Baseball Coverage

HARD HITTING COVERAGE WITH THE ALUMINUM

(CHICKS THAT DIG THE LONG BALL-OUR FAVORITE TEAMS-CHICAGO BASEBALL-PREDICTIONS THAT DON’T MAKE SENSE-JUICY ARTICLES-AROUND THE LEAGUE-THIS AND THAT)

Our Two Favorite Teams

THE GUARDIANS REINFORCING THEIR BULLPEN WITH THE SIGNING OF TWO RELIEF PITCHERS

The Cleveland Guardians lost two pitchers last season for breaking baseball’s number one sin. Gambling on the game. The Guardians closer, Emmanuel Clase, and one of Cleveland’s starters, Luis Ortiz, were suspended by the MLB for helping gamblers win prop bets when they pitched. Ortiz and Clase most likely will be banned from the game. No way they return next season. Despite losing these two pitchers in the middle of the season, Cleveland went on to win the AL Central. An off-season priority this year is to improve their bullpen. They have done that by signing two veteran relief pitchers. Both right handed pitchers. Former Pirates relief pitcher, Colin Holderman, gets a 1 year deal worth 1.5 million to suit up for his 3rd team of his professional career. Then the Guardians bring back a relief pitcher they originally drafted in Shawn Armstrong, who pitched for Texas last season. He agrees to a one year deal worth 5.5 million in his return to Cleveland.

Colin Holderman is from my home state of Illinois, as he was born in Bourbonnais. He played his college ball at Southern Illinois. He was drafted by the Mets in the 2016 MLB draft in the 9th round. Made his debut with the Mets in 2022 and was traded to the Pirates in the same season for first baseman Daniel Vogelbach. He has pitched in the MLB for 4 seasons and pretty much all of them in a Pirates uniform. Holderman is 30 years old and is coming off a bad season as injuries haunted him. He had two trips to the injured list – one for knee sprain and also went through inflammation on the thumb of his throwing hand is my guess. His stats were not good. He had a losing record of 0-2 along with a exploding 7.01 ERA. He pitched in 24 games & worked 25.2 innings while striking out 18. He also converted 1 save. In 2022 he was 5-0 with a 3.81 ERA which was his first season combined with the Mets and Pirates. In 2024, his stats will show you what the Guardians are expecting. He did have a losing record of 3-6 but a nice respectable 3.16 ERA in 51.1 innings of work. Lifetime he has an 8-11 record with 4.13 ERA in 161 games in the MLB with 3 saves. He has one of the best last names for a relief pitcher, Holderman, and if he can hold leads in middle relief duties for the Guardians next season, the name will say it all.

Shawn Armstrong has been around a long time in the MLB as he is 35 years of age and has pitched for 8 different franchises. Coming back to Cleveland is one of the franchises as he was drafted back in 2011 in the 18th round of the MLB draft from East Carolina University. The cool thing is he wore the legendary Indians jersey and now can add the Guardians to his collection of MLB uniforms. He has also pitched for the Mariners, Rays, Orioles, Cardinals, Cubs, Marlins, and the Rangers last year. Suiting up for the Guardians again will tie his longest place that he called home in the MLB, the Rays of 4 seasons as he has been in the league 11 seasons. Last year he had a solid year with the Rangers. He pitched in 71 games for the Rangers & had a winning record of 4-3 with a remarkable 2.31 ERA. He tossed 74 innings while striking out 74 batters. His lifetime stats he has a winning record at 15-11 with 3.82 ERA. He has pitched in 370 MLB games. He has worked 421.1 innings while striking out 434 batters. I’m sure Cleveland is hoping he can get outs in a variety of roles in the bullpen for them next season. He may be used late in games like the 6th or 7th innings to get the game to the set-up guy and closer.

WORLD SERIES HERO INKS A ONE YEAR DEAL WITH THE PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM

After the 2023 post-season while helping the Texas Rangers win their first ever World Series title, you would have thought outfielder Adolis Garcia would be untouchable for years. He was the ALCS MVP. With the lumber, Garcia was unstoppable in the post-season. Garcia would last two more seasons with the Rangers & then was cut loose by the organization he helped make history in November when he was non-tendered and became a free agent. The Cuban native played six out of seven seasons in the MLB with the Rangers. Coming off a down year last season, he had to expect a one year “prove it” deal at the age of 32. He got that one year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies worth 10 million. Can Garcia become clutch for a Phillies team that has experienced some early exits in the post-season over the last few seasons?

Adolis Garcia made his debut with the St.Louis Cardinals in 2018 where he played in only 21 games and racked up only 17 At-Bats. He did not play in the MLB in 2019. In 2020 wearing a Rangers uniform, he played in only 3 games and had 6 at-bats, not getting a single hit. His first full season was in 2021 his second season with the Rangers, he experienced his first full season in the MLB playing in 149 games. Last year his batting average was at .227 as he hit 19 long balls and drove in 75 runs. He struck out 135 times. His career numbers with the lumber he has a batting average of .237 with 141 long balls and has driven in 459 runs. He has hit 141 home runs in the last 5 seasons which is up there in the rankings. In 2023, he hit 39 bombs that year while driving in 107 in that magical year the Rangers had. He has earned two All-Star appearances and has one Gold Glove to his name.

The Phillies have taken chances on guys like Adolis Garcia. Last year they signed Max Kepler who hit 18 home runs for Philadelphia. That was pretty much all he did. The Phillies center fielder has worked out Brandon Marsh, a guy they traded for from the Angels and then re-signed. The Phillies top prospect expected to make his debut for the Phillies this upcoming season in Justin Crawford who is an outfielder The Phillies re-signed their left handed slugger Kyle Schwarber who is the team’s DH. Where will Garcia play with the log jam Philly has going here? The veteran right fielder Nick Castellanos is on the trade block. He is a guy that will be making 20 million next season so they would like to get rid of him. he batted .250 with 17 long balls driving in 72 which is pretty much the same number Garcia put up in Texas last season. Garcia is a cheaper option for right now. The Phillies may have to pay some of Castellanos’ salary in a trade with another team. All teams know what Philadelphia is up to by signing Garcia with Castellanos still on the roster. In general, Philadelphia has too many aging sluggers. This is a great team in regular season and when it comes to post-season their hitting seems to vanish without a trace. During regular season, they are one of the best teams on offense. It’s an interesting signing. We will see how all this unfolds before spring training. I imagine they will not let this linger.

GIANTS ADD X WHITE SOX STARTER ADRIAN HOUSER TO THEIR STARTING ROTATION

Last season, Adrian Houser started the 2025 season pitching for one of the Texas Rangers minor league affiliates. Eventually he landed on the scrap heap when the White Sox picked him up. He pitched well for the White Sox who got something in return for his services trading him to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. He pitched better in Chicago than he did with the Rays last season. This season he was rewarded by landing a two year deal with the Giants for 22 million to pitch in the bay and be inserted in their starting rotation.

Adrian Houser is 32 years of age and the RHP has been in the league for 9 seasons. He was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 2nd round of the 2011 MLB draft out of high school. He made his MLB debut with the Brewers in 2015. He has pitched for the Brewers for parts of 7 seasons. In 2024 he came off a bad season with the Mets, the only year he played in the Big Apple. The Giants will be his 5th team he has played for in his career. Last season he went 6-2 with the White Sox in 11 games. He then pitched in 10 games for the Rays and had a 2-3 record. He finished the year with a winning record of 8-5 with a 3.31 ERA in 21 games. He worked 125 innings striking out 92 batters. He has a losing record of 40-44 with a 4.06 ERA lifetime in his 9 seasons in the MLB. He has 733.2 innings of work along with 576 strikeouts in 173 total games where he started 125 of those.

The Giants are looking to solidify their rotation with this signing of Adrian Houser. The Giants rotation lines up with Logan Webb, Landon Roupp, and Robbie Ray right now. The aging Justin Verlander’s lone season in San Francisco did not pan out last year as his record was 4-11 as he did make 29 starts. Verlander is a free agent so I’m guessing they have no interest in bringing him back. I can’t see the Giants splurging for a big name at this time. Adding Houser on the cheap hoping he can duplicate the success he had last year, can give the Giants a serviceable number 4 in the rotation. The Giants probably overpaid for his services in general. I remember one outing he pitched in a White Sox uniform last season versus the Cubs. He was lights out as he mowed through the Cubs line up like they were nothing. The Cubs were a solid hitting team last year. He does have the stuff. Can he put it all together for the entire season? Can he live up to this current contract? Last year he was not making this type of cheddar being plucked off the scrap heap. You have to go back to 2021, Houser’s best season with the Brewers. He won double digits in games that year with 10. The only season he had double digits in wins. He finished the season with a 10-6 record with a nice 3.22 ERA.

PIRATES GET A BULLPEN PIECE FOR THEIR FIRST FREE AGENT SIGNING OF THE OFF-SEASON

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been rumored that they wanted to spend some money this off-season in free agency. You only believe that if you see it with your own eyes. The Pirates’ normal way of free agency is adding some veteran arms on one year deals. It is usually players that are looking to bounce back from a bad year. The thought about going after players that are seeking multi year deals is what most of the Pirates fans are not buying from this ownership. The Pirates add a back end reliever to the bullpen in their first free agent move of the off-season. It’s just the normal way they do business signing 30 year old south paw Gregory Soto to a one year deal worth 7.75 million.

Gregory Soto is from the Dominican Republic and made his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers back in 2019. He has 7 seasons in the big leagues and saw action in Detroit for parts of 4 seasons. He has been traded multiple times in his career. Last year, he split time between two teams – the Orioles who then traded him to the Mets. Soto has also pitched for the Phillies who traded him to Baltimore. He is a 2x All-Star. Last year combined with the Mets and Orioles, he pitched in 70 games & had a losing record of 1-5 with 4.18 ERA. He worked 60.1 innings while striking out 70 batters. He also converted a save. Soto was a closer for two seasons with Detroit as he had 30 saves in 2022. He has converted 56 saves in his career. Lifetime he has a losing record of 15-34 with 4.26 ERA as he has pitched in 391 games. He has made 7 starts. He has worked 378.1 innings of work striking out 410 batters.

The Pirates are getting a hard throwing south paw they can put at the end of their bullpen during the late innings. The Pirates seem comfortable with Dennis Santana handling the closer role in the bullpen. The Pirates traded their closer away last year sending David Bednar to the Evil Empire Yankees at the deadline, which Santana took over his role. Santana had a low 2.18 ERA and converted 16 saves last year which was solid. Gregory Soto is a nice addition to the pen as he can be used in situational stuff that occurs late in games as well as a set up guy or to close out a game or two if needed. He is a guy you can count on being there for the long haul of the season as he has stayed healthy over his career. I’d like to see him have a lower ERA. I would like to see the Pirates add another arm of some kind to the bullpen to be another piece with Soto and Santana. This move is typical. One year deal. Perhaps a trade chip at the deadline. It reminds me of the Aroldis Chapman move a few seasons ago for the Pirates but an inferior version of him. He will either finish the season with the Pirates or get traded and will not pitch for the Pirates in 2027.

WHITE SOX WIN THE FIRST PICK IN THE DRAFT LOTTERY

The last few seasons the White Sox have been one of the worst baseball teams in the MLB. In 2024, the White Sox set the new modern record with the most losses in a season. In 2025, they selected in the 10th spot of the MLB draft. The MLB has gone to the lottery system like in other leagues like the NBA and NHL. The MLB is not like the NFL where the worst team in the league is awarded the top pick in the draft which would have been nice after the horrible 2024 season. The MLB does not want teams picking in the top six two years in a row. The White Sox had the second worst team in baseball last year; Colorado was the bottom of the barrel. However the Rockies were not eligible this season to be in the lottery for the top spot in baseball. The White Sox had the highest odds at winning the top pick at 27.73%. The White Sox odds paid off as the lottery ball bounced their way and now this June, Chicago gets first dibs at the 2025 MLB draft.

The White Sox had Hall of Famer outfielder/ DH Harold Baines on hand representing the team for the draft lottery. Ironically, the last time the White Sox picked first in the MLB draft, you have to go back to 1977 when they drafted Baines.

You could say Baines perhaps was the team’s lucky clover on this event. I think the White Sox may have another good luck charm pulling the strings. The biggest White Sox fan of them all, Pope Leo XIV, who grew up on the south side of Chicago. Everybody knows, including everyone at the Vatican, his allegiance is the team he grew up for, the White Sox. Things are slowly getting better as a whole with the White Sox. The fan base sees this as sunlight after years trapped in a cave or tunnel of misery.

The White get the number 1 pick followed by the #2. Rays, #3. Twins, & #4. Giants. Then the Pittsburgh Pirates will get the number 5 pick. The Royals are in at number 6.

To close out the top 10 things are as follows.The Orioles get the 7th pick, #8. A’s, #9. Braves and the Rockies get the number 10 pick.

The White Sox young prospects made some noise last season on the big league club. The team hopes they continue to develop with some of the other prospects while getting a top of the line player this June that can help this organization get through this deep rebuild faster. Then become competitive again and hopefully this go around it will last more than a few seasons, not like the last one.

BELL WILL BE RINGING IN THE TWIN CITIES THIS SEASON

The well traveled switch hitting slugger, Josh Bell, has found yet another new home. The 33 year old first baseman/DH will play for his 7th team of his career as he signs a one year deal with the Minnesota Twins. Last year Bell had his second stint with the Washington Nationals signing a one year deal there. He became a free agent and now has been scooped up before the Christmas season. It will be the same thing with the Twins. it’s a one year deal worth 7 million and this time he has a mutual option for the 2027 season.

Josh Bell was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates back in the 2011 MLB draft in the second round. Bell made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2016. With the Pirates in 2019, he looked like he was going to be a superstar in the MLB as he finished the season with .277 batting average while crushing 37 home runs and driving in 116 runs. Bell had 37 doubles as well. He earned his only All-Star appearance of his career that season. He has never finished with 30 or more home runs since. Bell has 10 seasons in the league & he has one Silver Slugger award to his name. Last year with the Nationals, his batting average was at .237 as he hit 22 long balls driving in 63. His career numbers with the lumber he has a batting average of .256 with 193 long balls while racking up 1,153 hits. He has driven in 676 runs. He has been traded multiple times in his career. Since being traded from the Pirates where he played parts of 5 seasons, he has been with obviously the Nationals where Pittsburgh traded him to. Then Washington traded him to San Diego. He’s been with Cleveland, Miami, and Arizona.

The Twins obviously could use some power at the first base position. Last season they rotated Ty France and Kody Clemens at first base and hit the lowest amount of home runs at that position in the entire MLB. The Twins trade multiple players at the deadline last year finishing with a record of 70-92. They are in rebuild or retooling whatever sophisticated way they want to spin it. Their best position player is Byron Buxton. They have some high touted prospects that they think are ready to play at the Major League level. This is what Josh Bell does – comes to a team rebuilding and most likely will be a trade chip if he’s hitting the ball well if the Twins fall out of the race. You wonder why he has not gotten a multi-year deal from a team. Instead he settles for one year deals and goes town to town. The Twins are getting a guy with power. He takes walks. He strikes out, but he’s not a guy that lives by the home run, dies by the punch out, and racks up over 100 strike outs every year. He is a veteran guy and probably good to the younger players as he has been down this road multiple times in his career. The Twins have to hope their prospects immediately make a impact or will need to add a few more bats like Bell. He is a switch hitter which is always good for a line up. He will be productive. Not off the charts productive. It’s a low risk high ceiling type of commitment here by the Twins.

DODGERS DYNASTY ADD ONE OF THE TOP CLOSER IN THE GAME

The pipe dream of the New York Mets, re-signing Edwin Diaz and forming a two-headed monster at the end of their bullpen with newly signed reliever Devin Williams, is over. Diaz, a 31 year RHP, opted out of his Mets deal this off-season leaving 38 million dollars on the table to find greener pastures in la la land. The freaking LA Dodgers add another expensive piece to their already assembled dream team by signing Diaz to a three year deal worth 69 million. As the Dodgers front office, ownership are going for the three-peat and money is no object. While most of the league’s fan bases will question their own team’s methods and cheapness.

Edwin Diaz was originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 3rd round of the 2012 MLB draft out of a high school in Puerto Rico. He made his MLB debut in 2016 with Seattle as he pitched 9 seasons in the MLB. He missed the 2023 season due to an injury. Last six seasons he has pitched for the Mets. Diaz is a 3x All-Star and 2x winner of the Hoffman Relief Pitcher of the Year award. Last season he pitched lights out as he had a winning record of 6-3 with a 1.63 ERA which is sick. He converted 28 saves as he worked 66.1 innings while striking out 98 batters. His lifetime numbers are very impressive. He does have a losing record though of 28-36, but the 2.82 ERA is remarkable. In 520 games he has worked 519.1 innings and struck out 839 batters. He has converted 253 saves in his career. In 2018, his last season in Seattle, he had 57 saves that season.

Even with a dream team roster, the Dodgers had last season their weakness was their bullpen. The Dodgers have not had a solid closer since Kenley Jansen was shutting the front door on teams in the 9th inning. He departed after the 2021 season. During the regular season, the Dodgers blew multiple save opportunities. Their bullpen as a group had a 4.27 ERA which is not great. During the recent post-season, the Dodgers used one of their Japanese starters Roki Sasaki in those critical moments which worked out well obviously. They got through the rough patches and completed the repeat. Edwin Diaz witnessed the Mets collapse in the second half of the season after getting off to a great start in the first half. Diaz gets more money and may have a better opportunity chasing a ring with the Dodgers than the Mets. The Dodgers found a solution to their 9th inning problem. A three-peat may be in the future mix for this LA franchise.

ORIOLES MAKE A HUGE SPLASH IN THE FREE AGENT WATERS SIGNING ALONSO

The AL East has been very busy this off-season so far. The AL East champions, the Toronto Blue Jays who went all the way to the World Series, added one of the top starting pitchers on the free agent market, signing Dylan Cease to a huge deal. The Red Sox have been reinforcing their starting rotation by acquiring some solid arms in trades adding Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo to the mix. Now the Baltimore Orioles have added a huge bat to their line up signing the Mets’ All-Time home run leader Pete Alonso. Alonso is 31 years of age and will get a 5 year deal from Baltimore worth 155 million. He will be paid 31 million annually. Alonso opted out of his current contract with the Mets making him a free agent and he will leave the Big Apple, the only place he has played for in his MLB career.

Pete Alonso plays first base and in seven seasons all with the Mets he made 5 All-Star games. He has won the Home Run Derby twice. He won the Rookie of the Year when he made his MLB debut in 2019 when he hit 53 bombs. He also has one Silver Slugger to his baseball resume. Last year for the Mets he had a monster year. He racked up 170 hits for a .272 batting average. He had 38 home runs while driving in 126 runs. In 1008 career games, Alonso has a career batting average of .253 with 951 hits. He has 264 home runs while driving in 712 runs. Alonso is a fan favorite in New York as he helped the Mets make it it to the playoffs in 2022 & ’24. The Mets started off hot last season, but the wheels fell off the bus in the second half as they could not pull off that miracle run like they had in 2024.

The Mets have added a power surge to their line up. The only time Pete Alonso was under 20 home runs was the shortened pandemic season in 2020 when he hit 20 home runs. In 2021 he racked up 37 home runs, 40 in 2022, in ’23 46, in ’24 34 and last year 38. The Orioles had a down year last season as they finished in last place in the AL East with 75-87 record. This Orioles team still has talent and let’s not forget they made the playoffs in back-to-back years in 2023 & ’24. Adding Alonso in his prime with this young core of position players the Orioles had, could get them back into post-season. The Orioles line up features Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, and Adley Rutschman. Throwing Alonso in the fix that Baltimore line up can be another murderers’ row. This is a great move by the Orioles because you get an RBI machine with power. In this league, if you want to win the entire thing you’re going to have to spend some money like the Dodgers. Like the Blue Jays and Yankees. The Orioles, like every team, could use more pitching but they made a nice early splash here in the off-season.

THE BRAVES ADD SOME YAZ TO THEIR OUTFIELD MIX

Michael Yastrzemski is the grandson of the legend Boston Red Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastremski, the original YAZ.

Michael will never come close to his grandfather in the game of baseball. He is a solid player to have. The Atlanta Braves added a depth piece to their outfield by signing Michael Yastremski to a two year deal worth 23 million. The deal has an option for a third season.

Michael Yastrzemski is 35 years of age and has played 7 seasons so far in the MLB. He was drafted a few times in his career. The one that he committed to was in 2014 when the Orioles drafted him in the 14th round of the MLB draft out of Vanderbilt University. He mades his MLB debut with the Giants in 2019 where he played almost 7 seasons at the Bay. Last year at the trade deadline the Giants were out of the playoff chase and they traded Yaz 2 to the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline. Last year he racked up 111 hits and had a batting average of .233. He has some power as he hit 17 long balls while driving in 46. His career numbers he has a .238 batting average racking 654 hits. He has 123 career home runs to his name while driving in 364 runs.

The Atlanta Braves were decimated with injuries last season. The Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. has had bad luck with a few long term injuries over the last few seasons. The Braves have Michael Harris and Jurickson Profar with Acuna Jr. as their outfield. When the Braves won the World Series back in 2021, they had to get a entire new outfield at the trade deadline which worked. The Braves who have been a staple in the post-season did not make it last year with injuries. The NL East is getting better. Adding Michael Yastrzemski gives the Braves a 4th outfielder who can play all three positions out there on the grass. He plays solid defense. They get a decent left-handed bat with some power to their line up. He could be the emergency guy whose glass you need to break to fill in for someone that gets hurt. This is a nice roster depth piece for the Braves who I imagine will have a busy off-season adding much more to the current roster.

ANOTHER YANKEE HEADS ACROSS TOWN TO THE METS INSTEAD OF RESIGNING WITH THE EMPIRE

This is the second season in a row a free agent from the Evil Empire has headed across town to the Mets. After spending one season on the Death Star in 2024, outfielder Juan Soto took the money the Mets were offering instead of coming back to the Bronx. Same thing, the Yankees acquired RHP Devin Williams from the Brewers before the 2025 season. Williams pitches one season in the Bronx & then signs with the Mets. Williams, a talented relief pitcher that can pitch a few roles in the bullpen, had a down year with the Yankees. The Yankees may have not even wanted his services for the 2026 season. Too late anyways. Williams inks a 3 year deal worth 51 million to stay in the Big Apple, but now suit up for the Mets.

Devin Williams is 31 year of age. He was originally drafted by the Brewers back in the 2013 MLB draft in the second round out of high school. He made his MLB debut in 2019 & won Rookie of the Year in 2020. Williams is a 2x All-star & a 2x winner of the Hoffman Relief Pitcher of the Year award. Last year being a Yankees closer, he had a 4-6 record with very high 4.79 ERA. He pitched in 67 games & he converted 18 saves while working 62 innings and striking out 90 batters. In 7 seasons in the MLB, his career numbers are way better. He has a winning record of 31-16 with a very low 2.45 ERA in 308 games all from the bullpen. He has converted 86 saves while striking out 465 batters in 297.2 innings of work.

The Mets had a major collapse late in the season and missed the post-season. This after a magical second half in 2024 where the team went deep into the post-season tournament. Pitching is always important and adding a guy like Devin Williams will improve the late innings of games when you are close in the game, or tied, or winning. Williams can pitch in multiple roles from the bullpen and could be the set up man for the team in 2026. The Mets may be planning on bringing back their closer from last year in Edwin Diaz, who had 28 saves. Williams seems okay with Diaz being the closer. Diaz pitched lights out last year with 1.63 ERA. I feel Williams here should have a bounce back year and having him and Diaz gives New York a double-headed monster late in ball games to hold down the fort and covert these close games into wins. The Mets have the money to add talented pieces like they did last season with that huge deal to pry away Juan Soto from even thinking about returning to the Death Star.

WHITE SOX RESCUE ANOTHER AMERICAN PITCHER PITCHING OVERSEAS

I would not compare the Chicago White Sox front office to the Navy Seals. That would be insulting. The general manager of the White Sox, Chris Getz, has been down this road before signing a pitcher who went overseas to establish himself after struggling in the states. The White Sox signed Erick Fedde during the off-season before the 2024 season to a two year deal worth 15 million.

After six seasons in Washington, Fedde went to the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) to redefine himself as a pitcher. It worked, he pitched lights out, and was awarded a two year deal. He went 7-4 with 3.11 ERA with the White Sox in 21 starts and made a nice trade chip at the deadline as he was dealt to St.Louis. He has not done well since leaving Chicago. Last year he played for three teams: the Cardinals, Brewers, and the Braves. He had a losing record of 4-13 and 5.49 ERA. The White Sox with a young pitching staff looking for a veteran addition goes with the same blue print signing LHP Anthony Kay to their starting rotation. Kay last season pitched in Japan for the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball.) He lands a 2 year deal worth 12 million to be brought back to the states and suit up for the White Sox.

Anthony Kay is 30 years of age and was originally drafted by the New York Mets in 2016 in the first round of the MLB draft from the University of Connecticut. He was traded to Toronto and made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 2019. He has seen action in the MLB for 5 seasons, 4 of them in Canada. Then the last season he pitched in the states was split between the team that actually drafted him, the Mets, and Chicago’s other team, the Cubs. In 5 seasons he has been in 44 games. He has made 7 starts. He has a winning record of 4-2 with a high 5.59 ERA. He tossed 85.1 innings striking out 88 batters.

Last season, the White Sox signed veteran Martin Perez to their starting rotation. He pitched well but injuries were his issue. The White Sox chose not to pick up his option and he now is a free agent. The team has found his replacement, at least that’s my guess, bringing back Anthony Kay to the MLB. He’s a guy who has been away for two seasons. Last year Kay pitched for the Yokohama Bay Stars. He worked 155 innings and had the 5th best ERA in the league. He had a 1.74 ERA. He has developed a new cutter to the pitching arsenal. His change up has improved. He still has a fast ball that can reach up to 95 MPH. He would join the staff that features Shane Smith, Davis Martin, and Sean Burke. Those are the three staples this team has right now. They have about 3 or 4 other arms that they consider at the final spot of the rotation if they don’t look elsewhere. The White Sox used 18 different starters last season. They improved in the win column by 20 something games from that real disastrous 2024 campaign. The NPB is not much of an offensive league. Can Chris Getz strike gold twice with the same plan? Erick Fedde started off great as he came back with improved pitches. My guess is the league caught up to him & is the reason for his present day struggles. This may happen to Kay as well. He may start off wheeling and dealing with his new cutter. The league catches it & it’s like the same pitcher who left to go overseas. I think Getz and the front office need to sign a guy from the free agent pool who has established a track record. They are not going to get any top of the line starter because they would expect money and would not want to play for a bad team. They could get a middle tier starter with a 3 year deal and pony up a little more money than trying to find that diamond in the ruff. They could bring back like a guy like Jose Quintana. He’s a former White Sox pitcher. He had a nice year with the Brewers last year going 11-7 with 3.96 ERA. Maybe overpay him for one season of work. Then you have a guy with a track record in the rotation. A guy the young hurlers can look up to and learn from. Kay is still trying to figure things out with his own game. It was easy to get better from losing the most games in one season in the modern day era like they did in 2024. You have seen the improvement in 2025. If they want to improve another 20 games, they need to add some solid talent to the roster. They could still sprinkle a few veteran guys on short deals that would secure a few spots on the diamond and in the rotation while you let the prospects continue to grow.

OFF-SEASON PIRATES TRADE

The Boston Red Sox have been busy beavers so far this off-season as they are involved in yet another trade. This time they welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Boston Tea Party. Both franchises strike up a deal involving 5 players. The Red Sox have acquired another starter for their rotation as they will add veteran 27 year old RHP, Johan Oviedo, to the mix. The Red Sox will also collect two minor league prospects from Pittsburgh in 26 year LHP, Tyler Samaniego, and a 22 year old catcher, Adonys Guzman. The Pirates will get two countrymen from Venezuela. The main headliner back for Pittsburgh is Boston’s number 3 prospect 22 year, Jhostynxon Garcia, who plays outfield. The Red Sox also threw in an 18 year RHP in Jesus Travieso.

The Red Sox already have added their number two starter in a trade not very long ago with the Cardinals adding Sonny Gray. The Red Sox Ace is Garrett Crochet. The rest of the rotation fills out in not any particular order featuring Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Patrick Sandoval. One of those guys could be heading to the Red Sox bullpen. Johan Oviedo is from Cuba & he has 5 years in the big leagues. Originally he signed with the Cardinals as he pitched for the Pirates for 3 seasons. He missed the entire 2024 season as he had Tommy John Surgery. He returned last year and started 9 games for the Pirates. He made 9 starts and had a winning record of 2-1 with 3.57 ERA. He worked 40.1 innings & had 42 strike outs. He had some nice solid outings for the Pirates. In 2023 he also had some nice outings for the Pirates in a year that was up and down but made 32 starts as he worked 177.1 innings that season. He had a losing record of 9-14 with 4.31 ERA. His career stats he has a losing record of 15-26 and a 4.24 ERA in 81 total games in which 67 of those were starts. If he can stay healthy he gives the Red Sox a guy that can be the 3rd or 4th starter in their rotation. He may have better stats with the run support Boston can provide unlike what he had in Pittsburgh.

The Red Sox receive two prospects as part of the deal. Tyler Samaniego was drafted in the 15th round of the 2021 MLB draft from the University of South Alabama. Six seasons so far in the minors he has 13-11 record with 4.00 ERA. He is a relief pitcher that has tallied up 158 games and converted 31 saves. The catcher the Red Sox got in Adonys Guzman only played in 1 minor league game. He was drafted in the 2025 draft in the 5th round from the University of Arizona. In that one game he was 2-5 with the lumber. He hit a home run in that game driving in two.

The Pirates future is nicknamed Password for his long first name. Jhostynxon Garcia made his MLB debut with the Red Sox last season in Yankee Stadium. He played in 5 games for the Red Sox before being sent back down to the minor leagues. With the lumber he only had 7 at-bats with 1 hit which was a double. Last season he played in 114 minor league games combined at the Double A level and Triple A. He batted .267 with 21 long balls. He played 83 games in centerfield and pretty much can handle any spot in the outfield. He is ranked the 85th prospect in the MLB. He bats from the right side and has plenty of power with the lumber. He has speed. He has amazing defensive skills in the outfield. He could be thrown into the Pirates 2026 opening day outfield with Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz. The Pirates are looking for young hitters to go with the core already assembled. This off-season they are looking to inject power into the everyday line up. If Password is ready, he could be a nice piece to add to that everyday line up.

The Pirates other piece in the deal is a prospect that will need some time to develop into a big league pitcher. Jesus Travieso has two seasons in the minor leagues already at 18 years of age. He has made 27 starts in 30 games. He has a 3-6 record with a 3.24 ERA.

The Pirates have an influx of young hurlers starting with their ace Paul Skenes. The rotation fills out with potential talented arms that features guys like Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler, and Brandon Ashcraft who have seen action in the MLB already. Down on the farm they have some potential guys on the rise. They still have their old ace before Skenes arrived in Mitch Keller, who could be a trade chip this off-season. Getting rid of Johan Oviedo when he’s healthy may be the perfect time. They get a young power bat in return. However with Boston, you can get the ole buyer beware as the White Sox thought they had something special brewing in the Chris Sale trade years ago. Yoan Moncada was supposed to be a core piece, a switch hitter with all the tools to be a superstar for years on the south side of Chicago. In the end he was Glass Joe in the old video game of Mike Tyson’s Punchout. The name should say it all. Last season when the Pirates traded a starter on the rise in Luis Ortiz, it worked out well for Pittsburgh. Ortiz may be banned from baseball with his side hustle working with the gamblers on prop bets. We will have to wait and see how this trade will pan out for both teams. It may certainly work out for both teams. You never know about the other three guys that were thrown into this deal.

MLB OFF SEASON TRADE

The St.Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox strike up an off-season trade. The trade involves three pitchers, cash and player to be named later. The Red Sox will acquire 36 year old veteran RHP Sonny Gray along with 20 million in small bills. In return, the Cardinals will get two pitchers and the famous player to be named later. One of the pitchers is 25 year old RHP Richard Fitts who has seen action with the big league club the last two years for the Red Sox. Then the Cardinals will also get the Red Sox number 5 prospect in 22 year old LHP Brandon Clarke.

Sonny Gray gives the Boston Red Sox a legit number two starter behind their ace, Garrett Crochet. Gray originally was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 2011 MLB draft in the 1st round out of Vanderbilt University. Gray waived his no-trade clause to come to Boston which will be the 6th organization he has pitched for. He has familiarity with the AL East pitching two seasons for the Yankees. Gray has spent most of his 13 seasons with Oakland which was 5 seasons. He has also played for the Reds and Twins. He was with the Cardinals for the last two seasons. Last year Gray had a winning record at 14-8 with 4.28 ERA. He made 32 starts & worked 180.1 innings while striking out 201 batters. Last year he tied his career high in wins in one season with 14. He did that with the A’s back in 2014. Gray is a 3x All-Star. His life time record is 125-102 with 3.58 ERA as he has pitched in 339 games which 330 of them were starts.

The Cardinals want to get younger and are looking to reload with some younger talent. St.Louis will get a starting pitcher back in the deal with Richard Fitts who has made 14 career starts. Fitts made his debut in 2024 and was solid in 4 starts with a 1.74 ERA. Last season he pitched in 11 games, made 10 starts, & had a losing record of 2-4 with very high 5.00 ERA. He is a pitcher that attacks the strike zone. He had 40 strike outs in 45 innings of work. Fitts was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 2021 MLB draft in the 6t round.

The Cardinals may be more excited about the south paw prospect in Brandon Clarke. His fastball can reach 100 MPH as he has a nasty slider in his arsenal he likes using. Clarke was drafted in the 5th round of the 2024 MLB draft from a Florida state college. Clarke pitched 38 innings in Class A ball in the Red Sox farm system. He struck out 60 batters. However he walked 27 guys. He had a 4.03 ERA. He is still only 22. Plenty of time to mold and develop.

WHITE SOX OFF-SEASON NEWS

We expected some off-season turnover for the Chicago White Sox current roster as they made another set of moves with non-tendering three players and bringing one guy back for the 2026 season.

NON-TENDERED

Tim Elko, a 6’3″ power hitting first baseman, at the age of 26 made his MLB debut with the White Sox last season. He was drafted in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB draft from the University of Mississippi. He played in only 23 games and only had 67 At-Bats in the MLB. His batting average was low at .134. He racked up only 9 hits which 4 of them were home runs. He helped the White Sox beat the Marlins in May with a three run home run which was the game winner putting them ahead in the 6th inning as the southsiders held on for the victory. Elko would get hurt and needed surgery to repair a torn ACL. I think a guy like this needs more time and chances to be a staple in the MLB. The reason he was non-tendered is because he will not be able to play until mid-season of the 2026 season. Removing him from the 40 man roster makes sense in hopes the organization can sign him back on a minor league deal at some point.

CAM BOOSER

NON TENDERED

Cam Booser made his MLB debut with the Boston Red Sox in the 2024 season. Booser is 33 years of age, stands at 6’3″, and is a south paw. The White Sox acquired Booser from the Red Sox before the 2025 season. Last year Booser, from the bullpen, pitched in 39 games & had a losing record of 2-4 with a very high 5.52 ERA. He did notch a save. He worked 31 innings. He struck out 35 batters. He did regress in his second season in the MLB. His rookie season at a late age he had 2-3 record with a much lower 3.38 ERA and pitched more innings. How fitting the White Sox found his replacement with another south paw from the same team, Boston Red Sox, in Chris Murphy who is younger. I can see moving on from Booser even though you could use more than one south paw in the bullpen. The team may already have something in mind or you can upgrade in the free agent pool.

NON TENDERED

This is the one move that baffles me by the White Sox front office. Why did they non-tender veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman? He was a productive player with the bat and played solid defense in right field. A position this organization has had all sorts of problems finding a stable guy there. He only played 93 games due to injuries. His batting average was .263 with 9 long balls and he drove in 44 runs. He racked up 88 hits in 93 games. Do the math. Tauchman is a local guy from the Northwest burbs. He was drafted out of Bradley university which resides in the state of Illinois. He was a veteran guy who did what he was asked, performed, and would not be a guy that cost the organization a ton of money. If you were not going to pick up his option, then why didn’t they trade him at the deadline when other teams had interest in him. He could easily have held down the fort in right field until a permanent solution came along like a prospect. He is a left-handed bat. He hit well at the top of the order. This is just stupid on the part of Chris Getz and his cronies in the front office.

TENDERED

The White Sox landed Derek Hill doing a waiver claim on the 29 year old outfielder who was put on waivers by the Miami Marlins. He only played in 4 games for the White Sox last year. He only had 7 at-bats with the team as he had 2 hits and drove in 1 run. Last season combined with the Marlins and White Sox, he played in 57 games had a batting average of .216 while hitting 3 long balls and drove in 11 runs. Hill was originally drafted by the Tigers back in 2014 in the first round. He has seen action in the MLB for six seasons with six different teams. His career numbers he has played in 218 games. His lifetime batting average is .229 with 14 home runs and he has driven in 54. He has racked 132 Major League hits. I really don’t think Hill is a future pillar of this current rebuild. He can play centerfield which the team will need with how many times veteran Luis Robert vacations on the injured list. He will have a bench role. I’m sure he can play all three outfield positions as well. I don’t know much about him. This is a move that will not break the bank. If I had a say in the matter, I would have kept Mike Tauchman over Hill.

DYLAN CEASE LANDS A BIG PAY DAY UP NORTH DESPITE HAVING A LOSING RECORD LAST YEAR

If you are a White Sox fan, the pipe dream of Dylan Cease coming back to town has just popped. I still think the White Sox front office did not get enough back for Cease. Looks like the Toronto Blue Jays will not be satisfied just making it to the World Series last season. The Blue Jays front office opened up their Horton’s account and added one of the top pitchers on the free agent market in Dylan Cease. The last two seasons, Cease has pitched for the San Diego Padres. Last year was not his best season in the MLB, but he’s still able to land a huge pay day from the Blue Jays as he returns to the American League where he spent 5 seasons with the White Sox before being traded to San Diego. The 29 year old Cease gets a 7 year deal from the Blue Jays worth 210 million. Now that’s a lot of cheddar.

Dylan Cease was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 MLB draft from high school. In 2017, the Cubs traded the RHP to the White Sox along with slugging outfielder Eloy Jimenez. Cease made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2019. Last season, he started 32 games for the Padres & had a losing record of 8-12 with a high 4.55 ERA. He worked 168 innings and struck out 215 batters. Cease is one of the best strike out pitchers in the league. The last 5 seasons starting in 2021 through 2025, he has tallied the most punch outs in the league with 1,106 K’s. He has also walked the most with 361 free passes. He also threw the most wild pitches with 51 of them. In seven seasons in the MLB, he has a 65-58 record with 3.88 ERA as he started 188 games. He has a pair of seasons where he has won 14 games which is his career high. His best season was in 2022 with the White Sox as he went 14-8 with 2.20 ERA.

The Blue Jays starting rotation shapes up in 2026 with the return of Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage. The Blue Jays landed Shane Bieber at the trade deadline with Cleveland. He’s returning for his second season with the Jays. The Jays also have Jose Berrios. Will the front office try to re-sign aging RHP Max Scherzer who pitched well in the post-season for Toronto? Dylan Cease gives the rotation a guy that will pitch every 5 days as he has been durable his entire career. The Blue Jays most definitely improve their team with this move. Cease will have a bigger challenge than he had in San Diego facing the meat grinder division of the AL East. The Blue Jays seem like they have that Yankees money. Last year they extended their superstar first baseman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., giving him a 500 million deal. Will this deal with Cease prevent the Blue Jays from signing their own free agent short stop, Bo Bichette? If you lose him and gain only Cease, this move will keep you about the same because they need his bat in that line up. Cease has never earned an All-Star nod or has won any prestigious pitching awards. Does that worry a Blue Jay fan dishing out this kind of money for an average pitcher? I like the move, but I think they overpaid for his services. The length of the contract worries me bit as well. Cease making top dollars in his mid 30’s could come back and haunt this franchise.

MLB OFF SEASON TRADE

The New York Mets and the Texas Rangers hammer out a big trade involving swapping two veteran starters that are both being paid well. The Rangers are sending their 35 year old short stop, Marcus Semien, to the Big Apple. While the Mets will send Texas a 32 year old outfielder, Brandon Nimmo, along with 5 million in cash to help pay some of their former player’s contract. Semien’s current contract expires in 2028. While the Rangers will have 5 years left on the Nimmo deal.

Marcus Semien was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 6th round of the 2011 MLB draft out of the University of California. Semien has 13 seasons in the MLB as he debuted for the White Sox. He also played in Oakland & Toronto before he signed the big deal with Texas and helped them win the World Series in 2023, their first ever title. Last season his batting average was low at .230 as he hit 15 long balls and drove in 62. Not his best year with the lumber for a guy that has won two Silver Slugger awards and is a 3x All-Star. With the lumber for his career numbers, he has a batting average of .253 with 253 home runs while driving in 801 runs. He has racked up 1,615 hits over his MLB career.

Brandon Nimmo was also drafted in 2011. Nimo was selected in the 1st round out of high school by the Mets, the only franchise he knows and played for. He has ten seasons in the MLB. Last year he set a career high in home runs with 25. He had a batting average of .262 and drove in 92. In ten seasons he has a career batting average of .262 with 135 long balls and has driven in 463 runs. He has racked up 974 hits so far in his MLB career.

So what are the reasons for this trade by both teams? For the Mets, they want to get better on defense. Marcus Semien is a 2x Gold Glove winner and he can improve your short stop or second base positions on defense. Plus, he has a bat to go along with it. The Mets would rid themselves of the liability of Brandon Nimmo’s outfield play. The Mets also have a solid prospect they could add to the diamond by next season in center fielder Carson Benge.

For the Rangers they want to get younger. Brandon Nimmo is three years younger than Semien. Nimmo gives the Rangers a solid left-handed bat that can drive in runs in their line up. The Rangers could use their utility guy Josh H Smith to take over Semien’s position. They also have a prospect in the wings in Sebastian Walcott. This trade seems like it should benefit both parties involved. Obviously Semien is the more well-decorated player to this point. Nimmo may be at the point where he is swinging the bat the best he ever had in his career. It is so early in the baseball off-season we do not know what else either team will add to their roster. We will see how it unfolds and which front office had the better mad genius idea in this trade.

OFF-SEASON WHITE SOX TRADE

It seems the White Sox and Red Sox have more in common than stockings that are different colors. They have become trade partners in big significant deals over the last few years. Before the 2025 season started, the two teams agreed on a trade where Boston plucked away the White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. In return it looks like the White Sox have a few pillars for their future rebuild in catcher Kyle Teel and infielder Chase Meidroth. Then another interesting prospect in outfielder Braden Montgomery who has not yet made his MLB debut. In 2016 the White Sox sent Chris Sale to the Red Sox for Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, along with two other expendable players in that deal. You can say the Red Sox won that deal with Moncada being a bust and Kopech was always hurt just like Yoan. The White Sox got more out of Kopech than infielder Moncada. While Sale helped Boston win a World Series. Throw in some small deals over the years making Chicago and Bean Town have a stable trade enterprise. Now the two teams strike up a smaller deal this off-season involving two players.

White Sox get a left handed relief pitcher with 2 seasons of MLB experience while the Red Sox in return get a minor league catcher. Chris Murphy will be pitching on the south side of Chicago next year, a 27 year hurler who was drafted in 2019. The Red Sox drafted him in the 6th round from the University of San Diego. He made his MLB debut in 2023. He was lost for the entire 2024 season as he went through Tommy John surgery. Last year he started the season in the minor leagues testing his arm while getting back to full strength. Then he got called up to the big league team and pitched 23 games for the Red Sox. He had a 3-0 record with a 3.12 ERA which is not too shabby. He tossed 34.2 innings striking out 30 batters. He held opponents to a .172 batting average. In two seasons in the big leagues, he has a 4-2 record with 4.15 ERA as he pitched in a total of 43 games. He worked 82.1 innings so far in his career with 79 strike outs and has converted 1 save.

The White Sox give up a catcher who is 21 years of age and is a native from Venezuela. Ronny Hernandez played Single A ball for the White Sox last season in Kannapolis where he has been the last two years. He played in 82 games last season & had a batting average of only .231 with 4 long balls and 34 RBI’s. In 4 seasons in the minor leagues, Ronny has a .275 batting average. He has 14 long balls and has driven in 138 runs.

This is a deal where the White Sox are trying to get better for next year landing themselves an LHP for the bullpen. Chris Murphy can be a guy that can pitch in multiple roles out of the pen. He is a guy that can be used in match up situations as well. At 27 years old he fits perfectly with the age group the front office has assembled so far. I like the fact he has experience and had a solid year last season. Giving up only a minor league catcher right now looks like a steal. You could raise a red flag because Murphy had Tommy John Surgery. After these pitchers get that surgery, they have new life in their arms and are usually good for years after. Sometimes they are good for the rest of their careers. The White Sox have a young starting rotation, so it would be good to have a bullpen that can hold the lead when they leave the game with the team winning. It will boost their confidence getting the win for their next start. This is a nice start for General Manager Chris Getz who is under fire for only relying on cheap bargain bin pieces to fill his roster. The White Sox are not going to get any top tier free agents. One, they won’t pay the high price for them, Two, who really wants to come to a bad team? The White Sox have to make some deals like this to get this team better than last year’s squad.

MARINERS WILL BE BRINGING BACK JOSH NAYLOR

The Seattle Mariners did not waste any team bringing back their 28 year old first baseman Josh Naylor, who they acquired in a trade with the Diamondbacks at the deadline during the regular season. The Mariners won the AL West for the first time since 2001 which earned them a first round bye in the AL playoffs. The Mariners were one game away from making it to their first ever World Series in franchise history. They lost to the Blue Jays in the ALCS, a series that went the full seven games. Naylor was a big part of the success the Mariners had last season. It makes sense they want him back and they get him back as Seattle plucks the first free agent off the board. Naylor gets a 5 year deal worth 92.5 million to stay in Seattle where he also get a “no trade” clause added to his contract.

Josh Naylor is from Canada and was drafted in the 2015 MLB draft out of high school by the Miami Marlins in the 12th round. He made his debut with the Padres in 2019. Then in 2020 he was traded to Cleveland during the pandemic season as part of the Mike Clevinger trade which involved 9 players overall. Naylor spent 5 seasons in Cleveland and was an All-Star in 2024, the season the Guardians won the AL Central. During the off-season, Cleveland traded Naylor to the Diamondbacks. Arizona was not in contention so they traded him to Seattle. I can see why he wanted a “no trade” clause in the contract. Last year combined for Arizona and Seattle, Naylor played in 147 games. With the lumber he had a batting average of .295 with 20 long balls driving in 92 while racking up 160 hits. In seven seasons in the MLB, he has a career batting average of .269 with 104 long balls and has driven in 435 runs while racking up 697 hits overall. In the ALCS, Naylor was swinging a hot bat batting .417 with three home runs.

To strike a deal this quick, both parties had to be interested. Obviously Josh Naylor wants a home with a team he likes and is sick of getting traded. The Mariners front office made deals to improve their team by getting Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez, two big pieces that added power to the middle of the line up. The Mariners had a deadly line up in the post-season adding those two guys. Then the Big Dumper Cal Raleigh had a huge year with 60 bombs along with Julio Rodriquez doing his thing. Naylor is a left-handed slugger and plays a solid first base. He is entering his prime years. The Mariners front office wants to get as many of their guys back from last year as possible, who have entered the free agent market. Then add on from there to improve the roster and try to get to the World Series this time and win it all. The contract they hammered out with Naylor is not an insane amount of money like some of these deals that will be 200, 300, or 400 million and investing 10 years in one player. Teams are paying out those kind of deals. Naylor is not worth that kind of loot. He is worth being a keeper and a solid piece that will help you get to the projected goal. He will beef up the Mariners’ middle of the order. I like he has power with a high average. He had 160 hits so he puts the ball in play. You need those guys.

PAUL SKENES WINS HIS FIRST EVER CY-YOUNG AWARD

Paul Skenes just finished his second year of his professional baseball career & now has won his first ever Cy Young award. It was by a unanimous vote that Skenes wins the NL Cy Young award. It was the first time since 2022 a pitcher got the unanimous votes to win the Cy Young award. It was Sandy Alcantara for the Miami Marlins that was the last to do so. This is the 5th time a pitcher has taken home the Cy Young award getting the unanimous votes in the last 20 years. In two seasons since being drafted number 1 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Skenes looks like a young Roger Clemons; not yet on the steroids which came later in the Rocket’s career.

Paul Skenes was drafted out of LSU and did not play a full season in 2024. He won rookie of the year and also got votes for the Cy Young award. He did make 23 starts for the season and earned his first All-Star appearance after only about a dozen starts, maybe not even. He has already collected more hardware in two seasons than most players in their entire baseball career. He is a 2X All-Star in two seasons. He has started both All-Star games for the National League. He has won one ERA title. The last Pirate to win a Cy Young award, you have to go back to 1990 when Doug Drabek did it when he went 22-6 that season.

Drabek had 2.76 ERA in 1990. Paul Skenes wins the Cy Young award with a 1.97 ERA which is bat shit crazy.

Paul Skenes is the 3rd Pittsburgh Pirate to win the Cy Young award. The first ever Pirate pitcher to win the Cy Young award was Vern Law in 1960.

Paul Skenes finished with a 10-10 record as he did not get the run support from the Pirates offense he should have gotten. He started 32 games worked 187.2 innings. He struck out 216 batters which is sick. In two seasons in the MLB, he has a winning record of 21-13 with an ERA under two. He has a 1.96 ERA after two seasons. He has made 55 starts and struck out 386 batters in 320.1 innings of work. If the Pirates do not build a contender around Skenes, the fans should drag the team’s owner Bob Nut sac Nutting out of his vault of gold and hang him up on one of those yellow bridges in downtown Pittsburgh. If Roger Clemons won 7 Cy Young awards, Skenes can win 8 without the needle. The Pirates fan base has that sickness feeling to their stomach knowing their ace will find his way to the Death Star of the Yankees. Just like Gerrit Cole. You hope the Pirates can get Skenes on a long term deal. The Pirates have control over their ace for the next several years. Time sure does go by fast. You better enjoy watching this kind of phenom because it does not come to your team very often, especially if you root for the Pirates. Just pray the Pirates find the right pieces to get a World Series title with Skenes on the bump. The cheap owner of the Pirates will not pay the baseball money he will demand after his current contract runs out.

TWO GUARDIANS PITCHERS INDICTED FOR BREAKING BASEBALL’S NUMBER 1 SIN

“Say it ain’t so, Emmanuel” or “Say it ain’t so, Luis.”

Either saying does not have the same ring to it as when it was first said. “Say it ain’t so, Joe” is referring to Shoeless Joe Jackson during the 1919 Black Sox scandal where 8 members of the White Sox were eventually banned from the game due to gambling on the game.

Over the past summer, two Guardians pitchers were suspended from the league with pay because of their involvement with baseball’s number 1 sin – gambling on the game itself. Moses found the burning bush and came down the mountain with two stone tablets. Written on them were the 10 commandments which is a story featured in the Bible. Baseball’s first Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Landis found his commandments somehow for the baseball world and its was gambling on baseball means you will be banned from baseball. That is what the judge did to those White Sox players who threw the 1919 World Series to pad their bank accounts. The two Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, now have been indicted in a gambling scheme. They could face 65 years in prison if they are charged with all the allegations that have been thrown at them. You know they will most likely be banned from the game of baseball. The number one commandment of Judge Landis has stayed in the America’s past time scriptures since 1919.

The list of charges against Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase start with wire fraud conspiracy. Then honest services wire fraud conspiracy. Conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering. If convicted on all charges, they could face 65 years in prison. Gamblers would bet on baseball prop bets. Most of the bets were regarding the velocity of a pitch. Sometimes a specific pitch call if it was a strike or a ball. The gamblers would bet big and the Guardian pitchers would receive kick backs from each bet won. These bets go back to the year 2023. The scheme started with Clase as he coordinated stuff from his phone. On May 28th of the 2025 season, Clase threw a ball which a gambler bet $4,000.00 dollars on. The batter swung at the bad pitch, so it counted as a strike. The gambler sent Clase a gif of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. About 10 minutes later Clase responded with his own gif of sad puppy dog face. Then in June of 2025, Luis Ortiz in his first season in Cleveland got involved in the gambling ring.

Emmanuel Clase is only 27 years of age and has been the Guardians’ closer for multiple seasons. He has played six seasons in the MLB and has saved 182 games in 360 games played. Clase is a 3X All-Star. Luis Ortiz is 26 years of age and has played in the MLB for 4 seasons, 3 years with the Pirates. Ortiz came off his best season in 2024 going 7-6 in 37 games making 15 starts and had a respectable 3.32 ERA. In 2025 he made 16 starts & had a 4-9 record with 4.36 ERA. Ortiz was traded to Cleveland during the off-season. Both pitchers are right-handed. Both pitchers hail from the Dominican Republic. Ortiz in 2025 made $782,600. Clase made 4.9 Million last season. Next year he would have made 6.4 million. Then a pair of options for the 2027 & ’28 season that would have added another 20 million to the bank account. Why are these guys risking their livelihood where they are both paid well for some chump change from some degenerate gamblers who are trying to beat the system? They both claim their innocence. Ortiz has been picked up by authorities as he lives in Boston. He can only leave Bean Town for his court hearings in New York. Clase is still at large for now. These guys still had lots of baseball to be played in their careers. Now they may serve jail time. Then what? The Mexican league. The KBO (Korean Baseball Organization.) The NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) in Japan. Once you fly first class with MLB, you do not want to head back to coach. These guys may be behind bars until age catches up to them and ends their attempt to play baseball again. They have to know being caught gambling in baseball is the worst sin you can do. They do know if they are found guilty and the MLB places them on the banned list, it will not be forever. As soon as they pass away, at least their names will be taken off the MLB ban list. They have something to look forward to.

