The Month That Was in Baseball: November 2024

Friday, November 1

Two days after winning the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers get the celebratory parade they were deprived of when last winning it all in 2020 amid the COVID-19 lockdown. A crowd estimated at 200,000 lines the two-mile route in downtown Los Angeles, between City Hall and Fifth Street on the block between Flower and Figueroa (both an actual fact and a reference to the L.A.-based classic Heat). From there, the party moves up to Chavez Ravine, where 42,000 more fans fill Dodger Stadium and watch as players take the podium to express their glee; Shohei Ohtani even speaks English, telling the crowd, “I’m so honored to be here. Congratulations, Los Angeles. Thank you, guys.”

Up in San Francisco, the Giants name a new general manager, with Zack Minasian being promoted from his role running the scouting department—but they also lose, for the moment, starting pitcher Blake Snell as he opts out of his second and final year of a contract that would have paid him $30 million next season. Snell’s move, which is no surprise, puts him back on the free-agent market—with his hope that he’ll get a much longer and lucrative deal.

Milwaukee first baseman Rhys Hoskins decides to stick around with the Brewers one more year, declining to opt out of his two-year deal. The veteran slugger batted just .214 but did add 26 home runs and 82 RBIs for the first-place Brewers. He’ll make $18 million in 2025.

Another low-average, high-powered slugger has his option picked up as the Arizona Diamondbacks say yes to Eugenio Suarez’s $15 million return to the club for 2025. Suarez had one of his better campaigns this past year, batting .256 with 30 homers and 101 RBIs.

Saturday, November 2

The Yankees say no on a $17 million option for Anthony Rizzo—making the 35-year-old first baseman a free agent after an underwhelming season in which he batted .228 with eight home runs in 92 games.

Saying no to the Yankees, meanwhile, is ace Gerrit Cole as he opts out of his current contract with New York—but it’s complicated. Cole’s pact with the Yankees stipulates that the team can void the opt-out by adding one more year and $36 million to the current deal—which may be what Cole is angling for. The Yankees have until the end of the weekend to act on the option.

The Cubs’ Cody Bellinger will remain in Chicago as he decides not to opt out of his current three-year, $90 million contract. The 29-year-old Bellinger, who’s stabilized his game in two seasons at Chicago after a rough three-year stretch with the Dodgers, has the option to back out of his contract after the end of next season as well.

Also staying put is Robbie Ray, who struggled in seven starts with San Francisco as he recovered from Tommy John surgery the year before. He will thus remain a Giant over the final two years and $50 million of his current deal, which he originally signed with Seattle in 2022 after winning the AL Cy Young Award with Toronto.

Eloy Jimenez is a free agent after the Baltimore Orioles decline his $16.5 million option for 2025. The 27-year-old DH has had trouble returning to rookie form, when he belted 31 homers in 2019; this past season split between the Orioles and Chicago White Sox, Jimenez batted .238 with just six round-trippers in 98 games.

Two other notable major leaguers sever ties with their incumbent teams. Sean Manaea, who had a solid comeback campaign with the New York Mets by posting a 12-6 record and 3.47 ERA over 181.2 innings, rejects a $13.5 million player option to return next year; out in Arizona, Joc Pederson (.275 batting average, 23 homers, 64 RBIs) is splitting from the Diamondbacks as part of a mutual option, receiving a $3 million buyout and free agency.

Sunday, November 3

There are 14 first-time recipients out of 20 total Gold Gloves named today as the awards season begins. Of the six who’ve won before, San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman holds seniority rights with his fifth Gold Glove, followed by the third honor for Cleveland second baseman Andres Gimenez and left fielder Steven Kwan, Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ and Arizona first baseman Christian Walker. Colorado center fielder Brenton Doyle earns his second Glove. Six teams tie for the most honored with two Gold Gloves each: The Giants (Chapman and catcher Patrick Bailey), Guardians (Gimenez and Kwan), Rockies (Doyle and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar), Royals (shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and pitcher Seth Lugo), Seattle Mariners (catcher Cal Raleigh and utilityman Dylan Moore) and Milwaukee Brewers (second baseman Brice Turang and right fielder Sal Frelick). 

