MLB Bullets doesn’t want your trophy

Good morning. Lots of fan festivals over the weekend.

• The Dodgers had their Fan Fest over the weekend and Bill Plaschke reports that the players are “mad as hell” about the Astros sign-stealing scandal. However, none of them want to be handed the 2017 World Series title retroactively. But they are still furious about the whole thing, as they should be.
• The Dodgers don’t play the Astros in 2020, but a group of Dodger fans have bought tickets to the Angels home opener so that they can boo the Astros, who are the Halos’ opponent that day.
• Astros pitcher Justin Verlander accepted his Cy Young Award at the Baseball Writers Association of America banquet and said that the Astros were “technologically and analytically advanced.” This comment by Verlander was met with both laughter and angry stares. It’s not clear whether or not Verlander meant the comment to be a joke.
• New White Sox pitcher Dallas Keuchel apologized for the Astros’ cheating at the White Sox fan convention. He did also take a swipe at whistleblower Mike Fiers, however.
• Fiers, for his part, isn’t commenting on the situation. Tim Brown writes that baseball is in a better spot for Fiers having spoken up earlier, and he understands why he isn’t speaking now.
• Bradford Doolittle looks at the history of cheating in baseball and then argues that the Astros penalties were actually quite harsh, even though many are calling for harsher measures.
• Former Astros manager A.J. Hinch won’t be managing the All-Star Game because he’s been suspended. And fired. Eric Stephen lists all the times the previous pennant-winning manager didn’t manage the All-Star Game.
• The big sports news over the weekend, of course, wasn’t the Astros scandal but the death of NBA star Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash. Members of the baseball world react to Bryant’s death.
• It should be noted that Bryant and his daughter weren’t the only people on that helicopter. Also killed was Orange County College baseball coach John Altobelli, along with his wife and daughter. Altobelli was a JUCO coaching legend and among the many major leaguers he managed either there or in the Cape Cod League were Aaron Judge and Jeff McNeil.
• Fabian Ardaya spoke with the friends of Altobelli about the man and their loss. (The Athletic has made this article available to non-subscribers.)
• Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Reds are the favorite to sign free agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos.
• In more former Cub news, the Marlins have agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with free agent reliever Brandon Kintzler.
• The Nationals have re-signed first baseman Ryan Zimmerman to a one-year, $2 million deal. Zimmerman had implied earlier that he would either play for the Nationals, the only team he’s ever played for in his professional career, or retire.
• The Rockies bought out shortstop Trevor Story’s final two years of arbitration with a two-year, $27.5 million deal.
• Rockies manager Bud Black talked about the upcoming season at their Fan Fest and said the rocky relationship between third baseman Nolan Arenado and the team’s front office will be “fine” once Spring Training starts.
• Ken Rosenthal explains why the Red Sox may still trade outfielder Mookie Betts before the start of the season and what needs to happen for a deal. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun expressed his feelings at the Brewers fan festival, noting that 2020 could be his final year with Milwaukee or even his final year as a player.
• Dayn Perry looks at some statistical projections for the top 10 free agents this winter.
• Sarah Langs looks at which 2020 pitchers were the best for each type of pitch.
• MLB Pipeline released their Top 100 prospects list. There are four Cubs on their list: Nico Hoerner at 51, Brailyn Marquez at 68, Brennen Davis at 78 and Miguel Amaya at 95. Normally I’d write all this up in a separate article, but Vox Media and the state of California are having a fight and the children get caught in the middle.
• Cliff Corcoran studies the new three-batter minimum rule for pitchers and concludes it’s a terrible rule that won’t make games any shorter and will have bad side effects. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Arizona Cardinals quarterback and Athletics first-round draft pick Kyler Murray has stated his wish to play both sports and Adam Stiles says there is no way Arizona could stop him if he wants to and the A’s are willing. The money on his NFL contract would go from guaranteed to non-guaranteed, but the Arizona Cardinals are not about to cut Murray if he decides to play baseball.
• Mark Townsend looks back at the Whitey Herzog-era Cardinals and wonders if a team based on speed and not power could win today. I haven’t studied the issue, but I’m guessing that the efficacy of a speed-based offense went away with the artificial turf of the era, which didn’t slow the ball down like grass or today’s artificial turf does.
• White Sox first baseman José Abreu said that it was his goal to sing “God Bless America” during the seventh inning of a White Sox game. In his plan, he would be joined by some of the other Latin members of the team.
• More from the Pale Hose convention: Shortstop Tim Anderson taught kids the proper way to flip a bat.
• And finally, baseball writer Dan Szymborski was playing the MLB: The Show video game and asks a simple question: “How many HBP would you get with this home run trot in real life?” I think at least five just for square dancing with the third base coach.

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