Many of those players, including all of the big four, are represented by Scott Boras. He has a reputation of letting his players linger on the market, even if that means pushing things into March or even into the regular season. This tactic has yielded mixed results over the years but there have been many instances of significant deals getting done at this late period of the offseason.
It seems that the ongoing bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group is having an impact on this winter's market. Many clubs are trying to cut back payroll due to uncertainty around their broadcast revenue, which is having a domino effect on various players. For example, the Padres' TV deal collapsed last year and they are now looking to get under the competitive balance tax for 2024. That means they have been less of a factor in the free agent market. Also, they traded to the Yankees to free up payroll, which means that the Yanks didn't need to upgrade their outfield via free agency.
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