The last two off-seasons have featured slow and underwhelming free agent action, and the players have taken notice. Tuesday alone saw two of the best players in the American League sign long-term contract extensions instead of eventually testing free agency.

The most notable extension to be signed this offseason is the one signed by the best player in the game, Mike Trout. It was widely believed that after years of playing for a sub-par team, Trout would test the free agent market, igniting an enormous bidding war at the age of 28. Though, after seeing the development of the 2018-19 free agent market featuring Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, Trout decided to settle down in Los Angeles for good, signing a 12-year, $430 million deal with a full no-trade clause and no opt-outs. It’s essentially a 10-year deal that’s tacked on to the two years and $66.5 million already owed to him.

Later in the same day, 2018 All Star Game MVP Alex Bregman signed a five-year, $100 million contract, buying out three years of arbitration and two years of free agency. That “Super Tuesday” also saw the Astros sign reliever Ryan Pressly to a two-year, $17.5 million contract, the largest contract ever for a non-closer reliever. Pressly, 30, was due to hit free agency following the 2019 season.

Just 15 minutes before midnight, the Tampa Bay Rays made a splash by signing second baseman Brandon Lowe, a 24-year-old with only 148 Major League plate appearances under his belt. Lowe is still considered a rookie but has signed a contract that could keep him in Tampa through his age 32 season, as the deal also includes two club options.

As recently as two off-seasons ago, years of free agency carried with them immense value. Now, free agency almost seems to be scaring players. Here are all the big names that have signed extensions this offseason so far (in chronological order):

There are some very, very good players on that list — Players that would be major names on the free agent market and would garner exciting bidding wars under normal circumstances. Though, at the time this article was written, players like Craig Kimbrel (30) and Dallas Keuchel (31) remain free agents deep into Spring Training. These are not normal circumstances.

That list will grow quite a bit before next offseason begins. Players due to hit free agency include Gerrit Cole, Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts, Anthony Rendon, J.D. Martinez, Paul Goldschmidt, Justin Verlander, Josh Donaldson, Madison Bumgarner, Didi Gregorius, Zack Wheeler, Marcell Ozuna, Rick Porcello, and many more. It’s seeming more and more likely that quite a few of those players will sign extensions before hitting free agency.

It’s possible that after seeing players like Nolan Arenado and Mike Trout sign, the players in line for free agency will have more reason to sign extensions. “If those guys are avoiding free agency, maybe I should too,” they’d say.

Obviously, a player’s willingness or even desire to sign an extension is not enough. The team needs to share that desire and dole out the dollars. Bottom line, a player will not sign an extension if they think they can get more on the free agent market.

Right now, players’ and their agents’ evaluations of the free agent landscape have led them to taking the safe route, signing extensions instead of risking being at the mercy of MLB’s owners. As Kimbrel, Keuchel, and even Bryce Harper have shown, it doesn’t matter how good the player is, they could be forced to sign for less than their perceived value, or remain unsigned altogether.

There are many problems with the current CBA, which runs through 2021, but both the MLBPA and MLB’s owners have expressed a desire to get talks going now. The sooner the better, as players are starting to get restless and even angry at the current landscape, and players approaching free agency are getting scared into signing extensions.