The workforce that indicators Nick Pivetta this offseason shall be getting a veteran starter who, as my colleague Ben Clemens acknowledged in our 2025 High 50 Free Brokers rundown, has “lengthy been a favourite of pitching fashions.” The workforce will even be getting somebody who believes in pitching to his strengths. The 31-year-old right-hander is studious about his craft, however with a notable exception. Poring over scouting stories isn’t his cup of tea.
“I give it some thought not as a particular hitter, however extra of, ‘Is he a lefty or a righty?,’” defined Pivetta, whose previous four-plus seasons have been with the Boston Pink Sox. “I’ve sure sequences that I do in opposition to lefties or righties. I do the identical sequences in opposition to both aspect, irrespective of the hitter.”
That’s to not say he completely ignores weaknesses. As Pivetta instructed me in our last-weekend-of-the-season dialog, there are particular hitters who wrestle with a specific pitch and/or location, so he would possibly fluctuate his “similar sport plan round a sure spot.” However for probably the most half, he’s “doing the very same factor time and again, simply attempting to execute.”
The extent to which that’s optimum is open for debate. As his 50 Free Brokers blurb spells out, Pivetta’s numbers counsel that he has by no means reached — and maybe not even approached — his full potential. The stuff is definitely plus, however the consistency has clearly been missing.
The Victoria, British Columbia native has pitched greater than 1,000 innings over eight big-league seasons, so opposing groups have a fairly good thought of what to anticipate when he takes the mound. Furthermore, sure lineups will current, at the least on paper, a larger problem for his pitch combine and customary assault plan. Would possibly adherence to advance stories be a significant benefit add?
“I actually simply go in opposition to guys with my strengths,” reiterated the righty. “That’s why I’m right here. I feel that’s what pitching is. It’s what you may have, and also you assault the identical means each time, making the changes when you might want to make the changes. You would possibly use your arsenal differently, combine it up, nevertheless it’s principally the identical on the finish of the day.
“I’m going to throw a fastball up, or down-and-away, to a righty. I’m going to throw a sweeper to a righty. I’d combine in a curveball or a gyro right here or there, however it’s going to be principally fastball-sweeper. To a lefty, I’m going to combine in my curveball and go fastball up slightly bit extra, with possibly a few exhausting downers. I imply, I do take a look at swings and take note of physique language throughout at-bats, and I’ve an thought from enjoying in opposition to guys up to now, however on the finish of the day it’s my strengths in opposition to their strengths.”
Pivetta obtained a qualifying supply from the Pink Sox and has till 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to both settle for or decline.
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Gleyber Torres is 0 for 15 in opposition to Chris Sale.
Jesse Winker is 0 for 15 in opposition to Yu Darvish.
Willy Adames is 0 for 16 in opposition to Aaron Nola.
Matt Olson is 0 for 21 in opposition to Gerrit Cole.
Joey Gallo is 0 for 22 in opposition to Charlie Morton.
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Like all groups, the Detroit Tigers shall be available in the market for arms this winter. Scott Harris was forthright on that need in the course of the GM Conferences, telling The Detroit Free Press’s Evan Petzold, “We have to add extra pitching… we noticed what a serious league season can do to your pitching depth. In a single second you’ll be able to really feel such as you’re actually deep, and two weeks later you’re struggling to seek out extra innings.”
As followers are effectively conscious, a very good lots of the innings that Harris’s membership was pressured to seek out in 2024 got here through the bullpen, and though the nontraditional utilization largely bore fruit, he doesn’t see it as an excellent. The workforce’s prime govt feels it might work once more in 2025, however as he instructed me in San Antonio, “I don’t suppose we’re going to do this.”
Which brings us to the kind of arms he’ll look to amass, and what it would price to carry them on board. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier requested Harris if he believes there’s a convergence of values, particularly in market worth, between high-octane, late-innings relievers and conventional starters.
“No,” Harris replied. “I feel each winter you’re going to see starters make big AAVs, as a result of everybody wants beginning pitching. And the worth of efficient starters couldn’t be larger. On the finish of the day, you’re simply attempting to get outs, and given the personnel now we have, we’re going to attempt to deploy them in a sequence that offers us the very best probability of getting probably the most outs and successful the sport. When it comes to pure worth, the market will let you know that starters have larger worth than relievers. I’m not saying I endorse that, however the market bears that out yr over yr.”
