caulfield12

Mets sign Mike Baumann to split contract/terms undisclosed pending physical? "It would be quite a shock if Baumann landed a major league deal. The 30-year-old spent the 2025 season with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He wasn’t exactly dominant over there. He tossed 15 innings at the top NPB level with a 4.20 earned run average and 11 innings in the minors with a 4.09 ERA.” Chris Getz will be all over him if he's later released AND AND AND Murakami really enjoyed him as a teammate. Would likely go to Charlotte as a depth piece/roster insurance.

The Fairbanks deal might very easily be worth $13.5 million. "Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the deal includes a $1MM signing bonus and another $1MM in incentives based on appearances. Fairbanks will also receive a bonus of $500,000 if he is traded. The deal is pending a physical." Who was the reporter that had the Marlins offering in the mid teens first? And which reporter kept insisting it wouldn't be more than single digits? That turned out to be wholly inaccurate. Also: Tatsuya Imai is now at ten days and counting (next Friday) and right now nobody has a clue where either he or Okamoto are going. If he were to come down below $100 million....nah, JR hates pitching contracts over three years in length. Okamoto might be coming under 3/$50 million now as well. $40-45 million for 3 years sounds about right?

4 When given a 5 point scale, it's very easy to give 3.5/5. Which counts as a positive at rottentomatoes, but not exactly a wholehearted endorsement. Kpop Demon Hunters is the best movie of the year. My students kept on pushing me to watch it and talking about it so much that I finally gave in and acquiesced. Train Dreams is pretty darned close to #1, and that has a lot of historicity to it, as well as the two fun Sisu movies. There's also the Chinese film Dead to Rights, about the Nanjing 1937 massacre, and Last Samurai Standing, which I think is the best 8 episode action show of the year. Finally, there's The Diplomat, which was recommended in the TV section, blew through three seasons in just two days.

JR usually believes in forcing players or coaches to perform until at least that final contract year hits. Unfortunately. Maybe Leury was the lone exception, but that was a tiny AAV in play there.

At least $60-75 million of the debt is being paid off by Ishbia. Nobody knows the exact numbers, like they have put out there in Minnesota.

Dream on lol. He was willing to give an $8 million per year discount? Not even Carlos Rodriguez could pull that off...and they were pretty close apparently.

With Boras as his agent? For what terms? 5/$70 ???

The movies section has died and people are always looking for things to watch during the holidays.

They also already have TJ Friedl...so someone would need to move to a corner.

It all depends on what they do with Buxton (no trade clause would have to be waived), Ryan and Lopez. Offensive talent...they might have the edge overall, even with Murakami. Bullpen was totally gutted, so a bit behind the Sox, who have a deficit in speed/athleticism and defense still.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/articles/5-contenders-already-cemented-bad-003505696.html Padres Guardians Reds Pirates Marlins Cubs all stuck in baseball purgatory. Some Cubs' fans even worried they might have All Star game offer withdrawn.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/articles/5-contenders-already-cemented-bad-003505696.html At least I have an excuse. Recently retired at 56, but wife is working tomorrow and son has a normal school day in China...actually a ton of homework to get through, including memorizing Chinese and English passages and doing algebra, geometry and trig in Grade 5. And I just blew #1 seed in fantasy football playoffs due to Mahomes Kelce Judkins...so don't really care much about #3/4 finish. Avatar 3 2.5 Wake Up Dead Man 3.5 Sisu 1 3.25 Sisu 2 Road to Revenge 3.75 Bugonia 3.5 Influencer 3.5 Influencers 2.75 The Housemaid 3.5 Zootopia 3.25 Nuremberg 3.5 Sentimental Value 3.5

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/mlbtr-podcast-three-way-trade-murakamis-short-term-deal-and-willson-contreras-to-boston.html 25:40-45:00 specifically on Murakami Fascinating discussion about alteady trading Murakami in 2025 if he has 20+ bombs and striking out less than 30%...how/if that would impact future Japanese FAs. Writers not really considering Ishbia money down the line making Chicago a Top 8-10 FA destination. Both writers still predicting Twins over Sox in 2025 for fourth place...but open to White Sox being more competitive in 2027 Argues the Marlins Pirates Reds will look like idiots....or even the Mets for giving Polanco more money to play 1B.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/articles/aaron-judge-sends-message-bryce-183652735.html

