Blue Jays: Dylan Cease, which looked like their rotation anchor, Cody Ponce from KBO, Trey Yesavage unlikely to be sent down given his playoff performance. International & Return Signings Cody Ponce: MVP-caliber KBO season; Jays invest $30M/3 yrs. Anthony Kay returns from Japan after dominating Signs with White Sox; may translate to mid-rotation MLB value. Injury Comebacks & Pitching Depth (Cole, Manoah). Alek Manoah signs $1.95M deal with Angels. Angels, Manoah & Grayson Rodriguez may be multi-inning relievers Free Agency Unsigned: Bregman, Alonso, Realmuto, Bassett, Tucker, Pham, Verdugo, Renfroe, Margot and more. Cedric Mullins joins Rays on 1-year, $7M contract; possible trade chip later. CBA & Market Slowdown Concerns Teams may hesitate due to uncertainty around upcoming CBA. Mark wonders whether clubs fear a lost season. Winter Meetings in Orlando next week — Mark may attend. Offseason Transaction “Pauses” What will the Rays outfield look like with Cedric Mullins joining the Tampa Bay Rays - Chandler Simpson, Ryan Vilade, Jonny DeLuca, Josh Lowe, Jake Fraley, Richie Palacios, Jake Mangum MLB Outfield economics projections Rays will spend - $12.4 million Blue Jays spend - $55.8 million Yankees spend - $93 million "Sometimes you get what you pay for" Chandler Simpson's very young can, he can steal a hundred bases & Vilade has room to grow Cedric Mullins will bring a performing experience that & he can be an on-field coach for the other outfielders Value of Homer Bush Jr Rays have needed to get more Left-Handed Ray Delgado’s potential may have been overlooked – “ he's an excellent defender. He has power potential so he could hit, , 10 home runs and above, high work ethic, high leadership. Plus won MVP in AAA Delgado compared to Jake Mangum & Mike Brosseau Rays Fan Fest – will there be one this year, where will we be held, Steinbrenner Field or Trop Parking Lot New Stadium Will Elsa from Frozen be building the new Tampa Bay Rays fall Will Rays will be a Trop team through 2029? Hall of Fame Mat’s choices - Carlos Delgado & Jeff Kent Voters include: Kim Ng, Fergie Jenkins, “Ozzy Smith. Probably one of the cleanest players you could ever imagine & highly skilled. And I know he takes his job seriously as a voter, right? Alan Trammell, same deal. Robin Yount, same deal. I have no doubt in my mind that they hold people to account when it comes to steroids The voting is complicated - ugh! How about a Hall of Fame museum in Vegas that would tell the story of baseball Don Mattingly (Donnie Baseball) – leaves the Toronto Blue Jays. What’s next – could Mattingly replace Aaron Boone with the Yankees Would Don Mattingly work with a new league like the new professional softball league 10 managers changes - looking for stability Who should be held accountable for a team's success, the owner/front office or the manager. Look at John Gruden as an example. Crossing our fingers & toes for Stadium News & Healthy Pitching Arms Remember the Season of Giving Neil Solondz with the Purple Stride - To join go to http://support.pancan.org/goto/neilsolondz Find Mat at @matgermain.bsky.social or reach Mark @ baseballbizondeck@gmail.com BaseballBiz on Deck, @ iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, & at www.baseballbizOnDeck.com Special Thanks to XTaKe-R-U-X for the music Rocking Forward
