Hot stove is warming!
Welcome to the official offseason friends. The World Series is over, the Dodgers have had their celebratory parade (featuring none other than Decoy Ohtani), they might have begun a dynasty era, and the Yankees have started to make major changes ahead of next year. Speaking of the Yankees, Gerrit Cole has opted out of his contract, making it evident the Yankees might need to open their pocketbooks to get him back.
The hot stove is already starting to heat up as well, so we’ll touch on some trades, some declined options, and free agency buzz.
Now onto today’s links.
- Jay Jaffe wonders if two wins in four years is the start of a Dodgers postseason dynasty.
- Leo Morgenstern compiles the best and worst baserunning of the postseason.
- Mark Feinsand has nine stories to keep an eye on this offseason.
- Let the hot stove season begin! Michael Baumann looks at the trade that moved Jorge Soler to the Angels for… reasons?
- The Yankees have declined the 2025 option for Anthony Rizzo. Story by Tim Capurso.
- Gerrit Cole has opted out of his contract, but it seems likely the Yankees will foot the bill to keep him where he is. Story by Bryan Hoch.
- Portland making moves…
Great news, baseball fans! The Portland City Council voted unanimously today to support Portland Diamond Project’s effort to bring a Major League Baseball team to Portland! This is a significant sign of progress, and we want to thank Mayor Ted Wheeler and the council for getting… pic.twitter.com/UCLncf8Tgl
— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) October 31, 2024
- Keith Law has his top 50 free agents. (The Athletic subscription required.)
- In typical LA fashion, the Dodgers’ parade bus almost instantly got stuck in traffic. Story by Mike McDaniel.
- The Royals are starting to build for next year, and it starts by signing Michael Wacha to a three-year deal. Story by Anne Rogers.
- Patrick Andres reports that a Padres prospect is apparently five years older than originally believed.
- Joey Gallo will be hitting the free agent market after declining his contract option with the Nationals. (AP)
- Will Leitch has a suggestion for which teams are the most compelling in each division.
- MLB dot com is tracking hot stove moves and there is buzz that Devin Williams could be on the trade block.
- The Athletic Staff assesses the likelihood of different targets for Juan Soto. (The Athletic subscription required.)
- Shohei Ohtani’s pup Decoy stole the show at the Dodgers’ victory parade. Story by Scott Chuisano.
- Decoy features in Ohtani’s victory post.
- Dodgers fans were delighted by Shohei Ohtani’s English thank you speech. Story by Tim Capurso.
- Jim Bowden makes his predictions for the coming season. (The Athletic subscription required.)
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.