THE NEXT JAPANESE GODZILLA COMING SOON TO THE MLB

Munetaka Murakami may have not earned the nickname of Godzilla like one former Japanese slugger did. Everyone remembers the original Japanese Godzilla, Hideki Matsui, who played most of his baseball career in the Bronx with the dreaded Yankees. Matsui was a left-handed slugger who was a star in the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) league in Japan & then came to the states because of his power numbers. Nicknamed Godzilla, he did not disappoint while hitting 175 bombs in 10 seasons in the MLB.

Like Hideki Matsui, Munetaka Murakami is a left-handed slugger and has played 8 seasons in Japan. Murakami however is an infielder as Matsui played left field and did some time in the DH slot. Murakami plays both corner positions on the baseball diamond, first and third base. Murakami is 25 years of age and will be 26 in February as he gets ready to head to the states and play baseball in the MLB. His 45 day window opens this Saturday for all MLB teams who want the next Japanese slugger. The Tokyo Yakult Swallows have the rights to Murakami and will get a piece of the pie from whatever team signs the next hottest commodity from Japan. The negotiating window closes on December 22nd, so one team in the MLB before Christmas will give their fan base something to cheer for.

Munetaka Murakami has the single season record for home runs in the NPB hit by a Japanese born player. Last year he dealt with some injuries and missed some time. He needed elbow surgery and had an oblique injury. He only played in 69 games, but had a batting average of .286 with 24 home runs. In 2022 he won the triple crown with the lumber which included 56 bombs. In 8 seasons, he has played in 892 games. His lifetime batting average is solid at .270 even for striking out 977 times over 8 seasons. He has racked up 843 hits which 246 of them were the long ball. He has driven in 647 runs. Many compare him to third baseman Eugenio Suarez who played the hot corner for the Mariners and Diamondbacks last season. On the field, Murakami plays a better third base than first.

Munetaka Murakami was a teammate of Shohei Ohtani in the WBC (World Baseball Classic). You have to think the LA Dodgers will be buyers once again as their dream team, already established, will be looking for a 3-peat of championships. Murkami will have all the usual suspects kicking the tires on him looking to add his talent. He will demand a big contract that will pad his bank account with Monopoly style money with multiple years in the deal. Teams like the Yankees and Blue Jays along with the Phillies are looking for the guy or guys to help them get past the Dodgers. Teams that reside in the Dodgers division want to land Murakami’s service to help them win the NL West so you could have the Giants and Padres looking to sign him. He could be an asset to teams that are assembling younger talent and are going through a rebuild at this time. Landing a left-handed slugger at 26 years of age about to hit their prime years with a young team could be a nice future. The Pittsburgh Pirates have assembled a nice young starting rotation that could be Braves-like for years to come. Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, and Braxton Ashcraft could be the next Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine. The Pirates have some nice young bats with O’neil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, but overall the team lacks the offense for these stud pitchers that need more run support than wasting great outings. Adding Murakami gives your line up some beef. Then the White Sox have some young arms that could be on the rise. The White Sox have an interesting core of YOUNG position players assembled with guys like Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery, Edgar Quero, and Chase Meidroth. Then adding a guy like Murakami speeds up that rebuild. Only thing is the Pirates and White Sox owners will not shell out the kind of money that brings a talent like Murkami to your team. Even though you will have to pay a guy this kind of money some day if you want to win the World Series again on the current rebuild. If you look at the World Series, both teams had multiple guys that were paid the big bucks and delivered for their teams. Murkami’s old team in Tokoyo wants the biggest contract they can get, so they get a bigger piece of the pie. Let the bidding war begin because the next Japanese talent will suit up for one of the usual suspects. It is a fact not a guess. If it was a guess, it would be an educated one.

WHITE SOX PICK UP ROBERT’S OPTION WHILE DECLINING PEREZ’S OPTION

I had a feeling the White Sox front office was not going to let center fielder Luis Robert walk out the door as they pick up his option worth 20 million. The 27 year old from Cuba is the sole survivor of the last White Sox rebuild. Robert has played six seasons in Chicago since leaving his homeland of Cuba. The White Sox front office however declined to pick up veteran pitcher Martin Perez’s option of 10 million. Instead they will buy him out and Perez will be a free agent. Perez was signed as a free agent last off-season on a 1 year deal with an option for 2026.

Martin Perez is 34 years of age and has pitched in the league 14 seasons with multiple teams. The south paw pitched well last year in a White Sox uniform despite his 1-6 record. He missed 4 months with elbow inflammation and only made ten starts for the White Sox. He had 3.54 ERA in 11 games. The White Sox were better than they were in 2024, but they still lost over 100 games. Some of the games Perez pitched could have been wins. He pitched some gems but lacked offensive run support. He left the game when it was close and the bullpen screwed things up. Those are the things you have to encounter pitching for a young team that is trying to get to the next level. Perez wants to return to the White Sox next season. He feels this team has the young pieces to make it to the next level next year. Perez is an aging arm who has some injuries last year. The White Sox could still bring him back on the cheap. You definitely have other options in free agency for veteran starters that are better than going down the same road by re-signing Perez.

The White Sox do not want the same thing that happened to them when they traded the struggling Andrew Vaughn, a first baseman, to the Milwaukee Brewers. Vaughn found his swing again and helped the Brew crew get the NL Central division and get past the Cubs in the second round of the post-season. In the past the White Sox have tried to trade Luis Robert but their asking price is too high especially with his injury history. Robert has had some down years as well. Robert is a great defensive player. He is a guy that will steal bases. He has cut down on his strike outs, but the power numbers are down. Last year he had a batting average of .223 with 14 long balls driving in 53 runs. He swiped 33 bases & he played in 110 games. He missed games because of injuries. That is the biggest knock on Robert that he can’t stay healthy. Many experts thought he was a 5 tool player and could be one of the league’s best. He has shown flashes of that. Lifetime he has a batting average of .259 with 102 long balls and has driven in 298 runs. He has racked up 565 hits in six seasons. By picking up Robert’s option, the White Sox could get what they want if he has a great first half of the season. Teams may pony up and give them what they want. I think you may be able to give him an extension on the cheap and keep him around and make him a piece out of this next rebuild. The White Sox have one more option year on Robert as next year is the final season they have control over his services. Robert is only 27 years of age and could easily be in the plans for when this team gets better again. I would always have a back up plan for Robert for those injuries. The teams needs a solid 4th outfielder that can play all the positions and not miss a beat.

THE NASTY NATS ROBBING THE CRADLE WITH THEIR NEW MANAGER HIRE

Blake Butera became the youngest manager hire in the MLB since 1973, when the Twins hired Frank Quilici as their manager 53 years ago. Back then Quilici was 33 years of age and in present time the Washington Nationals have hired a 33 year old to be their next manager. After winning the World Series in 2019, the Nationals have fallen on some hard times as an organization. The front office fired their long time general manager, Mike Rizzo. The Nationals also fired their manager that guided this franchise to their only World Series title in Dave Martinez. The team has been sellers at the trade deadline for years, so they have acquired many prospects with those deals. The Nationals are a young team. They finished last in the NL East 30 games behind the division winners Philadelphia Phillies this year. Now they are gambling on a young bright baseball mind to get their franchise back to the post-season and become a staple in the post-season.

Who is Blake Butera and where did he come from? In 2015 the Tampa Bay Rays drafted Butera in the 35th round of the MLB draft from Boston College. He was the team captain for the Eagles. He played two seasons in the Rays farm system & then made the transition to coaching. Blake spent one year in the Dominican Republic winter league as a quality control coach for the Leones del Escogido. In 2023 Blake added some international coaching to his resume. He was the bench coach for team Italy during the World Baseball Classic. He has also managed 4 seasons in the minors – the first one coming at the age of 25. His minor league record was an impressive 258-144 and he had 4 1st place finishes. In the final two seasons for Low A Charleston, Butera had a record of 170-82 and won multiple championships.

Why would the Tampa Bay Rays let a young bright baseball mind leave their organization? Especially after you wined and dined him giving Blake Butera his start into coaching. He was coaching the Rays minor league teams. The youngest manager before the hiring of Butera is the St. Louis Cardinals skipper, Oliver Marmol, who is 39 years of age. Marmol was hired by the Cardinals in 2021 at the age of 35. He has been the Red Birds manager for 4 seasons and has guided his team to one division title which was his first season in 2022. The Cardinals won the NL Central. Marmol has a regular season record of 325-323 over 4 seasons so far going into his 5th season. For Frank Quilici, he was a player in the MLB before becoming a manager in the MLB. He lasted 4 seasons with the Twins from 1972-1975 and had a losing record of 280-287-1. His best season was in 1974 when he had his only winning season as a manager going 82-80-1 that year. The Twins never made it to the post-season with Frank as the manager. You know the Rays organization are advanced in baseball metrics. The Nationals are getting a guy with a high IQ of the baseball numbers. Butera is known to be detail oriented with his game plan and how he manages his teams. The Nationals have a young general manager in place. They have established a nice core of young players on the field that have done well on the field gaining MLB experience at the same time. The Nationals could be the Rays of the NL. They could be the next money ball style team like the Athletics. Washington has more money to spend on players unlike Oakland. It will be interesting to see what the kid does with all the young players and veteran guys his own age playing the game still.

WEISS GETS A PROMOTION TO THE TOP OF THE STAIRS IN ATLANTA’S DUG OUT

The Atlanta Braves once again promote one of their own guys to be the new manager of the team. In 2016 Brian Snitker became the interim manager replacing Fredi Gonzalez. The front office liked how he handled the new responsibility and gave him the gig permanently. Snitker, who has spent 49 seasons in various roles with the Braves organization, retires from his duties as manager after last season which created a new opening. Snitker will stay with the Braves and spend his 50th season in an advisory role for the organization. The Braves front office promoted Snitker’s right hand man, Walt Weiss, who has been the bench coach in the organization since 2018.

Walt Weiss played 14 seasons in the MLB with 4 different organizations. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics way back in 1985 from the University of North Carolina. In his first season in the MLB with the A’s in 1988, he played short stop and was named Rookie of the Year. In 1989 Weiss helped the Oakland win the World Series with the Bash Brothers, of course. After playing six seasons in Oakland he went to the Marlins and played one season with the fish. Then moved on to Colorado for 4 seasons and the Rockies would be his first manager job in the MLB years later. Weiss finished his playing career with the Atlanta Braves for three seasons. In the 1999 post-season, he had a .286 batting average in the NLCS. With the lumber he had a career batting average of .258 with 25 long balls and drove in 386 runs. He racked up 1,207 hits and swiped 96 bases. His last season in the MLB was in 2000. In 2013 he became manager of the Rockies where he lasted 4 seasons before being fired. He never got the Rockies to the post-season in the 4 seasons. He had a losing record of 283-365 in his first managerial gig.

Walt Weiss played three seasons in Atlanta and was the team’s bench coach for 8 seasons. Weiss and Brian Snitker had a great run winning six consecutive NL East Titles. They also made the post-season as a wild card. The Braves won the World Series in 2021. The team had two regular seasons & in that time span the Braves won 100 games. Last season the Braves started out of the gates poorly. Then the team was riddled with injuries and they could not recover. Snitker was the man in charge and had the final say on what the Braves have done on that field during their run. You have to believe Weiss had some ideas and influence on those teams as well. Weiss being a player and manager knows how things are done in the organization. The Braves will still have a roster with a ton of talent and should be healthy to start the 2026 season. I’m sure some stuff may be different for the players with Weiss running the team, but most of it will be the same. Especially the stuff that has been working for this team over the last several years. This hiring from within has worked obviously for the Braves. Weiss failed in his first managers job in the MLB. He has had a ton of time to sharpen his skills in the dug out as a bench coach, so he will learn from what failed him in Colorado. I think the Braves job will give him the better roster than whatever crap he had back when he was the Rockies manager. The NL East is strong with the Mets and Phillies. The Marlins and Nationals have improved and are younger than the Braves. This is a Braves team that could still get into the post-season just by the guys they have on the roster presently. You know the Braves will make some savvy off-season moves to get better. Weiss inherited a solid team. In his second chance being the guy on the high steps, it should pay off as business as usual for Atlanta and the new old guy.

SHELTON RETURNS TO MINNESOTA FOR HIS SECOND MANAGER GIG

It did not take former Pittsburgh Pirates manager that long to land on his feet after being fired in early May. Only about five months. Derek Shelton has his second managerial job of his career in the MLB. He also returns to familiar grounds in Minnesota where he served as bench coach for two seasons under two different skippers. Shelton replaces Rocco Baldelli who was fired on September 29th when the season concluded. The Twins took 4th place in the AL Central and finished with a record of 70-92. Can Shelton resurrect this Twins team who won three AL Central under Baldelli in his 7 seasons in Minnesota?

Derek Shelton is 55 years of age and was the Twins bench coach in 2018 under Paul Molitor. Then held the same position when the Twins hired Rocco Baldelli in 2019. After the 2019 season concluded as the Twins won the AL Central that year, the Pirates came knocking. They hired Shelton and gave him a 5 year deal. The Pirates were deep into a rebuild when Shelton took the job. How many times have you heard that in Pirates baseball? The Pirates never made post-season with Shelton. In 4 full seasons he had a pair of last place finishes and 2 4th place finishes. In 2024 the Pirates had a solid first half of the season and were actually buyers at the trade deadline. The Pirates ship sank quickly in the second half of that season and they finished 4th in the NL Central standings. The Pirates dug themselves in a gigantic hole to start this season. The Pirates front office fired Shelton on May 8th after the team started with a 12-26 record. Shelton’s managerial record with the Pirates was 306-440, 4 full seasons, and a month into the 2025 campaign.

What are the Twins thinking here? They fired Rocco Beladelli who had a winning record in seven seasons with the Twins. Baldelli was AL Manager of the Year in his rookie season and finished with a 527-505 record during regular season in 7 years with the Twins. He won 3 AL Central titles. However in post-season, Baldelli had a 3-8 record in the playoffs. The Twins traded away ten players at the trade deadline and cut 26 million off their payroll. The Twins did not have many wins during the second half with their team gutted. If you’re a Twins fan, you see the Guardians win the AL Central in back to back years. The Tigers have made it to post-season in back to back years as a wild card and went deep into post-season this year. In 2024 three teams from the AL Central made post-season: the Guardians, Tigers, and then the Royals. The Twins are lucky the pathetic White Sox reside in their division or they may be last on the totem pole in the AL Central the last two seasons. Twins and Pirates ownership are nothing to write home to mom about. The Twins have collected some prospects in those ten trades. They have money to spend in free agency. That does not mean they will spend it. The Twins have had problems getting many of their prospects MLB ready over the last few years. Shelton knows the Twins organizations and is familiar with managing younger players like he did with the Pirates. It probably makes him a good fit for this job right here and right now. They are hoping Shelton learned from his experiences in his first manager gig where he can improve himself overall on his second gig. It make sense. It is not a splashy move. It’s a Twins move.

2025 MLB POST SEASON PREDICTIONS (THE WORLD SERIES)

Round by round records of predictions in each playoff series so far.

Wild Card round: (1-3)

Divisional round: (3-1)

Championship: (1-1)

Overall record throughout the post season: (5-5)

THE 121ST WORLD SERIES IN MLB HISTORY

#3. LA DODGERS VERSUS #1. TORONTO BLUE JAYS

How we got here: Dodgers swept the Reds in the Wild Card round. Then the Dodgers took out the Phillies in 4 games. In the championship round, the Dodgers swept the Brew Crew.

Post season record so far: (9-1)

Blue Jays had a first round bye. In the Divisional round, Blue Jays took out the Evil Empire in 4 games. Then in the championship round fought back in the series and prevailed in 7 games.

Post season record so far: (7-4)

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD IN REGULAR SEASON: Dodgers 2-1 Blue Jays in three games played.

LAST TIME EACH FRANCHISE PLAYED IN THE WORLD SERIES

Dodgers: Last year. Blue Jays: 1993

TITLES WON ALL-TIME

Dodgers: 8 titles, Blue Jays: 2 titles

The Dodgers are looking to repeat as World Champions as they won it all last year. The last time the Blue Jays won a World Series was back in 1993 when they won back to back championships. The Jays were the number 1 seed in the American league while the Dodgers were the number 3 seed in the National league. Which really does not matter at this point because both teams are playing their best to get to this point.

THE STARTING ROTATION

The Dodgers starting rotation features: Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and if needed Shohei Ohtani

The Blue Jays starting rotation features: Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt

The Dodgers have the studs in the starting rotation that the Blue Jays lack. If Mad Max Scherzer was even 4 to 5 years younger and Shane Bieber had the stuff he had in Cleveland, maybe this would even out. The Blue Jays will have to rely on Trey Savage and Kevin Gausman to throw lights out if they want to win this series. If this series drags on, Shoehei Ohtani in one start was mowing down the competition for the Dodgers. If called upon, I like Ohtani delivering on the mound as he will do with the bat. Ohtani has a 2-0 record in the post-season so far with 2.25 ERA as he tossed 12 innings of work.

BIG MONEY

Who are you betting on to have the better series? The 700 million dollar man in Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers, or the 500 million dollar man in Vlad Guerrero Jr.?

Vlad Guerrero: is sizzling with a batting average of .442 with 6 bombs and 12 runs batted in.

Shohei Ohtani: Batting average is down at only .220 but has been productive with 5 bombs and driven in 9 runs.

I guess it’s better to go cheap sometimes.

MURDERERS ROW

You wonder in baseball how teams get lucky to construct these kinds of batting line ups.

The Dodgers Devastator line up features: Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Will Smith, Max Muncy, and others

The Blue Jays Devastator line up features: Vlad Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Daulton Varsho, and the Jays are hoping to have the services of Bo Bichette for this big showdown.

The Dodgers have the scarier line up which is only on paper. Anything can happen in the post-season where players play bigger than they are.

BULLPEN

During the regular season the Blue Jays had the better pen over the Dodgers. The Blue Jays bullpen had a 3.98 ERA which was ranked number 16 in the league. The Dodgers in regular season had a 4.27 ERA which ranked 21st in the MLB.

In post-season, both teams’ bullpen numbers are higher than regular season. The Dodgers have the lower ERA now. The Dodgers have a 4.88 ERA compared to the Blue Jays which is at 5.52 ERA.

The X-factor the Dodgers have going for them is converted starter to closer. Roki Sasaki has been wheeling and dealing in the post-season since being called to work out the bullpen. You have to feel like the Dodgers have the advantage with the lead in late innings of a game.

FINAL DECISION

Last year I rooted for the Dodgers over the hated New York Yankees who everyone should despise in the baseball world. This year as a fan, I have to root for the team north of the border, the Blue Jays. They say you can’t buy love. However money can surely rent love for a span of time. The Dodgers opened up their vault and purchased this dream team just like the Evil Empire did in the past, and in present day. The rest of the baseball world has cheap owners is my guess. The Blue Jays awarded Vlad Guerrero Jr. with the big 500 million dollar deal in the off-season which has paid off. Because he may have been in Yankee pinstripes next season. You like to see a smaller market team like the Jays keep their guys and get this far. The Dodgers are turning into the Chiefs of the NFL world. As fans we are getting sick of these teams. Even though the Dodgers may have better characters than the meatheads like Travis Kelce Swift the Chiefs have. In a seven game series, the best teams usually win it in baseball. I think the Dodgers are the better team. I hope the Blue Jays get that Joe Carter hero they got back in the 1990’s and change the series to favor the Canada team. I would drink Labatt Blue for that.

ANGELS WILL RIDE SUZUKI AS THEIR NEXT MANAGER

With Halloween coming up, let’s not forget the annual LA Angels hiring of a new manager festivities. Once again the Angels have hired a new skipper for their dug out hoping the 2026 season will be different from the last ten years. This time they will hire one of their former players with no experience as a manager. Kurt Suzuki played his last two seasons in an Angels uniform and retired after the 2022 season after playing 16 seasons in the MLB. He stayed with the organization and worked with the Angels General Manager, Perry Minasian, the last few years. Suzuki who is 42 years of age will be the 7th manager for the Angels since 2018. He will be the 24th manager all-time in Angels history.

Kurt Suzuki was drafted by the Oakland A’s back in 2004 in the second round of the MLB draft from California State University. Suzuki is a native Hawaiian who made his MLB debut with the A’s in 2007 as a catcher where he would be for 16 seasons. Suzuki played for 5 different organizations in his career. Started in Oakland, & then went to Washington where he helped the Nationals win their first ever World Series title in 2019. After DC he played in Minnesota and Atlanta. Then ended his career as an Angel. In two stints with Oakland, he played there most of his career which was seven seasons. He played in 1,635 games in the MLB and was a solid catcher overall with a decent bat. His career batting average was .255 as he racked up 1,421 hits over his career. He drove 730 runs while hitting 143 long balls over his career. He earned one All-Star appearance. The only World Series ring he would get was playing for the Nationals.

Last year Ron Washington had to step away from the Angels bench duties because of his health. Ray Montgomery was hired as interim manager at the time. Both of them will not return to the Angels next season. The Angels have driven the struggle bus for the last decade being a bottom feeder of the MLB most of that time. They are coming off back to back seasons taking last place in the AL West. The last time the Angels made post-season was back in 2014. The last time the Angels won a playoff series was back in 2009. This team had two of the best players on the planet in the same line up for years. Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani never had this franchise going deep into post-season. The Angels have tried veteran accomplished managers like Joe Maddon & Ron Washington. Then guys like Phil Nevin and Brad Ausmus who played many years in the MLB. Nothing has worked. Injuries and lack of pitching have made this Angels franchise very bad in the last decade. That sums it all up. This is not the first or last time a MLB team gives the keys to a former player with no managing experience. I like that Kurt Suzuki is a catcher which always seems to make the best managers in baseball. He is not an Angels legend either, only playing two seasons with the team before taking a front office job. If he fails, the fan base will not be sad firing one of their favorites. Suzuki played with Mike Trout and free agent bust, third baseman Anthony Rendon. He saw Rendon at his best with the Nationals and in the post-season. The way Suzuki played the game, he will get the respect as the team’s manager. You can give this Angels job to anyone and they all will fail. The Angels front office needs to come up with a solid plan. Tear down and rebuild from scratch is the plan I would go to. They have to develop pitching. They need to get out of these long contracts with veterans that spend more time on the injured list than playing the game. I would trade Trout. I said it. Collect a ton of prospects and build from the ground up. I bet Suzuki could be a great hire dealing with the young players over the same veteran team wondering who will show up to play half the time. It’s a gamble, but the Angels lost their wings and need lots to happen to get them back.

2025 MLB POST SEASON PREDICTIONS (ROUND 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS)

Wild card round record in each playoff series: (1-3)

Divisional round record in each playoff series: (3-1)

Overall record in post season each playoff series: (4-4)

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ALCS (BEST OUT OF SEVEN)

#2. SEATTLE MARINERS VERSUS #1.TORONTO BLUE JAYS

How we got here:

BLUE JAYS: had a first round bye. Then knocked off the Yankees in 4 games in the divisional round.

MARINERS: had a first round bye. Then knocked off the Tigers in 5 games in the divisional round.

HEAD TO HEAD 2025 REGULAR SEASON RECORD: Blue Jays 4-2 Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are the only team in the MLB not to make it to the World Series. Teams like the Marlins, Rays, and Diamondbacks, who came into the league later than Seattle, have won it all or been in there. The Mariners have been around for 49 seasons. Meanwhile the Blue Jays’ last time in the World Series was back in 1993.

It was Joe Carter’s home run in ’93 that slayed the Philadelphia Phillies and helped Toronto win back to back titles starting in 1992.

Seattle has been one of the hottest teams in the second half this season. The Blue Jays made it through the meat grinder of the AL east in regular season. Then quickly dispatched the Evil Empire in grand fashion in the divisional round. The Mariners had to fight off the Tigers in a series that went the full five games. Plus Seattle needed 15 innings in that game 5 to win that game to move on to the ALCS. Both line ups can mash the baseball. I like Seattle’s pitching over Toronto. I think Cal Raleigh, aka the Big Dumper, has a lucky clover and horseshoe up his enormous rear because he has been swinging a magic wand all season and playoffs. I like his magic to continue to fuel this team into the World Series. It will go the full 7 games, but Seattle gets it done finally.

OUR PREDICTION: SEATTLE IN 7 GAMES

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NLCS (BEST OUT SEVEN)

#3. LA DODGERS VERSUS #1. MILWAUKEE BREWERS

How we got here:

DODGERS: Swept the Reds in the wild card round. Then knocked off the Phillies in 4 games in the divisional round.

BREWERS: Had a first round bye. Then in the Divisional round knocked off the Cubs in 5 games.

HEAD TO HEAD 2025 REGULAR SEASON RECORD: Brewers 6-0 Dodgers

The Milwaukee Brewers have not been to a World Series since 1982. The Brewers then were in the American league.

The Brewers at the time had future Hall of Famer Robin Yount on that ’82 team. First ever Milwaukee Brewer inducted into Cooperstown. However the Brewers would lose that series in ’82 to the St.Louis Cardinals in 7 games. The Dodgers we know about. They won it all last year, are defending their title, and looking to repeat as champs.

The Brewers needed a bye to get by the first round of the post-season that has haunted them over the last several years. The Brewers held off the Cubs in a series that went 5 games after winning the first two games. The Dodgers are a dream team with a loaded roster. The Brewers do everything right from putting the ball into play, hitting for power, to manufacturing runs. They play solid defense. The Brewers need everything to go perfect to beat this Dodgers team in a best out of seven series. The Dodgers swept the Reds and it only took 4 games to eliminate the powerful Phillies. Dodgers have 1 loss in post-season. They have won 5 games. I think the Dodgers have a better pitching staff than the Brewers. The Dodgers can mash the baseball with the best of them. I would love to see the Brewers win this series. I think Dodgers win this series in 5 games. Which is a shame because the Brew Crew had a magic season and I wish it was Mariners and Brewers in the World Series. Then we know one of those teams would be guaranteed to win their first ever World Series.

OUR PREDICTION: DODGERS IN 5 GAMES

2025 MLB PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS ROUND 2

We did not do well predicting the Wild Card round of the MLB playoffs. Only series we got right was the Dodgers over the Reds which is a gimme prediction. In the second round we are looking for redemption like how the Tigers were knocking off the Guardians. We hope to have a better showing this round, turn things around, and get some of our dignity back.

DIVISIONAL

AMERICAN LEAGUE

BEST OUT OF 5 SERIES

#4. NEW YORK YANKEES VERSUS #1.TORONTO BLUE JAYS

How we got here: The Yankees eliminated the Red Sox in the wild card one in 3 games. The Blue Jays had a first round bye.

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD REGULAR SEASON: Blue Jays 8-5 Yankees

Can the Yankees knock out another divisional rival to advance to the AL Championship series? Will the Blue Jays fold up like a folding chair after all the effort to win the AL East? Remember not long ago the Orioles were a number 1 seed and ousted in the divisional round. The Jays are known for their offense over their pitching when it comes down to the post-season. The Yankees are sort of in the same boat & they can outslug their opponents to pile up victories. What concerns me for the Blue Jays is the health of Bo Bichette who may not be fully recovered from the knee sprain he has been dealing with. The Jays need Bichette’s bat in the line up as he had a .311 average during the regular season and hit 18 bombs. The Yankees have a secret weapon they brought out in the Boston series.

The Yankees needed an Ace in that wild card series and found it with their rookie Cam Schlitter. The kid in pinstripes showed no fear in the biggest game of his life. He has ice in his veins as he pitched lights out against the team he rooted for growing up. I think Schlitter will once again be the series decider in this round like he was versus the Red Sox. Over the last few seasons when the Jays had made the post-season, their bats go dormant. Their pitching is not something you would write home to mom about. The Yankees have the better starting rotation than the Jays. Both bullpens are shaky at best. I think the series goes the distance as the Evil Empire once again prevails.

OUR PICK: YANKEES IN 5

#6.DETROIT TIGERS VERSUS #2.SEATTLE MARINERS

How we got here: The Tigers took down the Guardians in the wild card round in 3 games. The Seattle Mariners had a first round bye.

HEAD TOO HEAD REGULAR SEASON: Mariners 4-2 Tigers

The Tigers were humiliated letting their huge division lead evaporate as the Guardians took the AL Central from Detroit. The Tigers played bad baseball most of the second half. In the wild card round the Tigers got the final laugh as they knocked out the Guardians to move to the next round with these Mariners. I think the Mariners are the best team in the American league. They have a solid roster up and down the batting line up and throughout the pitching staff. The Tigers ace Tarik Skubal pitched lights out versus the Guardians striking out 14 batters in game one of that series. You expect the Tigers to win at least two games in the series with Skubal. Hold the phone for a second. Skubal’s lifetime ERA versus the Mariners is very high at 5.91. The Mariners can stack their batting line up with right handed hitters. Seattle is deeper with their starting rotation than Detroit. I can see Skubal getting the Tigers one victory but not two. The Mariners have to play off Randy Arozarena who thrives in October all those years with the Rays. Watch him have a big moment in this series. I can see the Tigers only mustering up 1 win in this series. Seattle has the home field in this series which will help them move on.

OUR PICK: MARINERS IN 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE

BEST OUT OF 5 SERIES

#4.CHICAGO CUBS VERSUS # 1. MILWAUKEE BREWERS

How we got here: The Cubs beat the Padres in the wild card round in three games. The Brewers had a first round bye.

HEAD TO HEAD REGULAR SEASON RECORD: Cubs 7-6 Brewers

Here we are in round two and Craig Counsell has made it and the Milwaukee Brewers as well. The Brewers needed a bye to get through the first round this season as Milwaukee is normally one and done in round 1. That goes the same for Counsell who used to manage the Brewers for years before taking the Cubs manager job. The Cubs made it to this round by beating the Padres. Counsell used to work with the current Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who got the job when Craig took the Chicago job. Pat was Craig’s bench coach. Brewers and Cubs are division rivals. It seemed like they played a close game every time these two teams went at it. The Brewers and the Cubs are the best two defensive teams in the post-season. On offense both teams can hit the long ball. The Brewers are very good at putting the ball into play. The Cubs offense got red hot in September after flaming out for a few weeks before the last month of the season. The Cubs have Kyle Tucker back who just came off the injured list as he did play in the wild card series. This series should go the distance. If not, it will be a total let down. This is a hard series. Not going to lie – I really don’t care for the Cubs in general. I think the Brewers rookie pitcher will be the X-factor in this series. Jacob Misiorowski will be used in a few of these games as a starter and reliever to help his team move on at the end of a well fought series.

OUR PICK: BREW CREW IN 5

#3.LA DODGERS VERSUS # 2. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

How we got here: The Dodgers swept the Reds in round 1 in two games. The Phillies had a first round bye.

HEAD TO HEAD REGULAR SEASON RECORD: Phillies 4-2 Dodgers

Can the Philadelphia Phillies knock off last year’s champion the Dodgers? The Phillies do have a Dodger slayer in their line up.

Kyle Schwarber has 12 career home runs versus the Dodgers in his career in 25 games. In 28 games that Schwarber has played in the post-season over the years, the slugger has 12 long balls with a very high on base percentage. The Dodgers have their own Schwarber, the Japanese version in Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is already red hot as he had a good series feasting off Reds pitching in the wild card round. The Phillies offense seemed like it was kicked into an extra gear in the month of September. Let’s remember good pitching can beat great hitting. The Phillies bullpen is worth talking about. When they have the lead late in ball games, they are locking it down. Every year though I think it’s the Phillies turn to march right through the post-season and win it all. The line up they have. The Dodgers are no slouch with the dream team roster they have in place. This series should also go to the brink of 5 games. The 5th game going to extra innings. I have to pick Dodgers until I see some team has knocked them off. They are becoming the Chiefs from the NFL in the AFC post-season. You can’t pick against them.

OUR PICK: DODGERS IN 5

2025 MLB PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS: ROUND ONE

THE WILD CARD ROUND

AMERICAN LEAGUE

First round byes: # 1. Toronto Blue Jays and #2.Seattle Mariners

AL MATCH UPS (BEST OUT OF 3)

#6. DETROIT TIGERS VERSUS #3. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

The Tigers have been the coldest team in the league it seems from after the All-star break. The Tigers had the commanding lead on the entire AL Central and collapsed like a house of cards. The Tigers are actually lucky the Houston Astros faded away like they did in the month of September, or Detroit would be home for post-season. The Guardians have been the hottest team in the league in the month of September. They had a ten game winning streak and during that they swept away the Tigers and over took them. Then won the AL Central on the last day of the season. Can the Tigers get the last laugh and knock out their division rival in post-season play? It’s hard for a cold team like the Tigers who aRE still in shock like a fish out of water to find a groove right now. The Tigers ace, LHP Tarik Skubal, should win at least one game in this series. Cleveland is the hotter team right now and have the better pitching overall. I like the Guardians offense able to find different ways to manufacture runs. The Guardians can club the big home run as well. The Guardians have beaten Skubal before. Including this season. They are at home with this series. They won the season series versus the Tigers 8-5 in 13 games.

OUR PICK: GUARDIANS IN 3

#5. BOSTON RED SOX VERSUS #4. NEW YORK YANKEES

You know the ESPN network is getting a chubby having their favorite playoff series of all-time go at it. The Yankees do not have that number one ace in a short series like Boston has. The Yankees ace, Gerrit Cole, missed the entire regular season needing the Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox will ride the arm of their Garrett Ace in Crochet, the former Chicago White Sox. Then Boston comes at you with Brayen Bello who went 11-9 with 3.35 ERA this season for the Red Sox. The Yankees have the big boppers like Aaron Judge. No Juan Soto this year. The Yankees added some nice offensive production in the off-season but they are not getting what Soto brought to the table last year. The Red Sox are underdogs in this series. The Yankees bullpen is shaky which could doom them as Boston has a nice back end of their rotation which includes closer Aroldis Chapman. The Yankees used to have Chapman. The revenge of Chapman and Crochet mowing down Yankees hitters like a saw mill. It goes the distance, but I like the visitors in this one preventing a rematch of last year’s world series.

OUR PICK: RED SOX IN 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE

First round Byes: #1. Milwaukee Brewers and #2.Philadelphia Phillies

NL MATCH UPS: (BEST OUT 3)

#6. CINCINNATI REDS VERSUS LA DODGERS

It’s nice to see the Reds get through the post-season backdoor. They probably should congratulate the Mets for blowing up in the last few weeks of regular season. Can the Reds upset the World Series champion Dodgers from last year? The Dodgers have a dream team roster which includes Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani. The Reds have young players that are not ready to make this happen in their first go round. The Reds’ best player is the short stop Elly De La Cruz. The Reds have one of the best managers in the game, Terry Francona. Dave Roberts, the manager of the Dodgers, has been a staple in the post-season now for several years and he has the horses once again. The Dodgers are going for the repeat and the Reds will not be the team that stops them. The Dodgers will dispatch Cincinnati very quickly as now they will have plenty of time to send the Mets a thank you card.

OUR PICK: DODGERS IN 2

#5.SAN DIEGO PADRES VERSUS #4. CHICAGO CUBS

This should be one of the better series of the entire first round. The Cubs have the home field advantage. The Cubs have found their offensive groove in the last few weeks. The Cubs have been crushing the long ball. They have Kyle Tucker back from injury for the post-season. He is not at full strength. Tucker has plenty of post-season experience playing for the Astros for so many years. The Cubs lost their starting ace when Cade Horton suffered a injury in his last start of the regular season versus the Mets. The Padres have the third best ERA in the league when it comes to their pitching staff. The Padres ranked second in ERA in the NL. The Padres could silence the Cubs hitters with their starting rotation and talented bullpen. The Padres will unleash the hounds in the pen if the starters get into any sticky situations. The Padres offense is also deadly like the Cubs. They have Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, and hits leader Luis Arraez. I think the series will go the distance. Craig Counsell, former Brewers manager, has been a one and done guy for his entire manager career in Milwaukee. I don’t think that hex changes here.

THE GUARDIANS STUN THE TIGGERS WINNING THE AL CENTRAL

The Detroit Tigers were in cruise control of the AL Central, building a huge lead in the division from which no team in back of them would overcome. The Cleveland Guardians were 15.5 games in back of the Tigers in the month of July. The Twins and White Sox were already walking dead in their season. The Royals continued to hover around the .500 mark. The Guardians were sellers at the trade deadline dealing RHP Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays. A few more Sunday drives for the Tigers who still had control of the division early on in September. The Guardians on September 4th were 11 games back of the Tigers with a 69-70 record. Holy Toledo!!! On the last day of the season, the Guardians would win the AL Central and become the number 3 seed in post-season. This biggest comeback in MLB history. This is also the biggest crumble in MLB history.

On the last day of regular season, it was the home run off the bat of Brayan Rocchio for the Guardians that sealed the deal for a 9-8 win over the Texas Rangers and clinched the division at the same time. It was a three run homer that hit the foul pole & completed this historical run by Cleveland as they win back to back titles for the first time since 2016 through 2018. The Tigers lost their last game of the regular season to the Boston Red Sox. Cleveland finished with an 88-74 record. While Detroit finished one game behind Cleveland with a 87-75 record. Meanwhile the Guardians racked up their 13th AL Central divisional title.

How did the Tigers piss away the AL Central? In the month of September the Guardians went 15-1 at one point which included a 10 game winning streak. It also included a three game sweep of the Tigers. The Guardians finished the month of September with 19-7 record. The Tigers record in the month of September was 7-17. In 1914 the Boston Braves were 15 games back in the NL in the month of July. The Braves won the NL by 10 1/2 games. In 1969 the MLB went with the divisional format. In 1978 the Yankees managed to erase a 14 game deficit and win the AL East. The biggest comeback from the month of September belonged to the 1964 St.Louis Cardinals who overcame a 8 1/2 game lead to win the NL. You can see the Guardians had the biggest comeback in the month of September and in July to win a division Lucky for the Tigers the Houston Astros faded away like they did as Detroit still gets a wild card spot. These two teams will face each other in the first round of the MLB playoffs in the wild card round best out of 3 series. The Tigers could get the last laugh if they eliminate the Guardians in post-season. Whatever happens in the post-season, it was still a magical run by Cleveland and a big time choke by the Tigers.

THE ASTERISKS DYNASTY FINALLY COMES TO AN END

Major league fan bases all over the baseball world are singing, “Ding dong the witch is dead,” and other great folks songs when evil empires fall

The Houston Astros were eliminated when they lost 6-7 games during which Seattle Mariners swept them to gain control of the AL West division. Then the last place Sacramento Athletics took 2 out of 3 games from Houston, pretty much ending their run. Seattle went on a rampage winning 16-17 games in September to over take the Astros reign of the AL West. On September 27th it was the Cleveland Guardians walk off win over the Texas Rangers that officially knocked off the Astros. This will be the first time the Astros missed the post-season since 2016. Their run included two World Series titles, along with seven straight trips to the ALCS. We will clearly remind them of the cheating scandal after that was brought to the baseball world’s attention. That was after the 2017 World Series title where they stole the opponents signs and used them to win the trophy. Then how MLB granted players immunity to spill the beans and get the testimony they needed to get the bigger fish. The MLB suspended manager AJ Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow. Those two guys were fired by Astros owner Jim Crane. Hinch would get the last laugh on the Astros.

AJ Hinch after suspension took over the managing gig for the Detroit Tigers. Hinch has the Tigers in back to back trips to the post-season including his Tigers knocking the Astros out of the post-season last year. Before the season started, they traded away their star right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs. The Astros then tried to low ball one of their own in a contract offer to third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman signed with Boston. The Astros could not find the replacements to match their offensive production. Even though Houston was 55-35 in the first half of the season. However it was the tale of two halves that the Houston season suddenly had a problem. The Astros went 30-40 in the second half. Bregman and Tuucker will play baseball in October while the rest of the Astros hibernate until next season. The Astros did try to get some offense at the trade deadline by bringing back short stop Carlos Correa in a trade with the Twins. Correa was not the X-factor they hoped and prayed he would be.

The Astros old pal center fielder George Springer, who left Houston as a free agent and signed with the Blue Jays, will be in the post-season once again with Toronto. He has a good shot going deep into October with the Jays winning the AL East.

How do you explain the tale of two halves this season for Houston baseball? Did they forget how to cheat? That is the common answer of many fans mocking these ole Asterisks when the news came out that they have been eliminated. The Astros had a slew of injuries to their pitching staff. Not giving them any excuses. They lost their DH slugger Yordan Alvarez to an ankle injury that ended his season early on September 15th. You can say what comes around goes around. The truth is all teams have injuries. Look at the Astros Ace pitcher Framber Valdez who was lights out in the first half. In his last ten starts of the season, he had a 1-7 record with 6.16 ERA. Yikes!! Yes, the performance on the field stunk. The replacements did not do their part. Suddenly the Houston dynasty comes crashing down to earth. This October as fans, we don’t have to worry about them. We don’t have to get amped up hoping whoever they play will get the job done and knock them out. It’s totally refreshing. With no Astros post-season, these guys like Jose Altuve will not get a free pass in 2026 and beyond. We know who you are. We know what you have done. The baseball world will remind these guys on all road games until their careers come to an end. They will always be Asterisks to us. “Ding dong the witch is dead!”

It’s about time.

MARINERS CLINCH THE AL WEST

The Seattle Mariners have been on a tear winning 16 out their last 17 games before facing the Colorado Rockies at home on Wednesday night. Last week the Mariners were responsible for putting the Houston Astros season in a huge tailspin by sweeping them in a three game series. Those three games versus Houston propelled this Mariners squad to want more than just a wild card spot in post-season. They now own the AL West division title after Wednesday night’s beat down of the Rockies – a 9-2 final. That win officially clinched the division title, the Mariners first since 2001, which was 24 years ago when they won 116 games that year.

Luis Castillo pitched a gem versus the Rockies going 7.1 innings of work & improving his season record to 11-8 with the win. Castillo had the run support carried by the long ball. Julio Rodriquez and Jorge Polanco had a solo home run each.

Of course the Big Dumper, Cal Raleigh, had to get into the action. Yet again he has another two home run game including number 60 in the 8th inning. It’s the Big Dumper’s 11th multi home run game of the season which ties a MLB record. Only three players have had a season where they hit multi home runs 11 times. The Yankees’ Aaron Judge was the last player to do so. In 2022 Judge set the AL record with most home runs hit in one season with 62. The Big Dumper needs two to tie Judge and three to set a new season record of long balls hit in one season in the AL. Sammy Sosa with the Cubs had his year in 1998. Back in 1938, Hank Greenberg of the Tigers was the first to set that record in a season.

The last time the Seattle Mariners made it to the post-season was back in 2022 as a wild card in which they did beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round of the playoffs that year. The Mariners have been around since 1977 and have never won a World Series. They have only made post-season 5 times. They have 4 division titles with the first one coming in 1995, and then in 1998, 2001 and now 2025. Their last division title came when Ichiro Suzuki was a rookie in the MLB. How fitting to win another division title in the same year Suzuki was enshrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame during the summer. The Mariners now have a chance at a first round bye in this last week of regular season before post-season starts. Sometimes the hottest teams at the end of regular season could run through post-season like a buzz saw to the competition. A first round bye is good getting players rest, but however could slow down the Mariners buzz saw. This Mariners season with the Big Dumper has been magical and we hope he breaks Aaron Judge’s record for most long balls in a season in the AL. As a team, the Mariners snapped their division rival Houston Astros or Asterisks, whatever you want to call them, & their 7 consecutive division titles. The Astros went on a 7 game losing streak. Now they are looking up at the 3rd wild card spot in the AL, with no guarantees to get that spot. Obviously winning a World Series is the biggest goal of the franchise and would put the exclamation mark on how great of a ride this season has been for the Mariners fans.

TROUT SWINGING UP STREAM TO 400 THE MILESTONE

Mike Trout rips his 400th home run of his career in Colorado versus the Rockies last night. The Angels won the game 3-0 as Trout becomes the 59th player of all-time to reach the 400th home run milestone. He is 1 of 2 players active in the league that have 400 or more home runs in their careers. The other being Giancarlo Stanton, who plays for the Evil Empire Yankees. It was the 22nd home run by Trout this season, who surprisingly has played in 124 games for the Angels this season. You could say Trout probably could have reached this milestone years ago. With injuries following the center fielder slugger like dark clouds, he finally reached the 400 club late in the season of 2025. At the age of 34, can Trout reach the 500 mark?

From 2012-2019, Mike Trout averaged 35 home runs per season. Since then he has missed a ton of games. Let’s start with the 2020 shortened pandemic season which screwed many stats for players. Trout did play in 53 games that season out of 60. In 2021 he played in only 36 games. In 2023 he only managed to play in 82 games. Last year he played in only 29 games. That is a ton of games he missed, which any player would like to have back. Only 28 players are a member of the 500 club. Trout needs 100 long balls to get there. He is under contract with the Angels to 2030. Which is 5 more years and if he averages 20 a year, he gets there. It sounds easy. At his age and injury history, that sounds like he is light years away from the 500 mark. Like an astronaut traveling to the planet Pluto. Is Pluto still a planet or a moon? It is a discussion for another day & another time.

At 400 home runs, Mike Trout is 101 home runs ahead of the next fish on the all-time Angels list of long balls. Tim Salmon hit 299 home runs in an Angels uniform. It will be a long time before the next Angels slugger can surpass Trout. Hopefully his last name is Cod or Bass. Keep things in the Angels pond. Trout came into the league as the best baseball player on the planet. He has racked up the awards in his career & that tells you he should be a future Hall of Famer. He has made 11 All-Star games. He is a 3x MVP in the league. He has won 9 Silver Slugger awards. He has won two All-Star game MVP awards. In his first season he won the MVP award. He becomes the 8th center fielder of all-time to reach the 400 home run milestone. He will probably be a guy that stays with only one team in his career which is very rare. Besides injuries if you are Angels fans, you don’t have many playoff wins with Trout. You don’t have a World Series title either. The other fish named Salmon was part of an Angels World Series title. To rub salt more salt in the wounds of Angels fans, at one point you had Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the same line up for multiple years and you got zilch for it. I hope Trout does reach the 500 mark. I hope he does it in a Angels uniform.

BIG DUMPER CONTINUES TO CRUSH MLB RECORDS THIS SEASON

On Tuesday evening, the Seattle Mariners blew out the Kansas City Royals 12-5 to win their 10th straight game. The Mariners are trying to win the AL West after they leapfrogged Houston for the division lead. While the Mariners have been making their playoff push, their catcher has been making history all year long with the long ball. In the Mariners win yesterday, Raleigh hit two home runs in the game to help put away the Royals for their 83rd victory of the year. Nicknamed the Big Dumper, it was Raleigh’s 55th and 56th home runs of the season. The 55th broke Yankees legend Mickey Mantle’s switch hitter home run record set back in 1961 when the great Mick had 54 long balls hitting from both sides of the plate. Then the Big Dumper’s 56th, tied the Mariners single season record of 56 home runs hit by Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey may be Mr. Mariner for most of the franchise fan base. When he hit 56 long balls, it was back in 1997 & then he did it again the very next season in ’98.

Cal Raleigh this season was the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby. Plus he was the first ever switch hitter to win the Home Run Derby. He also broke the single season home runs hit by a catcher which was Salvador Perez who had 48 long balls in 2021 for the Kansas City Royals. When the Big Dumper connected with number 49, he broke that record by Perez. Yesterday was Raleigh’s 10th multi home run game of the season. If the Big Dumper can have one more multi home run game before the season ends, he could tie three sluggers who had 11 of them in one season in their careers. Hank Greenberg accomplished that in 1938. Sammy Sosa did it back in 1998. Then the Judge, Aaron Judge, did it a few seasons ago in 2022. The Mariners have 11 games left for the season. The Big Dumper needs six more home runs to tie the AL record for most long balls in a season set by Aaron Judge in 2022. He needs seven more to break another Yankees slugger record and have the AL record for most home runs in one season. Yesterday he got Mickey Mantle’s switch hitting home run single season record. One more home run & he will break Ken Griffey Jr.’s record for most ever hit by a Mariner in one season. Raleigh also made his first All-Star team as his magical year continues. Lets hope he can bring down the Judge before the 2025 regular season ends. I would not mind seeing the Mariners win the AL West over the Houston Astros in any season. You never know what records the Big Dumper can get in post-season. Stay tuned.

LUIS ROBERT’S SEASON COMES TO AN END

On August 26th, Luis Robert Jr. pulled his hamstring running to first base versus the Royals. Robert headed to the injured list with a grade 2 hamstring strain. He was projected to return to the field by the end of this season with only a few weeks left in the season. Instead the White Sox General manager announced he will not return to the field this season as the White Sox will shut their centerfielder down to get him fully recovered for next season.

Number 88 this season has a batting average of .223 with 14 home runs and has driven in 53 runs as he tallied up a total of 110 games played. Which is ten more games than last year. Luis Robert Jr. has played in 577 MLB games in six seasons where he has been on and off the injured list constantly over his entire career so far. He has racked up 565 hits in his career. His lifetime batting average is .259. His 14 home runs this season mean he now has reached the 100 milestone in the long ball category. He has 102 exactly. He has driven in 298 runs. Robert Jr. has 33 steals this season and 102 for his career. He has been an All-Star once along with 1 Silver Slugger award and Gold Glove.

Next season the White Sox are expected to pick up Luis Robert Jr.’s option which could be his final year on the south side. Robert Jr. was supposed to be the next coming of Mike Trout. He has lived up to the Trout name in one way. Injuries. Robert is from Cuba, only 28 years of age, and is the last remaining player from the previous rebuild. The White Sox tried to trade him but their asking price was very steep. His performance on the field before the All-Star break and trade deadline had teams walking away from any kind of deal. The White Sox could hope he stays healthy, finds his groove once again, and they get what they are asking for in the trade market next season. It may be better off to sign him to an extension because he may come cheap from being injured all the time. He could help this rebuild take the next step & obviously you hope he can stay on the field. He has all the goods to be a 5 tool player. He has pop in his bat. He can run. He plays solid defense in the outfield which he makes it look easy. Injuries follow him like dark clouds. Sign him to an extension & maybe you get something back in one of those years when he does stay healthy. The problem with the last rebuild was all the position players including Robert could not stay on the field. That last rebuild looked legit for a little while & then fell over like a house of cards in a wind storm.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one out away from a no-hitter versus the Baltimore Orioles. The visiting Dodgers ace pitcher, Yamamoto, only surrendered two walks, struck out ten batters, and was in line for the first no-hitter of the season tossing 8.2 innings of work allowing no hits, no runs. The last out in baseball is always difficult as Jackson Holliday proved that with the first hit of the night for the Orioles. His hit also ruined the shut out Yamamoto was pitching as Holliday went yard on Cal Ripken Jr. night.

The Dodgers at the time had a 3-0 lead before Jackson Holliday went yard with the solo home run. Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 112 pitches and was taken out of the game as he was still in line for the win. At least after a great performance like that he should get something. Then the Orioles FINISHED the Dodgers. The birds rallied in the 9th inning off reliever Blake Treinen and walked off the Dodgers to a 4-3 victory. The 27 year old Japanese pitching sensation’s record now this season remains at 11-8 and still has a remarkable 2.82 ERA. Only one no-hitter has been tossed in Camden Yards. It was by another Japanese sensation, Hideo Nomo, back on April 4th of 2001.

Hideo Nomo was a former Dodger. His no hitter in 2001 he was wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform. The last time the Orioles were no-hit by a Japanese pitcher, you have to go back to 2015. It was Hisashi Iwakuma wearing a Mariners uniform who no-hit the Orioles in Seattle on August 12th of that year. The Dodgers have now lost 5 straight games as they were swept in Pittsburgh before they arrived in Baltimore. Two last place teams have helped the Padres who are now right on the Dodgers’ heels in the NL West as they are only 1 game behind the champs from last season.

CIVALE FINDS HIS WAY BACK TO THE NL CENTRAL

That Andrew Vaughn trade now looks really bad for the Chicago White Sox. Aaron Civale was demoted from the starting rotation for the Brewers earlier this year. That did not sit well for Civale who demanded to be traded. That’s when the White Sox came calling thinking they could rid themselves of the struggling first baseman while getting a veteran starter they could flip at the deadline. Vaughn turns out to be a keeper for the Brewers and Civale has not done well in a White Sox uniform. The White Sox released him and now he will stay in Chicago as the Cubs claimed the 30 year old RHP. The Cubs are chasing the Brewers in the NL Central.

Aaron Civale got 13 starts for the White Sox this season. He had a 2-7 record with a very high 5.37 ERA. For the season, Civale has made 18 starts this season & has a 3-9 record with a 5.26 ERA. He has worked 89 innings and struck out 74 batters. In 7 seasons in the MLB, he has also played for the Guardians and Rays who then traded him to the Brewers. Civale’s lifetime record is 42-44 with a 4.18 ERA as he has made 135 career starts. The Cubs have the top wild card spot right now in the National League. The plan is to use Civale in long relief or in a swing man role filling in for injuries in the starting rotation. The Cubs have added veteran first baseman/DH switch hitter Carlos Santana as well to sure up their roster for post-season play. Can Civale provide the Cubs with inside intel on the Brewers for pitching in Milwaukee parts of two seasons?

Andrew Vaughn has played in 45 games for Milwaukee this season. He has a batting average of .287 with 47 hits & 9 home runs while driving in 40 runs. He has had some monster hits for the Brew Crew already and looks like a keeper for years to come. While Civale helped the White Sox win 2 games and did not get anything in return for him as they dumped him on waivers. Add this trade to the list of bad deals gone wrong for the White Sox general managers over the years. That deal has completely gone well for Milwaukee as they fleeced the White Sox in that one.

ISIAH KINER-FALEFA HEADS BACK TO TORONTO

In 2024 the Pittsburgh Pirates were buyers at the trade deadline. One of those purchases came from the Toronto Blue Jays who traded their utility guy, 30 year old Isiah Kiner-Falefa, to the Pirates. In 2025 the Pirates went back to their old ways of selling off pieces. At the deadline they probably did not field any offers on their short stop Kiner-Falefa so they eventually released them with the calendar hitting September. The Blue Jays claimed Kiner-Falefa, he’s heading back over the border, and now he plays for the first place team of the AL East. He went from last place to first place in one swoop.

