Straight Outta Kauffman (OOTP 24)

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KANSAS CITY @ DETROIT (09/26 -- 09/28)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Detroit Tigers

By Will Keeler | Kansas City Star | September 29th, 2023

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Sept 26, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (55-102)	1	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	1	6	10	0
Detroit Tigers (68-89)	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	3	6	2
W: Zack Greinke (10-9) L: Reese Olson (4-3) S: Collin Snider (1)

Tuesday, September 26th, 2023
With shortstop Bobby Witt Jr leading the charge, the Kansas City Royals defeated the Detroit Tigers, 6-3, at Comerica Park. Witt Jr was 3-for-5 with a home run and a double, while scoring three times. His two stolen bases gave him forty-one for the season.

"We're going to be real aggressive with him in these final few games," said manager Matt Quatraro. "I know it might be sacrilege to give away strategy like that, but we're going to try to end this season on a high note, and try to get him to that fifty steals plateau."

Zack Greinke picked up the win with 5 innings of work. He allowed two runs on five hits, while walking only one and striking out three. The victory moves him to 10-9 on the season; winning eight of his last nine starts, with the other start being a no-decision. Collin Snider earned his first save of the season in two chances, tossing three innings of one-run ball.

Southpaw Anthony Veneziano made his MLB debut in the sixth inning, pitching a scoreless inning with a strikeout on nine pitches.

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Sept 27, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (55-103)	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	9	1
Detroit Tigers (69-89)	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	6	10	0
W: Matt Wisler (1-3) L: Taylor Clarke (4-5) S: None

Wednesday, September 27th, 2023
Homeruns from Maikel Garcia and Edward Olivares weren't enough in the second game of their series with the Tigers, as Matt Vierling's two-run shot against Taylor Clarke in the bottom of the 11th was the deciding hit in their 6-4 11-inning loss to Detroit.

Bobby Witt Jr inched closer to the 50-steal mark, stealing two more bases as part of a 2-for-4 day. He also still sits a homerun short of the 30-homer mark. His next homerun would put him in very exclusive territory, with thirty homeruns, thirty doubles, and forty steals, which would be the first time that's happened in team history.

It was a team effort on the pitching side, with Jonathan Bowlan getting the start with two innings worked, but allowed two earned runs on three hits, walking a pair and striking out a pair. Taylor Hearn followed him with two more innings of the shutout variety before Steven Cruz followed him with 1 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

Kansas City actually held a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but Jackson Kowar allowed a two-run homerun to Spencer Torkelson that tied the game at four each. It's been a bit of a trying season for the former number-one overall pick, as it was just his 17th homerun of the season. After seven straight scoreless appearances, Kowar has allowed five earned runs in his last 3 1/3 innings with a couple of homeruns.

"All bullpen guys go through rough patches," said manager Matt Quatraro. "The key is to keep that patch from turning into a longer stretch."

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Sept 28, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (55-104)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	6	10	0
Detroit Tigers (70-89)	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	X	5	7	0
W: Eduardo Rodriguez (12-8) L: Jordan Lyles (5-17) S: None

Thursday, September 28th, 2023
Making perhaps his final start of the season, Jordan Lyles cruised through the first three innings, allowing only a double to Akil Baddoo in the first inning, throwing twenty-six pitches in all. But the fourth inning turned into a nightmare, as Detroit tagged him for five runs alone in that inning, which is all they would need to put the Royals away by a 5-1 score.

Tucker Davidson and Taylor Clarke turned in scoreless outings in relief, combining for 4 1/3 innings. Eduardo Rodriguez worked eight innings for Detroit, striking out a baker's dozen with just one walk, which was Edward Olivares.

The only run for the Royals was courtesy of an RBI triple in the fifth inning from Michael Massey, his third triple of the season. He's had a nice September to date with hits in eleven of his last dozen games, and has slashed .301/.346/.425 (.771 OPS) this month after a solid .760 OPS in August. Both are better than league average marks (111 OPS+).

Kansas City now heads into the final home series of the season, a three-game series with the playoff-bound Yankees. The Yankees can clinch the top wildcard spot with only one win against the Royals.

UP NEXT: vs New York Yankees (09/29 -- 10/01)

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NY YANKEES @ KANSAS CITY (09/29 -- 10/01)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: New York Yankees

By Will Keeler | Kansas City Star | October 2nd, 2023

New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Sept 29, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York Yankees (94-66)	0	0	1	1	0	0	5	0	0	7	9	0
Kansas City Royals (55-105)	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	4	11	0
W: Luis Severino (7-11) L: Steven Cruz (0-1) S: None

Friday, September 29th, 2023
Aaron Judge's pair of homeruns proved to be the difference in the Royals' 7-4 defeat to the Yankees to begin the final series of the season. He homered in the third inning against starter Alec Marsh before bopping his second homerun in the seventh against reliever Collin Snider. Despite missing more than a third of the season to date, Judge's homeruns were his 41st and 42nd of the season, second in the AL to Shohei Ohtani.

Every Royals starter collected at least one hit, with Maikel Garcia and MJ Melendez each going 2-for-4, with Garcia adding a free pass as well. Nelson Velazquez hit his first triple of the season that scored two of the Royals' four runs. Michael Massey and Nick Pratto also collected RBI hits in the contest.

The Royals' final pitcher of the evening, Taylor Hearn, was the only pitcher to post a scoreless outing, striking out three over the final two innings. His ERA with the Royals dropped to 3.98, and he has been a nice surprise in the season's second half since being acquired from the Braves just before the deadline.

With six steals, the Royals set a season high in stolen bases for one game, going 6-for-6 with five different players notching steals. Bobby Witt Jr stole two to get him to forty-five steals on the season, while four others stole one each.

New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Sept 30, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York Yankees (94-67)	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	3	7	0
Kansas City Royals (56-105)	1	0	0	1	5	0	0	0	X	7	12	0
W: Cole Ragans (6-3) L: Clarke Schmidt (9-11) S: None

Saturday, September 30th, 2023
With five innings of one-run ball, the Royals' Cole Ragans kept his spotless record since joining the Royals intact with a 7-3 victory over the Yankees. The win moves him to 4-0 in ten starts (eleven total appearances) with the Royals, and he's been arguably the best pitcher in the AL down the stretch since the trade deadline.

"He's really leaned into that slider that has been so effective for him these past few months," said manager Matt Quatraro. "That pitch is quite the weapon for him, and I'm really glad he's taken it upon himself to really hone it. It's what's made him so effective against both sides of the plate."

In his five innings of work, Ragans allowed just four hits and one walk while fanning a half-dozen. Taylor Hearn, Tucker Davidson, and Carlos Hernandez combined to pitch the final four innings, with Hernandez pitching the only clean inning of the three.

Michael Massey and Nelson Velazquez each hit homeruns, their ninth and eleventh of the season to date. Eight of Velazquez's homeruns have come since joining the Royals back on August 1st. Nick Pratto was 3-for-3 with a walk, and Salvador Perez was 2-for-3, including a two-run double.

New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals
Oct 1, 2023	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York Yankees (95-67)	5	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	3	13	9	0
Kansas City Royals (56-106)	2	0	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	6	10	1
W: Carlos Rodon (12-3) L: Zack Greinke (10-10) S: None

Sunday, October 1st, 2023
With his first-inning homerun on Sunday afternoon, Bobby Witt Jr launched himself into team and league history, becoming the youngest player ever to hit 30 doubles, 30 homeruns, and steal 45 bases in a season. He's also the first player in team history to hit 30 homeruns and steal 40 or more bases.

In addition, he joined Eric Davis, Bobby Bonds, Mike Trout, and Alex Rodriguez as the only players in league history to hit 30 homeruns and steal at least 45 bases. Oh, and he tied for the league lead in triples with six.

However, it was the playoff-bound Yankees that got the last laugh, pounding the Royals 13-6 in what might be the last career start for Zack Greinke, who was tagged with the loss to fall to 10-10 on the season. The loss ties the team record for the most losses in a season, with the 2005 Royals also losing 106 games.

Kansas City now heads into the offseason with a load of uncertainty, as Greinke potentially could be headed out the door for good; and the year for roster evaluation according to first-year manager Matt Quatraro and GM JJ Picollo is now over.

