Mariners Moose Tracks, 9/6/23: Paul Skenes, Giancarlo Stanton, and Anthony Rizzo

Good morning everyone! Let’s dive into the latest.

In Mariners news...

• Perhaps this was poorly timed, but Anthony Franco at MLB Trade Rumors highlighted the excellent bullpen additions the Mariners made last winter.

Around the league...

• Terry Francona hinted at an intention to retire following the 2023 season.
• Giancarlo Stanton hit his 400th career home run yesterday.
• The Pittsburgh Pirates have decided to shut down No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes while they prepare him for the 2024 campaign. Many had wondered if the Pirates would bring him up to the big leagues this season — and maybe they would have if they were in a playoff hunt.
• In New York, the Yankees have opted to end the season for Anthony Rizzo as he recovers from post-concussion syndrome.
• Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon at The Athletic paved a potential path for the Mets to hire David Stearns as their new general manager this winter. ($)
• Michael Baumann at Fangraphs dove into the trends around bunting in recent seasons.
• Meanwhile, Chris Gilligan at Fangraphs analyzed the historically-great rookie class of 2023.
• Esteban Rivera at Fangraphs wonders how sustainable Cole Ragans’ run of excellence is.
• Let’s check in on things in Anaheim...

• That is uhh...not ideal!