JT Realmuto is staying with the Phillies. They signed him for five years and $115M. It’s only the third 9-figure deal for a catcher ever. The total dollar amount is not record (Buster Posey and Joe Mauer got more). The average annual value, though, is.

The BBWAA failed to elect anybody to the Baseball Hall of Fame for this year. The Golden Days Committee and Early Baseball Committee both got postponed until December. That means zero inductees for this year, the first time that’s happened since 1960. I’ve already written my opinion of the vets committees not being held, so…… Continue reading HoF Class of 2021: Nobody

Last month MLB revised its listing of which leagues throughout baseball history constituted major leagues. Besides the NL and AL it had previously recognized late 19th/early 20th century leagues such as the American Association, Federal League, Union Association, and Players League as major leagues. As of last month, the list now includes an obvious, glaring…… Continue reading Negro Leagues = Major Leagues

One of the most beloved players of all time, and one of the few with a legit case for best player ever, Henry Aaron, passed away in his sleep last night. At this point, reports are light on details, but they are sure to follow. For myself, this is another emotional moment as another of…… Continue reading “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron Dead at 86

No surprise here, it’s been rumored for weeks that the Toronto Blue Jays would push hard to sign George Springer. The deal is for six years, $150M. He is 31 now, so this deal will carry him through his age 37 season. He has 3 all star nods, two Silver Sluggers, and was the MVP…… Continue reading Springer Signs with Jays

Don Sutton passed away in his sleep overnight last night. He was 75. He had a long battle with cancer. He’s the 9th Hall of Famer to die in the last 12 months. He played 23 years in the majors, 16 with the Dodgers. He went 324-256 for his career with a 3.26 ERA and…… Continue reading Don Sutton Died

Last night a story broke on ESPN about the Mets’ new GM Jared Porter having sent unsolicited/undesired lewd texts to a female reporter while he was a front office employee of the Chicago Cubs in 2016. He confirmed he did—wasn’t much point of denying it, seeing as ESPN had copies of all the texts. This…… Continue reading Mets Fire GM

Infielder DJ LeMahieu has signed a deal to stay with the Yankees for 6 years, $90,000,000. He’d turned down the $18,900,000 qualifying offer, but nobody I know of figured he would go anywhere else. He’s the first Yankee to win the AL batting title since Mickey Mantle in 1953, and the only player to win…… Continue reading Yankees Re-Sign LeMahieu

My last post had to do with Kluber showing off what good pitching shape Corey Kluber is in for scouts. He impressed the Yankees enough for a one year deal worth $11,000,000.

One of the things I used to look forward to on Craig Calcaterra’s blog was best-shape-of-his-life posts. They were a rite of waning days of each offseason as Craig culled various news reports to find these gems. They are a sign the next season is surely coming even though it’s freezing cold out at the…… Continue reading BSOHL?

You read that right, the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League cut 48-year-old Manny Ramirez. The team has only played 2 games so far, in mid-December. Since then the COVID-19 surge has shut down league play, and curtailed travel within Australia as well as international travel. Ramirez hadn’t played for the team yet,…… Continue reading Sydney Blue Sox Cut Manny Ramirez

True legend Tommy Lasorda has passed away. He had a long history of heart problems. He had been taken to the hospital in November and in the ICU a couple weeks. He ultimately got to go home again earlier this week after seven weeks in the hospital. Unfortunately there was another heart attack yesterday. He…… Continue reading Baseball in Mourning Again

The NY Mets have acquired Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from the Cleveland Baseball Team in exchange for Alejandro Jimenez and some minor leaguers. Jimenez did well as a rookie in 2020, but I’d much rather have Lindor. BTW, have you heard the Wilpons no longer own the Mets? If you had any lingering doubts…… Continue reading Francisco Lindor Traded

All ballots had to be in by yesterday. The site that tracks the votes as they’re made public is up and running: http://www.bbhoftracker.com There are no likely hall of famers among the first-year eligible players. That makes it an interesting year to see who makes a move and who—if anyone—gets in. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens,…… Continue reading Hall of Fame Update

First, thanks for the kind condolences after my Mom’s passing. In the last couple months I’ve also gotten to deal with a kidney stone and a kitchen fire, so suffice to say I’m not sorry to see Jan 1, 2021 arrive. (Regarding the kitchen fire, shout out to USAA for being every bit as good…… Continue reading Happy New Year