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Last offseason, the hardest-throwing free agent based on 2012 velocity data from FanGraphs was reliever Brandon League.  With an average fastball velocity of 95.2 miles per hour, League signed what most considered an above-market three-year, $22.5MM deal with the Dodgers that also has a vesting option for 2016 based on games finished.  League was followed by free agent relievers Matt Lindstrom (94.8), Jonathan Broxton (94.7), and Mark Lowe (93.9).  As you might expect, flame-throwing free agent starters were harder to come by.  Edwin Jackson (93.5), Francisco Liriano (93.0), and Jeremy Guthrie (92.8) led that group.  Which 2014 free agents can boast of the best velocity so far this season?

Relievers

1. Joel Hanrahan – 96.9
2. Fernando Rodney – 95.6
3. Matt Lindstrom – 94.5 (club option)
4. Jesse Crain – 94.3
5. Joba Chamberlain – 94.0
6. Matt Thornton – 93.8 (club option)
7. Boone Logan – 93.3
8. Matt Albers – 93.1
9. Grant Balfour – 93.0
10. Jose Valverde – 92.9

Starters

    1.  Josh Johnson – 92.6
    2.  A.J. Burnett – 92.4
    3.  Jason Hammel and Edinson Volquez – 92.3
    5.  Phil Hughes – 92.0
    6.  Ervin Santana – 91.7
    7.  Gavin Floyd – 91.5
    8.  Mike Pelfrey – 91.3
    9.  Scott Kazmir – 91.2
  10.  Ubaldo Jimenez – 91.2

Average velocity for all qualified starting pitchers this year is 90.4 miles per hour, exactly what you'll find from 2014 free agent Hiroki Kuroda.

More than $1.1 billion across 117 contract years was committed to 32 players with less than six years of Major League service time during the 2010-11 offseason extension period, spanning October 2010 through April 2011.  Ryan Braun, Adrian Gonzalez, and Troy Tulowitzki each signed extensions worth more than $100MM.  Two years removed from this extension period, which contracts now appear the most regrettable?

• Dan Uggla has provided some value over the past two seasons, hitting 36 home runs in 2011 and drawing a good amount of walks last year.  Still, at .223/.326/.416 since the contract was signed, the Braves' second baseman has fallen short of the level of production that compelled the team to commit five years and $62MM.
• Chad Billingsley's three-year, $35MM extension didn't look bad when it was signed in March 2011, but it covers 2012-14 and Tommy John surgery will take a big bite out of the righty's innings for the Dodgers.
• The Marlins' Ricky Nolasco has a career FIP of 3.83 against an ERA of 4.47, so he is probably overvalued by a FIP-based method.  Nolasco is finishing out a three-year, $26.5MM extension, and the Marlins are expected to have to eat money or take back salary in order to move him.
• Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol signed a three-year, $20MM extension.  Former Cubs GM Jim Hendry guaranteed Marmol's final two arbitration years and also bought a year of free agency for $9.8MM.  Perhaps Marmol was an unhittable strikeout machine in 2010, but he'd also shown a penchant for walking six or seven batters per nine innings.  Once Marmol became just a bit more hittable, the wheels fell off.  
• With the player coming off a .254/.324/.350 season, was it really necessary to buy out one of Jason Bartlett's free agent years?  Former Padres GM Jed Hoyer did so at a cost of $5.5MM for 2012, only to release the shortstop in August of that year.

The projected Super Two cutoff is two years and 119 days of Major League service time, according to Ryan Galla of CAA Baseball.  This number is often written as 2.119.  Among the players expected to qualify after the 2013 season: Brandon Belt, Steve Cishek, Andy Dirks, Felix Doubront, Lucas Duda, Tyler Flowers, Charlie Furbush, Eric Hosmer, Lance Lynn, Jake McGee, Michael McKenry, Mike Minor, Chris Nelson, Juan Nicasio, Ben Revere, Pedro Strop, Dayan Viciedo, and Vance Worley.  Lynn's service time will be the same as the projected cutoff, and Doubront will be a day above it.

