MLB free agency superlatives: ...

We're still waiting for the last bell to ring for the game of summer to begin, but MLB's free agency class for 2022-23 is essentially set. As Carlos Correa signs a shorter-term contract with the Minnesota Twins, the impact players should be off the market (knock on wood, or the metal plate in Correa's ankle, allegedly). So it's time to examine the takeaways from a frenetic hot stove market that finished a full month ahead of spring training.

What better way to do so than with evergreen yearbook classics? Let's take a look at some free-agent superlatives.

Most likely to succeed: Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies' agenda-setting contract with Trea Turner, in particular.

Dave Dombrowski, the league's ever-aggressive GM, came to terms with Turner early in the winter meetings, and the rest of the league spent the offseason calling or upping his bet. The Phillies, on the other hand, got their guy at a reasonable, though pricey, price and escaped the acid reflux of the Correa derby.

Turner, a dynamic shortstop who has improved his power over the last three seasons, is an ideal complement to the Phillies' established, pennant-winning core. He addresses a vexing middle-infield problem by taking over shortstop for at least the next half-decade and allowing Bryson Stott to cover second base for the time being.

Most dramatic: New York Mets

They would have taken this crown even if they just lost Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers and replaced him with nearly-40-year-old reigning Cy Young winner Justin Verlander on a two-year, $86.6 million deal. That deal, by the way, ties the MLB record for annual value … which the Mets set last offseason in signing co-ace and fellow living legend Max Scherzer.

But no, the Mets and swashbuckling billionaire Steve Cohen added to their winter headlines — which included re-signing closer Edwin Diaz and center fielder Brandon Nimmo — by appearing to poach Correa from the San Francisco Giants in the middle of the night, then tumbling into the same limbo when they also had questions about Correa’s physical and eventually allowing the Minnesota Twins to step in and re-sign their 2022 shortstop.

Biggest procrastinator: Minnesota Twins

Good things don’t usually come to those who wait this long on the hot stove, but … apparently it works if your superstar target happens to have a red flag in his physical. The Twins look like they will wind up re-signing Correa, their surprise 2022 addition, to a six-year deal that could span longer with vesting options, thanks to the Giants and Mets reportedly balking at Correa’s surgically repaired broken leg from 2014.

Most popular: New York Yankees

We know who won homecoming king in this class. By re-signing Aaron Judge and dubbing him the new Yankees captain, GM Brian Cashman checked off the biggest baseball to-do list box ... ever?

Understandably not content to stop there as the franchise seeks its first World Series since 2009, Cashman reeled in another ace in Carlos Rodón — at least five years younger and $10 million per year cheaper than deGrom or Verlander. All told, Rodón looks like one of the sharpest signings of the winter, a great blend of proven recent upside and room to grow.

Class clown: Chicago White Sox

This easily could have have gone to the other Sox — the Boston Red Sox — but we will give them a respite and instead scrutinize a team taking similarly frustrating half-measures in a far more winnable division. Heavily favored to win the AL Central in 2022, the injury-plagued, mismanaged White Sox stumbled to a .500 record and second place. They moved on from manager Tony La Russa and hired former Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol but haven’t patched the uneven, paper-thin roster.

Their biggest splash came late, as they inked contact-focused outfielder Andrew Benintendi to a five-year, $75 million deal, which is somehow the largest free-agent deal in team history. Benintendi is a solid role player, but he’s not an impact bat. If the Sox were going to hand out what apparently counts as a large deal for them, why did they fill only one of the three gaping lineup holes?

Most competitive: San Diego Padres

It was reasonable to think the Padres might chill out a little after weathering the Fernando Tatis Jr. motorcycle-accident-and-PED-suspension saga, trading for Juan Soto and rallying to a National League Championship Series appearance in 2022. A.J. Preller’s response: Ha! Yeah, right.

MLB’s most hyperactive president of baseball operations made serious runs at Turner and Judge, then struck out of nowhere to land steady shortstop Xander Bogaerts on an eye-popping, 11-year, $280 million deal. With one year left before Manny Machado can opt out of his deal and two years before Juan Soto can reach free agency, the Padres are on a mission.

Best dressed: Chicago Cubs

The Cubs really understood what was in this offseason. Big deals for shortstops! Shockingly big deals for mid-rotation starters! One-year, buy-low deals on former stars! It was a veritable fashion show on the North Side, with Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon and Cody Bellinger joining up to supplement a fledgling young core. It just might not look as cool as they expect in two or three years.

The problem? In the cases of Swanson and Taillon, the Cubs might've gone shopping for the bargain-brand versions inspired by the actual runway-ready designs. Swanson — who, for the record, was such a runaway for the Best Hair superlative that no voting was required — didn’t sign for much more than expected, despite the spiraling prices of big shortstops. So it’s less about his seven-year, $177 million deal in a vacuum than it is the Cubs' choice to go for him instead of ponying up for Turner, Correa or Bogaerts. The addition screams Anchor when he likely doesn’t carry a bat big enough to hold down that responsibility.

Cutest couple: Los Angeles Dodgers and J.D. Martinez

The designated hitter who helped the Red Sox defeat the Dodgers in the World Series once upon a time, Martinez has tallied four 35-plus-homer seasons since he reworked his swing prior to 2014 with a forward-thinking coach named Robert Van Scoyoc.

Fast-forward, and Van Scoyoc is the Dodgers’ hitting coach. Martinez’s transformation became one of the models the Dodgers successfully recreated with Max Muncy, Chris Taylor and others. Now 34, Martinez is leaking power and consistency, but if there’s any place where he might rediscover his world-beating form for a year or two, it seems like it’s Chavez Ravine.

Most likely to fall down the stairs: San Francisco Giants

Their deal-scuttling alarm over Correa’s physical looks more understandable now that the Mets have experienced similar consternation. Still, fans might have some legitimate questions about how much of a priority health was with outfielders Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto headlining the team's offseason haul.

Most likely to cure the common cold: Los Angeles Angels

A … smart Angels offseason? I am as surprised as you are, but GM Perry Minasian — in a tough spot as Arte Moreno prepares to sell the team — made several quietly promising moves that might help this team finally solve the persistent problem of missing the playoffs.

Chief among those moves: The Angels got an early-bird-special price on left-handed starter Tyler Anderson, agreeing to a deal with the 2022 breakout on the day Anderson was due to decide on a qualifying offer from the Dodgers. As it turns out, Anderson likely would have bested his three-year, $39 million deal if he had waited and compared himself to Taillon or Walker.

Biggest case of senioritis: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are undeniably rebuilding. They don’t even seem to have a 2022 Orioles-esque path to fun, late-season relevance. So signing first baseman Carlos Santana and soon-to-be-43-year-old Rich Hill isn’t about competing right now. But it’s a delightful deal for both parties.

Here’s why: An exceedingly green team will get to pick the brains of two grizzled, respected veterans — Hill was picked in an MLB draft (though he didn’t sign) before likely rotation-mate Roansy Contreras was born — for at least a few months. Meanwhile, Santana and Hill, still in search of World Series rings, get a path to playing time and virtually guarantee that they will be traded to contenders in July if they keep performing. They almost certainly won’t play for the next good Pirates team, but they could help shape it.