Adolis Garcia got a one year deal with the Phillies for $10 Million. Josh Bell got his one year deal with the Twins. He gets $5.5 Million plus a signing bonus and there is a mutual option.
The Diamondbacks will sign right-hander Merrill Kelly. The Rangers will sign Tyler Alexander. The Blue Jays just designated left-hander Justin Bruihl for assignment because they need room after signing Tyler Rogers for three years.
Isaiah Campbell got a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks organization. Christian Pache gets a minor league deal with the Mets organization. Anthony Veneziano gets his minor league deal with the Rangers. So did Jose Herrera. Michael Plassmeyer got a minor league deal from the Blue Jays. Chad Stevens got a minor league deal with the Rockies.
Long time minor league outfielder David Dahl has officially retired.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Angels To Sign Drew Pomeranz
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/angels-to-sign-drew-pomeranz.html
Bullpen piece. It’s the only affordable pitching
Good signing
Another reclamation project…..
Angels To Sign Jordan Romano
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/angels-to-sign-jordan-romano.html
33 and -1.7 WAR last year 😂😂😂😂
But he was good 3 years ago
Another Mad(dox) Mike approved project ?
Hopefully with still 4 more spots to fill out on the 40 man roster, these two along with the Manoah signing are the coach cushion coin signings we do just before those Big international splashes.
Then The Platypus 7 >>> The Dipoto 4
Okamoto + Gallen/King
It’s the “if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with” strategy.
For $2 million
Eh, sure?
Is it me or do GMPOBIOPVPBs are more inclined this off season to go after “the chaff” that they want early rather than waiting for the big money moves to be made and then plugging in the Foleys and Knitzers? I know that always happens some, but it seems like a lot of FOs are jumping at “their junk” early.
Almost like front offices have been given marching orders of 1 or 2 year deals because of the potential strike/lockout. But I’m no conspiracy theorist, as it could have just as much to do with the TV deals being in flux in some markets, and contracting to shorter terms and lower rights deal.
I’m usually wrong so I come here to get educated… so.
I think the short deals are mostly due to TV deals and MLB not yet saying anything about 2028 and beyond. There aren’t that many teams that have a decent TV contract that I can remember. I also wonder if the latest TV/media contract signed by MLB includes revenue for games lost in 2027. I wouldn’t pay money for a game not played.
I’m getting more skeptical on how hard the owners are going to push in the next negotiations. The owners have as many problems with each other as they do with the players. Would not surprise me if the owners cave in early.
We should grab Tristan Peters and give him a shot/home in SLC
Skaggs was not going to get Patrick Corbin money. Especially by the Angels in 2020. He would’ve been lucky to get year 3/$36 million. Even if he’s a 2 WAR pitcher he probably maxes out at 15 million $3 year deal. Let’s say he gets 4/$60.
I assign fault 65/35 on the Angels because they were reckless with having Kay. Skaggs probably dies of fentanyl 2 years in anyways. But let’s say he doesn’t. I’d say the Angels owe the family $35 million max, which is why they’ll negotiate Rendon’s deal if they can. Replace Rendon with Skaggs.
We have pretty much the same number but in two different ways.
I think the Walker 2 year $20 million comp is very fair but it is a reach to assume the 3 year $54 million deal Walker snagged was a guarantee. At some point, Tyler’s drug issues likely kill or derail his career. But perhaps not.
So I take the midpoint between $20 and $74 and come up with about $50 million in somewhat likely earnings. Or we can use your $60 million number.
Split the blame 50/50 because Tyler wanted the pill, Tyler had multiple avenues for the pill, and Tyler was eventually going to find a bad pill. But he found a bad pill at work from a guy who should’ve been fired years ago.
So I have $25-$30 million for the family. Not enough to cripple the franchise but enough to leave a stain on Moreno and just further solidify his standing as a bad owner.
I just wonder how much they paid the Mickey Mouse law firm who couldn’t attend the trial because they had a holiday party.
Wait… what? Whose law firm and lawyer couldn’t attend a trial because of a holiday party? Did the judge grant a recess delay for another day?
A couple of Fridays ago the trial was cut off at noon because the Angels lawyers had their annual holiday party.
I was thinking $10M so the family gets some money, the lawyers get some money, and Arte feels a slight sting for running an incompetent FO.
Perry then renegotiates Rendon’s final year, and then Arte announces the team is up for sale again now that Rendon and Skaggs are handled.
It’s funny – that’s exactly the number that’s been rattling around my head as “what’s fair” given where Skaggs was in his career trajectory, and a figure that would give the Skaggs family a good shot at an upper middle class income for decades if well-invested. It’s hard to persuade me that they somehow ‘deserve’ greater luxury b/c their deceased moved in toxic circles and partied too hard.
I almost never talk about this case, because it just seems disgusting and tragic from end to end. But, agnostic of what the law will bear, I personally think a few things are true:
Exactly my feelings as well.
A guy who should’ve been fired gave a guy who was going to get drugs somewhere a bad pill, which happens with opiates.
You think Skaggs would be dead within 2 years from fentanyl anyway but is only 35% at fault for taking the drugs that killed him?
The Skaggs-Angels wrongful death civil trial — after more than 2 months of testimony — is officially in the hands of the jury.
Deliberations have begun.
https://x.com/i/status/2000987203850404049
🥁 🥁 🥁
Can they decide that everyone is an asshole and has to go away like the last episode of Seinfeld?
Even the closing arguments lasted longer than allowed. This poor jury.
Sam the Hat did a great review on the case yesterday. Apparently the jury has multiple items to figure out.
