Thanksgiving “Recipes” for 30 MLB Teams

AL East Power Shifts

• Red Sox add Sonny Gray, creating a potential rotation anchor alongside Crochet
• Yankees uncertainties: Garrett Cole’s health, unproven young arms
• Orioles lose Grayson Rodriguez
• Blue Jays surge by adding Dylan Cease and retooling their rotation
• Is it now a Red Sox & Blue Jays division for 2026

What does it take to get a top tier player  - Cash - Payouts - Location - Teams

Blue Jays Go All-In

• Toronto surpasses the 2026 luxury tax for the first time.
• Dylan Cease deal 
• building a legacy around young starter Trey Yesavage and a veteran rotation mix of Gausman, Berríos, Bieber, and Cease
• Bo Bichette’s future with Blue Jays or elsewhere & getting out of Vladdy's shadow

What does it take to get a top tier player  - Cash - Payouts - Location - Teams

What’s cooking with the Rays Roster

• The club DFA’s Jake Fraley to avoid arbitration—then brings him back and save over half of a million .
• Cooking ‘up a stew for Tampa Bay’s outfield mix:
•  Jake Fraley, Ryan Vilade, Chandler Simpson, Josh Lowe, Jonny DeLuca, Richie PalaciIos, Jake Mangum.
• Does Rays’ aggressiveness lag behind AL East rivals.
• Extend Junior Caminero – a punch of positivity for the future of the Rays & the fans
• Loving past Rays players including Isaac Paredes & Joey Wendle
• Kyle Tucker or Alex Bregman - who would you choose
• Longevity vs immediate impact performance
• Mat  “you never want to pay for what they did. You want to pay for what they're going to do.”
• Kyle Tucker with Rays, Cubs, Dodgers and at what price 
• Randy Arozarena - a talent undervalued
• Vernon Wells - Anthopoulos hot potato unloaded

Anthony Rendon & Angels Buyout

Gil Meche walked away from Royals leaving $12 million behind

Measuring beyond Analytics 

• Mental health considerations
• Character evaluation should factor more heavily into long-term contracts.
• Big-moment - Clutch rating
• Being a good teammate & building comradery
• Reflect on 2020 Rays’ energy and Arozarena/Phillips sideline moments 
• Contrast drawn with Anthony (Eeyore) Rendon negative presence & how moving on could re-energize Mike Trout and the Angels.

World Baseball Classic Excitement

•  WBC iconic moment - Trout vs. Ohtani 
• Japan’s dominance, Yamamoto–Ohtani 
• Should MLB should pause season or adjust the All-Star break to improve WBC pitching quality.

Scheduling Challenges Across Sports
Overlapping sports calendars 

multiple leagues compete for fan attention.

Women’s Pro Baseball League – WPBL Draft
Draft Day party at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers during the first WPBL draft.

600+ players evaluated

120 drafted

4 teams, 30 draftees each, later trimmed to 15

Notable talent: Kelsie Whitmore, Ayami Sato

Several players from the USA Women’s National Team 
 Reflection on MLB’s support for women's softball vs. women’s baseball

Pay to Play & Record – Youth sports can penalize parents & team standings if parents record sports at some locations.

Find Mat at @matgermain.bsky.social or reach Mark @  [email protected] BaseballBiz on Deck, @ iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, & at www.baseballbizOnDeck.com 
Special Thanks to XTaKe-R-U-X for the music Rocking Forward