Baseball Connection

The Cleveland Guardians have the best record in baseball. They've done it with a hot offense that just keeps mashing. Steven Kwan almost has enough plate appearances to qualify for a league-leading batting average. The NL MVP race has two frontrunners at the moment: Shohei Ohtani and Bryce Harper. Ohtani isn't even pitching this year but remains an MVP frontrunner. Paul Skenes has met every expect...

The top half of the Yankees lineup is on fire and Aaron Judge is in the midst of it. After a blistering month of May, Judge finds himself atop the MLB home run leaderboard and firmly in contention for AL MVP. The Phillies have baseball's best record. They've had had an easy schedule so far, but Philadelphia continues to capitalize. Ranger Suarez exited his start after taking a line drive to his pi...

Some hitters get hot along with the weather. The season is in full stride and 10 hitters who got off to cold starts are putting up big numbers. Aaron Judge looks like his MVP self, and Bryson Stott has quietly been one of the best hitters in baseball this month. The Yankees trio of Soto/Judge/Stanton has become their modern day Murderer's Row. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Top pitching prospect Paul Skenes made his highly anticipated MLB debut on Saturday for the Pirates. Pitching in front of the home crowd, Skenes showed his high-octane fastball right away. This was billed as the most anticipated pitching debut since Stephen Strasburg in 2010. The circumstances were similar, but Skenes isn't bringing a unique repertoire like Strasburg did back then. Jordan Westburg...

There's almost nothing on the baseball field Shohei Ohtani can't do. Ohtani is strictly a DH this year. He leads the league in several offensive categories, and he's stealing bases too. Walker Buehler returned to MLB action for the first time since Tommy John Surgery in 2022 (for the second time in his career). Colton Cowser & Mason Miller lead the Rookie of the Year race in the American Leagu...

As the season's first full month nears completion, we take a peek at the standings for the first time. The Houston Astros find themselves at the bottom of the AL West. It's not time to panic yet. Tarik Skubal has been baseball's best pitcher since last September. The Tigers lefty tossed another gem and has fully earned "ace" status. The Guardians and Braves met over the weekend in a battle of base...

Elly De La Cruz has an elite blend of power and speed. Things get exciting when he puts them all together like he did on Monday night. De La Cruz hit a 450-foot blast off the batter's eye in center field, then followed it up with an inside-the-park home run. The Padres were down 0-8 until they charged back in the late innings. Fernando Tatis Jr's 2-run homer was the decisive blow. Shohei Ohtani ha...

Eury Perez & Shane Bieber are slated to undergo Tommy John Surgery. Both pitchers were facing a year full of promise, which all goes out the window. Spencer Strider exited his Friday start after showing decreased velocity and mentioning elbow pain. Are pitcher injuries up this year? Does the pitch clock have anything to do with it? Giants starter Jordan Hicks has made a smooth transition from...

Ronel Blanco is the author of this season's first no-hitter. The Astros' fifth starter looked like an ace on Monday night against the Blue Jays. Blanco has been a reliever for most of his career, but he's certainly earned his keep in the starting rotation for now. Mike Trout is hitting moonshots in Miami. Shota Imanaga was sharp in his MLB debut, carrying a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. The Pi...

The season's first weekend is in the books. Juan Soto is still a menace at the plate. Soto's go-ahead single in the ninth against Astros closer Josh Hader helped book the Yankees' 4-game sweep in Houston. Will Benson and Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit back-to-back homers to win it for Cincinnati. The Pirates are 4-0 to start the year. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Corbin Burnes showed everyone why the Orioles cashed in their chips to trade for him. Burnes retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced on Opening Day, including 11 strikeouts. Juan Soto flashed both offense and defense by reaching base 3 times and throwing out the potential game-tying run at home plate. Tyler O'Neill homered for the 5th consecutive Opening Day - a feat no known player has done before....

Opening Day has arrived. The Dodgers and Padres got things started with the Korea Series last week, but everyone else joins the action today. Aces are on the mound and everyone is even in the standings. Let the games begin!

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's name has been found within a gambling investigation. At least $4.5 million was transferred from Ohtani's bank account to an illegal bookmaker. Ohtani's camp initially said the transactions were made by Ohtani himself to pay off his interpreter's gambling debt. Now Ohtani's camp say he was the victim of "massive theft". The Dodgers have fired Ohtani's interpreter....