In 2024 Isiah Kiner-Falefa played multiple positions for the Jays. He dabbled at short stop, third base, and outfield. This season with the Pirates he was pretty much the short stop. He has 8 years in the game as he started his career with the Rangers and played there 4 seasons. He has a stint on the death star for two seasons with the Yankees. He played parts of two seasons with the Pirates which add up to one season total. In 119 games this season he racked up 106 hits with a batting average of .264. He has one home runs and has driven in 35 runs. His lifetime numbers with the lumber he has a batting average of ,262 with 35 home runs and 281 runs driven in. He has 808 total hits in his career. He was born in Honolulu. Not a bad life coming from Hawaii and playing baseball. The Blue Jays will probably use him in the role he used to have there. He will give starters rest and fill multiple positions at the same time. It’s a move that improves the Jays overall roster. He is a player that can get you a big hit in a sticky situation. Meanwhile the Pirates will see what options they have down on the farm in this last month of regular season.

CUBS BEEFING UP THEIR BENCH WITH CARLOS SANTANA SIGNING

With one month left of baseball, the Cubs add some pop by signing 39 year old switch hitting first baseman/DH Carlos Santana. The Cleveland Guardians released Santana and the Cubs claimed him off waivers to improve their bench while making a playoff push here down the stretch. Santana signed a one year deal this off-season with Cleveland which was his third stint with the organization that he originally debuted with back in 2010. In 16 seasons in the MLB, he has played part of 11 seasons with Cleveland. He is familiar with the NL Central playing for the Pirates and Brewers. He has also made stops in Seattle, Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Kansas City as the Cubs will be the 8th organization of his baseball career.

Carlos Santana is from Cuba and this season for the Guardians he had a batting average of .225 as he played in 116 games. He has 11 home runs, while driving in 52 as he racked up 89 total hits. Santana has won a Silver Slugger award and a Gold Glove while making one all-star appearance. The Cubs will get a solid hitter from both sides of the plate and a guy that can play good defense. With the bat Santana has swung the lumber well his entire career with a batting average of .241 as he racked up 1,878 hits driving in 1,134 runs. He has power hitting 335 home runs in his career. Craig Counsell, the Cubs manager, is familiar with Santana as he played for the Brewers when he was managing them. The Pirates traded him to the Brew Crew in 2023. The Cubs may not catch the Brewers for the division crown because they are 6.5 games in back of them. If the Playoffs started today, the Cubs will have the top wild card spot. Not sure what the Cubs have planned for Santana as Michael Bush plays most games at first and Seiya Suzuki gets most of the at-bats at DH. He could be used to give these guys some rest down the stretch. He may be a bat being used late in ball games. Being a switch hitter he would be available for any type of situation late in ball games.

SCHWARBER HITS 4 HOME RUNS IN DONG CITY

The Philadelphia Phillies bombarded the Atlanta Braves 19-4 at home with 4 dongs off the bat of their slugger, Kyle Schwarber. He may even be responsible for putting another crack on the liberty bell with his towering bombs. Schwarber becomes the 21st player in MLB history to have 4 home runs in one game. He is the third player this season in 2025 to hit 4 home runs in one game. On July 25th, Sacramento Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz hit 4 taters versus the Astros. Earlier in the season Eugenio Suarez, wearing a Diamondbacks uniform, on April 26th hit 4 home runs off of the same Braves pitching staff that Schwarber did. Last time someone hit 4 home runs in one game, you have to go back to 2017 when JD Martinez did it wearing a Diamondbacks uniform when the snakes were playing the Dodgers.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, the 32 year old left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber had a chance to get 5 home runs in one game. The Braves had their utility guy Vidal Brujan on the mound in a mop up role to save the bullpen from the bombardment of the Philadelphia Philllies bats. However Brujan retired Schwarber on a 57.4 MPH breaking ball that Kyle popped up. The damage was already done with the Phillies offense swinging the lumber on that night. Schwarber becomes the 4th Phillies player of all-time to have a 4 home run game. The first was Ed Delahanty back in 1896. Chuck Klien did it second in 1936. Then in 1976 Phillies great Mike Schmidt did it. Schwarber came in tied with Shohei Ohtani for most home runs in the National League with 45. With the 4 home runs, it gives him 49 for the year and one back of the Big Dumper Cal Raleigh who leads the entire baseball world with 50 home runs. Maybe by the end of the season Schwarber may be the home run king of the league. It certainly sets up for an interesting month of September.

THE BIG DUMPER LOOKING TO BREAK SOME RECORDS HELD DOWN BY THE EVIL EMPIRE YANKEES

The Seattle Mariners catcher’s historical season continues. On Sunday Cal Raleigh aka the Big Dumper broke Salvador Perez’s record of 48 home runs in one season back in 2021. That season Perez set the record for most home runs hit by a catcher in one season. The Big Dumper tied that record and broke the catchers record on Sunday as the Mariners were at home playing the Athletics. He had two home runs in the game and tied the record with his 48th and then passed Perez up with his 49th. Then on Monday the Big Dumper hits another one that gives him 50 for the season. Now the Big Dumper could knock out two Yankee players holding some prestigious records when it comes to the long ball.

At the summer classic festivities, Cal Raleigh made his first All-Star game. He also participated in the MLB Home Run Derby which he won. He became the first ever catcher and switch hitter to win the Derby. Now he is only 4 home runs away from tying one of the Yankee greats, Mickey Mantle. Mantle has the MLB record for most home runs by a switch hitter in one season which is 54 bombs he hit back in 1961. The Big Dumper has 30 games left in regular season to hit 4 more home runs to tie Mick’s record and just needs 5 more to break the Yankees legend record. This seems very possible for the Big Dumper to get that one.

Can Cal Raleigh catch Aaron Judge’s record of 62 home runs in one season which is the most all-time in the American league? Judge broke another Yankee legend’s record in 2022 when he hit those 62 bombs breaking Roger Maris’ record of 61 that stood for decades back in 1961. It was Maris and Mickey Mantle chasing the original Yankee legend Babe Ruth’s Record of 60 in one season that stood for ages. Maris ended up getting the record from the Babe by one home run. Now the Big Dumper needs 13 home runs to knock another Yankee player off their perch. The Big Dumper has 30 games to hit 12 to tie Judge or 13 to break the single season record in the AL.

In the National League the record for a single season with the most home runs per season is held by multiple steroid guys. Back in 2001, Barry Bonds set the MLB record with 73 long balls that season. It was 1998 where Mark McGuire became the first player ever to reach the 70 mark in home runs. Bonds broke McGuire’s record and is the current home run champion. In 1998 Sammy Sosa hit 66 long balls. McGuire would hit 65 home runs in 1999. Sosa would reach 64 home runs in 2001 & then 63 bombs in 1999. McGuire, Bonds and Sosa were all guys linked somehow to performance-enhancing drugs. The NL has plenty of asterisks. It would be amazing to see the Big Dumper knock Bonds off his perch. Reaching 73 means Cal Raleigh would have to hit 23 long balls in 30 games. Yikes. If he hit 24 he would set the new record in the MLB most of all-time in one season. I don’t think he will get Bonds. I think he can take Mickey Mantle’s record. I think he can take out the Judge. Perhaps he could break one of Sosa’s or McGuire’s records they have in the top ten all-time home run list. If he gets 63 he would have the AL record and tie Sosa’s 1999 season of 63. It has been one hell of a season for the Big Dumper as you’d love to see him continue his wrath on the MLB record book. To have a player doing it the right way makes it even more special.

BUBBA CHANDLER’S MLB DEBUT WAS SIZZLING

If you are a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, you have to be excited about your future’s starting rotation. Last season brought the debut of highly anticipated number one overall selection, Paul Skenes out of LSU in the 2023 MLB draft. Skenes made his debut in 2024 and was the real deal earning himself rookie of the year and started the All-star game. Now by far he is the Pirates ace of the staff. On Friday another big time Pirates pitching prospect made his debut in Colorado versus the Rockies. Bubba Chandler was drafted in 2021 in the 3rd round of the MLB draft out of high school. Chandler has been a top prospect in the Pirates farm system and in the baseball world. He did not disappoint coming out of the bullpen pitching 4 scoreless innings and even earning a save in a Pirates massacre of the Rockies which was a 9-0 beat down.

Another Pirates rookie pitcher is not being talked about a lot with guys like Paul Skenes and the arrival of Bubba Chandler. It was Braxton Ashcraft who got the start versus the Rockies, he pitched 5 shutout innings and got the win on Friday night. Ashcraft is a 25 year old right handed pitcher who was drafted by the Pirates in the second round of the 2018 MLB draft out of high school. Ashcraft was born in Waco, Texas. This year he has a winning record of 4-2 in 4 starts with an impressive 2.70 ERA as he has worked 46.2 innings so far. Chandler kept the shutout intact by working the 4 innings striking out three batters while doing it on 40 pitches. By pitching the final 4 innings in shutout fashion, according to MLB rules he earned a save in his first outing. It’s not your typical save your everyday closer comes upon. Still a save by the MLB rules even though it was a 9-0 beat down of the Rockies. He becomes the first Pirate of all-time to land a 4 inning save in his MLB debut.

Bubba Chandler will start out of the Pirates bullpen right now. He was delivering the heat in his first appearance as the fast ball was tracked going over 100 MPH. You have to bet the Pirates will turn Chandler into a starter. The flame thrower will get a few starts in by the time the season ends. The future looks bright with these kids like Chandler, Paul Skenes, and Braxton Ashcraft. Then last year Jared Jones who made his MLB debut was impressive in 22 starts. He missed this entire season due to injury. You have to expect Jones will be back in the fold next season. The Pirates old ace Mitch Keller is still on the team. He has a losing record of 5-12 with 4.34 ERA in 26 starts this season. People were surprised that Keller was not dealt at the trade deadline. Keller was an all-star in 2023. He could find his old grove or be a guy the team trades in the off-season as he could be the guy that draws the short straw. Then Johan Oviedo who missed the entire 2024 season was impressive in his second start of the year which was only a handful of days ago. Right now you have to feel good about the Pirates starting rotation that is trending in the right direction. Let’s hope these young guys do not become property of the Evil Empire Yankees in the future like a Gerrit Cole.

OVIEDO COLLECTS HIS FIRST WIN SINCE 2023

Johan Oviedo missed the 2024 season due to needing Tommy John surgery. On August 4th this season he was back on the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates making a start at PNC park that did not go well versus the San Francisco Giants. He lasted one inning, made 43 pitches, and the Pirates sent him down to Triple A to work on his craft. Oviedo would return to the big leagues a few weeks later and made his second start of the season magnificently versus the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave up one run in 5 innings of work as the Pirates won the game 2-1. The Pirates took 2 out of 3 games versus the Blue Jays to win the series against one of the best American league teams. The 5 innings Oviedo pitched was enough to secure him his first Major League victory since September 21st of 2023.

In 2023 Johan Oviedo had a losing record at 9-14 but it was one of the best seasons of his baseball career. He set career highs in wins with 9, pitched a career high 177.2 innings, while making 32 starts. Oviedo even had a complete game shut out. His 4.31 ERA is a little high that year as you like to see that get in the 3’s.The Pirates would have had a spot for Oviedo in the starting rotation when it came to the 2024 season. In December of 2023 he would have to go under the knife and have Tommy John surgery which takes more than a year to recover. Going 5 innings with 6 strike outs versus a team like the Blue Jays that can swing the lumber and only allowing 1 run, it gives Oviedo and the Pirates hopes he could be one of the guys in the rotation next season.

Johan Oviedo is from Cuba and is only 27 years of age. He has parts of 5 seasons in the MLB split down the middle with the Pirates and the Cardinals where he originally signed. In his career he has 74 games under his belt which 60 of them were starts. His life time record is 14-25 with 4.33 ERA as he has worked 326.2 innings. He has struck out 288 batters. You could see most of the numbers he tallied up were in the 2023 season. You felt like that was his time to be a staple in some team’s starting rotation for years to come. After a disastrous first start, he lowered his ERA that ballooned up from the Giants game. Now he is 1-0 with 4.50 ERA in 6 innings which he has 9 strike outs. He is looking to string a few solid starts together to land a spot in the rotation next year. In 2025 the Pirates have some starting options. They have their ace in Paul Skenes. Then Mitch Keller, their old ace before Skenes arrived. The Pirates are bringing up Bubba Chandler from the minors this week who should be a lock as he is one of the team’s and entire league’s top prospect. Then Jared Jones should be back from his injury after missing the entire 2025 season. That would mean no left-handed pitchers in the starting rotation if you keep everyone I mention and include Oviedo. He is only 27 years old so he will be looked at hard at the end of this season for sure. Oviedo has shown flashes he has some filthy stuff when he is out there on the pitching mound. It’s a good problem to have with so many talented arms assembled in one team.

WHITE SOX RECYCLE GOMEZ BACK INTO A STARTER AFTER PLUCKING HIM OFF THE CURB

When it comes to the Chicago White Sox, garbage picking will always be in their DNA. Yoendrys Gomez is a 25 year old native out of Venezuela. The White Sox claimed him off the scrap pile after the Dodgers dumped him because of his performance. In April he was dumped by the Yankees after pitching well for them. The Evil Empire Yankees needed a veteran reliever and had no choice. They put Gomez on waivers where the Dodgers picked him up. Gomez was out of minor league options to stash him down on the farm. The White Sox found him on the curb with the cans, bottles, and cardboard. They recycled him and turned him back into a starter which he thrived at in Chicago winning his first two starts wearing the black & white uniform.

Could Yoendrys Gomez be a future piece of this up and coming rebuild? The White Sox this season has shown the young core of position players already making a statement at the major league level. The White Sox front office thought the young arms would be the pillars of the rebuild quicker than all the prospects they have collected around the diamond. Guys like Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon have had their ups and downs throughout the year. Both pitchers have been sent back to the minor leagues to work on their craft. The White Sox lone all-star rookie, Shane Smith, after the summer classic went on the injured list for two weeks with an ankle issue. Since being back, they have monitored Smith closely with pitch count and watching so the innings don’t pile up too high. Of course the White Sox have relied on veterans to eat up innings because all these young arms they have are at their career highs in the big leagues. As fans, we have seen some flashes of some of these young guys & what they have. You still can’t say any of them are a keeper.

A guy like Yoendrys Gomez is a little older than all the White Sox young rookies. At the age of 25 he certainly does fit the age group of this next rebuild. In 14 games this season combined, he has a 3-1 record with a 5.53 ERA with 2 starts and has tallied up 27.2 innings of work. He has 23 strike outs and converted 1 save. With the White Sox since someone in the front office who has a brain cell thought to convert Gomez into a starter, now it looks like a genius move. He is 2-0 as a starter with 4.73 ERA in 5 games. He has tossed 13.1 innings in a White Sox uniform so he started out of the bullpen when the White Sox claimed him. He has done better as a starter pitching a little over 5 innings in both starts that led to victories. The White Sox landed Shane Smith from the Rule 5 draft this season and picked up Gomez from the waiver wire. That may be half their starting rotation next season. Obviously Gomez has to continue to thrive on the mound this season & then he will certainly be looked at to take one of those spots in the starting rotation next season. Then you hope some of those young guys can go further and take that next step. Turn those flashes on the mound into solid production every 5 days giving the ball. In sales, the more leads you get mean the more sales. The more things General Manager Chris Getz picks out of the trash, sometimes you get lucky and find a diamond in the ruff.

PIRATES CLEANED THE GUARDIANS SHIP IN OFF-SEASON TRADE

On December 10th of 2024, the Cleveland Guardians struck a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates in an off-season trade. The Pirates were in need of a first baseman and acquired former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz, who the Guardians landed in a trade with Toronto not too long before this deal. Cleveland got three players for Horwitz which included a young veteran starter, Luis Perez, who came off a pretty decent year for the Pirates. The Guardians also landed two pitching prospects from Cleveland in Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy. It’s too early to say anything good or bad about the two pitching prospects. Horwitz is 27 years old and has 3 seasons in the MLB under his belt. While Ortiz is 26 years old and he has 4 seasons in the MLB under his belt. Which team did better straight up between Ortiz and Horwitz? You have to say the Pirates as the MLB is investigating Ortiz for gambling on baseball.

I thought Luis Ortiz would have been a keeper for the Pirates. In 2024 he started 15 games for the Pirates and had a 7-6 record with 3.32 ERA. This season for Cleveland he has not done very well. Maybe a reason to bank some extra money on gambling. His pitching stats start with the horrible 4-9 record followed by a high 4.36 ERA. In 16 starts he has worked 88.2 innings in his first year with Cleveland. Ortiz took a leave of absence on July 3rd while the MLB investigated him. The investigation was going to originally last until July 17th but the league extended it to August 31st. Two pitches from Ortiz in two different games have been flagged by the MLB. First game was versus Seattle on June 15th and the second flag came in a game versus St.Louis on June 27th. The bets were prop bets. The bets involved the first pitch of two different innings where the wager would be Ortiz hitting a batter or throwing a ball. In both cases Ortiz threw a slider that was out of the strike zone. Ortiz is on paid leave. You know baseball frowns on gambling where many players have been banned for life because they bet on the game they played or managed. Ortiz is from the Dominican Republic like his Cleveland teammate closer Emmanuel Clase. He too is being investigated by the MLB for suspicious pitches and is on a leave of absence.

It did not look good from the start of this trade for the Pirates. Spencer Horwitz was injured during spring training and needed wrist surgery. Last season for the Blue Jays, Horwitz played in 97 games and had a batting average of .265. He had 12 long balls driving in 40. Horwitz made his Pirates debut in the month of May. He has played in 74 games so far for the Pirates. He has a batting average of .260 with 5 long balls and has driven 34 runs. He has 262 At-Bats in a Pirates uniform while racking up 68 hits. Horwitz has been hitting well after the all-star break. His batting average is over .300 and his on-base percentage has been going in the right direction. The Pirates may have found a first baseman for years to come from this deal. Luis Ortiz may get kicked out the MLB. If Cleveland does not salvage any of the two prospects they got from this off-season deal, the Pirates for once will look like the genius. Horwitz is only 27 and you expect he will get better every year. He’s almost close to the RBI’s he had last year in less games. He’s only 7 homers from tying last year’s career high of 12. Last year he had 87 total hits. He should surpass that total as well. Let’s remember he had wrist surgery. Pirates may have won this trade even if Luis Ortiz did not get caught for gambling as he was not particularly having a good season on the mound for Cleveland. For once it’s not the Pirates on the side of bad headlines which is a good thing.

GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER BANANA STYLE

The south side of Chicago finally got to witness some solid baseball which the White Sox fan base has not seen in years. The Savannah Bananas made their Chicago debut and played a two game series at Rate Field which is home of the White Sox. Both game sold out as fans were excited to watch some wacky style of baseball which included 4 White Sox legends from their 2005 World Series winning team. The 4 White Sox legends were first baseman Paul Konerko, LHP Mark Buehrle, catcher AJ Pierzynski and manager Ozzie Guillen. All of them suited up in the Bananas’ yellow colored uniforms and got on the field. Ozzie coached first base while the other three entered the games. The Savannah Bananas you can compare them to the Harlem Globetrotters. Only difference is the Bananas shenanigans are on the baseball field while the Globetrotters did their thing on the hardwood floor.

Only weeks ago for Mark Buehrle, the White Sox unveiled a statue out in the outfield concourse of Rate Field. Buehrle who has been retired for years got one more chance to pitch an inning at White Sox park. He pitched to a familiar face in AJ Pierzynski, his old catcher and he was on hand weeks ago when the unveiled that statue. It was also the weekend of celebrating the 20th anniversary of that 2005 World Series team so they had festivities all weekend long. AJ would get a At-Bat as he caught the inning Buehrle pitched on Friday. Then on Saturday Paul Konerko, the captain of the 2005 team, had an At-Bat dressed in the Bananas uniform. Ozzie Guillen saw his action on Saturday night coaching first base as he was also sporting the yellow uniform.

The Savannah Bananas game is something to come out of the mindset of former White Sox owner Bill Veeck

In 1976 the White Sox wore shorts on the field when Veeck owned the team. He once a had 3’7″ midget take an At-Bat with the St.Louis Browns when he owned them before the he purchased the White Sox.

The Savannah Bananas have fielders doing flips before catching the ball. They take breaks during the games for choreographed impromptu dance routines. They have a pitcher that pitches on stilts.

They have a ring leader like a circus. They have interesting bats. When the fans catch a foul ball, it’s an out. Each park the Bananas visit they introduce special guest stars. On hand over the weekend in Chicago besides the legends was Chance the Rapper. They even had a Mike Ditka impersonator on hand.

It was like a concert with a circus playing baseball all at the same time. Mark Buerhle had the line of the weekend after the game drinking a Coors Light. “I won’t be able to wipe my ass with my arm for a week and a half.”

The 46 year old former White Sox does play first base in a softball beer league. AJ Pierzynski said, “Not my color,” referring to the uniforms. Then went on to say, “But this is awesome for baseball… the kids love it.”

I have seen the highlights and read about some of these Savannah Bananas games. I believe kids would love it, and most adults, because it is entertaining. I will have to add this to my bucket list of sporting events I have to knock off some day. It is nice to see that ballpark filled up for a change instead of watching the regular losing ways of the White Sox which the bad ownership does not help one bit. It was a missed opportunity not to go because who knows when they will return to the city. I hear it is a very hard ticket to get because the Bananas are the hottest team right now in the game.

PETE ALONSO GIVES THE BLUEBERRY TO THE STRAWBERRY IN METS HISTORY

On Tuesday, the New York Mets third basemen Pete Alonso made history with his 253rd home run of his career. It was the Atlanta Braves visiting the New York Mets. It was the third inning and Alonso was facing the Braves’ Ace pitcher of their starting rotation. Alonso won the battle over Braves pitcher Spencer Strider hitting his 27th home run of the season. That home run made history as now Alonso is the Home Run King for the Mets all-time. He broke one of the Mets’ legend’s records. Right fielder Darryl Strawberry had 252 home runs. Strawberry was with the Mets for his first 8 seasons of his big league career.

Darryl Strawberry was originally drafted by the Mets in the 1980 MLB draft and was number 1 overall. He made his MLB debut in 1983 and man, he had a pretty swing earning himself Rookie of the Year for the NL. He went to 7 straight All-Star games and was a big contributor helping the Mets win the World Series in 1986. From 1987-1990 he averaged 36 bombs per season. He played 17 seasons in the MLB. He played three seasons in LA as a Dodger. One season in San Francisco. Then 5 seasons for the Evil Empire on the other side of town in the Big Apple. Strawberry should have been enshrined in Cooperstown, but he loved cocaine too much. After hitting 252 home runs for the Mets in 8 seasons it took him 9 more seasons to get 83 more long balls to give him 335 for his career. Strawberry is now 63 years of age and was happy for Pete Alonso for breaking his home run record.

The Mets joined the MLB in 1962 as an expansion team. Which explains why their all-time home run guy only racked up 252 home runs. Pete Alonso would hit his 254th home run in the same game giving him 28 for the year. It took him 7 seasons to eclipse Darryl Strawberry. Alonso was drafted in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft from the University of Florida. He too won Rookie of the Year when he made his MLB debut in 2019 mashing 53 long balls in his first season in the league. His second season in the league was in 2020 during the shortened season of Covid. He still belted 16 bombs that season in 57 games. Alonso has made 5 All-Star games. The 30 year old first baseman did re-sign with the Mets in the off-season as he was a free agent. The Mets paid big bucks on Juan Soto so many thought Alonso would go elsewhere. The Mets signed him late in the off-season and here we are now he has broken Strawberry’s home runs record. The Mets All-time Home Run list looks like this now.

#1. Pete Alonso 254 Bombs, #2. Darryl Strawberry 252 bombs, #3. David Wright 242 Bombs, #4. Mike Piazza 220 Bombs, #5. Howard Johnson 192 bombs.

I don’t think Howard Johnson is the same guy that has the chain of hotels in his name. Howard Johnson was a teammate of Darryl Strawberry on those 1980’s Mets. He helped the Mets win that 1986 World Series. He also won a World Series with the Detroit Tigers before he arrived in New York in 1984. He will always be remembered as a Met during his 14 year career. The Mets fan base loved to stay at the Howard Johnsons on road games.

THE MONSTER MASH

The Chicago White Sox number one pick from the 2022 MLB draft, yesterday hit the longest home run at Rate Field this season. Colston Montgomery was selected 22nd overall back in the 2022 draft out of high school. He is 23 years old and made his Major League debut on July 4th of this season. He has only 31 games under his belt at the Major League level. He is born and raised in the state of Indiana. He only has 105 At-Bats at the Major League level. Yesterday the short stop help the White Sox snap a losing streak with a home run in the first inning off Cleveland’s starter, Slade Cecconi. He took Slade yard with a 452 foot bomb that landed on the right field concourse. It was a solo home run by Montgomery and gave the White Sox at the time a 3-0 lead in the first inning versus the Guardians.

Colston Montgomery’s first home run of his career came on July 22nd of this season. He has racked up 25 total hits in 31 games and 9 of them are home runs. His average is only at .238 but he has driven in 25 runs and over the last few weeks he has been connecting on the long ball. He started out of the gates at Triple A this season where he struggled with the lumber. The White Sox took him out of their triple A farm team and brought him back to Arizona to work on his swing. They made the adjustments and then promoted him to the big league roster where he looks like a different hitter than he did earlier on this season. It is nice seeing the White Sox setting up a new core of this group of young hitters. If Montgomery continues to mash the baseball this season, he could rack up a nice rookie campaign in the long ball department. With a month and a half of the season left, he could get 15 to 18 total home runs by the end of his first season in the big leagues. Pretty impressive as he debuted in July.

It was another former number 1 pick by the White Sox that still owns the longest home run at the Rate Field. Before it was called Rate Field it was Guaranteed Rate Field. Before that it was the U.S Cellular. Before that Comiskey Park, which was the 2nd not the original. The die hard White Sox fans call it Sox Park to keep it simple. It was Joe Borchard’s 504 foot blast to right field back in 2004 which is the longest home run ever hit at Sox Park. Borchard was a first round bust as he was selected in the 2000 MLB draft number 12 overall. Borchard was a switch hitting right fielder. On the day he hit the bomb he was batting from the left side.

Joe Borchard only played parts of six seasons in the Majors. In his 4 seasons with the White Sox, he played in 102 games. His batting average was .191 with 12 home runs driving in 30. He also suited up for the Mariners and Marlins. He managed to play 301 big league games. He had a life time batting average of .205 with 26 home runs while driving in 77 runs. He racked up 147 total hits. He struck out 222 times in 716 at-bats. Let’s hope Colston Montgomery does not follow the Borchard road in baseball careers.

LUIS ROBERT JOINS THE 100/100 CLUB

White Sox center fielder, Luis Robert Jr., says he is happy not to have been traded away at the deadline. After the trade deadline and the summer classic, Robert Jr. is in a grove with the lumber. On Thursday afternoon in Seattle, he swiped his 100th bag of his career. That base theft brings him into a rare club in the MLB and White Sox history. In MLB history he is only the 293rd player to have 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases in his career. The native out of Cuba is in his 6th year with the White Sox and is only 28 years of age. He becomes only the 4th White Sox player in history to achieve 100 bombs and 100 steals.

One of my favorite players, second baseman Ray Durham, played 8 seasons on the south side of Chicago where he tallied up 219 steals and hit 106 home runs. The last White Sox to accomplish this was another Cuba native, short stop Alexei Ramirez. He played 8 seasons in Chicago where he racked up 135 thefts and hit 109 home runs. Then White Sox great, Hall of Famer Minnie Minoso, played 12 seasons in Chicago. He swiped 171 bases and hit 135 long balls. Luis Robert Jr. joins some nice company in the 100/100 club. Overall it’s been a down year for Robert Jr., who has a batting average of .222 with 12 home runs and has driven in 46 runs. In six seasons, he has a batting average of .260 with 100 long balls and 291 runs driven in.

Many experts compared Robert Jr. to Angels center fielder Mike Trout. Maybe in injuries. In 2023 Robert Jr. had a batting average of .264 with 38 long balls and drove in 80 runs. He played in a career high 145 games that year. He has only had two seasons where he played 100 games or more in his entire career. You can say he has potential if he can stay off the injured list. He has earned himself 1 All-Star appearance in his career. He has won a Silver Slugger award. He has a Gold Glove. His defense is never a question. He plays a solid center field throughout his career. You know the White Sox are asking too much for him because he has a ton of potential. Like Andrew Vaughn who traded to the Brewers. I can see the same thing happening to Robert Jr. going somewhere else and lighting up the scoreboard for some other team. Could Robert Jr. be part of this current White Sox up-and-coming core? He is the lone survivor of the last rebuild that was a house of cards built by former White Sox general manager Ricky Hahn. It is not a stupid idea being only 28, as the young guys are on the rise. If you’re going to keep Robert around I’d like to see him play in over 100 or more games on a regular basis. If you get the guy from 2023, he is a lock down center fielder. He is a guy you have placed in the middle of the line up. He has the potential to be that 5 tool player. His track record with injuries and the dormant bat going cold for weeks is why you might want to move on from him. I think the White Sox are waiting for that time where he is clicking on all cylinders for weeks and getting a stock pile of prospects for him in a trade. However time is running out as his contract is coming to an end. I do give him kudos for being part of the rare 100/100 club. Very impressive.

REMEMBERING RYNO

During the 1980’s, Ryne Sandberg represented the Chicago Cubs on the city’s sports Mt. Rushmore landscape as the best player for his team in that decade. Sandberg played 16 seasons in the MLB and 15 of them were with the Cubs. He was a 5 tool player – a second baseman with power, speed, & who hit for average, while playing stellar defense he did it all. He never won a World Series but helped the Cubs make the post-season twice in his career. In 1997 when he retired, he had the most home runs all-time by a second baseman. He made the Hall of Fame in 2005. He went on to manage after his playing days came to an end. In January of 2024 he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. By August after going through all the treatments, he was cancer free. However the cancer returned in December and spread to other organs. It did not take very long as on July 31st surrounded by his family he passed away at the age of 65.

Originally Ryne Sandberg was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round of the 1978 MLB draft out of high school. Sandberg was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. He made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1981 as he played in only 13 games while getting 6 at-bats with 1 hit. In 1982 he was traded to the Chicago Cubs and the rest was history. The deal was lopsided that went the Cubs way as they got Sandberg and short stop Larry Bowa for outfielder Ivan DeJesus. Sandberg played with a chip on his shoulder his first year and had a batting average of .271 with 5 long balls and drove in 54 in 156 games. By the time 1984 came rolling, he won the NL MVP award by having a monster year. He had a batting average of .314 with 19 home runs, 19 triples while driving 84 runs. He scored 119 runs while swiping 32 bases. The Cubs that year broke a 39 year post-season drought. The Cubs would lose to the Padres in the NLCS. Sandberg wearing number 23 became a fan favorite in Chicago and with the Cubs games on the Superstation on WGN, he was well known all over the baseball world.

Ryne Sandberg appeared in 10 All-Star games. He won 9 Gold Gloves. He was a Silver Slugger award winner 7 times. In 1990 he won the Home Run Derby. In the same year he went deep 40 times and drove in 100 runs for the Cubs. Once again in 1989 he helped the Cubs get back to the post-season. The Cubs would lose in the NLCS this time to the Giants. During that NLCS he went 8-20 with the lumber. During regular season he batted .290 and had 30 long balls. He retired from the game in 1995. He did come back to play out two more years in 96 & 97. His career stats he has a batting average of .285 while racking up 2,386 hits. He hit 282 career home runs and drove in 1,061 runs. He scored 1,318 runs and swiped 344 bags. He played in 2,164 games in regular season. He made it into the Hall of Fame on his third ballot getting 76.2% of the vote by the sports writers that year to finally make it to Cooperstown.

I grew up a White Sox fan and was able to see them break their playoff drought in 1983. When the Cubs made it to the post-season in 1984, it was an interesting team as most of the roster had cool nicknames. Ryno was Ryne Sandberg. Ron Cey was the Penguin. Gary Matthews was the Sarge. I was not a Cubs hater back then. I was too young to get into the crosstown battles with anyone. I just like baseball and that 84 team was definitely my favorite Cubs team of them all. Sandberg was a great player from those Cubs teams, but they just did not have a ton of success in regular season. Former Red and Phillies second baseman Joe Morgan always had a beef with Sandberg like he was not good enough to make it into the baseball Hall of Fame. Morgan then was an ESPN analyst where he compared him and Sandberg playing in two different baseball eras. It seems like he always favored himself. As Morgan criticized Sandberg’s offensive numbers particularly on base percentage and stolen bases comparing Ryno to his stats. You never heard anything from Sandberg about Morgan who was basically trying to improve his own legacy. It did fuel an interesting debate about both Morgan and Sandberg. Both players were stellar at the second base position. They are both in the Hall of Fame for doing different things well during their storied baseball careers.

Ryne Sandberg was the quiet calm presence in the locker room when he played. His efforts on the field was his leadership in the locker room. He was a good citizen off the field. He had a messy divorce in the 1990’s as rumors were flowing back in the days when social media did not play a role. He overcame the divorce, finished his baseball career strong, and went into managing. He did well with the Cubs and Phillies minor leagues systems as manager. The Phillies promoted Sandberg to the Majors as a 3rd base coach. He then became the interim manager of the Phillies when they fired Charlie Manuel in 2013. Sandberg did not have the success as a MLB manager that he did as a player and as the skipper at the minor league levels. The Cubs retired his number 23. The Cubs will wear patches with the number 23 to honor Sandberg for the rest of this season because of his passing. The 1980’s in Chicago we had Walter Payton for the Bears. It was Air Jordan Michael for the Bulls. The Blackhawks had Denis Savard. In baseball on the south side of Chicago it was the Commander Carlton Fisk for the White Sox. Up North for the other team in town it was 23 Rhino. I feel he is part of some great Chicago sports history as he was a well decorated player by the end of his playing days. Do you count the Phillies cup of coffee he had with them? He was always a Cub even though he was drafted and debut with Philadelphia. Never heard anything negative about Ryno. He played the game the right way. It is unfortunate that the baseball world loses him at the young age of 65. He will be missed and to this day has a big fan base in the Windy City. RIP RYNO!!!

WHITE SOX 42ND VICTORY OF THE YEAR IS KIND OF BIG DEAL

The Chicago White Sox have been on fire since returning from the All-Star break. They have won 10 out of 14 games since the summer classic. They have played well even making two trades at the deadline and being sellers. They have to be sellers because they are the worst team in the American League record wise. However they are not the worst team in baseball. Last year the White Sox set the record for most losses in the modern era of baseball with a record of 41-121 breaking the New York Mets’ old record which was 40-120. It was the first year the Mets came into the league as an expansion team. On Saturday night in early August, this White Sox team broke last year’s record in wins with 42.

One of the White Sox trades that was made way before the deadline was with the Brewers. Milwaukee landed first baseman Andrew Vaughn while Chicago landed a veteran pitcher, Aaron Civale. Vaughn played badly early on for the White Sox and was sent back to the minors. The Brewers after the trade sent Vaughn down to their triple A squad. Then an injury happened, Vaughn was called back up to the big leagues, and has played outstandingly for the Brewers. Giving them big hits in bigger moments. The White Sox thinktank probably thought they could flip Civale at the trade deadline and get something better than Vaughn. Civale has struggled and was not traded at the deadline. On Saturday night he pitched his best game in a White Sox uniform as he tossed 6.1 innings of shut out ball. The White Sox only managed to score one run off the bat of their catcher Kyle Teel’s RBI single off X-Cub Kyle Hendricks. That’s all the White Sox needed as they won the game and shut out the Angels 1-0. In 9 starts this season, Civale is now 2-4 with the White Sox with a 3.56 ERA. His gem was a big deal because they are right now one game better than last year.

The White Sox are starting to see their new core of position players starting to gel. They brought in a new manager in the off-season, Will Veneable. This team is listening and getting on the same page as Venable’s message is getting across. The team has some veterans mixed in the everyday line up. They have a young starting rotation as Aaron Civale is the oldest guy. The bullpen has done well which some of the arms they got came right off the scrap heap. Somehow it’s all coming together for this franchise that has had a string of bad years of bad baseball on the field. The idiots in their front office along with the owner who is magnified as the biggest buffoon of them all every time he speaks to the media. The season has 2 full months left. This team could stack up another 20 victories before the season ends. Perhaps if solid play continues, they may play themselves out of being the worst team in the American League. If Colorado Rockies in the NL could say lose 122 games and take the White Sox bad record for most losses in the modern day era, it would be extra sweet. Right now 42 wins is feeling special.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES TRADE AT DEADLINE

The Pittsburgh Pirates indeed flip 34 year old left-handed veteran Taylor Rodgers after acquiring him in a previous trade for Ke’Bryan Hays, in a deal with the Cincinnati Reds. Rodgers was with the Pirates for about 24 hours as he then was traded away to another NL Central team, the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates in return get 22 year old minor league outfielder Ivan Brethrowr. It’s a two player deal involving Chicago and Pittsburgh.

The Chicago Cubs are in the mix for the playoffs. They have the second wild card spot right now hoping to make a run at the Brewers who recently leapfrogged the Cubs for the number one spot in the NL Central. Taylor Rodgers will sure up the late innings for the Cubs giving them a nice option late in the games. Rodgers has had a solid season for the Reds as he has a 2-2 record with a nice low 2.38 ERA in 41 games. Rodgers has ten seasons in the MLB and has 83 career saves if needed in the closing role.

On the same day as Taylor Rodgers being moved from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, his twin brother was traded away. Tyler Rodgers is a RHP who is also a reliever & was traded from San Francisco to the New York Mets. It’s the first time in baseball history that a pair of twins were traded away on the same day in baseball history.

Ivan Brethrowr was a 7th round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2024 MLB draft from the University of California. In two seasons in the lower level minor leagues, Brethrowr has played in 108 games. He has a batting average of .208 with 6 home runs while driving in 33. He has swiped 28 bags so far. It would make no sense to keep a 34 year old veteran Taylor Rodgers, who will be a free agent at the end of this season. The Pirates were able to flip Rodgers for a chance at a prospect who we don’t know if he will be a future piece with Pittsburgh going forward, or a bust. We may not know for a few more seasons to see how Brethrowr adapts to his new environment.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES TRADE AT THE DEADLINE

The Pittsburgh Pirates strike up another deal with the Evil Empire New York Yankees. The trade has 4 players involved. The Pirates get three players to the one guy the Yankees wanted. The Evil Empire land closer David Bednar from the Pirates. The Pirates get the Yankees number 8 prospect in their farm system catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores. They also get another catcher/first baseman Edgleen Perez and the the Yankees number 14th prospect in Brian Sanchez.

David Bednar was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 35th round of the 2016 MLB draft out of Lafayette College. He made his debut with the Padres in 2019 where he spent his first two seasons out of his seven year career. This season started off rocky for the Pirates closer who was sent down to the minor leagues to work on his craft. He worked on his mechanics and quickly came back to put up solid number to this point. He has a 2-5 record with 2.72 ERA in 43 games while converting 17 saves for the Pirates. Bednar is a 2x All-Star in back to back years with the Pirates. He converted 39 saves in the 2023 season. His career numbers he has a 14-23 record with 3.27 ERA in 294 games. He has closed out 101 games. All of those saves came in a Pirates uniform. The 30 year old Bednar should move right into the Yankees closer position that relied on a committee of relievers to close out games so far this season.

The Pirates in return get back Brian Flores who is 24 years of age and is predicted to make his MLB debut by next season. Flores in Double A ball this season is batting .287 with 15 long balls and has driven in 56 runs in 87 games. Edgleen Perez is only 19 years old and is from Venezuela. While Brian Sanchez was the number 14th prospect in the Yankees farm system. He is also from Venezuela. He is an outfielder and is 21 years of age. The Pirates did get a nice treasure chest back from their closer who has had his ups and downs over the last few seasons. We will not know what comes out of this treasure chest the Pirates received from those damn Yankees. It looks promising right now. We will have to wait. It’s another season where the Pirates are sellers & as fans we will wait miserably for this rebuild to look promising. Perhaps selling off some parts of this roster will help the Pirates future. It seems like it is the same ole song and dance.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX TRADE AT DEADLINE

The Chicago White Sox made another trade deadline deal and this time it’s with the Tampa Bay Rays. The deal involved 4 players as the White Sox will get three players for one. The White Sox net three players by sending their best starter, Adrian Houser, to the Rays. The White Sox get back 24 year old infielder Curtis Mead who has 111 Major League games under his belt. They also get two Minor League pitchers in 25 year old Duncan Davitt and 24 year old Ben Peoples. Both are right-handed.

We all know the Chicago White Sox live off the scrap heap when it comes to finding players. Sometimes they do find a gem like when they plucked Adrian Houser off the scrap heap after he opted out of his Minor League deal with the Texas Rangers this season. Houser was originally drafted by the Astros in the second round of the 2011 MLB draft out of high school. He made his MLB debut with the Brew Crew where he pitched in Milwaukee for 7 seasons out of 9 years in the big leagues. Last year with the Mets, Houser did not have a good year and the only offer was what Texas had as a minor league deal. This year in 11 starts Houser was absolutely amazing. He leaves the south side with a 6-2 record with an impressive 2.10 ERA as he tossed 68.2 innings while recording 47 strike outs. His career numbers in 9 seasons he has a 38-41 record with a 4.00 ERA. He has pitched in 163 Major League games making 115 starts. By far this is his best season. In 2021 he went 10-6 with the Brewers with 3.22 ERA. My favorite memory is his brilliant outing versus the Cubs recently where the White Sox bats came alive and he mowed down the cross town rivals. It was a victory that snapped a dreadful losing streak against the northsiders. The Rays are fighting for a wild card spot. Adding a hot pitcher at the trade deadline could be the key in securing a wild card spot. Houser has been one of the hottest pitchers in the entire league in the last several weeks.

The White Sox land another Australian player in this deal with the Rays. Remember how popular the last Aussie was in Chicago? Liam Hendriks was a solid closer for the White Sox for a few seasons and now with the Red Sox. The fans gravitated to Hendriks. Could Mead be the next White Sox Crocodile Dundee?

Curtis Mead is 24 years of age and has played some 3rd base and first in parts of 3 seasons with the Rays so far in his career. Mead should get plenty of playing time down the stretch for the White Sox. This season so far Mead has gotten 115 At-Bats as he has a .226 batting average with 3 long balls and driven in 8 runs. In three seasons he has tallied up only 320 At-Bats while racking up 76 hits. So far he has a lifetime batting average of .238 with 5 bombs and 20 runs driven in. In the Minor League Mead has scorched the ball with the lumber. Perhaps if Mead gets enough playing time he could be a future staple with this White Sox rebuild.

The White Sox also land a pair of pitchers in this deal. Duncan Davitt was drafted in the 18th round in the 2022 MLB draft from the University of Iowa. This year he has been a workhorse working 103.2 innings & has a 5-5 record with 4.08 ERA combined with Double AA ball and Triple AAA. Ben Peoples was converted to reliever this season. He was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2019 MLB draft from high school. Peoples has been impressive in the bullpen as he has a 2.65 ERA in 35 games. This trade by the White Sox seems like it has some potential. Adrian Houser is 32 years of age and will be a free agent after this season. Last year the White Sox took a flyer on Erick Fedde who came back from South Korea after pitching an excellent season in the KBO. Fedde was the White Sox’s best pitcher in 2024 and they dealt him to the Cardinals where he suddenly struggled. Houser could suddenly struggle with Tampa Bay. We don’t know how Houser will do beyond this year. His track record says differently from this season. It’s a good trade netting three players for a guy who is hot right now and not a future piece of the rebuild going forward.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES TRADE AT THE DEADLINE

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been busy bees so far at the trade deadline as they worked out another deal. This time with the Cincinnati Reds. It’s a three player deal as the Reds pry the Pirates’ starting third baseman, 28 year old Ke’Bryan Hays from Pittsburgh. Meanwhile the Pirates get two players back in the deal from the Reds starting with veteran reliever 34 year old left-handed Taylor Rogers and a short stop prospect in 20 year old Sammy Stafura.

Many thought Ke’Bryan Hays was one of the building blocks of this Pirates ongoing rebuild. Hays was a first round draft pick for the Pirates in the 2015 MLB draft as he was chosen 32nd overall out of high school. In 2022 the Pirates gave Hays an 8 year 70 million contract extension to lock him down in Pittsburgh for years to come. At the time that was the largest contract in Pirates history. What the hell happened? On the field he plays stellar defense as he won a Gold Glove in 2023. Swinging the lumber is his biggest issue. This season he’s batting .233 with 3 long balls and has driven in 39. He has six big league seasons under his belt & he has played in 578 games with a lifetime batting average of .254 with 40 total long balls and 215 runs driven in. The organization thought he found his groove with the lumber in 2023 where he had a batting average of .271 with 15 bombs and drove in 61. Ever since, the bat has gone cold.

The Cincinnati Reds are looking to get back to the post-season and are in the thick of things in the wild card race. The Reds have had problems at the hot corner this season. No stability as they used six different players at third. Hays could lock down third for them and it could improve their overall defense on the field. Perhaps a new team and fighting to make the playoffs could spark Hays’ bat as well. The Reds are hoping.

The Pirates in another deal traded their best left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson to Seattle. Is Taylor Rodgers his replacement? Rodgers has been pitching in the MLB for ten seasons. He was originally drafted by the Twins back in the 2012 MLB draft in the 11th round from the University of Kentucky. He has bounced around the last few seasons after playing six seasons with the Twins. He was with the Giants, Padres, & Brewers before suiting up for the Reds. This year he has been impressive for the Reds bullpen with a 2-2 record & a low 2.45 ERA in 40 games. His career numbers stand with a 30-36 record with 3.28 ERA in 549 major league games. He has also converted 83 career saves. The Pirates are in last place and are sellers at this trade deadline. They really don’t need a guy like Rodgers who is a free agent after this season. I could see the Pirates trading him to another team.

The main focus of this trade is on the short stop, Sammy Stafura. He was drafted by the Reds in the 2023 MLB draft in the second round out of high school. This season in the minor leagues in Class A Daytona, he has a batting average of .264 with 4 long balls and has driven in 48 in 88 games. Obviously we will not know how this trade pans out until a few years down the road. If the Pirates flip Rodgers, what will they get for his talent?

The Pirates will probably have Jared Triolo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa do the bulk of the work the rest of the season at third base. At some point the Pirates General Manager should be on the hot seat. He’s been on the job since 2020 and the house is not even fully built in this neverending rebuild. How many last place finishes does this team have to have before we do something smart? The real blame should be on Pirates owner Bob Nutting, a true miser. Another Scrooge owner of the MLB who cares more about his bank vault than the play on the field.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX TRADE AT THE DEADLINE

The White Sox have struck a deal with the Evil Empire involving two players. It’s that time of the year for Chicago to flip some of their bargain veterans into a few prospects. As the rebuild has to go on. The Yankees need outfield help and they acquire 32 year old Austin Slater from Chicago. In return, the White Sox get back a pitching prospect, 22 year old RHP Gage Ziehl.

Austin Slater was originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants back in 2014 in the 8th round of the MLB draft from Stanford University. He made his debut with the Giants in 2017 and spent parts of 8 seasons with the San Francisco. Last year he played for three teams as he was traded twice and he suited up for the Reds and Orioles. In the off-season, he signed with the White Sox on a one year deal worth 1.75 million. He was a guy that would be a platoon player in right field. Perhaps mentor the young players. Slater can play some first base and is good with the lumber versus left-handed pitching. This season with the White Sox he played in 51 games and had a batting average of .236 with 5 home runs and 11 runs driven in. Throughout his 9 seasons in the big leagues, he has been a bench player type of guy. He has played in 686 games and racked up 402 hits with 45 long balls. He has driven in 183 runs with a career batting average of .250. With Aaron Judge on the injured list, the Yankees needed another outfielder on their bench to fill in spots when needed. When the White Sox first signed Slater in the off-season, most fans rolled their eyes on the dollar bin signing. The only win against the Cubs, Slater did have a home run on that Friday night victory. He made some good memories only being on the south side for half a season. On the way out he mentioned that the White Sox was a fun clubhouse. He said the team has several building blocks in place. We will wait and see.

Maybe Austin Powers Slater’s play gifted the team back a solid piece from the Death Star. Gage Ziehl is a 4th round pick by the Yankees out of Miami University in last year’s draft. They say he is a competitor on the mound. He has a wicked slider which is his best pitch. He’s on track to be a future starter. He has 4.15 ERA working 82.1 innings this season in Lower A ball. He will need time to be seasoned just right before he sniffs the big league roster. I can’t expect the Yankees to give us a golden goose for a bench player. These small potatoes deals can hit once in awhile or they mostly miss.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES TRADE AT THE DEADLINE

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Seattle Mariners strike up a deal at the deadline involving two players. The Mariners looking to improve their bullpen, get the Pirates’ best left-handed reliever in 29 year old Caleb Ferguson. The Pirates in return land a 19 year old pitching prospect, Jeter Martinez, who is a native from Mexico.

Caleb Ferguson was drafted by the LA Dodgers in the 2014 MLB draft out of high school. Ferguson made his debut in the 2018 season with LA where he pitched parts of 5 seasons with the Dodgers. In seven seasons in the Majors, he also suited up for the Astros and Yankees. He missed the 2021 season due to injury. Ferguson has had two Tommy John surgeries in his career. In the off-season he signed a one year deal with the Pirates worth 3 million. In 45 games for the Pirates this season, Ferguson has a 2-2 record with 3.74 ERA as he worked 43.1 innings from the bullpen. In 7 seasons Ferguson has 308 games under his belt, during which he has made 14 starts and has worked just over 300 innings. He has a winning record so far in his career as he is 21-15 with a 3.69 ERA. He has closed out six games as well. The Mariners get an LHP that gives them another option out of the bullpen late in games. The Mariners have been busy so far at the deadline as we all know more is to come. The Mariners are trying to chase down the Astros for the AL West division crown. They hold a wild card spot right now as they want to keep that if they can’t catch Houston.

Even though the Pirates have been doing well in the last few weeks since the All-Star break, they are too far out from it to make a playoff push. It’s back to the drawing board once again which is the same ole song and dance for the Pirates organization. When you sign with the Pirates for a one year deal and if the team is not doing well, you become expendable. The Pirates get a pitching prospect that is 19 years old and has three seasons under his belt at the lower level of Minor League ball. Jeter Martinez is projected to be a starter some day. In 16 starts this season, Jeter has a 2-6 record with a very high 6.18 ERA. If he was named after Derek Jeter, one of the great Yankees of all-time, those stats are not very Jeter-like. The Pirates still have their work cut out for themselves in developing this kid into a Major League pitcher someday. A Caleb Ferguson is only going to net you a prospect that is like a diamond in the ruff. Most of the times there’s no diamond, you just get a rock. We will all know how this trade works out for the Pirates in a few years.

MLB TRADE

In the Star Wars movies, the Empire had their fair share of planets in the galaxy which they owned. From which they could pluck away their resources when needed. In the MLB galaxy you have to believe the Evil Empire New York Yankees can do that as Colorado has been a nice resource for them especially at the third base position. The Yankees and Rockies strike a deal involving three players. The Yankees acquire veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon in exchange for a pair of minor league pitching prospects. The Yankees just released a former Rockies second baseman who manned the hot corner for them the last few seasons, DJ LeMahieu.

Ryan McMahon was drafted in the second round out of high school in the 2013 MLB draft by the Rockies. This is his 9th season in the MLB and all of them have been in the rocky mountain high state until now when he reports to the Death Star. McMahon earned his first All-Star appearance last season for the Rockies. This year he has gotten off to dreadful start with the lumber but in recent weeks has recovered. He is the NL leader in strikeouts. When you swing for the fences, usually strike outs occur. McMahon has hit 20 or more home runs per season in the last 4 seasons. He is on pace for his fifth year as he has 16 home runs right now. When you strike out and swing for the fences, the average is usually low as McMahon has a batting average of .217 and has driven in 35 in 100 games this season. Lifetime with the lumber, McMahon has a batting average of .241, 140 long balls, and has driven in 455 runs. He is 30 years old & the Yankees will have control over him until the end of the 2027 season. He is an upgrade for the Yankees at third base. McMahon brings a solid glove to the diamond as defense has been an issue for the Evil Empire this entire season. The Yankees are chasing the Blue Jays in the AL East for the division title. Right now they are still in a good spot to have a wild card spot. McMahon leaves the worst team in the entire MLB for the mighty Yankees, who are almost always playoff bound.

The Rockies being the worst team in the league this season need to collect a ton of prospects to help turn around their franchise. They get two pitchers that have not reached Double A ball yet. Griffin Herring is a 22 year old kid drafted out of LSU last year in the 6th round. Between single Low A and High A ball, he has an impressive 1.71 ERA as he made 16 starts and tossed 89.1 innings this season.

The other pitching prospect they got is Josh Grosz who was the 11th round pick in the 2023 MLB draft from East Carolina University. He has made 15 starts this season in Single High A ball and has 4.14 ERA in 87 innings pitched. Not sure the Rockies could have gotten more for Ryan McMahon. The top third baseman on the market is Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suarez. The Rockies may have gotten less for McMahon because Suarez is in higher demand.

MLB TRADE

The Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks strike up a deal involving three players. The Mariners, right now holding on to a wild card spot in the AL, acquire 28-year-old first baseman Josh Naylor from the snakes in the dessert. The Diamondbacks are having a full blown fire sale as they may get rid of some pieces like Naylor and others who are at the end of their current contracts. Naylor brings the Diamondbacks two young pitchers, one of them has made their MLB debut this season. The Snakes get LHP 25-year-old Brandyn Garcia and RHP 21-year-old Ashton Izzi.

