MLB Bullets Gears Up For The Holidays

Good morning. Not a lot of baseball news over the weekend, but we’ll see if we have anything to discuss anyway.

• Rod Carew came out of his heart and kidney transplant surgery on Friday and doctors pronounced the operation a success.
• In case you are too young to remember Carew, David Schoenfield explains why there is no other hitter like Carew in today’s game. Ichiro Suzuki is the closest, but Carew walked a lot more than Ichiro does. Plus, there’s Carew’s batting stance—or stances, of which there were many.
• Ben Reiter wonders what team will be the “Next Cubs.” Other than the Cubs, of course. They’re likely to still be the Cubs for a while.
• White Sox manager Rick Renteria will be managing a young group of impressive but unproven and inexperienced talent in the city of Chicago this upcoming season. Why does that sound so familiar? Anyway, Renteria is excited about the job and he’s excited to work with Yoan Moncada.
• Michael Klopman says despite all the naysayers on the internet, the Nationals made a good trade getting Adam Eaton.
• Andrew Simon lists the best “fit” for the five remaining free agent sluggers on the market.
• It’s a long way from an actual offer, let alone a deal, but the Rays are considering pursuing Jose Bautista on a short-term deal.
• The Padres signed free agent pitcher Jhoulys Chacin for one year and $1.75 million. So now they have one pitcher for 2017.
• The Marlins signed reliever Brad Ziegler to a two-year, $16 million deal.
• Dave Cameron explains why Ziegler is such a pitching “freak.”
• Justin Klugh of The Good Phight answers all your questions on the Odubel Herrera extension.
• Alex Smolokoff writes that “patience” is the key to a successful season for both the Red Sox and Pablo Sandoval.
• Nicolas Stellini has a suggestion of a move the Indians can make to improve their outfield.
• Dayn Perry explains why the Brewers are having such a tough time dealing Ryan Braun.
• Bob Nightengale thinks that with the addition of Ian Desmond, the Rockies are ready to become contenders in the NL West. I think Nightengale is spending too much time in Colorado.
• After being one of the least stat-friendly teams in the majors, the Diamondbacks are now embracing analytics, writes Nick Piecoro.
• The Mets expect closer Jeurys Familia to be suspended at least 30 games under the domestic violence policy.
• Six teams, including the Cubs, have to pay the luxury tax for going over the payroll limit.
• Bradford Doolittle has some ideas for determining home field advantage in the World Series that doesn’t just rely on who has the best record (or who wins the All-Star Game).
• Ever wonder how minor league teams find those wacky names? Chris Gigley looks at some consultants who come up with them.
• This will make some of you happy: Joe Buck is considering ending his baseball broadcasting career when his contract runs out in three years.
• Official MLB Historian John Thorne talks about the role Jim Bouton and “Ball Four” played in baseball history. Still one of the greatest quotes about baseball ever: “A ballplayer spends a good piece of his life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out it was the other way around all the time.”
• Bryce Harper married his long-time girlfriend over the weekend.
• And finally, Kenta Maeda disguised himself as an old man and pitched to a group of young fans of his.

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