Baseball Connection

Sean Manaea has been traded to the San Diego Padres. It was a four-player swap between Oakland and San Diego. The Athletics have now traded away all their notable players as they hope to operate with a low payroll. The blows keep coming for the White Sox pitching staff as Lance Lynn will be out for at least a month due to knee surgery.

Top prospects are making their way to Opening Day rosters at a greater rate than we typically see. This is due to the new Prospect Promotion Incentive which awards teams with additional draft picks if their top prospects accrue a full year of service time and also finish near the top of major award votes. The Angels have moved on from Justin Upton, but another team will likely pick him up. All this (and more) on today's episode.

The White Sox and Dodgers have completed a one-for-one trade involoving Craig Kimbrel and AJ Pollock. Kimbrel will take the 9th inning role in LA while Pollock will be the White Sox new everyday left fielder. Shortly after the trade, it was announced that White Sox star lefty reliever Garrett Crochet will need Tommy John surgery. Jacob deGrom is heading for an MRI on his shoulder. What's going on with his health?

The Reds have announced that top pitching prospect Hunter Greene has made the starting rotation. Greene and his triple digit fastball will debut on April 10. He was the #2 overall pick in the 2017 draft and signed for $7.2 million out of high school. With the new collective bargaining agreement, teams now have incentive to promote their top prospects earlier. Are the Kansas City Royals suddenly moving towards contention? All this (and more) on today's episode.

The Braves bullpen came up big in their championship run and they'll be even better in 2022 after adding Kenley Jansen. The White Sox should expect better performances from Kimbrel plus they've added Joe Kelly. Which are the top 10 bullpens in MLB this season? All this on today's episode.

The Twins have signed Chris Archer to a one-year deal. Archer will provide rotation depth for a Minnesota team that has suddenly become intriguing. In just a couple weeks, the Twins have risen from obscurity by adding several notable names. The Dodgers and Padres swung a rare trade sending Matt Beaty to San Diego in exchange for a prospect. Beaty is a valuable on-base machine who will compete for immediate playing time.

Albert Pujols is back in St. Louis. The future Hall of Famer agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal back where it all began. Who could have imagined Pujols, Wainwright, and Molina would be playing for the Cardinals in 2022? Pujols is chasing 700 home runs. Can he get there this season? All this (and more) on today's episode.

The Yankees will be offering Aaron Judge a contract extension sometime before Opening Day. Judge is the face of the franchise and it would be in the team's best interest to take care of him. The D-Backs would like to extend Ketel Marte. The Angels extended Max Stassi and he'll be their starting catcher. All this on today's episode.

Andrew Miller has called it a career after 16 seasons in MLB. Miller reshaped the relief pitcher role and was one of the most versatile lefty bullpen arms around. Michael Conforto is the top free agent still on the market but the clock is ticking for him to find a deal. Foreign substance checks are back and will be enforced even further. All this (and more) on today's episode.

The "ghost runner" rule will be back in 2022. Extra innings will begin with a runner on second base in order to speed up such games and avoid marathon contests. Is this a good rule or does it water down the experience? A separate new rule means no more Shohei Ohtani in the outfield since he'll now be allowed to remain in the lineup as a DH even after he's done pitching. All Yankees and Mets players will be allowed to play home games now that New York City is carving out an exemption to their vaccine mandate for professional athletes.