Catcher Salvador Perez (who homered in the loss) and starting pitcher Brady Singer were also rumored to be on the trading block at the deadline, so it's possible they've played their last games in a Royals uniform.

"Yeah, there are some decisions that we now have to make," Quatraro said in his final post-game interview. "It's been a tough year, there's no doubt about that, but the way I see it, I'm excited to see what we can do this offseason. Going to be a lot of difficult, but rewarding conversations."

UP NEXT: End of season

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WILDCARD RECAP (10/07)



WILDCARD RECAP
10/07/2023

Three of the four series went the full three games, with the Orioles' two-game sweep of the Yankees the only one that did not go the distance. Baltimore will go on to face the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays beginning tomorrow night, with the Rangers and Astros meeting in the other ALDS series tomorrow as well. On the National League side, the Dodgers and Marlins moved on with 2-1 series victories over the Giants and Brewers, respectively. Miami and second-seeded Arizona will face off in one NLDS matchup, while the top-seeded Braves and Dodgers will be pitted against each other in the other NLDS series.

In the Orioles sweep of New York in the Bronx, Ryan Mountcastle was named the series MVP, going 6-for-11 (.545) with a homerun and five RBI, all in the first game on October 4th. He was 2-for-4 in the series finale, which they won 7-6, and scored three runs in all. Baltimore had lost five straight playoff games coming in, last winning the ALDS back in 2014 in a 3-0 sweep of the Detroit Tigers before losing in four games to the Royals in the ALCS. Before this season, their last playoff appearance was in 2016, losing the Wildcard matchup 5-2 to division rival Toronto.

The other AL Wildcard series saw the Twins finally snap a 19-game postseason losing streak with a win in the second game, but have now lost twenty of their last twenty-one postseason games dating back to October 5th, 2004 as it will be an all-Texas ALDS with the Rangers and Astros doing battle. After his first full season in which he smacked thirty homeruns, Josh Jung easily earned the series' MVP honors, going 8-for-14 with three homeruns, three doubles, and eight RBI.

Moving to the NL, one side of the bracket has the Dodgers and Braves in one NLDS series, while the D-Backs and Marlins square off in the other with those series beginning tonight. The former two came into this season with high expectations, with only one of them being able to keep on going after the series is over. The latter series involves a pair of teams coming off losing seasons in 2022, with the Marlins going 69-93, and a tumultuous 74-88 season for Arizona. The two teams combined to improve their W-L records by thirty-four games, Miami going +18 over last season and Arizona +16.

After getting blanked by Corbin Burnes in Game 1, the Marlins rallied to win Games 2 and 3, with rookie shortstop Jacob Amaya winning MVP honors for the series. He went 5-for-8 with two doubles, a homerun, and two runs scored in the three games, all starts. He took over as the team's primary shortstop in late July, starting fifty-nine of the sixty games he played in for Miami and posted a solid 115 OPS+ in 226 PA.

The other series also saw an unlikely MVP named, with Dodgers closer Evan Phillips getting the nod. He picked up the two-inning victory in Game 1, and picked up the two-inning save in the clincher for Game 3. He was flat-out dominant, facing a dozen hitters and retiring them all, including four on strikes. Dodgers catcher Will Smith was the hero in Game 1 offensively, driving in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth with a single.

Smith also played a key role in the Game 3 win, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. But Phillips stole the show ultimately, as he barely missed the strike zone in both of his outings. Of his thirty-eight pitches thrown over four innings of work, Phillips landed twenty-eight of them in the zone.

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WHERE DO THE ROYALS GO FROM HERE? (10/07)

2023-4 OFFSEASON ANALYSIS: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
10/07/2023

With the 2023 season now in the rearview and the playoffs in full swing, the Royals will now begin the process of working on the 2024 roster. Before the season, both GM JJ Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro spoke at length that this was a "season of evaluation", and that the real building of the organization would come in the second year for both of them. Well, now is that time. In his year-end presser with the local media, Picollo did note that some players "didn't meet expectations", and that they have some difficult decisions to make.

Right now, the Royals only have two veteran contracts on the books for next season -- Salvador Perez is due $20 million, while Jordan Lyles is slated to earn $8.5 million in 2024. Zack Greinke, Brad Keller, and Matt Duffy are departing free agents, although they may choose to bring any or all of them back. Picollo has already said that Lyles is going to occupy one of the starting slots (yay?), so there's that. Greinke, who will be entering his age-40 season in 2024, has also not made a decision on whether or not to hang up the cleats.

They have eight arbitration-eligible players, but really only four are considered to be locks or near-locks to be tendered contracts -- outfielder Edward Olivares and pitchers Brady Singer, Carlos Hernandez, and Kris Bubic. Bubic will be an interesting case since he went out so early in the season, as it will likely cost him some money. On the other hand, that savings could be used elsewhere by the club.

Righty reliever Josh Staumont is the most likely to not be offered a contract, as he's walked nearly 16% of hitters the last two seasons, and a slightly above-average whiff rate of 25.8% isn't going to be enough to counter that high walk rate.

That leaves the Taylors (Clarke, Hearn, and Josh Taylor) in the middle. Hearn was much-maligned at the time of the deal, but he's actually been a fairly solid southpaw arm out of the bullpen that made a few 'opener' starts. His whiff rate of 25.7% is right about where Staumont is, but a much more palatable 11.7% walk rate gives him a much better shot at sticking around. Fangraphs has Hearn with a $1.45 million arbitration figure, while Josh Taylor comes in right at $1.2 million. With a payroll that could be as tight as the Royals' next year, even an extra $250K could matter despite his injury history.

"Whether it's eight million, eighty million, one hundred million, we'll have to make the best with what we have," he said rather bluntly to a reporter that brought up the payroll for next season. "There are teams that have won the World Series with lesser payrolls than what we had this past season, so it's about spending what you have wisely, and not so much how much you have."

Clarke looked like a solid, worthwhile signing for the 2022 season on the cheap after Arizona non-tendered him prior to that year, but slipped badly in 2023, seeing his walk rate jump from 4% to 9.5%, and his strikeout rate dip from nearly 24% to 22.8%. Not surprisingly, his FIP and SIERA suffered for it, with the FIP making the biggest drop from 3.36 to 5.19 year-over-year, while his SIERA stayed relatively solid at 3.82, falling only from 3.01. His HR/9 also went up from 1.1 to 1.8.

Additionally, they still owe Hunter Dozier $9.5 million for next season, which will figure heavily into the calculus for how they approach free agency. The most likely avenue to improve the team will be via trades, something that Picollo has not been shy to do (and his deadline trades have largely been solid so far).

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DIVISIONAL SERIES RECAP (10/15)



DIVISIONAL SERIES RECAP
10/15/2023

Much like the Wildcard series, three out of the four Divisional Series went the full distance, with only the Diamondbacks-Marlins series going less than five games, with Arizona winning that series 3-to-1 to clinch their first NLCS appearance in sixteen years, when they were swept in four games by a red-hot Rockies team that ended that year on a 20-plus game winning streak. Tonight, on four days of rest, the Diamondbacks will face off against Atlanta to open the NLCS against Braves, who wrapped up their series with the Dodgers just two nights ago, winning in dramatic fashion on a walk-off homerun from Orlando Arcia.

Arcia had an impressive series against L.A., going 8-for-21 with three homeruns with a pair of doubles and five runs scored. What was even more impressive was his walk-off homerun came against Evan Phillips, who had tossed eight shutout innings with just one hit and walk allowed; striking out nine with three saves and one victory in the playoffs to date prior to Game 5.

"There was no way we weren't driving home tonight without the victory in hand," said catcher Sean Murphy. "(Evan) Phillips came in tonight as one of the best we've faced all year, but Orlando came up huge with the homerun. I've never been part of a more electric atmosphere than what we all saw out there."

Arizona is arguably the most unlikely left to reach the postseason, even though they won a tough NL West with 90 wins, a 16-game improvement over 2022. They were 1-5 against Atlanta this season, winning their first game of the season against them at home on June 2nd; but then lost the next five, including a road sweep at Truist Park.

League MVP candidate Christian Walker was the MVP of their NLDS matchup with Miami, going 9-for-17 (.528) with three homeruns. He fell just one homerun shy of his career high this season, but smacked 44 doubles and posted his second straight season with a 120 OPS+ or better.

