MLB Bullets says nothing compares to Yu

Yu Darvish took a meeting with the staff of Paris Saint-Germain and he didn’t bring a translator. It didn’t go well because he didn’t realize they spoke French.

• Since we’re all watching Yu Tube for the holidays this week, let’s start with the Astros having a meeting yesterday with Yu Darvish.
• There was also a report that the Rangers have a meeting with Darvish, but it’s apparently just a friendly dinner between him and Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and that the Rangers to not plan on pursuing Darvish at this time.
• However, the Rangers are going to need another pitcher as Martin Perez is going to miss the start of the 2018 season after breaking his non-pitching elbow after a run-in with a bull. He wasn’t even running with the bulls. But Perez is the top contender now for wacky injury of the offseason.
• Richard Justice has six pitchers that the Rangers could pursue, either in free agency or through trades.
• The biggest name that may be traded this winter is Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who can be a free agent after next season. But Orioles owner Peter Angelos may block any trade of Machado for fear that a team would flip Machado to the Yankees. Frankly, that’s stupid. So you’ll just take the draft pick so that the Yankees won’t get one season of Machado?
• Jonathan Bernhardt looks at the problems with trading with a division rival in general and Machado in particular.
• Dave Cameron examines what Machado’s trade value should be and says a lot of people are vastly overstating it. Yes, I agree. One year of Machado for four years of Addison Russell (or something similar) is crazy.
• Michael Baumann likes what the Angels have done this winter and is glad that it looks like the prime of Mike Trout won’t be wasted anymore. He explains why Justin Upton and Ian Kinsler are, together, a bigger pickup than the Yankees getting Giancarlo Stanton.
• Marlins team president Derek Jeter had a town-hall meeting for Marlins season ticket holders and it did not go well.
• Except when he got into a heated exchange with Marlins Man, which made Jeter look great by comparison.
• Marlins GM Mike Hill also had a message for Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto, two players of real talent left in Miami who have made it clear that they’d like to be traded: You aren’t going to get traded unless we want to trade you.
• Will Leitch notes that baseball fans are getting a lot savvier about baseball front offices work. Or in the case of the Marlins, how they don’t work.
• The amount teams own in tax for going over the luxury threshold was announced and as expected, the Dodgers owe a big $36.2 million. The Yankees were second with $15.7 million. The Giants, TIgers and Nationals also owed money.
• The Red Sox have re-signed first baseman Mitch Moreland to a two-year deal.
• Scott Lauber notes that Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers has a plan to boost Boston’s offense in 2018.
• With Moreland staying in Boston, the Red Sox have reportedly bowed out of any attempts to sign free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer. Jeff Sullivan looks at how Hosmer would fit in San Diego and concludes “not all that well.”
• Cliff Corcoran looks at the remaining first base market, both in free agency and trades.
• Matt Kelly has the top free agent outfielders still available.
• Jorge L. Ortiz lists six teams that should take advantage of the slow market this winter. Although since one of his suggestions is that the Padres should sign Hosmer, maybe these teams shouldn’t listen to him.
• Jonah Keri looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the three big free agent clients of Scott Boras. This includes Jake Arrieta, of course.
• Buster Olney thinks that Mike Moustakas would be a perfect pickup for the Yankees.
• The Giants are reportedly interested in trading for Rays third baseman Evan Longoria.
• Whitney McIntosh looks at how much stock we should put in the rumors that would send Josh Donaldson to the Cardinals.
• Sam Miller breaks down the biggest regular mismatch in sports: Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen against Giants backup catcher Nick Hundley.
• Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Connor gave an interview to Josh Norris of Baseball America about the state of minor league baseball. This may come as a shock to those of you who don’t realize that Minor and Major League Baseball are separate entities.
• Bill Baer is not impressed with the answers O’Connor gave about the salary and compensation that minor league players receive (and neither am I, you probably guessed.) There was a minor stir on Twitter yesterday about a story about an NFL player on the Jaguars who was living in his car when he was on the practice squad because he only made $6500 a week. That’s what a lot minor league players make for an entire season.
• Roger Cormier breaks down the difficulties the Mets had in buying the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs.
• Sad news as Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, who was the last of three women who played in the Negro Leagues, has died at age 82.
• Nick Kendall has a neat idea to turn the Indians back into the Cleveland Forest Citys and designed some cool forest green uniforms for the team. (h/t Hardball Talk)
• White Sox hurler Carlos Rodon got called in for a drug test while he was out hunting. And then the tester didn’t want to do it at a nearby Subway restaurant because it was too “uncomfortable.” As Rodon said, I’m the one who has to let you watch me pee.
• Tim Lincecum has been found and he’s definitely in the best shape of his life. (Lincecum was never lost, but he was doing a Greta Garbo “I vant to be alone” routine.)
• Justin Turner was vacationing in Dubai and took a try at cricket.
• And finally, Barry Bonds baked some sourdough bread and it looks delicious. Hey, it’s the holidays.

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