Josh Naylor was originally drafted by the Miami Marlins out of high school in the 1st round of the 2015 MLB draft, 12th overall. He made his debut with the Padres in 2019 where he played parts of two seasons. He became the left-handed slugger playing for the Guardians for parts of 5 seasons. He was an All-Star last year for the Guardians, his only appearance in the summer classic. During the off-season, Naylor was traded to the desert after he helped Cleveland win the AL Central. This year in 93 games Naylor has a solid batting average of .293 with 11 home runs driving in 49 runs. He has 7 seasons under his belt in the MLB and has racked up 642 hits during that span. He has a career batting average of .267 with 95 total home runs while driving in 402 runs. Naylor will be a free agent after this season. Right now the Mariners will improve their weakest link on the diamond, the first base position. The Mariners are holding down a wild card spot right now but could still make a run at the Astros who are currently leading that division, the AL West. Naylor will give the Mariners a solid 1 through 9 batting line up. He can take over the first base duties and could slide into the DH role if needed.

Brandyn Garcia was drafted by the Mariners in the 2023 MLB draft in the 11th round from Texas A&M. Garcia made his MLB debut this season as he appeared in 3 games and has worked 3 innings total from the bullpen. He has no record with a 3.00 ERA. This season in the minors he has basically worked only as a reliever. Most of his minor league career he has been penciled in as a starter. Maybe Seattle’s brain trust thinks he would be more valuable coming out of the pen than taking the ball every 5th day. It was his work out of the bullpen that did get him the call to come to the Show.

Ashton Izzi has three seasons in the minor leagues. Right now he’s pitching in high A-ball. He was a 4th round pick prep draftee. He has racked up 47 minor league starts in three seasons with a 4.13 ERA combined pitching in the minors. Did Arizona get a few pieces to help their future? Garcia could be a bullpen pitcher for the snakes for years to come. Izzi, you never know. We are not sure the Diamondbacks would have re-signed Naylor after this season. They are not going to make the playoffs in such a talented division. It’s not a bad idea if you can get a few future pieces that can help you tomorrow.

WHITE SOX GOLD TURNS INTO A CARDINAL BUST

We all know the Chicago White Sox were the worst team in baseball in the 2024 season. The General Manager of the White Sox, Chris Getz, since he was hired he has been busy trading away the old pieces of the rebuild and collecting bargain pieces to flip at the trade deadline. This has continued into the 2025 season for Getz and the White Sox. One of those bargains Getz signed was RHP former first round pick of the Washington Nationals, Erik Fedde, who was a bust. Fedde in 2023 was coming off a 20-win season pitching in Korea, so he inked a two-year deal by Chicago to return to the Majors before the 2024 season. Fedde was a hot commodity at the trade deadline last year after a nice solid first half pitching for the worst team in baseball. The Cardinals came calling and were able to land Fedde at the deadline. Almost one year later the Cardinals just gave Fedde his walking papers and designated him for assignment.

Erik Fedde was selected 18th overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2014 MLB draft out of the University of Nevada. In parts of six seasons with the Washington Nationals, Fedde pitched in 102 games which 88 of them were starts. He had a record of 21-33 with a high 5.41 ERA. In 2022 he had a record of 6-13 and 5.81 ERA as the Nationals had seen enough. In 2023 he switched up a few things overseas and was MVP of the league in his only season pitching in Korea. He earned the two-year deal to return to the MLB. In 21 starts for the White Sox, he had a 7-4 record with 3.11 ERA. After he was traded to St. Louis, he made ten starts for the red birds. In ten starts he had a record of 2-5 while his ERA went up. It was still respectable at 3.72 ERA. Combined he finished the 2024 season with 9-9 record. This year he has gone back to his Nationals way of doing things. In 20 starts in 2025, he has a 3-10 record with 5.22 ERA. He has worn a Cardinals uniform for parts of two seasons which equals out to one full season. The Cardinals have gotten a guy whose record combined in both seasons was 5-15 with 4.69 ERA. Now the 32-year-old will hope someone will make a trade for him. If that does not work, he may be plucked off waivers by a team. A return to Korea is not out of the question. I’m sure the White Sox got a prospect for Fedde. The prospect may not work out, but a bag of balls or a can of beans would have won that deal.

MLB TRADE

The Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves strike a deal involving two players and cash. The Braves are desperate for starting pitching as the rotation is riddled with injuries. They will acquire 30 year old RHP Dane Dunning from Texas. Meanwhile the Rangers will get cash and journeyman reliever 30 year old RHP Jose Ruiz. Both Ruiz and Dunning have once pitched for the White Sox in their careers.

I’m not sure the Braves can make the deals this season that will help them get back in the post-season like they have done in the past. Their record right now is a hole they may not be able to dig themselves out of. Dane Dunning this season has pitched out of the Rangers bullpen who has been a starter most of his entire career. This season in 5 games has no record with 3.38 ERA while working 10.2 innings. He has converted 2 saves. Last season Dunning did not do well as he had a 5-7 record and very high 5.31 ERA in 26 games as he made 15 starts. Dunning has a World Series ring with the Rangers and had a solid season in 2023 when Texas won it all. His record that year was 12-7 with 3.70 ERA. He made a few post-season starts that year as well. Dunning was originally drafted by the Washington Nationals in the first round of the 2016 MLB draft from University of Florida. The Nats trade him to the White Sox where he made his debut in the pandemic year of 2020. The White Sox dealt Dunning to the Rangers after one season for veteran hurler Lance Lynn. In six seasons, Dunning has a lifetime record of 28-32 with 4.34 ERA in 129 games as he made 102 starts. He now has a chance to return to the starting rotation with the Braves.

Jose Ruiz from Venezuela has had a down year so far as he pitched for the Braves and Phillies this season. In 18 games so far this season, he has a 1-0 record with a very high 8.82 ERA. The Rangers are hoping they can get the 2024 version of Ruiz who pitched in 52 games for Philadelphia and had a 5-1 record with 3.71 ERA. Ruiz debuted with the Padres and then spent 6 seasons with the White Sox. He has also suited up for the Diamondbacks in 9 seasons in the MLB. He has pitched in 282 total MLB games and has an 11-9 record with 4.62 ERA. Most of his games he has pitched out of the bullpen. This is basically a trade to give these two guys different surroundings and hope new scenery will revive their baseball careers at this time.

A PITTSBURGH PIRATES TRADE

The Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates strike up a trade involving two players. Adam Frazier’s second stint with the Pirates will turn into his second stint with the Royals. The Pirates utility man will head back to Kansas City where he played last season to help bolster the Royals bench. In return, the Pirates get a minor league short stop in 28 year old Cam Devanney.

Adam Frazier was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates back in the 2013 MLB draft from Mississippi State in the 6th round. He made his MLB debut back in 2016. He was then traded to the Padres in 2021. Since he was traded he has bounced around the league playing for Padres, Mariners, Orioles, & then last year with the Royals. He’s 33 years old and has 10 years in the MLB. He has played parts of 7 seasons with the Pirates who signed him this off-season. This year he has a batting average of .258 with 3 long balls and has drove in 23. Frazier bats from the left side and has earned himself one All-Star appearance in his 10 year career. With the lumber lifetime, he has racked up 964 hits as he should reach 1,000 milestone this season. He has a career batting average of .263 with 63 long balls and has driven in 362 runs. The Royals are trying to reach the post-season in back-to-back seasons. Frazier can play second and the corner spots of the outfield. The Pirates find themselves once again in last place so they are selling off some of the pieces they really don’t need for this ongoing rebuild.

Did the Pirates land their future short stop in this deal? These trades can be like winning a raffle ticket. Most times you are just throwing money away. Cam Devanney was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers back in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB draft from Elon University. He bats from the right side and is still looking to make his MLB debut. He is having a break out season. He has played in the Royals Triple A Omaha team. He has a batting average of .272 with 18 long balls and has driven in 55 this season. Last year the Pirates acquired Isiah Kiner- Falefa at the trade deadline as they were buyers at the time. KIner-Falefa has been playing short stop most of this season for Pittsburgh. The Pirates could trade Kiner-Falefa this season and insert Devanney at short to see what kind of raffle ticket they landed in this deal. I like seeing Adam Frazier returning to the Pirates this season. The Pirates are not going anywhere and if you could get something for him, it has to be done. We will wait and see what happens as this trade is to be continued.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WINS ALL-STAR GAME ON THE HOME RUN SWING OFF

Many people probably went to bed thinking the National League had the game in the bag with a big lead late in the game versus the American League in the Summer Classic. The AL came back and tied the game. It was 6-6 after 9 innings. To break the tie, the MLB has the home run swing off. The commissioner of the MLB, Robert Manfred, continues to ruin America’s past time with another ridiculous way to settle a game after 9 innings. Like ice hockey having a shoot out. At least they do a five minute overtime before the shoot out. During regular season, Manfred put in the new rule a few years back in baseball that the automatic runner at second base speeds up extra innings. The pitch clock may be a blessing to some, but for others it ruins the purity of the game.

On Monday, MLB had the annual Home Run Derby. On Tuesday after the 9 inning game was over and both teams were tied, the Derby came back on to the field to settle the game. I guess it beats a tie. At least play one extra inning to try to decide the game the ole fashion way. The baseball All-Star game has by far been the best in sports. The NFL is down to flag football. No defense in the NBA All-Star game. The NHL has improved their half way point game by doing a tournament with countries. On Monday the Big Dumper won the Home Run Derby, being the first catcher and switch hitter to win that competition. On Tuesday night, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber won the Home Run Swing Off that gave the National League the victory. Schwarber took three straight pitches yard and that’s game. He also received the All-Star game MVP for those 3 swings.

HOW THE WHITE SOX AND PIRATES ALL-STARS DID?

Paul Skenes for the Pittsburgh Pirates started his second career All-Star game in back to back seasons for the NL. He has only been in the league for two seasons. He once again was impressive as he threw a perfect inning striking out two batters.

Shane Smith made his first All-Star game of his career in his rookie season for the American League representing the Chicago White Sox. Shane hit a batter. He did record one out on a fielder’s choice. Did not give up any runs.

In 94 All-Star games being played in MLB History, the American League still lead the all-time series 48-44-2. They have two ties on record. The 2025 All-Star game is the first in the books won by the Home Run Swing Off.

THE BIG DUMPER MAKES DERBY HISTORY

The Seattle Mariners’ backstop made history at the 2025 Home Run derby. Cal Raleigh, aka The Big Dumper because of his big backside, is the first catcher of all-time to win the derby. The Big Dumper actually doubled down and also becomes the very first switch hitter to win the Derby. In the first round of the tournament that featured 8 sluggers from the MLB, the Big Dumper advanced by 1 inch to reach the semi-finals.

In the first round from the Sacramento Athletics, Brent Rooker tallied up 17 home runs. In the first round, The Big Dumper tallied up the same 17 home runs. The tie breaker in the Derby rules is whoever had the longest home run would move on. The Big Dumper’s longest in the first round was 470.62 while Rooker’s was 470.54 feet.

Brent Booker was eliminated with three others in the first round which included from the Washington Nationals, James Woods, who had 16 home runs. Then there was also the Atlanta Braves’ own Matt Olson who had 15 in front of the home crowd.

It’s rough when your lifesaver lets you down in the first round. The return to the Yankees Death Star may not be kind to Jazz Chisholm Jr., who took last with only 3 long balls. I like seeing bad things happen to any player wearing Yankees pinstripes. Poetic justice. A small victory here for the rebellion.

SECOND ROUND SEMI FINALS

After the first round, Oneil Cruz from the Pirates had the number one seed and faced The Big Dumper who was number 4. Junior Caminero had the number two seed from the Rays and was facing the Twins’ Byron Buxton who ended up number three. Junior was the number two even though he had the same amount of home runs as Cruz in the first round. The tie breaker went to Cruz because he had the longest home run of the night. His 513 feet blast is tied for the longest non-Coors Field dinger in Derby history.

In the second round, all’s Junior Caminero needed was 8 home runs to beat Byron Buxton. Junior did not even use all his pitches and had plenty on the clock to reach 8 to advance to the Derby championship. Then Oneil Cruz would lose to Cal Raleigh in the semi-finals, 19-13. It was The Big Dumper vs Junior for the Derby championship.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP

The Rays third baseman Junior Caminero would have been the youngest player at the age of 22 to win the Derby. He had 15 home runs as Seattle’s backstop won the 2025 derby with 18 long balls in the championship. History was still made with a catcher winning it all. It all seems right because Cal Raleigh led the entire MLB in home runs before the All-Star Break. The cool thing about having The Big Dumper winning it all is he had his father pitching to him in the Derby. He had his younger brother, who is 15 years old and is taller than him, as the catcher.

WHITE SOX UNVEIL THEIR NEWEST STATUE

The White Sox’s latest new statue is dedicated to another member of the 2005 World Series team. It was Mark Buehrle day last Friday at The Rate on the 20th anniversary of the 2005 team. The festivities of the 20th anniversary kicked off on Friday with the unveiling of the statue. The entire weekend was dedicated to the entire team of players and coaches from 2005. Many of them were in town over the weekend and saw their LHP unveil a life size statue of himself on the concourse in right field. In 2017 they retired Buehrle’s number 56. Paul Konerko was the first player from the 2005 team to get the White Sox royal treatment and doubled down on his number being retired with a lifesize statue of the Captain on the outfield concourse.

Mark Buehrle is a man of few words and looked nervous as he and his family pulled off the blanket covering his statue that was under it. His words while he spoke to the fans and his X-teammates that came into town to see him will be etched at the Rate for his lifetime and beyond. “I can’t put into words, you don’t play the game for any of this. You never think retirement or statues. I can’t even wrap my head around it. It doesn’t make sense.”

Mark Buehrle played 16 seasons in the MLB. Buehrle played 12 seasons with the White Sox and he should have been on the south side for all 16 seasons. Cough, cough… owner!! He earned 5 All-Star appearances and won 4 Gold Gloves in his career. He pitched a no hitter and a perfect game, both in a White Sox uniform. His career stats he won 214 games & lost 160. He had a lifetime 3.81 ERA in 518 games. He tallied up 3,283 innings while striking out 1,870 batters. He was drafted by the White Sox and made his debut in 2000. He pitched for the White Sox from 2000 until 2011. He played one season as a Marlin and finished his career with the Blue Jays where he pitched up North for 3 seasons. He piled up 33 complete games and managed to pitch 200 or more innings for 14 seasons in a row. He had that rubber arm and never found himself on the injured list. He was a workhorse eating up innings like a Pac-Man video game devouring pellets. For the White Sox his record was 161-119 with 3.83 ERA in 390 games. In the 2005 post season, Buehrle had a 2-0 record with 3.14 ERA. He had a complete game in the ALCS versus the Angels. He started game 2 versus Houston in the World Series. He ended up notching the save in game 3 of the World Series in Houston that went into extra innings and was a marathon. He did manage to hit 1 home run in his career. It was off the Brewers in Milwaukee where he connected and the ball made it to the seats for his only home run of his career.

Mark Buehrle retired after the 2015 season at the age of 36. He could have continued pitching for someone after he finished the last 4 year deal he had with the Blue Jays. He had that rubber arm where he could have pitched into his 40’s. He only had one losing season record-wise. Back in 2006 he went 12-13. He had three seasons where he had finished the season with an even record. His first season was the only season he did not have double digits in wins. In 2000 he only started 3 games and pitched in 28. Could he have gotten 300 wins? I would say yes. He’s still on the Hall of Fame ballot but would need a larger percent to get to the 75% which gets you in Cooperstown. I don’t think he will make it to Cooperstown. I think if he had 250 wins he would have gotten in for sure. He is one of the greatest White Sox players of all-time. That’s why they retired his number and made a statue for him. I don’t think it will bother him. He left the game on a high note finishing the season in 2015 with a 15-8 record. Jermaine Dye who was in for the festivities said to one of the reporters something like it takes getting a statue to get the man out of the house. He won the World Series. He helped a franchise that broke a 88 year drought from winning their last title back in 1917. He threw some dandies out on the mound like the epic perfect game. He loved to play the game. He loves his family who were all there soaking in the entire atmosphere. That 2005 team went 11-1 in post-season and could be thrown into the conversation as one of the best teams of all-time. In the ALCS they knocked off the Angels as all the White Sox starters threw a complete game like Buerhle did in that series. That may never happen ever again in baseball history. That team and Buerhle’s teammates are brothers and friends for the rest of their lives because of that season. Buerhle, like Paul Konerko’s well deserved honor by the White Sox front office to retire both their numbers and throw in a statue, is a big deal because they were big when it all counted.

POPE LEO AND CAPTAIN KONERKO LINKED TO NUMBER 14 FOREVER IN WHITE SOX NATION

Over the weekend it was a massive celebration of the 2005 Chicago White Sox World Series team’s 20th anniversary. The White Sox were hosting the division rival Cleveland Guardians at the Rate in a 4 game series. Many of the players and coaches from the 2005 team were on hand for the weekend festivities. One special moment of the weekend was the jersey Paul Konerko received from the Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich. The Cardinal unveiled the back of a White Sox jersey with the Captain’s last name Konerko and under Paulie’s last name was Pope Leo. Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago, is a die hard White Sox fan, and became the first Pope from the United States. Under both names was the number 14 which was Paulie’s number he wore 16 seasons on the south side of Chicago. Robert Francis Prevost picked Leo as his Pope name and he is the 14th to do so. Also on the back of the jersey, Pope Leo XIV signed the jersey for Paul Konerko.

Paul Konerko is not a Hall of Fame player as he was on the ballot and did not get enough votes to stay on the ballot very long. However, Konerko was a Hall of Fame player for the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox retired his number 14 and gave the Captain a statue which is located on the the outfield concourse with many other White Sox legends. He was one of the big heroes of that 2005 World Series team. He earned the ALCS MVP versus the Angels. In regular season he hit 40 home runs for the White Sox in 2005 and had a batting average of .283 while driving in 100. Everyone remembers the long ball he had versus Houston in the World Series which will go down as one of the most epic home runs ever hit in White Sox history.

Robert Francis Prevost was not the Pope in 2005. He was in the stands in game 1 of the World Series in Chicago when they played the Houston Astros. Then they were from the National league. He was sitting in section 140 row 19, seat 2. You wonder if Jerry Reinsdorf, the Chicago White Sox miser owner, has the original seat now in his mansion and replaced it with a phony. Paul Konerko was a fan favorite and is still loved by the White Sox faithful today. His heroics would never be forgotten. Paulie was always a class act. The chants of “Paulie” are still heard today at White Sox park along with “HAROLD,” referring to the great Harold Baines. You might say that Robert Francis Prevost may have been a Konerko fan. Paulie was taken back when he received the jersey from the Pope which was delivered by the Cardinal. Paul wants to return the favor and sent Leo XIV an autographed Konerko jersey. In the interview afterwards, Paulie said his mother would probably love this jersey signed by Leo XIV. I’m sure Paulie will give her the jersey signed by the pope which has to be a special feeling. A good omen. Like the man upstairs is watching you and taking care of you at the same time. Konerko appreciated the gesture and was happy to receive this unplanned gift. In 2005, the song was “Don’t Stop Believing,” so anything was possible back then for this team and probably currently. Maybe Leo XIV needs his number 14 Pope hat retired by the White Sox when he’s done with his duties in the Vatican.

THE TOAST TO BOBBY JENKS

Over the weekend the Chicago White Sox celebrated the 20th anniversary of the 2005 World Series team at Rate Field. On Saturday many of the players and coaches from that 2005 team came together and toasted one of their fallen members, 2x All-Star closer Bobby Jenks who passed away on July 4th at the age of 44. In February, Jenks was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma which is a type of stomach cancer. He would pass away in Sintra, Portugal surrounded by his wife and children. Even during the fight of this deadly disease eating away at Jenks, he still wanted to be in Chicago with his 2005 family and the White Sox faithful remembering that magical year this past weekend. Jenks’ wife and kids would be in attendance as many of the players from that team were on hand wearing their jerseys for the weekend celebration.

The tray of Miller Lite Beers were handed out to each player and former coaches. The toast was engineered by Bobby Jenks’ teammate Mark Buehrle and manager of the 2005 team, Ozzie Guillen.

Chants of “Bobby” were heard through the stadium by the White Sox faithful. They had a number 45 Bobby Jenks jersey and the 2005 World Series trophy featured in their group pictures and part of the ceremony to remember their fallen teammate and what Jenks and this group did on the field that season. The number 45 was etched on the pitching mound dirt behind the rubber. The White Sox team has been wearing 45 patches on their jerseys since July 4th when they heard the news.

Bobby Jenks closed out the World Series game 4 to help the White Sox break an 88 year drought from their last title all the way back to 1917. Jenks had two saves in the World Series versus the Astros who the White Sox swept. Many of the guys told great stories about the big boy that opposing batters feared. Ozzie Guillen said Jenks had the closer mentality on the mound but after he closed out the game he was like a giant teddy bear. Perhaps fitting in perfect with all the Disney characters at the amusement park. Mark Buehrle said Jenks was throwing 100 MPH before many other guys. He was a big dude that controlled his pitches with precision. Jenks’ former catcher AJ Pierzynski commented on how Jenks was originally a starter in the minor leagues before he got to the Majors so he had quite the pitching arsenal. He threw many of those pitches 100 MPH as well. The White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko commented that Jenks was a pitcher ahead of his time because of the 100 MPH blazing fast ball. The right fielder back then, Jermaine Dye, said Jenks was a prankster but hated when people touched him. That did not stop Dye from tickling the fat man. Jenks was very ticklish as well. Jenks would pitch 6 years out of 7 seasons on the south side of Chicago and had back to back years of saving 40 or more games. He had a great run as closer.

Also on hand was Bobby Jenks’ best friend Toby Hall, a former MLB catcher. Hall played for the White Sox in 2007 and 2008 as Jenks was his teammates and they became great friends from that point on until his passing. Hall was the bench coach for Jenks on the Windy City Thunderbolts staff, the team Bobby managed. Hall is now the interim manager of the Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts are from the Frontier league which is a independent minor league baseball league. The team is located in Crestwood, Illinois which is a south suburb of Chicago. Hall was on hand to accompany Jenks’ wife and kids to the ceremonies. That was something Bobby requested before his passing.

I really do not like giving the White Sox organization any compliments because of all the dumb things they do. This weekend. This tribute. The organization nailed it. I would like to think the players on the 2005 team ran with it and made some new memories happen from their improv and taking things into their own hands. Since the passing of Jenks when they first got back to Chicago, they honored Jenks with a moment of silence in the first home game wearing the patches on their jersey which will be there the rest of the season. They will also keep his number by the pitching rubber the rest of the season. It was a weekend of great memories. It was cool seeing all those former players hanging out together. It is sad seeing those guys lose one of their own. You can tell they loved the big man and he is up in the heavens loving all of those guys. It was a classy toast and well deserved at the same time. Bobby Jenks will also be one of those heroes from that 2005 team that it seems every night a different number was called. That is what makes that team so incredibly special. In Chicago White Sox baseball, great teams don’t come around very often.

PAUL SKENES WILL MAKE HIS 2ND START FOR THE NL IN THE 2025 ALL-STAR GAME

Paul Skenes has already been down the same road his rookie season last year. Once again Skenes has been named the starter for the National League in Tuesday’s All-Star game at Truist Park in Atlanta. In his rookie season Skenes made his first All-Star game and was named the starter in that summer classic. He also won Rookie of the Year. Skenes will also be the lone Pittsburgh Pirate representative in this year’s summer classic. However his teammate Oneil Cruz will be participating in Monday’s Home Run Derby as part of the summer classic festivities.

Paul Skenes gets the nod at starter despite a losing record this season. The 23 year old RHP has not had the run support this season in 20 starts. He has a record of 4-8. Skenes still has been impressive in year two as he has the lowest ERA in the National League. He has worked 121 innings. with a 2.01 ERA. The opponent’s batting average is .189 when they face Skenes. He has struck out 131 batters. Last year he finished his rookie season with 23 starts and had a winning record of 11-3 and even lower 1.96 ERA. His career numbers in a season and a half he still has a winning record of 15-11 with the 1.98 ERA in 43 total starts. He has worked already 254 innings and has racked up 301 strikeouts. Hopefully the Pirates offense can give their ace some run support in the second half of this season so Skenes could add some wins to his record. I would like to see him get double figure wins in year two and if possible finish the year off with a winning record. Impressive start for the number one pick in 2023 from LSU looking to have two All-Star starts under his belt in 2 seasons.

A CHICAGO WHITE SOX TRADE

The Chicago White Sox are looking for younger players they feel can mash the baseball as part of this rebuild. The White Sox swung a deal for a 27 year outfielder that was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays. The trade involves one player and cash considerations. The Blue Jays will collect the bounty on their former draft pick while the White Sox acquire Will Robertson from Toronto.

Will Robertson was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 4th round of the 2019 MLB draft out of Creighton University which is a school that uses Blue Jays as their team name. The Toronto Blue Jays did bring Robertson up to the MLB level where he made his MLB debut for three games. He only had 10 At-bats and landed his first ever MLB hit. The Blue Jays are gearing up for a playoff run this season which made Robertson become expendable as he was DFA a few weeks back.

Will Robertson hits from the left side of the plate. He stands at 6’1″ weighting 215 lbs. For the Blue Jays Triple A team the Buffalo Bison, this season Robertson has been seeing the baseball very well. In 62 games for the Bison this season he has a .292 batting average with 14 long balls and has driven in 44 runs in 62 games. This is why he was called up. However only giving him three games & then cutting ties from him brings up plenty of questions. The White Sox did not hesitate to put him on their MLB roster as he was activated this weekend versus the Guardians. He did appear in 2 games so far for the White Sox, had 5 more at-bats, and has not done anything yet. Only 5 MLB games is not enough. The White Sox do have plenty of outfielders that feature Luis Robert Jr., Michael Tauchman, Austin Slater, and Michael Taylor. Some of these guys may be dealt at the trade deadline as the White Sox obviously will be sellers. Robertson may get plenty of games to find his swing at the MLB level. I think the White Sox pulled the trigger on this deal with the Blue Jays so if Robertson did land on waivers, the Colorado Rockies may have plucked him. Now we will wait and see if the White Sox pulled off a heist here on Toronto. It is a low risk style of deal that has a high ceiling.

ELOY JIMENEZ HITS ROCK BOTTOM

Eloy Jimenez’s baseball career is at the crossroads. The Tampa Bay Rays signed Jimenez to a minor league deal in spring and the former White Sox slugger did not make the opening day roster. Jimenez has been playing for the Rays Triple A team, the Durham Bulls. He was activated off the injured list & then was served his walking papers as the former MLB outfielder/DH is officially a free agent. In 40 games down on the farm, Jimenez was batting .278 with 3 long balls on 194 plate appearances. He had two stints on the injured list and was not even worth a call up to the Rays MLB roster.

Last season the White Sox traded Eloy Jimenez to the Baltimore Orioles. In 33 games in Baltimore, Jimenez had 95 at-bats in 33 games & had a batting average of .232 with only 1 home run. Jimenez is just a shell of his former self, a player that has lost his power. Another guy from that last White Sox rebuild and part of the core that was assembled there who went from being a bonafide slugger in the league to a limp dick style of player. That rebuild former White Sox General manager Rick Hahn built was a house of cards which was blown down rather quickly. When last season concluded, the Orioles declined Jimenez’s option and made him a free agent. Then he signed with the Rays.

What is next for Eloy Jimenez? He has a laundry list of injuries throughout his entire career. He is a liability running the bases. He is a liability on defense. He was always known for using the lumber. In 2019 his rookie season, he came into the league like gang busters muscling out 31 long balls. In the shortened season in 2020 due to the invasion of Covid, he stayed healthy. He played in 55 games and won a Silver Slugger award. He had a batting average of .296 with 14 long balls and drove in 41. Impressive. With injuries he would never hit 20 or more home runs in one season again. In six seasons he has tallied up 95 long balls. He has missed a ton of games. It was always the same thing with him if he could stay healthy he could put up monster years. The concern I have is the injuries mounted up where his power numbers have gone to curbside. This has happened to Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, and now Eloy Jimenez. Three players from the last White Sox rebuild where their power has suddenly disappeared without a trace. Where does Eloy go from here? He can play ball overseas and try to find his old swing in Japan or Korea. He would be a big name for some of the independent leagues across the states. In those leagues he may rediscover his old swing in a less pressured environment. I hope he does make a comeback down the road. He seems like a good person overall & a native from the Dominican Republic. When injuries pile up on a person like for Eloy, it might be the body saying it has had enough whereas his mindset disagrees.

SHANE SMITH IS THE WHITE SOX LONE ALL-STAR

Congratulations to Shane Smith, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, making his first All-Star game in his rookie season!!! Sometimes having a good season on a bad team pays off in other ways. Smith becomes only the second player ever to make an All-Star game in the same year being selected in the Rule 5 draft.

Former Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla was the first in the 2006 season. The Rule 5 draft is conducted every year. It’s a pool of players that are not on the team’s 40 man roster. It prevents teams from hoarding talent. Smith found a new team & then made the White Sox opening day roster being the 5th man in the starting rotation while making his MLB debut.

The rookie RHP is only 24 years of age. Shane Smith played his college ball at Wake Forest University. This season he has a 3-7 record with 4.26 ERA in 18 starts. In the last 5 starts he has pitched, they have not been as smooth as his first 13. In his first 13 starts in the MLB, he did not allow more than 3 runs per start. He had 2.37 ERA in those first 13 starts. He has shown the White Sox organization he is a keeper and a piece of this future rebuild. He has worked 86.2 innings so far this season and has struck out 81 batters. The White Sox will monitor his work load in the second half where he may have a certain pitch count each contest he starts. On Tuesday July 15th at the All-Star game, we may see him get some action in Atlanta pitching against the National League. We hope he represents the fan base well and pitches a clean inning.

THE POWER OF GREY SKULL

In Masters of the Universe, it was He-Man that had the power of Grey Skull with his mighty sword. In the baseball world, it is Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz who has the power of PNC Park’s Grey Skull as he uses his mighty bat to destroy the baseball. Cruz will be on hand for the MLB summer classic as he will participate in the annual Home Run derby being held in Atlanta this season with the rest of the festivities. Nobody in the baseball world hits the ball harder than Cruz with a 96.1 MPH exit velocity, which is tops in the majors. The derby will be getting a slugger with a track record of some very far home runs hit by the 26 year old native from the Dominican Republic, and he is all about hitting the baseball far.

In the past, Oneil Cruz has turned down the Home Run Derby as he was dealing with the ankle issues. Using the All-Star break to recharge the batteries and rest the ankle to be ready for the second half of the season. This year Cruz has moved to a new position and the ankle is doing well. In 82 games, he has 16 home runs so far. He needs 5 more home runs to tie his career high he set last year with 21. Could he get 30 home runs this season as he is on pace for that? He has 28 steals on the bath paths. The only Pirate in history to get 30 dingers and 30 steals in one season you have to go back to the days where Barry Bonds was steroid free playing in Pittsburgh in the early 90’s. Cruz has a chance to be part of that rare 30/30 club this season. This is a good year for him to give the Derby a swing. Right now he has the 11th longest home run hit this season which was done in April. Cruz’s longest home run ever came in July of 2024 where he hit a Brandon Pfaadt pitch 472 feet for a monster shot.

The last Pirate that was in the Home Run Derby was Josh Bell in 2019. In 2013 Pedro Alvarez participated. Cruz’s teammate Andrew McCutchen gave it a whirl in 2012. The rest of the Pirates that participated in the Derby were Jason Bay in 2005, Barry Bonds in 1992, and Bobby Bonilla in 1990.

No Pirates player has ever won a Home Run Derby since they started doing it in 1985. It was an X-Pirates player Dave Parker who won it the very first one ever in 1985, but he was wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform at that time.

Could Oneil Cruz make some history wearing a Pirates uniform winning the Home Run Derby this Monday on July 14th? If Cruz does win the Derby, it would be his first hardware award he’s earned at the MLB level. He has not made it to an All-Star game, or won a Gold Glove or Silver Slugger award. Maybe he gets that first trophy by doing the derby and winning it all. The Pirates are the last place team, and we need something to celebrate this season.

WELCOME TO THE BREWERS ANDREW VAUGHN

As soon as a player leaves the Chicago sports landscape, they always seem to cash in. They always seem to thrive in their new surroundings. On Monday, former Chicago White Sox number one draft pick Andrew Vaughn made a statement in his first plate appearance with the Milwaukee Brewers. A three run home run off LA Dodgers All-Star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Vaughn struggled all season with the White Sox as they finally traded him to the Brewers a few weeks back for RHP veteran Aaron Civale. The Brewers placed Vaughn down on the farm as did the White Sox before the trade, so he can work on his game. The Brewers starting first baseman Rhys Hoskins landed on the injured list recently and like changing a light bulb, Milwaukee seems to have already won this in-season trade with the White Sox as Vaughn is off to a great start with the lumber.

This season for the White Sox Andrew Vaughn had a batting average of .189 with 5 long balls while driving in 19 in 48 games for the White Sox. Vaughn was one of the elite hitters in college when he played as he went to the University of California. He was drafted in the first round 3rd overall by the White Sox in the 2019 MLB draft. He was expected to be that next first baseman for the White Sox that can hit 30 bombs and drive in 100 runs every single season. People thought he was going to be the next Paul Konerko. Instead the most home runs he has ever hit in one season were 21 back in 2023. He missed the 20 HR milestone last season by 1 home run hitting 19. His best season was in 2022 with the White Sox where he hit 17 home runs & had a .271 batting average while driving in 76 runs. Vaughn spent parts of 5 seasons with the White Sox. Meanwhile Aaron Civale as a starter is 0-4 with the White Sox and has a 5.40 ERA which certainly puts a damper on things. The White Sox will most likely not even be able to flip Civale at the MLB trade deadline because he has not been good.

Andrew Vaughn becomes only the 5th player in the Brewers’ 57 year history to hit a home run in their first plate appearance. After Vaughn was traded he quickly made a big impact with the Brewers organization and triple A farm team, the Nashville Sounds. When he reported to the farm team, he immediately hit a grand slam off Chicago Cubs reliever Brandon Hughes. In 16 games for the Sounds, Vaughn is batting .259 with 3 long balls and has driven in 16 runs in 16 games. The Brewers do not know when Rhys Hoskins will be back so they will get a good look at what they got from the White Sox. Vaughn is only 27 years old and Milwaukee has control over him next season as well. In the first inning, Vaughn made impact on defense by starting a 3-6-3 double play in top of the frame versus the Dodgers. Then hit the 409 foot three run shot in the bottom of the frame. The Brewers went on to win that game 9-1 and are in the rear view mirror of the Chicago Cubs on the NL Central standings. You know Vaughn is looking to prove to himself that he belongs in the Majors. This would be a great opportunity for him playing for a contending team instead of being in the basement in the AL Central with the White Sox. I do not have any bad hatred for Vaughn. I would like to see him succeed. Maybe he will be the next Carlos Lee and haunt the Cubs for years to come. It was a bad trade when it happened and will be a bad trade to be talked about for years to come. I blame the White Sox front office for that blunder. It just figures how quickly this guy will turn things around in Milwaukee as the White Sox did not have a clue how to get his bat going. Vaughn seems like a great team guy. He should have been on the White Sox for over ten years at least being the next fan favorite type like Paul Konerko. We can only sit and watch how he will help out the Brewers for the next two seasons and perhaps beyond. It’s the Chicago way.

THE LEGEND OF BOBBY JENKS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO

The Chicago White Sox have lost one of the heroes from that 2005 World Series team. Bobby Jenks passes away at 44 years of age as he is taken by cancer. I feel 44 years of age perfectly describes one of Billy Joel’s best songs, “Only the Good Die Young.”

Bobby Jenks would play 6 out of his 7 MLB seasons with the White Sox. He made his MLB debut in 2005 as the White Sox made him their closer in the bullpen and the legend of Bobby Jenks would begin. Baseball comes in all sizes and shapes. Jenks was a big man with a big fast ball. He closed out two of the 4 wins in the sweep of the Houston Astros in the World Series. He closed out game 4 as the White Sox broke an 88 year drought from their last World Series win back in 1917. Jenks would be an all-star closer the next two seasons in back-to-back years with 40 or more saves in one season. After his pitching days were over, he would come back and manage one of the local minor league teams – the Windy City Thunderbolts which is located in the south ‘burbs of Chicagoland.

When Ozzie Guillen was the manager of the 2005 White Sox, if he needed Bobby Jenks from the bullpen he did not motion for the LHP or the RHP. He made that big motion indicating that he wanted the big guy. Jenks was originally drafted by the Anaheim Angels back in the 2000 MLB draft in the 5th round out of high school. The White Sox claimed Jenks off waivers in December of 2004. The rest is history as he made his MLB debut in July of 2005. He tossed 39.1 innings in his rookie season and saved 6 regular season games. He had a brilliant 2.75 ERA. It was in the playoffs of that 2005 season, when Jenks had some big outs striking out some of the best hitters in the league with that blazing fast ball. In 9 post-season appearances Jenks had 5 saves in the playoffs. The White Sox did make back to the post-season after winning it all in 2005. Jenks was on that 2008 White Sox team that would be quickly dispatched by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round. He played with the White Sox from 2005 through 2010. Jenks would pitch one season for the Boston Red Sox. He had no saves that season & a 2-2 record with a very high ERA. His career numbers have him in 348 total games. His record was 16-20 with 3.53 ERA. As a closer he racked up 173 saves, all in a White Sox uniform. He worked 357.1 innings of work striking out 351 batters.

In February of this year, Bobby Jenks informed the baseball world he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer called Adenocarcinoma. Which is stomach cancer. He was hospitalized in Portugal where his family is from. After his playing days were over, he went into coaching. In 2022 he was the Pioneer league manager of the year as he led the Grand Junction Rockies to 62-33 record along with winning the title that year. Jenks started working as a pitching coach and then his leadership skills did not go unnoticed as the Rockies hired him as their manager. He then circled the wagons and found his way back to the south side of Chicago in the Frontier league and landed the managing job for the Windy Thunderbolts last season. In his first season on the south side, this time as the Bolts manager, he had a 40-56 record. White Sox fans were ecstatic seeing an old World Series hero coaching the local independent minor league team. If cancer had not invaded Jenks’ body, he may have been coaching the Thunderbolts for years or even been promoted to the show as a coach and future manager.

Bobby Jenks is survived by his wife Eleni Tzitzivacos and two kids Zeno and Kate. Jenks also had 4 kids from his first marriage: Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson. Jenks battled issues in life besides divorce. He battled alcohol and drug addiction. Everyone in life has a demon of some sort. I’m not going to judge the man by anything he did off the field. He seems like he was never arrested as a player or a manger. He had a big fast ball during the time he played in his era. He played the game fast and big at the same time as his career went by like a blur. He played the game he loved like a kid, just happy to be out there playing a game rather than working some 9-5 dead end job. The White Sox paid tribute to the loss of one of their own, Bobby Jenks, yesterday in their first home game back on the south side of Chicago.

The White Sox players will wear the number 45 patch on their uniform, the number Jenks wore his entire time on the south side of Chicago. The organization is celebrating the 25 year anniversary of that 2005 team this season. Jenks did want to make that. Back to Billy Joel as “Only the Good Die Young.” The age of 44 is way too young for anyone to pass away. Jenks and that entire 2005 World Series team will never be forgotten as it takes many decades to witness a great team in Chicago baseball. We never forget the very few good teams we have had in a generation. Nobody is going to forget the fat man who closed out and gave the White Sox fan base a life time memory. RIP #45!!!

VARGAS EARNED HIS RING

Last year, Miguel Vargas was playing for the best team in the entire league, the LA Dodgers. Then he was traded to the worst team in the MLB the Chicago White Sox which was a shock to his system. Like taking a fish out of water type of shock. The Dodgers would go to the World Series and win it all. Vargas would finish the year off with the worst team of the modern era as the White Sox set a new record breaking the 1962 Mets’ record for most losses in one season 121. Vargas was part of a 3 team trade that sent him to Chicago while Michael Kopech from the White Sox would get a ring with LA pitching in the Dodgers bullpen. The White Sox are in LA and it’ll be Vargas’ first time back to where it all started. The Dodgers gave him a 2024 World Series ring before the series started.

Miguel Vargas was awful for the White Sox when he arrived on the south side of Chicago. In 42 games for the White Sox, he had a batting average of .104 with 2 home runs and drove in 7. Half the time he did not look like he wanted to play for the White Sox from his body language. The last time he was in a Dodgers uniform, Vargas played in 30 games and batted .239 with 3 home runs and 9 runs driven in. Vargas is from Cuba and signed with the Dodgers in 2017 so it was the only organization he knew. In 2022 he played in 18 games for LA making his debut. In 2023 he played in 81 games for the Dodgers. Last year combined, he played in 72 total games with the Dodgers and White Sox.

Before the game, his former manager Dave Roberts and the Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes presented Miguel Vargas with the sparkling 2024 World Series ring. Vargas realizes playing every day with the White Sox is a better situation for him than coming off the bench for the Dodgers in a team that is loaded up and down with talent. The White Sox consider Vargas as one of their future pieces going down the road. This season Vargas has been playing mostly at first base and is swinging the bat much better than last season. He started out of the gates slowly. He has been one of the team’s hotter hitters in this first half of this season. Right now he has a batting average of .220 with 10 home runs while driving 34 runs. He has already established career highs in all in multiple stat categories. By the end of the season, he could have 20 something home runs and 70 runs driven in if he keeps up the current pace he is at. With the new ring, maybe that will be more motivation for Vargas in the future. He will still need the White Sox roster to fill in with more talent than they have now to earn that kind of hardware in Chicago. It was a nice thing the Dodgers did there. It is probably very tough to trade young guys that have potential like a Vargas, as you watch them grow and develop. Adding Michael Kopech was a solid piece for their bullpen in the post-season. Guys like Vargas become expendable for other needs. It worked out for LA because they won it all. Now you have to pray Vargas becomes a big piece when this team gets back to the post-season. When? The jury is still out on that statement.

A PITTSBURGH PIRATES TRADE

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves strike an in-season deal that involves two players and cash. The Pirates, who designated 28 year old RHP Hunter Stratton for assignment, is heading to Atlanta. The Pirates bounty they will get back from the Braves in minor league outfielder 22 year Titus Dumitru and cash to complete the deal.

Hunter Stratton was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 16th round of the MLB draft back in 2017 from Walters State Community College. Stratton has played parts of three seasons with the Pirates. In August last season he suffered a season ending injury as he ruptured his Patellar tendon on his knee. This season trying to recover has not been too kind for Stratton. He has pitched in 3 games, worked only 2.2 innings, and has no record but a very high 23.63 ERA coming out of the bullpen. He has worked 24.2 innings at the Pirates Triple A level all as a reliever and has a 0-1 record with 3.65 ERA. Last season he pitched 36 games from the Pirates bullpen and had a 2-1 record 3.58 ERA. In three seasons at the MLB level, Stratton has a 2-1 record with a 4.30 ERA in 47 games. He has converted 1 save while working a total of 52.1 innings of work striking out 44.

The Pirates land Titus Dumitru, an outfielder who has been playing at the Braves High A affiliate, the Rome Emperors. Dumitru is hitting .231 with 3 long balls while driving in 36 runs in 64 games this season.

Titus was also drafted in the 16th round in the 2024 MLB draft from New Mexico State University. He’s a right handed hitter and right now plays all three outfield positions.

The Braves in this move needed to add some depth to their bullpen due to injuries. Hunter Stratton will get another chance at the Major League level this season when his name is called upon. The Pirates were done with Stratton’s services so landing a minor league prospect for him with cash is good enough. Will this deal backfire on either team? It could. Watch Stratton figure things out and become a solid piece for Atlanta the next few years. Atlanta has always been good at developing pitching and fixing guys they have gambled on in trades or as free agents. If Stratton bottoms out in Atlanta and Titus Dumitru becomes a productive outfielder for years to come, then Pittsburgh will win this deal. Most likely this deal is a exchange of two players that both organizations do not have high hopes for anymore.

THE BIG DUMPER

If the question was asked to any baseball fan who leads the league in home runs hit this season, they would probably give two names. Either Aaron Judge of the Yankees or Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers. Both those answers would be wrong. The man nicknamed the Big Dumper leads MLB with 32 long balls this season so far. Cal Raleigh earned his nickname because of his large back side. He is a catcher for the Seattle Mariners and sometimes you want your back stop to be a bigger target for your pitching staff. Even with a huge backside, he has played solid defense earning one Gold Glove in his 5 year career so far. It’s what he is doing with the lumber this season that has been very impressive. He has played 82 games and has already hit 32 home runs as he is the first catcher and switch hitter to reach 30 or more long balls before the all-star break.

Cal Raleigh was drafted by the Mariners back in 2018 in the 3rd round of the MLB draft from Florida State University. He made his debut in 2021 and the last three years he has hit 30 or more home runs. He’s the 4th MLB catcher of all-time to have at least 3 seasons with 30 home runs. Last season he set a career high with 34 home runs and he’s only 2 away of tying that mark. Three away from breaking that mark. This season the Big Dumper leads the league in home runs and RBI’s with 69 of them so far. He’s batting .275 which is by far his highest average of his career. With the 32 long balls he has hit this season, he has reached the milestone of 100 career home runs. He’s 25 home runs over the 100 mark already. He has racked up 426 MLB hits with 320 RBIs and has a career batting average of .227.

Cal Raleigh by far is having his best season with the lumber. He is only 28 years old and entering his prime years in the MLB. I’m sure you will see the Big Dumper earn his first All-Star appearance of his career. He will be in the summer classic Home Run Hitting Derby contest. No catcher has ever won the derby so he could be making more history this season with the lumber. The cool thing is he will have his father be pitching to him at the derby on July 14th in Atlanta. The Big Dumper is hoping he can have his younger 15 year old brother Todd Jr. as the catcher. What a family memory that would be – two sons and the father on the baseball diamond in prime time. Others Seattle Mariners in the past have been in the Derby. Guys like Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriquez, Bret Boone, Robinson Cano, and the Big Dumper’s teammate Julio Rodriquez. None of them have won the derby. However Ken Griffey Jr. has won the derby three times in a Seattle uniform: 1994, 1998, and 1999. Could the Big Dumper break Aaron Judge’s record of 62 home runs being the most ever in one season in the American league? The Judge did that in 2022. The most home runs hit in one season in the MLB goes to the cheat Barry Bonds who hit 73 in 2001. If the Big Dumper could erase one of Bond’s home run records, I think fans would be ecstatic. Having a guy with one of the best nicknames of all-time would be even better to rewrite the record books. Cal Raleigh was given that nickname by his former minor league teammate, Jarred Kelenic, who might want some royalties for the shirt sales in the future.

THE COBRA IS SNAKE-BITTEN AT AGE 74

Sometimes life is unfair to many people in this world. Nicknamed the Cobra, Dave Parker passes away at the age of 74 only weeks away from being enshrined in Cooperstown. Parker failed to get into Cooperstown 15 times until the Classic baseball Era committee voted him in last December. They are a committee of 16 people whose job is to find the players that slipped through the cracks of the Hall of Fame voting system. They rectify the mistakes that were made. The panel is made of Baseball Hall of Fame members, executives, media members, and historians of the game. Parker played 19 seasons in the MLB with six different teams and will always be known most for wearing the Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. They were the team that drafted him in 1970 in the 14th round of the MLB draft. After being retired for a few years, Parker was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He has fought for years making it hard for him to get around.

Dave Parker spent 11 seasons in Pittsburgh and helped them win a World Series title back in 1979. He spent two seasons in Oakland and helped the Athletics win a World Series with the Bash brothers in 1989. He played four seasons in his hometown of Cincinnati where he was drafted out of high school there. Then did one season with Milwaukee, Toronto, and then they were called the California Angels. Parker racked up 2,712 hits with a career batting average of .290. He hit 339 home runs while driving in 1,493 runs. He was a 5 tool player as he swiped 154 bags. He was nicknamed the Cobra because of his arm in the outfield where he was very good at gunning down runners at home plate. He was a 3x Gold Glove winner. He won two batting titles and collected 3 Silver Slugger awards. He won the 1985 Home Run Derby. He earned 7 all-star nominations. In the 1979 World Series versus the Baltimore Orioles he had a batting average of .345 in that 7 game series. You wonder how he did not get into the Hall until late last season.

Yesterday at PNC park before the Mets and Pirates, game they had a moment of silence for Dave Parker. The Pirates would end up beating the Mets 9-2 after that. Parker was limited in his mobility due to the Parkinson’s. In spring of 2024 the Cobra was on hand at PNC Park for the reunion of that 1979 team. The Cobra got a very warm greeting from the Pirates faithful. Parker is an inaugural member of the Pirates Hall of Fame. The 2025 MLB class that is featured to be enshrined next month starts with Ichiro Suzuki, and includes CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, and Dickie Allen who also was voted in by the Classic Baseball Era committee. Allen passed away at the age of 78 in 2020. Now you will have two speeches at the end of July that will be presented by someone else to honor the great Allen and the Cobra. At least Parker knew while living he was getting in, while Allen could only watch from the baseball heavens to learn about his good news. Now both Dickie Allen and Dave Parker can watch together from the heavens to see their big day unfold about their stellar career playing the game of baseball. Number 39 will always be remembered everywhere he played and even all the teams he did not play for because baseball fans knew the talent of Dave Parker, the Cobra. I will be interested in hearing whoever gives the Cobra’s speech. He was a solid player for years and was an interesting character in general. Lots of great memories. RIP 39!!! We’ll be still rooting for you when your number is finally called at Cooperstown.

SKENES VS MISIOROWSKI

Paul Skenes versus Jacob Misiorowski could be a must watch pitching duel for the next decade or beyond. Two young hurlers with electric stuff at the same age of 23. Skenes won NL Rookie of the Year last season and started the All-Star game. Meanwhile Misiorowski has just arrived to the MLB and has been blowing the doors off the competition. In his first two starts, he did not give up a run until his 11th big inning he worked. Both pitchers pitch from the right side of the pitching rubber. Both pitchers play in the NL Central as Skenes is with the Pirates and Misiorowski with the Brew Crew. You could say these two might meet up like Godzilla and King Kong for years to come. They had their first pitching match up of the season this week in Milwaukee.

The Pirates were the visiting team and Paul Skenes pitched well except for one bad inning when he gave up 4 hits on 4 runs with a walk and needed 37 pitches to get through that inning. Both pitchers pitched 5 total innings in this one. Skenes would end his day pitching the 5 innings on 78 pitches allowing the 4 runs, 4 hits, 2 walks, and he struck out 4 brewers. So you can see the one bad inning Skenes had as the other 4 innings were scoreless with only allowing a walk.

Jacob Misiorowski pitched another gem as he did not allow a run through 5 innings and needed 74 pitches. He struck out 8 batters and allowed 2 hits along with 2 walks. The Pirates would score two runs after the 5th against the Brewers’ bullpen. In the end, the Brewers won the game 4-2. Misiorowski is now 3-0 in his rookie season as he got the win. For Skenes he has pitched very well this season but has not gotten the run support from his team. With the loss, Skenes now has a 4-7 record this season. Last season, Skenes started out of the gates his rookie season at 6-0 before he suffered his first loss versus the Cardinals in the month of July.

THE WHITE SOX ORGANIZATION CAN’T ESCAPE THE DARK CLOUDS THAT CONSTANTLY HOVER ABOVE GUARANTEED RATE STADIUM

It seems like the world has become an even more nasty place in present times. People suck!! On Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, a 22 year old fan made the Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte cry. It was the second game of the three game series between the visiting Diamondbacks and the White Sox. In baseball heckling by fans is part of the game along with most sports. When you go too far is what happened at White Sox park. In 2017, Marte’s mother died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic. The 22 year old fan thought this was a good idea to use that information on the Diamondbacks super star. Besides making a grown man cry in the 7th inning, the fan was ejected from the ball park. He will also be banned from every stadium in the MLB. Perhaps the Commissioner Robert Mandfred will lift the lifetime ban when this fan passes away like he did with all the players that were banned from baseball because of gambling.

The White Sox in the last three years look like a organization that is just jinxed. Like some witch is just sticking needles inside some White Sox VooDoo doll. Last year on the field the team set a new record for the most losses in one season in the modern era. This is because the front office cleaned house from the two dum dums that constructed the last rebuild where the wheels drastically fell off the bus. The house of cards that Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn built. Most of that core is gone. Most of that core has struggled to stay playing in the MLB. Most of them are playing in the minor leagues or lingering as a free agent hoping they can revive their career. Some of those players are playing in the MLB with other teams and thriving. The new General Manager, Chris Getz, is another yes man hired by the notorious miser owner Jerry Reinsdorf. He has been some good, but mostly bad and ugly on his trades and free agent signings. In 2023, somebody fired a gun inside the park and the mystery is now a cold case. Chicago Police never had any suspects. The White Sox brass thinks the bullet came from outside the stadium. In 2023 a crazy man plowed into fans with his car in front of the stadium. Let’s not forget Jerry Reinsdorf picking the perfect time to talk about a new stadium that the tax payers have to fork out the money or the White Sox will move out of town. Reinsdorf getting older & approaching 90 is not as swift as he was and picking at a time when the product is horrible on the field. Now you have some 22 year old fan of yours embarrassing the organization with cheap shots on the Diamondbacks’ second baseman.

We all know that players are human beings and put their pants on one leg at a time like all of us do. I grew up where sticks and stones can break your bones, but names would never hurt. Yes, the players these days are softer than the ones from yesterday. I believe there should be no crying in baseball. With social media, everything is available about everyone on the tips of your fingers on your phone. Nothing is secret for anyone where guys like this 22 year old find something to use on a player to get under their skin. The fan was apologetic & remorseful after he was getting ushered out of the ball park. It’s after the fact. It was the Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo who flagged the security down to get this fan out of there. The fan even said it was inappropriate. What’s his mother think about him doing this to someone who lost their mom? Ketel Marte was consoled by teammates of his. Brothers banding together. I believe this 22 year old stepped out of line. Why Marte? The Diamondbacks are not some division rival of the White Sox? Everyone has a breaking point. I still believe in cooler heads prevail as players should be able to ignore this nonsense and move on. These fans are everywhere in every town in every sport. A few bad apples spoil the bunch at times. I think the fans in the stands know these hecklers are stepping over the line and are embarrassed they are wearing the same team logo you are. In 2002, the father and son from Alsip, Illinois embarrassed the White Sox organization.