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A quiz:
Which pitcher holds the Seattle Mariners franchise document for many wins in a single season?
The reply might be discovered under.
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NEWS NOTES
Cole Irvin has reportedly signed with the KBO’s Doosan Bears. The 30-year-old left-hander had a 511 ERA over 111 innings this season, pitching for the Baltimore Orioles and the Minnesota Twins.
Dave Sims is leaving Seattle after 18 seasons to change into the brand new radio voice of the New York Yankees. The 71-year-old Philadelphia native is a 2025 Ford C. Frick finalist.
Don Ferrarese, a left-hander who took the mound for 5 groups throughout an MLB profession that spanned the 1955-1962 seasons, died earlier this month at age 95. Ferrarese went 19-36 with a 4.00 ERA over 183 appearances, the very best of his outings being a two-hit shutout of the Mickey Mantle–Yogi Berra Yankees whereas enjoying for the Baltimore Orioles in 1956.
Al Ferrara, an outfielder who performed for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds throughout the 1963-1971 seasons, died this week at age 84. A Brooklyn native who logged a 121 wRC+ over 574 video games, Ferrara was an completed pianist who additionally dabbled in performing. He appeared in episodes of Gilligan’s Island and Batman.
The San Francisco Giants have employed Randy Winn to the newly created position of Vice President of Participant Growth; he’ll work alongside Andy Haines, who will stay as Senior Director of Participant Growth.
The Toronto Blue Jays have employed David Bell as their Vice President of Baseball Operations and Assistant Basic Supervisor. The previous Cincinnati Reds supervisor’s duties will embrace will overseeing participant improvement and bodily & psychological efficiency.
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SOME RECENT COACHING CHANGES
The Pittsburgh Pirates have employed Brent Strom, most lately with the Arizona Diamondbacks, as an assistant pitching coach. he’ll work alongside returning pitching coach Oscar Marin.
The Diamondbacks have employed Brian Kaplan as their new pitching coach. A co-founder of Cressey Sports activities Efficiency’s Florida facility, Kaplan spent the previous three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies as an assistant pitching coach and director of pitching,
The Cleveland Guardians have promoted Grant Fink, who had been the minor league hitting coordinator, to hitting coach. Different promotions are Jason Esposito to assistant hitting coach and Craig Albernaz to assistant supervisor.
The Boston Pink Sox have employed Chris Holt, previously with the Baltimore Orioles, as their bullpen coach.
The Chicago White Sox have employed Ryan Fuller, previously with the Orioles, to the newly-created place of director of hitting.
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The reply to the quiz is Jamie Moyer, who was credited with 21 wins in 2003. In case you guessed Randy Johnson, his highest win complete as a Mariner was 20. Félix Hernández and Mark Langston topped out at 19.
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Baltimore’s current modifications within the teaching division included selling Cody Asche, who had been the workforce’s offensive technique coach, to hitting coach, whereas Tommy Joseph is approaching board as an assistant hitting coach after serving in that position with the Seattle Mariners. Rounding out the employees shall be Sherman Johnson, who has been a minor league hitting coordinator within the Orioles group. Departing together with the aforementioned Fuller is Matt Borgschulte, who was co-hitting coach, and is now with the Minnesota Twins.
Mike Elias was requested in regards to the modifications on Friday when he met with the media over Zoom to announce the forthcoming modifications of Camden Yards, which embrace each shifting in and decreasing the fences.
“General, now we have an offensive philosophy, and a bunch of hitting coaches all through the group which can be on the prime of their subject,” Elias instructed reporters. “We had a top-five offense his yr [the Orioles were fourth in runs scored and tied for third in wRC+ among MLB clubs], regardless of the funk that the lineup went into within the second half. Nevertheless it nonetheless rated among the many prime offenses, and as you’ll be able to see, there are groups very keen to rent hitting coaches from us.
“We’re all the time enhancing, modifying, adjusting,” added Elias. “It is a sport of evolution. I feel there are areas we are able to emphasize higher, and we are able to discover a higher mix. We’re going to have discussions and conferences all through the group all winter on methods by which we are able to retain the very best points of our present program, however refine and tweak areas the place we predict we could be a little bit smarter and slightly bit higher.”