Michael Wacha is rewarded for a job well done this past season in Kansas City, as the Royals extend the veteran pitcher for three years and $51 million; the club has an option for a fourth year at an additional $21 million. In 2024, the 33-year-old Wacha was 13-8 with a 3.35 ERA over 166.2 innings, and has a career 101-62 mark over 12 seasons.

Monday, November 4

The qualifying offer, MLB teams’ longshot bid to keep outgoing free-agent stars, comes into play as 13 major leaguers receive a one-year, $21.05 million offer to stick around another year. Among those who will likely refuse the money and run are the Yankees’ Juan Soto, Baltimore pitcher Corbin Burnes, Mets slugger Pete Alonso, and Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames. A few might bite at the offer, a short list that could include Cincinnati pitcher Nick Martinez (10-7 with a 3.10 ERA as a hybrid starter/reliever), Mets pitcher Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91 ERA), and Boston pitcher Nick Pivetta (6-12, 4.14 ERA).

In a surprise move, Gerrit Cole takes back what he said a few days earlier and will not opt out of his current contract with the Yankees. It was assumed that the veteran ace opted out in order to force the Yankees to overrule and add an extra year valued at $36 million to his current deal, but his change of heart didn’t require New York to make the addition.

Theory: Cole was hoping to force the Yankees’ hand by opting out—and when he sensed that the team wasn’t going to give him the extra year, he folded. We’ll read all about it later, as in many years from now.

Nathan Eovaldi, easily the Rangers’ best (and healthiest) starter this past year, declines his $20 million option for 2025 and decides to become a free agent. The 34-year-old right-hander was 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA over 29 starts in 2024.

The Braves make a no-brainer move and exercise Marcell Ozuna’s $16 million option for 2025. If he’s as good next year as he was this past season—when he batted .302 with 39 homers and 104 RBIs—he’ll be a relative bargain for Atlanta.

Not coming back for Atlanta is veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who is declined his $8 million team option. The Braves figure they can pay far less for a back-up option with Sean Murphy due to earn $15 million in 2025.

The Hall of Fame’s Classic Era committee has announced eight candidates who played prior to 1980. They are: Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Dave Parker, Luis Tiant, and Negro Leaguers John Donaldson and Vic Harris. Hopefully, politics won’t play a role in the vote; Garvey, running as a Republican Senate candidate in left-heavy California, is almost certain to lose tomorrow to Adam Schiff—while John has previously complained that his right-leaning views has kept him out of the Hall. Sixteen voters will assemble on December 8 to cast their ballots; candidates need 75% (or 12 votes) to earn enshrinement.

The Texas Rangers name a replacement for general manager Chris Young, who recently was promoted to President of Baseball Operations. Ross Fenstermaker, who for the past three years has overseen the Rangers’ international scouting, will take over the spot at age 38.

Tuesday, November 5

Don’t panic when you read the next line, Dodgers fans: Shohei Ohtani has surgery on his left shoulder. The procedure is done to repair a labrum tear which occurred in a stolen base attempt during the World Series. It’s anticipated that Ohtani will be healed and fully ready when Spring Training begins in a little over three months—but whether the surgery will affect his return to the pitching mound remains a question mark, even if it was the non-throwing shoulder that was damaged.

Not expected to be ready on Opening Day for the Braves are two of their top stars, outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and pitcher Spencer Strider. Acuna tore an ACL near the end of May; Strider underwent season-ending elbow surgery after just two starts. Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters, “We’re planning that they will not be part of the Opening Day roster, and how soon after that, we’ll know more as we get deeper into the offseason.”

Wednesday, November 6

The Chicago Cubs are without their last active member of the 2016 team that won the franchise’s first world title in 108 years. Pitcher Kyle Hendricks, who led the majors with a 2.13 ERA during the Cubs’ victorious campaign, has signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Born in nearby Newport Beach, the 34-year-old Hendricks is looking for a turnaround from an awful 2024 season in which he went 4-12 with a career-worst 5.92 ERA with the Cubs.