There's no need to have someone creating content if you go back to 2000-2012. Winning and success will make for a much more divergent and lively message board. Heck, lots of Japanese fans might want to interact with the White Sox somehow now. This board could even make money and draw Japanese advertising and marketing. Just contact Japanese White Sox scout Satoshi Takahasi. https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Satoshi_Takahashi_(03) Interview him, interview Tadahito and ask how SoxTalk can reach out to young fans across Japan and through TikTok. Engagement should flow in all directions from the Murakami signing.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/reaction-munetaka-murakami-lesson-white-230127540.html "You have to spend money to make money" According to Drotto.com, the average primary-market ticket price was $54 (and much higher on the secondary market). That number might even be conservative, but let’s take it at face value. Multiply $54 by the number of tickets sold at Dodger Stadium in 2025, and you’re looking at over $216.6 million in ticket revenue alone. That’s more than two-thirds of the Dodgers’ payroll, which sat around $338 million in 2025—and that’s just ticket sales. No TV revenue. No jersey sales. No parking. No food. No beer. No postseason home games during yet another World Series run. Sometimes, in the baseball business, you have to spend money to make money. https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1imot2w/npb_yakults_munetaka_murakami_has_been_making/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjn5qyenNaRAxVdmmoFHTpaA6cQFnoECAUQAg&usg=AOvVaw3FFDvLqZLILgC8GxmZ-pD3 Donaiya baseball gloves switch from Mizuno https://www.amazon.com/Munetaka-Murakami-Swallows-Japanese-Heavyweight/dp/B0FQPFJD79 https://www.sportsworldchicago.com/munetaka-murakami-chicago-white-sox-alternate-jersey-by-nike/%3Fsrsltid%3DAfmBOoqxeO395j-2FQvSUAWOV5uRQQYdWxnPTgC73OhEEbMAArfFkAtD&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjMpqaxntaRAxV0cDwKHROqOP0QFnoECAQQAg&usg=AOvVaw2AhdxIxgq4PIqXD8Lyk4m4 "Within 48 hours of his No. 17 Dodgers jersey going on sale through Fanatics, it became the best-selling sports jersey in history, surpassing Lionel Messi. A massive contract? Absolutely. Worth every penny? Without question. Some owners understand this. Others simply don’t."

"Prior to signing Ohtani, the Dodgers hired Lorenzo Sciarrino as their senior vice president of global partnerships. The role called for Sciarrino to lead the team’s global sponsorship department, supervising and engineering franchise partnerships with businesses domestically and internationally. With Ohtani in the fold, Sciarrino’s job was surely made easier as numerous partnership deals were announced early in the year. This included deals with All Nippon Airways, Kinoshita Group, Tsukiji Gindaco (concessions/food/catering), AFEELA, Yakult (milk products), THK, Kosé Corporation (cosmetics/skincare), Daiso, Kowa Company, Ltd. (beverages), and Toyo Tires, among others." New Balance/Gatorade https://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-added-70-million-in-sponsorship-revenue-after-signing-shohei-ohtani/2025/01/10/ Kinoshita Group is a prominent Japanese conglomerate involved in construction, real estate, healthcare, and notably, a wide range of arts and sports sponsorships, including major tennis tournaments (Japan Open), figure skating events (Kinoshita Group Cup), film production, and supporting ballet companies like the Paris Opera Ballet and The Royal Ballet School. https://m.yelp.com/biz/tsukiji-gindaco-los-angeles&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiyxNTxmtaRAxU1mWoFHaJbHAoQFnoECAIQAg&usg=AOvVaw0my4Rratp89Rw0Ca9tFaKB Afeela is the brand name for a new electric vehicle (EV) from Sony Honda Mobility, a joint venture combining Sony's tech/entertainment with Honda's auto engineering, aiming for a "mobility partner" experience. Another day, yet another Japanese corporate marketing agreement with the Dodgers, this time with Tokyo-based machine parts manufacturer THK. https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-los-angeles-dodgers-and-daiso-enter-into-multi-year-partnership&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiX6K7Bm9aRAxU8nSYFHfCXCcYQFnoECA4QAg&usg=AOvVaw2435eZRFe8ff7fALiBzDHb https://www.bevnet.com/news/2025/kowa-builds-u-s-beverage-lineup-with-shohei-ohtani/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwj0jcrYm9aRAxVXkmoFHf53LPcQFnoECAcQAg&usg=AOvVaw2QdXWJxPey6IUBM_6n6K0-

