January 20-Something
THE MONTH THAT DOESN'T END
It is still bitterly cold. We still have snow everywhere, and we really need to get rid of the ICE. But Billy-Ball persists with a few baseball items to warm the cockles of your heart (are they near the ventricles or the auricles?).
THIS IS A GOOD SIGNING
Harrison Bader is one of those players I really like. He seems to play hard, is enthusiastic, is a good defender, and he is pretty consistent at the plate. He’s no superstar, but I think his joining to Giants will be a good addition to their outfield that was really weak defensively last season. His energy should be a good fit with the Giants' new manager, Tony Vitello, the former University of Tennessee head coach.
He is a right-handed-hitting center fielder, although he played left with the Twins and then center after he was traded to the Phils last season. Since his 2017 debut, he has been credited with 51 Defensive Runs Saved and 67 Outs Above Average. Jung Hoo Lee, one of the league’s worst defenders, will move to a corner position. Signing to a two-year, $20.5MM contract seems like money well spent for a guy who slashed .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers, 24 doubles, and a triple.
LIFE ON THE BUBBLE
Yesterday, the Yankees claimed RHP Dom Hamel off waivers from the Texas Rangers. To make room on the roster, they designated LHP Jayvien Sandridge and INF/OF Marco Luciano for assignment (they also needed a spot for Cody Bellinger).
This is the type of transaction that is really only of interest to the players' families. But here’s the part I found interesting (which means you are stuck reading about it).
Hamel was originally selected by the Mets in the third round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He was designated for assignment by the Mets on September 18, 2025. Then, he was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on September 20, 2025. That lasted less than a week when he was designated for assignment by the O’s on September 25. But, he was claimed off waivers by the Rangers on September 27, 2025. But when Texas signed Jakob Junis, they designated Hamel on January 20, 2026. Then yesterday, he became a Yankee. Let’s see how long that bubble lasts.
Luciano has had a similar offseason. He was selected by the Pirates in December when the Giants put him on waivers. Then, on January 7, the Orioles grabbed him when he was put on waivers by the Bucs. Two weeks later, the Yankees got him from the Orioles on waivers. Four days with the Yanks, and he was gone.
GOOSE and KIKI
On January 28, 1968, Goose Goslin, the former Washington Senator, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers outfielder, and Kiki Cuyler, who won four stolen base crowns for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, were elected into the Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote of the Veterans Committee. Goose retired with a career .316 batting average, and Kiki was a .321 career hitter. You know that I would write about guys named Goose and Kiki.
Numerous sources explain that Goose got his nickname shortly after arriving in Washington because he waved his arms as he went after fly balls, had a long neck, and generally was not the most graceful player. Goslin was not immediately elected to the Hall because, in the 1940s and early 1950s, there were so many players waiting to get in. He did not receive serious consideration until he was featured in Lawrence Ritter’s seminal book, The Glory of Their Times. Goslin was on two World Series champs, the Washington Senators (1924) and the Detroit Tigers (1935).
A quick mention that on June 14, 1930, the Senators traded Goslin to the Browns for Heinie Manush and pitcher General Crowder. Two more guys I love to write about.
THE GOOSE WAS COOKED
The only time Goslin was pinch-hit for came in his final major league at-bat. When Goslin swung and missed at a pitch from Boston’s Lefty Grove in 1938, he strained a muscle in his back and was unable to finish the at-bat. His career was over.
Goslin used a closed batting stance, and once joked that he would have “hit .500 if he could have seen over his nose.” I would be a HOFer if I could see over my nose.
BOWDEN ON KETEL MARTE
I always pay attention to Jim Bowden of The Athletic. He is smart, and he is well-connected. He thinks that if the Red Sox don’t land Eugenio Suárez in free agency and can’t find another bat, they could easily circle back and make another run at the Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, as could the Yankees, Tigers, and Phillies, all of whom expressed interest this offseason.
ON APRIL 20, 2026 - THE YANKEES HAVE AN OFF-DAY
Why should we care?
