Mariners Moose Tracks, 12/26/16: Mel Stottlemyre, Turner Signs, and Defensive Tackle Touchdowns

Good morning everyone and Happy Boxing Day! I hope you all have had/are having a wonderful holidays.

There was a surprising amount of news this weekend considering it was the holidays. For the Mariners, there was no Dipoto-signs-Iwakuma-at-the-team-holiday-party type of news. Maybe he decided to take a couple of days off for once. Probably not.

Anyway, let’s see what did happen over the weekend.

In Mariners news...

• Our thoughts go out to M’s pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, Jr. and his family as his dad is reportedly in the hospital. Thankfully, Todd Stottlemyre announced that their father’s condition is improving.
• In David Rollins’-team-of-the-day news:

• The Giants have agreed to deals with a pair of former Mariners: Michael Morse and Justin Ruggiano.
• Greg Johns has a cool story about Rick Rizzis’ involvement with charities as a tribute to Dave Henderson.

Around the league...

• Grant Brisbee is a big fan of the Indians signing Edwin Encarnacion, calling them a “perfect fit.”
• Curt Schilling has had some trouble gaining traction in Hall of Fame voting. Craig Calcaterra takes a look at the situation.
• The Braves have agreed to a five-year contract extension with outfielder Ender Inciarte.
• Corinne Landrey at Fangraphs thinks that Noah Syndergaard can still become an even better pitcher.
• The A’s made a big splash in the international market, signing Cuban righty Norge Ruiz.
• Alex Avila decided to return to the Detroit Tigers on a one-year deal. At just $2M, it’s a very reasonable contract for the Tigers.
• Ben Revere also agreed to a one-year pact with the Angels, shoring up the team’s outfield situation.
• The Dodgers made a bigger move, re-upping with infielder Justin Turner for four years.
• Jose Bautista has lowered expectations and is now reportedly content with singing a one-year contract. This would no doubt make him more attractive to teams who were hesitant to splurge on him.

Anders’ picks...

• Kansas City Cheifs defensive tackle Dontari Poe threw a touchdown pass last night. Observe:

• A few days ago I realized that I had never seen an ESPN 30-for-30 film. I’ve since watched three of them: Four Days in October, Survive and Advance, and Jordan Rides the Bus. All of them were great. But I’m curious as to what sports documentaries you all like. I’m open to suggestions, so let me know in the comments where to find the good ones!