The media added, "No player generates as much advertising revenue as Ohtani ($100 million). According to Sportico's rankings, Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies recorded the second-highest advertising revenue after Ohtani, but that amount is only $10 million (14.7 billion won)." This is a tenfold difference. Harper is also a superstar representing Major League Baseball, but it has been reaffirmed that Ohtani is the "superstar among superstars." The Tokyo opening series was, quite literally, a stage for Ohtani, by Ohtani, and for Ohtani. As Edman mentioned earlier, billboards featuring Ohtani's face could be seen anywhere, and Japanese fans, without exception, purchased and wore Ohtani's jersey as well as the Dodgers' blue merchandise. According to the American economic magazine Forbes, the Dodgers earned $70 million in new sponsorship revenue thanks to Ohtani last year. Furthermore, Ohtani personally has been earning extra money by filming over 20 advertisements across various industries. This is the Ohtani effect that always exceeds expectations." https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-sports/2025/03/21/MLO53JMFZJDTLF4MOXF2PLFZHE/

There aren’t a ton of options remaining in free agency. The Cards could kick the tires on a one-year deal for Miguel Andujar or Austin Hays, each of whom is coming off a big season with the platoon advantage. Old friend Tommy Pham is coming off a middling season against lefties but carries a .261/.368/.434 line in those situations over his career. Chas McCormick hasn’t hit in either of the past two years. He has a 20-homer season with a .273/.353/.489 showing in 2023 on his résumé. The Cardinals could also look into a switch-hitting utility option like Willi Castro or Luis Rengifo. mlbtraderumors.com

The White Sox have signed left-handed reliever Sean Newcomb to a one-year, $4.5 million contract. Newcomb found his footing in a relief role last season, posting a 2.73 ERA between the Red Sox and Athletics, including a 1.18 ERA from June 18 onward, but he is reportedly expected to at least have the chance to transition back into a starter. yahoosports.com

20% share in club split between groups $500 million in overhanging debt gone, poof...like magic

“Rather than explain my swing, I would like for you to see my swing once the season starts,” he said. "I’ve been relentless working to tinker my swing to the U.S.” Murakami will become the the fourth Japanese-born player to play for the White Sox, joining pitcher Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07) and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Takatsu managed Murakami in Japan. Murakami said he has connected with other Japanese players about their adjustment to the majors. That includes outfielder Seiya Suzuki and left-hander Shota Imanaga of the crosstown Cubs." https://japantoday.com/category/sports/white-sox-expect-japanese-slugger-munetaka-murakami-to-make-quick-impact-and-put-up-big-numbers Also, Rafael Devers might be a better comp than Schwarber in terms of swing and miss in the strike zone. "Gone are the days of having $25 million to spend and splitting it between Leury Garcia, Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly, and Josh Harrison. Fans have been begging for even limited budgets to be allocated to higher-impact players like Murakami, considering that the former approach typically yields low (or negative) returns and replacement-level production. Even if the White Sox do not make more significant signings after Murakami and Anthony Kay, most fans would prefer this approach to the alternative." https://www.soxon35th.com/3-takeaways-from-the-munetaka-murakami-signing/ We shall see, lol.

"They’re a long way off from spending to the levels of franchises like the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets, but the Pirates are being a little less miserly ahead of the 2026 season. With hopes of maximizing their window with Cy Young winner Paul Skenes on the mound, Pittsburgh has acquired outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia and All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe via trade and signed reliever Gregory Soto to a one-year deal. In perhaps the most significant sign that the Pirates are ready to contend in the NL Central, Pittsburgh is signing former Orioles designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal. The deal is far from the kind of eye-popping contract that those aforementioned franchises throw out each season, but it represents an important step forward for a franchise that has scant looked interested in serious contention at the ownership level. As noted by the Tribune-Review, this is the first multiyear deal that Pittsburgh has given out in free agency since 2016." www.si.com

Mehhhhh...