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With all the big-name guys now officially off the free agent board, it’s time for our first Do-Nothing Awards.
While it’s not unusual for a few teams to sit out the winter, these half-hearted half-dozen deserve this dishonor. The order considers a curve depending on team revenue. For instance, the Mariners should be doing more than the Marlins as Seattle has huge revenue while Miami still seeks fans (even the previously omnipresent Marlins Man seemed to have disappeared).
1. Cardinals
If this keeps up, they may start to turn off the most loyal fans in America. Even from a distance, it was hard to watch this perennial contender cut back so drastically. They cite TV uncertainty and declining ticket sales as the impetus for their dead winter. Sadly, their headline in an offseason where they spent zero on outside free agents was Nolan Arenado turning down a potential trade to Houston. (His requested Red Sox are out since they added Alex Bregman, but the Cardinals say they’ll keep working on it, especially if he expands his four-team preferred list.)
2. Pirates
They haven’t signed a multiyear free agent in eight years and their record contract for an outside free agent remains the $17 million for two they gave Russell Martin.