MLB Bullets decks the halls

All I want for Christmas is Yu!

I hope everyone is having a happy holiday weekend and a merry Christmas.

• Anthony Castrovince has a gift for all 30 MLB teams.
• John Paschal has a Christmas wish list for baseball.
• Here are several players and teams wishing you a merry Christmas.
• Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius played Santa Claus around New York.
• Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley was asked what gift he would give several of his teammates for Christmas.
• Mike Lupica looks back at the gift that was Game 5 of the 2017 World Series. That was the one time I was glad the Cubs weren’t in the World Series this year. Had the Cubs been playing in game 5 instead of the Dodgers, I would have had a heart attack.
• Speaking of the Dodgers, Joe Posnanski looks back at the incredible 81-24 run the Dodgers went on this summer.
• This has become pretty standard these days, but Evan Longoria bought a full page ad out thanking Rays fans for his time in Tampa.
• For the first time ever, MLB players average salary topped $4 million. Of course, as they say, the average worth of me and BIll Gates is $50 billion.
• The Yankees may not be close to a deal to acquire Pirates starter Gerrit Cole, but Jeff Passan reports that the deal is more of a “when” than an “if.”
• The Mets have brought back former GM Omar Minaya in a special assistant role and Mark Townsend writes that the general feeling inside the Mets front office is that this is a disaster waiting to happen.
• The Mets are also trying to trade center fielder Juan Lagares.
• MLB officials complained to ESPN about the combative interview that Dan LeBatard had with commissioner Rob Manfred. Well, maybe don’t lie about knowing the Marlins were going to slash salary then.
• Buster Olney wonders if more players will try and both pitch and hit like Shohei Ohtani plans on doing. Quick answer, Buster: No. It’s too hard. In fact, I doubt Ohtani will still be DH’ing by 2020.
• The Diamondbacks have signed Japanese reliever Yoshihisa Hirano, formerly of the Orix Buffalo. Hirano will be in the mix to close in Arizona.
• Cliff Corcoran has a look ahead and next year’s monster free agent class.
• Jerry Kindall, who played for the Cubs from 1956 to 1961, has died at age 82. His biggest achievement in baseball was probably winning the College World Series three times as the head coach of the University of Arizona.
• The baseball stadium of the independent Joliet Slammers will be named “The Cards Against Humanity Baseball Place.” Not really, but it was a pretty nice publicity stunt.
• And finally, if you’re looking for something to do after all the presents have been opened, Tyler Kepner has a really tough baseball trivia quiz. See how you do.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.