G-Fafif

Cano has hit two homers in the Winter League opener today.

The ageless knuckler — and the first pitcher the Mets ever faced in postseason — dies at 81, from cancer, making it seven Hall of Famers to depart the field in 2020.

Preview...

At 8 PM MLBN debuts a doc, “Icons Lost,” saluting the six HOFers who died in 2020.

Adeiny Hechavarria is now a Chiba Lotte Marine.

The Nationals trade two pitchers (not Scherzer and Strasburg, but Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean) to the Pirates for 1B Josh Bell.

Steve Cohen continued to reveal himself as a real person who happens to own our favorite baseball team.

FLUSHING, N.Y., December 23, 2020 — The New York Mets today announced that they have named Zack Scott the club's Senior Vice President/Assistant General Manager. Scott, 43, has spent the last 17 years in the Boston Red Sox organization. He spent the last two years as Assistant General Manager where he oversaw the club's analytics, baseball systems and advance and professional scouting departments. “I've known Zack for over 15 years, and worked with him daily for 10 of those years. He's a strong leader who is a very creative and dynamic thinker,” said Mets Executive Vice President/General Manager Jared Porter. “Zack is well rounded in all areas of baseball operations, and will promote synergy and collaboration among all of our departments with an emphasis on research and development.” Scott was heavily involved in the analytics and systems departments that provided decision support to Boston's leadership team in all areas of the operation. Prior to his promotion, he was the Vice President, Baseball Research and Development and worked five years as the Director, Major League Operations for the Red Sox. In that role, he assisted senior baseball leadership in several aspects including major league roster construction, payroll management, player acquisition, contract analysis and coordinated the department's statistical analysis. https://newyorkmets.medium.com/mets-name-zack-scott-senior-vp-assistant-general-manager-edc04e6cbeadhttps://newyorkmets.medium.com/mets-name-zack-scott-senior-vp-assistant-general-manager-edc04e6cbead

"La Potencia"...sigh. Those were good times.

New York belonged to Donnie Baseball. Pos, who grew up in an American League town in the Midwest, stumbled here. Otherwise his advocacy is appreciated.

Carlos Beltran's managerial tenure having far more direct impact here than it did in the dugout.

Howie Kendrick, a World Series hero in certain circles, retires.

...Wilfredo Tovar's in town. As are others on minor league deals. https://newyorkmets.medium.com/mets-announce-several-minor-league-signings-d20175bfb68fhttps://newyorkmets.medium.com/mets-announce-several-minor-league-signings-d20175bfb68f

That is oral history level threading.

21 of Wacha's 34 innings pitched were against AL East clubs. Weird year.

Rays sign for one year the Met they saw the last week of the season and will presumably return him to his former glory. Won his first game as a Met, vs. Boston, then resolutely avoided success. Started the game the Mets won in Baltimore the night Tom Seaver's death was announced, though Wacha was not involved in the decision. Seemed nice enough.

Mets send Ryder Ryan, the pitcher obtained from Cleveland for Jay Bruce, to Texas to complete the already forgotten Todd Frazier deal.

Frank Thomas takes his holiday correspondence seriously. https://sabrbaseballcards.blog/2020/03/01/the-story-behind-the-card-frank-thomas-the-original-one-chapter-two/https://sabrbaseballcards.blog/2020/03/01/the-story-behind-the-card-frank-thomas-the-original-one-chapter-two/

Worthy of Typewriter Chewing Gum.

“Walter, lock it!” was what they used to say around CBS News when Cronkite was trying to verify a breaking story.

Ed Charles Puleo.

Wayne Garrett Olson.

Was lucky enough to be on a previously scheduled Zoom with NLBM president Bob Kendrick tonight. He's pretty darn happy.