William Ligue Jr. and his son went on the field to beat up the Kansas City Royals’ first base coach at the time, Tom Gamboa. This started because of heckling. Probably did not help the players or coaches who egg it on. This father and son’s names appeared in the papers and all over the news. They were arrested. Maybe the 22 year old heckler’s name should be released. Then we see how his future will go in life. I’m sure the Ligues are happy living in some white trash trailer park in present day. We were all idiots when we were in our 20’s I know I was. Not dishing out some cheap shots to anybody which is over the line. You have to live by a certain code. The unwritten rules that people need to learn or relearn in life. Have some manners as “man” is in the word, manners. The heckler is an embarrassment to the White Sox organization, myself, and all the good people that are fans of this team. Fants that can not escape the dark clouds following them. It’s the curse of some Cubs fan living in the Big Easy. Whatever it is, this organization can’t find footing as it continues to sink into the earth’s dark layer and core of hell. Maybe the White Sox should move out of town and maybe the Commissioner can send Chicago an expansion team with a good owner instead of the devil we have now.

BREW CREW HAS A NEW CRAFT BEER IN THE ROTATION THAT’S TURNING HEADS

The Milwaukee Brewers rookie pitcher has accomplished something not done in 125 years in the MLB. Jason Misiorowski in two starts threw his first 11 innings in the MLB without giving up a hit. On Friday night versus the Twins in Minnesota, he had a perfect game heading into the 7th inning. He won his first start by pitching 5 scoreless innings versus the Cardinals. The Brewers did beat the Twins on Friday night so the 23 year old RHP Misiorski is now 2-0 in two starts for Milwaukee.

Jason Misiorski stands tall at 6’7″ & was drafted by the Brewers in 2022 in the 2nd round of the MLB draft from Crowder College.

Boyd Crowder, from the series Justified, is one of the professors at the college. Crowder College is located in the state of Missouri. In his first start versus St.Louis, he walked 4 guys & struck out 5 versus the Twins. On Friday he was dialed in and throwing nasty stuff at the Minnesota hitters as he stuck out six batters. In the 7th he gave up a walk followed by a home run which was his first hit he has allowed.

You can thank or boo Matt Wallner of the Twins for breaking up the no hitter and tarnishing the rookie’s ERA. The Brewers had the game in the bag even with the 2 runs they scored in the 7th. Milwaukee would stop the bleeding after they took the rookie out as he got a standing ovation on the road at Target Field. The Brewers are chasing the Cubs and tied with the Cardinals in the NL Central. Maybe they have found their new ace in their starting rotation as he looked liked the Pirates stud Paul Skenes out on the mound. The Cubs this first half have been very impressive. The Brewers would need to get a few breaks like this finding a rookie that can be a sawmill to the opposing teams. He looked like the real deal. He already has the modern day era record of starting off pitching 11 straight innings without giving up a hit.

PIRATES DENNIS SANTANA GOES POSTAL ON A TIGER FAN

Do you remember the Darryl Strawberry character in the Simpsons playing for the Springfield Isotopes?

The character started to cry after being harassed by fans in the stands. A tear suddenly comes down his cheek as baseball players are actually human and have feelings. On Thursday during the second game of the double header between the Tigers and Pirates at Comerica Park, a fan crossed the line. A Tigers fan got under the skin of Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana. At least I think it was a Tigers fan. He was wearing a Tigers hat and then sporting a Pirates Roberto Clemente Hall of Fame jersey. Maybe he is a fan of the Tigers and only Clemente is what I’m thinking. I can see that but… Why wear both teams’ stuff at the park where your team is playing? Little odd. He’s not too slick because he ended up getting kicked out of the stadium for whatever he said to the Pirates’ best reliever.

The baseball cross dresser fan irked Dennis Santana above the Pirates bullpen so much he tried to jump and swipe the guy who was sitting in the first row in that section. Santana had to be held back by one of his teammates. Santana would get his revenge pointing out the guy to security as they did the rest. What was said we may never know as it has not leaked out yet. This is the second incident when a Pirate player got into a incident with a fan this season. Tommy Pham had a incident earlier in the season. Santana did enter the game in the 9th and faced one batter & then a rain delay occurred. The Pirates did eventually win the game 8-4 over the first place Tigers. Perhaps the cross dresser fan got beaten up by his own people for supporting the Pirates colors wearing a Tigers cap. If a grown man in a cartoon like Strawberry can cry, then why not this generation of ball players shedding a tear or two. Because these days sticks and stones still break bones, but names now hurt. Not defending the fan as some of these guys go way to far on comments to players like they are watching Gladiator fights back in Rome. The city of Detroit is a pit, but Comerica Park is not Mad Max beyond the Thunderdome.

MLB IN-SEASON TRADE

The San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox are involved in the biggest trade during this season so far. The Red Sox will trade away their disgruntled third baseman, 28 year old Dominican Republic native Rafael Devers, to the Giants for 4 players. The trade involves 5 total players as the Red Sox in return get back three pitchers and an outfielder for Devers. The Giants get themselves a super star in Devers, who can crush the baseball. While the Red Sox get back two arms that have MLB experience in Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks. They also get a minor league pitching prospect in RHP Jose Bello. The main thing the Red Sox are getting back in this deal is the Giants’ 1st round pick from 2024, in outfielder James Tibbs.

Rafael Devers helped the Boston Red Sox win the 2018 World Series. He’s a 3x All-Star and 2x winner of the Silver Slugger award. He has been with the Red Sox for 9 seasons and this year he was batting .272 with 15 long balls while driving in 58. He’s a left hand bat that has power and can hit for average. In 9 seasons he has a batting average of .279 with 215 long balls and has driven in 696 in 1.053 games. He has racked up 1,136 hits in his career. The Red Sox wanted him for the long term as they dished out a ten year deal worth 313.5 million with contract extension in January of 2023. What happened?

The Red Sox wanted to improve the roster and signed former Houston Astro, Alex Bregman. Well, Bregman plays the hot corner as did Devers. The Red Sox moved Devers to the DH slot and things have not gone well. Then when first baseman Triston Casas went down with an injury, the Red Sox thought Devers suddenly should play first base. This did not go well as Boston finally had no choice but to unload the Dominican native.

The Giants are having a good season so far and find themselves only 2.5 games behind the LA Dodgers in the NL West. Since the Giants named their former catcher Buster Posey as the team’s new General Manager, he has loved to spend the owner’s money. In the off-season, the Giants gave the former Brewers short stop, Willy Adames, a big deal. The Giants have spent money on a Japanese outfielder, Jung Hoo Lee. They even have money invested into a 3rd baseman, Matt Chapman. By adding Rafael Devers, they have improved their everyday line up and they are hunting the Dodgers in the process. Devers in the DH role for the Giants, is the plan right now. This trade gives Devers new surroundings and with a better team.

The Boston Red Sox find themselves in 4th place in the AL East which is a competitive division. They are 5.5 games in back of the Evil Empire and are lucky the Baltimore Orioles are having a bad year or they may be in last place. The Red Sox get rid of a huge contract off their payroll and get two interesting pieces back in this deal. The first one is LHP Kyle Harrison, who has a 1-1 record this season in 8 games where he has made 4 starts. He has a 4.56 ERA working only 23.2 innings. Harrison was drafted in 2020 out of high school and the last three seasons saw some big league action. Last year in 24 starts, he had a 7-7 record with once again the 4.56 ERA. In parts of three seasons, he is 9-9 with 4.48 ERA in 39 games in which he started 35 working 182.2 innings so far. He will work some time in the Red Sox farm system.

James Tibbs was selected 13th overall in the 2024 draft in the first round of the MLB draft out of college, when he went to Florida State University. He is an outfielder at 22 years of age and bats from the left side of the plate. In his first season in professional ball, he had 12 home runs with an average of .245. He’s very selective at the plate and takes many walks. They say he will keep moving up the ranks in the farm system as 2026 could be his MLB debut.

Jordan Hicks is a 28 year old RHP who was drafted by the Cardinals back in 2015 in the 3rd round of the MLB draft out of high school. Hicks has been a starter and a reliever in his 7 year MLB career. He spent 5 seasons in St.Louis. Part of two seasons with the Giants. He suited up for the Blue Jays part of the season as well. This year in 13 games he has made 9 starts for the Giants and has a 1-5 record with blown up 6.47 ERA. In 7 seasons he has a losing record of 16-33 with 4.23 ERA in 254 MLB games. He has made only 37 starts. He has converted 33 saves. Right now he is on the injured list.

The minor league prospect supposedly has a nice slider. Jose Bello is 20 years and was not ranked in the top 30 prospects the Giants have in their farm system. Bello is projected to be a middle reliever and probably that “throw in” guy to complete the deal.

The Red Sox had to rid themselves of Rafael Devers and got 4 players out of the deal. They got rid of a big contract, but this trade overall may not work out for them. Kyle Harrison and James Tibbs are intriguing parts of this trade. The Red Sox will have to develop them. Jordan Hicks may be serviceable for the bullpen when he returns, but probably will not net you anything at the trade deadline. Is Boston going for it or selling off some pieces this season to retool? Devers has helped their franchise win the World Series. You can’t say he is a guy that will cost you another chance at winning another one. Perhaps having him on the team for several more years was not going to cut the mustard. Another thing is why would they sign a guy like Alex Bregman that plays the same position? It baffles me. For some teams, signing a guy or having two of the same talented players at the same position has worked moving one of them. It does not always work as some players are set in their own ways and want to play the position they have been familiar with their entire career. We will wait and see if the 4 players the Red Sox got back in this deal work for them in the future. We will see if Devers helps the Giants slay the defending champs this season.

A CHICAGO WHITE SOX TRADE

The Chicago White Sox have been busy beavers making all kinds of small deals during this season. This may be the biggest deal so far as they have a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers involving two players and some cold hard cash. The Brewers will get recently demoted first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who was sent down to the minors to work on his swing. The White Sox will acquire RHP Aaron Civale, who was recently demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen. That did not sit well with Civale as he requested a trade out of Brew Town. The White Sox will get some cash in the deal as well.

This trade really does not make sense for either team right now. The Brewers already have Rhys Hoskins & Christian Yelich playing first base and doing time in the DH role. Andrew Vaughn will head to the Brewers Triple A Nashville affiliate for now to continue to work on his game. This season for Vaughn has not been kind as he played in 48 games & has a batting average of .189 as he had 35 hits in 185 At-bats. He has 5 long balls while driving in 19. Vaughn has hit the ball hard, but right at the opposing defense which counted for outs more than hits. He was drafted by the White Sox in the first round of the 2019 MLB draft from the University of California. He was an elite hitter at the college level and when he did make the big league roster he showed some flashes of being that guy hitting the cover off the baseball. In 2022 he had a nice year with a batting average of .271 with 17 bombs and drove in 76. In 2023 his average went down to .258 but had more home runs. He hit 21 and drove in 80 runs. In 610 games for the White Sox in 5 seasons, he has racked up 557 hits. His life time batting average is .248 with 77 home runs and has 293 RBI’s. I always liked Vaughn. He plays solid defense and when he is hitting well, he can drive in some big runs for your team. The Brewers could try Vaughn in the outfield. When he first came into the league, Vaughn found playing time in the outfield as they wanted his bat in the line up. All these guys from the last rebuild are almost gone from the White Sox. I don’t think Vaughn would have survived the next rebuild. Of course they hope he would swing the hot bat to get more of his value then a veteran pitcher. Vaughn has struggled the last two seasons with the lumber. If the Brewers can help Vaughn find his swing again, they will have control over him this season and the next. If one of their guys’ contracts expired after this season, Vaughn could be a replacement. He was a first round draft pick for a reason. He is only 27 years old. I wish him the best of luck as Vaughn was a guy who played every day, not like most of those guys from that team they drafted together. Guys who spent more time on the injured list than on the field.

Why do the White Sox need a veteran pitcher like Aaron Civale? We know the White Sox love X Indians hurlers like Mike Clevinger who was a bust this season for Chicago. Civale this season has made 5 starts for the Brew Crew & has a 1-2 record with high 4.91 ERA. Civale is 30 years old & originally drafted by the Indians in the 3rd round of the 2016 MLB draft from North Eastern University. He has 7 seasons in the MLB and has played for the Rays and Brewers after his Cleveland days. Last year he only made 14 starts & had a winning record of 6-3 with 3.55 ERA. Lifetime in 122 games, all starts, he has a winning record of 40-37 with 4.06 ERA as he has worked 658.1 innings striking out 596 batters. The White Sox brought in veteran LHP Martin Perez in the off-season to be the anchor of the starting rotation. Perez started out well but could be lost the rest of the season due to an injury. The White Sox have been burning out their arms this season and some of them are the young guys who may be part of this next phase for the team down the line. Civale will get his wish to be a starter and not go to the bullpen. Civale’s contract runs out after this season. For both parties this could be a win-win if Civale can do well in a White Sox uniform. It could get him a ticket to a playoff contender and the White Sox could net another prospect. It also give the White Sox a solid option right now. The White Sox are not going anywhere any time soon. They want the younger guys to gel together and start winning games. Civale will help accomplish that. They need guys to eat up innings as well with a shaky bullpen they do have. Overall I think the Brewers will get the better of this trade. Civale will get the White Sox a prospect that will likely be a swing and a miss. While the Brewers could get a guy that will find his swing, get back to the majors, and be a player to hit 20 to 25 home runs per season. I have to go back to Rick Hahn, former GM of the White Sox, who was the brains behind the last rebuild. The core he assembled with all these number one picks has been hot garbage. We know Chris Getz, the GM now, has not been golden either. If Civale turns out to be bad, this trade will turn very lopsided if Vaughn does well and the White Sox can’t get anything for him. Which is likely to happen here.

ANDREW MCCUTCHEN MOVES PAST ROBERTO CLEMENTE ON THE PIRATES ALL-TIME HOME RUN LIST

Andrew McCutchen has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 12 seasons in his 17 year career in the MLB. Earlier this week, McCutchen would hit his 6th home run of the year and his 241st as a Pirates. With that home run, he passes Pittsburgh legend Roberto Clemente and is now 3rd all-time by himself on the Pirates all-time home run list. He is only chasing two other Pirates legends who are Hall of Famers: Ralph Kiner and Willie Stargell. McCutchen’s milestone dinger broke a scoreless tie between the Pirates and Marlins as he connected with a 3-run home run to break open the game for a Pittsburgh win.

Andrew McCutchen spent his first nine seasons by the team that drafted him back in 2005 in the first round. The Pirates would have a streak of playoff berths with McCutchen, but when the team went bad and the rebuild had to happen they traded him to San Francisco before the 2018 season. After the Giants came the Yankees, then he got paid with the Phillies and had one season in Milwaukee before returning to Pittsburgh in 2023. McCutchen has not missed anything since he left & the Pirates have not been back to the post season. McCutchen continues to sign one year deals with the team over the last three seasons. While the Pirate fans wait for the young core from the rebuild to take off, they can watch McCutchen hit all his milestones in a Pittsburgh uniform.

Andrew McCutchen has played mostly in the DH slot since he returned to Pittsburgh in 2023. He has been productive with the lumber as he has a batting average of .263 this season with 25 RBI’s. McCutchen passed up a guy on the Pirates all-time home run list who he won the award in his name in 2015. The Roberto Clemete award, which is for a player that has positive contributions on and off the baseball field and is active in the community. That was the kind of guy Roberto Clemente was, who was enshrined in the Cooperstown back in 1973. It was McCutchen’s 325th career home run he had off Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill. Clemente now will be 4th all-time on the Pirates Home-run list with 240 while 5th belongs to steroid monger Barry Bonds, who hit 176 home runs in a Pirates uniform. Those were probably legit back in his Pirates days. Ralph Kiner is second all-time with 301 home runs he has hit in a Pirates uniform. McCutchen at the age of 38 may not be able to catch Kiner, needing 61 more. McCutchen has only six home runs in the middle of June this season. Willie Stargell’s record is very safe as he has 475 home runs in a Pirates uniform. If anyone is going to pass one of the great ones like Clemente, you want a guy like McCutchen to be the guy, not some type of Barry Bonds SOB to do it.

DOOGIE HOUSER HAS BEEN DISSECTING HIS OPPONENTS SINCE HE SIGNED WITH THE WHITE SOX

He’s not the real Doogie Howser, MD & teenage doctor. The White Sox signed their own Houser who goes by the nickname Doogie. Adrian Houser is a castaway after pitching poorly for the New York Mets last season. Houser was pitching in the Texas Rangers Triple A affiliate, the Rock Hound Express, this season & then was released on May 15th. The White Sox, desperate for arms, swoop in and signed the 32 year old RHP to a 1 year deal worth 1.35 million. Another bargain bin for the White Sox General Manager, Chris Getz. If you collect junk off the curb, sometimes you’re bound to run into something decent. Houser has been better than decent as he already has racked up two wins with his new team in 4 games.

Adrian Houser was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 2nd round of the 2011 MLB draft out of high school. He made his major league debut in 2015 and saw action in two games. In 2016 & ’17, he did not pitch in the Majors. Houser resurfaced back in the MLB in 2018 and saw 7 games of action. It was not until 2019 that he saw a full season in the majors. In 9 seasons he spent 7 with Milwaukee. Last year, his one season away from Brew Town, he had a record of 1-5 and very high 5.84 ERA. He pitched in 23 games and made 13 starts. His best season as a starter was in 2021 when he had a record of 10-6 with 3.22 ERA in 26 starts. In 2023 he made 21 starts and had a 4.12 ERA with an 8-5 record. He has made 20 or more starts in three straight years until he became a Met last year. It was a down year which made him available this season for the White Sox.

For the White Sox, Adrian Howser’s first two starts he went back to back games pitching six innings and not allowing a run. One of those games was against his former team, the Mets. His first start in a White Sox uniform, he beat the Mariners. In 4 starts this season, Howser has a 2-1 record with impressive 1.48 ERA. He has worked 24.1 innings and has struck out 20 batters. This is a guy that right now is six games under the .500 mark with 34-40 record. He has a career 4.11 ERA in 156 games as he made 108 starts. He has worked 633 Major league innings while striking out just over 500 batters. The White Sox have been working their starters longer than normal to protect a pretty bad bullpen all year. They need starters & they need relievers as they continue to burn through them. Howser is probably happy right now just to be pitching in the big leagues and doing well at this point. He will not be part of the rebuild heading forward when and if this team assembles that next core. He could work another year out of the White Sox beyond this season. He will have to continue pitching well to be considered a nice trade chip at the deadline. He may get another 8 starts in before the deadline to get that ticket to a contending team. He may only get a low type of minor league prospect in return. It may be better to pitch him the rest of the season and help build confidence in the young guys that are contributing right now. This way you don’t have to rush any of the younger arms that may make their MLB debut later this season. The organization can make sure these guys are ready before they get the call. A guy like Howser will help save your bullpen pitching 6 to 7 innings per start. The White Sox have started playing better baseball over the last few weeks and could blow past that win total from last year where they were the worst team in baseball. The White Sox will finish in last place in the Central, we know. Improvement overall with the new manager and staff and building up the young core at the same time gives the fan base hope into the future. Sometimes you need the Doogies of the world to help you set even higher goals next season from improving from being the worst team in baseball in 2024.

TIM ANDERSON’S MLB CAREER MAY BE OVER

It only took 31 games for the LA Angels to dump Tim Anderson. Once upon a time ago, he was the face of the Chicago White Sox. He won the AL batting title in 2019. He felt like he was the Jackie Robinson of the league representing the black people in the game of baseball. Anderson was gaining stardom in the game and becoming a player recognized throughout the baseball world. He had his moments when he beat the Yankees in extra innings in the Field of Dreams game in Iowa. That was 2021 with the walk off home run that landed in the corn.

The Miami Marlins signed Tim Anderson last year and in 65 games he batted .214. Marlins designated him for assignment and no one picked up the 31 year old short stop off waivers. The Angels signed Anderson to a minor league contract this off-season. With some injuries and Anderson seeming to have a good spring, he made the team. In 31 games this season Anderson had a batting average of .205 as he racked up 17 hits in 83 at-bats. He drove in 3 and scored 8 runs. He had 3 doubles and no home runs or triples. Anderson has not hit a home run since his last season with the White Sox when he had 1 back in 2023. For the Marlins he racked up 50 hits in 234 at-bats while driving in 9 runs. He only had 3 doubles like this season with the Angels, the rest were singles. You can point out since he tore a ligament in his hand back in 2022 when he only played in 79 games, he has never been the same player with the lumber. In 83 at-bats with the Angels he struck out 29 times. In the Marlins uniform he struck out 68 times in 65 games. He won an AL batting title in 2019 because he made contact and was at the time hard to strike out.

Tim Anderson in ten seasons was a 2x all-star and also won a silver slugger award. He had the gigantic bat flips after he would go yard. Some opponents do not like that which got T.A. into altercations. Anderson and Josh Donaldson had some words on a few occasions that could have led into something more. Donaldson reminded T.A. about calling himself the latest version of Jackie Robinson & that fired him up. Things would get broken up before blood spilled on the field. Not all his incidents would get broken up and just words exchanged. Everyone remembers when the Guardians’ third baseman, Jose Ramirez, gave T.A. a knuckle sandwich. It was T.A. who motioned to drop the gloves after the incident took place at second base. You can have these situations and stay in the game if you are producing, and Anderson is not. The White Sox declined his option after the 2023 season because they were seeing the decline. He lost his stroke. He lost his power with his stroke. He is now a singles hitter that strikes out a lot. In 991 MLB games, he has a career batting average of .276 as he has over 1,000 hits at 1,088. He has 98 career home runs and has driven in 350 runs. He may have to walk away from the game and hang up the spikes for good, especially if his hands are giving him problems swinging the bat. Can he go play in Japan or Mexico and redefine his career that way? Maybe he needs to get away and just have fun playing the game. Ten years in the big leagues is pretty impressive. Some of those years, Anderson was one of the super stars of the league. Sometimes the body breaks down and the mind set can’t grasp when to call it. Being DFA two straight seasons may be the writing on the wall for T.A.

JOSH HARRISON OFFICIALLY HANGS UP THE SPIKES

The last time we saw Josh Harrison on the diamond in the Majors, we have to go back to 2023 of July with the Phillies. He played in 40 games for the Phillies, then was released, and has not caught on with anyone else. After 13 seasons playing in 1,208 regular season games with 6 different teams, he will officially retire at 37 years of age. He thanked all the teams he has suited up for and was proud to represent those cities over his career. He was originally drafted by the Cubs in the 6th round of the 2008 MLB draft from the University of Cincinnati. He never played a MLB game for the Cubs as he was traded to the Pirates and made his Major League debut in 2011. He will be known most for wearing the Pirates uniform as he played second base for Pittsburgh when they had a run of a few seasons making it to the post-season. He played 8 seasons in Pittsburgh and earned both his All-Star honors wearing a Pirates uniform. One in 2014 and the other All-Star honors came in 2017. He also played for the Tigers, Nationals, A’s, and the White Sox.

After coming off a great season in Oakland, the White Sox signed Josh Harrison in 2022. At the time the White Sox were coming off back to back years of post-season and adding Josh to the line up at the time made their line up better. He played second base, a position they needed to fill. That was the start of that particular group that started to unravel as they finished 81-81 and did not make the post-season. It got worst after that into present time. Harrison with the White Sox played 119 games that year, had a batting average of .256 with 7 long balls, and drove in 27. Harrison would also play some outfield in his career. In 13 seasons he leaves the game batting .270. He had over 1,000 hits as he finished with 1,080. He had 73 career home runs while driving in 388 runs. He crossed the plate exactly 500 times. He even stole 91 bags. He is not a Hall of Fame player. He had a solid career playing the game he loved. He made his money and walks away set for life. He never won a World Series but did play in 4 playoff games. he always looked like he was having fun out there. He would definitely be on my All-Time roster of guys that have played for the Pirates and White Sox.

A CHICAGO WHITE SOX TRADE

The White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays come together on an in season trade involving two players. The Rays will get the White Sox veteran catcher, 30 year old Matt Thaiss. While the White Sox get 25 year old minor league outfielder Dru Baker.

Matt Thaiss is a career back up catcher in the MLB and has never played in 100 games in one season. The White Sox acquired the services of Thaiss during the off-season from their cross-town rival, the Cubs, for cash considerations. Thaiss however never caught a game for the Cubs. Thaiss played for the Angels for the last six seasons. This season Thaiss has seen action so far in 36 games. He bats from the left side and has a batting average of .213 in 89 at-bats. He has racked 19 hits including one home run while driving in 8 runs. He has played in 281 career baseball games at the MLB level and has only mustered up 157 hits in 752 at-bats. His career batting average is .209 with 23 long balls and drove in 87. This season he has found ways of getting on the bases by drawing walks which gives his on base percentage the highest of his career so far. The Rays were looking for a better back up option for their starting catcher, Danny Jansen, so Thaiss became available when Korey Lee was reinstated from the injured list. With rookie catcher Edgar Quero playing well, Thaiss became expendable.

The White Sox net themselves another outfielder from the University of Texas Tech. Dru Baker was drafted in the 4th round by the Rays in the 2021 MLB draft. Baker is from the state of Texas as he bats from the right side and throws from the right. This season at Durham AAA, has not been his greatest minor league season with an average of .206. He has spent some time on the injured list this season. He is a contact hitter and has a .290 career batting average at all the levels of minor league ball he has played in so far. Which is promising. He will be sent to the White Sox triple AAA farm team in Charlotte. The White Sox continue to collect prospects and they got something that may be beneficial down the road for a back up catcher with a low batting average. If Baker does not work out again, it’s a back up catcher & you can find many floating around in the free agent pond in the off-season.

ANOTHER TOP WHITE SOX PROSPECT BITES THE DUST

He was supposed to have been the Chicago White Sox right fielder for years to come. The organization had high hopes for Oscar Colas who signed with the White Sox in 2022 after shredding the baseball in the Cuban and Japanese professional baseball leagues. He instantly became the White Sox number 2 prospect in their farm system. He was ranked the number 85 prospect in baseball by the MLB Pipeline rankings. Colas, a native of Cuba, is only 26 years old & after parts of two seasons playing in 88 games in the MLB, the White Sox have released the left handed outfielder. The LA Angels quickly gobbled him up on the waiver wire.

Oscar Colas did not make the White Sox opening day roster this season as he been playing down in their Triple A team in Charlotte. The Angels are taking a flier on Colas and signed him to a minor league contract as he will report to the Angels Double A team, Rocket City. For Colas last season he played in 13 games for the White Sox and had a batting average of .273. In 2023 he played in 75 games for the White Sox. Through 88 games, Colas has a lifetime batting average of .223 in 278 At-bats. He has racked up 62 hits and has 5 long balls while driving in 23 runs. He played in 117 games combined in Japan and Cuba and had a batting average of .314. He had 23 home runs and drove in 79. You can see why the White Sox had high hopes for this Cuban slugger.

This is a low risk/high ceiling move here by the Angels who seem like they’ve been collecting the White Sox rejects. The Angels signed a pair of former White Sox infielders this off-season in Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson. Moncada and Anderson are on a long list of guys the White Sox thought were going to their core for years to come just like Oscar Colas. Gavin Sheets was released in the off-season and hooked on with the Padres. He has done well, but he was a disappointment when things went south for him after he started his baseball career with the lumber solid. Recently White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn was sent back to the minor leagues after being a lock on the White Sox roster for the last few seasons. Luis Robert, who is a countryman of Colas, was supposed to be the next Mike Trout in center field but his career has digressed. Eloy Jimenez did not make a opening day roster as he’s playing for the Tampa Bay Rays farm team. Most likely sidelined by an injury. All these guys were supposed to be a steady flow of position players this organization was going to count on for years to come. Instead it shows you the White Sox can’t develop position players. We as a fan base should not expect the next Frank Thomas or Magglio Ordonez to walk through the doors and make an impact right away. You would think an organization would give Colas a little more time than a handful of years to develop. Perhaps it’s better to cut the fat off the bone and move on to find other prospects this organization will fail to develop. The White Sox way.

CROSS TOWN CLASSIC AN EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE WHITE SOX

On Sunday, the White Sox defense should have gunned down Cubs third baseman at home plate late in the game in a close game at the time. Vidal Brujan was ruled safe after the challenge and review as he somehow touched the bag before the White Sox catcher could tag him. The ball seemed to have beaten Brujan to home plate as the White Sox rookie short stop Chase Meidroth made a strong throw. The White Sox catcher Edgar Quero couldn’t not manage to swipe Brugan’s hand before it touched the tip of the plate. These type of plays went against the White Sox all weekend long as the team was swept at Wrigley Field in the first series of the crosstown classic. Everything went the Cubs’ way. The White Sox blunders did not help as they were eye sore on the television screen like that neighbor of yours with the lawn for weeds. This south side team was quickly introduced to a White Sox slayer who will be a thorn in these crosstown rival series for years to come. Not too long ago we as a fan base had the inside track to the baseball gods as the new Pope is a White Sox fan. Did he forget to pray for us on moving day to the Vatican? That Billiards table probably takes 5 Cardinals to haul that up all those marble stairs.

The White Sox had a nice comfortable lead on the Chicago Cubs in the crosstown classic. Last year, the Cubs swept the White Sox at both parks an inch closer. The White Sox still had the lead in the series before the Cubs swept them out of the building. Now the Cubs lead the all-time city rivalry with 75-74 record. The Cubs outscored the White Sox 26-8 in the three games. The White Sox kept these games close with only solo home runs as they really could not muster up any offense against Cubs pitching. For one, the White Sox have the worst on base percentage in baseball. As a team, the White Sox struck out 23 times and had no walks from game 1 of the series all the way to the 5th inning of Sunday’s game versus the Cubs pitchers. White Sox infielders Miguel Varagas and Chase Meidroth were really the only offense the White Sox had all weekend. Vargas was the only one that showed emotion as he was drilled by a pitch by Cubs reliever Brad Keller. Keller, former Chicago White Sox public enemy with the Royals, had run-ins with Tim Anderson. Keller pitched a few games for the White Sox last year as he sucked and was cut very quickly.

It was on Sunday’s game as Vargas got hit with the ball in the shoulder area and gave Keller a stare down. It was the 8th inning and the Cubs were up by a lot. The situation did not escalate. Third base coach for the White Sox, Justin Jirschele, had some things to say to the umpire as you can say he was the only other heated moment. The rest of the White Sox players and managers were motionless.

My takes on this series are it felt like the White Sox were the Freshman high school baseball team going against the varsity team. The White Sox looked like the Bad News Bears or you can call them the 2024 White Sox. The other catcher, the White Sox, have Matt Thaiss dropping a easy ball that would have been an easy play at the plate that allow a Cubs runner to score. Lenyn Sosa made a throwing error. Joshua Palacios misjudged a ball in right field that should have been a fly ball out. The ball bounced over the fence for a ground rule double. Brooks Baldwin dropped an easy pop up in left field. Andrew Vaughn was confused on a ball that came off his bat. May have thought it hit in back of the plate for a foul ball. The ball slowly rolled out to short and Vaughn did not run right away which made it an easy out. All the core guys from that previous rebuild for the White Sox have been hot garbage, even the guys we still have as in Vaughn who can’t hit any more. Luis Robert looks like the best player on the field until he swings the bat.

PCA is Pete Crow-Armstrong as the Cubs have unleashed their Carlos Lee on the White Sox. PCA plays center field and ripped off some White Sox hitters on a few plays on defense. He also used the lumber like Negan in Walking Dead.

PCA clobbered the White Sox brains with each swing he made. It sounded like he caved in someone’s head. He went 8-14 at the plate with three home runs and drove in 8. Just sickening numbers. The last thing I would love to know is did the Cubs network have a higher rating than the White Sox’s new network they share with the Blackhawks and Bulls? The network the White Sox are on, most of Chicago can’t watch their games because they are involved in a cable dispute which most people have that service. Many White Sox fans probably saw their team for the first time this year watching the Cubs channel. I saw the Cubs channel logo in the corner of the television screens in a few of the bars I visited over the weekend on the south side of Chicago. It is easier to watch the Cubs than the White Sox. The Cubs are in first place in the NL Central, so they would not upset your stomach if that’s your team while the White Sox’s bad play can do such a job. I don’t think the Pope’s prayers could solve a bad owner’s bad choices his organization makes on a daily basis. We will be miserable for a very long time. No daylight is getting through the crushed tunnel of this White Sox fan base and organization. When do the Bears start their season? This is what White Sox fans will be waiting for. The Crosstown classic has become a weekend the White Sox fan base will dread.

OFF THE BLACK LIST

Some people will say this is a dark day in the baseball world as the Commissioner, Robert Manfred, has reinstated multiple players on the black list. The players that broke baseball’s mortal sin of gambling on their own sport. All these players were banned from baseball for life. All these players have passed away and according to Manfred, they no longer can effect the game where they are, which is in the ground. The door now opens up for MLB all-time hits leader in Pete Rose and now you can say “it is so” as Shoeless Joe Jackson could suddenly be enshrined in Cooperstown by the Classic Baseball ERA committee who’s next meeting is December of 2027. Manfred also gave 15 others reinstatement for breaking their sacred rule of gambling, including Shoelesss Joe’s teammates back on the 1919 Chicago White Sox team that threw the World Series versus the Reds that year. They called it the Black Sox scandal, one of baseball’s darkest days in its history. One of the best baseball movies ever made, called Eight Men Out, came out of that. What will happen next? All the guys from the steroid ERA will suddenly get into the Hall Of Fame?

Pete Rose, nicknamed Charlie Hustle, racked up over 4,000 hits which is still the most by any player in baseball history. The back of Rose’s baseball card looks like a General in the military with stars and stripes. He was a 17X All-Star, Rookie of the Year winner, MVP, & he was part of the Big Red Machine dynasty. He won 3 batting titles, and on defense he won 2 gold gloves. He won three World Series titles and was MVP of one of them. Rose was banned in 1989 when he was the Reds manager because he bet on baseball. He also bet on football, basketball, and any other sport. He was a degenerate gambler who got caught but denied everything. The Commissioner back then, Bartlett Giamatti, banned Rose for life. Rose had a chance with another commissioner to come clean with Bud Selig. Rose would burn any bridges that would get him back in the game. When Rose wrote his book tell it all, he admitted to gambling. Rose seemed to always be hard up for money after his career, signing autographs in Las Vegas for money. He would also go to Cooperstown and find a spot to autograph baseballs for cash. Rose passed away at 83 years of age last September.

From what I read about Shoeless Joe Jackson, he really got a raw deal in baseball. He really did not know what he was getting himself into as his teammates gave him an envelope with $5,000 cash in it from the gamblers. The Black Sox scandal was 8 players from the Chicago White Sox making a deal with the gamblers to throw the World Series. Jackson could not read or write and was forced to sign something that lumped him in with the others. In the 1919 World Series, he batted .375. He had the only home run of the series. He made no errors on defense. During the regular season he batted .351. He was banned from baseball with his teammates in 1921 from the then Commissioner of Baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis. This was after the Black Sox players won their court case in a Chicago courtroom where they were found innocent. Shoeless Joe Jackson had the 4th highest batting average of all-time as he batted .356 when he got the boot from the game he loved.

Shoeless Joe Jackson’s teammates (Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Lefty Williams and Buck Weaver) will also be off baseball’s black list.

These names are the other guys on the list that were banned from baseball and are reinstated like the Black Sox and Pete Rose. This list starts with Joe Gedeon, Gene Paulette, Benny Kauff. Lee Magee, Phil Douglas, Cozy Dolan, Jimmy O’Connell, & William Cox who are other players that broke the cardinal rule in baseball.

For the Commissioner of Baseball, Robert Manfred, I find that he was up against President Donald Trump on this decision and took the easy road. Trump wanted to pardon Pete Rose of his baseball crimes. I think Manfred found the loop hole he needed by saying deceased players can’t ruin the game because they are gone but not forgotten. I think if you reinstate Pete Rose, you have to reinstate Shoeless Joe Jackson as both players have had many petitions over the year demanding these two guys be reinstated. The Baseball Hall Of Fame claims they want the best players who are quality citizens. Pete might not fit that criteria. I think it would be a brain fart if you say no to either Jackson or Rose if you’re a member of the committee deciding if they get to Cooperstown. Eddie Cicotte was one hell of pitcher that won over 200 games. He should be looked at for the Hall as well. Overall, baseball has weakened their stance on their biggest punishment for their biggest crime they have in the game. These rules are harsh because you want to keep the game pure. Commissioner Manfred gave the 2017 World Series Houston Astros a slap on the wrists for sign stealing. I don’t see the local late night bar or night club ripping up their list of banned people who did something they should not have done. Why do Presidents of the United States get involved in sports in the first place? Do they not have things on their list for this country that are important instead of wasting time pardoning a dead guy? I feel mixed emotions on this decision as a whole. I know Commissioner Manfred is single-handedly ruining America’s past time and that emotion I feel the strongest on. Because what happens next from this move he made, could be catastrophic.

THE NEW POPE IS A WHITE SOX FAN, NOT A CUBS FAN

Robert Francis Prevost became the first American ever to become the Pope of the Roman Catholic church. He was born and raised on the south side of Chicago in a suburb called Dolton, Illinois. His father was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and his mother was a librarian who raised their family in a blue collar suburb. He becomes the 267th Pope and he will go by Pope Leo XIV. The city of Chicago is going through Pope fever right now bringing flashes of back of the 1985 Bears who won the Superbowl as the city was in a tizzy about their team’s success. Everything was all about the Bears that year. After the city found out about the newly elected Pope, the burning question was is he a White Sox fan or Cubs fan? The Cubs quickly pounced on the idea that Pope Leo was a Cubs fan. Not so fast as the Pope’s brother set things straight saying he was a White Sox fan.

The Chicago Cubs claim that the new Pope was a fan of their team had some legs. Pope Leo XIV’s brother John Prevost aired out all the family dirty laundry. Because their mother was from the North side of town, she was the Cubs fan. It was a split household in the Prevost family. Could you say a mixed marriage as the father was a Cardinals fan? John, who lives in New Lenox, answered the burning question that his brother was a White Sox fan as a picture of the Pope surfaces on social media. It was a picture of him at game 1 of the 2005 World Series at Sox Park between Chicago and Houston. Over the weekend, the White Sox jumped on the bandwagon with Pope fever displaying congratulations to Leo XIV on their jumbo scoreboard.

Only the White Sox would screw it up regarding one of the biggest name fans they have by putting down 268th Pope as he is the 267th.

Robert Prevost was born in 1955 and was 4 years of age when the Dodgers beat the White Sox in the 1959 World Series. He had to wait a long time to see his childhood team win the World Series while everyone in the States is witnessing a miracle seeing the first American becoming the Pope. Pope Leo XIV studied his Catholic craft at the Theological Union of Chicago which launched him up the ladder of one of the biggest faiths in the world. A broken town of Dolton who finally got rid of their hot garbage, Mayor Tiffany Henyard, who embezzled the town’s money for her own self. The owner of the house that the Pope grew up in was all of a sudden taking it off the market in Dolton, Illinois. You know the owner of that property has a lotto ticket in his hands and will sell to the highest bidder.

The town of Dolton needs a feel good story and the Pope growing up there is what they need. The town of Dolton is interested in buying the Pope’s home to make it a landmark and place to visit. The house has already had multiple visitors when the news broke that it was the Pope’s childhood home. One of the biggest hot dog fast food joints in Chicago named a Italian beef sandwich after the Pope. This is just the beginning as Pope fever will reach a higher level when he decides to return to his ole stomping grounds.

The old Saturday Night Live skit with the Bears fans talking about DA Bears has been a popular meme with many of my friend’s groups. They say the Pope was a Bears fan as well as a White Sox fan. If the Bears finally make it to the post-season, we may reference the Pope. For the White Sox, their ownership has been hell on wheels for every fan they may still have. Perhaps the Pope has some influence with the guy upstairs that can help the White Sox beyond the cheap miser in charge. You would like to see all Chicago sports teams start doing better, having the Pope by your side. Yes, all of them except the Chicago Cubs, who try to claim the Pope for themselves for selfish reasons. The way that North side team works in Chicago. I feel confident that the White Sox will not have the worst record this year in the MLB. I believe they will get more wins then last year’s team that set the record for most losses in the modern day era. I will call these minor miracles the work of the Pope and not the brain trust that did not know how many Popes the Roman Catholic church has had. Act like you’re in the Majors as baseball leads sports in stats on the back of the player’s card. If someone does not believe the Pope is not all in as a White Sox fan, then look at the picture of him at the World Series game in 2005. He was not at the Cubs World Series in 2016. The picture paints a thousand words in “Da Pope town,” the new name for Chicago. Join in on the frenzy that is Pope mania in the Windy City. Remember he is a White Sox fan. Don’t you dare lump him in as a Cubs fan.

DEREK SHELTON GETS THE AXE

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been living beyond the basement in the NL Central standings all season long. Only a couple weeks into the month of May, they are 10 games back of the division leader. Recently the Cardinals swept the Pirates which could have been the last straw for Pirates skipper Derek Shelton. The Pirates fired Shelton after a slow start out of the gates at 12-26. Shelton was hired in 2019 and after 5 seasons, compiled up a record of 306-440. The Pirates never had a winning season under Shelton’s leadership. Shelton was hand picked by Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington to be the guy to lead the rebuild and help the Pirates get back to the post-season. The Pirates now hand the keys over to Shelton’s bench coach, 45 year old Don Kelly.

Derek Shelton is 54 years old & had a career as a player in the minor leagues. After he hung up the spikes, he worked his way up the coaching tree. Before being hired by the Pirates, Shelton was on the Minnesota Twins coaching staff. He came into a job that was a mess already as the Pirates had not been in post-season since 2015. In the shortened Covid season, Shelton’s first season on the job and a manager in the MLB, he had a record of 19-41. In 2021 & ’22, the Pirates were knocking down the walls, rebuilding on the fly, and suffered two straight 100 loss seasons. In 2023 things got better as the Pirates were establishing a core and their record improved to 76-86 that year. Then last season, the Pirates were buyers at the trade deadline. They were 2 games out of a playoff spot coming into the dog days of the summer in August. Then the 10 game losing streak sunk the Pirates ship and season, as they finished once again with the same identical record in 2023 with 76-86. You have to believe last year’s collapse was writing on the wall for Shelton’s future. The stats usually tell you the tale of the tape. As a team, the Pirates have the worst winning percentage at .316%, which only the White Sox and Rockies are worst than them. Those two teams you do not want to be lumped into. The Pirates as a team are batting .219 which ranks 27th in the league. The pitching staff as a group has a 4.31 ERA which is ranked 21 in the MLB this season. They are not stellar on defense either; as a group they come in at 24 in the MLB. The Pirates have some injuries this season which do not help. It was time for Shelton to go.

The Pirates will go with some local blood as their new manager at least to finish out this season. Don Kelly was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He was born in Butler & played his high school baseball in Western Pennsylvania at Mt. Lebanon High School. Nicknamed the Blue Devils, Kelly helped them win the PIAA Class 3 A title his senior year. Kelly played 9 seasons in the MLB as he was a jack of all trades, but perhaps master of none. He played at least one game at every position on the diamond. He was drafted by the Tigers & made his major league debut with the Pirates in 2007 when he played 25 games. After the 2007 season, he would resurface in the MLB with the Tigers in 2009 and stick from there. He played six seasons in the minor leagues. He played most of his career in Detroit and his manager back then was former Pirates skipper, Jim Leyland. Kelly hung up the spikes in 2016 ending his career as a Marlin. He played in 584 MLB games tallying up 1,098 At-Bats. His lifetime batting average was just .230 as he racked up 252 hits. He had 23 home runs while driving in 98 runs. After his playing career was over, he was hired by the Tigers as a scout. Then the Astros gave him a job on their coaching staff as first base coach. He has been on Shelton’s staff for a few seasons. He was the team’s bench coach this season. He’s well-organized. He’s very respected around the locker room and in baseball. The Pirates did not put the title of interim on Don Kelly’s name. It seems like he will have a fair shot at making this a permanent gig beyond this season. Sometimes the solution is right under your nose. This is Pirates baseball we are talking about, and they don’t have an easy button like other franchises have.

PIRATES FAN WHO WALKED THE PLANK AT PNC, WALKS FOR THE FIRST TIME

I remember my first ever Monster Truck rally being over-served, underage, and slipping down some stairs at the venue that held the competition. Chalk it up to luck that was on my side, I did not break anything slipping down concrete stairs or take out other fans’ feet making them fall. I would get up and move on. At PNC Park last week, a fan fell from the stands 20 feet on to the right field warning track in a game during which the Pirates were taking on the Cubs. It was in the 7th inning and Andrew McCutchen had the big hit to rally the Pirates ahead of the visiting Cubs. The fan, 20 year old Kavan Markwood, liked what he saw as he became shirtless pouring beer all over his head. He then suddenly fell from the stands as he tumbled through mid air multiple times before crashing on the warning track dirt. He was in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital after the Pirates and Cubs medical staff attended to his needs as he laid lifeless on the field while fans and players prayed he would be okay.

They had to cart him off the field & then the ambulance would bring him to the hospital that night. Kavan Markwood would make it to the trauma unit as he was diagnosed with a broken neck, clavicle, and back as he stayed in critical condition. This happened on April 30th. Finally Markwood has spoken about what had happened as he has trouble sleeping with those kind of injuries that may follow him through the rest of his life. The good news is he did walk for the first time. The family set up a Go-Fund me page where they have raised over $51.000 dollars for medical bills. He may not be out of those woods for a decade the way medical bills can bleed you dry, especially if you do not have any insurance coverage.

Kavan Markwood is a former college football player. As he has played for two division 2 schools. The football programs he was a part of were Wheeling University and Walsh University. He had played 4 games in 2023 for Wheeling University. That football mentality may come in handy to get this former athlete able to get back to his regular life of just walking and doing things. He is in a ton of pain. He will not see the daylight out of this dark tunnel for quite awhile. He said he will have to ice his body down and listen to the doctors and the people that are close to him. Like his girlfriend and his mother who were the front runners of the Go -Fund me page they set up to help the man they love.

Everyone in the baseball world has to be happy that Kavan Markwood did survive which you can call an accident. You can call it stupid. In other incidents in the past where people had fallen from the stands in MLB games, it did not go well. In 2011 in Texas a fireman, Shannon Stone, reached over the railing way too far to get a souvenir ball that outfielder Josh Hamilton flipped into the stands. He fell and died leaving his son who was in the stands watching in shock what just happened in front of his innocent eyes. Then in 2022 a 40 year old woman named Raquel Wilkins took her own life with her two year old in her hands. She jumped 40 feet from the stands at Petco Park and the fall killed them both. Some foul balls have been deadly as well. These are moments we have to learn from. We have all drank and got excited at some sporting event that could have caused some accident for ourselves or others. Throwing beer over my head when they are very expensive is not in the cards or being shirtless. It can happen with a shirt on and a full beer in my hands. Let’s hope Mr. Markwood can live a happy life after this without many repercussions following him like a lap dog for years to come. At 20 we were all stupid. But we should not have to pay with our lives. Lesson learned.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX WEEKLY

April 30, 2025

LAST PLACE IN THE AL CENTRAL

Since our last White Sox weekly on April 21st, the team has played seven more games. They had a 2-5 record during that stretch. Now they are 7-22 for the season. They are 10 1/2 games out of first place already. At home, their record is 4-9. On the road their record is 3-13. Last ten games they are 3-7. They are not the worst team in the MLB.

The Colorado Rockies record right now is 4-25. Bright side or dark side? Bright side of things is the White Sox are not the worst team in the MLB. The dark side of things is they are only 3 games better than the Rockies. No parade yet.

MARTIN PEREZ MOVES TO THE 60 DAY INJURED LIST

You can probably say that LHP Martin Perez, a native from Venezuela, was the top free agent the White Sox picked up in the off-season. That is not saying much. Perez inked a one year deal with the team for 5 million. If he pitched well it could be his ticket to a playoff team at the deadline. Perez has pitched well in a White Sox uniform. In 4 starts he has a 1-1 record with solid 3.15 ERA as he has tossed 20 innings of work and struck out 18. Not too shabby. However forearm soreness has him leaving early in his last start. He then was put on the 15 day injured list for a left elbow that had inflammation. Now the 34 year old has been placed on the 60 day injured list which could be something more serious. His return is slated for the middle of June if everything is healing and being on track. It wouldn’t shock me for him to be out the rest of the season. He was off to a good start and would have helped this White Sox team win a few more contests.

WHITE SOX MAKE A TRADE WITH THE CUBS

The Chicago Cubs are off to a very solid start this season as they are perched at the top of the NL Central. As all teams do, they are trying to get better by either adding or subtracting the weakest links. That weakest link was rookie third baseman Gage Workman who has only played in 9 MLB games this season as the Cubs designated him for assignment. The Cubs landed the 25 year old third baseman in the off-season through the rule 5 draft from the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers drafted Workman in the 4th round of the 2020 MLB draft from Arizona State University. The Cubs found someone that was interested in the services of Workman as they made a deal with the crosstown Chicago White Sox for cash.

Gage Workman swings the lumber from the left side of the plate and throws with his right arm when he plays defense. He only had 14 At-Bats with the Cubs & he had three hits with a double. He has drove in two runners and has one stolen base in those 9 games. He became expendable because he made some costly errors on defense. As does any player being traded, he thanked the organization saying they had some good people over there in Cubbie land. He at the same time ruffled some feathers saying, “Now I’m with the White Sox and I’m excited to be here and now I want to beat the Cubs.”

I’m sure Cubs fans will lose sleep over the revenge of Gage Workman. It would be hilarious if he did become a Cubs killer in the future because they only gave him less than 10 games.

Carlos Lee with the White Sox and every team he went to including the Brewers & Astros would slay the Cubs with the lumber. The Philadelphia Phillie third baseman, 1995 Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, destroyed the Cubs at Wrigley Field and in Philly. Workman has only played two games for the White Sox so far with 1 At-bat. Not sure he will be a future piece of this recent rebuild. He is only 25, so if they can develop him he does have a shot at making the crosstown Cubs’ lives miserable. The Cubs faithful will probably boo him on a regular basis. If Workman becomes the next Carlos Lee, the venom, these Cubs fans will ooze out of their bodies especially if the White Sox beat them. It could be Legendary!!!

WHITE SOX CALL UP BRIAN DALBEC

Former Boston Red Sox infielder returns to the big leagues. His newest Sox are now White instead of Red as Brian Dalbec joins the big club after inking a minor league deal in the off-season. Dalbec did not make the opening day roster but has swung the lumber well with the White Sox Triple A-team, the Charlotte Knights. The 29 year old after spending 5 seasons in Boston went 15-46 with the lumber which gave him a .326 batting average in the minors for the White Sox. He had 3 doubles, a triple, and 4 home runs which got him noticed and promoted. Dalbec hit 25 long balls for the Red Sox in the 2021 season. He can play first and third base. You could use him in the DH slot as well. In 5 games with the White Sox, Dalbec is contributing with the lumber already. He has 3 hits in 12 At-bats and has walked three times. He has scored a run and has driven in a run. In 336 games in his MLB career, he’s batting .222 with 47 long balls and 143 runs driven in. Could he become a fixture with this rebuild? Probably not. He’s using the White Sox opportunity to play his way to stick at the MLB level and not be demoted to the minors ever again. If he plays well, could he be a future trade chip for the White Sox at the deadline?

EUGENIO SUAREZ GOES YARD 4 TIMES IN LOSS TO THE BRAVES

The Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman, Eugenio Suarez, had a monster game over the weekend versus the Atlanta Braves with the lumber. Suarez hit 4 home runs in one game and becomes the 19th player ever to accomplish that in MLB history. The native from Venezuela gave the home crowd a game to remember which ended up being a loss for the Diamondbacks. Suarez did all he could in this one, even sending the game to extra innings in the 9th when he hit his 4th of the day. The Braves would end up winning the game 8-7 in the 10th putting a damper on things after an epic day at the plate for the 33 year old right handed slugger in his 12th season in the MLB. He went 4-4, all home runs, and drove in 5 runners out of the 7 the snakes scored, and scored 4 runs.

Eugenio Suarez gets on that list of being the 3rd player to hit 4 bombs in one game and be on the losing end in the box score. Last time that happened, it was Bob Horner of the Braves who hit 4 home runs versus the Expos in a loss in 1986.

Horner played 10 seasons in the MLB mostly with the Braves as he too was a third baseman and also played some first. Horner had 218 career home runs when he officially hung up the spikes in the late 1980’s. The first guy to hit 4 bombs in one game and being on the losing side, you have to go back to 1896 when Ed Delahanty of the Philadelphia Phillies had an epic game against the Cubs. The first player ever to hit 4 home runs in a single game is Bobby Lowe who did it back in 1894 on May 30th versus the Reds. Ed Delahanty was the 2nd guy ever to accomplish 4 dingers in one game.

The last time someone hit 4 home runs in one game, we have to go back to 2017 when JD Martinez did it wearing a Diamondbacks uniform in September versus the Dodgers. Two players in 2017 hit 4 home runs in a single game.

Do you remember Scooter Gennett? One of his magical years wearing a Reds uniform, he had 27 home runs in 2017. Since 1998, the 4 home runs in one game has been done a few times. In 2012, Josh Hamilton did it. In 2002, Carlos Delgado did it. It was done twice in 2002 by Shawn Green and Mike Cameron. Eugenio Suarez is that guy who lives by the home run swing and dies by the strikeout. His average this season is just .206 with 10 total home runs now and has driven in 10. Lot of solo shots. In 12 seasons in the MLB, he has hit 286 home runs and has a career batting average of .248 while driving in 851 runs. He has racked up 1,320 hits in 12 seasons. I’m not going take anything away from his epic 4 home run game with the lumber. It is one hell of great day. If the D-backs would have won, it would be even that more special.

