It’s official. #FreedChristianWalker Jordan Montgomery? Not so much…
Team news
[Arizona Sports] Report: Jordan Montgomery picks up player option with Diamondbacks – After the season, D-backs managing partner Ken Kendrick took blame for the “horrible decision” to sign Montgomery while appearing on Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. General manager Mike Hazen responded by saying the decision was a group effort and that he expected Montgomery to bounce back and have a better 2025. “I know there’s a better version of Jordan Montgomery that’s out there,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke after the season. “He’s going to accept the responsibility to what it’s going to take for him to come into spring training next year and be one of our five.”
[AZ Central] Geno is back, along with ‘biggest mistake’ of last offseason – The Arizona Diamondbacks’ contract option decisions for 2025 have been decided over the past two days, with no surprises in terms of who is staying and who is going. The Diamondbacks picked up third baseman Eugenio Suarez’s $15 million option and right-hander Merrill Kelly’s $7 million option while declining reliever Scott McGough’s $4 million option. Designated hitters Joc Pederson and outfielder/DH Randal Grichuk each took buyouts rather than exercising their ends of mutual options for next year, thus making them free agents.
[SI] Pros and Cons for Diamondbacks Signing Paul Goldschmidt – If Goldschmidt were willing to accept a lesser role, similar to the role that Evan Longoria accepted when he signed with Arizona prior to the 2023 season, that would be the best case scenario. Being the short side of a platoon, facing left-hand pitching closer to 50% of his at-bats, would protect Goldschmidt from the effects of decline against right-handers. At the same time, it would allow Smith to continue to develop and capitalize on his ability to hit right-handers. If Goldschmidt is willing to accept a part-time role on a one year deal in the $6-8 million range, then he could be the perfect stopgap.
And, elsewhere…
[The Athletic] 2024-25 MLB offseason: Bowden’s 25 predictions for signings, trades and more – Of particular note to D-backs fans. #10. The Mariners sign first baseman Christian Walker (three years, $72 million), improving offensively and defensively at the position. #16 After exercising his $22.5 million player option, Jordan Montgomery is traded by the Diamondbacks to the Braves for two minor-league pitchers, with Arizona agreeing to pay half of his salary.
[FOX Sports] 2025 MLB free-agent rankings, team fits: Juan Soto leads top 30 – Free agency is here, and teams are already wheeling and dealing. On Thursday, the day after the World Series, the Braves traded Jorge Soler to the Angels. Over the next few days, teams will begin negotiating with their own free agents and tendering qualifying offers. On Monday afternoon, players can start signing with new clubs as unrestricted free agency begins. While it might take a couple of months for the biggest pieces to start moving, now’s a good time to start looking at the talent available before the action takes place. Below are the top 30 players from the 2025 free-agent class.
[ESPN] Bob Costas retiring from baseball play-by-play after 42 years – Baseball has always been Costas’ favorite sport. He called games on NBC from 1982 to 1989 and again from 1994 to 2000. He was one of the announcers for the 1995 World Series and then the main play-by-play voice for the Fall Classic in 1997 and 1999. In 2018, he received the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence from the Baseball Hall of Fame. Costas is also known for being the prime-time host of NBC’s Olympics coverage from 1992 to 2016, and he has made appearances as a commentator on sports issues on CNN.
[MLB] Kershaw to undergo surgeries – Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw announced Friday that he will undergo left toe and left knee surgeries next Wednesday. “I have to get my foot fixed and I have to get my left knee fixed, too. It’s going to be a two-for-one special,” Kershaw said. “I’m going to knock them out at the same time. I don’t know the exact timelines. I don’t know that. I think you have to go in and get it fixed and then kind of understand the timeline after that.” The injury to his left big toe is what ended Kershaw’s season prematurely… As he went through testing, Kershaw said he decided to check his left knee. Imaging later showed he needed surgery to repair his left meniscus.
[Fangraphs] The Best and Worst Baserunning Plays of the Postseason – The bright minds at Baseball Savant have developed a system that estimates runs above or below average for 10 different categories of “advance opportunities” on balls in play. Six runners ran into an out that cost their team 0.80 runs or more this postseason. No other baserunning play scored worse than -0.20 runner runs. Here’s a chart and a video compilation of those six disastrous decisions. I’ve also included Savant’s seventh-most detrimental baserunning play of the postseason for comparison:
[Baseball Reference] 2024 MLB Season in Review– Taking a look back at this year’s MLB season through page views on Baseball Reference. We at Baseball Reference are mixing up our “Year in Review” strategy, which is essentially our version of Spotify Wrapped. We are now releasing most of the data after the conclusion of the season, instead of everything at the end of the calendar year. It’s a slight changeup from what we’ve done in the past.
