Here is your five-minute roundup of the biggest stories in baseball over the last seven days.
Phillies and Blue Jays swap closers
Jordan Romano successfully converted 105 of his 118 career save opportunities with the Blue Jays, but he was non-tendered at the end of last season. He signed a one-year deal to work in the Phillies bullpen, while former Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman agreed terms to become the closer in Toronto.
Hoffman, who was an All-Star last season, made 112 appearances during his two seasons in Philadelphia for just a 2.28 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
Reports suggest that Hoffman almost revived his starting pitcher ambitions, having agreed a five-year contract to join the Braves rotation until Atlanta walked away from the deal when they saw his medical.
After securing his new player, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins put out a press release, “We look forward to welcoming him, his wife Marissa, and their children Tytan, Houstyn, Jetsyn, and Lennyn to Toronto.” – those names feel on the verge of child abuse.
Padres ownership
Cue the music to Succession.
With three playoff appearances in the last five seasons and on the back of record attendances last year, this is a golden period for the San Diego Padres. The untimely passing of owner Peter Seidler in November and the subsequent battle for control of the club is worthy of an HBO series.
On Monday, Seidler’s widow, Sheel Seidler, filed a lawsuit against two of her brothers-in-law, accusing them of fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty as executors of her husband’s estate and trustees of the trust that controls the Padres.
There is a suspicion that if they gain control, the Seidler brothers will relocate or attempt to sell the club. Whether Connor, Kendall, Roman, Siobhan or even Tom triumphs, there is no doubt that the family squabble is damaging the reputation of the franchise.
While in limbo, the Padres have yet to sign a free agent or execute a trade.
The trade that brought three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago signalled welcome positivity from the Cubs. They paid a hefty price – third baseman Isaac Paredes (121 OPS+ over the last two seasons), Houston-born right-handed starter Hayden Wesneski, and former first-round pick Cam Smith (who immediately jumps to the top of Houston’s prospect list).
In return, Tucker becomes the best hitter on the Cubs and adds a bit of star power to Chicago, who, given the price they paid for his services, will hope to sign to a long-term deal.
It is, therefore, somewhat surprising that one of the Cubs’ first moves was to fail to agree a salary for the upcoming season with their new superstar. Tucker wanted $17.5 million, while the Cubs offered $15 million, so it looks like both sides are heading to potentially contentious arbitration.
In the scheme of things, the $2.5 million difference between the Cubs and Kyle Tucker is pocket change when the eminently winnable NL Central is at stake. So, imagine going to arbitration over a mere $500,000? That’s what is happening in Boston.
Jarren Duran had one of the best seasons by a Red Sox player for many years as he established himself as a dynamic leadoff hitter with significant pop in his bat. In this, his first year of arbitration, Duran submitted $4 million while the club offered $3.5 million.
I waffle on more about the Wild Boy in Jarren Duran: Is There Something I Should Know? This definitely feels like one the Red Sox should settle before it becomes acrimonious.
Yankee fans banned
Remember the idiots who clashed with Mookie Betts during last season’s World Series? Well, they have been handed an indefinite ban from all MLB games.
Whether you agree or disagree with the severity of the punishment, it certainly shows that MLB is not messing about when it comes to preventing a similar act of fan stupidity.
Who will break the news first? Passan? Rosenthal? Heyman? Morosi? Nightingale? Maybe it will be on Roki Sasaki’s Insta? When Juan Soto signed, this became the biggest unresolved story of the offseason.
What we know: The 23-year-old Japanese phenom can sign for a maximum of $7.5 million. He will ink a deal before 23 January.
What we think we know: The sensation of the World Baseball Classic has narrowed his choice of teams down to three: Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Sasaki, who has a 2.02 ERA in 69 starts in Japanese baseball, made the intriguing decision to leave his home country now instead of waiting a couple of years. At 25 years old, he would not be restricted by international bonus limits, so he could have potentially signed an eye-watering deal, maybe surpassing compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million contract with the Dodgers.
One of my favourite players, thanks to his days with the Cincinnati Reds, signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Mets, with whom he excelled in the 2024 playoffs, hitting 318 AVG (7-for-22) with seven walks.
Jesse Winker is one of the game’s most underrated hitters. After eight years in the big leagues, he has a 118 OPS+ (18% better than average). Players with an OPS+ below 118 for that period include Nick Castellanos, Marcus Semien, and Anthony Santander.
Winker will bring patience at the plate (and a career .841 OPS v RHP) to Queens, in what could signal the Mets definitely moving on from Pete Alonso.
Baseball lost one of its truly great personalities this week with the passing of the legendary Bob Uecker.
“Mr Baseball” was so much more than the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers for five decades, whose line “juuuuuust a bit outside” is one of the most famous phrases in baseball.
He played seven years in the majors, finishing with a career .200 AVG, and even has a home run off Sandy Koufax in his palmarès. For some people, that would be enough, but for Bob Uecker, it was just the start of his propulsion to baseball and pop culture icon.
There are hundreds of anecdotes circulating today, but I particularly like this one, which sums up so much of his personality.
It is possible that there are no other .200 hitters in the Hall of Fame. We lost a good one this week.
Latest articles
We had two new writers making their Bat Flips & Nerds debut this week, with Mariners fan Jake Tomosello enthusiastic about the low-profile signing of Donovan Solano, and new White Sox correspondent, Jack Turek opining about what 2025 has in store.
You can also read my (Gav) Jarren Duran: Is there Something I Should Know and if you don’t get the reference, ask your parents.
What did I miss? Let me know in the comments below or hit Bat Flips & Nerds up on socials.
NEXT WEEK: Will Ichiro Suzuki become the second-ever player unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame? Will dominoes start falling once Roki Sasaki signs? Lots more storylines to follow before Spring Training starts.