Thursday, November 7

The St. Louis Cardinals announce that catcher Willson Contreras will be the team’s everyday first baseman in 2025, hoping that the move will allow him to focus on being a better hitter. This likely closes the door on the return of Paul Goldschmidt, a free agent after six years with the Redbirds that included an NL MVP just two years ago. Contreras missed seven weeks after having his arm broken while reaching out too far with his catching glove—thus interfering with a swing from the New York Mets’ J.D. Martinez. For the year, Contreras batted .262 with 15 home runs and 36 RBIs over 84 games.

Friday, November 8

After leading the Yankees to their first pennant in 15 years, manager Aaron Boone is rewarded with a one-year extension for 2025. The 51-year-old Boone ranks seventh on the franchise list in managerial wins, having notched 603 since taking over the reins in 2018; for what it’s worth, he’s first on the list of Yankee pilots who’ve been ejected, with 39 dismissals—and counting.

Saturday, November 9

Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese pitching phenom whose impressive feats over recent years have made news, has been given permission by the Chiba Lotte Marines to sign with an MLB team. This is the guy who threw a 12-inning shutout on 194 pitches, striking 21 batters, as a high schooler; the guy who threw a perfect game in 2022, striking out 19; and the guy who, in his next start, threw eight more perfect innings before being pulled. Sasaki is known for an electric fastball that typically exceeds 100 MPH, mixed with a split-fingered heater and slider. In four years with Chita Lotte, he posted a 30-15 record, 2.02 ERA and averaged 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings thrown—but he’s never thrown more than 129 innings in a season, which should serve as caution to any MLB team hoping to get 30 starts out of him in 2025.

Sasaki won’t be able to sign a contract akin to the $325 million given to the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamato, because as a player under age 25 with less than six years of experience, he can only be paid by an MLB team through its allotted international amateur bonus pool, which annually is no more than $7 million. Shohei Ohtani went through a similar scenario when he arrived in the States in 2018, also at age 23.

Sunday, November 10

The Miami Marlins name as their new manager Clayton McCullough, who’s been the Dodgers’ first-base coach for the past four years. The 44-year-old McCullough is said to have had a big role in teaching Shohei Ohtani to be a better basestealer, leading to 59 steals for the likely NL MVP this past season. It will thus be curious to see if McCullough pushes a more aggressive baserunning strategy for the Marlins this coming season.

Monday, November 11

Finalists for the four major postseason awards are announced, with more curiosity surrounding who, beyond the obvious likely winners, will place second and third. This is certainly true for both MVP awards, which are bound to be given to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Yankees’ Aaron Judge; in the NL, Ohtani is one of three candidates along with the Mets’ Francisco Lindor and Arizona’s Ketel Marte, while Judge is joined in the AL stakes with teammate Juan Soto and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. Similarly, the likely NL Cy Young Award winner in Atlanta’s Chris Sale is joined by Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler and, in a bit of a surprise, Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes—while the AL Cy, expected to go to Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, will be grouped with the Royals’ Seth Lugo and Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase.

There’s bigger suspense with the two other awards. Skenes is up for NL Rookie of the Year honors along with San Diego’s Jackson Merrill and Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio, while the AL rookie trio consists of Baltimore’s Colten Cowser, Yankee pitcher Luis Gil and catching teammate Austin Wells. The inclusion of Wells is a surprise given the exclusion of Oakland closer Mason Miller and Texas outfielder Wyatt Langford, both of whom could easily be argued to have had better years. Finally, in the Manager of the Year selections, NL candidates include the Mets’ Carlos Mendoza, Brewers’ Pat Murphy and San Diego’s Mike Shildt, who won the honor in 2019 while managing St. Louis. The AL side features the Royals’ Matt Quatraro, Tigers’ A.J. Hinch and Guardians’ Stephen Vogt.

Wander Franco just keeps digging his hole deeper and deeper. Already confined to his native Dominican Republic as he awaits trial for sexual abuse of a minor, the star Tampa Bay second baseman who hasn’t played since late 2023 is arrested for an altercation which reportedly involves guns. Franco owned and was in possession of one of the guns, which could be a big problem if he doesn’t have a license for it.