As Orioles followers know all too effectively, the offense was much less productive over the ultimate two months, with an absence of well timed hits usually one of many points. As Elias urged, placing a greater steadiness between mechanics and psychological method was so as.
“A theme for baseball proper now could be that there’s a lot data and science that goes into hitters’ perfecting their swings,” he stated. ‘Kind of assembly that with methods to regulate method in sure sport conditions, sure counts, sure scores. Simply refining the entire program.”
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Japan beat Korea 4-2 on Friday in a Premier 12 matchup that featured two of Asia’s brightest younger stars. Twenty-two-year-old NPB right-hander Hiroto Takahashi fanned 21-year-old KBO third baseman Do Yeong Kim twice. At 3-0, Japan is the lone undefeated workforce within the tourney.
Six pitchers mixed for a one-hit shutout on Friday as Australia shocked the Dominican Republic 5-0 in Premier 12 motion. Robbie Perkins, a Canberra native who performed within the Colorado Rockies system from 2013-2018, had a house run and 4 RBIs.
The Australian Baseball League obtained underway on Friday, with the Sydney Blue Sox beating the defending champion Adelaide Giants 5-4 behind sturdy efforts by a 22-year-old Japanese outfielder and a 28-year-old right-hander from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Daito Yamamoto went 3-for-5 and scored twice, whereas Landen Bourassa allowed one hit over six scoreless innings.
Younger Woo Shin equipped the ABL’s different stellar pitching efficiency on opening day. The 20-year-old Korean right-handed threw 4 hitless innings with eight strikeouts because the Perth Warmth beat the Brisbane Bandits 5-0.
Additionally in Australia, Greg Hen homered 3 times for the Melbourne Aces as they beat the Canberra Cavalry 5-1 on Saturday. The 32-year-old former MLB first baseman performed for the Mexican League’s Charros de Jalisco earlier this yr.
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A random obscure former participant snapshot:
It was Andy Karl’s document that was damaged when Mike Marshall pitched 179 aid innings for the Montreal Expos in 1973 (Marshall then broke his personal document the next yr when he threw an unimaginable 208-and-a-third aid innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers). Karl — lengthy forgotten if not obscure in baseball’s annals — had thrown 163-and-two-thirds innings out of the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen in 1945. The best-hander from Mount Vernon, New York did so over a league-leading 65 appearances, recording eight wins, 15 saves, and a 3.02 ERA alongside the way in which. He additionally began a pair of video games, shedding each whereas permitting eight runs, 5 of them earned, over 14 innings.
The remainder of Karl’s profession was comparatively unremarkable. All instructed, he went 18-23 with a 3.51 ERA over 5 seasons, seeing motion with the Phillies, Boston Braves, and Boston Pink Sox.
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FARM NOTES
The Arizona Fall League championship sport was performed final evening with the Salt River Rafters topping the Shock Saguaros 3-2. Kansas Metropolis Royals first base prospect Jac Caglianone, the sixth-overall decide on this yr’s draft, had three hits for the shedding aspect.
Josue Briceño led the AFL in batting common, slugging proportion, and OPS whereas slashing .442/.515/.884 over 101 plate appearances with the Scottsdale Scorpions. The 20-year-old catcher/first baseman additionally led in dwelling runs [10] and RBIs [27], making him the primary Triple Crown winner within the AFL’s 32-year historical past. Briceño had 123 wRC+ this season with Low-A Lakeland.
Caleb Durbin set the AFL’s single-season stolen base document by swiping 29 baggage (in 30 makes an attempt) whereas additionally slashing .312/.427/.548 over 117 plate appearances with the Salt River Rafters. The 24-year-old infielder, whom the Yankees want so as to add to their 40-man roster lest he be accessible in December’s Rule-5 draft, had 10 dwelling runs, 29 steals, and a 129 wRC+ this season in Triple-A.
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The St. Louis Cardinals ought to have a strong beginning employees going into subsequent season, nevertheless it gained’t be notably younger. 4 members of the projected rotation shall be 32 or older on opening day, whereas the fifth is 26. With that in thoughts, I requested John Mozeliak how shut a number of the group’s prime pitching prospects are to becoming a member of the combo.
