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A summary of the 2022 SB Nation off-season simulation

Our 30 GMs were wheeling and dealing!

ALDS Game 3 - New York Yankees v Cleveland Guardians Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

We have concluded our annual off-season simulation, where we take 30 fans and let them run MLB teams under real-world conditions, free to make trades ane negotiate free agent contracts. You can read the ground rules here.

I kept track of all the free agent signings, options decisions, and updated team-by-team payrolls in a master sheet you can see here. Here were the 25 largest free agent contracts.

Largest free agent deals

Player Team Deal
Player Team Deal
Aaron Judge NYY 10 years, $500 million
Trea Turner NYY 11 years, $420 million
Xander Bogaerts PHI 10 years, $416 million
Carlos Correa ATL 10 years, $400 million
Dansby Swanson STL 8 years, $256 million with incentives
Carlos Rodon NYM 8 years, $240 million with an opt out after year three
Brandon Nimmo NYM 8 years, $200 million with an opt out after year three
Justin Verlander HOU 4 year, $117.5 million deal with a $25 million mutual option and $2.5 million buyout
Jacob deGrom SFG 2 years, $110 million with a $25 million club option with a $5 million buyout
Kodai Senga SDP 5 years, $100 million
Jose Abreu LAD 4 years, $90 million
Edwin Diaz NYM 5 years, $90 million
Andrew Benintendi CIN 6 years, $72 million
Jameson Taillon BAL 4 years, $56 million
Willson Contreras HOU 5 years, $56 million
Masataka Yoshida SEA 5 years, $52 million
Robert Suarez SDP 5 years, $42 million
Chris Bassitt BOS 3 years, $60 million
Nathan Eovaldi PHI 3 years, $55 million
Tyler Anderson LAD 3 years, $53 million with incentives
Joc Pederson BAL 3 years, $48 million with incentives
Martin Perez TEX 3 years, $45 million
Josh Bell SDP 3 years, $39 million
Mitch Haniger ARI 3 years, $36 million
Rafael Montero HOU 3 years, $34.5 million

Here are what each team’s payroll looks like:

Team-by-team simulation payrolls

Team Payroll
Team Payroll
Mets $292,308,333
Yankees $269,041,818
Padres $267,180,000
Phillies $234,478,333
Braves $214,100,000
Dodgers $213,920,000
Astros $195,800,000
Angels $195,350,000
Giants $194,000,000
Blue Jays $193,983,333
White Sox $184,060,000
Red Sox $182,740,000
Rangers $169,720,000
Cubs $165,000,000
Mariners $156,775,000
Rockies $152,820,000
Cardinals $151,860,000
Nationals $123,251,429
Brewers $120,860,000
Reds $110,740,000
Tigers $108,610,000
Marlins $104,975,000
Twins $93,865,000
Rays $92,300,000
Royals $91,830,000
Diamondbacks $74,660,000
Orioles $71,801,667
Pirates $67,830,000
Guardians $65,880,000
Athletics $57,020,000

Here I have team-by-team transactions as well as what their rosters may look like now. Who did the best? What team looks poised for a championship?