MLB Bullets Has Unfinished Business

I wish I was surprised when Ryan Freel was diagnosed with CTE, but I wasn't. From the announcement of his death from his own hands, it was clear that it was the most likely cause. I know ballplayers are well-compensated but no amount of money is worth that kind of a fate. To Bud Selig's credit, MLB seems to be ahead of the other leagues in dealing with the issue of concussions. The seven-day concussion DL list was one good step. Banning home plate collisions is another. They're also working on a new batting helmet, although players won't wear the new one because it makes them look like the Great Gazoo from the Flintstones. (Also, it's uncomfortable and can distract the hitter.) Baseball clearly can't prevent all concussions. But they certainly can and have taken actions to minimize both the concussions and their effects. They can and will do more, but they haven't stuck their heads in the sand either like some other leagues have.

• Just like me, Tom Verducci thinks MLB has taken two giant steps forward with the expansion of instant replay and banning home plate collisions.
• Johnny Bench, perhaps the greatest catcher of all time, is in favor of changing the rules about home plate collisions.
• Unsurprisingly, his former teammate Pete Rose is against it.
• One of Rose's arguments is that he can't remember any catchers getting concussions. Matt Snyder lists four in the past year.
• Indians GM Mark Shapiro is "a strong believer" in changing the rules to end home plate collisions.
• I don't normally list Cubs news, but since I do usually list Ken Rosenthal's latest column, he suggests that the Cubs trade Jeff Samardzija for prospects and flip them (along with one of their own top prospects) to Tampa Bay for David Price. You can discuss that if you wish.
• Marty Noble thinks that Jacoby Ellsbury's defense will have a big positive impact in the Bronx. He also thinks his bat will have an impact, but he's mostly concerned with the defense in this article.
• Wallace Matthews says that no matter what impact Ellsbury might have for the Yankees, right now, Robinson Cano leaving is still the talk of the town.
• Taijuan Walker isn't happy that the Mariners gave Corey Hart his number without asking. Then they claimed it was all Walker's idea.
• MLB is investigating Yankees President Randy Levine for possible tampering charges for his comments about Mike Trout. It's kind of a ridiculous charge considering what he said, but that's why executives never mention players on other teams.
• The Yankees may have outbid the Royals for Carlos Beltran's services, but the Royals outbid the Yanks for Omar Infante. The deal will keep Infante in KC for four year and pay him around $30 million.
• Alex Rodriguez is "optimistic" that he'll play baseball next season.
• The Braves are "close" to a deal with free agent pitcher Gavin Floyd.
• The Indians will sign John Axford.
• The Dodgers have come to a two-year deal with Juan Uribe.
• James Loney has a three-year, $21 million deal to stay with the Rays.
• Mike Pelfrey has a two-year. $11 million deal to stay with the Twins.
• The Twins are also still in on Bronson Arroyo, along with the Reds and two other teams.
• Brett Tomko is looking for a minor-league deal for next season. Although he turns 41 in April, he's not ready to retire yet.
• The Rakuten Golden Eagles aren't happy with the $20 million posting fee limit, so the other NPB teams are considering chipping in extra money if they post Masahiro Tanaka. Yep, they're willing to pay Rakuten just to get Tanaka out of the league. If you all want to chip in to give me $20 million to go away, I'll gladly take it.
• The Marlins realize that trading Logan Morrison is a gamble that could end up haunting them if he returns to his pre-injury form.
• Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe says that David Ortiz is "the face of baseball." Of course he does.
• Jayson Stark lists some offseason winners and losers.
• Cliff Corcoran wonders what in the world the Rockies were thinking signing Boone Logan to a three-year, $16.5 million deal. He also has thoughts on several of the lower-profile moves this winter.
• David Schoenfield makes ten predictions for the rest of the winter.
• Jerry Crasnick lists "unfinished business" for this offseason after the Winter Meetings.
• Matt Snyder says that Randy Johnson was the greatest left-handed strikeout pitcher of all time.
• The city of San Jose's lawsuit against MLB could end up in the Supreme Court.
• The Braves move to a new stadium is tied up with all kinds of issues about class and race.
• The biggest news at the Winter Meetings was the agent fight. Here's an eyewitness account, of sorts.
• The US Mint will produce a curved commemorative baseball coin to honor the Hall of Fame. It will have a baseball on one side and a mitt on the other.
• As Mike Oz says, while Mark Trumbo may not be much of an all-around player, he's "definitely a good all-around guy." Trumbo showed up at an Angels charity even after he was traded to Arizona.
• Finally, we have three new entries in the "Worst Christmas Photo By A Baseball Player" contest. Hunter Pence and George Kontos' photo looks like something out of "A Clockwork Orange" whereas Max Scherzer and Brandon League both go for the horrible sweater look. While League definitely has the worst overall sweater, I still think Jonathan Papelbon is the leader in the clubhouse for the ridiculous look on his face and the porn-stache.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.