“In case you’re asking about Quinn Mathews, he’s very shut,” the president of baseball operations stated of the 24-year-old southpaw. “He completed the season at Triple-A. The one factor now we have proper now could be beginning pitching, so how we combine that, or what the subsequent steps to which can be, is absolutely simply going to key on what sort of alternatives they are going to have.”
Mathews, a 2023 fourth-round pick of Stanford who started this previous season in Low-A earlier than steadily rising within the ranks, is likely one of the the group’s two prime pitching prospects together with 22-year-old right-hander Tink Therefore. Rated by our mates at Baseball America as having the system’s greatest fastball and greatest slider, Therefore had a 2.71 ERA, a 2.51 FIP, and 109 strikeouts over 79-and-two-thirds inning in Double-A.
Therefore’s proximity to St. Louis?
“I feel Tink, given the yr he had… there’s nonetheless some improvement forward for him,” stated Mozeliak. “However each of these guys [will be] knocking on the door fairly quickly.”
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
At Sportico, Barry Bloom wrote about the A’s and the Rays gearing right down to play a season in minor league parks.
The Miami Marlins employed Clayton McCullough, who spent the final three seasons as the primary base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as their new supervisor. Isaac Azout has the story, which incorporates who reportedly did and didn’t interview for the job, at Fish on First.
Kyle Hendricks is now a Los Angeles Angel after spending his first 11 MLB seasons as a Chicago Cub. Maddie Lee has the story at The Chicago Solar Occasions.
The Athletic’s Katie Woo wrote about how the St. Louis Cardinals are planning to emphasise youth in 2025 (subscription required).
At The Japan Occasions, Jason Coskrey wrote about how posting Roki Sasaki leaves the Chiba Lotte Marines in an ungainly place.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Ken Boyer averaged 24 dwelling runs over his first 10 MLB seasons (1955-1964). The St. Louis Cardinals third baseman homered 24 occasions in every of the 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1964 seasons.
Steve Garvey slashed .338/.361/.550 with 11 dwelling runs and a 155 wRC+ in 232 postseason plate appearances. Bryce Harper has slashed .280/.394/.622 with 17 dwelling runs and a 171 wRC+ in 232 postseason plate appearances
Pink Barrett gained a Nationwide League-best 23 video games whereas pitching for each the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves in 1945. That very same season, Philadelphia Phillies right-hander “Kewpie Dick” Barrett misplaced an NL-worst 20 video games and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Johnny Barrett was caught stealing an NL-worst 13 occasions (Boston’s Carden Gillenwater was additionally caught 13 occasions). Not one of the Barretts had been associated.
Frank Thomas signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays on immediately’s date in 2006.. The “Large Damage” went on to hit 26 of his 521 profession dwelling runs whereas logging a 127 wRC+ in his one full season north of the border.
On immediately’s date in 1947, the Boston Pink Sox acquired right-hander Jack Kramer and shortstop Vern Stephens from the St. Louis Browns in alternate for six comparably-nondescript gamers. Kramer went 18-5 with Boston in 1948 earlier than tailing off in subsequent seasons. Stephens slugged 98 dwelling runs and had an MLB-best 440 RBIs whereas making the AL All-Star workforce annually from 1948-1950.
Gamers born on immediately’s date embrace Val Pascucci, an outfielder/first baseman whose MLB profession comprised 32 video games with the Montreal Expos in 2004 and 10 video games with the New York Mets in 2011. In between, the Bellflower, California native spent two seasons in Japan and one other 4 stateside within the minors. Pascucci — his given title was Valentino Martin — hit three big-league dwelling runs, going deep off of Nate Bump, Al Leiter, and Cole Hamels.
Additionally born on immediately’s date was Alex Graman, whose 18.47 ERA is the very best in New York Yankees franchise historical past amongst pitchers to throw at the least 5 innings. A southpaw whose profession comprised fives video games for the pinstripers throughout the 2004-2005 seasons, Graman fanned the primary batter he confronted within the huge leagues (Willie Harris), however issues went downhill from there. All instructed, he was charged with 13 earned runs in six-and-a-third frames.
Groups within the 1946 North Atlantic League included the Bloomingdale Troopers, Mahanoy Metropolis Bluebirds, Newburgh/Walden Hummingbirds, and Nazareth Cement Dusters.
