THE NEW NORMAL?

At the beginning of February, with Manny Machado and Bryce Harper still unsigned and free agency at a standstill, a prominent agent made a prediction during a conversation with Baseball America.

“You’re going to see more players sign team-friendly extensions because they’re afraid of free agency,” the agent said. “They’re realizing the money’s not in free agency and owners are going to keep getting more and more of the profit share.”

Less than two weeks later, righthander Aaron Nola signed a four-year, $45 million extension with the Phillies. It was the first domino to fall in