Baseball Connection

Ryan Zimmerman intends to play in 2021. He opted out of the 2020 season, making it the first ever season in Nationals history that he wasn't on the roster. Zimmerman is the face of the franchise, so it's hard to envision him playing elsewhere. Luis Castillo is an impact arm who might be available. Word on the street is that the Reds are shopping him.

We know who most of the game's Hall of Famers are. There are several players who have elite numbers but missed the cut for one reason or another. Let's take a moment to recognize them. Who is the best Non-Hall of Famer at each position?

Michael Wacha is coming off a forgettable year with the Mets. However, he's still been one of the more popular names on the market due to his age. Wacha has agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Rays. The Rays are known for getting the most out of their players, so could Wacha be in line for a big bounce back? His swinging-strike and chase rates are intriguing, as well as his strikeout-to...

Some teams will be getting key players back from season-ending injuries they suffered in 2020. These are All-Star players when healthy such as Matt Chapman, Noah Syndergaard, and Chris Sale. Although the pitchers who got Tommy John won't be ready until summer, some position players are ahead of their timelines and expect to be ready for Spring Training.

Anthony DeSclafani has agreed to a one-year deal with the Giants. A solid pitcher over the course of his career, he's looking to put an atrocious 2020 season behind him. The Giants have been able to revive a few pitchers' careers in recent years, leading them to a bigger payday. Mike Zunino is back in Tampa Bay on a small deal ($3M guaranteed) with incentives.

In a long overdue announcement Major League Baseball has officially added the Negro Leagues to official records. Approximately 3,400 Negro League players are now officially considered to be Major Leaguers. This will alter the history books. Ted Williams may no longer be the last man to hit .400 and Willie Mays will have some hits added to his career totals.

The Red Sox have signed Hunter Renfroe to a one-year deal. He'll and some thump to the middle of their lineup. Renfroe is a slugger, but don't be fooled - he's an excellent right fielder as well. The Padres want to sign Fernando Tatis Jr. to an extension. Tatis Jr is already one of the elite players in the game, so it's not going to be cheap.

After 105 years as the Indians, Cleveland will be changing their name. They've made efforts to shed the overall stigma over the years by changing their logo and using the Chief Wahoo caricature less. This is the final, and biggest, step of their rebrand.

The Mets have found their catcher. They have signed James McCann to a four-year deal worth around $40 million. It's a steep discount from JT Realmuto's asking price, but the Mets are still getting a top catcher. With space in their budget, New York is primed to make even more moves this winter.

Vlad Jr. is playing some winter ball in the Dominican Republic and he looks trimmer than he did during the summer. Keeping himself in shape will pay dividends for Vlad - he still hasn't even scratched his potential. Marcell Ozuna won the Edgar Martinez award for being the league's best designated hitter. The Rangers signed David Dahl to a one-year deal hoping he can stay healthy.

The Phillies have hired Dave Dombrowski to be their President of Baseball Operations. Dombrowski is one of the most decorated executives in baseball history and his track record suggests that he'll be making some big moves in the near future. What should we expect to see happen in Philly?

Who are the best in today's game? The 2020 All-MLB teams have been announced. They include a first and second team. Mike Trout and DJ LeMahieu are the only players to appear on the First Team for the second straight year. Jacob deGrom is the only pitcher to attain All-MLB honors for the second straight year.

Carlos Santana has agreed to a two-year deal worth $17.5 million with the Kansas City Royals. Don't let the 2020 numbers fool you. Santana is a switch-hitting on-base machine with 30-homer pop in his bat. Adam Eaton is heading back to the White Sox on a one-year, $7 million deal. Eaton was a strong contributor for the White Sox just a few years ago, but was shipped out when they began a rebuild. T...

The Angels have landed a new closer. Raisel Iglesias is on his way to Anaheim in exchange for Noe Ramirez. The Angels are retooling their bullpen after it posted an MLB-worst 14 blown saves in 2020. The White Sox traded for Lance Lynn. It cost them their #5 prospect in Dane Dunning, but Chicago now has an excellent third starter as they look to build off their recent success.

Billy Wagner built a career on his 100-mph fastball. Wagner is one of the greatest relievers of all time, but the origin of his fastball almost sounds like a folk tale. Wagner is naturally right-handed, but he learned to throw lefty after breaking his right arm multiple times as a child. He was also short and threw around 80 mph in high school, so he didn't get any looks from Division 1 colleges....

After a year with no fans and some financial losses incurred by a pandemic, the Phillies seem to be strapped for money. Are the Phillies really considering trading Zack Wheeler just one year after signing him? Wheeler was excellent for the Phillies this year but he is owed significant money over the next few years. What message does this send to Bryce Harper? All this (and more) on today's episode...

In a surprising move, Chris Young has been named the next general manager of the Texas Rangers. Young just recently hung up his spikes a couple years ago, and now he finds himself as a GM. He'll bring a unique perspective that GM's rarely have - the perspective of a former MLB player.

Corey Knebel has been traded to the Dodgers. Knebel will try to resurrect his career after a rough first year back from Tommy John. It always seems like the Yankees have too many outfielders, but their main guys (Stanton and Judge) are often injured. As such, their depth is necessary. The Yankees are reportedly looking at Michael Brantley, but Brantley is too good to be a potential bench piece.

56 new free agents were made after their team's decided not to tender them a contract by yesterday's deadline. Some of these players, like Adam Duvall, are coming off strong seasons. At the end of the day, teams are making purely financial decisions. We take a look at the top 8 new free agents.

One big domino has fallen in the market for relief pitchers. Trevor May and the Mets have agreed to a two-year deal worth $15 million. May is one of the game's best strikeout pitchers. The Twins have waived Eddie Rosario. Rosario is an above-average player who should draw plenty of interest, so this is most likely a cost-cutting move.

Major League Baseball has announced the formation of the MLB Draft League. This will be a league for draft-eligible players to compete in ahead of the MLB Draft. Since the MLB draft has been pushed back from June to July, there is a gap of time for prospects to show their skills in front of scouts in a wood bat league against top competition. There will be six teams - all of which are former Class...

Slowly but surely, pitchers are being plucked off the market. Mike Minor has agreed to a multi-year deal with the Royals. Minor is returning to Kansas City after a few years in Texas. Michael A. Taylor will also be heading to the Royals on a 1-year deal. Taylor has power and speed but he'll need to cut down on his strikeouts.

The Blue Jays have been connected to multiple free agents including George Springer, Michael Brantley, and Justin Turner. Toronto is ready to spend and that's their best option while keeping their young core intact. The Astros may not want to lose Carlos Correa for nothing, so trading him makes sense. Yadier Molina is drawing interest from several teams, but it just doesn't seem right for him to p...

The Blue Jays are planning to build a new stadium. They will demolish the Rogers Centre and build the new one at the same location. Although it won't be happening immediately, they will need to find a place to call their home ballpark while construction is happening. Kohei Arihara (RHP) has been posted by the Nippon Ham Fighters. With a month to negotiate with MLB teams, Arihaha should land a free...

Even baseball executives are active during the holiday shopping season. Whether it was Curt Schilling heading to Boston or Josh Donaldson to Toronto, some of the major deals and blockbusters have occurred on Black Friday. All this (and more) on today's episode.