The ALCS will feature a pair of teams that are ending long ALCS droughts -- the Orioles haven't been this deep in the postseason since 2014, while the Rangers are making their first ALCS since 2011, when they went to back-to-back World Series in 2010 and 2011, only to lose to the Giants (2010) and the Cardinals (2011). Baltimore lost all four games of the 2014 ALCS to Kansas City, who went on to fall in seven games to the Giants in the Fall Classic.

After earning MVP honors in the Wildcard series with the Yankees, Baltimore first baseman Ryan Mountcastle backed that up with MVP honors in the Orioles/Rays ALDS, going 7-for-19 (.368), with a homerun, double, a walk, and two steals. However, the Orioles' bullpen collectively might have been the most impressive unit in the series. Over the final four games, the Baltimore bullpen allowed one earned run over 16 2/3 innings. In the Game 5 clincher, Keegan Akin and Kyle Gibson combined for six shutout innings, with Gibson earning his first career playoff save by tossing 3 1/3 scoreless.

Texas' Josh Jung was another back-to-back MVP winner, taking home ALDS MVP honors by going 7-for-24 (.291) at the plate, hitting a couple of homeruns, including a solo shot in the Rangers' epic 18-inning win over the Astros to punch their ALCS ticket. Corey Seager also homered in that inning, a two-run homerun that put the game seemingly out of reach, as the Astros went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 18th on just five pitches. Jung has had a memorable first postseason, hitting .405 (15-for-37) with five homeruns, eleven runs scored, and three doubles.

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ROYALS NEWS (10/21)

PASSAN: GREINKE TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT
10/21/2023

In news that likely shocks no one, Royals righty Zack Greinke is expected to announce his retirement at a press conference tomorrow afternoon, just one day after his 40th birthday, which is today. The news comes just a few days after it was reported by ESPN.com's Jeff Passan that the Royals have informed Greinke and his agent that they do not plan to try and re-sign him for a third season back in Kansas City. The two sides had discussed a potential reunion for 2024 throughout this past season and into the present, but no salary figures were ever discussed per Passan's report.

Up until that report, all of the chatter from the Royals was that both sides were happy with the current arrangement, and were looking forward to another season in 2024 with Greinke on the roster. Greinke himself also commented several times throughout the season, mostly in August and September, that he was interested in returning, but that would largely be left up to the team.

He led the Royals in victories with ten; and was largely a very serviceable pitcher in his final season, posting an ERA of 4.72 (4.43 FIP, 4.38 SIERA) in 160 1/3 innings of work, the most innings he's pitched since since 2021 with the Astros. He's very likely headed to the MLB Hall of Fame; and is a shoo-in for the Royals Hall of Fame, having his name etched in the top ten of nearly every single season and career listing in team history. What makes some of these marks more impressive is that he only pitched about 40% of his career in Kansas City.

It also would have shocked nobody if he had decided to return for the reasons stated above, as well. He's only twenty-five strikeouts away from three thousand, long considered the gold standard for HoF pitchers. He's likely to get in regardless since his numbers compare favorably to other HoF hurlers, with fWAR and rWAR numbers of 70.2 and 78.1, respectively. He managed to drop his walk rate and increase his whiff rate year-over-year despite a handful of ticks off his fastball over 2022; and despite a drop in ERA, posted a better SIERA mark over 2022 (4.67 to 4.38).

While it will be sad to see Greinke's career end while he still might have something left in the tank, it appears he'll get to go out on his terms, which is just the way that he's always preferred it. His departure additionally will free up a rotation slot for a younger pitcher; perhaps Angel Zerpa or Max Castillo could surprise in Spring Training. GM J.J. Picollo has also mentioned that they'll look to improve the pitching staff 'by any ways necessary', which could include hitting up the free agent market again, or (what is the most likely route) the offseason trade market as well as internal options.

With Greinke's departure, the upstart Cole Ragans figures to be the team's Opening Day starter after posting one of the best two-month stretches in team history, with Jordan Lyles and Brady Singer slotting in spots two and three in some order. Those three seem to be the only locks for the rotation, as lefty Kris Bubic is still in the process of recovering from elbow surgery; and still others who mostly struggled, such as fellow southpaw Daniel Lynch and righty Alec Marsh that each made double-digit starts for the Royals in 2022.

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LCS WRAP-UP/WORLD SERIES OUTLOOK (10/25)



CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RECAP/WORLD SERIES PREVIEW
10/25/2023

Arizona rolled through 2021 World Series champion Atlanta in four games, culminating in a 9-8 walkoff victory at home to celebrate their first World Series appearance since 2001, when they won their only championship in team history over the great New York Yankee squad that year that won 95 games. 23-year-old outfielder Corbin Carroll was the NLCS MVP, smacking a couple of homeruns and doubles each, driving in nine runs while going 8-for-16 at the plate with five runs scored and three walks.

Meanwhile, Texas and Baltimore battled through seven games with the Rangers eventually taking the series four games to three, earning their first World Series bid since 2011. Texas has actually had a fairly dismal history when it comes to making the postseason in their history (c. 1972), as they've only made it nine times, all of them since 1996. Before that, they were the Washington Senators from 1961-71, missing the postseason each of those seasons. They're still looking for their first World Series title in team history.

It's yet another World Series appearance for HOF-manager-to-be Bruce Bochy, who won three titles with the San Francisco Giants in the early-to-mid 2010's (2010, 12, 14). He has the Rangers on the brink of their first title, with only the D-Backs left to go.

"I'm ready, I think it's going to be a great series," said Bochy in the post-game press conference after the 3-zip Game 7 victory. "I've managed against Arizona quite a bit in my career, and no matter who is managing them or what players they have, they've always given my teams fits."

Mitch Garver, who was named ALCS MVP, was 10-for-26 with five doubles and two homeruns, making all seven starts at first base with Nate Lowe still out with an elbow injury. Lowe could return for the World Series, although it's unlikely at best as a decision has not yet been made. The move to first base has allowed Austin Hedges to serve as the team's primary catcher for all twelve games, while normal starting catcher Jonah Heim's bat has stayed in the lineup as the designated hitter.

The Rangers have also made it this far without Max Scherzer, who suffered a torn rotator cuff on September 29th, and after surgery is likely to miss all of 2024.

"Max is a huge reason why we're here," Bochy went on to say when asked if they might miss having Scherzer in the rotation for the Fall Classic. "With how close the division and Wildcard races were, one or two wins from Max where he pretty much willed us to victory seemed to be the difference."

Jordan Montgomery (Rangers) and Zac Gallen (Diamondbacks) will get the ball for Game 1 tomorrow. Andrew Heaney will get the ball for Texas in Game 2, while Arizona hasn't decided on a starter for Games 2 and 3. Jake Odorizzi is expected to get the Game 3 start for Texas, as he's been the primary replacement for Scherzer in the rotation.

The Diamondbacks come in with a bit more rest than the Rangers -- Texas has just a two-day turnaround, having wrapped up the AL pennant last night, while Arizona has been sitting around for nearly a week, having won Game 4 to complete the sweep of Atlanta on the 19th.

"The best thing for us is that it's giving us a chance to get healthy," said D-Backs skipper Torey Lovullo. "We had some dings over the past few weeks, and it's really nice to have some time off to get a few guys healthy, or as healthy as can be."

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RANGERS ARE CHAMPS! (11/04)



RANGERS CLAIM FIRST TITLE IN TEAM HISTORY
11/04/2023

The Rangers can now scratch their name off the list of MLB teams to have not won a championship -- they leave behind Tampa Bay, Seattle, Milwaukee, San Diego, and Colorado as the only five title-less franchises in the league. They wrapped up the Fall Classic with a thrilling 10-9 Game 7 victory over a game Diamondbacks squad that wasn't expected to do much of anything this season, but ended up with ninety wins and the NL West title.

Texas held a 3-1 series lead after the first four games, and looked to be headed to a 4-1 series win headed into Game 5. But Arizona managed to get out of Globe Life Park in that one with a chance to head back to Chase Field and win the final two games at home to win their second World Series, and first since 2001. After winning Game 6 convincingly and forcing Game 7 on their home field, Arizona felt like they had the momentum; and they played like it early on in Game 7, as they had the home crowd rocking in taking a commanding 8-0 lead after just three innings.

