nationals, Desmond signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Rangers late in the offseason. The results have been unquestionably successful.

Not only has Desmond dramatically improved in 2015, but he’s been one of baseball’s best hitters. He’s slashing at .319/.372/.535 with 18 home runs for Texas and is a borderline American League MVP candidate. In today’s market, that kind of production from an $8 million player is a phenomenal bargain.

Of course, there’s one problem from the Rangers perspective. After 2015, Desmond was such a gamble that he was only given a one-year deal.

In 2017, Desmond figures to make a lot more than just $8 million. Whether he earns that cash in Texas remains to be seen.

Even if Desmond’s time with the Rangers is nothing more than a one-and-done deal, it won’t change the kind of production he has already given the team at such reasonable cost. This deal has been an absolute steal.

2. Johnny Cueto, starting pitcher, San Francisco Giants

In many ways, Cueto’s deal is the polar opposite of Desmond’s. At some point between 2017 and 2021 (or possibly 2022), the Giants may regret the $130 million they paid this 30-year-old starter during the winter.

While they may regret it at some point, nobody with the organization is close that point yet. Cueto has been one of the National League’s best pitchers in 2016.

If you’re a fan of old-school stats, a 13-2 record, 2.64 ERA, 1.027 WHIP and league-leading four complete games certainly look awfully good.

Cueto has also thrived with the newer stats, posting 14 quality starts in 19 outings with a 2.90 FIP.

Even during their World Series winning season of 2014, the Giants didn’t have much in terms of reliable starting pitching after Madison Bumgarner. That’s no longer the case with Johnny in town this year.

3. Daniel Murphy, second baseman, Washington Nationals

Murphy entered the winter as a pretty nice player who had put up one solid playoff performance. So, the three-year, $37.5 million deal he signed in Washington seemed like a risk.

It’s safe to say that the risk has worked out pretty well for the Nationals.

Murphy has obliterated the ball all year. He leads the National League with a .351 batting average and has a backed that up with a .388 OBP and .612 slugging percentage. Add in 18 homers, and it’s by now well known just how well he’s played.

This was a significant move from another perspective. Obviously, any team would be happy with an incoming free agent producing that well. But in this case, Murphy’s production in Washington is keeping him from producing for his old team — the New York Mets. This is not insignificant given that the Nationals and Mets are division rivals.

As if all of that weren’t enough, Murphy has hit seven home runs and slashed .423/.446/.885 against his former team.

4. Rich Hill, starting pitcher, Oakland Athletics

This is another signing that we have to look at from a few different perspectives.

The first perspective, of course, is how well Hill has done for the A’s. In 14 outings, he’s tallied 10 quality starts while posting a 9-3 record with a 2.25 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Adding to that, Hill has struck out 90 batters in 76 innings.

That is great production for basically any pitcher. For a guy on a one-year, $6 million deal, it’s phenomenal. Oakland got an exceptional bargain.

Unfortunately for the A’s, Hill’s production hasn’t helped them contend. Fortunately, he could end up landing them a big return in a trade.

Hill’s injuries may slightly diminish his value, but this is one of the best pitchers on the trade market this year.

Plenty of contending teams (especially in the American League) have poor starting pitching situations. It’s not unreasonable to think that one of those clubs will overpay for Hill. Should that happen, Oakland would land a solid group of players to buoy its rebuilding project.

Of course, we’ll have to reserve judgment on the trade perspective until it actually happens. For now, it’s something to keep in mind.

5. Kenta Maeda, starting pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

With the loss of Zack Greinke to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers entered 2016 with a rather large hole to fill.

Kenta Maeda has stepped in as the team’s second-best pitcher behind Clayton Kershaw, stacking up pretty well against Greinke in the process.

We can’t say that Maeda has been significantly better than Greinke. Still, he certainly hasn’t been any worse.

Making things even better, Greinke is 32 and in the first year of a six-year, $206.5 million deal. Maeda is 28 and in the first year of an eight-year, $25 million deal.

The decision to let Greinke go looks like a smart one. The decision to sign Maeda looks like a brilliant one.

All contract information provided by Spotrac