We have apparently hit the lock-down-your-bullpen portion of the offseason. Plus: Ha-Seong Kim is moving across the country, Sam Blum has an early candidate for story of the year and Ken wonders about the Brewers' budget. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!
The relief market has seen quite a few dominoes in recent days. Here are some highlights from this week's run on bullpen arms.
From my latest notes column:
Last month, free-agent left-hander Wade Miley told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "I'm not going to just sign anywhere. If I could draw it up, I would sign back in the (NL) Central, preferably wearing blue. Dark blue."
Instead, Miley will be wearing red.
After spending the past two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Miley agreed yesterday with the Cincinnati Reds on a minor-league deal that will pay him $2.5 million pro-rated once he returns to the majors from the hybrid Tommy John surgery he underwent last May.
Which begs the question: The Brewers couldn't afford that?
General manager Matt Arnold did not respond to a request for comment. But the Brewers, coming off their third NL Central title in four years, have signed only two free agents to major-league contracts -- right-hander Elvin RodrÃguez, who spent last season in Japan, and left-hander Grant Wolfram, who at 28 has yet to make his big-league debut. Both deals are for less than $1 million.
Miley, 38, is planning to return sometime in May, and has a June 1 opt-out in his deal. Assuming he eventually joins the Reds, he will reunite with Derek Johnson, his pitching coach during his first stint with the Brewers in 2018. The Reds also anticipate he will provide the same type of leadership for young pitchers that he did with Milwaukee.
The Miley move might prove relatively inconsequential. But it further demonstrates how differently the Reds and Brewers -- who play in two of the game's smallest markets -- are approaching the offseason.
More here.
A year ago, Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim's arrow was pointing up. At 28, his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging had all improved in each of his first three years in the league, climbing to .260/.351/.398 (.749 OPS) in 2023 (when he also won the utility NL Gold Glove award).
It seemed likely his free agency this winter would bring a huge payday.
But last year, not only did his hitting numbers regress -- .233/.330/.370 (.700); all but OBP his worst marks since his rookie year -- but he injured his shoulder in August, eventually undergoing labrum surgery on the day before the Padres were eliminated from the playoffs.
As a result, Kim's price dropped, and the Tampa Bay Rays swooped: They signed him to a two-year deal worth $29 million yesterday. The deal includes a player opt-out after the first season.
One challenge: The labrum can be a tricky gremlin, particularly for left-side infielders. Kim is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day -- in fact, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller was quoted in October as saying it might be "May, June, July."
Still, given the relative dearth of position players on the market, it's a smart move for the Rays, either for contention purposes or as a trade chip at the deadline.
Part of my job as a newsletter writer is to provide context as to why a particular story is worth your time.
Today, I am acknowledging my limits. Nothing I tell you about Sam Blum's story on the Palisades HS baseball team -- currently conducting player-led practices at a city softball field -- would do it more justice than just letting you read a few paragraphs of his outstanding work:
The practice uniform on Jett Teegardin's back was delivered to him days prior by (varsity captain Ryan) Hirschberg. It's one of the only sets of clothes he has.
He packed to leave for two days max, believing he and his mom would have a home to return to soon. That night, they looked at their Ring doorbell camera and saw embers flying around the neighborhood.
The next day, he returned to a home that no longer existed. Even the contents of their fireproof safe were destroyed. The neighbors he grew to love are now displaced with their community gone.
"It's very hard. You picture yourself in your house, your room, everything that's gone," Teegardin said. "I was a sperm donor baby. So I didn't really have a father figure. I'm just trying to be there for my mom, mainly. Throughout every situation, I've always tried to be there for her.
"Me talking to her to make sure she's OK, makes me OK. Knowing she's OK makes me 10 times better."
When Ian Sullivan thinks about what he's lost, his mind goes to his game balls. The one he earned when he was 8 years old. The yearbooks, trophies, pins from his trip to Cooperstown, N.Y. -- all the relics of his childhood.
On the day he was ordered to evacuate, Sullivan thought the winds would blow the fire in the opposite direction. His parents were working, so he packed family photos, their cat and dog, then left, thinking it would be a short departure.
Instead, a week after the fire, Sullivan and 12 of his friends from fifth grade met up at a friend's house in Calabasas. Nearly all of their homes had been destroyed. The meet-up served as a chance to be together.
"It's a dark time right now, but light will always shine through the dark.," he said. "The Palisades is going to be back. I feel like I'm not just playing for myself and my teammates, but I'm playing for my town, and my home."