Outside The Confines: It’s wild out there

Happy Friday one and all! We’re in the last weekend of May, which means the real heat of summer is fast approaching (and so is the trade deadline), so teams are going to need to start deciding how serious they are about getting to the postseason this year. It feels wild to already be thinking about that in May, but if not now, it’s too late later.

In today’s roundup we have twins for a Twin; puppies and a squirrel; an infamous ball hawk (but not the one you’re thinking of); and some bad news for a veteran catcher, among other stories.

Now let’s jump into today’s links!

• Now that’s taking your job seriously. Rocco Baldelli and his wife just announced they are expecting twins. (Fun fact, former Twin Joe Mauer also had twins during his tenure with the club, so maybe there’s something in the water in the Twin Cities.) Story by Naasir Akailvi.
• Davy Andrews looks into what’s going on with Toronto’s outfield.
• Do you want to see Aaron Judge play in the outfield with his adorable puppy? Yes you do. Story by Brent Maguire.
• Aaron Boone is collecting ejections like they’re Pokemon. (He’s getting ejected a lot.) Story by Nick Selbe.
• Well, since we’re on a roll with Yankees news at this point, how about Chris Kirschner’s spotlight on an eccentric Yankees ballhawk? (The Athletic subscription required.)
• I’m not sure I can even add anything to this...

• Gabe Lacques would like to know what has become of the no-hitter.
• The Orioles might be the newest unstoppable force in the AL East, shares Jake Rill.
• Speaking of the O’s, they managed to use Taylor Swift to troll the Yankees this week, which I appreciate. Story by Kevin Sweeney.
• Mike Petriello looks at how the Rangers suddenly have the highest-scoring offense in baseball.
• Ouch, Gary Sanchez can’t catch a break. He’s been DFA’d by the Mets only a week after getting called up. (Reuters)
• Oh dear.

• Jay Jaffe looks at how Carlos Correa was (and possibly isn’t still) rebounding.
• Detroit Tigers starter Eduardo Rodriguez is going to be a hot target this trade deadline, thinks Mark Feinsand. But are the Tigers going to sell?
• Tom Verducci seems to believe the St. Louis Cardinals are the team to beat this year.
• Benjamin Hill looks at how literally Mike Ford is putting the “journey” in “journeyman.”
• Sorry but this slo-mo video of Yankees fans reacting to a squirrel is the best baseball thing I’ve seen this week.

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