Players with at least three but less than six years of Major League service are considered arbitration eligible.  Additionally, a player with at least two years but less than three is eligible for arbitration if he has accumulated at least 86 days of service during the immediately preceding season and ranks in the top 22% in total service in the two-to-three class.  The current collective bargaining agreement, which went into effect December 12th, 2011, raised that Super Two percentage from 17% to 22%.  Bottom line: Super Two players are arbitration eligible four times instead of the usual three.

Previous Super Two cutoffs:

• 2012: 2.139
• 2011: 2.146
• 2010: 2.122
• 2009: 2.139

MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker lists 37 players who were non-tendered by their teams last offseason. Of those 37 non-tenders, some re-signed with their old teams while others latched on with new clubs. Here's a look at how those who have secured a Major League roster spot are faring in the early stages of 2013…

• Robert Andino, non-tendered by the Mariners, re-signed with the Mariners: Andino is batting just .161/.181/.226 in 33 plate appearances thus far. 
• Scott Atchison, non-tendered by the Red Sox, signed with the Mets: Atchison and LaTroy Hawkins both inked minor league deals with the Mets this winter and broke camp with the team. He's posted a 3.86 ERA in 9 1/3 innings thus far, though he's struck out just four against three walks.
• Ben Francisco, non-tendered by the Rays, signed with the Yankees: Francisco didn't hit much for the Astros or Rays last year, and he's continued that trend by going 2-for-25 to open the season with the Yankees.
• Tom Gorzelanny, non-tendered by the Nationals, signed with the Brewers: Gorzelanny has been solid with the Brew Crew thus far, yielding just two runs in nine innings of work. Despite his notable platoon split, it's actually right-handers who have yet to get a hit off the lefty.
• Jack Hannahan, non-tendered by the Indians, signed with the Reds: Hannahan was the recipient of a surprising two-year deal. He's been terrific in limited time thus far, batting .350/.381/.450 in 21 trips to the plate. He's played both third and first base.
• Rich Hill, non-tendered by the Red Sox, signed with the Indians: Hill has only totaled four innings across five appearances thus far, but he's been reasonably effective in that small sample, allowing just a pair of earned runs.
• Jeff Karstens, non-tendered by the Pirates, re-signed with the Pirates: Karstens technically doesn't fit this list as he's not on the Pirates' Major League roster, but that's only due to injury. He'll join the Buccos' rotation when he's healthy. I was surprised to see him non-tendered and by the lack of interest as a free agent.
• John Lannan, non-tendered by the Nationals, signed with the Phillies: Lannan's first two starts with the Phils went well (four runs in 13 innings), but he was rocked by the Reds in his last outing and landed on the DL with a sprained tendon in his knee. He'll miss another six weeks or so and could lose his rotation spot to Jonathan Pettibone.
• Wil Nieves, non-tendered by the D-backs, re-signed with the D-backs: Nieves signed with the D-backs after getting cut by the Rockies last summer. He's been solid in all 21 games he's appeared for Arizona since August, hitting .311/.340/.400.
• Manny Parra, non-tendered by the Brewers, signed with the Reds: Parra has been pretty brutal for the Reds. He's allowed four hits in three of his six outings and walked the only batter he faced in another. He's been charged with six runs in 6 2/3 innings for an 8.10 ERA.
• Mike Pelfrey, non-tendered by the Mets, signed with the Twins: Kudos to Pelfrey on being ready for Opening Day after Tommy John surgery in May 2012, but the results have been dreadful. He's allowed 15 earned runs in 17 innings with just six strikeouts and 29 hits allowed.
• Mark Reynolds, non-tendered by the Orioles, signed with the Indians: If a "Non-Tendered MVP" award existed, Reynolds would be the front-runner. He's batting .283/.371/.700  with seven homers and has even cut his strikeout rate to a reasonable 22.8 percent.
• Derrick Robinson, non-tendered by the Royals, signed with the Reds: Robinson had never appeared in a Major League game but the Royals chose not to renew his minor league contract. He's 4-for-17 through 20 plate appearances as the Reds' fifth outfielder.
• Nate Schierholtz, non-tendered by the Phillies, signed with the Cubs: It's early but this looks like a great addition by Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein; Schierholtz is hitting .316/.371/.544 with a pair of homers as the Cubs' primary right fielder.
• Geovany Soto, non-tendered by the Rangers, re-signed with the Rangers: Soto has only played four games with iron man A.J. Pierzynski on board as Texas' primary backstop. He's gone just 2-for-13 in 15 PAs during those four games.
• Andres Torres, non-tendered by the Mets, signed with the Giants: Torres was great for the Giants when they won the 2010 World Series, and he's been pretty good in 2013 as well. He's hitting .293/.310/.390 with a pair of steals and his usual great defense through 16 games.

