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Yes, there was an offseason prior to the MLB lockout -- and a frenzied one at that -- but it ended suddenly at the start of December with much work left to be ...

A three-year deal is a little surprising for a pitcher who has so far compiled a 5.39 ERA in his career, but Kikuchi showed everyone how good he could be with a 3.18 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in his first 15 starts last year. As for Kiner-Falefa, he's in line to take over as the Twins' primary shortstop, though he was already poised to play every day with the Rangers, who now have a hole to fill at third base. Because the power is mostly to his pull side, the move to Yankee Stadium doesn't change much for him, but he's in a better lineup now. An ERA in the mid-threes is more likely than a repeat of last year's, but with a comparatively low WHIP. Here's betting he'll still be well worth a mid-round pick. It's a curious move for the Nationals, who looked to be in full sell-off mode last season, and a curious move for Cruz, who's signing with a non-contender for only a guaranteed $15 million. The 31-year-old has hit .271 with a .901 OPS since joining the Yankees in 2018, homering at a better rate than Matt Olson during that stretch, but an injury last year opened the door to the Yankees replacing him. It's more of the uppercut we're used to seeing here that the flatter swings more common in the Far East, and it resulted in some long home runs in the NPB. He'll face the usual challenges, such as adapting to higher velocity, but his exceptional plate discipline should give him a leg up there. The 38-year-old goes back to where it all began, back to the organization where he won his lone Cy Young award in 2009, and to the extent that venue matters to a ground ball-generating control artist like him, this is clearly an upgrade. The rich get richer with the acquisition of the best pure hitter on the free agent market, who surprisingly didn't return to the Braves. Freeman was already in a loaded lineup and a perfectly adequate park for his skill set, but you could argue he's in an even better spot now. For more on what his ceiling could be and what his arrival does to the rest of the Dodgers lineup, check out my full-length article. The Twins weren't thought to be a serious contender for Correa's services but swooped in with a clever offer that apparently won him over. It's a big ballpark the World Series MVP heads to, but remember, his 48-homer season (2019) came in Kansas City. He has the sort of power that should translate anywhere, placing in the 83rd percentile for average exit velocity last year and the 99th percentile for maximum exit velocity.