Tuesday, November 12

There are few surprises in the list of winners for this year’s Silver Sluggers, with Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge expectedly leading the way in the NL and AL, respectively. Houston second baseman Jose Altuve and Dodgers outfielder/middle infielder Mookie Betts each win a Slugger for the seventh time, tops among all recipients; Betts has the peculiar distinction of winning the honor as a “utility” player, a category which debuted in 2022 for those playing multiple positions. Seven players win the honor for the first time, including Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte, Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Oakland DH Brent Rooker and Texas ‘utility’ guy Josh Smith. The San Diego Padres lead all teams with three winners: Third baseman Manny Machado and outfielders Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar.

The City of St. Petersburg concludes that Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, won’t be repaired and ready until 2026 as an assessment of the ballpark’s damage from Hurricane Milton states that $55.7 million and most of next year will be needed to get the facility back in shape. The report all but ensures that the Rays will have to play their home games at one of many minor league facilities located in the region for 2025.

The question now becomes: If the Trop is scheduled to be torn down for a new ballpark set to open in 2028, is it even worth fixing? The St. Petersburg City Council will discuss that very topic at their next meeting on November 21.

The Angels continue to be active early in the offseason. After signing free agent pitcher Kyle Hendricks and trading for slugger Jorge Soler, the Angels ink catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who recently had his 2025 team option rejected by Atlanta. The deal for the 35-year-old d’Arnaud is two years and $12 million.

Wednesday, November 13

Do you want Ted Williams’ 1946 MVP plaque? Or his Presidential Medal of Freedom? If you have a lot of loose cash lying around, you might be able to snatch these and more items, being auctioned off by the surviving members of Williams’ daughter, who recently passed away. Besides the two items mentioned above, also expected to go the block is the silver baseball bat the Hall-of-Fame slugger received after winning his sixth and final batting title in 1958.

Four days later, the MVP award will fetch $528,750, while the bat will go for $270,000 and the medal for $141,000.

Thursday, November 14

Comeback Player of the Year awards are announced for each league, with Atlanta’s Chris Sale taking NL honors while Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet takes the AL vote. The naming of Sale is no surprise, as the likely Cy Young Award winner had arguably his best season after five years of numerous injuries severely limited his play. Crochet, on the other hand, never really came back from anything previously considered elite; he had a good, not great, 2021 season as a full-time reliever before missing the next two seasons to Tommy John surgery. His 2024 campaign was more of a breakout that a comeback.

The Rays announce that they will play their home games for the 2025 season at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field, the 11,000-seat Spring Training home of the Yankees, while hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field perhaps undergoes repairs in St. Petersburg. For those complaining that the St. Pete-based Trop is too distant to reach, here’s their chance to prove that a ballpark closer to the masses will bring in the fans; Steinbrenner Field is ideally located between downtown and Tampa International Airport, while it sits practically across the street from Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buccaneers.

There appears to be, for now, a happy ending to the 20-month-long Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy saga. A judge in Texas okays the regional sports network’s plan to reorganize and climb itself out of the immense debt it has accumulated. A recent infusion of cash from FanDuel (for which the network will be re-branded as) and a commercial agreement with Amazon has helped Diamond’s cause, while frosty relations with MLB and its teams seem to be warming over as contracts have been re-established with those previously stuck with DSG.

Friday, November 15

The Baltimore Orioles announce that they’re moving the fences back in at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. In 2022, the team pushed the walls in left back some 20 feet and raised the heights up to 20 feet. “We overcorrected,” team exec vice president Mike Elias says of that adjustment, so the Orioles have developed a compromise with the wall brought back in 14 feet in left—while returning the left-center portion back to its original, pre-2022 position, as close as 363 feet from home plate. The heights will also be shortened, to anywhere from 6’11” to eight feet. The extra room behind the wall will also provide space for a platform hosting Mr. Splash, who sprays water on bleacher fans whenever he pretty much wants to.

The alterations are somewhat surprising, given that the moving back of the walls coincided with the Orioles’ return to winning baseball after years of misery in which pitchers were seemingly bombarded on a nightly basis by opposing hitters. Perhaps the team is hoping that this latest adjustment will encourage free-agent sluggers to take a closer look at coming to Baltimore.