Andino, Francisco and Parra strike me as DFA candidates in the event that their teams make a waiver claim or choose to promote a minor leaguer that isn't on the 40-man roster. Lannan, too, could find himself without a roster spot if Pettibone pitches well while he's on the shelf. Pelfrey seems likely to have a longer leash given his base salary and the fact that he's still shaking off the Tommy John rust, but another handful of poor starts could put him in jeopardy.

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It's Waiver Wednesday at MLBTR! Ok, I might've just made that up. But the previous post I wrote about players who have been claimed off waivers multiple times in the past calendar year got me wondering which GMs have been the most active on the waiver wire in that same span. So, without further ado, here's the list, courtesy of MLBTR's Transaction Tracker (and I doubt you'll be surprised with who's at the top):

• Alex Anthopoulos, Blue Jays: 22 claims
• Brian Cashman, Yankees: 14 claims
• Jed Hoyer, Cubs: 10 claims
• Dan Duquette, Orioles: 8 claims
• Billy Beane, Athletics: 8 claims
• Chris Antonetti, Indians: 8 claims
• Jeff Luhnow, Astros: 7 claims
• Kevin Towers, Diamondbacks: 5 claims
• Dayton Moore, Royals: 5 claims
• Neal Huntington, Pirates: 5 claims
• Josh Byrnes, Padres: 5 claims
• Jon Daniels, Rangers: 5 claims
• Doug Melvin, Brewers: 4 claims
• Terry Ryan, Twins: 3 claims
• Brian Sabean, Giants: 3 claims
• Larry Beinfest, Marlins: 3 claims
• Frank Wren, Braves: 2 claims
• Ben Cherington, Red Sox: 2 claims
• Rick Hahn/Kenny Williams, White Sox: 2 claims
• Jerry Dipoto, Angels: 2 claims
• Sandy Alderson, Mets: 2 claims
• Ruben Amaro Jr., Phillies: 2 claims
• Andrew Friedman, Rays: 2 claims
• Dave Dombrowski, Tigers: 1 claim
• Jack Zduriencik, Mariners: 1 claim
• John Mozeliak, Cardinals: 1 claim
• Mike Rizzo, Nationals: 1 claim

Obviously, because multiple teams bid on many of these players, we have no way of knowing if Rizzo, Dombrowski, Freidman and other GMs at the bottom of the list unsuccessfuly attempted to claim more players. I would imagine that's the case, especially for a team like the Nationals who finished with baseball's best record.

The Rockies, Dodgers and Reds have all failed to make a waiver claim. It's not a total shock in the Reds' case, as they finished 2012 with one of the better records in the game and are low on the totem pole for any potential waiver claims due to their record. The Dodgers were an 86-win club last year, so they were a ways down the pecking order as well. Plus, their deep-pocketed ownership chose to address the team's needs via blockbuster acquisitions of names like Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and Zack Greinke rather than on the waiver wire.

I'm a bit surprised that with all of the pitching depth on waivers, however, that the last-place Rockies weren't more active. Clearly, the waiver wire isn't stacked with marquee names, but the Rockies finished last season with a combined 5.22 ERA and had a high waiver priority all year due to their record. 

