Morning Mound Visit: Royals extension of Hunter Dozier is atypical

Royals extend Hunter Dozier; Jake Odorizzi is still available; Travis Bergen goes back to Toronto

Max Rieper | Royals Review: The Royals extended Hunter Dozier to a four-year, $25 million deal on Sunday. The 29-year-old wasn’t set to reach free agency until after the 2023 season, so this only buys out one year of free agency (or two with a club option for 2025). Though spring training is typically Extension SZN, Dozier isn’t the sort of player that teams have committed to longterm this offseason.

Jay Jaffe | FanGraphs: Spring training has started, but Jake Odorizzi remains a free agent. Plenty of teams could still use his services, but teams have been reluctant to give multi-year deals to starting pitchers this winter. It’s unlikely that Odorizzi will get what he wanted this late in the offseason, but chalk that up to team frugality.

Tom Dakers | Blue Bird Banter: Travis Bergen has once again returned to the Toronto Blue Jays. Bergen was acquired from the Diamondbacks for cash considerations, and the Diamondbacks originally acquired Bergen in exchange for Robbie Ray.