Latest blog entries about MLB
Where have we heard this before? An elite hitting outfielder is traded to a new team a year before he is expected to get a giant payday, and then hits the open market the following fall. Like Juan Soto in November 2024, Kyle Tucker is reaching the open market after spending his contract year in […]
Just a crazy, ALLEGED follow-up to that already-wild story from earlier this year about Commissioner Rob Manfred meeting with Phillies players about labor issues and Bryce Harper getting up in his face. Remember that whole thing , with Harper reportedly saying “get the f— out of our clubhouse” if Manfred wanted to talk about the salary cap? OK, so apparently, there was more. From Newsweek : ‘Those details from ESPN were the only details on the altercation until a new report from sp...
Mookie Betts successfully navigated his first full season at a new, more challenging defensive position, while also having the worst offensive season of his Hall of Fame career. And he was candid about going through the many challenges of his season. In retrospect, getting sent home early from the season-opening trip to Tokyo and not […]
It’s officially the off-season, meaning it’s time for T-Mobile Park to take a well-deserved nap before another year of hosting millions of eager footsteps, thousands of chair creaks, and innumerable elbows leaning on every stable surface. This is also the time when the Mariners can do some annual housekeeping, preparing the park and the park’s […]
Free agent projections are out, and so it is that time again — time for the annual “should the Rangers sign This Player” polls. Today, we are looking at starting pitcher Merrill Kelly. Kelly is a righthander who turned 37 last month, and has had a strange professional journey, getting drafted in the 10th round […]
Munetaka Murakami was born in Kumamoto City, the capital of the Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, on February 2, 2000. Along with his older brother, he took to the game of baseball quickly. His dedication and actual skill led his parents to enrolling him in private baseball academies headed by former professional ballplayers, among others. As a […]
In 2022, everyone watched Yordan Alvarez hit a middle-middle José Alvarado sinker over the batter’s eye in game six of the World Series. In 2023, everyone watched Alek Thomas take a 93.8 miles per hour Craig Kimbrel four-seam fastball to right field in game four of the National League Championship Series. In 2024, despite having […]
From penalties to poor play, the 2025 Chicago Bears have found ways to win despite certain players or entire units playing well below expectations. Sunday against the New York Giants was no different, but in the end, Caleb Williams and Co. clawed back and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and the Bears improve […]
Major League Baseball’s annual GM Meetings kick off today and run through Thursday in Las Vegas. Note that this is not the same thing as the winter meetings, which don’t happen until December. There tends to be a lot less player movement at the November GM meetings (because we’re still so early in the offseason, […]
The Seattle Seahawks obliterated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, improving to a 7-2 record and first place in the NFC West. Speaking of records, it’s shaping up to be a historic year for the Seahawks on a number of fronts. How many records could Seattle set in one season? Receiving yards, individual Let’s start […]
Happy Victory Monday, Bears fans! Let’s go play in the snow (after reading BN Bears Bullets, of course!) It wasn’t pretty, but the Chicago Bears did what they needed to do on Sunday against the New York Giants. They keep winning games they feel destined to lose. It is a 180-degree turnaround from what I am used to as a fan. I’ve never been more thankful that style points don’t matter in the NFL. This team still has work to do in all phases. But so long as it keeps on pulling out dubs at...
Cincinnati Reds lefty Andrew Abbott averaged 92.8 mph with his fastball during his All Star campaign in 2025, a mark that ranked him in just the 26th percentile according to MLB’s Statcast. He also generated grounders just 32.9% of the time, a mark that ranked in just the 9th percentile. I point out his weaknesses […]
It was expected, but now we know it’s officially happening: 27-year-old Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai will be posted by the Seibu Lions this offseason for MLB teams to make offers. He will be one of the most highly sought-after starting pitchers on the market, and the Cubs have been speculatively listed among the possible suitors. The posting process lasts up to 45 days, and historically, top Japanese players have been posted around the end of November, allowing negotiations to take place up ...
The Arizona Cardinals got totally destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. It was so bad that DeMarcus Lawrence, yes the former Cowboys defensive player, scored multiple touchdowns. We bring this up on this fine Monday because it was a week ago today that the Cardinals looked absolutely unstoppable when visiting the Dallas Cowboys. As […]
The Washington Nationals rebuild started at the 2021 trade deadline when they traded away a large chunk of their roster. However, 4.5 years later it is clear that those moves set the rebuild back rather than giving it the intended jolt. I wanted to look back and analyze the moves made at that deadline. Let’s […]
Entering the year, it seemed as though time was rapidly running out for Brett Baty. The 25-year-old had not lived up to his potential since making his major league debut in 2022, and last season saw him being firmly supplanted by Mark Vientos as the Mets’ top third base option. Another mediocre season would likely […]
The Arizona Fall League kicked off the final week of the 2025 season with their All-Star game, the Fall Stars Game, and the American League was victorious by a 5-4 score on Sunday. The Tigers prospects were involved, but neither Kevin McGonigle nor Max Anderson did a whole lot. A pop-up and a strike out […]
As much as Manchester City were the better side over 90 minutes against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon in an eventual 3-0 victory, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where Virgil van Dijk’s headed goal in the first half could well have changed things given the Reds were down just a goal at the time and […]
In Mariners news… Around the league…
As you’ll recall, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball last July while the league investigated charges that the two had rigged pitches as part of a gambling scheme. In fact, Ortiz was pulled from a planned start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field July […]
Welcome to the 2025 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2025. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). […]
Ryan Bergert didn’t spend a ton of time with Kansas City in 2025, he only made eight starts for Kansas City after they acquired him at the trade deadline alongside Stephen Kolek (review for him coming soon!) for fan-favorite backup catcher Freddy Fermin. And, if you just looked at the raw numbers, you might not […]
I know we’re past the “spooky season,” but the Seattle Seahawks are scary good right now. They used an early explosion on both offense and defense to put the Arizona Cardinals on ice in the first quarter. Particularly, the combination of a blitzing Tyrice Knight forcing fumbles, and hoover-like hands of DeMarcus Lawrence scooping the […]
Andrew Vaughn failed to continue Chicago’s superstar legacy at first base. Now, the White Sox must figure out what to do at first this offseason. The options are not very appealing, as general manager Chris Getz has made it clear that he is not interested in signing any free agents to long-term deals. So that […]
Ben Johnson didn’t have his best game as a play caller, and the game plan on both sides of the ball left something to be desired, but as they’ve done in four of their six wins this season, the Chicago Bears came back and won a game that they never would have under previous regimes. […]