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With the new year just around the corner, I thought we could all take some advice from Eric Byrnes.
Well... At least I tried hard ♂️ F*IT Friday #FullSend ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/l4kIJniRvL
— Eric Byrnes (@byrnes22) December 29, 2018
Let's all dive into 2019 with this sort of reckless abandon. Who’s with me?
On another note, let’s take a look at some news from around the league.
In Mariners News...
- Jim Callis broke down the five most improved farm systems in 2018. Did the Mariners make the list? Spoiler Alert: they did.
- Edgar Martinez has made encouraging progress in Hall of Fame voting. Check out his status on Ryan Thibodaux’s page.
Ballot #125 is from Mark Purdy. His is a three-player ballot that includes a very big +1 for Edgar, who reaches net +12. In the Tracker: https://t.co/8ISx827lpe pic.twitter.com/FvUVcrIxWQ
— Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs) December 29, 2018
- Speaking of ballots, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times submitted his ballot recently.
Ballot #124 is from Ryan Divish. Rolen gains a vote and has reached net +10. Divish discusses his ballot with fellow voter Larry Stone on their podcast: https://t.co/uJxE8rOO9l…
— Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs) December 29, 2018
In the Tracker: https://t.co/8ISx82oWgM pic.twitter.com/jBncPhfaHL
- Find out what Bill James’ Hall of Fame Value Standard says about Edgar Martinez’ Hall of Fame chances.
Around the League...
- Jonathan Lucroy is headed to Los Angeles.
Source confirms Jonathan Lucroy and the Angels have a one-year deal worth $3.35 million plus incentives. @JeffPassan was first with the deal.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 29, 2018
- Let’s take a moment to honor some of the amazing athletes that retired after the end of the 2018 season.
We said goodbye to some special players in 2018. pic.twitter.com/U5DmCD7Tso
— MLB (@MLB) December 28, 2018
- The Phillies are interested in Dallas Kuechel. Kuechel, on the other hand, is interested in a long term deal.
Sources: #Phillies pursuing Dallas Keuchel but thus far have been unwilling to meet Keuchel's request of a 5-year contract. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 28, 2018
- David Robertson could join forces with the Angels.
Source: #Angels interested in free agent reliever David Robertson, who knows Angels GM Billy Eppler from their time together with #Yankees. Robertson is said to prefer teams in Northeast, but he’d also like the opportunity to close — which is what he could have in Anaheim. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 28, 2018
- The Brew Crew has shown interest in Sonny Gray.
Source: #Brewers remain prominent in Sonny Gray talks with #Yankees. #Reds were involved earlier this offseason but have faded somewhat due to additions of Wood and Roark. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 28, 2018
- FiveThirtyEight did a cross-sport ranking of 2018’s worst teams.
The worst teams of 2018: https://t.co/mvxiCPV3EM pic.twitter.com/4LXM8Zwnks
— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) December 28, 2018
- Shohei Ohtani broke down the home run he hit off of Justin Verlander.
Ohtani talking about his homer off of Verlander: https://t.co/dK6NRuqKQW pic.twitter.com/n5lrDeAPlV
— Admiral Buzzkill (@TheOriginalBull) December 28, 2018
- Matt Schoemaker is headed to Toronto.
Matt Shoemaker's deal with the Toronto Blue Jays has a $3.5 million guarantee and can add another $1 million in performance bonuses, per source. While it's a one-year deal, the Blue Jays control Shoemaker for the 2020 season as well because he'll be just shy of six service years.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 28, 2018
Luke’s Pick...
- The Cougars won the Alamo Bowl, earning the PAC-12’s first victory of the bowl season.
And there we have it, folks! @WSUCougFB comes away with the victory with a final score of 28-26. This is the 11th time since 2005 that #ValeroAlamoBowl was decided in the final minutes. Congrats on the 11-win season! #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/rSyEblF5nV
— Valero Alamo Bowl (@valeroalamobowl) December 29, 2018