Grading Big-Money MLB Free Agents' 1st Impressions on Their New Teams

We may be only a few days into the 2015 MLB season, but a handful of big-money free-agent signings are making first impressions with their new clubs. 

It's an extremely small sample size, but the season's opening week always garners more attention from the fans. That is especially true when it comes to high-profile stars swapping teams. So far, it's been a mixed bag for the most recent class of free agents. 

Max Scherzer, Hanley Ramirez and James Shields have all enjoyed positive starts to their 2015 campaigns. Meanwhile, Jon Lester, Pablo Sandoval and Russell Martin have been much less inspiring in their first appearances this season. 

While it's obviously too early to judge how their seasons are going to turn out, we can still diagnose how these players are adjusting to their new surroundings by their performances thus far. Over the next few slides, we'll grade each of the top free agents and the first impressions they've made in the first week of the season.

Here we go!

Max Scherzer

After signing the second-highest contract for a pitcher in major league history this winter, Max Scherzer displayed exactly why the Nationals splurged to acquire his talents. 

The 2013 American League Cy Young winner tossed 7.2 innings of four-hit ball against the New York Mets on Opening Day. Scherzer struck out eight hitters, while walking just two. The right-hander actually carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but Lucas Duda singled home two runs with the Mets' first hit of the season. 

It should have never gotten to that point, as miscommunication between Ian Desmond and Dan Uggla on a lazy pop-up extended the inning. Up until his unfortunate luck in the sixth, Scherzer had retired 17 Mets in a row after walking Curtis Granderson to begin the game.

Scherzer utilized his familiar collection of pitches, sticking primarily with a fastball, slider and changeup. His heater sat around 93 mph and reached as high as 97. 

Grade: A

Despite the loss, Scherzer pitched like the ace he's supposed to be. He was doomed by a few errors and a lack of run support, but the Nats will be just fine if Scherzer can consistently pitch like he did in his first start of 2015. 

Jon Lester

Jon Lester was the other big-name hurler on the market this winter, and the southpaw signed a six-year, $155 million deal with the evolving Chicago Cubs. 

Lester made his debut on Opening Night against the St. Louis Cardinals, but didn't look like the ace that he truly is. The left-hander took the loss, as he only managed to get through 4.1 innings Sunday night. He gave up eight hits and three runs in his outing. 

It may just be one start, but there are a few key takeaways from Lester's first appearance with the Cubs. For one, the Cardinals took advantage of his lack of a pickoff move. The Cardinals swiped three bags against him in only a few innings of work.

Christopher L. Gasper of the Boston Globe mentioned that both Lester and Cubs manager Joe Maddon believe his inability to stymie the opposition's running game is "overblown." Maybe they are right, but it's still something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.  

The other aspect to note is the success left-handed hitters had against him. Lester has never been completely dominant against same-side hitters, but Cardinals lefties tallied six hits against him.

Grade: C

After a successful run with the Boston Red Sox, Lester is still trying to get acclimated in a new town. He failed to get a full workload this spring, which could have led to the rust he showed in his first start. 

The Cubs are hoping to compete in 2015, and Lester will be a huge factor if they are to do so. While he'll likely get going once he gets a few starts under his belt, the Cubs could use a hot start from Lester to set the tone for the rest of the season. 

Pablo Sandoval

The Boston Red Sox shelled out $95 million for the services of Pablo Sandoval this winter, but so far, Sandoval has gotten off to a mediocre start.

The switch-hitting slugger is 7-for-27 in his first few at-bats, but that production was bolstered by a 4-for-9 night in the Red Sox's 6-5 win over the Yankees in 19 innings Saturday night. 

Again, we're looking at a very small sample size. But Sandoval's struck out six times to begin the campaign. For a player who is accustomed to striking out very rarely, Sandoval's 22 percent strikeout percentage is a little abnormal. 

Ricky Doyle of NESN.com notes that Sandoval has looked much better from the left side of the plate after struggling on Opening Day against Cole Hamels. Sandoval fanned three times in his debut on Monday. 

Grade: C+

After a slow start to 2015, Sandoval has looked better as the week has progressed. Sandoval has always posted solid contact rates, which has led to high averages. 

The beginning to his tenure in Boston hasn't set the world on fire, but Sandoval has done enough to ease the minds of Red Sox fans. That should allow him to work his way back to his best form for his new club. 

Hanley Ramirez

Pablo Sandoval wasn't the only big-name slugger the Red Sox added in the offseason. Hanley Ramirez made the trip east from L.A. for $88 million as well.

Ramirez has been worth every penny thus far. He's 7-for-22 to start the year, striking out only twice in those at-bats. 

He's also showcased the pop $88 million should be invested in. Ramirez has gone deep twice so far in 2015, both coming on Opening Day against the Philadelphia Phillies. One of those homers was a grand slam, which can be seen in the clip above. 

Dustin Pedroia told Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe that Ramirez's grand slam is an example of the type of game-breaking ability Ramirez has. 

“That was great,” he said. “He’s so big and strong. When guys get on, he can break the game open. That’s a big win. That guy was throwing hard and he stayed on his slider and put a good swing on it.”

Grade: A

So far, so good for Hanley in Boston. 

As always, his health will remain a key factor in his ability to make a legitimate impact on the AL East race. But in his first stretch of play with the Red Sox, Ramirez has looked like the dangerous middle-of-the-lineup bat Boston hoped he would be. 

Russell Martin

Russell Martin was a key factor in the recent resurgence of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but questions were raised when the Toronto Blue Jays decided to give the 32-year-old backstop $82 million over five years. 

So far, Martin has yet to live up to those lofty expectations. The 32-year-old has just one hit in 16 at-bats in the season's first week.

To make matters worse, Martin hasn't shown the plate discipline he's provided in the past. He's fanned six times in his first handful of at-bats. For a player on the heels of a .400 OBP season, that's an alarming number of K's.  

Grade: F

$82 million for a 32-year-old catcher was always going to present some risk, but Martin has looked very poor at the dish to start the season. In his career, Martin has only posted two seasons with a wRC+ of over 120.

Is he a failure? No. But Martin's lack of production at the plate should be cause for concern for Toronto fans. 

Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs. 

James Shields

James Shields waited late into the winter to sign with the San Diego Padres on a four-year, $75 million deal. The right-hander provided a glimpse of the quality he can bring to a Padres team hoping to win the NL West.

Shields went head-to-head with Clayton Kershaw on Opening Day and matched the reigning NL MVP and Cy Young winner pitch for pitch. He surrendered just two runs in six innings of work, finishing the day with a no-decision. 

Going against such an elite hurler, Shields knew he would have to be on his game to give his team a chance to win. 

"Any time you're facing Kershaw, it's going to be a tough game and a tough battle," he told Matt Calkins of UT San Diego. "You can't make too many mistakes because you know he's not going to make too many mistakes. But for the most part, I felt we did pretty well."

Shields struck out eight Dodgers in his debut, throwing five pitches more than 10 times throughout the game. 

Grade: B

Shields out-dueled Kershaw and left the game with a 3-2 lead in his first taste of National League ball. He did allow a solo homer to Adrian Gonzalez, but come on, A-Gon is on fire to begin the season. 

With Scherzer and Lester seen as better options in free agency, Shields may have been undervalued this winter. He's durable and productive, and he gives the Padres the dependable front-line starter they need to claim a division crown.