Saturday, November 16

Brusdar Graterol’s return to health for the Dodgers late in the regular season and playoffs turns out to be short-lived. The 26-year-old reliever who only made 10 appearances late in the year after being tabled with shoulder and hamstring issues will undergo surgery on his throwing shoulder, and won’t return to action until the second half of the 2025 season. Over six major league seasons, the hard-throwing right-hander has compiled a 2.78 ERA and 11 saves over 188 appearances.

Monday, November 18

Awards week begins with Rookie of the Year honors going to Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes (NL) and Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (AL). Skenes, who dazzled in his debut with an 11-3 record and 1.96 ERA over 133 innings, picks up 23 of 30 first-place votes; San Diego’s Jackson Merrill grabs the other seven. The Brewers’ Jackson Chourio earns 26 of 30 third-place votes. It’s a much closer race in the AL vote, with Gil barely out-pointing Baltimore’s Colton Cowser by a 106-101 count. Picking up a first-place vote each is Oakland closer Mason Miller and Cleveland reliever Cade Smith—two players who didn’t even make the final cut as the top three vote-getters.

Skenes is only the second Pirate to be named Rookie of the Year, 20 years after Jason Bay was the first. Gil is the 10th Yankee graced with the honor; no other AL team has had more players win the award.

The Hall of Fame announces its list of candidates for the 2025 general election, with 14 new players and 14 returnees on the ballot. Among the first-year contenders are 3,000-hit man Ichiro Suzuki—who’s expected to earn quick election—and aces CC Sabathia and Felix Hernandez. Back for his 10th and final shot at induction is closer Billy Wagner, who just missed out last year with 73.8% of the vote—just short of the 75% needed. Other returnees also closing in on 75% are perennial Gold Glove outfielder Andruw Jones (61.6% last year) and Carlos Beltran (57.1%), while steroid abusers Alex Rodriguez (34.8%) and Manny Ramirez (32.5%) return for their fourth and ninth ballots, respectively.

As anticipated, Cincinnati pitcher Nick Martinez grabs the carrot stick and accepts the Reds’ $21.05 million qualifying offer to stay one more year. The 34-year-old right-hander, who split his time between the rotation and bullpen this past season, set career bests with 10 wins and a 3.10 ERA. He pitched extremely well down the stretch, allowing three earned runs over his final five starts and 32.2 innings. Perhaps that late momentum is the reason the Reds offered him the pricey tempt to stay.

All other players asked to return via the qualifying offer will say no thanks.

Goodbye, Minute Maid Park—hello, Daikin Park. The latter will be the new name for the Houston Astros’ current ballpark, which opened in 2000 under the short-lived name of Enron Field, after the notorious energy corporation which collapsed shortly thereafter. What’s interesting is that the deal with Minute Maid was set to expire after the 2029 season, so it’s not publicly known why the Astros are making a change now. The new deal with Daikin, a Japan-based air conditioning company, is set to last through 2039.

Tuesday, November 19

Two rookie pilots win this year’s Manager of the Year Awards, with Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt (AL) and Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy (NL) being honored. Both receive 27 first-place votes and are placed on all 30 ballots. Vogt, who guided the Guardians to an AL Central title, is the third Cleveland manager to win the honor, following Eric Wedge and Terry Francona (who won the award three times). Murphy, who led the Brewers to the NL Central crown, is the first winner in Milwaukee franchise history.

The proposed new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays is in trouble. Just hours before Pinellas County commissioners meet to vote on $310 million in public bonds toward the St. Petersburg project, the Rays blindside the commission by sending a letter stating that the current terms on the ballpark need to be renegotiated. Approval to the bonds was already delayed a few weeks due to the aftermath of two hurricanes that struck the Tampa Bay area—most particularly Hurricane Milton, which shredded the Rays’ current home of Tropicana Field to the point that the team will have to play their 2025 home schedule at a minor league facility. Because of the delay, the Rays claim that they have been thrown off their schedule to have a new ballpark ready by 2028—and that a one-year delay will lead to “significantly higher costs” to build it. Because of the fluid situation created by the Rays’ letter, the commission had no choice but to further delay the vote until early December.