“If I blame Skaggs for killing himself with drugs then any of the people I know or will know that do the same are also painted with the shit brush. It’s so much easier to blame “the man”. Give those two classy ladies 200M…”
Went to the article to read more about this iPad thing.
WTF is this law now?
It seems really odd to me and I’d suggest Charles step in here as the resident lawyer.
But it seem like you can only receive punitive damages if you had property damaged. Simply losing your life isn’t enough. Bizarre.
So the Skaggs side is saying his ipad was damaged by doing lines of drugs on it and then being seized by the Feds. How they say that was malicious escapes me.
😲
Civil Code section 3294
(a) In an action for the breach of an obligation not arising from contract, where it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant has been guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice, the plaintiff, in addition to the actual damages, may recover damages for the sake of example and by way of punishing the defendant.(b) An employer shall not be liable for damages pursuant to subdivision (a), based upon acts of an employee of the employer, unless the employer had advance knowledge of the unfitness of the employee and employed him or her with a conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others or authorized or ratified the wrongful conduct for which the damages are awarded or was personally guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice. With respect to a corporate employer, the advance knowledge and conscious disregard, authorization, ratification or act of oppression, fraud, or malice must be on the part of an officer, director, or managing agent of the corporation.(c) As used in this section, the following definitions shall apply:(1) “Malice” means conduct which is intended by the defendant to cause injury to the plaintiff or despicable conduct which is carried on by the defendant with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others.
(2) “Oppression” means despicable conduct that subjects a person to cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard of that person’s rights.
(3) “Fraud” means an intentional misrepresentation, deceit, or concealment of a material fact known to the defendant with the intention on the part of the defendant of thereby depriving a person of property or legal rights or otherwise causing injury.
(d) Damages may be recovered pursuant to this section in an action pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 377.10) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure based upon a death which resulted from a homicide for which the defendant has been convicted of a felony, whether or not the decedent died instantly or survived the fatal injury for some period of time. The procedures for joinder and consolidation contained in Section 377.62 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall apply to prevent multiple recoveries of punitive or exemplary damages based upon the same wrongful act.(e) The amendments to this section made by Chapter 1498 of the Statutes of 1987 apply to all actions in which the initial trial has not commenced prior to January 1, 1988.(Amended by Stats. 1992, Ch. 178, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1993.)
Fuck I hate laws. And people. Really? We need this? This type of thing is what society as a whole needs in order to function? Without these laws we get anarchy, famine and murder?
I’m gonna say an especially long and heartfelt prayer to to Gunther the Norse God of giant asteroids tonight….
Just finished the entire article. It is a really good breakdown.
Based on just reading the article, it sounds like the Skaggs lawyers did a better job with closing arguments and hammering their case home. But the Angels have a strong defense with all their testimonies from players that only knew of Kay’s drug dealing through Skaggs, which really makes him look complicit.
I don’t expect the Angels to be found very liable, if at all. Skaggs seems pretty responsible for what happened. But the Angels org also looks like they knew there were issues in the clubhouse and made absolutely no effort to do anything about it, and then went to great lengths to cover it up or mislead the jury throughout the trial. It will be interesting to see where the jury comes out on this one.
Foster Griffin fits our criteria. First round pick 11 years ago, coming off an injury, hoping to sign with a club that has a rotation need, been in Japan for the last 3 years
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/foster-griffin-rumors-multi-year-offers-mlb.html
He’s an interesting pick. A gamble probably worth taking.
A creative organization will likely sign him.
In other words, not the Angels.
I like that he is a PITCHER. Throws a wide variety of pitches. Won’t expend 10 pitches trying to strike a guy out, overthrow when he does, etc. Arm is less likely to fall off. I’d like to pay him to be a slightly better Hendricks.
Free-agent LHP Foster Griffin in agreement with Nationals on one-year, $5.5M contract.
So much for that. Thanks for the update
Honestly, it seems like we’ve given up before we started. Which is not necessarily bad, but it also doesn’t prepare us in any way for the future. The spin by the front office this year will be fascinating and Gitch is right, it sure doesn’t seem like Perry is concerned about his job in any way.
Yeah. I don’t mind a trash fire…. if it means they are gonna clear the lot a build something good on it. But the farm system still sucks and, while I like the pick up, a guy like Rodriguez screams “we are almost there” more than “we need twenty good prospects”.
Even if, say, Detmers, RodGray, Joyce and Fermin all go off this year the team can’t get on base for shit and has no pipeline.
About halfway through Earl Weaver’s biography that came out this year, “The Last Manager”.
Definitely would recommend. Hard to believe it’s been 40 years since he last managed a game.
The posting windows on Song and the NPB guys are nearing the end. That should force some moves.
It should also help set the field for Bregman and to a degree Tucker and Bellinger.
I’d like to take the gamble on Song. He’s younger, will be cheaper, and his gold glove will play as he hopefully adjusts to MLB pitching.
Arte won’t bite unless he can be had for a song.
To bad Gene Autry isn’t still around.
We could use two 8-7 pitchers. Yes, he did not say that, but the beloved Cowboy allowed it. Gene stayed out of player decisions for the most part, and lte the baseball people run the baseball. Just as he allowed Jackie “Small Market” to explore contracting the Angels with the Expos. How about passing on Sparky Anderson for Gene Mauch because Mauch worked for less. And paying legendary fading superstars for their “milestone” runs. I loved Gene Autry, he signed a ticket stub for me in the elevator at Anaheim Stadium, but he wasn’t quite the God some remember him to be.