The normally-steady Rangers' starter Nathan Eovaldi was tagged for six earned runs, and couldn't even get out of the second inning before being replaced by Cody Bradford, who also struggled in his two innings, allowing three earned runs. But the bullpen was lights-out from there, allowing the Rangers to crawl back into the contest. Over the final 5 2/3 innings, the Rangers kept the Diamondbacks off the scoreboard, while the Rangers scored all ten of their runs in the fourth through the eighth innings to eventually re-claim the lead on Jonah Heim's two-out RBI single in the eighth.

"We never stopped believing that we could get back into the game," said third baseman Josh Jung, who was the Wildcard and ALDS MVP for the Rangers earlier in the postseason, and hit two big homeruns in Game 1's victory. "Down 8-0, baseball's a nine-inning game. We've been in these spots before, and just trusted our bullpen and guys in the lineup to chip away at this thing."

Heim was the recipient of the World Series MVP, winning it with hits in six of the seven games, including a game-tying solo homerun with two outs against Hunter Wood in Game 1 that ended up going the Rangers' way by an 8-5 score. He was 11-for-30 (.366) in the series, with two homeruns, a double, and four runs scored.

"We've had Austin (Hedges) serving as the everyday catcher up until this series, and Jonah returned to that role and played really well," said manager Bruce Bochy. "With Nate (Lowe) back, it really lengthens the lineup and all of a sudden, we're a little tougher to get out."

Lowe was 8-for-25 (.320), with four doubles, a homerun, and more walks (6) than strikeouts (4) in the series. He also scored three times, and had a nice defensive play at first base to save a run early on in their Game 7 win. The only other taste of postseason action that Lowe had experienced prior to this season was the AL Wildcard game back in 2020, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts. He suffered a fractured thumb late in the season; and while it was a touch-and-go situation on whether or not he'd be ready in time for the World Series, Lowe was eventually activated and added to the roster.

He provided a needed offensive boost for the series, as late in Game 7 of the ALCS against Baltimore, second baseman Marcus Semien was injured in a play at second base on a double play attempt, as he landed awkwardly on his left knee and ended up being diagnosed with a broken kneecap that required surgery.

Ezequiel Duran, who played in just four games (no starts) at second base, started all seven games at second base in Semien's place, and didn't have a single error or notable bad play. Prior to this series, he had mainly played shortstop and in the outfield, logging sixty starts between those two spots.

"All throughout this series, we had guys step up with other guys out, and that's really what playoff baseball is all about," Bochy went on to say. "No one, and I mean no one, is 100% healthy at this point in the season. While baseball is not as physically demanding on a play-by-play basis as football or basketball, the season really is a grind for six to seven months. I give a ton of credit to Arizona, that's a team that is going to be a thorn in the side for several years to come with that core group they have now."

GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS
Texas 8, Arizona 5
Texas 0, Arizona 3
Arizona 2, Texas 3
Arizona 3, Texas 6
Arizona 8, Texas 4
Texas 3, Arizona 7
Texas 10, Arizona 9

[artoodeetoo]

CONTRACT OPTION DECISIONS (11/08)

CONTRACT OPTION DECISIONS MADE
11/08/2023

AL EAST
Baltimore: RHP Mychal Givens (mutual, voided); RHP Austin Voth (team, voided)
Boston: IF Justin Turner (player, declined); LHP Joely Rodriguez, RHP Corey Kluber (team, voided)
New York: None
Tampa Bay: None
Toronto: IF Whit Merrifield, LHP Yusei Kikuchi (player opt-out); RHP Yimi Garcia (team, voided)

AL CENTRAL
Chicago: RHP Mike Clevinger (mutual, voided); RHP Liam Hendriks, SS Tim Anderson (team, voided)
Cleveland: None
Detroit: SS Javier Baez (player opt-in); LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (player opt-out)
Kansas City: None
Minnesota: OF Max Kepler (team, voided)

AL WEST
Houston: None
Los Angeles: IF Eduardo Escobar, LHP Aaron Loup (team, voided)
Oakland: RHP Drew Rucinski (team, voided)
Seattle: None
Texas: LHP Andrew Heaney (player, accepted); RHP Jose LeClerc (team, voided)

NL EAST
Atlanta: RHP Charlie Morton, LHP Brad Hand, OF Eddie Rosario, RHP Kirby Yates (team, voided); IF Orlando Arcia (team, accepted)
Miami: OF Jorge Soler (player, declined); 1B Josh Bell (player, accepted); RHP Matt Barnes, RHP Johnny Cueto, IF Jon Berti (team, voided)
New York: LHP Brooks Raley (team, voided); RHP Adam Ottavino (player, accepted); C Omar Narvaez (player, declined)
Philadelphia: None
Washington: OF Victor Robles (team, accepted); RHP Jose Urena (team, voided)

NL CENTRAL
Chicago: OF Cody Bellinger (player opt-out); RHP Marcus Stroman (player opt-in); C Tucker Barnhart (player, accepted); RHP Kyle Hendricks, C Yan Gomes (team, voided)
Cincinnati: C Curt Casali (mutual, voided); 1B Joey Votto (team, voided)
Milwaukee: LHP Wade Miley (mutual, voided); OF Mark Canha, LHP Andrew Chafin, LHP Justin Wilson (team, voided)
Pittsburgh: LHP Jarlin Garcia (team, voided)
St. Louis: None

NL WEST
Arizona: RHP Miguel Castro (team, voided)
Colorado: RHP German Marquez (team, voided)
Los Angeles: IF Max Muncy, RHP Blake Treinen, RHP Joe Kelly, RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Alex Reyes (team, voided)
San Diego: RHP Seth Lugo, IF Matt Carpenter (player, declined); RHP Michael Wacha (player opt-in)
San Francisco: RHP Alex Cobb (team, voided); OF Michael Conforto, RHP Ross Stripling (player, accepted)

[artoodeetoo]

PLAYERS WHO CHOSE ARBITRATION (11/28)

PLAYERS HEADED TO ARBITRATION
11/28/2023

The below are players that will be headed to arbitration; with those meetings to be held in early February to decide their 2024 salary. However, these players can still negotiate with their respective clubs and come to terms prior to then, or they can be traded, released, or waived. Next, a listing of arbitration-eligible players who signed extensions to avoid arbitration will be posted.

AL EAST
Baltimore: LHP John Means, RHP Dillon Tate, RHP Jack Flaherty
Boston: None
New York: RHP Matt Bowman, LHP Anthony Misiewicz
Tampa Bay: None
Toronto: None

AL CENTRAL
Chicago: RHP Michael Kopech
Cleveland: None
Detroit: RHP Casey Mize
Kansas City: OF Edward Olivares
Minnesota: None

AL WEST
Houston: IF Garrett Hampson, LHP Blake Taylor
Los Angeles: None
Oakland: None
Seattle: None
Texas: OF Leody Taveras

NL EAST
Atlanta: RHP Mike Soroka
Miami: None
New York: RHP Sam Coonrod
Philadelphia: None
Washington: RHP Tanner Rainey

NL CENTRAL
Chicago: RHP Codi Heuer
Cincinnati: RHP Tejay Antone, RHP Justin Dunn
Milwaukee: OF Magneuris Sierra
Pittsburgh: None
St. Louis: None

NL WEST
Arizona: None
Colorado: IF Brendan Rodgers
Los Angeles: RHP J.P. Feyereisen, RHP Rubby de la Rosa
San Diego: RHP Scott Barlow
San Francisco: RHP Cody Stashak

[artoodeetoo]

NOTABLE CONTRACT EXTENSIONS (11/28)

NOTABLE CONTRACT EXTENSIONS (EXCL. FREE-AGENTS-TO-BE)
11/28/2023

AL EAST
Baltimore: LHP Cionel Perez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed LHP Keegan Akin to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed OF Austin Hays to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,500,000.
Signed RHP Tyler Wells to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,640,000.
Signed LHP Cole Irvin to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,740,000.
Signed 1B Ryan Mountcastle to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,000,000.
Signed 1B Ryan O'Hearn to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,280,000.
Signed LHP Danny Coulombe to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,400,000.
Signed IF Jorge Mateo to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,200,000.
Signed IF Ramon Urias to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,920,000.