BUCCANEER’S WEEKLY

April 23, 2025

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still holding down the basement seats in the NL Central. However the Pirates are in reach of yanking one of those St. Louis Cardinals’ feathers as they are in 4th place with a 10-15 record. The Pirates record stands at 9-15 right now. The last update which was over a week ago means they have a 4-5 record. They are 6-7 at PNC Park. They are a dreaded 3-8 on the road. Their last ten games they have a 4-6 record.

LITTLE CHIN MUSIC

Last Wednesday the Pirates and the Nationals game got heated as the benches cleared for both teams. The Nationals’ Jorge Lopez threw a pitch in the 7th inning that almost took Andrew McCutchen’s head off. Was it a little chin music by the Nationals RHP or was he head hunting? The count was 2-1 on the Pirates DH with 2 outs and 2 runners on, which is not a good time to serve up revenge on McCutchen. McCutchen did hit a home run off Lopez last year if that has something to do with it. Cooler heads did prevail as nothing happened and no punches were exchanged. Lopez was ejected from the game. Oneil Cruz held back Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham who lives for these moments being a martial arts expert on his own time. He probably wanted to demonstrate some of his skills on one or two of these Nationals players. The Pirates got the last laugh taking 3-4 games over the Nationals.

ANDREW HEANEY’S MASTERPIECE

Andrew Heaney pitched the 4th game out of the four game series versus Washington. The Pirates won 1-0 as Heaney pitched a gem of 7.1 innings of shut out ball. Only allowing 4 hits. Heaney coming off horrible year with the Rangers last year signed a one year deal with the Pirates in the off-season. The Pirates like the low risk, low salary players they hope turn into a high ceiling type of move. Heaney has been a blessing so far this season for the Pirates. He has started 4 games and now has evened up his record at 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA which is impressive. He has worked 25.1 innings of work and struck out 22 batters. Heaney earned his first win as a Pirate with that gem versus the Nats. Dennis Santana earns his second save of the year and Pirates win a series against a team they should win against. Heaney was slated to be the 5th guy in the starting rotation when they signed him. With injuries and being off to a great start, he is the 3rd best in the Pirates rotation right now.

WORST OFFENSE IN THE LEAGUE

The Pirates as a team right now have the worst offense in the MLB. They have the worst team batting average. As a group they are batting .190. The Pirates On-Base percentage is the worst in the league with a .282%. Their slugging percentage stands at .297%. Which is also last in baseball.

Maybe the big red wiffle ball bat should be brought to Pittsburgh like the torpedo bats the Yankees use.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX WEEKLY

April 21, 2025

The White Sox are back in familiar surroundings. Last place in the AL Central.

Since our last weekly of the White Sox, which was April 13th, the southsiders went 1-7. Their record is now an impressive 5-17.

Three of those 5 victories have been from the Red Sox. Which includes the first road victory of the year. White Sox at home are a cool 4-8 while on the road now having a stellar season at 1-9. Their last 10 games the White Sox are 3-7. The Red Sox get the last laugh as they won the season series against the White Sox 4 games to 3.

AFTER 681 DAYS LIAM HENDRICKS RETURNED TO THE PITCHING MOUND

The former White Sox closer, Liam Hendriks, who was a fan favorite of the southsiders during his three seasons in Chicago returned to the pitching rubber. This time he was wearing the Red Sox uniform as the 36 year old Aussie had been sidelined for almost two seasons from having Tommy John surgery that put him on the shelf in his last year wearing a White Sox uniform. It was 2023 when Hendriks missed the beginning of the 2023 season dealing with cancer. He had Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He returned to pitch after he was cancer free and pitched only 5 games as he had an elbow injury that needed Tommy John surgery.

On Sunday after 681 days, Liam Hendriks got his first action of the season against his former team. It was late in the game as the Red Sox were losing big to the White Sox. It did not go well. The White Sox welcomed him back by tacking on three more runs in an 8-4 victory in Boston. It included a two run home run off the bat of one of Hendriks’ former teammates, Andrew Vaughn. Hendriks pitched the full inning, walked one batter, struck out one batter, and gave up three total runs. Hendriks signed with the Red Sox after he became a free agent as the White Sox did not pick up his option at the end of the 2023 season. In three seasons Hendriks pitched in 132 games as he converted 76 saves and had an impressive 2.76 ERA.

GOOD RIDDANCE

I’m hoping we can put the Mike Clevinger experiment to its final resting place and never see this guy wear a White Sox uniform again. The White Sox got rid of some dead weight in their bullpen by giving the 34 year old RHP Clevinger his walking papers. He was DFA, Designated for Assignment as the White Sox could trade him which they will get no takers. Or release him back into the wild. I’m sure he will go unclaimed and re-sign with the White Sox triple A farm team knowing the way the White Sox brass thinks. Clevinger has been a starter his entire baseball career. Someone thought throwing him into the bullpen was going to be a great idea. It was a disaster. Clevinger pitched in 8 games & had a 0-2 record with 7.94 ERA. He pitched a grand total of 5.2 innings this season which he allowed 5 runs. In 3 seasons in 36 games, he had a 9-14 record with 4.24 ERA with the White Sox. The White Sox should immediately lose this guy’s number. Lock the doors and hide the children if he somehow pops up in front of the stadium.

BIG LEAGUE DEBUT

The White Sox brought up another one of their interesting prospects to make their major league debut this season. This time it’s 22 year old Edgar Quero who’s the White Sox number 6 prospect in their farm system. Quero is ranked number 62 overall in the MLB pipeline of prospects throughout the league. He’s a switch hitting catcher from Cuba and arrived to the White Sox organization in a trade with the Angels in 2023. The Angels acquired two of the White Sox veteran pitchers that summer in Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez during the trade deadline. The White Sox landed two prospects, pitcher Ky Bush and Quero.

The White Sox lost their best catcher that made the opening day roster in Kory Lee with an injury. The White Sox brought up veteran catcher Omar Narvarz who they signed to a minor league deal. Narvarz’s first three years of his ten year career played for the White Sox. He’s been a back up catcher his entire career that hits from the left side. Narvarz would only last 4 games in his second stint with the White Sox before the team designated him for assignment. He cleared waivers as no other team wanted to trade for him so Omar is a free agent. With the bat, he had 2 hits in 7 At-Bats and drove in 3 runs. The front office may dislike the way he handles the young pitching staff which I imagine was the reason to give him his walking papers. Narvarz was not going to be a guy that would be around for this next White Sox rebuild. They felt it was Edgar Quero’s time as they have seen another prospect of theirs do well when infielder Chase Meidroth got the call a week before to the big leagues. Quero has played in 5 games so far, has 4 hits in 15 at-bats, and has drove in three runners. I think as White Sox fans we’d rather see the prospects start doing their thing taking their lumps and get MLB experience than watch what we have been watching the last two seasons.

BUCCANEERS WEEKLY

APRIL 13, 2025

As a Pirates fan, you have to stay positive even though you live in the basement of the NL Central standings. Last week the Pirates played some .500 ball with a 3-3 record. The season record now is 5-10 after 15 games into the 2025 season. The Pirates are better at home than on the road. Home record is 3-3 and road record is 2-7. The Pirates are 4-6 in their last ten games.

The Pirates did salvage one game versus the Yankees in that 3 game series, the first home series at PNC Park. The Pirates blew the lead and had to win it in extra innings.

Tommy “Skywalker” Pham hit the Evil Empire with one shot. That shot was a walk off home run for Pham and the Pirates last Sunday for the first win at home.

It’s all about the Tom’s this week for Pirates baseball. The rookie Thomas Harrington notched his first save of his career and pitched 4 innings to get the job done for the Pirates. The 23 year old RHP was drafted by the Pirates in the first round 36th overall in the 2022 MLB draft out of Campbell University. He’s the first Pirate since Jason Christiansen to notch a 4 inning save. Christiansen got the save in Montreal on July 17th, 1998. We will have to wait for more heroics by the rookie as Harrington was sent back to the minor leagues. In two games he has a 0-1 record with 10.13 ERA as he tossed 8 innings at the big league level.

THE INJURED LIST

Pirates infielder Jared Triolo finds himself on the injury list. He’s on the ten day injured list with lumbar spine strain. The gold glove infielder has only played in 6 games this season. Triolo has 1 hit in 17 at-bats for the season.

The Pirates will also be without one of their bullpen arms as Colin Holderman lands on the 15 day injured list with a strain in his right knee. In 5 games he has no record this year as he worked 4.2 innings and has a exploding 9.64 ERA.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX WEEKLY

Shockingly the White Sox are not in last place in the AL Central. Despite losing 8 straight games, because they snapped that streak and have won two straight games. How would you like to a Twins fan right now in last place as the White Sox are above you? How would you like to be a Boston Red Sox fan a team that lost two straight games vs this bad White Sox team? Even if the White Sox lose the final game of this series versus Boston, they actually won their first series of the season. Let’s dance in the streets naked for that accomplishment. The White Sox record is 4-10 right now. Their last ten games they have a 2-8 record. They went 2-4 last week. They are 4-4 at home. On the road they have not won a game yet with a 0-6 record.

IT WAS UGLY IN CLEVELAND

The Mike Clevinger experiment in the bullpen is officially a dud. The Guardians beat the White Sox with the ole walk off walk as Clevinger allowed the bases to get loaded. He has 7 walks in only 4 innings of work and has a 0-2 record this season in 6 games. Yeah, he sucks.

The walk off walk happened on Monday. On Tuesday the White Sox had more ugly. It was the 9th inning and the White Sox were down 3-1 with bases loaded with 2 outs. That’s when infielder Miguel Vargas hits a single & drives in the guy from 3rd to make its 3-2 Guardians still had the lead. The 3rd base coach waved outfielder Mike Tauchman around as he would have been the tying run.

The former Chicago Cub, Tauchman, pulls a hamstring rounding 3rd base and would become the last out of the inning and game as Cleveland wins 3-2. Tauchman started the season on the injured list as he will head back with a hamstring strain. It’s a shame because Tauchman had 4 hits in 10 at-bats to start his season. So typical of White Sox base runners over the last few years, we have to lead the league in guys getting injured running the bases. Did these players never play running bases when they were younger? This generation gets sadder and sadder. Put down the phone and get outside.

TRANSACTIONS

The White Sox have been busy bees with all the transactions they have made this week. Mike Tauchman heads back to the injured list along with their catcher Kory Lee, which hurts. Lee is batting .333 for the season. Lee hurt his ankle. The White Sox bring up former Chicago catcher Omar Narvaez.

Omar Narvaez made his MLB debut with the White Sox back in 2016 as he played 3 seasons with the team before heading to Seattle. He has ten seasons as a back stop and played with the Brewers and the Mets the last 2 seasons. He bats from the left side. He’s a back up guy who has a career batting average of .252 with 53 long balls driving in 206. He has racked up 509 hits in his career.

The White Sox designated outfielder Travis Jankowski for assignment in another move. Jankowski is a former Texas Ranger who was on the 2023 team when they won the World Series. He’s known for his defense more than swinging the lumber.

The recently signing of former Pirates outfielder Joshua Palacios to a minor league deal was promoted quickly to the big league club.

The White Sox signed veteran infielder former Angel Brandon Drury to a minor league deal. He had a great spring with the White Sox but got hurt and did not make the opening day roster. He could be a nice power bat when he’s called up.

The debut of 23 year old second baseman Chase Meidroth did not disappoint the White Sox nation. Meidroth came over from Boston as one of the pieces in that Garrett Crochet trade. It was surprising when Meidroth did not make the opening day big league roster as he had a solid Spring. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB draft out of the University of San Diego. The White Sox unleashed him on the Red Sox where he helped his new team beat the team that drafted him. In 2 games, Meidroth is batting .500. He has 2 hits in 4 at-bats. The thing about this kid is his eye for the strike zone as he already walked three times. He has scored 2 runs. This is what the White Sox need – some of these prospects being developed and making noise right away. Let’s hope this kid is future pillar for the southsiders for years to come.

QUINTANA TAMED THE SNAKES IN HIS BREWERS DEBUT WHILE MAKING HISTORY

Jose Quintana made an impressive debut with his new team, the Milwaukee Brewers, in Arizona. Quintana pitched 7 scoreless innings while striking out two batters as Milwaukee shut out the snakes in the desert, 7-0. Quintana gets his first victory in a Brewers uniform where he signed with his new team this off-season. With the win, the 36 year old LHP also made some history himself. By getting the win over the Diamondbacks, Quintana has now got a W against every team in the MLB as he becomes the 24th player to achieve that.

Jose Quintana, from Columbia, has been in the MLB now for 14 seasons as the Brewers are his 8th team of his career. Last two seasons, Quintana has pitched for the New York Mets. Last year he made 31 starts & had a 10-10 record with 3.75 ERA. Quintana all-time is a .500 pitcher with a record of 103-103. He’s a streaky pitcher in his career with ups and downs over his career. I don’t think he has ever gotten the greatest run support, as he pitched some gems but took losses instead of wins. He is a good 3-4-5 guy in any starting rotation. Now he joins an exclusive list with guys that are still pitching like Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Charlie Morton. Other guys that have beaten every major league team who have hung up the spikes are Randy Johnson, Lance Lynn, Bartolo Colon, Zack Greinke, Tim Hudson, John Lackey, Kyle Lohse, Dan Haren, A.J Burnett, Derek Lowe, Vicente Padilla, Javier Vazquez, Barry Zito, Jaime Moyer, Woody Williams, Curt Schilling, Terry Mulholland, Kevin Brown, and Al Leiter. That’s a fantastic list to be on with that company for Quintana.

FORMER WHITE SOX & PIRATES RELIEVER KILLED AT NIGHT CLUB

You can say wrong place wrong time for former MLB reliever Octavio Dotel who leaves this earth way to soon at the age of 51. Early Tuesday morning in the Dominican Republic, a roof collapsed inside a night club which killed multiple people including the RHP Dotel who pitched 15 seasons in the MLB. Tthis unforeseen incident killed at least 58 people, injuring over 150 people which included former Washington Nationals utility guy Tony Blanco and former Slugger Nelson Cruz’s sister Nelsy. Originally Dotel was rescued from this disaster but died from the injuries he sustained.

Octavio Dotel originally signed with the New York Mets and made his MLB debut in 1999. Dotel played for 13 teams in his career which he spent 5 seasons with the Astros, the team he played the longest for. He played with the Tigers, White Sox, and Athletics for two seasons. In 2008 & ’09 he pitched out of the White Sox bullpen and helped them win the Central division that year. He had plenty of teams where he played one season or less which the list includes Blue Jays, Cardinals, Royals, Mets, Yankees, Braves, Dodgers, and Rockies. Dotel appeared in 41 games for the Pirates in 2010 during which he pitched for 3 different teams that year. He suited up for the Dodgers and Rockies. He won a World Series with the Cardinals. He appeared in that 2011 World Series in game 7 versus the Rangers and retired the two batters he faced.

He was a man that wore many uniforms in the MLB as Octavio Dotel probably never purchased any property in any of the cities that he played in. He pitched in 758 games mostly as a reliever as he did make 34 starts in his career. His pitching record was 59-50 with a nice respectable reliever 3.78 ERA. He closed 109 games for saves. He worked a total of 951 innings. He was a strike out style pitcher where he rung up 1,143 batters which is impressive. For Tony Blanco is a guy probably no one remembers. He played 56 games for Nationals and had a long ball. Nelson Cruz was on that 2011 World Series team, the Texas Rangers, that lost to Dotel’s Cardinals. Its a shame Cruz, who had a nice career in the MLB and was a home run slugging outfielder in his career, lost his sister in these horrible circumstances. Going out for some drinks and dancing only to get killed by a collapsing roof just does not seem fair. I’ve seen Dotel pitch and he pitched for both teams I follow, so he should be mentioned and remembered for what he did on the field for all the fans. I think about all these poor families that lost someone as all our prayers should go out to all of them. It can happen anywhere. You wonder how the night club was still able to open in a building that had structural problems. Someone dropped the ball in this as the truth will come out. These things are preventable and now innocent people paid the price. It’s a shame.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX WEEKLY

April 6, 2025

The AL Central has the Detroit Tigers as the king of the jungle on top of the standings. Not far behind the Tigers features the Royals, Guardians, and the Twins. Then below them all deep into the depths of the ocean, below the pond scum, below the bottom of the barrels features the lowest of the low living species on the planet. The Chairman Uncle Jerry Reinsdorf and the Chicago White Sox – a team not seeing any sunlight anytime soon.

You can see the beady eyes and how the beast appears in day to day operations knowing his team has sunk to the abyss in the baseball world which he does not care. First 8 games of the season the White Sox have sunk like a rusty oil can to the bottom of the standing with 2-6 record after having the worst season in the modern day era last year.

INTERESTING MINOR LEAGUE DEAL SIGNING

The White Sox added some outfield help to their roster signing former Pittsburgh Pirate Josh Palacios to a minor league contract. Palacios was designated for assignment on March 22nd by the Pirates and elected to become a free agent. Palacios is seeking a way to get back on a big league roster while the White Sox could use some additional help in their outfield. Palacios will have to prove he is worthy by playing some games down on the farm and if he shows potential he could be brought up to the big league club.

Last year the 29 year old outfielder only played in 23 games for the Pirates as he was dealing with injuries that sidelined most of his season. With the lumber he batted only .224 with two long balls driving in 9 runs. He played more games last year down on the farm than on the MLB roster. He has 4 seasons in the big leagues as he was actually drafted twice. In 2016 after playing college ball at Auburn University, he was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 4th round of the MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Jays in 2021. By 2022 Josh Palacios was wearing a Nationals uniform. He has played with them the last two seasons. In 2023 he set a career high in games played as he saw action in 91 contests. He batted .239 with 10 long balls driving in 40. In 396 At-Bats over his career he has a lifetime batting average of .230 with 12 long balls while racking up 91 hits with 55 RBI’s. He will not be the savior for the White Sox. He is a left handed bat and could be a serviceable player that could help this team win some games. He may not be a trade chip by the deadline but a guy that could drive in some runs and play some decent defense to help this team avoid a 100 losses. He fits the White Sox criteria that GM Chris Getz loves. Bargain guys with a chip on their shoulder.

BURNT BURGER TASTE LEFT INSIDE WHITE SOX MOUTHS

On August 1, 2023 the White Sox front office made a colossal fuck up trading Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins. The culprits back then were the two boobs named Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn. The White Sox in return for a slugging hitting infielder was LHP Jake Eder who has played in one game since this bad deal was hatched between the two teams. The White Sox just traded the 26 year old Eder to the Angels for cash considerations. You know the Marlins got something valuable in return for Burger who they dealt to the Texas Rangers in the off-season.

Originally Jake Eder was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 4th round of 2020 MLB draft from the University of Vanderbilt. The White Sox designated Eder for assignment and the Angels came calling. In his cup of coffee last year in the big leagues, he pitched two innings in one game. In those innings he walked one, gave up one, earned one, and hit a batter with a pitch. He did not shine in Spring Training. Last year in Double A and Triple A he made 24 starts & had 6.61 ERA. His career numbers in the minor leagues so far he has a 5.09 ERA as he worked 237 innings. The Angels optioned Eder to their Triple A Salt Lake City team. Jake Burger really has not heated up this season with the Rangers as he usually gets off to slow starts. Last year with the Marlins, his first full season with them, he batted .250 with 29 bombs and drove in 76. Burger was a fan favorite in Chicago as he fit perfectly on the south side. Burger was a first round pick by the White Sox back in 2017. This is another bad move like many done by this front office that leaves you scratching your eyeballs out of their sockets. This is why these two buffoons were fired not long after that deal. The return for Burger’s services is terrible. He was worth more than a crappy left handed pitcher. I’m not a big fan of current White Sox GM Chris Getz who’s another bonehead. You can’t blame him for getting a bag of used balls for the big mistake the former regime created.

BUCCANEERS WEEKLY

SUNDAY APRIL 6, 2025

The Pirates are living their best life being the people under the stairs in the NL Central with a 2-7 record in the first 9 games of the season.

DAVID BEDNARD SENT DOWN TO THE FARM

The Pittsburgh Pirates have seen enough from their two time All-Star closer sending him down to the farm from his horrific performance in Miami. Last year, the 30 year old RHP was able to get over his early season hiccups when he blew 3 saves in the first 4 opportunities. Bednard had the worst case of hiccups by a closer I’ve ever seen and it started in game 1 this season when he served up a lead off triple in a 4-4 game versus the Marlins. That resulted in a walk-off win by Miami. Then in game two Bednard was able to close the game to help preserve the Pirates’ first win of the season. He walked a very tight rope serving up two run home runs to make it 4-3. He came in with nobody on base and had a 4-1 lead. Then in the series finale it was the wild pitch that gave the Marlins another walk off win.

Last season David Bednard rebounded from the miserable start and got back on track for the Pirates. Then the dog days of summer hit and Bednard went south again. Last year he had a 3-8 record with exploding 5.77 ERA in 62 games working 57.2 innings. He did convert 23 saves but blew seven saves. In seven seasons his career pitching record is 12-20 with 3.45 ERA in 254 games. He has saved 85 ball games during which in 2023 he had 39 saves. This year he only worked a total of one inning. He was tagged for two losses in 3 games and has a 27.00 ERA. In 2021 Bednard came to Pittsburgh in a three team trade that sent Pirates starter Joe Musgrove to San Diego. Bednard played two seasons in San Diego before joining the Pirates. Hope he can work out his issues, find his old form of 2023, and come back and throw some clean innings for the Pirates later in the season.

PIRATES WHEELING AND DEALING

The Pirates traded one of their back up catchers to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations. Jason Delay has played three seasons in the MLB, all with the Pirates. Delay has been in the minor leagues as he did not make the Pirates opening day roster. Delay is 30 years of age and has caught 134 games in three seasons. He has tallied up 334 At-Bats and has a career batting average of .231 with 2 long balls and drove in 35. The Pirates had a slew of injuries last season at the catchers position at which Delay saw 70 games of action in 2024, by far his most of his career. The Pirates have enough options this season so far behind the plate. The Braves have some injuries behind the plate this season. Delay may be needed at the big league club at some point. For now he was optioned to the Braves Double A team in Columbus.

IF HE BEATS YOU HE MUST JOIN YOU

The Pittsburgh Pirates made another move by acquiring some outfield help from the New York Mets. The Pirates acquire 24 year old native from the Dominican Republic, Alexander Canario, who’s a former Chicago Cub. The Cubs traded him to the Mets during the off-season. Canario has not seen the field this year at the Major League level until the Pirates acquired him. So far in 2 games and only seven At-Bats, he has no hits. If you remember in 2023 in his first start at the MLB level in Wrigley in September, he hit a grand slam versus the Pirates. He became the first player in MLB history to hit a grand slam and have a 5 RBI day in his debut. Let’s see if Canario will be that gem the Pirates pull out of the ruff. He has only 23 games in the MLB. He has racked up only 49 At-Bats and 12 hits which gives him a .245 batting average. He has two home runs and 8 RBI’s. Lets hope he has payback against the Cubs and gets a grand slam against them this season.

JURICKSON PROFAR SUSPENDED 80 GAMES FOR BEING ON THE JUICE

The Atlanta Braves have dug themselves an early grave to start this season. The team had a plan to be without their superstar slugger Ronald Acuna Jr. to start the season as he is in his final rehabilitation stages of returning from a torn ACL, which derailed most of his season last year. The Braves had a quiet off-season not needing to sign many players. Their biggest acquisition they signed is 32 year old Jurickson Profar who can play outfield and infield. He came off a career year last year playing for the Padres. He could hold down the fort while Acuna Jr. recovers. When Acuna Jr. is ready, Profar could be that guy used in a utility role since he can play multiple positions. It’s back to the drawing board as the Braves will lose their off-season Profar plan. He’s busted for performance enhancing drug in his system and will be suspended 80 games.

Jurickson Profar made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers as he is a native of Curacao. He has played 12 seasons in the MLB with 5 different organizations including the Braves this season. Last year he had his best season of his MLB career as he batted .280 with 24 home runs while driving in 85 in 158 games played. He made his first all-star team. He signed a 1 million dollar contract two off-seasons ago. He turned his career year into a cash cow as he got a 3 year deal from the Braves worth 42 million. He was off to a slow start this season with only 4 games in along with 15 at-bats, he has a batting average of .200 as he racked up only 3 hits. His lifetime numbers with the lumber he has racked up 920 hits with a batting average of .245 with 111 long balls and driving in 444 runs.

Jurickson Profar tested positive for Chorionic Gonadotropin which is on the MLB’s banned substance list. It surprises me players still try to get an edge as they think they are always three steps ahead of the medical staff that test these players. Profar was tested multiple times in 2024 and all of them passed except one that they found the banned substance that made the test positive. I guess it is a blessing to happen right off the start of the season. Profar’s expected return will be at the end of June. He will still be eligible to play in the post-season if the Braves make it that far. Right now it hurts because the Braves are drowning right now treading water as the losses are piling up. The Braves could break up their platoon system they had going in left field with Jared Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz as one of them could go to right where Profar was playing. The Braves also signed former Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo very late in the spring as he is getting at-bats in the minors right now. He could be called to the major league squad before he is even ready as an emergency plan. You can see how performance enhancing drugs produced a career year for Profar and how that one season padded his bank account the following year. Sounds good but now the shame of being suspended for 80 games and will he be able to repeat those numbers off the substance? Before the big contract I’m sure his bank statement is bigger than yours and mine put together in 12 years in the game. He was making good money before the 42 million.

BREWERS WERE BOMBED

It was not that Bernie Brewer fell off the slide drunk. The scene was in the Big Apple where the Bronx Bombers opened the chutes on the visiting Milwaukee Brewers with nine home runs. In the very first inning, the Yankees bombarded their X teammate LHP Nestor Cortes who was traded to the Brew Crew in the off-season. Cortes threw three consecutive pitches and gave up three home runs starting with the Judge. Aaron Judge, followed by two new Yankees on the roster this season in Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger. The Yankees dropped the big one on the Brewers – a cluster bomb of 20 runs to the Brewers’ 9 tallies on the scoreboard.

It was like Empire Strikes Back as Aaron Judge had three long balls which included a grand slam and a 2 run job along with the solo shot in the first. It was his 9th career grand slam along with his 40th multi homerun game. The others that got in on the action all had one dinger which starts with Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr, and Oswald Peraza. Those 9 homeruns broke the Yankees’ team record of 8 which was a tie between two games. The first goes back all the way to 1939 when the Yankees did it against the Philadelphia Athletics as the great Joe DiMaggio had two of those 8 long balls in that contest. The Yankees also hit 8 against the Chicago White Sox back in July 31, 2007. The Yankees meanwhile are off to a 2-0 start while the Brewers are off to a 0-2 start.

PIRATES WERE CRUZING UNTIL BEDNAR’S TIGHT ROPE ACT IN THE 9TH

It took the Pirates until game two to get their first win of the season against the hapless Marlins team on the road. The Pirates were in Cruz fashion the entire game, until the 9th inning. The Pirates were up 4-1 and just needed three outs to preserve a brilliant start from RHP Mitch Keller. David Bednar struggled last season as the Pirates closer. This season in two games, the RHP is off to a rocky start. In game one of the series, he was tagged with the loss as Miami prevailed in a walk off fashion. Last night he did get the job done, but he did give up a 2 run homer to Otto Lopez before he got the final three outs to nail down the first win of the year for the Pirates which was a 4-3 victory.

The Pirates old ace, Mitch Keller, delivered a 6 inning gem in his first start of the year. Keller was the number one guy until Paul Skenes came aboard the Pirates ship. Keller gave up the one run, allowed 5 hits, and struck out 4 Marlins. It was Oneil Cruz that did the Van Damage for the Pirates. Cruz had a 2 run home run and an RBI double. He stole a base and scored a run off the bat of Andrew McCutchen, who had an RBI double. The Pirates played a solid game after some bad plays in Skenes’ first ever opening day start on Thursday. David Bednar has tossed one inning & has an exploding 27.00 ERA with a save in two games. Let’s hope the 2x All-Star hiccups are out of his system and get right the ship in the 9th the rest of the season.

ANGELS DID NOT EARN THEIR WINGS VERSUS THE WHITE SOX ON OPENING DAY

Opening day is like Christmas in spring. The excitement of going to the ballpark to unwrap your team’s season. Every team has the same record of 0-0 except the two games played in Japan last week between the Cubs and Dodgers. The anticipation for how your season is going to play out. The stadium is packed like it’s a playoff game. In Chicago on a Thursday afternoon on a cloudy day, many fans probably knew that it was going to be business as usual with the White Sox. Dark clouds have followed this team the last few seasons. Last year was the worst year to be a fan of the White Sox. They posted the worst record in baseball history during the modern era. The LA Angels come into town with some former White Sox players like a Tin Anderson and Yoan Moncada to even rub some more salt on the wounds. That did not happen as the White Sox shocked the Angels and gave them a beat down on opening day winning 8-1.

Maybe finally the baseball gods were smiling on the White Sox. Perhaps the Angels just suck in their first game of the season since they lost now 10 out of their last 11 openers. The one game they won was in 2021 versus the White Sox. On Thursday the Angels must have forgotten to bring their Red Bull to give them wings. Perhaps its was former NBA star, former Bull Derrick Rose, throwing out the first pitch. An expert would tell it was Sean Burke 25 year RHP who threw a gem in his first opening day start of his career. Who the hell is Sean Burke you ask? He was drafted by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 2021 MLB draft from the University of Maryland. Last year he made his MLB debut and went 2-0 in 4 games where he made three starts. Burke threw six scoreless innings allowing only 3 hits & no walks on 73 pitches. Burke’s stuff was electric as he still remains perfect in the MLB with a 3-0 record.

Former White Sox short stop Tim Anderson made his first visit to the Rate wearing another uniform. Last year Anderson was dreadful with the lumber in his first year away from the White Sox playing for the Marlins as he would be DFA before the season ended. Anderson signed a minor league deal with the Angels and his spring training performance along with injuries landed him a roster spot on the Angels. Anderson wore number 7 all those years with the White Sox & now wears number 77 for the halos. Anderson was greeted with cheers by the White Sox faithful which may have included 25% of those fans who gave the former White Sox short stop some boos. Anderson could not spoil a wonderful afternoon on the south side as he went 0-4 at the plate. I thought Yoan Moncada was not going to make the Angels opening day roster as he had a thumb injury. Moncada was greeted with boos when he made his first at-bat against his former team in a pinch hitting situation. Moncada got a one year deal from the Angels as he was non tendered by the White Sox in the off-season. Moncada drew a walk. The X White Sox players would do no damage.

The White Sox used the long ball as they cleared the bases with three home runs. The new guy, outfielder Austin Slater, gets his first homer in a White Sox uniform. Lenyn Sossa’s hot bat from last year carries over as he gets his first dinger of the year. It looks like Andrew Benintendi’a fractured hand is okay after getting hit with a pitch in spring training. He to delivered a bomb. The White Sox scored 4 runs off Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi as he did last six innings. After Burke, the White Sox bullpen gave up only one run in garbage time. Mike Clevinger walked Mike Trout but struck out former Cub Jorge Soler to get out of the inning. The 8-1 win leads to Will Venable’s first win as a MLB manager. After the disastrous 2024 season that we will always remember, until the team gets back to the post-season. For at least one day we can forget about 2024 and why not 2023, which was also a dumpster fire. For two days we can say the White Sox are in first place with a 1-0 record. How long would it last? Is a series win out of the question? Only 161 games left. We only need 40 more wins to tie last seasons total of 41. Let’s get crazy and get 41 more wins to break last year’s record. Is that asking too much?

THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX 2025 OPENING DAY ROSTER

Final Cactus League Spring Training White Sox record (11-19)

CATCHERS: Kory Lee, Matt Thaiss

INFIELDERS: Andrew Vaughn, Lenyn Sosa, Brooks Baldwin, Nick Maton, Miguel Vargas

OUTFIELDERS: Luis Robert Jr., Michael Taylor, Austin Slater, Travis Jankowski, Andrew Benintendi

PITCHERS

STARTING ROTATION: Sean Burke, Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin, Martin Perez, Shane Smith

BULLPEN: Cam Booser, Fraser Ellard, Brandon Eisert, Mike Clevinger, Jordan Leasure, Penn Murfee, Bryse Wilson, Mike Vail

THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES 2025 OPENING DAY ROSTER

Final Grapefruit League Spring Training Pirates record (14-15)

CATCHERS: Joey Bart, Endy Rodriguez

INFIELDERS: Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Adam Frazier, Ji Hwan Bae

OUTFIELDERS: Jack Suwinski, Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Pham, Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds

PITCHERS

STARTING ROTATION: Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Andrew Heaney, Bailey Falter, Carmen Mlodzinski

BULLPEN: David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Dennis Santana, Caleb Ferguson, Joey Wentz, Justin Lawrence,Tim Mayza, Ryan Borucki

2025 MLB PREDICTIONS

We really have no faith the two teams we cover will make it to the post-season. We know the White Sox will be dead last in the AL Central. Can the Pirates get out of the basement and take that next step in a division where pretty much anyone has a chance in the NL Central? I doubt it. Spring is here and there’s grass on the field. It’s time to play ball as the season opens up for everyone else except the Dodgers and Cubs, who played two games in Japan last week. We will throw darts at the board blindfolded and predict all the division winners we think for this upcoming 2025 season. We will predict the wild cards. We even have a World Series with two teams. Yes, we will probably have the Dodgers repeating as they have the dream team with caffeine as they added to their espresso this off-season.

DIVISION PREDICTIONS

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL EAST

The Red Sox will be king of the AL East throne as their pitching will hold up during the regular season.

2nd: Yankees, Third: Orioles, 4th: Blue Jays, Last: Rays

AL CENTRAL

The Tigers take the next step and win the AL Central which is up for grabs by any team not named the White Sox.

2nd: Royals, 3rd: Guardians, 4th: Twins, Last: White Sox

AL WEST

The Astros dynasty is over. The Rangers have the fire power with the lumber. They added some arms to the pitching staff & that should be enough to win this division. I don’t trust any of the other teams in the West. Mariners have the best pitching in the division but didn’t address their every day line up. Which is a shame.

2nd: Mariners, 3rd: Angels, 4th: Astros, Last Athletics

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NL East

The Mets starting pitching is the biggest question of the 2025 season. They won the Juan Soto sweepstakes. This team was one of the best teams from the second half of last year through the deep run in the post-season. They even got Pete Alonso resigned. This carries over as the Mets take the NL East.

2nd: Phillies, 3rd: Braves, 4th: Nationals, Last Marlins

NL CENTRAL

Every year, you question the Brew Crew. The Brewers lose players, coaches, etc etc. We pick against them every year. We continue to eat crow. This year the Brewers once again will show their doubters once again and win the NL Central. Then in the playoffs, same ole story of one and done. It’s Miller time.

2nd: Cubs, 3rd: Pirates, 4th: Reds, Last Cardinals

NL WEST

No brainer as the Dodgers easily win another division title.

2nd: Diamondbacks, 3rd, Padres, 4th Giants, Last: Rockies

WILD CARDS

AMERICAN LEAGUE

#1. New York Yankees, #2. Baltimore Orioles, #3. Seattle Mariners

NATIONAL LEAGUE

#1.Diamond Backs, #2. Phillies, #3. Braves

WORLD SERIES

Dodgers repeat. The Dodgers are a team with a loaded roster. They are bullet proof. This season they have a better pitching staff than they had last year. They have a murderer’s row of an everyday line up. Watch Shohei Ohtani won another MVP award and put up the monstrous numbers with the lumber & then win 10 or more games on the pitching rubber. It’s just sick. But they have an owner that spends money and is playing by the same set of rules as all the other penny pinchers in the league.

REPLACING THE IRISHMAN WITH ANOTHER IRISHMAN IN A BRAVES WORLD

The Atlanta Braves are in a pickle with their back stop position. They lost their star catcher to a rib injury in Sean Murphy. They recently released veteran non-roster invitee, Curt Casali. They have limited options at the catching position. The Braves can go with their top prospects in Drake Baldwin who’s been turning some heads in the Grapefruit league. Another option is Chadwick Tromp who has 59 career games in the MLB in 5 seasons which does not sound promising. The luck of the Irish, the Braves may have found their temporary solution by signing veteran James McCann to minor league deal.

I’m surprised that James McCann was available still as he is 34 years old and has played for the Orioles the last two seasons. Originally drafted by the Tigers in the second round of the 2011 MLB draft. He had his best season with the lumber wearing a White Sox uniform and made the All-Star team. He got the big money to play for the Mets. In 11 seasons he has basically been mostly a back up catcher as he played in 917 games. Last year he played in 65 games for Baltimore & batted .234 with 8 long balls and drove in 31. Lifetime with the lumber he has racked up 733 hits. He has a career batting average of .241 with 92 long balls as he has driven in 373 runs. In two seasons with the White Sox he was a solid hitter batting .276 with 25 long balls and drove in 75. He came from the Tigers where he was batting .240 in 5 seasons in Motor City.

With James McCann aboard, the Braves don’t have to rush their top prospect Drake Baldwin into action. If Chadwick Tromp could keep the Braves treading water for a few weeks as this move bringing in McCann could work well for the entire season. Tromp in 59 games at the MLB level has a batting average of .232 with 5 long balls while driving 22. McCann brings you a better overall catcher that might not need a ton of time to get ready for opening day. These players are training all year round and McCann being a catcher should be prepared better than anyone else on the diamond. If the Braves bring McCann to the MLB roster, which you know they will, he will only get 1 million for the season. McCann would be a better back up option than Tromp when Sean Murphy is ready to go. I always like McCann & in crucial situations with the bat, he was pretty good in the clutch. He defended well and called a nice game. One of the better options at back up catcher in the league. It’s a low risk/high ceiling type of move and keeps the Braves line up solid as he would not be one of those automatic out catchers that the league has so many of.

THE EVIL EMPIRE DOWN AN ARM

The New York Yankees will once again be without their ace pitcher to start the season. In 2024 Gerrit Cole made his season debut in June because he had some elbow pain in mid-March during spring training. The Evil Empire will not get lucky this season with Cole as his season will come to an end after pitching in two games in spring training. The Yankees RHP will undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2025 season and perhaps a part of the 2026 season.

The former Cy Young winner is 34 years of age and has been a workhorse his entire 12 year career in the MLB. Gerrit Cole felt pain after his last start versus the Twins where he only lasted 2.2 innings as he gave up six runs on 5 hits and two of those left the park. He pitched a total of six innings in spring training and gave up 7 runs total. Last season in regular season he had a 8-5 record with 3.41 ERA in 17 starts. He tossed 124 innings and made 22 starts combined in regular season and the playoffs where the Yankees went all the way to the World Series and lost to the Dodgers. Cole is a 6x all-star and winner of two ERA titles. He has a career record of 153-80 with a respectable 3.18 ERA as he made 317 starts in his career. He has worked 1,954 innings and struck out 2,251 batters. Last season he was diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema. He elected to avoid surgery and go with rest and rehab which worked for him.

This is a big blow for the Yankees losing their ACE. Gerrit Cole was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. The Pirates could not afford his services and were not in contention so traded him to Houston. When Cole finally came on the open market, the Evil Empire pounced on Cole’s services who was a Yankee fan growing up. Cole got a huge deal, a 9 year contract worth 324 million. Justin Verlander was older than Cole and received Tommy John surgery late in his career. He came back strong. I can see the same thing happening for Cole to come back and not miss a beat. The Yankees have time to figure out what to do next. If they want another starter through trade or finding someone who is still on the free agent market. Do they have an option down on the farm? The Yankees will give Carlos Rodon the opening day start. He’s a former White Sox and signed a big deal with the Empire a few seasons ago.

RANGERS FIND THEIR PITCHING REPLACEMENT FOR THE INJURED GRAY

Unfortunately the Texas Rangers lost one of their key starters to the rotation when Jon Gray broke his wrist on a line drive right before spring training coming to an end. The time table on Gray’s return is still undetermined right now. Last season the Rangers got out of the gates slowly with some injuries to the starting rotation. The AL West looks up for grabs as Houston got weaker in the off-season losing some key guys. The Mariners did not spend any money to improve their team who just missed a wild card spot right at the end of the season. The Athletics and Angels may have improved in the off-season, but I don’t see either team being a sleeper team that will take the AL West crown. The Rangers quickly found their replacement for Gray in a depleted pond that was fully stocked with free agents and now is practically dry as a bone. The Rangers sign 35 year old LHP Patrick Corbin to a one year deal worth 1.1 million. Corbin just finished a 6 year deal from the Nationals that was worth 140 million. The Rangers will get Corbin on the cheap end of things as you will see why in a moment.

Patrick Corbin was originally drafted by the Angels in the 2nd round of the 2009 MLB draft from Chipola College in Florida. He made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2012 where he spent six seasons and another season rehabbing as he missed the entire 2014 season due to injury. He then signed the big deal with the Washington Nationals where it paid off immediately. Corbin helped the Nationals win their first ever World Series title in 2019 and he was the man that got the deciding win in that World Series versus the Astros. He got the win in that game 7 of a series that went the distance. Corbin has 12 seasons in the MLB, six with the Snakes and six with the Nationals. He has earned two All-Star appearances in those 12 seasons. Last year was dreadful for Corbin as he finished with a losing record of 6-13 with very high 5.62 ERA as he started 32 games. He worked 174.2 innings striking out 139 batters. This is the 5th straight year Corbin has had a losing record as his only winning season came in his first year in Washington when he went 14-7 with 3.25 ERA, probably his best year of his career. In 6 years of the big contract, he has had one good year. In 2022 he lost 19 games for the Nationals. In 2023 he did win ten games and has played on some bad teams after the World Series. His lifetime stats he is 18 games under the .500 mark with a record of 103-131. He has a 4.51 ERA in 342 MLB games in which 324 of them were starts. He has over 1,700 strike outs and is closing in on 2,000 lifetime innings pitched.

Patrick Corbin has won 14 games, his career high in three different seasons. It’s hard to believe he is capable of getting a winning record with the Rangers. Last year he allowed the most hits and runs in the league. One thing good about Corbin is he’s durable. Since 2017 Corbin is the only pitcher in baseball to make 31 or more starts in each of those seasons. He has that rubber arm that helps him take the ball every 5th day for his team. The Rangers may tweak something or see something that they can fix to help him find his old groove again. He will be playing with a better cast of characters around him instead of prospects that the Nationals acquired from all the veteran players they shipped out of town. Remember the Rangers who won their first World Series title in 2023. This is a cheap risk by the Rangers. If they get something decent out of Corbin for the money they are paying him, it would be a win-win. The Rangers could have gotten Lance Lynn, a guy they know and who played for the Rangers a few years back. Lynn played for the Cardinals last year and is still doing cannon balls in the free agent pond. I think Lynn would have demanded more money. Maybe Corbin will surprise everyone and break that 5 year streak of losing records.

GALLO WANTS TO BE A DUEL CITIZEN ON THE STRIKE OUT

You can say if Joey Gallo leaves the game of baseball, he could get a job at a fan company on how many swings and misses he has had over 10 seasons in the MLB. Gallo was recently cut by the Chicago White Sox after signing with them on a minor league deal and invite to spring training weeks ago. If you can’t make it on the roster of the worst team in baseball, you may need to start doing some soul searching. In 9 games in Cactus League play, Gallo went 2-20 with 11 strike outs. Last time Gallo’s batting average was in the 200’s you have to go back to his Rangers days in 2021. That year he was batting .223 at the time when he was traded to the Yankees at the deadline. He finished the 2021 season batting 1.99. You really have to go back to 2019 when Joey had a great year with a .253 batting average. Now Gallo is trading in the lumber for a basic pitching mitt and says he will pitch as he makes the transition from outfielder/first basemen to the mound and will not have to swing the bat. Gallo will convert to a pitcher at the age of 31 and be looking to strike out guys instead of being the K victim. He racked up 1,293 strike outs. Can he be in the same club with others historically that have struck out 1,000 batters while striking out over 1,000 batter? Before the DH it probably has been done to death. It has not been done for a long time.

Last year Joey Gallo hooked up with the Washington Nationals which could be his last team he ever played for in the MLB. Last year, he played in only 76 games and had a batting average of .161 with 10 long balls and 27 runs driven in. Once upon a time ago at the start of his career with the Rangers, he looked like he was going to be a solid player for years to come. He made two all-star appearances and earned two gold gloves. He played with 5 different organizations and after leaving Texas, he had a hard time as a Yankee, Dodger, Twin, and Nat. Ten years with the lumber he has only racked up 557 hits. He has 208 home runs. He has driven 453 runs, but that batting average has been dropping for years as he finished with a .194 average. The Nationals were smart not to pick up his option as he was non-tendered in November. Nobody has a clue if Gallo will find his way back to the MLB being a pitcher. I’m sure he will set something up to throw in front of multiple scouts. He may have to find an independent baseball league to really showcase his pitching skills. How long will he have to work on his new craft before he masters it and is ready to showcase what he has learned on the mound? Most guys will make this change at a younger age than Gallo. Remember Rick Ankiel of the Cardinals. He was a solid pitcher and then just lost it on the mound like his craft disappeared without a trace. Could not get the ball over the plate. He was wild as he could not control where he wanted the ball to get to. He switched from pitcher to the outfielder. It took him a few seasons to grasp the outfield position and swing the lumber. Gallo may be in his mid 30’s by the time we see him back in the Majors, and that is if he can actually pitch well enough to accomplish his conversion. It would nice to see him be that guy with duel citizenship when it comes to that strikeout stat. Beats working at a fan company.

MO VAUGHN USED HGH TO STAY IN THE GAME

Before David Ortiz, aka the Big Papi, the Boston Red Sox had a similar slugger during the 1990’s named Mo Vaughn. In the 1990’s, baseball had all kinds of massive specimens on the baseball diamond as they looked chiseled with all kinds of muscles pulsating under their baseball jersey. Instead of who let the dogs out, who let all the meatheads out of the gym? It seemed at the time the MLB ate all this up making them like some kind of marvel characters. Vaughn’s name was on the U.S Senator report who investigated the steroids and HGH (Human Growth Hormones) that flooded all the MLB lockers rooms during the 1990’s. These drugs made players bigger, faster, and would help heal your injuries faster. Vaughn used HGH to try to stay in the game longer by injecting it into his left knee towards the tail end of his career when he wore a Mets uniform.

The 1990’s had a ton of talented players who really did not need to pump their bodies with steroids or HGH. Guys like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, and many more could be enshrined in Cooperstown if they would just have said no. Listened to the great 1980’s slogan about drugs by U.S President Ronald Reagan’s wife Nancy. Mo Vaughn was a big guy already when he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the 1989 MLB draft 23rd overall from Seton Hall University. He played 8 seasons at Fenway Park in Boston and he was a left-handed monster slugger there where he took home the 1995 MVP award. He won a Sliver Slugger award and was a 3 x All-Star. After Boston he got a massive contract from the Angels that paid him a record back then at six years 80 million. In 1999 & 2000 he hit 51 total home runs for the Angels. Vaughn would miss the entire 2001 season due a ruptured bicep tendon. The Angels decided to trade Vaughn to the Mets where he played two seasons. He only played 27 games in his final MLB season in 2003 with the Mets.

Mo Vaughn was a big man and was a decent first baseman, but age and weight may have derailed his career before he even thought of HGH. He racked 1,620 hits over his 12 seasons in the big leagues. His life time batting average was very respectable at .293 as he mashed 328 home runs while driving in 1,064 runs. He tallied up 861 runs. He got the big deal from the Angels and did not live up to it like players in present times. This will always be the case for many athletes who get the payday and suddenly the skills decline. Vaughn as a slugger struck out over 100 times each season but still had a respectable batting average. In 2000, his second year into the deal he struck out 181 times but still had a .272 batting average. You could say his skills with the lumber were on the decline then. You have to go back to his first year with the Angels when Vaughn was chasing a pop up in foul territory and would slip on the stairs of the dug out, hurting his ankle and knee on that one fluke play. Suddenly injuries would follow the slugger the rest of his career like dark clouds. He probably felt like a trapped animal in a corner. He needed some juice in that left knee to get back on the field and stay there to live out that massive contract.

The senator from the state of Maine, George J. Mitchell, wrote a report which came out in 2007 which was 409 pages as it sounds like a Steven King novel. King also lives in the state of Maine as these guys like their words and lobsters. The report had 89 ball players that were being investigated for steroid use. Mo Vaughn was one of those players as he purchased HGH three times in 2001 as he felt he needed the juice to extend his career. It was a bat boy clubhouse guy for the Mets named Kirk Radomski who provided Vaughn with the stuff. Now steroids and HGH are two different things. Steroiders use bigger needles to inject their bodies with that substance. While HGH uses smaller needles as Vaughn liked, as he and most people don’t want a harpoon style needle shooting through their veins. It was not until 2005 when the MLB banned the substance HGH. That was two years after Vaughn hung up the spikes. The Mitchell report came out in 2007 which 4 years after, Vaughn had hung up the spikes. Why is Vaughn even fessing up now to his involvement in HGH which it seems at the time was legal? Maybe clear the air as his name surfaced on that report which could have been nagging his mind set all these years. The man could be writing a book and getting some publicity before his book appears on the stands. Maybe he has a residence in the state of Maine and feels like he needs a 400 page document to clear the air. Vaughn’s story you feel for him as he is not like Sammy Sosa or the godfather of steroids, Jose Canseco, two guys that pumped up the jam and made a ton of money off the juice. Sosa to this day never has admitted he took anything as his English disappeared before Congress that day on Capital Hill. Vaughn’s numbers are not close to being Cooperstown worthy. He was a hitter who pitchers feared. He had a solid career. Love baseball as big guys, small guys, and medium guys can play the game. Football is where big massive players rule the gridiron. How many Spud Webb’s are on the hardwood floor in the land of giants when it comes to basketball? Vaughn was a big massive turned fat guy at the end of a respectable career. He used HGH. It seems like it really did him no good. Maybe he got his money back from the Mets clubhouse guy.

JANKOWSKI ITCHING FOR SOME CHICAGO STYLE PIZZA

After playing ten seasons in the big leagues, Travis Jankowski is trying to avoid starting the 2025 season in some team’s farm system. Jankowski was the 4th outfielder on the Texas Rangers where he played the last two seasons and helped them win their first World Series in 2023. As a free agent he hooked on with the Chicago Cubs on a minor league deal with an option to get out of the deal if he did not make the big league team. Jankowski used that option to opt out of the Cubs deal and signed a deal with the team on the other side of the tracks in Chicago, the White Sox. It’s another minor league deal with the White Sox. However the White Sox have some injuries brewing at the outfield positions and bringing Jankowski in may solve both parties situation. The White Sox get a veteran outfielder for opening day and Jankowski in his11th season will have a spot on MLB roster.

Travis Jankowski is 33 years of age and originally drafted by the Padres in the 2012 MLB draft. He was selected in the first round 44th overall from State University of New York. He made his MLB debut with the Padres where he spent 5 seasons in San Diego. If he makes the White Sox roster, they will be his 7th organization he has played for. Other teams Jankowski has played for were the Phillies, Mets, Reds, and Mariners. Jankowski has been a bench player his entire career as he has only played in a total of 681 games in the MLB in 10 seasons. Last year he played in 104 games for the Rangers and with the lumber he was pretty much useless. He only had 190 At-Bats for his defense as his batting average was at .200. He had 1 home run with 12 driven in. Jankowski bats from the left side of the plate as he has tallied up 355 hits in his MLB career. His life time batting average is at .236 with 11 home runs and he has driven in 96 runs.

Travis Jankowski is known more for his defense than the lumber. As the White Sox should recall from last season when first baseman Andrew Vaughn hit the walk off game winning home run. Not so fast as Jankowski leaped up in the air and robbed Vaughn of glory that day and brought the ball back into the field of play with an outstanding catch. After that the Rangers would go on to win the game. Jankowski did tell Vaughn he would buy him a car or something if he ends up at like 399 home runs for his career or one short of a milestone. Jankowski would give you that bargain garage sale value the White Sox cherish when it comes to building their roster with cheap relics. He will be your typical low risk/high ceiling kind of move if it works out. Long shot he may be a trade chip at the deadline. I really don’t like getting the Cubs hand-me-downs. Like the last kid born in the family wearing clothes out of date. He gives the White Sox a nice defensive option late in games. Imagine the White Sox outfield with Jankowski, Luis Robert and Michael Taylor? Can you play two centerfielders with Robert and Taylor in the same game? That would be a solid defensive outfield. Besides having a chip on Jankowski’s shoulder for a bounce back year, he has ties with the White Sox manager Will Venable who coached in Texas before being hired by Chicago as the skipper. Sometimes certain coaches can get the best out of their players. Maybe that Chicago style pizza is in striking distance for Travis after all.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES SPRING TRAINING REPORT

THE STANDINGS (March 13th)

The Pirates in 19 games are one game over the .500 mark in the Grapefruit League spring training standings. They are 10-9 which puts them in 4th place in the games that don’t mean anything. They are playing respectable baseball which we want to carry over to when regular season begins.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE DARK TUNNEL

The Pirates have a time table in the return of one of their solid bullpens who missed the entire 2024 season needing Tommy John Surgery. Dauri Moreta, a RHP, was in his third season in the MLB first with the Pirates in 2023 and showed the organization he was a nice piece for Pittsburgh’s bullpen. He is native of the Dominican Republic and played parts of two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds before coming to the Pirates. It was about a year ago that Moreta went down in spring training right before the 2024 season started. Now he is slated for game action in the month of June.

In 2023 Dauri Moreta appeared in 55 games for the Pirates as he worked 58 innings from the bullpen that year. He had a 5-2 record with a respectable 3.72 ERA. In three seasons in the MLB, he has a 5-4 record with 4.32 ERA in 94 games as he pitched 100 innings even striking out 119. He even converted two saves. With the Pirates in one season that year he pitched the most he has ever pitched in his MLB career. He has an excellent slider with a deadly screw ball. Two pitches that baffle many hitters if he has these pitches working well that night. Moreta could be that trade deadline piece you add without giving up something for. He has started throwing side sessions. He is expected to face live hitters in April.

HALFWAY THERE OR 2/3RDS OF THE WAY THERE?

