Checking out the baseball offseason's big contracts

Remember the Carlos Correa ankle drama from January? Or Aaron Judge playing the Yankees like Kasparov for his $360 million checkmate? How about Xander Bogaerts stunning the Red Sox by switching coasts to San Diego?

The offseason free-agent frenzy seems like a lifetime ago, and a few of those must-have names already are stirring some feelings of buyer’s remorse. Obviously, it’s only the end of April. But we’re choosing to embrace the small sample sizes with this early check of  the offseason's top dozen contracts, along with a notable handful on the side.

We’re not ready to start grading these signings just yet. Let’s not get crazy. A bunch of these contracts go deep into the next decade or beyond. But it’s worth seeing what the return is on these salaries so far and whether any lingering pangs of regret should be flushed before Memorial Day.

With that in mind, here’s the rundown:

1. Aaron Judge (NYY) . . .  nine years/$360M — The newly crowned captain picked up where he left off a year ago in trying to carry a sputtering Yankees offense, but his six homers were tempered some by an elevated strikeout rate (32.4%), and now a hip injury has him sidelined for an indefinite period.  

2. Trea Turner (PHI) . . .  11 years/$300M — The Phillies didn’t hesitate to set the shortstop market by wrapping up Turner in early December, and he figured to be the perfect catalyst for the defending National League champs. The reality? Turner hasn’t been his electric self (.263/.306/.386) and the Phillies are off to another sluggish start. 

3. Xander Bogaerts (SDP) . . .  11 years/$280M — Bogaerts’ surprise defection made the offseason especially miserable for the Red Sox, and he’s continuing to rub it in with an April pace that could result in a career-best season (.316 BA, .919 OPS, five homers in 27 games). The Padres need it, too, with the struggles of Juan Soto and Manny Machado.    

4. Carlos Correa (MIN) . . .  six years/$200M — If nothing else, Correa somehow managed to flunk physicals with two different teams and still wound up with a $200 million contract, which either makes him a steal at that number or a cautionary tale. As of now, there’s probably no fear of missing out for the Giants and Mets as Correa is hitting .195 with a .624  OPS (and has been briefly sidelined with back spasms). 

5. Jacob deGrom (TEX) . . .  five years/$185M — The Rangers are getting the full deGrom package through the first month, and that’s not all good, as the two-time Cy Young Award winner had to exit Friday’s game in the fourth inning because of  forearm tightness. It was the second time in six starts that deGrom left early — the other was a wrist issue — again highlighting why he was such a risky signing. Otherwise, deGrom trimmed his ERA to 2.67 after a bumpy Opening Day and was leading the AL with 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

6. Dansby Swanson (CHC) . . .  seven years/$177M — The Georgia native figured to have a permanent home in Atlanta after the 2015 trade from the Diamondbacks, but the NL East champs dumped him for cheaper prospect alternatives. Swanson is batting .289 but has only four extra-base hits, including his first homer Thursday for a Cubs team that is showing signs of contention.  

7.  Carlos Rodon (NYY) . . .  six years/$162M — The oft-injured Rodon had his two best seasons when pitching for a contract. Since the Yankees signed him, he’s hardly pitched at all, and not since early March, when Rodon was diagnosed with a forearm strain. While on the IL, he’s also been bothered by back issues, so he remains sidelined indefinitely. 

8. Brandon Nimmo (NYM) . . .  eight years/$162M — Nimmo’s price tag soared higher than expected, but the Mets aren’t complaining. He’s the current WAR leader (1.6) among all centerfielders (yes, that includes Judge and Mike Trout). Nimmo has turned himself into a Gold Glove-caliber defender and his .435 on-base percentage is second in MLB.

9. Edwin Diaz (NYM) . . .  five years/$102M — Unfortunately for the Mets’ closer, he belongs in his own special category for the freakish injury suffered at the World Baseball Classic that likely ended his season in spring training. Diaz wasn’t even hurt pitching; his knee buckled during an on-field celebration immediately after he closed out Puerto Rico’s win over the Dominican Republic.