Boston: Signed RHP Kyle Barraclough to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed RHP Nick Pivetta to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $7,200,000.
Signed OF Alex Verdugo to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $10,100,000.
Signed IF Niko Goodrum to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,680,000.
Signed LHP Joely Rodriguez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,860,000.
Signed OF Rob Refsnyder to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,840,000.
Signed C Reese McGuire to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,720,000.
Signed IF Christian Arroyo to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $27,780,000.
Signed IF Yu Chang to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,440,000.
Signed IF Luis Urias to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $7,100,000.

New York: Signed OF Greg Allen to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,080,000.
Signed RHP Michael King to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,880,000.
Signed C Kyle Higashioka to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,120,000.
Signed RHP Clay Holmes to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,600,000.
Signed OF Billy McKinney to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000.
Signed OF Willie Calhoun to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,560,000.
Signed RHP Lou Trivino to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,100,000.
Signed OF Jake Bauers to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,120,000.
Signed RHP Jimmy Cordero to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,240,000.
Signed LHP Nestor Cortes to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,400,000.
Signed OF Franchy Cordero to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,120,000.
Signed RHP Jonathan Loáisiga to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $16,360,000.
Signed C Jose Trevino to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,600,000.

Tampa Bay: Signed IF Isaac Paredes to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,300,000.
Signed RHP Aaron Civale to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,640,000.
Signed LHP Colin Poche to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,460,000.
Signed RHP Ryan Thompson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed LHP Shane McClanahan to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,920,000.
Signed C Christian Bethancourt to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,040,000.
Signed RHP Jason Adam to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,240,000.
Signed RHP Shawn Armstrong to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,680,000.
Signed RHP Andrew Kittredge to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,760,000.
Signed OF Harold Ramirez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,720,000.
Signed RHP Javy Guerra to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed C Francisco Mejía to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,760,000.
Signed RHP Zack Littell to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000.

Toronto: Signed RHP Trevor Richards to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,800,000.
Signed IF Santiago Espinal to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,880,000.
Signed C Alejandro Kirk to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,440,000.
Signed RHP Nate Pearson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed LHP Tim Mayza to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,680,000.
Signed C Danny Jansen to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $60,100,000.
Signed LHP Genesis Cabrera to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,320,000.
Signed RHP Erik Swanson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,920,000.
Signed RHP Jordan Romano to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $7,500,000.
Signed 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $21,800,000.
Signed OF Daulton Varsho to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,840,000.

AL CENTRAL
Chicago: Signed RHP Touki Toussaint to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,320,000.
Signed RHP Dylan Cease to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $11,400,000.
Signed 1B Andrew Vaughn to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,160,000.
Signed OF Trayce Thompson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,600,000.
Signed IF Erik González to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed OF Clint Frazier to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000.
Signed OF Victor Reyes to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,540,000.
Signed RHP Matt Foster to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.

Cleveland: Signed RHP Triston McKenzie to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,280,000.
Signed LHP Sam Hentges to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed RHP Shane Bieber to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $15,200,000.
Signed RHP James Karinchak to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,880,000.
Signed 1B Josh Naylor to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $7,800,000.
Signed RHP Enyel De Los Santos to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed RHP Nick Sandlin to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,300,000.
Signed C Cam Gallagher to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,120,000.
Signed RHP Reynaldo Lopez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,520,000.

Detroit: Signed RHP Trey Wingenter to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000.
Signed LHP Tarik Skubal to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,320,000.
Signed C Jake Rogers to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,520,000.
Signed IF Nick Solak to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,640,000.
Signed RHP Rony Garcia to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,240,000.
Signed RHP Matt Wisler to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,180,000.
Signed C Eric Haase to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,480,000.
Signed OF Austin Meadows to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,600,000.
Signed IF Johan Camargo to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,520,000.

Kansas City: Signed RHP Carlos Hernandez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,250,000.
Signed RHP Brady Singer to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,400,000.
Signed LHP Kris Bubic to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,550,000.
Signed LHP Josh Taylor to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,150,000.
Signed RHP Jose De Leon to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000.

Minnesota: Signed IF Nick Gordon to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,540,000.
Signed C Ryan Jeffers to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,960,000.
Signed RHP Jorge Alcala to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed OF Kyle Garlick to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000.
Signed OF Alex Kirilloff to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $23,680,000.
Signed RHP Pablo Lopez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $10,900,000.
Signed IF Willi Castro to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,080,000.
Signed RHP Tyler Mahle to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $9,400,000.

AL WEST
Houston: Signed RHP Jose Urquidy to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,500,000.
Signed OF Kyle Tucker to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $12,100,000.
Signed IF Dixon Machado to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,320,000.
Signed IF Mauricio Dubon to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,440,000.
Signed RHP Bryan Abreu to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,420,000.
Signed OF Chas McCormick to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,000,000.
Signed RHP Luis Garcia to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,920,000.

Los Angeles: Signed RHP Jacob Webb to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed C Chad Wallach to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed LHP Jose Suarez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,780,000.
Signed OF Jared Walsh to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,400,000.
Signed RHP Griffin Canning to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,400,000.
Signed OF Taylor Ward to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,800,000.
Signed RHP Jimmy Herget to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,120,000.
Signed LHP Patrick Sandoval to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,300,000.
Signed OF Brett Phillips to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,540,000.
Signed IF Andrew Velazquez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed RHP Reyes Moronta to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed RHP Jaime Barria to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,840,000.
Signed IF Luis Rengifo to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,720,000.
Signed LHP Jose Quijada to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.

Oakland: Signed OF Seth Brown to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,520,000.
Signed RHP James Kaprielian to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed C Carlos Perez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,240,000.
Signed RHP Paul Blackburn to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,920,000.
Signed RHP Drew Steckenrider to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,100,000.
Signed IF Tyler Wade to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed RHP Austin Pruitt to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.

Seattle: Signed RHP Trent Thornton to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,520,000.
Signed IF Ty France to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,800,000.
Signed IF Sam Haggerty to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,560,000.
Signed OF Adam Engel to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed RHP Justin Topa to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,240,000.
Signed IF Mike Ford to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,180,000.
Signed OF Josh Rojas to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,560,000.

Texas: Signed LHP Brock Burke to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed RHP Josh Sborz to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed C Jonah Heim to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,100,000.
Signed RHP Dane Dunning to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,560,000.
Signed OF Adolis García to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,720,000.
Signed LHP Jonathan Hernandez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed 1B Nathaniel Lowe to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $29,420,000.

NL EAST
Atlanta: Signed SS Nicky Lopez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,960,000.
Signed LHP A.J. Minter to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $21,300,000.
Signed RHP Michael Tonkin to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed RHP Nick Anderson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,300,000.
Signed LHP Kolby Allard to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,600,000.
Signed LHP Lucas Luetge to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,000,000.
Signed LHP Max Fried to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $18,200,000.
Signed RHP Pierce Johnson to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $21,000,000 (3rd year $7M team option).
Signed RHP Ben Heller to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed RHP Yonny Chirinos to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,080,000.
Signed OF Sam Hilliard to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,420,000.

Miami: Signed OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,760,000.
Signed LHP Trevor Rogers to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,040,000.
Signed LHP Tanner Scott to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,680,000.
Signed LHP Jesus Luzardo to a 6-year contract extension worth a total of $72,500,000.
Signed OF Odubel Herrera to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,820,000.
Signed IF Jon Berti to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,520,000.
Signed RHP JT Chargois to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,240,000.
Signed LHP Steven Okert to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,240,000.
Signed IF Joey Wendle to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $7,800,000.
Signed LHP A.J. Puk to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed LHP Caleb Smith to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,640,000.
Signed IF Luis Arraez to a 5-year contract extension worth a total of $113,500,000 (Opt-out after Year 2).

New York: Signed LHP Brooks Raley to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,800,000.
Signed RHP Jeff Brigham to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed IF Danny Mendick to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,760,000.
Signed RHP John Curtiss to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed LHP David Peterson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,800,000.
Signed RHP Drew Smith to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,720,000.
Signed OF Rafael Ortega to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed OF Abraham Almonte to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,460,000.
Signed 1B Pete Alonso to a 5-year contract extension worth a total of $98,800,000.
Signed C Michael Perez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed 1B Daniel Vogelbach to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,120,000.
Signed RHP Trevor Gott to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,560,000.
Signed RHP Phil Bickford to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,360,000.
Signed RHP Dennis Santana to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed OF Tim Locastro to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,580,000.
Signed RHP Elieser Hernandez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,520,000.

