Merry Christmas everyone! Wherever you are, and however you’re celebrating today, the entire family at Lookout Landing wish you all a happy, healthy, and safe holiday.

In Mariners news...

• Mariners-related news was exceptionally hard to come by today. With the exception of a quiet minor league transaction, options to fill the Mariners news section were non-existent. In lieu of the usual news of note, I choose to assume that all of our favorite Mariners players and coaches enjoyed their Christmas Eve to the best of their ability, and trying to think of fun things I think various Mariners might have done for their Christmas Eve was a fun little exercise.

Around the League...

• This news proves that we are, and I do not say this lightly, living in the absolute funniest possible timeline. It is worth noting that a deal between the two parties remains highly likely for a number of reasons as of this writing.

• The Boston Red Sox signed Japanese star outfielder Masataka Yoshida earlier this month, ending a multi-year process. The Athletic’s Jenn McCaffrey covers the long and winding story here.
• The Chicago Cubs and starting pitcher Drew Smyly agreed to terms on a two-year, $19 million contract yesterday morning.

Nick’s pick...

• For incredibly selfish reasons, my emotions surrounding Friday’s weather conditions are complicated to say the least. On one hand, it was my birthday, and the amount of ice did irreparable damage to my birthday plans. But then again, check out this absolutely amazing thread of people (and dogs) failing at every possible opportunity to navigate the city of Seattle’s many frozen streets and sidewalks. Be forewarned, you will get sucked into watching all of the videos, and it is a very long thread.