MLB Bullets sees a thaw

Good morning Friday. We actually have something to talk about this morning.

• The Mets have signed free agent outfielder Jay Bruce to a three-year, $39 million deal. The Mets had traded Bruce to the Indians just this past August.
• Jon Tyler grades the deal and says that the Mets decided to play it safe.
• David Schoenfield is puzzled by the Mets decision to bring back Bruce, although he does hope this will thaw the “cold stove.”
• Travis Sawchik writes that the Mets are counting on Bruce to keep hitting fly balls over the next three years.
• Chris Cwik thinks the Mets need to do a lot more than just bring back Bruce to be a contender in the National League East.
• Mike Vaccaro notes that Mets players historically have an awful track record when returning to Queens a second time.
• Free agent starter Yu Darvish has narrowed his field of teams to six. The Cubs are included. We know it’s six because there was a report that he’d narrowed it to five and Darvish himself got on Twitter to say there was one more team.
• Mark Townsend ranks the teams on Darvish’s short list. Except the “Mystery Team.” Probably because they want to pay Darvish in something called a “Scooby Snack.”
• Yankees play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay is reporting that the Yankees offered Darvish seven years and $160 million earlier in the winter, but they pulled the offer after 48 hours. That might be true, or it might be a negotiating ploy. I always find it questionable when a team broadcaster has a scoop.
• Nonetheless, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirms the Yankees are interested in signing Darvish.
• Presumably the Yankees would have to clear some payroll to sign Darvish and keep under the salary cap the luxury tax threshold, and Jon Heyman reports that they are willing to pay up to half of Jacoby Ellsbury’s salary to any team that would take him. However, Heyman notes that even at that price, no one seems to be interested.
• There was a report on Wednesday that a deal to send Gerrit Cole from Pittsburgh to the Astros was “immanent.” That report was denied, but the two teams are still discussing a deal.
• The Red Sox and outfielder J.D. Martinez are “playing a waiting game,” according to Ian Browne. Martinez says he’s willing to wait until after Spring Training starts to sign a deal if that’s what it takes to get the deal he wants.
• Grant Brisbee can’t figure out why no team has signed pitcher Lance Lynn yet.
• Marc Normandin retells the history of collusion by the owners in baseball.
• Travis Sawchik believes that superagent Scott Boras may have to adjust his tactics in light of the changing ways front offices operate under the new collective bargaining agreement.
• Agent Jason Wood has been fired from his agency and is being investigated for allegedly filming one of his clients in the shower. Wood has denied the charges.
• Cliff Corcoran continues his series with the best available outfielders, either through free agency or trade.
• Anthony Castrovince looks at teams that are looking to improve with the players they already have rather than adding talent.
• Chris Cwik has the worst free agent signing of each of the past ten years.
• Phil Rogers has five teams that didn’t make the postseason last year that could be a contender in 2018.
• The Nationals have signed Edwin Jackson to a minor-league deal.
• The Braves have released Adonis Garcia so that he can sign with the LG Twins of KBO.
• David Schoenfield thinks the 2018 Astros have a chance to be the greatest team ever. Where have we heard that before? The 2017 Dodgers? The 2017 Cubs?
• Ken Fang looks at the candidates to replace Dan Shulman on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
• Eno Sarris looks at some research on the neuroscience behind on-base percentage. Or something like that. I sort of understand it but I’m having trouble explaining it.
• Grant Brisbee is bored, and that can be dangerous. So he decided to find out what ERAs have never occurred in baseball history. No one has ever had an ERA of 1.05 for a season.
• What makes Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire different from every other new manager in 2018? He’s managed in the majors before. Heck, only Gabe Kapler has even managed in the minors before, and that was for only one season before he un-retired and started playing again.
• Michael Clair looks at which player from each team is most likely to go into the Hall of Fame.
• Meg Rowley has some mostly tongue-in-cheek ideas about adding an NHL-style penalty box to baseball. At least I think they’re tongue-in-cheek.
• Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer set a new record by throwing a (non-regulation) ball at 116.9 mph.
• Here’s an adorable picture of Eric Sogard helping his daughter learn to hit off a tee.
• And finally, the rapper/actor 50 Cent has perhaps the most infamous first pitch in baseball history, but the Mets have officially offered him a second chance in 2018. What do you know? The Mets can do something right!

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