Philadelphia: Signed RHP Jeff Hoffman to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed C Garrett Stubbs to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,640,000.
Signed RHP Nick Nelson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,320,000.
Signed OF Jake Cave to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,900,000.
Signed IF Edmundo Sosa to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,000,000.
Signed RHP Dylan Covey to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,120,000.
Signed RHP Connor Brogdon to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed LHP Gregory Soto to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,300,000.
Signed LHP Ranger Suarez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,500,000.
Signed IF Alec Bohm to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,120,000.

Washington: Signed IF Michael Chavis to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed OF Lane Thomas to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,840,000.
Signed IF Luis Garcia to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,640,000.
Signed IF Richie Martin to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed IF Ildemaro Vargas to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,740,000.
Signed OF Dominic Smith to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,160,000.
Signed RHP Hunter Harvey to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed OF Franmil Reyes to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,660,000.
Signed RP Victor Arano to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.

NL CENTRAL
Chicago: Signed 1B Edwin Rios to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,560,000.
Signed IF Nico Hoerner to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $5,500,000.
Signed IF Nick Madrigal to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,440,000.
Signed IF Patrick Wisdom to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,560,000.
Signed RHP Rowan Wick to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,000,000.
Signed RHP Mark Leiter Jr. to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,420,000.
Signed OF Mike Tauchman to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,120,000.
Signed RHP Adbert Alzolay to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,600,000.
Signed RHP Julian Merryweather to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,440,000.

Cincinnati: Signed LHP Alex Young to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,160,000.
Signed IF Kevin Newman to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,200,000.
Signed IF Jonathan India to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,800,000.
Signed C Tyler Stephenson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,880,000.
Signed OF Jake Fraley to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,360,000.
Signed OF Nick Senzel to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,080,000.
Signed RHP Derek Law to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed RHP Lucas Sims to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,900,000.
Signed RHP Silvino Bracho to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,180,000.

Milwaukee: Signed RHP Brandon Woodruff to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $13,400,000.
Signed IF Keston Hiura to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $3,320,000.
Signed IF Abraham Toro to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,760,000.
Signed IF Mike Brosseau to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,940,000.
Signed RHP Bryse Wilson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed RHP Colin Rea to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,520,000.
Signed OF Tyrone Taylor to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,320,000.
Signed LHP Hoby Milner to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,320,000.
Signed 1B Rowdy Tellez to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,100,000.
Signed RHP Devin Williams to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,400,000.
Signed RHP Joel Payamps to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed IF Willy Adames to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $11,000,000.

Pittsburgh: Signed RHP Mitch Keller to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,500,000.
Signed IF Connor Joe to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,400,000.
Signed RHP David Bednar to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,240,000.
Signed IF Miguel Andújar to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,200,000.
Signed RHP Duane Underwood Jr. to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed LHP Ryan Borucki to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.

St. Louis: Signed C Andrew Knizner to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,780,000.
Signed RHP Ryan Helsley to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,600,000.
Signed RHP Jake Woodford to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,780,000.
Signed LHP John King to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed IF Tommy Edman to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $7,300,000.
Signed OF Tyler O'Neill to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,200,000.

NL WEST
Arizona: Signed RHP Cole Sulser to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed RHP Zac Gallen to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $13,200,000.
Signed OF Kyle Lewis to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,040,000.
Signed RHP Asher Wojciechowski to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,240,000.
Signed RHP Austin Adams to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed RHP Paul Sewald to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,800,000.
Signed 1B Christian Walker to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $47,600,000.
Signed LHP Joe Mantiply to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,260,000.
Signed RHP Jose Ruiz to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.
Signed OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $9,400,000.
Signed RHP Nabil Crismatt to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,320,000.
Signed RHP Kevin Ginkel to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.

Colorado: Signed OF Yonathan Daza to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,340,000.
Signed LHP Austin Gomber to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,080,000.
Signed RHP Peter Lambert to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,280,000.
Signed LHP Ty Blach to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,320,000.
Signed OF Harold Castro to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,520,000.
Signed C Austin Wynns to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.

Los Angeles: Signed RHP Brusdar Graterol to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,360,000.
Signed C Will Smith to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $13,400,000.
Signed LHP Caleb Ferguson to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,680,000.
Signed RHP Evan Phillips to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,680,000.
Signed RHP Yency Almonte to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,860,000.
Signed LHP Alex Vesia to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,000,000.

San Diego: Signed C Austin Nola to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,840,000.
Signed IF Jake Cronenworth to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $6,600,000.
Signed OF Trent Grisham to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,760,000.
Signed OF Juan Soto to a 8-year contract extension worth a total of $386,500,000.
Signed RHP Wilmer Font to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,760,000.
Signed LHP Jose Castillo to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,220,000.

San Francisco: Signed OF Austin Slater to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,560,000.
Signed LHP Sean Newcomb to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,200,000.
Signed IF J.D. Davis to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $25,000,000.
Signed RHP Logan Webb to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $12,500,000.
Signed OF LaMonte Wade Jr. to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $4,320,000.
Signed LHP Scott Alexander to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $1,440,000.
Signed OF Mike Yastrzemski to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $7,700,000.
Signed IF Thairo Estrada to a 4-year contract extension worth a total of $48,420,000.
Signed LHP Tyler Rogers to a 1-year contract extension worth a total of $2,120,000.

[artoodeetoo]

RANKING THE MANAGER HIRES (12/06)

MANAGERIAL HIRE GRADES
12/06/2023

With the hire of Gabe Kapler announced on December 1st; and some time to absorb all of the hires and research them more in detail, these are the final impressions of each of the seven new managers. Four of them are rookie managers, and two of those are internal promotions from within. One long-time skipper is transferring within the division, while another is coming back to the game after a six-season absence and a short stint as a lobsterman off the New Jersey coast.

ATLANTA BRAVES
IN: John Farrell (last managed in 2017 w/BOS)
OUT: Brian Snitker (retired)

Despite approaching seventy years old, it still came as a bit of a surprise when Snitker decided to step down from the managerial role after yet another 100-win season, and retire from managing entirely. Almost immediately, his 35-year-old son Troy was mentioned as one of the candidates to replace him, although he took his name out of the running rather quickly -- "I'm just not ready for that kind of pressure yet," he told one MLB.com reporter. As most baseball people know, he's Houston's hitting coach. Enter veteran manager John Farrell, who has not managed since 2017; and up until last year, was making a living as a lobster fisherman off the New Jersey coast. However, he's gotten the itch to get back to managing, and the Braves happily signed him to a three-year contract with a fourth-year club option. He's coming back to a much different game than it was six or seven years ago -- universal DH, pitch clocks, ghost runners in extra innings, bigger bases, and larger active roster sizes.

"I'm looking forward to getting back into the game and seeing these changes for myself," he said with a grin in his introductory press conference back on November 19th, just a few weeks after Snitker stepped down. "I've kept up with the changes as a fan of the game, but now I get to see these from the front row."

Farrell brings a winning pedigree, having won the 2014 World Series with the Red Sox, and an overall solid resume as a manager with a .520 winning percentage in stints in Boston and Toronto. It's a ready-made roster with the likes of some of the best talents in the game in Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, and Matt Olson. GRADE: A

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
IN: Carlos Mendoza (Yankees bench coach)
OUT: Terry Francona (retired)

Mendoza has a tough act to follow in the revered Francona, who was the longest-tenured and most successful manager in club history. He inherits a situation where they have a few nice young talents on the pitching staff in Triston McKenzie and AL ROY finalist Tanner Bibee, but Shane Bieber is getting expensive, and is going into his final year of club control in 2024. They also struggled to score runs despite having a top-10 team batting average; hitting the fewest homeruns in the American League, and ranking in the bottom-third league-wide in extra base hits. The Guardians have managed to win games with a mediocre offense before, but that was with Bieber in top form with a rotation that also included others such as Mike Clevinger, Zach Plesac, and Aaron Civale. The latter three are now gone; and while McKenzie and Bibee are solid, the bullpen has some holes in front of closer Emmanuel Clase. The AL Central is easily the weakest division in the league, one that is very winnable for the first-time skipper. GRADE: B

HOUSTON ASTROS
IN: Joe Espada (Astros bench coach)
OUT: Dusty Baker (retired)

