Reflecting on last winter’s biggest FA signing

If either Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, or both, sign before Feb. 19, it means they will have come to terms sooner than J.D. Martinez and Scott Boras, Martinez’s agent (also Harper’s) did with the Red Sox 49 weeks ago. It means Boston waited that long to sign the free agent who became the single most important hitter in baseball last season.