10. Masataka Yoshida (BOS) . . . five years/$90M — The Yoshida signing initially was considered an overpay by the Red Sox, but his impressive WBC performance for Team Japan led many to reconsider. Then, just as the skeptics chimed in again on his slow start, Yoshida had a monster seven-game stretch this past week, going 13-for-25 (.520) with three homers and 10 RBIs, boosting his OPS to .828 through 21 games.   

11. Willson Contreras (STL) . . . five years/$87.5M — The Cardinals are off to a disastrous start, sitting at the bottom of the NL Central, but Contreras isn’t among those who deserve blame. Taking over for Cards icon Yadier Molina wasn’t going to be easy, but Contreras is pretty much performing as expected, hitting .265 with two homers and a .764 OPS. 

12. Justin Verlander (NYM) . . . two years/$86.7M — Turning 40 figured to be a red flag, even for a future Hall of Famer fresh off a Cy Young Award last season, and Verlander didn’t do much to alleviate those fears by going on the IL (shoulder muscle strain) minutes before the Mets took the field for Opening Day. He’ll make his Mets debut this week in Detroit, either Wednesday or Thursday.   

Other notable signings:

Andrew Benintendi (CWS) . . .  five years/$75M — The Yankees were interested in bringing back Benintendi for leftfield, but not for anywhere near that number. He’s hitting .281 with a .670 OPS that ranks 24th among qualified players at the position.

Taijuan Walker (PHI) . . .  four years/$72M — Walker had to leave Wednesday’s start because of forearm tightness, an ominous sign, but was cleared to take his turn Monday against the Dodgers. He’s 2-1 with a 4.97 ERA in five starts.  

Chris Bassitt (TOR) . . . three years/$63M — Bassitt rebounded after getting rocked in his Jays debut, whittling his ERA from 24.30 to 4.82 in his next four starts (3-1, 2.19 ERA, .149 BAA in that span). He complained of back tightness in his last start, but it does not appear to be a lingering issue. 

Michael Conforto (SFG) . . . two years/$36M — Conforto’s mysterious shoulder injury (and subsequent surgery) cost him close to $100 million in free agency as well as the 2022 season. He just turned 30 and his bounce-back in SF is crawling along. He's hitting .203 with four homers and a .706 OPS through 21 games. 

Noah Syndergaard (LAD) . . .  one year/$13M — Now on his second one-year deal since spurning the Mets, Syndergaard is a far cry from his Thor days in Flushing, with a four-seam fastball that averages 92.5 mph (down from 97.8 in 2019). He relies on a changeup and cutter now and is 0-3 with a 6.58 ERA and 7.3 K/9 through his first five starts.  

Joey Gallo (MIN) . . . one year/$11M — For some players, leaving the Bronx is the perfect antidote, and none more so than Gallo, as Midwest Joey is hitting .265 with seven homers, 14 RBIs and a 1.164 OPS through 17 games. Gallo missed 10 games with an intercostal strain and his brief rehab stint just happened to coincide with the Twins' only trip to Yankee Stadium this season. 

Seth Lugo (SDP) . . . two years/$15M — Lugo made 38 starts in his seven years in Flushing (275 appearances), but the Mets’ fears about his durability relegated him to the bullpen in his final two seasons. The Padres have no such concerns, as Lugo is averaging 98.6 pitches through his first five starts (2-2, 3.58 ERA) and has reached 100 twice. We’ll see which team is right.  

Matt Carpenter (SDP) . . .  two years/$12M — A large chunk of Carpenter’s production this season came on April 23, when he delivered a pinstriped flashback with a homer, two doubles and five RBIs. Overall, he’s hitting .229 (11-for-48) with three homers and 14 RBIs in 20 games, including 13 starts at DH and three at first base.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.