Drawing interest from teams such as Cleveland and the Angels, Houston moved quickly to elevate Espada to the skipper's role, replacing Baker, who decided very soon after the ALDS that he had had enough of managing. Baker retired on October 20th, and Espada was introduced a week later on October 28th. He set right to work on his staff, bringing in former MLB catcher Rod Barajas as his bench coach to replace him in that role; and promoting youngster Mickey Storey from the minors, where he managed their Triple-A affiliate last season at just thirty-seven, to be his new third base coach after Gary Pettis decided to call it quits. It's a great spot for a first-time manager, as the Astros' roster is a ready-to-win-now roster still, and there's familiarity and continuity with the veteran players. That said, mainstays such as Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Ryan Pressly, and Justin Verlander all are either entering their final season of control on the current deal; or in Pressly and Verlander's cases, cost-prohibitive team options for 2025, so the current window is beginning to close fast. GRADE: B+

LOS ANGELES ANGELS
IN: Gabe Kapler (Giants manager)
OUT: Phil Nevin (fired)

After flirting with open front office positions with both Miami and Boston, Kapler was tabbed as the next Angels' manager just five days ago, which is the most recent hire of any on this list. He has just two playoff appearances in six years of managing with two other organizations, but he's still only forty-eight years old, and holds a lot of clout in the baseball community as an intelligent baseball mind. As opposed to the first-timer in Nevin at the time, he'll bring instant credibility to the clubhouse; and could be a deciding factor on Shohei Ohtani, who while declining their qualifying offer, has remained open to returning to the Angels. There's also the Mike Trout question that he'll have to help answer, as he's stated in the recent past that he's amenable to being traded out of Los Angeles. It's not a terrible lineup, with Trout, Taylor Ward, Zach Neto, Logan O'Hoppe, and potentially Ohtani back, but the pitching depth is lacking, and Ohtani will be hitting-only in 2024 after elbow surgery. GRADE: B+

NEW YORK METS
IN: Carlos Beltran (Mets front office)
OUT: Buck Showalter (retired)

It was no secret that Mets president of baseball ops David Stearns wanted to get Craig Counsell in the Mets' dugout when he took over as the main decision-maker earlier this offseason, but when Counsell re-upped with Milwaukee for the next four seasons, he had to move on to Plan B -- and it's a very good one, as Beltran will get a second shot at the Mets' skipper role fresh out of a consultant-style role in the Mets' front office, having been hired in 2019 before being dismissed shortly thereafter in light of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal (and the subsequent hiring of Showalter). The passage of time has shown that he didn't have any meaningful role in that scandal, while throwing in the fact that he's well-respected throughout the league as both a player and a baseball mind, and well...the Brewers may have actually done the Mets a favor. Long considered a managerial fit for nearly any team, Beltran will now get his first real shot at running his own dugout, the chance he didn't get back in 2019. GRADE: A-

SAN DIEGO PADRES
IN: Ryan Flaherty (Padres bench coach)
OUT: Bob Melvin (Giants)

Melvin's relationship with A.J. Preller and the rest of the front office had always been contentious, but the two had always managed to put competitive teams on the field -- after a season in which they limped to an 82-80 fourth-place finish in the NL West, the two decided to part ways; and within a smattering of days, Flaherty had the interim tag removed and was given an extension through 2027. There were early rumors of other candidates such as Gabe Kapler, Ron Roenicke, and John Farrell, who are all more well-established big-league coaches and managers. Preller has a rep for being a bit on the micro-managing side, and Flaherty may be more amenable to that kind of GM-skipper relationship. To give him a little more experience on the bench, Flaherty tabbed third base coach and former Nationals manager Matt Williams as his bench coach, and hired long-time scout Craig Conklin as an on-field coach. Owner Peter Seidler has been in ailing health lately, and one has to wonder if Preller may be on his last manager hire -- at least as the top decision-maker in San Diego. GRADE: C+

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
IN: Bob Melvin (Padres manager)
OUT: Gabe Kapler (fired)

Melvin is technically replacing Kai Correa, who was serving as the interim manager; but for all intents and purposes Melvin is replacing Kapler, who is as noted above now the Angels' dugout boss. Correa was a candidate for other jobs in his own right, interviewing for the jobs in Cleveland, New York, and Los Angeles before eventually being passed over for all of them and returning to San Francisco. Melvin's contract is for three seasons with a fourth-year option, and the Giants also extended executive Farhan Zaidi's contract through 2026. Zaidi's laid some initial groundwork for Melvin, signing 1B/DH J.D. Davis to a three-year, $25M extension, and infielder Thairo Estrada to a four-year extension, each last month. Even if they don't make any additional moves, it's a solid lineup; although they'll need to replace Alex Cobb and Alex Wood in the rotation and find some bullpen help. GRADE: A-

[artoodeetoo]

HOT STOVE REPORT #1 (12/05)

MLB HOT STOVE REPORT #1
12/05/2023

Ohtani open to returning to L.A.: Since hitting free agency, nearly every club has reached out to gauge his interest in joining them, but it seems like three teams are standing out above the rest -- the Yankees, Dodgers, and Angels. No, a return to Angel Stadium for at least 2024 has not been ruled out. The Mets and Padres were indeed interested at one point, but luxury tax concerns have taken them out of the running. There's some concern about his surgically-repaired throwing elbow which has caused some teams to lower their price since he won't be pitching or throwing, but the Angels have remained as still 'very competitive' for his services, per a league source.

Braves having busiest offseason so far: It's early, but this title goes to Atlanta -- they have been handing out multi-year extensions like candy, locking up pitchers Kyle Wright, Charlie Morton, Kirby Yates, Pierce Johnson, and A.J. Minter to extensions through at least 2025, some to 2026 and 2027 with various options in the last few weeks. They've also signed righty Nic Enright to a one-year major league minimum deal to compete for a bullpen role, and just signed veteran southpaw Alex Wood yesterday to a one-year, $4 million deal with innings escalators, maxing out at $500,000 for 180 innings pitched. With Wright likely on the shelf for the entirety of 2024 after shoulder surgery, Wood should provide a steadying presence along with Morton in the Braves' rotation that should be at near full-strength by the time Spring Training rolls around.

MVP, ROY awards handed out: In addition to being one of the top two MLB.com prospects heading into the season, D-Backs outfielder Corbin Carroll was named the NL Rookie of the Year by the BBWA, beating out other finalists in the Reds' Elly de la Cruz and Kodai Senga of the Mets. Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson won out for the AL honor over Cleveland's Tanner Bibee and Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe. The MVP, Cy Young, and Manager of the Year awards will be announced at the beginning of the Winter Meetings, set to begin in about a week on December 15th. Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna, Jr., were named the AL and NL MVP's, respectively.

KBO players making MLB comebacks: Three former MLB pitchers who went overseas to Korea have all signed with MLB clubs in the past week -- lefty Albert Suarez, and right-handers Adam Plutko and Burch Smith have all signed MLB pacts with teams in the early days of free agency. Suarez signed with the White Sox for $1.3 million, while Smith (Boston) and Plutko (Toronto) signed for $1 million and $5.1 million respectively. The $5.1 million figure for Plutko might seem a bit high, but he was the best pitcher in the KBO last season, posting a 20-win slate with a 1.97 ERA over 192 innings. He could also end up as a swing option, or a potential replacement for Alek Manoah if they decide to move on from him.

Also, speaking of comebacks -- it's been rumored that 35-year-old Masahiro Tanaka is mulling a return state-side, but he's been less-than-impressive since continuing his career in the NPB, posting a 5.09 ERA this past season with Rakuten, his age-34 year. There are teams that will be pressed enough for pitching that he'll get some legitimate interest, but he's no longer the front-line pitcher he was in his Yankees heyday. On the plus-side, he will not require any posting fee since he's a full international free agent at this point; so that may entice some teams into the fold if pursuits for other NPB pitching, such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga, or Kona Takahashi don't work out.

[artoodeetoo]

HOT STOVE -- WINTER MEETINGS-STYLE (12/21)

MLB HOT STOVE REPORT #2 -- WINTER MEETINGS EDITION
12/21/2023

Angels draw top pick in 2024 draft: With the 10th-highest odds, the Angels drew the best ball in the draft lottery, with the Royals, Rockies, A's, White Sox, and Tigers comprising the rest of the top six selections in order. It will be only the third time in franchise history they've held the top pick, with Danny Goodwin in 1975 and Darin Erstad twenty years later in 1995 as the picks at 1-1. Pittsburgh, who held the top pick last year, finished out of the lottery and will have the seventh pick as the draft resumes the natural order by reverse record beginning with that selection.