The Pittsburgh Pirates were dealt a big blow right at the beginning of spring training when they found out their biggest move they made in the off-season needed wrist surgery. It was a three team trade that involved the Guardians, Blue Jays, and the Pirates. It was the move that brought Spencer Horwitz to Pittsburgh, a left handed hitting first baseman who had a nice first full season in the big league last year with the Jays. Horowitz’s right wrist was giving him problems with chronic symptoms and he needed surgery.

The 27 year old first baseman is back and starting to hit from a tee. It’s been 4 weeks since the surgery in which the time table of return is 6-8 weeks. Either Spencer Horwitz is halfway through his recovery or he may be closer than you think to returning to live action. Last year Horwitz played in 97 games for the Jays and batted .265 with 12 home runs driving in 40. He was expected to be the Pirates opening day first baseman. He was expected to solidify a position that was platooned by multiple players the last few years. He may not be out there by opening day. He is expected to return not too long into the season.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX SPRING TRAINING REPORT

THE STANDINGS

Even in spring training, the White Sox are the worst team in Arizona right now. In Cactus League play after the first 14 games, the White Sox are 4-10. The Padres are hanging out with the White Sox as they also have a 4-10 record. I would like to be in the middle of the pack here as a fan. It’s not like the White Sox are playing the entire opposing team’s starters for a full 9 inning game. Our young guys can’t beat the other teams’ young guys. I know spring training means nothing in the standings. This gives me no hope when the big league club returns to Chicago.

Injuries, injuries, and injuries are three words that describe how brittle the White Sox organization is. The White Sox have lost already three pitchers to season-ending injuries. One of those arms was going to be a pillar in the bullpen this season.

WELCOME TO THE TOMMY JOHN REPORT

Prelander Berroa is the 24 year old RHP we got from Seattle last year in the Gregory Santos deal. Berroa from the Dominican Republic pitched in 17 games. He had a 1-0 record with 3.32 ERA while tossing 19 innings. He had 26 strikeouts.

Juan Carela, the White Sox 21st ranked prospect, will be going under the knife as well. Carela is 23 and also from the Dominican Republic. The RHP pitched in the White Sox farm system last year. He pitched in A ball and double AA. He’s a kid trying to move up the rankings.

The White Sox lost the key component in that savvy Jake Burger trade by those two morons at the time: Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn. The pitcher we got back in that deal, Ky Bush, was hurt before spring training. Bush made 4 starts last year for the White Sox. The LHP went 0-3 with 5.60 ERA. Nice return on that one.

THE OUTFIELD IN THE RED ZONE

Our starting left fielder is out for 4-6 weeks. Andrew Benintendi fractured a bone in his right hand as he was hit by a pitch.

One of our bargain outfield free agents, Austin Slater, is out 2-3 weeks with an oblique issue.

MINOR LEAGUE INVITE

Injuries could open the door for some of the guys the White Sox gave spring invites to on minor league deals. Most of these invites are guys that have played in the big leagues and are looking to redefine their careers and get back to the big leagues. Some these guys are coming off down years and their ticket back to a bounce back year is signing a minor league deal. One of those invites is infielder/outfielder Brandon Drury who played for the Angels last season.

Brandon Drury has ten seasons in the MLB. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves back in the 2010 MLB draft in the 13th round. Drury has been all over the map in his MLB career. He has played for 7 different teams. The Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Mets, Reds, Padres, Yankees, and the last few seasons with the Angels. Last year in 97 games his batting average was .169 with 4 home runs as he drove in 15. In 2023 he batted .262 and had 26 home runs while driving in 83. In 8 games in spring training so far in Cactus League play, Drury is batting .348 with 5 doubles and 1 homerun while driving in 5. He is swinging the lumber. He could be a guy that makes the squad as a bench player that can dabble in a few different positions: Outfield, first base and the DH slot.

THE JOEY GALLO VAN DAMAGE WITH THE LUMBER

Batting average: A smooth .118 in Cactus play. 1 RBI.

BREW MASTER SIGNS WITH MILWAUKEE

The Milwaukee Brewers once again were MIA in the off-season. It has been the Brewers way of doing things losing more assets in the off-season and standing intact. This way of doing things seems to work for the Brewers who won the NL Central. This franchise still gets the same results after making the post-season. They take a bow and are quickly dispatched. With spring training in session, the front office made a move to improve their team by adding depth to their starting rotation. The Brewers have a deal in place with 36 year old LHP Jose Quintana on a one year deal worth 4.25 million. Quintana is very familiar with the NL Central as now he will have pitched for every team in the division except the Cincinnati Reds. Maybe next year. The Brewers bring in a guy that has been a thorn in their own side for several years.

Jose Quintana originally signed with the New York Yankees and he is from Columbia. He became a minor league free agent after working with the Yankees and signed with the White Sox in 2011. He made his debut in Chicago with the White Sox in 2012 and pitched there for parts of six seasons. Last year Quintana was pitching for the New York Mets and helped them in their deep post-season run. Quintana has 13 MLB seasons under his belt with 7 teams as Milwaukee will be his 8th team. Quintana has earned himself one All-Star appearance and has three seasons where he has won 13 games at the MLB level. Quintana is pretty much the version of an even-steven type of pitcher always hovering around the .500 mark. Last year for the Mets he made 31 stats & had that even record of 10-10 with 3.75 ERA. In 13 seasons he has a record of 102-103 with 3.74 ERA as he pitched in 359 career games and 333 of them were starts. He spent six seasons with the White Sox as he was traded to the Cubs where he spent parts of 4 seasons pitching on the North side of Chicago. His first ten seasons were in the city of Chicago. Since 2021 he has been trying to find a home as he suited up for the Angels, Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, and then Mets. It was the Pirates where he got his career back on track as a starter. He was traded at the deadline to St.Louis from Pittsburgh in 2022.

Last year Jose Quintana had three playoff starts for the Mets. The first two starts were wins by the Mets where he gave up zero runs starting with game three of the Wild Card round and then game four of the NLDS. He did face the Dodgers in the NLCS where the LA Dream team got the best of him. Quintana gave up 5 runs on 5 hits while walking 4 and lasting 3.1 innings. Since 2017 Quintana has owned the Brew Crew as he pitched against them 23 times in his career and has an 2.98 dazzling ERA over Milwaukee. He has tossed 130 innings versus the Brewers and has 131 strike outs against them. The Brewers did win the crucial 163rd game of the season over the Cubs and Quintana in 2018 for the division title play on game. That year Quintana faced the Brewers 7 times total. Bringing in Quintana gives the Brew Crew another south paw for their rotation. The Brewers rotation features Freddy Peralta as your number one. The Brewers landed another New York starter in a trade in Nestor Cortes who could be the number two guy in their rotation. The Brewers also have Tobias Myers who is a RHP if they want to break up their two south paws. The Brewers also have Aaron Civale who they got from the Rays last year at the deadline. Will the Brewers have a healthy option with Brandon Woodruff who missed the entire 2024 season? Depending on injuries, one arm may go to the bullpen. I like this deal Milwaukee made here. It’s a low risk high ceiling move. Even though Quintana’s track record is not risky. He will be a solid option from 3-5 in that starting rotation. He will eat innings. He will get you 10 wins, but he will also get you about the same amount in losses. He has that post-season experience which the Brewers always find a way in a division that it seems is always up for grabs by any team in the NL Central.

THE HOBO RAYS

On October 9th, Hurricane Milton made landfall with 120 MPH winds that wrecked havoc on the state of Florida and the Tampa Bay Rays’ home, Tropicana Field. The dome stadium roof was shredded by the high winds that day blowing off the Teflon-coated Fiberglass roof like the big bad wolf chasing the 3 pigs huffing, puffing, and blowing down their houses. Just shreds of the roof littered the inside of the stadium looking like something after a New Year’s Eve party with confetti all over after the celebration. The field has no drainage system and is inoperable until further notice, a stadium that opened up in 1990. The Rays were a expansion team in 1998 and called the Tropicana their home ever since. Before the big bad wolf Milton huffed and puffed and blew away the roof, the Rays were in talks about a new building in their future. The deal has been put on hold. The construction of a new venue for the Rays will be delayed a year. Now the Rays will have the help of the Evil Empire and play their home games in the home of the Yankees minor league affiliate in Tampa Bay, Steinbrenner Field, in 2025.

Tampa Bay’s Hillsborough along with Pinella counties estimated 5 billion in damages suffered in their estimations. Now it’s been 4 months later and the Tropicana still remains topless. Some believed that the Rays would have to relocate the franchise to another city. The Rays will have to make an investment into Steinbrenner Field to bring the 11,000 seat stadium up to MLB specifications. The estimate to fix the Tropicana Field is estimated around 56 million which the mayor of Tampa Bay said the Tropicana now will be ready by the start of the 2026 season on opening day. The Rays lease ends after the 2027 season at the Tropicana. It looked grim for the Rays because the city had no timetable when they would fix the Tropicana. It looked like the Rays would have been homeless for more than one season. The new stadium for the Rays was in plans to start construction as a 1.5 billion project located in the historic Gas Plant district of Tampa Bay in 2025. The new indoor stadium was going to open in 2028. If the new stadium proposal is still on the table, that may be delayed a year and the projected grand opening of that would be 2029.

For the Tampa Bay Rays franchise, things are actually looking up even with their roof of their stadium blown away in the Hurricane Milton’s wrath. The Sting Rays survived the hurricane just in case anyone was asking. They have been relocated, swimming, and doing their thing. If you’re a season ticket holder, the Yankees spring training facility will be an easier drive for all the fans. The Rays do not sell out and in games at the Trop it clearly looks that way on television. The Steinbrenner stadium seats 11,000 and is the biggest spring training stadium in Florida. Now with the MLB Rays playing games there in 2025, they for sure will add more seating than they had for the Tampa Tarpons. The extra seating at the Rays games will have that look of a full house, not just on games they play the Yankees. It will be interesting seeing games played in high humidity & hot temperatures like the Texas Rangers in Arlington. I’d rather see baseball be played outdoors than indoors. It gets hot in other states where they have teams like the Cardinals played in some heated conditions. Just serve the bigger cup of beer and things should work out. I hate teams that move. Keeping the Rays in Tampa Bay is a big win. Then you still have a few years for Rays fans to say goodbye to their old dump the Tropicana when they come back in 2026. The icing on the cake is the new stadium in the future at the Gas Plant District. Which 2029 sounds like a long way from now. Obviously the city still has to rubber stamp the deal and most likely the state of Florida needs to actually see the day light after the storm.

THE WHITE SOX FAN BASE MAY HAVE FOUND A NEW MISTRESS TO TAKE OVER THEIR TEAM

AC/DC, the rock band, has a song called Mistress for Christmas. The main line of the song is sung, “I want a mistress for Christmas.”

If you are a fan of the Chicago White Sox, that mistress would be a new owner to replace the man who has rotted this franchise and brought them below the pond scum level. Since 1981 when Jerry Reinsdorf purchased this franchise, the White Sox have only one World Series title and a handful of playoff appearances. The few fans that have stuck around may be in for a future treat with Justin Ishbia and his partners backing out of their pursuit of the Minnesota Twins. Which means the Chicago billionaire will increase his stakes in the White Sox franchise and could eventually buy the team from Reinsdorf and other stakeholders.

Jerry Reinsdorf is 89 years old and owns two Chicago teams in their sports landscape, the Bulls and White Sox. Jerry’s son runs the Bulls as father has his meat hooks on the White Sox. The White Sox made history last season as they set the worst record in the modern day era history with 41-121 record. Then in 2023 the team lost 101 games, two of the worst seasons in White Sox history for a variety of reasons. Reinsdorf picks the worst time to ask Chicago people to pay the taxes on a new stadium when their old one opened up in the 1990’s. He threatened to move the White Sox again like he did in the 1980’s to get the new stadium in the 1990’s. Would that have been a colossal fuck up if the White Sox became Sarasota White Sox or the Tampa Bay White Sox? The Rays & Marlins have been setting attendance records on fire when they both arrived in Florida in the 1990’s. Uncle Jerry still has not paid a player over 100 million in a single contract. Uncle Scrooge always has the White Sox being operated like a small market team as they ride the bottom more years than most in payroll in the MLB. Let’s face the facts. If the Bulls did not have Michael Jordan who Reinsdorf inherited when he purchased the Bulls, he would have only won one title. Without Jordan the Bulls would have not won six titles.

Justin Ishbia and his brother Matt are majority owners of both basketball teams that played in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns in the NBA. The Mercury in the WNBA. Justin is the founder of a private equality company named Shore Capital Partners which is located in Chicago. Justin and Matt’s father is the founder of United Wholesale Mortgage. Which his brother Matt runs and Justin owns a percentage of that company. Forbes has listed Justin’s net worth at 5.4 billion last June. It looked like the Minnesota Twins were going to be purchased by the two brothers. With having stakes in the White Sox, the brothers would have had to of sold them before investing in another ball club in the MLB. Justin backed out and rumor has it he will be buying some stakes from other holders in the White Sox ownership group. With Jerry in over his head and aging, this could be the way Reinsdorf gets out of selling his investment to the brothers. Then the team should stay in town with Justin’s connection to the city of Chicago. It is also rumored he has purchased some land which may be developed for a new home for the White Sox. This right now is a pipe dream for the White Sox fan base. We do know that Reinsdorf’s son Michael wants nothing to do with the White Sox. He wants to make his name with only the Bulls right now. Could a guy like Justin’s group inject money into this team to have them in contention like all the usual suspects in the baseball world? Indeed it would be a beautiful mistress for Christmas if a deal like this goes down and seeing Reinsdorf waddle out of town with whimper is priceless. The new White Sox mistress would be 47 while getting rid of the 89 year old. That is a difference in age and business ideas.

WHITE SOX GIVING CLEVINGER A 3RD CHANCE PERHAPS THE CHARM

When you come off a season with the worst record of all-time in MLB history, talented free agents will not be knocking at your door. The Chicago White Sox have shown not to buy love by overpaying for free agent talent. The leftovers in free agent waters are going to be slim pickings. It’s another rebuild for the White Sox during which all these young prospects will get a chance to shine. The front office will still try to sign veterans that may help this young team get better. Do the Joey Gallo’s or the Mike Clevinger’s of the baseball world give your fan base hope? The White Sox added the strike out king of baseball, Gallo, to a minor league deal last week. Now they will give veteran pitcher Mike Clevinger another shot which will be his third stint with the team in three seasons as he will get a minor league deal and invite to spring training.

In stint two with the White Sox, Mike Clevinger was not very good in the most horrific year in their team history. He made only 4 starts & had a losing record of 0-3 with an exploding 6.75 ERA as he tossed 16 innings. His season was derailed by a neck injury from which he needed disc replacement surgery to fix the problem. In 2023 in his first stint with the White Sox, he had a decent season with a 9-9 record with 3.77 ERA in 24 starts. He was originally drafted by the Angels in the 4th round of the 2011 of the MLB draft from the Seminole State of Florida University. He will always be remembered as an Indian where he pitched in Cleveland for 5 seasons out of his 8 year career. He was traded to the Padres where he pitched parts of two seasons. In his 8 season career, he does have a winning record of 60-42 with 3.51 ERA as he made 142 starts overall.

What are the plans for Mike Clevinger in this go around? The White Sox have plenty of young options to take the ball every 5th day in their rotation. Their options are Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Nick Nastrini, and Drew Thorpe who all had moments that they shined last year even though it was a miserable season. The White Sox did add a southpaw veteran in Martin Perez in free agency. They even have some other intriguing minor league deal invites as options. Could they use Clevinger in the back of their bullpen as an option? Perhaps he could be the guy that closes games out for you in the 9th inning. Which he may not get a lot of action being on a team that is predicted not to win many games. This is the White Sox usual low risk high ceiling type of move this franchise loves. Clevinger is a guy that comes in with off-the-field baggage. MLB did not punish him for domestic child abuse a few years back. He does go to therapy for that incident or incidents. It seems like injuries follow him around like dark clouds as he missed the entire 2021 season dealing with Tommy John surgery. Then with that neck issue last year. This is a roll-of-the-dice style move that could be productive or another injury waiting to happen. Having Clevinger on the team’s roster will take the ball away from seeing what you have with all the younger arms that you do have. Could he be a mentor type of guy that could help some of these young guys? If he is converting a save opportunity that may help a young arm earn the victory in that game. Which can give a guy confidence in the next start. If injuries occur, he could help the rotation by eating up innings obviously if he stays healthy. If he does well and becomes a trade chip at the deadline to land you another prospect, it would be the ultimate win in this signing. I’m not stoked about this signing. I’m not even sure he will make the opening day roster. We will have to wait and see.

THE ANNUAL SIGNING OF SOUTH PAW VETERAN PITCHER IN PITTSBURGH

The annual signing of the south paw veteran pitcher festivities kicked off this week at spring training. It’s another fake Hallmark card day for the Pittsburgh tradition over the years that featured guys like Derek Holland, Tyler Anderson, Jose Quintana, Rich Hill, Martin Perez, and Marco Gonzales. I remember painting the town red with the Rich Hill celebration. This is the Pirates’ guest who will receive a one year deal worth 2.5 million dollar. I hope the kids get Monday off from school hearing the news of the signing of Andrew Heaney, a 33 year old south paw and 11 year veteran. As usual the Pirates front office checks all the boxes, dots their i’s and cross their T’s on another job well done. Take a bow, Ben Cherington the Pirates GM.

Andrew Heaney was originally drafted by the Miami Marlins in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft 9th overall from Oklahoma State University. The Pirates will be his 6th team of his career. He made his debut with the Marlins but spent most of his career in a Angels uniform. He had brief stops as a Dodger and aboard the Yankee Death Star. The last two seasons he has been in Texas as he helped the franchise win their first ever World Series in 2023. Last year he saw action in 32 games as he made 32 starts. He had a losing record of 5-14 with 4.28 ERA. Lifetime he has a losing record in the MLB with 51-62 record and career 4.45 ERA as he pitched in 203 games making 185 starts. He missed significant time in 2016-’17 dealing with Tommy John surgery. He missed a big chunk of games in 2022 dealing with a shoulder issue.

For the Pirates the rotation looks very solid from 1-3 with the two rookies from last year showing they can pitch at the MLB level. The Pirates line up with veteran Mitch Keller, rookie of the year Paul Skenes, and Jared Jones. Look for Andrew Heaney to fit in the number 4 slot of the Pirates starting rotation. The Pirates will probably slide Johan Oviedo in the number five slot. The Pirates did try to bring back Jose Quintana, but he may have wanted more money and years on a deal which the Pittsburgh owner does not like to empty out his piggy bank. If the Pirates were serious about taking this team to the next step, they would have signed a veteran pitcher that can win more games than losses. I think overall you would be happy if Heaney won you 10 games which is asking a lot doubling his win total from a year ago. The Pirates are hoping they get the 2023 version of Heaney. It was probably his best year of his career as he had a winning record of 10-6, by far the most in his career. He has only had one season that he has won double digits in victories. However in 2023 he had a high 4.15 ERA so he will need to have run support each time he goes out to the mound. He comes with playoff experience which is plus. If the Pirates fall flat on their faces, is he even worth being a trade chip to another contending team at the trade deadline? Probably not. This is a weak move by the Pirates. Not a move to paint the town red in the annual “Bring a South Paw Veteran to Town” festival. Keep the Iron City beers in the cooler at home.

HEYWARD BACK ON THE WEST COAST THIS TIME WITH THE PADRES

It was only last year when Jason Heyward was on the west coast coming off the bench for the dream team Dodgers. Then the Dodgers released him in August as he would miss out on LA’s World Series run. He should earn himself a ring for playing 63 games with the Dodgers in 2024. Heyward finished the year off with the Houston Astros where he played in 24 games. Heyward late in his MLB career was known more for his defense than swinging the lumber as a new home on the west coast. He signs with the Padres for 1 million dollars. He has a chance to earn more money in the contract with performance bonuses which include plate appearances.

Jason Heyward was originally drafted out of high school in the first round of the 2007 MLB draft 14th overall by the Atlanta Braves. He has 15 seasons in the MLB and helped the Chicago Cubs do the unthinkable, break a 100 year drought by winning the World Series in 2016. Heyward has spent most of his career with the Cubs which is 7 seasons. He was a Brave for 5 seasons. He also played one season with the Cardinals. He is 35 years old, has won 5 gold gloves, and he has appeared in one All-Star game. Last year combined with the Dodgers and Astros, he only batted .211 with 10 long balls while driving in 37 as he only tallied 228 At-bats. Over his 15 year career he has tallied up 1,560 hits with a .256 batting average. He has 184 home runs while driving in 718 runs.

Earlier in Jason Heyward’s career, I thought like most people that he was going to be a 5 tool player his entire career. Heyward bats from the left side and he had power and hit for average. As well as speed with the legs. He never lost his defensive skills as he could play any of the outfield positions. In 2015, his lone season with the Cardinals, he batted .293 with 13 home runs and drove in 60 runs. In 2012 he hit 27 home runs that season. When he was with the Braves I saw him knock a ball out of the park in Cincinnati. The Cubs paid him that 5 tool money and he struggled with the lumber most of his time as a Cub. Don’t feel sorry for him only making a million now because he is set for the rest of his life thanks to the Cubs giving him the enormous contract after the season in St.Louis. He did help the Cubs win the World Series if you look at it that way. The Cubs did not get the bang out of their bucks in that deal. Now with the Padres Heyward looks like he will platoon the left field spot with Connor Joe who San Diego signed this off-season from Pittsburgh. Which makes sense because Joe bats from the right side and Heyward bats from the left side. Heyward could give relief to other outfielders. He also could be a nice defensive replacement in close games in the outfield. The money is right for Heyward’s services. If he overachieves, this deal looks amazing from what the Padres invested here. Heyward is a good leader and great guy to have in the club house which are things you don’t see on the back of these guys’ baseball card.

TURNER AND THE YOUNGER HOOCH AS PLAN B FOR THE CUBS AT THIRD

The Cubs were a part of the Alex Bregman sweepstakes in which the former Astros chose Boston over Chicago. The Cubs plan is still going with their rookie prospect Matt Shaw to man the hot corner. The front office felt like they needed some kind of insurance plan for the third base position and signed 40 year old infielder Justin Turner to be that plan B policy on the north side of Chicago. Turner has been more of a mercenary the last few seasons since he left the Dodgers in 2022. This season he will support the red beard and bring his lumber wearing a Cubs uniform as he signs a one year deal worth 6 million. He also can make more money on the deal with 2.5 million extra with incentives which could pay him 8.5 million in the upcoming season.

Last year Justin Turner signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays then traded Turner to Seattle as Toronto were sellers at the deadline. The Mariners would just miss the post-season and Turner would not see the post-season when he got there every year in a Dodgers uniform it seemed. He was drafted by the Reds in the 2006 MLB draft but will be remembered for what he did in a Dodgers uniform. He helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series. Turner is a 2 x all-star while winning an NLCS MVP award for his playoff heroics. He has played for the Mets, Orioles, and when he left the Dodgers in ’22 he signed with the Red Sox where he was a fan favorite. Last year Turner batted .259 in 139 games combined with the Jays and Mariners. He had 11 long balls driving in 55. His lifetime numbers have him batting .285 in 16 seasons in the MLB as he has racked 1,580 hits. He has 198 career home runs and has driven 814 runs.

The Cubs are trying to knock the Brewers off their perch of the NL Central. The Cubs front office has stepped up their game and added some post-season flavor to their line up. In two separate deals with the Astros, they acquired Kyle Tucker and closer Ryan Pressly which both have plenty of experience in post-season. Justin Turner has 86 games he has played in post-season. Turner brings his bat to the post-season as he’s batting .270 in those 86 playoff games. He has 13 long balls and has racked up 19 doubles in October where he usually shines. He has driven in 42 playoff RBI’s. If the Cubs can take the NL Central, they could reap the rewards of a Turner in the post-season. Matt Shaw is ranked number 19 according to the MLB prospects list. Even if Shaw does well, Turner could be used to platoon at third and first. The Cubs first baseman Michael Bush is a left-handed slugger. Turner could be activated against south paw pitchers. The Cubs could use him platooning in the DH slot. If Shaw does not work out, Turner could be the main staple at third the entire season. It’s a one year deal under ten million which is low risk for the Cubbie money they print on the North side of Chicago. The Cubs have been in the mix the last two seasons hovering around a wild card spot but usually hit a bump in the road and fold like a cheap beach chair. At 40 years of age, Turner is still hitting the baseball and could still contribute on defense. You’d like to see Turner get back in the post-season because he has been clutch. This is a solid move by the Cubs.

WHO NEEDS WHO???

Joey Gallo will get an invite to spring training on a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox. Who needs this to work more, Gallo or the White Sox? Gallo’s baseball career has hit rock bottom the last few years. You can say the same thing about the White Sox as a franchise. The last two seasons are ones fans would love to forget. You could say Gallo needs the White Sox more as he’s down to a minor league spring training invite from the worst team in baseball last season. I’m sure the White Sox would like the help from a guy like Gallo to avoid being the worst team in baseball this season and avoid being the laughing stock team in all sports. The White Sox are in rebuild. Gallo is fighting for his baseball career. They actually both need each other in a way as well.

Last year Joey Gallo played in only 76 games for the Washington Nationals. The 31 year old batting average continues to plummet as his baseball bat should be on life support. He batted .161 last year as he hit only ten home runs driving in 27 runs. He struck out 102 times in 223 at-bats which is almost half of the time he came up to bat he would get rung up.The 31 year old first baseman was originally drafted by the Rangers where he was 2 x All-star and 2 x Gold glove winner. He came out of high school and he was selected by Texas in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft number 39 overall. Gallo has 10 seasons in the MLB, seven of them came in Texas. He was then traded to the Yankees where he played parts of two seasons. Since that second season with the Evil Empire and the crowd booing his performance, he has sunk into the baseball world’s abyss.

In 2021 Joey Gallo split time with the Rangers and Yankees, & he hit 38 bombs that season. He walked 111 times. He finished with a batting average of .199 and tallied up 213 strikeouts. In 939 career games he has tallied up 1,292 strikeouts. In 2022 he split time between the Yankees and Dodgers. He batted .160 with 19 home runs as struck out 163 times. In 2023 he batted .177 and had 23 long balls for the Twins and was rung up 142 times. If he is going to have a batting average of .200 he better launch 38 to 40 balls into the bleachers. Since Texas his career has been in a terrible tailspin that’s out of control. Lifetime he’s batting .194 with 208 long balls and has driven in 453 runs.

The White Sox really don’t need Joey Gallo as this is a stupid move. Gallo is Adam Dunn reincarnated. I know Dunn is alive and well. In 2012 Dunn was in a White Sox uniform and struck out 222 times. The White Sox may need nickel beer night so their fan base will forget about the free swinging Gallo in 2025. If he’s just swinging at air not making contact, how is this going to help a White Sox rebuild. Point at Gallo for the young players and say, “Don’t be like that guy.” You’re taking at-bats away from younger guys. Gallo will not be good enough being a trade chip. Gallo is decent in the field but plays mostly first base. The White Sox already have Andrew Vaughn there. The White Sox could use Gallo as back up first baseman and DH. Gallo hits from the left side so he could platoon with Vaughn at first and they switch back and forth both players from first to DH. The problem is Gallo’s numbers are horrific at the DH spot over his career. The White Sox non-tendered a better option than Gallo in the off-season with Gavin Sheets. Same type of guy but better results with less strikeouts. Gallo lives by the home run & dies by the strike out. I think the White Sox would get better production out of a younger guy over Gallo or any other minor league invites they have going. Which seems like a list longer than Santa Clause has. Gallo is not naughty or nice, he’s just bad & not in a good way. If the White Sox bring him to the big league team, the Windy City will have plenty of wind on the lake this summer. I don’t like this move at all. I think you want veterans that can help win some games. You want to develop the prospects but at the same time win some games. I know this team will not get to 500 this upcoming season or anywhere close. However if they can manage more wins than last year with a new manager and not be the WORST team in the league, that is a step in the right direction. Gallo will not help with any of that.

NATIONALS ADD SOME POWER TO THEIR LINE UP SCOOPING UP A PAUL DEJONG AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FREE AGENT WATERS

In 2023, Paul DeJong played for three teams and hit rock bottom in his baseball career. Last year he only played for two teams. He signed with the worst team in the MLB last year but played well enough to be traded to a team that made the post-season. The 31 year old infielder had a bounce back year. Right before spring training he finds a new home in Washington. DeJong agrees with the Nationals on a one year deal worth 1 million and could earn another $600.000 with incentives laced in the contract.

Paul DeJong was originally drafted by the Cardinals back in 2015 in the 4th round of the MLB draft from Illinois State University. He has played 8 seasons in the MLB which parts of 7 seasons have been in a Cardinals uniform. In 2023 besides the Cardinals he suited up for the Blue Jays and Giants. Last year he split his season with the White Sox and Royals. The Nationals will be his 6th team he has played for and now will have played 5 different teams since leaving St. Louis in 2023. DeJong earned himself his only all-star appearance in 2019. Last year combined with the White Sox and Royals, he batted .227 racking up 101 hits. He drove in 56 and hit 24 home runs. In 8 seasons in the MLB, DeJong has a career batting average of .229 with 140 long balls and has driven 400.

Paul DeJong has been a short stop his entire career but did dabble at third base with the Royals after being traded to Kansas City. DeJong is a decent defender. The Nationals like DeJong’s power numbers and they need a guy that can hit the ball against left-handed pitching which Paul has done that well last year. DeJong is a good club house guy who’s looking for another home instead of going team to team the last two seasons. This is the same hand DeJong was dealt last year playing for a team that will not make it to the post-season. But if he plays well he could find another team in mid-season to help them with their playoff push. The Nationals are a younger team with prospects ready to blossom. They have added some veterans like DeJong in the mix. The NL East is stacked with the Mets, Phillies, and the Braves – I don’t see this team leapfrogging them. DeJong will help the Nationals with the home run swing, he can play a few positions in the infield, and could be used as a DH if needed there. The Nats may take a few baby steps in the right direction this season as they may eyeball 2026 or 2027 pushing the other teams in the division. DeJong most likely end up as a trade chip for the Nats. This is a low risk high ceiling type of move by the Washington Nationals. Even if he gets all the incentives in this deal, it will still be worth it for the Nationals.

WHITE SOX BRINGING IN TAYLOR MEANS THE END OF LUIS ROBERT IN CHICAGO?

The White Sox added another free agent piece to their outfield by agreeing to a one year deal with Michael Taylor. Taylor is a gold glove center fielder and comes cheap which is the way the White Sox do business these days. Could this be the end of Luis Robert in Chicago with the arrival of Taylor? It’s a one year deal for Taylor worth 1.95 million which is baseball couch style money in the MLB.

Michael Taylor is 33 years old and has 11 seasons in the MLB. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals back in 2009 in the 6th round. Then ten years later he helped the Nationals win their first ever World Series in 2019. He played for the Nats seven seasons & then moved on to the Royals for two seasons. The last 5 seasons the White Sox will be his 4th team. He has also suited up for the Twins and just needs the Tigers and Guardians uniform to complete every team in the AL Central. Last year he played in 113 games for the Pirates. He was good with the glove, but he had a bad year swinging the lumber. Taylor batted .193 with 5 home runs only driving in 21 on 52 hits. In 11 seasons he has a career batting average of .235 with 100 long balls while driving in 353 runs. He has racked up 748 hits in his career so far.

Besides being a bargain price, what are the White Sox going to do with two center fielders? Obviously Michael Taylor could give Luis Robert a much needed rest. Taylor could be a back up plan because Robert likes to visit the injured list frequently. Taylor could also be the starting center fielder if Robert is dealt before spring training or after. Can the White Sox play both Robert and Taylor in the same outfield? They can. If they went that direction the White Sox would have a solid outfield defensively. Taylor leads all outfielders since 2020 with 52 defensive runs saved. Robert has a great glove he brings to center when he is healthy, he may be one of the best in the league. The White Sox have also signed two other bargains in the outfield Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman. It seems the White Sox brass are adding a flux of players to many of the positions on the diamond this off-season to ensure themselves they will get a solid option at each position. This is obviously a low risk high ceiling type of move by the White Sox. I believe Taylor will have a bounce back year with the lumber and could be used as a trade chip at the deadline. We know the White Sox will not make the post-season next season. If a team wants Taylor for the playoff he did well in the past. In 21 games he has a .275 average in post-season while hitting 4 home runs and driving in ten. I like this move in general because you can be optimistic Taylor will have a bounce back year.

BREGMAN LEAVING HOUSTON FOR BEAN TOWN

If a very talented and available player is still hanging around the free agent waters, he must be represented by the snake Scott Boras. Pitchers and catchers are slowly reporting to their spring training camps while 30 year old third baseman Alex Bregman finally comes off the board and has a contract. This contract is not with the Astros, the only team Bregman has played for in his 9 year MLB career. Bregman is heading to the AL East and has signed with the Boston Red Sox on a 3 year deal worth 120 million. The snake indeed added some opt outs in the contract to perhaps double down on the payday next season or season after that. The deal also has some deferred money involved as well. Some of these contracts have become like lotto payments for life.

Alex Bregman was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2012 MLB draft in the 29th round out of high school. Bregman went to college after high school & then was drafted in the first round 2nd overall in the 2015 MLB draft from Louisiana University. Bregman has been one of the best third basemen in the AL for years. He has helped the Astros win two World Series titles. He’s a 2 x All-Star and has won a gold glove along with a silver slugger award. Last season he played in 145 games and batted .260 with 26 long balls while driving in 75. He has racked up over 1,000 hits. Lifetime swinging the lumber, Bregman has a batting average of .272 with 191 bombs and has driven in 663 runs. He should hit the 200 mark in home runs and 700 mark in RBI’s next season.

Alex Bregman definitely had some choices of teams wanting his services next season. The Astros wanted him back and offered a 6 year deal worth 156 million. Then the Tigers offered him a 6 year deal worth 171 million. If Bregman went to Detroit, he could have reunited with his old skipper from Houston, AJ Hinch. The Blue Jays were also involved as they were kicking the tires on anything that walked with a bat this off-season. The Cubs were in the mix and acquired two of Bregman’s X teammates now, in Kyle Tucker and Pressly. Bregman’s choice of Boston could have been because Red Sox manager Alex Cora was bench coach a few seasons in Houston. He was probably helping them cheat their way to the top of the baseball world. Why bring Bregman if you are Boston when you already have a third baseman in Rafael Devers. The Red Sox also have a guy at first in Triston Casas. Boston certainly could trade Casas and have Bregman man first base. The Red Sox are going to play Bregman at a new position which will be second base. The Red Sox have assembled some nice pitching additions this off-season with the trade with the White Sox for Garrett Crochet. They signed former Dodgers starter Walker Buehler. They added one of baseball’s best closers in south paw Aroldis Chapman. Now they got a big bat for that solid line up they have with a few more interesting names such as Trevor Story and Masataka Yoshida. This is a big move by Boston as this team should compete in the AL East and find themselves back in post-season. You have to take this deal as a one year deal each year because of the opt outs in the contract. Bregman may not be in bean town for the long haul of the deal. Boston better plan for 2026 just in case. This year with Bregman aboard, you know you will get a solid bat. Will learning a new position become a long term liability on defense? Bregman would have to put up MVP numbers to overcome the mistakes on defense if he can’t adjust to the new position.

CONNOR JOE HEADING HOME

You can’t blame a ball player wanting to go home and play in front of his friends and family every night. That’s what Connor Joe is doing heading to San Diego to sign with the team he probably rooted for growing up. It was San Diego where Joe was born and became the ball player he was. He played his college ball at the University of San Diego that earned him being picked in the first round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2014 MLB draft 39th overall. Joe is 32 years of age and can play multiple positions. He signs with the Padres on a one year deal, but the terms are unknown at this time.

Connor Joe was indeed drafted by the Pirates but he made his MLB debut with the Giants in 2019. Joe opted not to play in 2020 with the pandemic lingering in the states. He found himself in Colorado in 2021 and then was traded back to the Pirates by the Rockies. Joe has 5 seasons under his belt in the MLB as he played for the Pirates the last two seasons. Last yer he played in 123 games & landed 364 At-bats. He had a batting average of only .228 with 9 long balls and drove in 36 runs. Joe last year was a platoon player at first base or would come off the bench to dabble in the outfield if needed. In 5 seasons Joe has a batting average of .242 with 35 long balls while driving in 141 runs. He has racked up 333 hits in his career in 438 total games. His best season for Joe when he played a 100 or more games has to be 2023 where he batted .247 with 11 long balls as he drove in 42 runs.

The Padres have landed themselves a scrappy ball player in Connor Joe. I thought the Pirates should have re-signed him. Now the Padres have a guy that can play first base and the outfield like he did with the Pirates. Joe could probably give the Padres start at second base and if needed in the DH slot. He will probably be the team’s utility guy and with all the gloves he needs he has done a solid defensive job wherever he has played on the diamond. He is only 6′ tall as most first basemen in the league are taller or bigger targets. It would be my only knock with Joe playing first. If you need him there he will play well. Joe bats from the right side & probably is used mostly against south paws. With him coming home, you have to think he will amp up his play level to be successful in front of all his people in attendance. The Padres need every spot on their roster to be solid with no weaknesses with the Dodgers dream team to contend with. The Diamondbacks and the Giants are no easy tasks as well in the NL West. This is a great move I believe, bringing home Connor to come off your bench. Connor Joe plays like one of those unsung heroes as he comes up big in situations where you need a run. His baseball IQ is top shelf. Connor Joe is a baseball player and knows how to do the little things which will be appreciated by the home crowd. He will be a fan favorite like he was in Pittsburgh. I agree with that.

FRA-GEE-LAY: ITALIAN FOR ANGELS THIRD BASEMEN

The Angels have lost out big time with the Anthony Rendon contract for seven seasons worth 245 million. At the age of 34 Rendon has two years remaining on his contract and yet again will miss significant time with the team due to having hip surgery this season. The Angels third basemen was MVP of the Washington Nationals World Series run in 2019. Since 2021, the third basemen has had 12 stints to the injures list and three of those visits came last year. Last year with just over 200 at-bats he had an average of .218 and zero home runs driving in 14. Since signing with the Angels, he has played in only 257 games as he has missed 451 of them. The Angels answer at third base this off-season is signing another broken down player that can’t stay on the field. The Angels strike a deal with 29 year old switch hitter native from Cuba former White Sox Yoan Moncada. Both parties agree to a one year deal worth 5 million.

Last year Yoan Moncada played in 12 games as he was lost for most of the season with a strained adductor. Moncada did come back from the injury in September for the White Sox but he stayed on the bench to finish the season. In the off-season, the White Sox cut ties with Moncada and did not pick up his 25 million dollar option making him a free agent. Moncada was supposed to have been one of those solid pieces they got back from Boston in the Chris Sale trade for years to come. That deal was a Charlie Brown bag of rocks on Halloween night for the White Sox. In 12 games last season, Moncada only managed 40 At-bats as he batted .275 with zero home runs and zero RBI’s. In 9 seasons in the big leagues, the majority with the White Sox, Moncada is batting .254 with 93 home runs while driving 339 as he racked up 711 hits in just 747 games. In 9 years he has 5 seasons where he has played less than 100 games. He made his MLB debut in 2016 with the Red Sox and only played 8 games. In the pandemic shortened season of 2020, he did play 54 games which would have been a full season. Most games he played in one season was 149 and you’d have to go back to 2018. In 2021, he played in 144 games. You have to go back to 2022 where he played in over 100 games which was only 104 that season.

The LA Angels have collected the left side of the infield of the Chicago White Sox this off-season. The Angels also added short stop Tim Anderson on a minor league deal only weeks ago. Anderson and Momcada were the left side of the White Sox infielder for years and guys that were expected to create a dynasty for years to come. This with Anthony Rendon missing time this season due to the hip surgery. Zach Neto, the young Angels short stop, had shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the first few weeks of regular season. The Angels did sign Kevin Newman this off-season, a guy that can play most of the infield. Newman may be the utility guy off the bench. Moncada and Anderson have played second base. Anderson could probably give you something at third. This is an opportunity for both these X White Sox players or maybe just one of them. Moncada has a contract while Anderson still has improved himself. Anderson can stay healthy as Moncada can break a nail and be on the injured list after the first game. Anderson though has lost his power numbers and his batting average has been dipping for the last few seasons. Moncada, when healthy, can swing a solid bat. The Angels are at least trying to assemble some options for Rendon’s inability to stay healthy. Not sure either option they have here is any kind of replacement. For Rendon, always MIA, anything that can stay on the field is a better option. I’m surprised that the Angels have not just cut their losses, sent Rendon packing, and just will eat the money. The Rendon dream is dead. Bury it for good.

GAVIN LOOKS FOR A CLEAN SHEETS WITH THE PADRES

Gavin Sheets was originally one of those guys that were going to be a pillar of the last White Sox build on the south side of Chicago for years to come. Gavin was going to be that next left-handed slugger placing 20-30 balls in the seats every season. He is a tall specimen at 6’5″ tall weighing 235 LBS as he looks like a guy that will devastate the baseball and park them over the fences regularly. He was a 2nd round draft pick by the White Sox and is the son of former Big Leaguer Larry Sheets who played 8 seasons in the MLB. After 4 seasons in Chicago, the White Sox gave Gavin his walking papers non-tendering him in November. It took some months but Gavin gets an invite to spring training with the Padres on a minor league contract.

Last year Gavin Sheets played the most games of his four year baseball career which was 139 games. He had 451 At-Bats and he racked up 105 hits. His batting average was just .233 with 10 long balls and drove in 45 on the worst team in baseball. He struck out 106 times which was the most in his career. Sheets did pretty good his first two years in the league. His best year was in 2022 where he batted .241 in 124 games while hitting 15 long balls and driving in 53. In 4 years Sheets has a .230 batting average with 46 home runs and has driven in 175. He has racked up 299 hits playing in 435 games.

Gavin Sheets seems like he is working at his father’s pace in the MLB. Larry Sheets played 8 seasons in the MLB. He played six seasons in Baltimore and 1 season each with Detroit and Seattle. Larry had a career batting average of .266 in 748 games which is better than his son. Father Sheets crushed 94 long balls, drove in 339, and racked up 607 hits. If Gavin plays like he has and gets 4 more years, he could definitely be at his father’s pace with the lumber. You’d like to see Gavin do better. No offense to Larry but his son seems like a good club house guy and a person you root for. Larry could have been the same. I watched his son the last 4 years, wasting my time watching White Sox baseball the last two seasons.

The Padres could be looking for more depth on their roster by bringing in Gavin Sheets. Sheets can play first base some right field and you could slide him into the DH role. When Sheets has swung the hot lumber, he could come off the bench in a pinch hitting attempt and knock one out of the park for the team. He can give your team some solid defense at first. Right field you may get lucky at times with him out there. If Sheets is going to have a batting average of .230, he needs to hit more home runs to really stick around. I thought in the first two seasons if he had more playing time, he would have better numbers. He did get plenty of playing time and seems to have done worse. He had some weeks in his career where he was definitely one of the hottest hitters on the team, maybe in the league, in that span. Last year he did not make solid contact with many of the pitches he saw. It was the swing and miss or lazy fly ball. The White Sox from that last rebuild it was the house of Cards Rick Hahn built, the General Manager at the time. Most of these guys from those teams are signing minor league deals. Some of them are getting one year deals and not much money for them as they come cheap. Most of them are broken down and their baseball careers are hanging by a thread. Gavin Sheets stayed healthier than most of them they called the core, and they never delivered. Just two one and done post-season berths.

THE PIRATES CLAIM THE BOUNTY OF PHAM IN THE FREE AGENT WATERS

Tommy Pham hung out in the free agent waters until April of last year until the White Sox brought him to the shore. Maybe Pham’s groundhog’s clock in his mind set is thinking spring is starting earlier this year. The Pirates make a claim on one of the remaining pieces left in the free agent pond and hope they found a gem for their outfield. The 36 year old Martial Arts expert will sign with his 10th Major League team. The Pirates sign Pham on a one year deal worth 4 million to add some depth to their outfield for this upcoming season.

Tommy Pham played for three teams last year which started with the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox were desperate and needed anything that could help them at the time. Pham was looking to showcase that he still had the skills to be a serviceable member of an MLB roster. The deal worked out for both parties as Pham would see the post-season when he was traded in a deal that sent him to St. Louis where Tommy was drafted and hoping they could make a playoff run. St. Louis could not make that final march to snare a playoff spot. They released Pham who they drafted way back in 2006 in the 16th round. The Royals picked up Pham after St. Louis realized that the playoff were not in the cards they were dealt and released the 11 year veteran. The Royals did make it to the post-season as did Pham.

Last season combined Tommy Pham played in 116 regular seasons between all three teams. He racked up 109 hits and had a batting average of .248 with 9 home runs and drove in 39. In 11 years the list is never ending as he has also played for the Padres, Reds, Rays, Mets, Red Sox, and the D-Backs. Pham has been a decent hitter his entire career as he has .258 life time batting average with 139 home runs and has driven in 470 runs. He has racked up 985 hits. He can hit some milestones next season; he could reach that 150 mark in home runs, 15 more hits to 1,000, and 30 more RBI’s for 500. Pham will give the Pirates another guy with post-season experience if this current squad can do the unthinkable and make it there. Pham has reached post-season 5 times in his career. He comes cheap. The Pirates way of doing things. This is not a move that puts this team over the play off hurdle. It’s a nice depth piece. Pham can play solid defense. He is a streaky hitter and can have a few good runs with the lumber where he is on fire. His bat can go dormant for long periods as well. If the Pirates can’t make it to the post-season, Pham seems like teams want him for their own playoff push. He could be a chip at the trade deadline, or a total bust, or he could help this team the entire year reach their goals. Let’s hope it falls on door number three.

JACK IS BACK IN THE MOTOR CITY

It does not happen very often when you trade a player to another team. Then the next off-season he comes back and re-signs with the team that traded him. The Detroit Tigers were sellers at the trade deadline last season and dealt one of their free agents they signed last off-season. Maybe Jack Flaherty wants to thank the Tigers for helping him get a World Series ring with the Dodgers. The trade did work out for both parties as the Tigers did make it to-post season while Flaherty played for the LA dream team. Flaherty is back with the Tigers with a 2 year deal this go around worth 35 million. Jack has an opt out clause after the first season of this deal. He would be paid 25 million in the first year of the deal and get a guaranteed 10 million for year two of the contract. However he can earn another 10 million in year two of the deal if he starts 15 games for the Tigers.

Last season Jack Flaherty pitched well for both the Tigers and Dodgers during the regular season. Flaherty pitched well for the Dodgers during the post-season. His regular season record combined with both teams was 13-7 with 3.17 ERA as he made 28 starts. He worked 162 innings while striking out 194 batters. He has 8 regular seasons in the MLB and is only 29 years old. He played parts of 7 seasons with the Cardinals who drafted him in the first round 34th overall out of high school in the 2014 MLB draft. The Cards traded him to Baltimore at the 2023 deadline. His lifetime record is only 55-41 with 3.63 ERA as he has 159 games in the MLB out of which 153 of them were starts.

The Tigers front office was not thinking this was going to be a playoff team in 2024. They definitely knew they had an up and coming team. The Tigers had a great second half to snag one of the wild card spots in which they upset the Astros in the first round of the post-season. The Tigers have a solid rotation as it starts with their ace and the Cy Young winner of last season, LHP Tarik Skubol. The Tigers also have some young arms they have assembled in Reese Olson and Casey Mize hoping they make the next steps in their baseball career and contribute more often. The Tigers added veteran RHP Alex Cobb this off-season. Now bringing Jack back this is a savvy move to solidify the rotation from 1 through 5. Jack Flaherty could be the number two guy in this Tigers starting rotation. Which gives the young guys some better match-ups at the end of the rotation. The Tigers are looking to knock off the Guardians for the AL Central title. The AL Central had three playoff teams last year in post-season: Tigers, Guardians, and the Royals. You need to stock up on some arms to beat your own division foes.

MADRIGAL LEAVES HIS CHICAGO DAYS BEHIND HIM AND IS HEADING TO THE BIG APPLE

Nick Madrigal was slated as the next Jose Altuve, of the Houston Astros, when the White Sox drafted him in the 1st round of the 2018 MLB draft. Madrigal was small in height, very hard to strike out, and a guy who would make contact no matter what, just like Altuve. He came out of Oregon State University as he showcased his talents swinging a steady bat throughout his college days. He would never come close to a talent like Altuve as he was traded to the Cubs after his first two seasons on the southside. After 5 seasons in Chicago with two different teams, Madrigal has signed elsewhere after the Cubs non-tendered him in November making him a free agent. Madrigal is looking for a fresh start to really jump start his career. He signs a one year deal with the New York Mets worth 1.35 million to come off the bench in an utility role in 2025.

Nick Madrigal is only 27 years old and has never played 100 or more games in one season. You can say his only full season he played was the shortened season of 2020 due to the pandemic. He played in 29 games which was really half the season. His batting average was .340 in 2020. He batted .305 in 2021 but only played in 54 games as he had a season ending injury. The White Sox were able to unload him at the time to the Cubs. Which I thought was a bad idea. On the northside, injuries followed him for 3 seasons. He only would play in 51 games last year and had a batting average of .221 with zero home runs as he drove in 10. He only had 86 at-bats. He has had 3 different major surgeries. He had his shoulder and hamstring, plus fractured his left hand getting hit by a pitch. In 5 seasons he has only played in 285 games. He only has 868 career at-bats as his batting average is .274. He has racked up 238 hits. He has 4 home runs to his name while driving in 77. He has only struck out 85 times which means he can put the ball in play but does not take the free passes in walks.

Why would the Mets want Nick Madrigal who is part of that fragile house of cards that the White Sox built a few years back? One that bottomed out with injuries. The Mets have not yet re-signed Jose Igelesias, a 35 year old infielder who played a big role last year with this team as they turned their season around and made it all the way to the NLCS. The Mets farm system does not have any prospect yet ready to take that step into the majors. Madrigal can play second and third base. Igelesias may have been a better option than Madrigal because he can play short. I think Igelesias is looking for a solid deal by the Mets or any other team out there that needs his services. Madrigal may just be a bridge gap player at this time until the team replaces him if he breaks down. Madrigal needs to prove he can stay healthy and find that swing that made him a number one selection. This is pretty much a low risk high reward move. The Mets may have gotten Madrigal to agree to a minor league deal instead of giving a guaranteed one year deal. The Mets could still add Igelesias; it is not out of the question. Madrigal is only 27 years old and could be a late bloomer type of player in this league. I remember the White Sox hyped this guy up. He had some moments in those first two seasons. Injuries can deflate a player’s season. Some guys can overcome them more quickly than other guys. Leaving Chicago many players in all sports seem to thrive. The Big Apple is a tough place to play.

MAD MAX BEYOND THE BORDER

The Toronto Blue Jays are going to roll the dice on an aging pitcher to add to their starting rotation. Mad Max is heading North of the border to Toronto. The 40 year old RHP Max Scherzer has a one year deal to pitch in his 18th season for 15.5 million with the Blue Jays. Scherzer coming off a season with the Rangers where injuries sidelined him most of the year as he only made nine starts. At the age of 40, does Mad Max have any juice left in the tank to help the Blue Jays get back to the post-season?

Max Scherzer made his first start in the 2024 season on June 23rd as he was recovering from surgery where doctors repaired a herniated disc in his back. He then missed some time in August with shoulder fatigue. Then he ended his year in September with a hamstring injury. In the 9 starts he had a losing record of 2-4 with 3.95 ERA. He worked 43.1 innings striking out 40. He was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 2006 MLB draft in the first round 11th overall from the University of Missouri. He made his MLB debut with the snakes in 2008. Then he went to the motor city where his career took off and showcased why he was picked in the first round by the D-Backs. He pitched 5 seasons in Detroit. It was Washington where Mad Max spent the most time in one city which was 7 seasons where he helped the Nationals win their first ever World Series in 2019. He also helped the Rangers win their first ever World Series in 2023. He landed an insane amount of money from the Mets that paid him over 40 million per season. He also suited up for the Dodgers.The Blue Jays will be his 7th team he has played for. He has a decorated career winning three Cy-Young awards and is an 8x All-Star. His lifetime numbers have him with a winning record of 216-112 with 3.16 ERA as he has pitched in 466 games and457 of them were starts. He has worked 2,878 innings, struck out 3,407 batters, and should be a shoe-in to be enshrined in Cooperstown when he finally hangs up the spikes.

The Blue Jays this off-season have wiffed on some big names in the free agent waters. They were a part of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. They tried to land the young Japanese starter that popped up on the open market in Roki Sasaki. They saw Max Fried sign with the Evil Empire Yankees. They tried and failed with Corbin Burnes who chose the desert. Recently the Blue Jays did land a power hitting outfielder former Oriole Anthony Santander who was a free agent. If the Blue Jays can get a nice bounce back year from Max Scherzer, they will have a solid rotation from 1 through 5. The Blue Jays already have Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassit. They also have Bowden Francis, a 28 year old RHP, who pitched well down the stretch for the Blue Jays. He made 13 starts finished with an 8-5 record with 3.30 ERA in his second season in the MLB. The AL East is a very tough division with the Yankees and Orioles playoff teams from last year. The Rays are always in the mix. The Red Sox have retooled. The Blue Jays still have a powerful offensive line up. They have some pitching. If they can find post season Mad Max gives this rotation more experience in post-season play. This move is a worthwhile gamble. It’s not 40 million. It’s only a one year deal worth 15.5 million. Coming off any kind of surgery, it seems in year two is when these players find their old groove.

MLB OFF-SEASON TRADE

The Houston Astros and the Chicago Cubs come together on their second significant trade of this off-season. The two teams hatch out a deal involving two players and cash. The Cubs have found their new closer and acquire 36 year old RHP Ryan Pressly from the Astros. Houston will also send some cash to Chicago to help pay off some of Pressly’s contract. The Astros get a minor league pitcher in return. Juan Bello, a 20 year old RHP, will be heading to Houston.

