Mariners Moose Tracks, 12/18/20: Matt Festa, Brent Honeywell, and The Pacific Coast League

Hello everyone and happy Friday! The quiet offseason continues along as we approach the end of the year. For now, here’s what you need to know as you get your day started.

In Mariners news...

• Get to know one of the less heralded players in the M’s bullpen.

Around the league...

• Ben Clemens at Fangraphs breaks down the success and failure of attempting to tank and baseball.
• Meanwhile, Lookout Landing alum Patrick Dubuque at Baseball Prospectus thinks tanking isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. ($)
• Eno Sarris at The Athletic tries to figure out what makes a Major League Baseball player popular.
• Brian Cashman is hoping to wave away the 2020 Yankees season as an underperformance and run it back with roughly the same squad in 2021.
• It must be weird for this father-son duo to navigate this strange professional relationship.

• Marisa Ingemi at The New York Times wrote about what has been a historic year for women in sports.
• Rays pitching prospect Brent Honeywell underwent his fourth elbow surgery since he last threw in a professional game, but is still planning to pitch in 2021.
• With uncertainty surrounding the status of the 2021 campaign, it wouldn’t surprise me if David Price — who will turn 36 this summer — decides to hang ‘em up.

• Clinton Yates at The Undefeated doesn’t see MLB’s official elevation of the Negro Leagues as a cause for celebration.
• The Pacific Coast League, the league that has hosted the Tacoma Rainiers for over half a century, has withdrawn from Minor League Baseball. Evan Drellich at The Athletic has the report. ($)