Mariners Moose Tracks 12/14/16

Good morning, Baltimore Seattle!

Likely the biggest MLB news yesterday was Justin Turner re-signing with the Dodgers for 4 years and $64 million. Though a lot of money in 99.99% of the country’s eyes, Dave Cameron actually thinks this makes Turner a massive bargain, pegging his actual value in the range of $90-100 million.

This doesn’t especially pertain to the Mariners, since Turner plays third, which is obviously covered by Kyle Seager. But given the presumed “hometown discount” taken by Turner, it makes one wonder...would Jason Hammel want to come back to the Pacific Northwest for a little cheaper? One can dream.

Let’s get to your daily links.

In Mariners news...

• It was a slow day for the M’s, with the most notable transaction the departure of Zach Lee to the Padres. But as a result of that transaction, I did see perhaps the greatest tweet of all time...

• Greg Johns of MLB.com wrote a piece on the M’s search for a starting pitcher, and it includes a nice quote from Mariners assistant general manager Jeff Kingston.
• Evan Scribner tried to win my heart this year with 14 scoreless MLB innings, but it was actually seeing this Instagram post that finally sealed the deal. You’re a good guy, Evan. And if you ever want to spend some time in New Haven, first round’s on me.
• James Paxton decided that it’s never too cold to go fishin’.

Around the league...

• Here’s some interesting research on The Hardball Times about projecting major league power from MiLB statistics & data.
• I spent about 30 seconds yesterday doing this quiz, because it’s easy, but still pretty fun. Identify the pitchers from their deliveries alone!
• Get ready for this article on the Cleveland Scene, which seems to be their equivalent of Seattle Weekly, about a hypothetical succession plan for Chief Wahoo.
• I’m putting this in the MLB section, but it’s certainly relevant to the M’s as well. Mark Newman, a Hall of Fame voter, decided to re-examine his ballot this year...and that’s good news for our beloved Edgar. A really, really nice piece that results in a quality HOF ballot, if I do say so myself.
• Do you care about backup catchers? If so, you’re in luck!
• Grant Brisbee alert: on why the Nationals are being unfairly skewered for sitting back and, well, not doing too much.

Grant’s Picks...

• As someone who’s fairly obsessed with front offices and their inner workings, I found this John Schneider piece on NFL.com really interesting.
• Finally, let’s leave you on a high note: my beloved Yale Bulldogs won yesterday to extend their home winning streak to 18 games, and the 90-59 win was punctuated by this jam.