In the first deal between the Cubs and Astros this off-season, Chicago landed right fielder Kyle Tucker from Houston. The last out of the 2022 World Series when the Astros prevailed over the Phillies, it was Ryan Pressly on the mound and Tucker catching the final out to seal the deal. To make this deal happen, Pressly had to waive his no-trade clause. He had a choice between the Cubs and Tigers as two trades were on the table. Pressly could have reunited with his former manager AJ Hinch in Detroit. Instead he picked the Cubs, perhaps to continue to play with his teammate Tucker. Maybe Chicago has better pizza.

The Cubs missed out on post-season last year as all signs point to their bullpen. This off-season on the Cubs to do list was sure up the bullpen. Since Pressly lost his closing role last year to Josh Hader, he had to settle for the set up role in 2024. Picking the Cubs, Pressly will be going back to the closing role in which he did well with the Astros when he got the job in 2020-23. He was originally drafted by the Red Sox in 2007 in the 11th round of the MLB draft out of high school. He made his MLB debut with the Twins in 2013 where he pitched parts of six seasons in Minnesota. He has twelve years in the MLB during which he has pitched parts of seven seasons in Houston.

Ryan Pressly is a 2x All-Star. Last season he had a record of 2-3 with 3.49 ERA in 59 games. He was called on to close some games as he converted 4 saves. He worked 56.2 innings striking out 58. His lifetime work in the MLB he has a 35-36 record with 3.27 ERA as he pitched in 623 games in the MLB. He has 112 saves. In 2020, the shortened pandemic season, he converted 12 saves. Pressly has done the job after that in full season action. In 2021 he converted 21 saves, in ’22, 33 saves, and in 2023 he had 31 saves.

The Cubs have been relatively close in the last two seasons for a wild card spot. Now having a solid guy in the closing role you should expect them to clear that final hurdle. They should still add some more arms to the pen before the season starts. If the Cubs can get into post-season, Pressly in 47 playoff games has 14 saves with an impressive 2.78 ERA. The NL Central is not a powerhouse division either. The Brewers lost their starting short stop to the Giants in free agency. The division is in reach for the Cubs. Ryan Pressly has that chip on his shoulder losing his job in the closing role last season. He did not pitch bad enough to be demoted. Josh Hader is one of the best in the game. Pressly should cash in with a solid year on the bump.

Is the Houston Astros dynasty come to an end? Hope so. Maybe the Astros call this retooling. Maybe they have enough young guys in their farm system to step up for some of the key guys that helped this dynasty for years going elsewhere. Juan Bello is in the top 30 players in the Cubs farm system. He is in his third season as a pro. He is native of Colombia. Last year he had an 3.21 ERA as a starter. He worked 89.2 innings and struck out 91 batters. What the Astros got back can be a hit or a miss. Bello is still young as he pitched Single A ball last year in Myrtle Beach. They have time to develop him as he has shown some nice things already in the Cubs farm system.

THE RETURN OF ADAM FRAZIER TO PITTSBURGH

Adam Frazier was drafted by the Pirates in 2013 in the 6th round of the MLB draft out of Mississippi State University. He made his MLB debut with the Pirates. He played his first six seasons with Pittsburgh. He was traded to San Diego before the recent rebuild where things have relatively stayed the same for the Pirates standings-wise. It’s just a new cast of characters on the Pirates ship. Frazier’s hiatus from Pittsburgh included post-season with four different teams in the last 3 1/2 seasons. The Pirates bring Frazier back on the cheap. He gets a one year deal worth 1.525 million.

Last year Adam Frazier played in 104 games for the Royals. The 33 year old infielder/outfielder had a batting average of .204 with 4 home runs and drove in 22. The Royals signed him last off-season hoping to get the numbers Frazier put up with the Orioles in 2023. That year he batted .240 with 13 long balls and drove in 60 as he played more games that year as he saw action in 141 contests. His best season came the year the Pirates traded him in 2021 when he earned his only All-Star appearance of his career. He has played for Padres, Mariners, Orioles, and Royals in that order and played in the post-season each season since he was traded. Lifetime Frazier has a .264 batting average with 60 home runs and has driven in 339. He is 97 hits away from the milestone of 1,000 which perhaps he can get that in a Pirates uniform.

This move by the Pirates signing Adam Frazier gives the team a utility guy that can play his normal position of second base and the outfield. He provides the team with another bat that can hit from the left side. He was a fan favorite. He’s a good club house guy. He has playoff experience if the Pirates make a threat for the wild card like they did last year all the way to the all-star break. Its a low risk high ceiling kind of move as the Pirates are not paying much. You get the guy that landed you Jack Suwinski in that deal with the Padres which is always a nice touch. Frazier will play with a chip on his shoulder so he can stay in Pittsburgh after this season. He has played on plenty of one year deals already. Look for home cooking it might be the meal he needs and going back to the black and gold uniform to get his MLB career back on track. Maybe at the end of regular season former players like Frazier and Andrew McCutchen with the young core of players assembled, we’ll be talking about the Pirates in post-season. The new rebuild and some former old pieces somehow come together to land a wild card spot.

TA’S CAREER HAS NOW HIT ROCK BOTTOM

Nicknamed TA or TA7, former White Sox number one draft pick Tim Anderson’s career has hit rock bottom. Usually athletes that leave the Chicago sports landscape seem to thrive. Anderson’s career started to decline last season with the White Sox. After the 2023 season, Anderson was a free agent and the writing was on the wall for him to go elsewhere as the White Sox organization hit an iceberg as a whole and was slowly sinking away. Anderson signed with the Marlins on a one year deal and would last only 65 games last season and was released as no other team picked him up with time left in regular season. Now Anderson is hoping & praying his baseball career is not done as he clamors to a minor league contract with the Angels and spring training invite to showcase his deteriorating skills are past him.

Tim Anderson is 31 years old & was once the face of the Chicago White Sox. He seemed like he was starting to be one of those faces of the MLB as well. Nine years in the Majors. He won a batting title. He has earned two All-Star appearances. He has a silver slugger award to his name. Last season in 65 games he had a depressing batting average of .214 with no home runs and drove in 9. I believe two of those RBI’s came on opening day with the Marlins. He had 50 hits. His power stroke seems to have vanished into thin air as those towering bat flips he used to showboat after he hit a long ball. Lifetime his batting average is .278 as he racked up over 1,000 hits. He has 98 home runs and has driven 347 runs. This is the guy who hit the walk off mammoth home run to slay the Yankees in the Field of Dreams game in Iowa. He is also the same guy that got laid out by the Guardians infielder Jose Ramirez in a fight that Anderson provoked.

How does Tim Anderson fit in with the LA Angels? The Angels already have a talented short stop in Zach Neto who would be playing in his third season in the MLB. Will Neto be ready for the start of the season? Neto did have shoulder surgery and may miss some time to start the 2025 season. The Angels did sign Kevin Newman, X Pirate, to help the team out at the short stop position. Newman can play third & second base and can be the Angels utility guy. Even if Anderson finds his old stroke with the lumber, he can’t slide into the DH role as the Angels acquired Jorge Soler who is a full time designated hitter. Anthony Rendon, the Angels third baseman, has been fragile since he signed the mega deal with LA. You could have Newman fill in at third and second while Anderson is starting short stop until Neto comes back. Anderson has played some second base. These are speculations. Anderson may not find his former self that made him a solid bat flipper years ago. You have to start somewhere to showcase that you can still swing the bat in the MLB and can still help a team having a roster spot with them.

SANTANDER WILL NOW FLY WITH THE JAYS LEAVING THE ORIOLES NEST FOR GOOD

The Blue Jays finally land one of the top 50 free agents in the pool. The Orioles right fielder’s big year last season pays off. When any player is playing on their last year of their contract it pays off if you have a career year like the 30 year old switch hitter had. Santander gets a 5 year deal worth 92.5 million from the division rival Blue Jays. The deal includes an opt out clause and a team option at the end for a sixth year that can bring the contract up to 110 million. The Blue Jays add power to their line up while weakening their division opponent.

Anthony Santander is a native from Venezuela and signed with the Orioles as an international free agent. He made his debut in Baltimore in the 2017 season. He has played all 8 seasons with only the Orioles. Last season Santander had a batting average of .235 with 44 home runs and drove in 102. He set a career high with home runs. Those 44 long balls was good for third place in the entire league only behind Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, which is impressive. Santander’s 44 home run outburst by a switch hitter is 5th most all-time in MLB history in a single season. The most dingers by a switch hitter since Astros’ Lance Berkman had 45 of them in 2006.

The last three seasons Santander has shown off his power numbers. In 2023 he had 28 long balls and then in 2022 he had 33 long balls. He racked up 140 hits last year and 25 of them were doubles. In 8 seasons he has a lifetime batting average of .246 with 155 long balls while driving in 434 runs.

The Blue Jays have been trying to add big name free agents to their squad this off-season. They were involved in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. They were in on the young Japanese starter, Roki Sasaki. They even tried to go after another former Oriole RHP, Corbin Burnes, who signed with Arizona. The Blue Jays missed the post-season last year with a 74-88 record. This may be one final gasp for the Jays if they don’t find their way back to the post-season. This will be the last year Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is under contract with the Jays. If the Blue Birds lay an egg this season, Vlad Jr. could be raking in millions elsewhere. Perhaps even traded at the deadline. The Jays may need to add more than just Santander to fill other holes they have on their roster. Santander will give the Jays’ meat of the order some power numbers definitely. Santander is not very good defensively, so the Jays may use him in the DH role. He may be able to play some first while you slide Vlad Jr. to man the hot corner. Why was Santander still out there at the end of January is something that should be kept on the back burner of your mind set as well. Some of these guys that have monster years right before free agency just go dormant when they finally receive that payday. Why did the Orioles let him walk off to a division rival? The Orioles may have already had his replacement in the works. The AL East is one of the toughest divisions in baseball. The Jays need more additions to that roster. The Orioles should be doing something as well to get better going one and done in the playoffs the last two seasons. Last year, the Orioles were a wild card after winning the division the year before. Declining may not be the word right now. A pattern is happening.

2025 MLB HALL OF FAME CLASS

The votes are in for the 2025 class of the MLB Hall of Fame. Three players will be heading to Cooperstown this summer. To be enshrined in the baseball Hall of Fame you need to collect 75% of the vote to get in. You have to get at least 5% of the vote to stay on the ballot for ten years. Two players will be enshrined being on the ballot for the first time. While the other player finally gets in on his last try, the10th year being on the ballot. Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was a shoe-in to get into Cooperstown on his first try. He almost got every vote except one. Some baseball writer may need to get their voting card revoked. Then LHP CC Sabathia was the other one to get in on his first try. That left Billy Wagner finally getting enough votes to get through the finish line on his last season eligible. The south paw closer just missed getting in last year & will be dancing in the streets finally getting in at the buzzer.

ICHIRO SUZUKI: SEATTLE MARINERS (1st year) 99.7% of the vote

Suzuki will be the first ever Japanese born player to find himself in Cooperstown. He was a hitting machine in the MLB and before he arrived in the states, in Japan’s professional baseball league. If you combined his hit totals from both leagues he would be king. Combined in the states and in Japan, Suzuki had 4,367 hits while Pete Rose had 4,256. Suzuki had ten seasons in the MLB where he had 200 or more hits per season. He played 19 seasons in the Majors and 14 of them came in Seattle. Suzuki also suited up for the Evil Empire and the Marlins. He ended his playing career batting from the left side with .311 batting average as he racked up 3.089 Major league hits. He hit 117 long balls while driving in 780 runs. He swiped 509 bases. He scored 1,420 runs. He was a 10x All-star along with tallying up 10 golden gloves on defense. He was a 3x silver slugger award winner along with winning the batting title twice. He won an MVP. He was an All-star MVP as well. He also won rookie of the year.

CC SABATHIA: NEW YORK YANKEES (1st Year) 86.8% of the vote

Sabathia started his career with the Indians but he spent most of his career in the Pinstripes which was 11 seasons. He pitched in the MLB for 19 seasons and 8 of them were in Cleveland. He pitched a half season in Milwaukee where the Indians eventually traded him to Brew Town. Sabathia pitched in 561 games which one game came out of the bullpen. He finished his career with 251-161 record while posting a 3.74 ERA. He struck out 3,093 batters working 3,577.1 innings. In 19 seasons he was a 6x all-star. He won one Cy Young award. He helped the Yankees win a World Series in 2009. He also earned himself the MVP of the ALCS one year. He is one of three south paw pitchers in MLB history to have over 3,000 strike outs. Number 1 is Randy Johnson who had 4,875. Number 2 was Steve Carlton who had 4,136 K’s.

BILLY WAGNER: HOUSTON ASTROS (10th year) 82.5% of the vote

Wagner played 16 seasons in the MLB. He never started a game as he pitched in 853 games all from the bullpen. He finished his career with a 47-40 record and a solid 2.31 ERA. He was one of the top closers in the league during his playing days. He suited up for 5 teams and he wore the Astros cap the longest which was 9 seasons. He pitched in New York as a Met for 4 seasons. He also had stops in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Boston. He was a 7x all-star. He was the Rolaids relief player of the year. He converted 422 saves in 16 seasons. He is 1 out of 8 players in MLB history to be in the 400 save club.

NEXT UP

Carlos Beltran & Andruw Jones are not far off from 75% of the needed vote to get in Cooperstown. Jones has 2 years left of eligibility while Beltran is in good position only in his 3rd season on the ballot.

THE REST OF THE VOTING FOR THE 2025 FINISHED LIKE THIS

NAME	YEARS ON BALLOT	VOTING PERCENTAGE
Carlos Beltran	3	70.3
Andruw Jones	8	66.2
Chase Utley	2	39.8
Alex Rodriguez	4	37.1
Manny Ramirez	9	34.3
Andy Pettite	7	27.9
Felix Hernandez	1	20.6
Bobby Abreu	6	19.5
Jimmy Rollins	4	18.0
Omar Vizquel	8	17.8
Dustin Pedroia	1	11.9
Mark Buehrle	5	11.4
David Wright	2	8.1
Torrii Hunter	5	5.1

DID NOT MAKE IT

All these others in thier first year on the ballot have dropped off it in year one not getting 5% or more of the vote.

Ian Kinsler 2.5%, Russell Martin 2.3%, Brain McCann 1.8%, Troy Tulowitzki 1%, Curtis Granderson .8%, Carlos Gonzalez .5%, Fernado Rodney 0, & Ben Zobrist 0,

DODGERS STARTING ROTATION LOOKING LIKE THE JAPANESE WORLD CLASSIC TEAM

Next season Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the pitching mound this season after recovering from his elbow surgery that did not allow him to pitch in 2024. The Dodgers last off-season also signed one of the best starters from the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) team in veteran Yoshinobu Yamamoto. This after signing the big deal that landed Ohtani who is a two way player in baseball. Now the Dodgers sign another Japanese pitcher, a younger arm in 23 year old Roki Sasaki. LA is getting the band back together from the Japanese World Classic team that will now be pitching on American soil.

If Roki Sasaki pitched two more seasons in the NPB and then came to the states, he could have gotten the Yoshinobu Yamamoto money and got a 12 year deal worth 325 million from the Dodgers. If you are younger than 25 years of age, the MLB considers the player an amateur international free agent. The Dodgers will have Sasaki on a rookie deal and have control over him for six seasons. The Dodgers did include a 6.5 million dollar bonus to get his signature on the contract to lock him in on the Dodgers dynasty dream team. Sasaki has electric stuff which includes a 100 MPH fast ball. He has a wipe out splitter. He pitched for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the NPB and on April 10th of 2022, he pitched an epic perfect game. He faced the Orix Buffaloes who would go on later that season to win it all. His perfect game he had 19 strike outs versus the Buffaloes. At one point of the game he rang up 13 consecutive batters. Sasaki pitched for the Japanese team that won the gold in the World Baseball Classic. In two games he pitched against two different countries. It was Czech Republic and Mexico he faced and he struck out 11 totals batters which included some MLB hitters such as Randy Arozarena and Alex Verdugo.

The Chicago White Sox actually had a reliable connection to Roki Sasaki. Former second baseman from the White Sox from Japan Tadahito Iguchi who played for the 2005 White Sox champions. Iguchi was the manager of Sasaki’s team in the NPB, the Chiba Lotte Marines. I know no way this young stud is going to join the worst team in baseball, the White Sox. Timing is never right for the White Sox. If the White Sox last rebuild was a success and the core of players they drafted and traded for were still playing in Chicago and if the team was a fixture in the playoffs. This guy could be a White Sox right now. They talked to many teams throughout the league. The final three teams it came down to were the Blue Jays, Padres, and Dodgers. The Padres have a Japanese pitcher on their roster. Yu Darvish who is the Padres ace of their staff and the best weather in the league is in San Diego. The Blue Jays, I’m not sure what they were offering to keep lingering in the Sasaki sweepstakes. One reason why Sasaki picked the Dodgers was stability of their front office and manager. Does not hurt to have two of the best Japanese stars in the game whether with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. I will have to go back to the White Sox on this potential signing if they were a good team from that last rebuild. The stability of that White Sox front office and management in the dugout is not very stable even if they somehow kept winning from that last rebuild. The White Sox owner is a giant buffoon. The White Sox would have dropped the ball somehow even if Sasaki had the pen in his hand and was about to sign the contract. That’s the difference. When you have a dream team like the Dodgers you get the top notch ball players. The White Sox are too busy looking for their players in the gas station dollar bin with those terrible flavored bottle of waters no one wants drowning in a pool of water which used to be ice from several months before when the clerk placed them out there.

BOB UECKER LIVED LIFE THAT TASTED GREAT AND WAS LESS FILLING

Bob Uecker was nicknamed Mr. Baseball by the king of late night, talk show host Johnny Carson. Uecker won a World Series in 1964 with the Cardinals. He played six seasons in the big leagues. It was what Uecker did after his playing career was done that makes him such a great huge icon in the game of baseball. He was born in Milwaukee and became the voice of the Brewers after playing for his home town team in Wisconsin during the 1960’s, at the time the Braves, who would move to Atlanta. His comedy mixed in with his play by play commentary landed him in Cooperstown as a legendary baseball announcer. Growing up in the 1980’s, Uecker was a pitchman for those great Miller Lite commercials. With that catchy slogan & taste great less filling debate. Uecker also starred in a sitcom that lasted six seasons, Mr. Belvedere on ABC. Then maybe his best character of all-time on the big screen, Harry Doyle, as a baseball announcer for a bad Cleveland Indians team in 1989’s Major League. Then Major league II in 1994 which was a well done sequel. At 90 years old we lost one of the greats this year. Bob Uecker passes away from his battle with a spot of lung cancer.

“I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000 dollars. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn’t have that kind of dough,” he said, “but he eventually scraped it up.”

Bob Uecker had plenty of jokes about his own decorated baseball career. After serving in the U.S Army he signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956. In 1962 he made his MLB debut with the Braves. He played six seasons total, the first two seasons with his home town Milwaukee Braves. He would head to St. Louis and be a part of their 1964 team that won the World Series. He played in Philadelphia & then wound back up with the Braves, but this time they were now residing in Atlanta in 1967, his last season he played. Uecker was a back up catcher. He tallied up 731 At-Bats at the Major League level as he played in 297 total games in six seasons. He racked up 146 hits with a batting average of .200. He had 14 long balls, drove in 74, and scored 65 runs. His two best moments in his playing days he’d tell you was the intentional walk he got from Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax and the run down he escaped versus the Mets.

When Milwaukee got another baseball team, Bob Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971 which was their second year. Former baseball commissioner Bud Selig purchased the bankrupt Seattle Pilots and moved them to Milwaukee to become the Brewers. Selig was a friend of Uecker’s and originally hired him as a scout. Then moved him to the broadcast booth which payed off dividends. Uecker spent 54 seasons as the Brewers radio play by play man. Uecker became one of the first color commentators on a major network, ABC, to broadcast a baseball game in the 1970’s. In the 1990’s he worked with Bob Costas and Joe Morgan doing some of the World Series games on national television. In 2003 Uecker would make it to Cooperstown as a baseball announcer as he received the Ford C Frick Award and his 20 minute speech had everyone rolling in their seats laughing. He claimed he should have been enshrined as a player.

Bob Uecker’s comedy was contagious and took Hollywood by storm. Playing the part of Harry Doyle, announcer of a bad Cleveland Indians baseball team in the movies Major League 1 & 2 left people in stitches. With lines like a, “JUST a Bit outside,” referring to Charlie Sheen’s character the Wild Thing throwing the ball a mile away from the plate.

His character was George Owens on the sitcom for Mr. Belvedere that went for six seasons tallying up 122 episodes in the 1980’s on ABC. The plot of Mr. Belvedere was an English butler played by actor Christopher Hewett who was taking care of a middle class family household with kids due to having two working parents. Uecker portrayed a sports writer and the show was set in Pittsburgh. Then Uecker would appear on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in over 100 appearances.

The Brewers have two statues of Bob Uecker, one outside Miller Park which now is called American Family Field. The other statue of Uecker is him in the nose bleed seats there. One of the Miller Lite commercials he thinks he’s sitting up close at a baseball game with his Miller Lite. The usher at the game keeps taking him further up into the stands until he’s way off into the distance in the nosebleed seats by himself.

You could say Bob Uecker’s comedy was better than when he played the game of baseball. When he used his comedy along with his baseball knowledge of the game, he became one of the best baseball announcers of all-time. Guys like Uecker are homers. Guys that get behind their team and act like a fan behind the microphone and call the game the way it is. Not sugarcoat it when the team is playing good, bad, or just ugly. The Cardinals, White Sox, and Cubs had Harry Caray. The Dodgers have Vin Scully. The White Sox also had Ken the Hawk Harrelson who is still alive but retired. These guys would bleed their team’s colors and were loved by their fan base. These guys seem like a dying breed in the game of baseball. Which is a shame. You have to like Uecker being a Homer in the town of Milwaukee where he was born and raised. Then played as a player with the Braves. Then called the new baseball team that came into town, for over 50 seasons. No one will come close to that in Brewers history. If they do it will not be legendary like all his broadcasts that he did in Brew Town. Let’s raise your glass of beer and toast the Miller Lite pitchman and Brewers long time announcer. Remember all the funny things he would say over the years. All that comedy & all that baseball he served up did taste great. All the comedy that kept us laughing we became less full working all the muscles from laughter. We will definitely miss a Bob Uecker as a great broadcaster and comedian. RIP BOB!!!

WHITE SOX ADD VETERAN STARTER TO ROTATION

One of the many things on the off-season “to do list” of the White Sox General Manager, was find a veteran pitcher to pitch for the Southsiders in 2025 in the starting rotation. Chris Getz, the White Sox GM, found his man a south paw – 33 year old veteran Martin Perez. The White Sox were the worst team in baseball. They have assembled a slew of younger arms that have tested the waters last season with many of them getting their first action in the Majors. With a guy like Perez who has 13 seasons in the MLB mostly as a starter, he could be an asset to the young guys and a guy who can possibly stop the bleeding on a long losing streak. The White Sox and Perez agree to a one year deal worth 5 million.

Martin Perez is from Venezuela and was originally signed by the Texas Rangers where he ended up making his debut. He has pitched 9 seasons in Texas which was two stints with the team. The second stint he helped the Rangers win their first ever World Series title in 2023. Last year Perez split time with the Pirates who he signed with in the off-season & then was dealt to the Padres at the deadline. He has also suited up for the Twins and Red Sox as the White Sox will be his 6th team he has played for. His best season came in 2022 when he had a record of 12-8 with 2.89 ERA and earned his only all-star appearance. In 2023, he did win 10 games for the Rangers. Last year was not so great in the first half, but he redeemed himself pitching for the Padres down the stretch with 3-1 record while posting a 3.46 ERA in 10 starts. Last year combined with the Pirates and Padres, he finished the year with a 5-6 record while posting 4.53 ERA as he made 26 starts. In 13 seasons he does have a winning record of 90-87 with a 4.44 ERA. He has pitched in 314 games making 269 starts as he has worked over 1,500 innings and struck over 1,000 batters.

The off-season rumors had a former White Sox south paw perhaps returning to Chicago in Jose Quintana. Which would have been a nice signing, but my thoughts are Quintana could be a nice option for a team that can make the playoffs. Quintana had some success with the Mets. Once you fly first class going deep into the post-season, there’s no need to return to coach and play around with a bad team like the White Sox. Quintana pitched some gems in a White Sox uniform and did not get the run support back then. Why would you want to rack up no decision after no decision or one run losses in return to the White Sox? The Martin Perez’s are really the only option unless you get lucky with a free agent signing like they did last year signing Erik Fedde after a great year in the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) in 2023. Perez is 10 wins away from reaching the 100 milestone. He would get plenty of starts to achieve that goal with the White Sox. I’m sure he wants to showcase his talent with a good season to get that free ticket to the playoffs and be dealt at the trade deadline. Just like last season. Perez should be a good mentor for the young guys just preparing each season, each game as he has done for 13 years could help the rest of the rotation grow. The White Sox rotation with Perez lines up after with Jonathan Cannon, Davis Martin, and Sean Burke. Last year I liked what the team got from Cannon and Burke down the stretch. The team also is high on Drew Thorpe who has a ton of potential. This is a decent move by Chris Getz. This is the type of move we did expect as well.

VERLANDER HEADING TO THE BAY

The San Francisco Giants saw one of their top pitchers opt out his contract to head back into the free agent market to sign with the rival Dodgers. How do you compete in the NL West? The division has three stacked teams as the Giants are trying to be in the same conversation as them and avoid being the hapless Rockies that reside in Colorado. The Giants’ answer to their vacant spot in the starting rotation is to tap into Justin Verlander to bleed anything he has left in that arm to give San Francisco a chance. Verlander, a 3x Cy Young winner, will see his dreams come true pitching at Oracle Park, one of the coolest looking stadiums in baseball. The Giants bring the 41 year old RHP to the west coast on a one year deal worth 15 million.

Justin Verlander has a mile long list of accomplishments in the MLB for 19 seasons. He is a 9x all-star, won the triple crown in pitching, 2x World Series champion, 2x ERA title holder, MVP, ML POY award, and was ALCS MVP. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1st round number two overall in the 2004 MLB draft from the Old Dominion University. He spent 13 seasons in Detroit. Seven seasons in Houston and then got a ridiculous 2 year deal by the Mets not long ago that was worth 86.7 million dollars. He did not survive very long in the Big Apple as he was traded back to Houston to live out the rest of that deal. Last year, he suffered shoulder and neck injuries that limited him to only 17 starts. His record was 5-6 with 5.48 ERA. In 19 seasons Verlander’s record is 262-147 with 3.30 ERA in 526 games – all starts. He has over 3,000 innings and over 3,000 strikeouts.

Can Justin Verlander reach the 300 win mark as he is 38 wins away from that milestone? He missed the entire 2021 season but came back in 2022 and was a new man. He went 18-4 with 1.75 ERA for the Astros that year. In 2023 he went 13-8 with the Mets and Astros. He may need like three seasons more, with double figure wins to achieve that goal. For the Giants, Verlander in his 20th season could be a nice 3rd or 4th guys to stable the starting rotation. The Giants have Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Kyle Harrison as their big 3 big arms in that rotation. This is only a one year deal by the Giants which is smart because of his age. If he does well and the Giants as a team doe not Buster Posey and the front office can trade him back to Houston at the deadline. The Giants seem to still need a few more pieces if we want to put them in the same conversation as the Diamondbacks and Padres. They may be several more pieces away from putting them in the same conversation as the Dodgers.

PIRATES FIND THEIR CHAPMAN REPLACEMENT IN THE PEN

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been mostly quiet this off-season. Taking last place in the NL Central last year you get that feeling you don’t have to add much to this roster. It’s the way of the Pirates to be planted in the basement and stay wilted year after year. The Pirates sign a south paw reliever for their bullpen to replace LHP Aroldis Chapman who bolted to Boston as a free agent. The Pirates ink 28 year old Caleb Ferguson to a one year deal worth 3 million.

Caleb Ferguson was originally drafted out of high school by the LA Dodgers in the 2014 MLB draft. Last year he split his time with the Yankees and Astros in his first year not pitching in LA. He has six seasons under his belt and 5 of them he wore the Dodgers blue uniform. Last year combined for the Yanks and Stros, he pitched in 62 games all out of the bullpen as he had 1-4 record with 4.64 ERA. He worked 54.1 innings, converted 1 save opportunity, and struck out 67 batters. In 2020 he helped the Dodgers get to the post-season. That year he had a 2-1 record with a 2.89 ERA in 21 games and made one start. He was left off the post-season roster due to injury. He needed the dreaded Tommy John surgery and would miss the World Series as well as the entire 2021 season. In 2022 back from the injury, he pitched lights out in 37 games and he had 1.89 ERA which is sick in a good way. In six seasons he has a 19-13 career record with 3.68 ERA in 263 games. He started 21 games over his career. He has worked 261.2 innings while striking out 314 batters while converting six saves.

Not sure the Pirates are upgrading their bullpen with this move. Caleb Ferguson is great pitching against left handed batters, but right handed batters can see him very well at times. Aroldis Chapman could do it all. He was effective against both sides of the plate. He can be used in a set up role. Situational role. Plus Chapman is one of the best closers in the game. Ferguson is a nice piece, so don’t get me wrong. He may be used more as that mercenary for hire when they need to get an out to a left-handed slugger as a situational role. I’m sure he can cover some innings as well. He had more appearances than innings worked last year. Let’s not forget your current closer David Bednar struggled last season closing the door in the 9th. The Pirates still need to make more moves here if they ever want to leave the basement of the standings in the NL Central.

WHITE SOX NET ONE OF THE RIPPLES IN THE FREE AGENT WATERS

We know the Chicago White Sox are not going to catch the big fish in the free agent market. Why would any of the top tier free agents sign with the White Sox? They are in a full-blown rebuild. These are the days which we seem to be accustomed to being a White Sox fan watching all these new prospects in hopes more than one will pan out. It is always good to add some veterans to the mix. The White Sox may have found a ripple of hope in the shallow end of the waters the south side front office likes to fish at. That is 30 year 3rd baseman Josh Rojas who played in Seattle last season.

Josh Rojas was non-tendered by the Mariners this off-season making him a free agent after parts of two seasons in Seattle. The Arizona native was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 2017 MLB draft from the University of Hawaii. He made his debut with his hometown team the Diamondbacks where he spent parts of 5 seasons before being dealt to Seattle. Last year Rojas played in 142 games for the Mariners and had a batting average of only .225 with 8 long balls and 31 RBI’s. He is a solid defender that can play second base and short stop along with what he has played the most in the majors, third base. He has 6 seasons in the Majors and has racked up 460 hits. He has a lifetime batting average of .247 with 34 long balls while driving in 189 runs.

Why is Josh Rojas a ripple of hope for this 2025 White Sox team? Rojas seems like he is the same type of guy as Nicky Lopez, a veteran slick defender who can’t really swing the lumber. Lopez was a guy that can play multiple positions and hometown guy the White Sox landed in a trade with the Braves last year. Lopez, like Rojas, was non-tendered in November by the White Sox. Rojas is an upgrade over Lopez as he can get the team more production with the lumber. Rojas bats from the left side and throws with his right arm. Rojas has played with bad teams like the Diamondbacks in 2021 who lost 110 games that season. According to some reports, Rojas turned down the Cubs to join the White Sox, which is a better team. Rojas is looking for steady playing time. If he does well he may get that instant ticket to the playoffs as a trade chip by the White Sox at the deadline. From Rojas’ interviews, he was impressed with the organization with all the young talent they have assembled and the plan they have. Could Rojas be a keeper after next season and ride out the re-build until the team wins? I’m sure he is saying all the right things and is a guy that will look for a multi-year deal next season at this time. The White Sox will have several moves like Rojas, like they had last year in one year deals or minor league invites to spring training. This one looks more promising than others. I like Rojas doing his homework on his future. My guess is the White Sox new manager Will Venable has seen Rojas play up close the last two seasons in Texas and told the front office this guy may be a nice fit this season. The Rangers and Mariners meet about a dozen times a year. That’s enough games to evaluate a player and know him in scouting reports. This move has that ripple of hope looking at all the angles on this signing.

MLB OFF-SEASON TRADE

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins strike up an inter-division trade between the two teams. The deal involves 4 players. Three minor league players and one at the big league level. The Phillies acquire veteran LHP Jesus Luzardo and minor league catcher Paul McIntosh. The Marlins get back two Phillies prospects which include short stop Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd.

The Miami Marlins are selling off all their pieces that are not nailed down as the franchise is in another full rebuild. The Marlins got two young speedsters that can swipe some bases. The short stop Starlyn Caba is 19 years old & played in Single A ball last year in the Phillies farm system. He is native of the Dominican republic. In two minor league seasons he has a batting average of .252 with 66 stolon bases.

Emmaarion Boyd is 21 years old and was selected in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB draft out of high school. He played at High A ball last year in the Phillies farm system. He has three seasons in the minors and has a batting average of .256 with 91 stolen bases. The Marlins traded away a veteran pitcher that has not hit his full potential and an older minor league catcher for two younger prospects. Jesus Luzardo would not be around by the time the Marlins start winning again. If one of these players can make it to the big leagues and be productive, it might be a savvy trade down the line for this Miami organization.

The Phillies are looking to solidify their starting rotation by getting Jesus Luzardo, a 27 year old south paw. Luzardo was originally drafted by the Nationals back in the 2016 MLB draft in the 3rd round. He made his debut with Oakland and has been with the Marlins the last 4 seasons. He has six seasons under his belt and only made 12 starts last year as he dealt with elbow and back issues.

Last year Jesus Luzardo had a record of 3-6 with 5.00 ERA as he tossed 66.2 innings. His best year was in 2023 where he went 10-10 with 3.58 ERA in 32 starts. His life time pitching record is 26-34 overall with a 4.29 ERA as he has pitched in 105 games of which 89 of those were starts. He has also converted two saves.

The catcher the Phillies get back in this deal is 27 year old Paul McIntosh, a guy that was drafted originally by the Dodgers in the 2018 MLB draft in the 34th round from Motlow State Community College. Motlow State, as I was curious and found out, hails from West Virginia. In 4 minor league seasons, McIntosh has a batting average of .249 with 45 long balls.

The Phillies have one of the explosive line ups in baseball. The Phillies won the NL East but once again stumbled in the playoffs. Pitching beats great hitting as you ask the Phillies line up that question when it comes to post-season play. The Phillies starting rotation is pretty solid with Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and Christopher Sanchez. Adding Jesus Luzardo gives Philadelphia 5 solid guys. They are hoping they can tap into Luzardo’s talents to get the best out of him as he has shown some flashes of being a nice solid option every 5th day. He still has those dreaded hiccups from time to time. The Phillies have control over Luzardo for two full seasons. Luzardo may benefit with the better line up in Philly giving him the run support he needs to overcome a bad inning or bad pitch. Since he pitched for the Marlins the last few seasons, he knows all the teams in the NL East. If he can stay healthy and perhaps the Phillies tweak something, they may have added a solid piece right here.

YANKEES PLAN B OR C NETS THEM A GOLDSCHMIDT

When it comes to Paul Goldschmidt, you wonder how he is only a plan B for any organization in need of a first baseman. Goldschmidt was the NL MVP in 2022 and is a 7X All-Star with 4 golden gloves and 5 silver slugger awards. The Yankees lost in the Juan Soto sweepstakes trying to re-sign one of their own. The Evil Empire who just lost the Dodgers in the World Series needed to regroup. They needed a plan to replace that offensive production they got from Soto. They at least better come close. The Yankees acquired Cody Bellinger from the Cubs who can play first base and the outfield. Then with some chump change they found in one of their Tie Fighters’ seat cushions they were able to finagle Goldschmidt for a 1 year deal worth only 12.5 million. How were they able to make that happen is the million dollar question.

Paul Goldschmidt is getting up their in age at 37. He is coming off a down year in his own opinion about his performance with the lumber in his last seasons wearing the Cardinals duds. His average dropped to .245 as he had 22 long balls and only drove in 65. Many players would want those numbers but they are not golden in Goldschmidt’s baseball world. Goldschmidt has racked up 2,056 hits with a career lifetime batting average of ,289 in 14 seasons in the league. He has knocked 362 balls into the seats. He has driven in 1,187 runs. He was an 8th round draft pick in the 2009 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks from Texas State University. He made his debut with the Diamondbacks and played there 8 seasons. The last six seasons Goldschmidt called St.Louis home. Now he will be heading to the American League for the first time and his third organization of his career.

Paul Goldschmidt had a bad start out of the gates of 2024 and it lasted a few months. He went through a skid of 0-32 which is a nightmare for aging players and younger guys trying to stick to the major league roster. He had a game unlike himself where he struck out 4 times. His fifth at-bat of that game he singled to avoid the 5 strike out game he has never had in the majors. Many teams like to gamble on guys that had a bad season and hope they rebound. Goldschmidt actually batted .283 from late July and on, with 7 home runs driving in 25. He found his swing and betting 12.5 million on this rebound looks like a for sure guarantee. Goldschmidt will replace Anthony Rizzo at first base who the Yankees really had no plans on re-signing. This move keeps the Yankees line up deadly. This move will not get the offensive production this team had with Juan Soto. With Soto and Rizzo numbers, you will not get those same numbers with Bellinger and Goldschmidt. The Yankees may get better first base production with Goldschmidt over Rizzo with the bat and glove. In a way it’s an upgrade. It’s a low risk high ceiling upgrade with the amount they are forking over to the 2022 MVP. Goldschmidt will be playing to have a better year which is obvious. A chance to get a ring should help his own performance and help they Yankees as a team. You’re getting a guy with high baseball IQ and solid all around for a bargain price.

CHARLIE MORTON GETS BETTER WITH AGE

Charlie Morton is 41 years of age and still wanted by the contenders throughout the league. Morton was drafted way back in 2002 by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round of the MLB draft from high school. Nobody ever heard of Morton it seems even though he was on those good Pirate teams when they went to the playoffs from 2013-15. Since 2017, Morton has had 5 seasons where he won 14 or more games. He has won two World Series titles one with the Astros in 2017, the other with the Braves in 2021. Now he is going back to the AL East where he has pitched before with the Rays and helped them go deep into the post-season in 2019 and 2020. Now he has signed with the Orioles for a one year deal worth 15 million.

Charlie Morton has pitched for 17 seasons in the Majors. He spent the most years in Pittsburgh which was 7. He had two stints with the Braves for 5 seasons and Atlanta was where he pitched last season. It was a down season last year for Morton. His record was 8-10 with a 4.19 ERA as he made 30 starts working 165.1 innings. In 2023 he went 14-12 for the Braves with 3.64 ERA. In 2021, the year the Braves won it all he went 14-6 with 3.34 ERA. He seems to have a track record of one good year/one okay year. He may be due for a solid season in 2025. His lifetime record is 138-123 with 4.01 ERA as he pitched in 383 games of which 382 were starts. His career has been the tale of two halves. He has found success later in his career as he earned himself two all-star games.

The Orioles lost their ace Corbin Burnes as he signed with the Diamondbacks for a big monster deal. Burnes was acquired by the Orioles from the Brewers and they knew he was going to be a free agent after last season. Baltimore could not extend him. The Orioles did sign a Japanese starter this off-season in Tomoyuki Sugano. Now with the addition of Charlie Morton, they may make up the production of Corbin Burnes or at least they hope they have. Morton Sugano will join a starting rotation that features Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, and Dean Kremer. At the age of 41, Morton still throws one of the best curve balls in the league. The Orioles are a very talented team but took a step backwards last year and got to the playoffs as a wild card, not the division winners with the best record in the AL in 2023. The Yankees won the division and went to the World Series. The Orioles the last two seasons have not won a playoff series. The first team they faced in the last two seasons dispatched the birds very quickly. The AL East will be challenging with the Yankees, but the Red Sox have improved. The Blue Jays coming off a down year still have fire power in their everyday line up. The Rays find young pitching every year that keeps them winning a ton of games. Every team would like to have Burnes. Morton is no ace, but he can be a 3rd or 4th guy that can pitch every 5th day and give your team a chance every time he goes out there to win the game.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX OFF-SEASON TRADE

The White Sox and the Red Sox will do a sequel after their first deal of the off-season that sent Chicago’s ace Garrett Crochet to Boston. Knowing the White Sox luck in dealing with the Red Sox on multiple trades over the years, this will surely be another stinker like Weekend at Bernie’s Part II. This go around the White Sox land a relief pitcher for a minor league prospect in a two player deal. The White Sox will get 32 year old LHP Cam Booser from Boston. The Red Sox get RHP 18 year prospect Yhoiker Fajardo, a native of Venezuela.

The Red Sox signed veteran LHP Aroldis Chapman this off-season in free agency. That signing probably made Cam Booser expendable. The Red Sox will get one of the best pitchers in the Dominican summer league. Yhoiker Fajardo was the White Sox number 30 prospect in their farm system. He signing with the White Sox as an international free agent. He has a 95 MPH fast ball and a nice slider pitch he probably uses as his eliminator pitch to get the batter to strike out. He is only 18 years old and obviously he still needs to develop into a Major League pitcher as his body is still growing as well.

Cam Booser made his MLB debut last season at the age of 32. He became the oldest player in 77 years to debut for the Red Sox. Booser has been a career minor league player for 10 seasons. He missed three seasons along the way probably due to injuries. He has had Tommy John surgery, multiple elbow scopes, and kept going after his dream to play in the Majors. It probably started in high school where he broke his femur in a football game as he rebounded and continued playing sports .He was signed by the Twins as an UN-drafted free agent. He has bounced around ever since until he got his opportunity last year with the Red Sox. After he was promoted to the big leagues he pitched in 43 games, so he stuck. He had a 2-3 record with 3.38 ERA. All 43 games came out of the bullpen. He even converted a save. He worked 42.2 innings while striking out 43 batters. He must have did good enough for another team to trade for him. He will get plenty more opportunities pitching on the south side of Chicago as the White Sox were the worst team in the MLB last season. Booser is familiar with Chicago as he pitched for one of the local minor league teams there in 2021.

The Chicago Dogs play in the American Association, a minor league independent league. They actually were a pretty good squad that year. The White Sox will get another left handed pitcher in the bullpen which it is always good to have multiple south paws. Booser has a fast ball that reaches up to 95 MPH. His cutter hits at 88 MPH. The White Sox give up a unknown talent to get Booser. The front office also could flip Booser into something more at the trade deadline if he does well. I’m sure it’s been done in Hollywood multiple times as I think of the movie, The Rookie. Which is about a older guy who’s a baseball coach who goes back after his dream of pitching in the majors. Booser has that type of story like Rocky Balboa, a guy who overcame. I’m sure his story will be burned into the minds of White Sox fans from spring training and beyond the season.

BELL IS PLANNING TO RING IN DC

The Washington Nationals have suddenly beefed up their line up with some interesting power guys. First the Nationals made a trade with the Rangers and acquired first baseman Nathaniel Lowe who hits for average mostly but can still hit plenty of balls into the seats. Now the Nationals are bringing in another first baseman, a familiar face to Nat’s fans, for his second stint with the team – 32 year old Josh Bell. The switch hitting first baseman will probably dabble mostly at the DH position in 2025 & is coming back on one year deal worth 6 million.

Josh Bell was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2011 MLB draft out of high school in the second round. He made his debut with the Pirates & then after 5 years he was traded to the Nationals. He played parts of two seasons in DC and then was traded to San Diego with Juan Soto. Bell has also played for the Guardians & Marlins when they traded him to the Diamondbacks last trade deadline. Last year splitting his time in Miami and Arizona, he batted .249 with 19 long balls while he drove in 71. In 9 seasons he has .258 batting average with 171 home runs while driving in 613. He has racked 1,042 hits so far in his career.

Once upon a time ago you would have thought Josh Bell would be a fixture in Pittsburgh or any other organization because of being a switch hitter with power from both sides. In present day he has become that popular mercenary needed at the trade deadline for some team trying to make a playoff push. He could be expendable by July if he plays well for the Nationals. The Nats have a young group assembled and nobody knows when they will all gel together and take the next step. The NL East is very tough with the Braves, Phillies, and the Mets. You can say the Nat’s are better than only the Marlins in the division. The playoffs for the Nationals this year is unlikely. The Nationals can use Bell as their DH with Nathaniel Lowe at first. This gives you two solid guys in the everyday line up. These two guys will help them win more games. You want the younger talent on any team to learn to win as a group. Sprinkling in a few veterans in the line up and on the pitching staff can speed up your rebuild. Getting the confidence, learning the game, and preparing for the long grind of a season. It’s only a one year deal and you have a trade chip on this deal signing Bell. A guy like Bell is never unpacking the suitcase or buying any house in the city he plays for.

TAKING THE WALK FROM THE NORTH SIDE TO THE SOUTH SIDE

Mike Tauchman is staying in Chicago but not with the Cubs. It will not be the first or last time a player has played for both Chicago teams. Last two years, Tauchman has played for the Cubs which perhaps was the team he rooted for growing up as he is a local kid from Palatine, Illinois. Palatine is a Northern suburb of Chicago where fans are born in Cubbie blue. This will not be the first time a local kid has played for the White Sox and Cubs. Tauchman is seeking more playing time which is probably the biggest reason to sign with the White Sox who were the worst team in baseball last year. Tauchman gets a one year deal worth 1.950 million. It’s a deal that includes a 250,000 bonus for relocation if traded at the deadline. The White Sox are not going anywhere this year in full rebuild at the beginning stages. If Tauchman does play well, he will be a trade chip for the team at the deadline. He also has a chance to earn another million in the deal with incentives.

Mike Tauchman is 34 years old and was originally drafted in the 2013 MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies from Bradley University which is located in Peoria, Illinois. Tauchman made his major league debut with the Rockies in 2017. In seven seasons, he has played for 4 different organizations that includes the Yankees and Giants. The White Sox will be his 5th team he has suited up for in the MLB. In 2022, Tauchman took his talents to the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) where he played a season with Hanwha. He then signed with Cubs when he returned to the states. Last year Tauchman played in 109 games & had a batting average of .248 with 7 home runs and 29 runs driven in. Tauchman has pretty much been a bench player his entire career where he played in 474 games in 7 MLB seasons. He has racked up 293 career hits with a batting average of .241 with 32 long balls and has 155 RBI’s in his career so far.

The White Sox are not going to get the cream of the crop in free agency by posting a record of 41-121 last year setting the mark for the worst record in the modern day era. The White Sox this off-season so far have signed Austin Slater, another career bench player that plays outfield. Adding these guys they are going to give their all in each game because they want to play more & they want to be starters in the league. They come cheap. They have chips on their shoulders. They are here to fill the gap until the younger guys can grasp the Majors. Mike Tauchman is an interesting signing because he is a local kid that would play for both professional baseball teams in town. He has built up some nice moments playing for the Cubs in unsung hero type of moments. He had a walk off home run against the White Sox at Wrigley last season to give the Cubs a 7-6 win and a sweep at the same time. On defense he stole a potential walk off home run at the end of July when the Cubs were taking on the Cardinals. He has some game on defense and with the lumber. He gives the White Sox a left handed bat for the line up. Not sure the White Sox will sell out of Tauchman jerseys next season, but as a fan this will be an interesting story to follow. Maybe the local kid lands the team a nice prospect at the deadline is all you should wish for. He will not be playing on the team the next time the White Sox have a winning season.

THE PITTSBURGH PRODIGAL SON RETURNS FOR ANOTHER SEASON

Everyone knows that Andrew McCutchen wants to finish his baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates were the team that drafted him. He was the face of the franchise of the Pirates’ last post-season streak of three straight seasons playing playoff baseball that started in 2013, ’14 and then ’15. He has played 11 seasons in Pittsburgh out of the 16 seasons he has played in the MLB. He came back to Pittsburgh in 2023 signing a one year deal. Same thing in 2024 on another one year deal. He completes the hat trick signing a one year deal worth 5 million to return in 2025.

Last year Andrew McCutchen played 120 games for the Pirates. Once a full time outfielder, he now plays most of his games in the DH role. He batted .232 last year with 20 long balls while driving in 50. McCutchen is a former MVP, 5x all-star and has won 4 silver slugger awards. The Pirates traded McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants in 2018. The Giants ended up trading him in the same year to the Yankees. He has also played for the Brewers, and the Phillies. In 16 seasons with the lumber, he has a career batting average of .273 with 319 long balls and has driven in 1,095 runs. He has tallied up 2,152 hits.

Andrew McCutchen is 38 years old and is still productive with the bat. He is a great guy in the club house. He has been a good mentor for this young nucleus that the Pirates assembled in this long rebuild. The fan base loves him. He is in the top ten in most offensive categories in Pittsburgh Pirates history. I would love to see the Pirates make it back to the post-season with McCutchen contributing on a regular basis. This is a low risk high ceiling type of move and it has worked wonders the last few seasons. I would like to see the Pirates add more to this roster to put them over the top in the NL Central which is a winnable division for any team that resides there.

SNAKES LAND THE KING COBRA OUT OF THE FREE AGENT WATERS

The Arizona Diamondbacks make a statement in the baseball world by signing the best pitcher in the free agent market. Former Oriole and Brewer, Corbin Burnes is coming to the desert, on a 6 year deal in a contract worth 210 million. The 30 year old RHP will also have an opt out in the contract after the 2026 season if he wants to return to the free agent market after two seasons. With this move, the D-backs have a solid starting rotation from 1-5 in which Burnes now will be the ace of this staff.

Corbin Burnes was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 4th round of the 2016 MLB draft from St. Mary’s College of California. He pitched six seasons in Brew Town and obviously made his debut with them. He was traded last off-season to the Baltimore Orioles where he pitched one season. Burnes did his job for the only season he pitched there setting a career high record in wins with a 15-9 record and remarkable 2.92 ERA. He made 32 starts while tossing 194.1 innings with 181 strike outs. Burnes is a former Cy Young winner as he took home the award with the Brewers in the 2021 season. Burnes is a 4x All-Star and has won an ERA title. In seven seasons he has posted a winning record of 60-36 with 3.19 ERA pitching in 199 games of which he made 138 starts.

The Diamondbacks finished last year with an 89-73 record and just missed a wild card spot on the last day of the season. The D-Backs are a young team with plenty of talent who went all the way to the World Series in 2023 but lost to the Rangers. The Diamondbacks starting rotation starts now with Corbin Burnes, along with veteran Eduardo Rodriguez, then Zac Gallen, Merril Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt. That is a solid rotation that could tame solid hitting with teams in their own division such as the Padres and the World Series champs, the Dodgers. The Dodgers are built like some kind of dream team with those 1990’s NBA loaded rosters that played in the Olympics. This is a solid move by the Diamondbacks a team that scored the most runs in the league last season which can help a pitcher on a bad day at the office. Today the D-Backs made a statement in the NL West and the rest of the National League saying they will get back to the post-season.

MLB OFF-SEASON TRADE

Cody for a Cody – straight up in a trade involving the Cubs and Yankees. The Yankees have acquired first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger from the Cubs in exchange for RHP Cody Poteet. It’s a two player deal between New York and Chicago with cash involved. The Cubs will fork over 5 million dollars to help pay off Bellinger’s salary.

The Yankees could not re-sign one of their own in the Juan Soto sweepstakes as they saw him sign with the cross-town Mets. That leaves a hole in the outfield for the Yankees. Some sources have said the Yankees will let their first baseman Anthony Rizzo walk in free agency. That leaves the AL champs with two holes to fill. Landing Bellinger can fill one or the other positions they need. He can play any of the outfield positions or first base.

Cody Bellinger was originally drafted out of high school by the Dodgers in the 4th round of the 2013 MLB draft. Bellinger’s first season in Dodger blue, he won rookie of the year. He helped the Dodgers win the World Series in 2020. He is a 2x all-star and 2x silver slugger winner. He plays solid defense as he has won a gold glove. He was clutch in the post-season as well as a former NLCS MVP. Bellinger has fallen on hard times as he batted .165 in 2021 and then .210 in 2022. He revived his career signing with the Chicago Cubs for 3 years at 80 million. He opted out after the first season with the Cubs, eventually re-signing with them last season. Last year his average was .266 with 18 home runs as he drove in 78. In 8 seasons he has racked up 942 hits. He has a .259 batting average with 196 long balls and has driven in 597 runs.

The Yankees will be his third team he will suit up for. As he spent 6 in LA and 2 in Chicago. Now going to New York he has locked in the three biggest cities and markets in the states. Cody’s father Clay played for the Bronx bombers back in 1999-2001. The Yankees will be getting a left handed bat to take advantage of that short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. Bellinger is a guy that can hit for power and average. He is not a replacement by himself for Juan Soto. With the addition of Bellinger it still keeps that Yankee line-up deadly and they get a guy with playoff experience. I’m sure the Yankees are not done adding to this roster this-off season.

The Cubs suddenly do not need the services of their Cody in Bellinger. The Cubs made a splashy deal with the Houston Astros acquiring right fielder Kyle Tucker who is a left handed bat. The Cubs will move their old right fielder Seiya Suzuki to the DH slot. By trading Bellinger, they can give Michael Busch all the reps at first base. In centerfield, the Cubs love Peter Crow-Armstrong. With the younger guys stepping up it was time for Bellinger to go. Perhaps the Cubs found another starter for their rotation with this deal.

The Cubs are hoping 30 year old Cody Poteet is ready to pitch an entire season at the MLB level. Poteet was a 4th round draft pick in the 2015 MLB draft by the Marlins from the University of California. The Cubs’ new Cody made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Marlins where he pitched in 7 games. In 2022, Poteet pitched in only 12 games. In 2023 he was sidelined with an injury as he was recovering from surgery. He did get some action in the Royals Triple A farm team, the Omaha Storm Chasers. He was released at the end of the season as the Evil Empire picked up his services. Last year he did well for the pinstripes as he only pitched in 5 games and he made 4 starts. He had a perfect 3-0 record with 2.22 ERA as he tossed 24 innings. At the MLB level, he has 24 games to his name with a 5-4 record in 13 starts and 3.80 ERA. The Cubs could have found themselves a gem or one of those guys where injuries follow them.