In hot MLB market, patience takes a backseat to action

PHOENIX — Patience is often rewarded for both free agents and general managers during most Major League Baseball offseasons.

But probably not this one.

As expected, free agents are flying off the market and trades are getting done at a breakneck pace following MLB’s 99-day lockout that froze the league’s transactions for more than three months.

With less than four weeks to go before opening day, the action has been intense.

The biggest news Monday was when Oakland traded All-Star first baseman Matt Olson to Atlanta in exchange for four players, including promising young outfielder Cristian Pache. The deal means that Braves star first baseman Freddie Freeman is likely headed elsewhere in free agency.

Plenty of other teams are getting in on the action over the past few days, preparing for the April 7 opening day.

“It’s like drinking out of a firehose,” said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations.

The Nationals, rebuilding after two last-place finishes in a row and a massive sell-off at last season’s trade deadline, came out of the gate post-lockout with a flurry of moves, adding DH Nelson Cruz, reliever Steve Cishek and others.

The Twins traded for pitcher Sonny Gray, the Mets dealt for All-Star right-hander Chris Bassitt, the Yankees traded for third baseman Josh Donaldson, the Giants signed starting pitchers Carlos Rodon and Jakob Junis and the White Sox helped their bullpen by adding Joe Kelly.

Those are just the highlights.

During a typical offseason, free agency and the trade market are often slow to develop. Sometimes there are unfounded rumors and long negotiations as teams and players adopt different strategies and test the market.

That’s not the case these days. Don’t expect the action to calm down for a week or two.

“With all the agents and other teams, I think there’s a lot more directness in trying to get a deal done sooner rather than later,” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said. “There’s not a lot of people playing out the market. We’re kind of exchanging ideas and offers a lot sooner than an ordinary offseason.”

TATIS OUT UP TO 3 MONTHS

The San Diego Padres could be without star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. for a substantial amount of time.

The 23-year-old will need surgery for a broken left wrist and could miss up to three months, general manager A.J. Preller said. The shortstop apparently suffered the injury early in the offseason and felt it when he began preparing for spring training.

Reports surfaced in December that Tatis suffered scrapes on his hand and knee in a motorcycle accident in his native Dominican Republic. He said he felt pain in the wrist shortly afterward, but thought it was from bruises.

“It’s bad. It’s terrible. I feel like everybody is disappointed, especially me,” Tatis said. “We have a pretty good chance this year as a team. I just want to be out there for my teammates and for the fans.”

It’s a tough development for a team that was arguably the most disappointing in baseball last season. They started the year with legit World Series aspirations but faded in the final few months to finish 79-83.

Tatis had a series of injuries to his left shoulder last year, but still led the NL with 42 home runs in 130 games.

ALONSO’S CLOSE CALL

Mets slugger Pete Alonso said he wasn’t injured after his car flipped over in Tampa, Florida, over the weekend.

“My car flipped over probably about three times and a guy ran a red light, T-boned me, and to me I’m just really thankful to be alive,” the 27-year-old said. “I’m really thankful that I’m healthy. I’m very thankful to be here.”