The only exceptions to that will be the Nationals, Yankees, Mets, and the Padres; the former has given revenue sharing the past two seasons now under the new system. Therefore, they cannot be eligible for the lottery two straight seasons, so they will select 10th. The latter three all exceeded the luxury tax threshold for 2023, and their first picks will all be penalized ten places since none of them landed in the top six.

Nola re-ups with Phillies: One of seven players to receive a qualifying offer, Aaron Nola has re-signed with the Phillies for the next six seasons, where he'll rake in about $108 million in guarantees over the life of the deal. His 2023 wasn't on par with his most recent seasons, seeing his FIP, SIERA, and strikeout rates all taking a dip, while his walk rate increased slightly, which might have scared away some potential suitors. That said, he can earn an additional $12 million in total incentives, up to $2 million per season based on All-Star bids, awards, and innings pitched. Nola had declined the $20.45 million qualifying offer, but becomes the first recipient of the offer to sign with a team. Blake Snell and James Paxton were the only two to accept the offer, while Nola, Shohei Ohtani, Sonny Gray, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Julio Urias all declined.

The move means that the Phillies could make one more serious run at the World Series, as Zack Wheeler is also set to return for the final year of his contract along with Michael Lorenzen, Taijuan Walker, and Ranger Suarez comprising the rotation to complement a strong lineup with Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper all returning, as well. Lorenzen and closer Craig Kimbrel inked extensions with the team during the season.

Kershaw back with the Dodgers: With Urias' intention to test the free agent market (and his ongoing legal woes), it was priority number-one for Brandon Gomes and the rest of the front office to make sure they took care of Clayton Kershaw; and after not getting a qualifying offer yet again, he has rewarded them by signing a three-year contract that might be the last big deal he signs for. It's for a slightly-less AAV than his $15 million figure from last year, but is spread out over the next three seasons. The third season vests at $14.2 million if he meets a 180-inning threshold in 2025. He can also make an additional $2.4 million in performance bonuses over the life of the deal, which could bring the total value to right at $45 million.

Royals big movers during Winter Meetings: In addition to holding the number-two pick in the 2024 draft, the Royals also pulled the trigger on a couple of significant trades while at the Winter Meetings -- first, they landed Tyler Glasnow from the Rays for outfielder/catcher MJ Melendez and outfield prospect Milo Rushford within the first day. A few days later, they pulled off a trade that saw first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino head to Baltimore for three players -- infielder Jordan Westburg, outfielder Dylan Beavers, and pitcher Noah DeNoyer. Right-hander Mason Barnett and some cash also went to Baltimore in the trade. The Rays also chipped in about $7.5 million to facilitate that particular deal, giving the Royals a talented, albeit injury-prone ace to pair with another injury-prone pitcher in Cole Ragans.

This is a critical offseason for GM J.J. Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro, both heading into the second seasons in their respective posts. In addition to the Glasnow and Pasquantino deals, the Royals also have to consider getting star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr extended, which there has been no indication of any movement in that regard for weeks. The Royals currently have about $80 million in obligations for 2024, which is about $10 million less than a season ago, so there is some room to maneuver if they so choose.

Overall, not a super-busy Winter Meetings: Aside from the Rule 5 yesterday and the Royals, there were very few other big trades or free agent signings, with Victor Robles' trade from the Nats to the Phillies a pretty big news-maker. Toronto also traded Jordan Romano to Cleveland for southpaw Joey Cantillo, yet another sign that the Blue Jays might be moving on from Alek Manoah (although there was no news on that front). Romano led the league in saves with forty-four last season. The A's also sent slugging outfielder Seth Brown to the Dodgers for a pair of prospects.

On the free agent side of things, Joey Gallo signed a six-year pact with the Halos, fueling speculation that Shohei Ohtani might have crossed the Angels off his list, but his camp gave no indication that's the case. The Dodgers added to their outfield depth with a three-year pact for Joc Pederson, worth nearly $40 million. Most notably, right-hander Sonny Gray also became the first player with a qualifying offer attached to sign with a different club, inking a four-year, $58 million deal to join an already-formidable rotation under skipper Craig Counsell. As a result, the Twins will be awarded a draft selection in the Competitive Balance A Round, right after the first round.

[artoodeetoo]

HOT STOVE REPORT #3 (01/14/2024)

MLB HOT STOVE REPORT #3
01/14/2024

Ohtani, Angels reach agreement: MLB.com's top free agent is off the board, and yes, he's headed back to Los Angeles to play under new Halos manager Gabe Kapler. Ohtani signed a short-term deal, just two years at $81 million, with the second year a team option for 2025 that carries a $12 million buyout. Each season would pay him in an equal amount of $40.5 million per season, and he'll have incentives to add an additional $1.5 million over the life of the deal. Overall, he's guaranteed $52.5 million considering the hefty buyout. Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is now the top free agent on the board. Speaking of Yamamoto...

No favorites emerging for Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Arguably the most sought-after Japanese import pitcher since Masahiro Tanaka (who himself has not ruled out a return to MLB), Yamamoto through his representation has not indicated there are any teams that are standing out amongst the others, nearly six weeks into free agency. He is reportedly seeking a deal that eclipses the five-year, $75 million contract that Kodai Senga received last year from the Mets, and he ended up with two pieces of hardware from this past season, the NL Gold Glove for pitchers and the Rookie of the Year.

For the third straight season, Yamamoto was the winner of the Sawamura Award, the NPB's equivalent to the Cy Young in the states. He's also won their pitching triple crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts) three separate times. He struggled a bit in the postseason in allowing a dozen earned runs in 23 1/3 innings, but was still good enough to lead Orix to the NPB championship.

Trade market heats up: Mostly, trades are discussed at the Winter Meetings, but most don't get ironed out and completed until after they conclude, and this year wasn't much different. The next day, Seattle was apparently tired of waiting for Jarred Kelenic to take the next step, so they sent him to the White Sox along with Jose Caballero for Andrew Benintendi and cash considerations. Two days after that, the Twins shipped Edouard Julien and Nick Gordon to the Cardinals for Paul Goldschmidt, as St. Louis appears to be in the midst of beginning a re-tooling of the roster.

Other significant names to change teams via trade in the last few weeks were Dominic Smith (Nationals ---> Guardians), Blake Snell (Padres ---> Guardians), Edward Olivares (Royals ---> Mets), Paul Blackburn (A's ---> Angels), and just yesterday, Marcus Stroman went from the Cubs to the Orioles for prospects Colton Cowser and Connor Norby. Chicago will pay around $14 million of his $21 million figure for 2024, and received a couple of outstanding players in return that could figure heavily into the Cubs' plans as early as this season.

Free agent market also simmering: In addition to the Ohtani signing, Adam Duvall (Rockies), Justin Turner (Yankees), and Amed Rosario (Giants) both signed three-year contracts in the wake of the Winter Meetings, with the Guardians also tacking on three more years to ace pitcher Shane Bieber's current contract for next season. He'll make $54 million through 2027, with incentives that could add an additional $3 million ($1 million per season). Caleb Ferguson (Dodgers) and Paul Sewald (D-Backs) also signed multi-year extensions to stay put, and Liam Hendriks is headed to Baltimore as their likely new closer on a two-year contract.

But the two biggest free-agent pacts so far have been Eduardo Rodriguez and Cody Bellinger. The former signed the biggest free agent deal to date, inking with Cincinnati for six years at $138 million total. Rodriguez led the league in ERA a season ago, and while he reportedly enjoyed playing for the Tigers and manager A.J. Hinch, Detroit just couldn't come up with a competitive offer to stay after opting out of his Tigers' contract. However, they'll get a Comp Balance A selection in return for the 2024 Draft.

Bellinger is headed back to L.A. after just a one-year absence. He posted a 118 OPS+ in his only season on the North side of Chicago; and after surprisingly not receiving a qualifying offer from the Cubs, he signed with the Dodgers for $90 million over the next six years, including incentives that could drive that figure to as high as $100 million.