Onto teams that did make claims, it's not surprising to see Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays top the list. It seems that any time there's been a waiver claim over the past year, it's been someone being claimed from the Blue Jays, or the Blue Jays claiming someone from another team. Anthopoulos isn't afraid to shuffle the deck and is probably the game's most active GM.

It makes sense to see the Yankees this high as well, given their attempt to slash payroll and the number of injuries they've sustained. The waiver wire is a good outlet to fill holes and achieve short-term, cost-effective help (though none of the players they claimed wound up sticking on the 25-man roster).

In total, our Transation Tracker shows 133 waiver claims over the past calendar year — or roughly one every 2.75 days. Of those 133 claims, the Blue Jays have made a whopping 17 percent. Toronto has also lost 13 players they attempted to sneak through waivers, meaning they've been involved in an incredible 26.3 percent of the waiver claims we've reported here on MLBTR over the past calendar year.

Waiver claims often strike us as nondescript transactions. The names we see in them sometimes are often unknown, but a lot of the players in these deals have enough fringe talent to make them coveted by multiple teams. This is evidenced by the number of times some players have been claimed in the past year alone. Using MLBTR's Transaction Tracker, here's a look at players who are desirable enough to be claimed multiple times but have had a hard time sticking on their new 40-man rosters…

• Russ Canzler (4): The 27-year-old Canzler is one of three in the exclusive four-claim club over the past calendar year. He's been a beast in 274 Triple-A games, batting .291/.367/.513 with 43 homers. This offseason, he found himself claimed by the Blue Jays from the Indians, reclaimed by the Tribe, claimed by the Yankees and claimed by the Orioles all within a span of about six weeks. He's now with the O's Triple-A affiliate.
• Sandy Rosario (4): Rosario was claimed by the Red Sox, traded to the A's, claimed back by the Red Sox, claimed by the Cubs and finally claimed by the Giants in a two-month span this offseason. The 27-year-old has fanned 11 in 9 2/3 innings for Triple-A Fresno thus far.
• Chris Schwinden (4): Schwinden went full-circle in the summer of 2012. He was claimed by the Blue Jays from the Mets, then claimed by the Indians, claimed by the Yankees, and at last reclaimed by the Mets — all in a span of 34 days! He wasn't even with Toronto long enough to make a start, but he did post a 3.21 ERA in 126 Triple-A innings last season.
• Scott Maine (3): Claimed off waivers from the Cubs by the Blue Jays, Maine would go on to be claimed by the Indians and eventually the Marlins, where he's begun the season in Triple-A.
• Guillermo Moscoso (3): The Royals plucked Moscoso off waivers from the Rockies, and he made it all the way to Spring Training with the club before being claimed by the Blue Jays and the Cubs within a matter of 12 days. 
• Cody Ransom (3): Few players are more synonymous with waiver claims than Ransom, who has played for 10 different organizations over the course of his 16-year professional career. He was claimed by the Brewers from the D-backs last season only to be reclaimed by Arizona months later. After signing a minor league deal with the Padres in the winter, Ransom made it about two weeks into the 2013 season before being claimed by the Cubs.
• Mickey Storey (3): Storey was claimed by the Yankees from the Astros, reclaimed by Houston and then claimed by the Blue Jays in a month's time this offseason. He's with Toronto's Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, currently.
• Eli Whiteside (3): Catching depth is always at a premium, which is part of the reason that Whiteside found himself going from the Giants to the Yankees to the Blue Jays to the Rangers in a five-week span this offseason. The veteran has settled in with Texas' Triple-A affiliate to open the season.

Meanwhile, Lars Anderson, Alex Burnett, Scott Cousins, Danny Farquhar, Thomas Field, John Gaub, Mark Hamburger, Willie Harris, David Herndon, Dan Otero, Steve Pearce, Todd Redmond and Josh Stinson were all claimed off waivers on two different occasions within the past year.

Some of these players, such as Burnett and Anderson, are young enough that they may well stick with their newest organizations. However, when it comes to some of the more veteran players, it's likely that these names will surface again. For guys like Ransom and Whiteside, waiver claims are just another part of the job.