MLB Bullets calls it a night

I was going to make that joke about the US, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, Chile, Ghana and Ivory Coast making up the best World Cup NIT tournament ever, but they’re actually thinking about doing that next year.

• The big news is still Giancarlo Stanton, or rather the big news is that there is no Giancarlo Stanton news. But Mike Lupica notes that a Stanton deal is all about his contract and which team will dare take it on.
• Jon Heyman reports that the Giants and the Cardinals are the favorites to acquire Stanton, but that there are five more teams also talking with the Marlins.
• Mike Feinsand adds that the Dodgers and Red Sox are two teams that have at least touched base with the Marlins about Stanton.
• Stanton has expressed a desire to play near his Southern California home, but Andy McCullough reports that the Dodgers want no part of Stanton’s contract, so he’s probably not going to the Dodgers.
• Another issue is that the Marlins are reportedly asking for too much return for Stanton. Or more accurately, they are asking far too much for Stanton and his contract. They’re a package deal.
• The other issue is that Stanton reportedly does not want to play for the Red Sox or Cardinals, although other reports say that those denials are not final.
• Will Leitch notes Stanton’s dislike for Ted Drewes Frozen Custard or something, but outlines what it might take to get Stanton to St. Louis.
• Astros outfielder Carlos Beltran announced his retirement and wrote a nice thank you essay on The Players’ Tribune. There are several great anecdotes in there, but I liked how Beltran said he didn’t need play for a World Series champion to feel his career was a success but “it still feels nice to have a ring.”
• Joe Posnanski gives an overview of Beltran’s career and writes that few were better.
• Grant Brisbee looks over Beltran’s career and declares it great but odd and full of “bad timing,” until the end when he finally ended up with a World Series in Houston.
• R.J. Anderson thinks that we will likely see a big old school/new school debate over Carlos Beltran when it comes time to elect him into Cooperstown. I don’t know. In five years, a lot of those “old school” voters will be dead or purged from the rolls. He might not get in first ballot, but I think he’ll get in without too much controversy.
• Jay Jaffe thinks another Hall of Fame controversy will be put to bed this year when Alan Trammell is elected to Cooperstown. He makes the case for why Trammell deserves enshrinement.
• Sad news as Red Sox Hall-of-Famer Bobby Doerr died at the age of 99. He was also the oldest living major leaguer at the time of his death. The new oldest living MLB veteran is Chuck Stevens.
• Mike Lupica remembers Doerr’s life and the famous friendship between Doerr, Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky.
• Another old ballplayer also died on Monday. “Jungle Jim” Rivera, who was on the 1959 White Sox who won the American League pennant, died at age 96.
• There was an emotional “celebration of the life” of Roy Halladay in Clearwater, Florida yesterday.
• Speaking of dying, apparently Royals manager Ned Yost could have died when he fell out of a tree and broke his pelvis. If he hadn’t had his cellphone and been able to call for help, he would have died on the ground. Even in the hospital, the surgeon told him afterwards that there was about a 25% chance that he wouldn’t have pulled through.
• The Braves have hired their new general manager and it’s former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. Anthopoulos will take over running the team and team president John Hart will move to a more ceremonial “senior advisor” role.
• Braves fan Craig Calcaterra thinks this is a great hire for the Braves and explains why.
• Twins manager Paul Molitor and Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo were honored as Managers of the Year for their respective leagues.
• Former Yankees manager Joe Girardi says he was blindsided by the decision not to bring him back in 2018.
• The Yankees reportedly asked permission to interview Athletics manager Bob Melvin to replace Girardi, but the A’s said no.
• Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger were named Rookie of the Year for the American and National Leagues, to absolutely no one’s surprise. Both votes were unanimous.
• Bellinger is the 18th Dodger to win NL Rookie of the Year honors. Leaving him and last year’s winner Corey Seager out of the discussion, Cliff Corcoran ranks the careers of the other 16 Dodger rookie winners. Jackie’s got to be number one, right?
• Grant Brisbee looks up what season had the highest percentage of home runs hit by rookies and is quite shocked by the result. This season only ended up fourth. The 2015 season was second, when a certain third baseman for the Cubs was a rookie. But I never would have guessed number one either.
• Travis Sawchik says that if NPB import Shohei Otani wants to make the biggest impact on his MLB team, he should probably play for an AL West team next season. Or the Blue Jays.
• Fangraphs gives their top 50 free agent list.
• Jonathan Bernhardt thinks that of all the 2017-18 free agents, the team that signs Jake Arrieta will end up with the most regret. He thinks Arrieta will get paid like an ace for the life of his contract but pitch like an average pitcher for most of it and maybe even worse. As much as I want to defend Jake, I suspect the Cubs front office agrees with Bernhardt, or they would have made a greater effort to re-sign him.
• Several teams have expressed interest in signing former Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario, who played in Korea’s KBO the last two seasons.
• Giants GM Bobby Evans said that Hunter Pence may have to accept a part-time role next season. The Giants have been rumored as connected to pretty much every outfielder who could improve their defense, as well as a few, like J.D. Martinez, who wouldn’t.
• Craig Calcaterra calls this all the “nonsense season” and takes apart Royals GM Dayton Moore comment that Eric Hosmer could hit 40 home runs if they asked him to. Then why didn’t you ask him? You mean Hosmer had 15 sure chances this year to hit a home run and he said “pass”?
• The Dodgers and Padres will play a three-game regular season series in Monterrey, Mexico in 2018. At least it’s not Mexico City and 8000 feet. Expect to see many more international series in the coming years: London, Tokyo, Seoul. Maybe even Amsterdam and Taipei.
• Cubs fan Bill Murray has a new series where he visits minor league parks that will debut on Facebook Watch on November 20. I’m guessing there will be hijinks.
• And finally, when you ask Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts the question “What do I do when there’s no baseball,” he doesn’t stare out the window and wait for spring. Instead, he bowls. And Betts rolled a perfect 300 at the World Series of Bowling on Sunday. Unfortunately, he still finished in 158th place out of 188. That’s still pretty darn impressive for a guy who plays a different sport every day.

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