In relatively more innocuous news involving the Rays, the team trades outfielder Jose Siri, who batted a team-low .187 but with 18 home runs this past season, to the New York Mets for reliever Eric Orze—who gave up four runs on three hits, two walks and a hit batter over 1.2 innings on July 8, his sole major league appearance.

Wednesday, November 20

Tarik Skubal gets a sweet 28th birthday gift as winner of this year’s AL Cy Young Award, while Atlanta’s Chris Sale gains his first award in the NL after placing anywhere between second and sixth in seven other seasons (2012-18) while pitching for the White Sox and Red Sox. Both pitchers, each of whom earned the triple crown of pitching by leading their respective leagues in wins, ERA and strikeouts, were widely expected to place first in the vote. Skubal’s vote is unanimous, grabbing all 30 first-place votes; Sale gains 26 of 30 in the NL, with Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler nabbing the other four. Skubal is the fifth Detroit pitcher to win the Cy, and the first since Max Scherzer in 2013; Sale is also the fifth in Braves franchise history, with Tom Glavine last being rewarded in 1998. Wheeler is followed in the NL vote by Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes, who places a distant third; Kansas City’s Seth Lugo is second in the AL count, ahead of Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase.

Thursday, November 21

Awards week concludes with Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge winning the NL and AL MVPs in unanimous fashion. Ohtani’s honor is especially impressive in that he becomes only the second player, after Frank Robinson, to win MVPs in both the NL and AL. Having previously won it twice with the Angels, Ohtani has won all three of his MVPs unanimously; no other player has ever received all first-place votes more than once. Ohtani is the 11th Dodger to win an MVP, and the first since Cody Bellinger in 2019; overall, he’s the 12th player to win three times. The AL MVP for Judge is his second, having previously won for his 2022 effort in which he broke the AL season record with 62 home runs. He’s the sixth Yankee to win the award multiple times, joining Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez. (Babe Ruth never won the modern iteration of the MVP as they began handing out the award in 1931, as Ruth’s supremacy was beginning to fade.) The Mets’ Francisco Lindor finishes second in the NL vote, while Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. secures all 30 second-place votes in the AL tally. The two Cy Young winners, Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal, each place seventh.

It’s interesting to note: NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes gets three MVP points—while San Diego’s Jackson Merrill, who finished second in the rookie vote, gets 57 points to place ninth in the NL MVP vote.

The new Rays ballpark saga continues to take on more of a soap opera vibe. The St. Petersburg City Council, which earlier votes to approve $23 million to fix Tropicana Field, regroups later in the day and reverses the vote. Because the city is contractually obligated to fix the roof, one pauses to wonder on why there’s a reversal. It could be theorized that the city is looking to use the roof repair funds as a negotiating chip in response to the Rays’ claim that terms on a new ballpark need to be rehashed out.

Friday, November 22

There are 62 new free agents crowding the market after MLB teams refuse arbitration on them for 2025. Among those released are closer Jordan Romano, third on Toronto’s all-time list for saves with 105; Washington closer Kyle Finnegan, who’s saved 66 games for the Nationals over the past two seasons; Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval; Colorado second baseman Brendan Rodgers, a 2022 Gold Glove winner; and outfielder Austin Hays, who split this past year between Baltimore and Philadelphia.

The Royals trade pitcher Brady Singer to Cincinnati in exchange for 2021 NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer. The 28-year-old Singer has had an up-and-down career with Kansas City since debuting in 2020; this past season, he had mixed results with a 9-13 record but okay 3.71 ERA. India, meanwhile, has slightly regressed since winning rookie honors; he slightly improved in 2024, batting .248 but adding 80 walks while pounding out 28 doubles, 15 home runs and stealing 13 bases over 151 games.

Alyssa Nakken, who made headlines in 2020 by becoming the majors’ first female coach, has left San Francisco to join the Cleveland front office as assistant director of player development. The 34-year-old Nakken did some spot duty as a base coach for the Giants.

