Trying to judge a free agent contract before the ink has even had a chance to dry is a tricky proposition, but is exactly what every baseball fan, writer and pundit attempts to do. The only information we have about a particular player is from the past, even though it is future production that you are trying to compensate them for. The warnings are out there, thanks to guys like Barry Zito, Alfonso Soriano, Vernon Wells, Carlos Lee, etc. General managers in this day and age need to be extremely careful about paying for past performance, but also balance that with a realistic idea of what a player?s production level will be going forward. Now that we have seen a handful significant signings come down the pike, it seems like a good time to analyze the first handful of millions that have been doled out to date. Although it is surely a small sample size with regard to the number of free agent deals signed thus far, it appears that teams are spending a little more than they have been willing to in recent offseasons. The Detroit Tigers have been especially active spenders in the early going, which is not surprising given the amount of money coming available this offseason. Among others, Detroit has Magglio Ordonez ($18 million), Jeremy Bonderman ($12.5 million), Dontrelle Willis ($12 million), Nate Robertson ($9.6 million), Johnny Damon ($8 million) and Gerald Laird ($3.95 million) all coming off the books, totaling a whopping $64.05 million windfall before you factor in arbitration raises and a few other lesser free agents. It shouldn?t shock anyone that the team in the motor city will be throwing some of their financial weight around this winter. Four out of the following seven players who have already signed free agent contracts have done so with the team they ended the season playing for, which is typical in the early going. These players are known quantities and teams have a good idea of what type of production that they will be paying for. Below you will find the breakdown of every contract signed so far in which the total value is at least eight figures. Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers ? The most lucrative deal signed so far is one that I thought was the most difficult to nail down exactly how prospective employers would value Martinez?s production. With the contract that Detroit gave to him, Martinez is going to be paid handsomely through 2014 at an average annual salary of $12.5 million. If Detroit expects him to catch for four years, then this is probably about right in line with what his value will be over the life of the contract. However, it is widely speculated, seeing as Martinez is viewed by most as well below average defensively, that, come the end of this contract, he will most likely be strictly a designated hitter. As a catcher, he is one of the top offensive producers at his position in all of baseball, but as a designated hitter, his age 34 and 35 seasons might see him produce much closer to league average. A testament to his consistency, in every season that Martinez has accumulated at least 500 plate appearances, he has put up an OPS+ of no less than 122 and no more than 133. So, there is a chance that his offense will stand the test of time. Ted Lilly, Los Angeles Dodgers ? When Los Angeles acquired Lilly at the trade deadline, they did so with their eye on making a playoff push in the NL West and not necessarily signing him long-term. They were obviously impressed with his performance in Dodger blue, during which he pitched to the tune of a 3.52 ERA, 0.991 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. Over the past four seasons, Lilly?s numbers aren?t all that different: 3.68 ERA, 1.129 WHIP and 7.8 K/9. His new contract will pay him, including bonuses, $7.5 million in 2011, $12 million in 2012 and $13.5 million in 2013, for a total of $33 million over three years. The last year of the new deal will be Lilly?s age 37 season, so the Dodgers are taking a chance by back-loading this contract and expecting results similar to those he produced in his early 30?s. Aubrey Huff, San Francisco Giants ? The most consistent threat the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants had in their lineup in 2010 will remain with the club for the foreseeable future. Huff tested the open market, but ultimately decided to remain with San Francisco where he resurrected his career. A player whose WAR saw a 7.1 swing from 2009 to 2010 (-1.4 to 5.7, respectively), Huff signed a two-year contract with a team option for a third in a deal that will pay him either $22 million over two years or $30 million over three. At first glance, this may seem like a slight overpay for a guy that had a career year at age 33, but General Manager Brian Sabean stated that he was matching an offer that Huff had received from another club. If Huff can even approach his 2010 production in the coming two years, the Giants shouldn?t have a hard time justifying this expenditure. After all, he did help bring San Francisco it?s first World Series title since the team moved west in 1958. Hiroki Kuroda, Los Angeles Dodgers ? In a move that signifies that he might just take his ball and go home to Japan after 2011, Kuroda signed a one-year deal for $12 million. In an offseason where he was arguably the second best starting pitcher on the market, he could?ve easily gotten multiple years and likely even more annually from a team looking to deepen it?s rotation. However, Kuroda chose to sign a one-year contract with the only team he has played for in MLB. If 2011 is indeed his final year before he heads home to the land of the rising sun, he will have had a very brief, yet very solid four-year stint in the bigs. With respect to ERA among National League starters, Kuroda finished 19th in 2008, 19th in 2009 and 13th in 2010; incredibly consistent for a pitcher who had never faced Major League hitters before his arrival in the states. John Buck, Florida MarlinsM.B< ? In a move that is unbecoming of how the Florida Marlins normally operate, the fish handed Buck a three-year contract worth $18 million. In his age 30 season, Buck had a career best campaign in his walk season, having belted 20 home runs and compiling an .802 OPS. Bear in mind, though, that this was the highest OPS he posted in his career by almost .100 points, his worst walk rate at 3.7% and a BABIP of .335. All of these indicators suggest that a regression back to his career averages is highly likely. If that does indeed happen, then the Marlins will be left with a very high-priced starting catcher performing like a backup backstop. While it is possible that last season is a sign of things to come, I think a drop in production is more likely. However, it won?t take much to improve the offense that the Marlins got from the catcher position, as they had the third worst OPS from their backstops in the National League in 2010 Jake Westbrook, St. Louis Cardinals ? Exactly the kind of pitcher that thrives under the tutelage of Cardinals? pitching coach Dave Duncan, Westbrook was acquired at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Ryan Ludwick to San Diego. Westbrook is a groundball machine that only pitched 34 2/3 innings in the 2008 and 2009 seasons combined, but was able to rebuild his value in 2010 with a healthy season that saw him break the 200-inning barrier for the fourth time in his career. His career has been solid yet unspectacular, which is exactly what a team is looking for in it?s fourth starter. The question, however, is whether Westbrook will be worth the $16.5 million that St. Louis has committed to him over the next two seasons. There is also an $8.5 million option for a third year that the club can buy out for $1 million. Fourth starters aren?t usually this expensive, but it certainly gives the Cardinals one of the, if not the, best starting rotations in the NL Central in 2011. Joaquin Benoit, Detroit Tigers ? In what will undoubtedly be the high water mark for contracts signed by non-closing relievers this offseason, Benoit signed a three year del worth $15.5 million to be the setup man in Detroit in 2011. With the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, Benoit quietly had arguably the best season of any reliever in baseball. His numbers were staggering: 1.34 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 11.19 K/9, 1.64 BB/9, .150 batting average against and the list goes on and on. His .201 BABIP and 95.1% left on base percentage suggest that this kind of success is unsustainable, but the Tigers are banking $5.5 million per year over the next three that he will be able to do just that. Armed with an average fastball of 94.0 mph coupled with what fangraphs lists as the most effective changeup among AL relievers, Benoit certainly has the stuff to live up to this contract. However, Benoit also turns 34 years old during the 2011 season, so father time may have some say in the matter. Jason Follain is the Senior Baseball Writer for RealGM.com. Please feel free to send comments, suggestions and feedback to Jason Follain directly at [email protected]