With the biggest domino now fallen, expect the offseason to start cranking up the heat.
First, make sure to nominate your favorite Game of The Year! Now, on with the news…
Diamondbacks News
Mike Hazen Clarifies Adrian Del Castillo’s Role Next Season by Jack Sommers [SI]
I had a chance to to ask Mike Hazen at the winter meetings in Dallas if they have thought about using him elsewhere.
“Thought about it? Yes. Are we planning on doing it? No,” Hazen said.
Can the D-backs Secure International Superstar Roki Sasaki? by Jack Sommers [SI]
The Diamondbacks invested considerable resources into scouting Sasaki this past season, with multiple trips by their scouting department to watch him pitch. Then towards the end of the season General Manager Mike Hazen, along with assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye, traveled all the way to Japan to scout him as well. The team would not have invested that time and resources if they didn’t think they had a shot.
Yankees turn attention to D-backs first baseman after losing out on Soto by Michael McDermott [Mike’s Hardball Talk]
With Soto now in Queens, Nightengale adds in the same column that they’ve now shifted their attention towards Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker. This hardly comes as a surprise, as Nightengale named the Yankees as a potential suitor for Walker last month.
Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo Talks Juan Soto, Golden At-Bat Rule by Alex D-Agostino [SI]
Lovullo weighed in on the [golden at-bat] rule, and was quite emphatic about it.
“You know, I always say it, I’ll support what the commissioner says and what the commissioner is talking about and what Major League Baseball is willing to do. But, you know, I don’t think it would work very well for me,” he said.
Around the League
Mets, Soto agree to record breaking 15-year, $765M deal by Anthony DiComo [MLB] {Ed. Note: At least it’s not the NL West!}
The deal, which the Mets have not confirmed because it’s pending a physical, contains a full no-trade clause, a $75 million signing bonus, an opt-out after five seasons and no deferred money. The Mets will have the ability to void Soto’s opt-out clause after the 2029 season if they boost the average annual value of the final 10 years of his deal from $51 million to $55 million, according to a source. In that case, the overall deal would be for 15 years and $805 million — a $53.66 million AAV.
The Dodgers Bring Back Blake Treinen, add Michael Conforto by Dan Szymborski [FanGraphs]
While the New York Mets were busy spending three-quarters of a billion bucks, the defending champion Dodgers were making a couple of lower-key moves, re-signing reliever Blake Treinen and signing outfielder Michael Conforto. Treinen, a Dodger since 2019, will make $22 million over the next two seasons. Conforto arrives in Los Angeles on a one-year, $17 million contract after two seasons with the organization’s biggest rival, the San Francisco Giants.
Willy Adames finds home as replacement for Giants legend at shortstop by Michael McDermott [Call to the Pen] {Congratulations on your new gig, Michael!}
Ten days after Brandon Crawford announced his retirement, the Giants have agreed to a seven-year deal with former Brewers shortstop Willy Adames.
Closer Jordan Roman signs one-year deal with Phillies by Jeff Passan [ESPN]
Romano, 31, was nontendered by the Toronto Blue Jays after an injury-riddled year that ended with him undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. Over the prior four seasons, Romano had been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball, posting a 2.29 ERA in 200⅔ innings with 251 strikeouts and 75 walks. The deal is pending a physical.
Question of the Day
While following the final at-bat of this year’s World Series, I told my dad that we don’t want to see Alex Verdugo at the plate, we want to see Aaron Judge. In the closing moments of a basketball game, we get to see the ball in Steph Curry’s hands, or in football it’s going to be in Patrick Mahomes’ hands. In baseball, though, there’s a good chance it’s not going to be someone like Aaron Judge or Juan Soto at the plate, but someone like Alex Verdugo or Austin Wells instead. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Baseball history is littered with unlikely heroes who were only given a chance because their turn in the lineup happened to come up. It’s a feature, not a bug. Still…I wouldn’t have minded seeing Aaron Judge.