MLB Bullets and the farewell of a legend

Other than Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth, I don’t think any individual player changed the game more than Ichiro Suzuki. Yes, baseball was popular in Japan before Ichiro made the trip across the ocean in 2001, but it was the popularity of Ichiro that allowed baseball and MLB to become the global sport that it is today. He got the send-off he deserved in Tokyo on Thursday.

• James Dator agrees that Ichiro got the perfect goodbye in Tokyo.
• Barry Petchesky writes about Ichiro’s farewell and the overall legend of Ichiro.
• Jim Caple writes about what Ichiro meant to all of Japan and to his teammates as well.
• If you need any convincing about what Ichiro meant to Japan and Japanese players, Thursday’s game was also Yusei Kikuchi’s major league debut. Kikuchi was in tears during the game as Ichiro said goodbye to his teammates and the fans in Tokyo.
• In a piece that was originally published last May, Jack Dickey praises Ichiro as a model of consistency and excellence.
• Craig Calcaterra offers his thoughts on Ichiro’s career alongside the amazing statistics he compiled.
• Rachel McDaniel remembers the beginning of Ichiro’s career and then offers her thoughts on the end.
• Tim Kurkjian shares some anecdotes about Ichiro’s career.
• Ichiro’s eight greatest moments with the Mariners.
• Some people in Cleveland, however, have never forgotten that Ichiro once said he’d punch himself in the face for lying if he ever said he was happy to go to Cleveland. They do sort of admit that Cleveland can be kind of miserable during the hottest days of the summer, however. Also, they admit that Ichiro absolutely destroyed the Indians many times during his career.
• Twenty “incredible” facts about the career of Ichiro.
• Now on to the players who haven’t retired. The Cardinals have agreed to a five-year extension worth around $130 million with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Goldy’s a great player, but he’s also already 31 years old. This could win the Cardinals a World Series title over the next five years. It could also blow up in their face.
• Mark Feinsand looks at how Goldschmidt signing an extension will impact next winter’s free agent market, since Goldy won’t be a part of it anymore.
• That wasn’t the only contract extension of Thursday as the Rays signed reigning Cy Young Award-winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $50 million deal. This buys out all of Snell’s arbitration years and his first season of free agency.
• The Rays weren’t done as they also inked rookie second baseman Brandon Lowe to a six-year, $24 million deal. Eric Longenhagen thinks that the Rays got a good deal but that Lowe may be selling himself short.
• Jon Tayler writes that the Goldschmidt and Snell extensions demonstrate that the owners hold all the cards right now in negotiations with the players. Most players are pretty keen on avoiding free agency at the moment.
• Except for maybe Red Sox outfielder (and reigning MVP) Mookie Betts, who says he still intends to become a free agent in two years.
• The White Sox have also agreed to a six-year, $43 million deal with outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez. There are also two option years for the White Sox.
• Kiley McDaniel believes the White Sox manipulated service time to maneuver Jimenez into accepting this deal.
• The Brewers are reportedly in “serious” talks with free agent closer Craig Kimbrel.
• The Brewers need Kimbrel because their current closer, Corey Knebel, reportedly has a “concerning” injury to his ulnar collateral ligament. He’s going to have a second opinion. The Brewers have said it’s not a complete tear, which would definitely require Tommy John surgery, but TJ surgery is still a real possibility.
• Brewers set-up man Jeremy Jeffress will also start the season on the injured list with “shoulder weakness,” which doesn’t sound good either. Mark Townsend looks at the current shape of the Brewers ‘pen, why they need Kimbrel and what it will take for them to sign him.
• Lost in all of the Ichiro festivities in Tokyo is the fact that the Mariners won both games and the Athletics got a further blow as first baseman Matt Olson injured his hand after fouling off a pitch and could miss significan time.
• More bad news for the A’s as their top pitching prospect Jesus Luzardo will be shut down for 4-to-6 weeks with a strained rotator cuff.
• Yankees instructor Lee Mazzilli was hospitalized after being struck with a batted ball during batting practice. His condition is reportedly improving and the doctors say they are just being cautious by keeping him under observation.
• The Giants made a minor trade yesterday, picking up minor league utility infielder Connor Joe from the Reds. But Andrew Baggarly explains why this move may be the end of Pablo Sandoval’s career in San Francisco. (The Athletic sub. req.) Baggarly also writes that cutting the popular Sandoval could have a major impact on the Giants clubhouse dynamics.
• Former Giants outfielder Hunter Pence has reportedly made the Opening Day roster of the Rangers. Pence had signed a minor-league deal with Texas this winter.
• Ben Clemens examines what the numbers say as to how you should pitch to Nationals slugger Juan Soto. Other than “very carefully,” of course, although that’s good advice as well.
• Sam Miller wonders if Cubs infielder Daniel Descalso will outhit Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton again in 2019. Again? Miller is looking at the “clutch” stats and brings us up to date on the current sabermetric thinking about the nature of “clutch” hitters. In any case, Descalso was extremely “clutch” in 2018 and Stanton exactly the opposite.
• Eli Ben-Porat notes that height for pitchers has never been more important. Meaning, the ideal height for a pitcher is 6’4” and he explains why.
• Two-time NL MVP Dale Murphy has ten things he’s looking forward to in 2019. (The Athletic sub. req.) In MLB, that is. I don’t know if he’s got a daughter who’s getting married this summer or anything.
• Tom Verducci has four teams, led by the Phillies, who are poised for dramatic turnarounds in 2019.
• The Mets will honor Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver with a statue and the renaming of a street outside Citi Field in 2019 and 2020.
• Diamondbacks prospect Alek Thomas hit a home run against the White Sox in a Spring Training game and despite pleading, he couldn’t even get a congratulations from his dad. Of course, his dad is the White Sox conditioning coordinator. Eventually dad gave him a smile.
• Hannah Keyser asks Diamondbacks fans who the team got in exchange for Paul Goldschmidt. No one knew except one Cardinals fan.
• And finally, we leave you with no one wanting to leave the Tokyo Dome at the end of Ichiro Suzuki’s glorious career.

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