Ponce actually won MVP of the league which is crazy. Will be interesting to see who’s talents translate better to MLB between him and Imai. Are the KBO stats a mirage?
I don’t think anyone is suggesting a 6-man rotation to start… more so that one of the top 5 will be hurt.
Bieber will probably be skipped a couple times on those offdays i’d think. Maybe they do run with a 6 man (5 man + easing Bieber in)
In all likelihood, someone gets injured before the start of the season and Berrios begins as the 5th starter, which isn’t a bad problem to have besides the money he’s owed.
I thought so I initially, but allegedly there was a family issue? Maybe the wife forced his hand? He also has 3 young kids, so it may not have been a selfish decision to leave the team
https://nypost.com/2025/12/28/sports/japanese-star-tatsuya-imai-reveals-hes-yet-to-receive-mlb-offer-with-signing-deadline-days-away/
Apparently Imai has not yet received any offers from MLB teams.
Weird market
The stadium experience is a big factor for me when visiting other parks. Does the stadium have some cool areas? Good food/drinks? Are the concourse areas boring? Area outside the park? Basically the overall fan experience that goes beyond just the game.
Because you can have a nice playing field at a minor league park even. But its the combination of all the other factors that makes it feel like an MLB stadium for me.
PNC park is about as cookie-cutter as it gets as an actual stadium.
Yes, there’s a very real possibility Santander is taking at bats away from Springer next year. Would not be shocked if that was the last we see of GOOD George
Pretty sure his main injury was an undisclosed wrist/hand problem. You could see in the way he swung, his follow-through was completely different for most of the year. Or maybe it was shoulder.
Would make sense why he didn’t see the outfield much with a wrist/shoulder injury.
I have full faith he will rebound for 2025 and be a good bat in the heart of the order.
That said, if he somehow has another terrible year, that signing definitely looks bad and you have to think about dumping him. Can't be 0 glove without a good bat.
Would only be for 1 year though, then you move Santander to DH. And he’d get a defensive replacement most games you’d think.
But yeah outfield looks way better with Bellinger or Tucker out there vs Barger every day. Though Barger is probably platooned anyways.
Yeah. Bregman and Bellinger are much better fits and go with the FO ideology of defense/versatility.
Honestly the only reason Bo is being considered at all is because he’s a fan favorite and we know what we have with him.
Tucker and Bellinger are the best fits, with Bregman next and Bo a clear 4th.
TBH I don’t see adding 2 infielders as realistic. You’d have to try and move Gimenez in that scenario, or else you’re pushing all of Barger, Clement, Schneider etc to the outfield full-time.