Sunday, November 24

Rico Carty, the 1970 NL batting champ whose career peak was interrupted by two completely different but ravaging medical issues, has passed away at the age of 85. Debuting for the Milwaukee Braves in 1964, the Dominican-born Carty batted .330 with 22 home runs and 88 RBIs, finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Richie Allen. Throughout the 1960s, he continued to put up impressive batting numbers—with a .326 average in 1966 and .342 mark in 1969—then he ramped it up in 1970, hitting a career-best .366 along with 25 homers and 101 RBIs as he made the starting NL All-Star team as a write-in candidate. Carty rebounded from a bout of tuberculosis that cost him the entire 1968 season, but a major knee injury while playing winter ball after his excellent 1970 campaign put him on a much tougher comeback trail. It wasn’t until the mid-1970s, playing for Cleveland, that he began to show some of his early-career form—but time was not on his side, despite playing solid ball until his age 40 season in 1979 with Oakland. Batting .256 in that final year dropped Carty’s career average below .300—to .299. Overall, Carty collected 1,612 hits, 204 of those home runs. His 1970 All-Star appearance was the only one of his 15-year career.

Monday, November 25

The first major free-agent signing of the offseason is consummated as pitcher Yusei Kikuchi is wrapped up by the Angels for three years and $63 million. After a shaky start with Toronto this past season, the 33-year-old right-hander was moved to Houston, where he went 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts with the Astros. Over six major league seasons, Kikuchi is 41-47 with a 4.57 ERA.

MLB is changing up the schedule of the Tampa Bay Rays, who will be without the use of Tropicana Field this coming season. To minimize the number of games the Rays would have to play outdoors in the stifling tropical summer heat, the team will host 47 of their first 59 games of the 2025 season at their temporary home of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa—with the other 34 to be spread out over the 103 games to follow.

Between the recent drama being created over the proposed new Rays ballpark, the current issues at Tropicana Field and a local weather climate that’s grown increasingly turbulent, maybe it really is time for the Rays to consider a move out of Florida. It’s becoming more trouble than it’s worth.

Tuesday, November 26

The mighty get mightier. The world champion Dodgers scoop up two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, who opted out from San Francisco after a half-awful, half-great season which was his only one with the Giants. Payout: Five years, $182 million. The left-hander, who turns 32 next week, joins a Los Angeles rotation that next year should also see the return of Shohei Ohtani, who focused specifically on hitting in 2024 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. The trick for Snell will be to avoid the injury curse that inflicted virtually every member of the Dodgers’ rotation this past season, in spite of the team’s World Series triumph.

The battle between the Rays and local politicos continues. Kathleen Peters, chairperson for the Pinellas County Court Commission, sends a letter to the Rays informing them that they have until Sunday to reiterate their commitment to the $1.3 billion project that includes a new ballpark as voted on in July. The Rays recently informed the local powers-that-be that government delays in approving public funds have made it impossible for them to move into a new ballpark by the 2028 target date—and that a one-year delay would be too expensive.

And so, this game of chess continues on.

Wednesday, November 27

After a miserable season in St. Louis—his first after 13 years with the Giants—shortstop Brandon Crawford announces his retirement. Popular in San Francisco, the 37-year-old Crawford quietly went about his business, doing it well—earning four Gold Gloves, three All-Star spots and two World Series rings as a member of the 2012 and 2014 champion Giants. After a superlative 2021 season in which he finished fourth in the NL MVP vote, Crawford regressed quickly and was not invited back to the Giants this past season after his contract expired. He hooked on with the Cardinals, batting .169 with a single home run over 28 games before being released in August.

Over 14 seasons, Crawford batted .249 with 1,404 hits including 147 home runs; his 290 doubles and 744 RBIs with the Giants rank him eighth and ninth, respectively, among players who performed with the franchise after 1900.

Friday, November 29

Utility guy Tommy Edman is handsomely rewarded for his efforts helping the Dodgers to a World Series triumph by being given a five-year, $74 million contract by Los Angeles. A trusty infielder with some outfield play for the Cardinals from 2019-23, Edman began the year on the shelf following wrist surgery and didn’t make his season debut until after being traded by St. Louis to the Dodgers. In 37 regular season contests for Los Angeles, Edman batted .237 with six homers, 20 RBIs and six steals; he particularly sparkled in the postseason, with a .328 average, two homers, 13 RBIs and five swipes over 61 at-bats, winning NLCS MVP honors.