The Padres acquired Dylan Cease, bringing and end to longstanding speculation surrounding the star pitcher. Cease has always been an innings-eater, but what will his run prevention look like in 2024? The Astros are in "win now" mode but will be without several key pitchers to start the season? Houston is reportedly in serious talks with Blake Snell, who remains a free agent with the season just 11...

Blake Snell still doesn't have a team yet. Will Snell take a less-than-desired deal from the Yankees or will another team meet his asking price? Cody Bellinger re-signed with the Cubs on a 3-year, $80 million deal with opt outs. Brandon Crawford is a Giant no more, but will he even start on his new team? All this (and more) on today's episode.

The Giants need help on offense. They haven't had a hitter belt 30+ home runs since Barry Bonds in 2004. This is why they've signed Jorge Soler to a 3-year, $42 million deal. No ballpark is too big to contain Soler, who is an easy threat for 30+ home runs if he stays healthy. The Padres are making a swap in their middle infield alignment. Xander Bogaerts will play 2B and Ha-Seong Kim will play SS....

The Royals and Bobby Witt Jr. have agreed to an 11-year, $288.78 million extension. Kansas City locks in their budding young star - a move which can kickstart a genuine attempt to return to relevance. It's the largest contract in team history so the Royals will likely add more pieces to build around Witt Jr. Jose Altuve will be an Astro for life. Altuve was set to be a free agent after the upcomin...

Corbin Burnes is on the move. Burnes is heading to Baltimore to join the American League's new juggernaut. The Orioles will surround Burnes with young talent. Baltimore has boasted baseball's best farm system for a while now and those prospects are now turning into MLB stars. The Brewers received rookie infielder Joey Ortiz and LHP D.L. Hall in return. Justin Turner signed a one-year, $13 million...

The 2024 Hall of Fame class has been announced. Adrián Beltré, Joe Mauer, and Todd Helton will be this year's inductees. Beltré and Mauer were each first-ballot inductees and Helton was on the sixth ballot. Billy Wagner was just 4 votes shy of making it. He'll be on the ballot for the final time next year. The Dodgers have done a lot to address their starting pitching concerns this offseason. LA j...

Teoscar Hernandez, Marcus Stroman, Shoto Imanaga, and Jordan Hicks all agreed to notable free agent deals within the past week. Hernandez brings a solid bat to LA while the remaining three are key starting pitchers. And yes, that includes Jordan Hicks. The Giants gave Hicks a 4-year, $44 million deal with the plan of converting him to a starter this year. Juan Soto agreed to the largest-ever arbit...

The Mariners and Giants pulled off a big trade where Seattle sent Robbie Ray to San Francisco in exchange for Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani. Michael Brantley has called it a career. The Cleveland legend won a World Series with the Astros and was one of the best pure hitters of the past generation. The Cardinals and Rays pulled off an interesting trade. Sean Manaea signed with the Mets. All...

The Red Sox signed Lucas Giolito to a two-year deal. They also traded Chris Sale to the Braves in exchange for infielder Vaughn Grissom. Boston will eat the bulk of Sale's 2024 salary. Grissom will step in right away as the Red Sox starting 2B after being buried in the depth chart in Atlanta. Does Chris Sale have anything left in the tank? Frankie Montas signed with the Reds and Zach Plesac signed...

The Blue Jays brought back Kevin Kiermaier on a 1-year deal and brought in Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a 2-year deal. Toronto is shoring up their defense and still have plenty of wiggle room this offseason. The reigning NL Cy Young winner is still on the market and the Angels and Giants are interested. News is coming out from the Dominican Republic surrounding an investigation into Rays SS Wander Franco...

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is off the market. The top Japanese RHP has agreed to a 12 year, $325 million offer from the Dodgers. Yamamoto declined other strong offers including a 10-year $300 deal from the Yankees. In just a few weeks, the Dodgers have assembled a superteam. Their rotation now includes Buehler, Glasnow, and Yamamoto. Their already-loaded lineup now features Ohtani. There is another top Ja...

The details of Shohei Ohtani's contract have been reported. Ohtani essentially agreed to a 10-year, $460 million deal after accounting for deferrals. The Royals must be tired of losing - they made several signings this week. Korean star outfielder Jung Hoo Lee signed with the Giants on a 6-year, $113 million contract. Who is he and what can we expect? All this (and much more) on today's episode.