Michael Brantley will be back with the Astros next season after agreeing to a one-year, $12 million deal with the club, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Sunday. The deal will include $4 million in incentives. The team has not confirmed the move. 

One of MLB’s best contact hitters, Brantley will enter his age-36 campaign with a career .298/.356/.439 slash and 127 homers over 14 big league seasons.

The five-time All-Star hit .288 with a .785 OPS over 64 games for the Astros in 2022 before undergoing a season-ending arthroscopic labral repair on his right shoulder in August.

At this point in his career, fitting precisely the same role as Zimmer

CHICAGO -- Outfielder Billy Hamilton is returning to the White Sox via a Minor League deal with a non-roster invite to Spring Training, a source confirmed to MLB.com on Saturday.

The club has not confirmed the deal.

Hamilton, 32, played 71 games for the White Sox in 2021 and had his share of contributions in the team’s American League Central title. The fleet-footed former switch-hitter had eight doubles, three triples, two home runs, 23 runs scored and nine stolen bases for the South Siders, while playing solid defense across the outfield and serving as an energetic clubhouse presence.

n 2022, Hamilton split his time between the Marlins and Twins, finishing with 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts over 37 games.
[they don't bother posting his other stats 050/136/050 in 2022]
by contrast Zimmer was a superstar 124/207/229]

Could Rangers have AL's top rotation?
[that would be quite a surprise; hard to imagine more than 3 of the 5 noted below will pitch a full season]

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers entered the offseason with one clear goal above all: to improve the starting rotation. General manager Chris Young and the rest of the front office answered the call with swiftness, signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom before baseball’s annual Winter Meetings even took place.

Texas doubled down by adding elite left-hander Andrew Heaney while the Meetings took place in San Diego, fulfilling the promise to add depth and experience to the pitching staff.

The two will join a rotation that includes returning starters Jon Gray and Martín Pérez, in addition to Jake Odorizzi, who was acquired via trade with the Braves on Nov. 9.

“We feel like we have a very, very good rotation and we’re competitive, really, with any rotation in the American League,” Young said on Thursday. “I think we want to make sure we meet each person in terms of what their specific skill set is, and structural rotation that complements that skill set in a way that maximizes their full potential. Obviously, there's a health and medical component that we want to be aware of, and manage workloads and keep these guys healthy.

“On the field, it'll be an important aspect of our success as a team next year. We feel very confident in our medical group and the ability to do that, but ultimately the quality of our pitchers, it’s significantly different from where we've been the last couple of years. [It's] really exciting for our fans to get to come to the ballpark night in and night out and watch a team take the field that's going to have a chance to win every night.”

The health and medical components Young mentions can’t be ignored. The Rangers' rotation has improved a lot in the last month, but it's worth noting that four of the five had IL stints of various lengths last season, while Pérez was basically an innings machine for Texas in a career year.

• deGrom: 64 1/3 IP in 2022 (126 ERA+)
• Gray: 127 1/3 IP (99 ERA+)
• Pérez: 196 1/3 IP (136 ERA+)
• Heaney: 72 2/3 IP (136 ERA+)
• Odorizzi: 106 1/3 IP (90 ERA+)

Rosenthal: Why J.D. Martinez took less from the Dodgers and the latest on the trade market

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 15: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox at bat during the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day at Fenway Park on April 15, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
By Ken Rosenthal
Dec 19, 2022
57

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The free-agent market always produces certain oddities. Consider this 2022 comparison of two right-handed hitters who recently reached switched teams, as if they were traded for one another.

Player A: Age 38, 13 HRs, 116 OPS+, 532 PAs

Player B: Age 35, 16 HRs, 117 OPS+, 596 PAs

Player A is Justin Turner, who agreed with the Red Sox on a one-year, $15 million contract if he opts out or a two-year, $21.7 million guarantee if he does not. Player B is J.D. Martinez, who agreed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $10 million deal.

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Turner, represented by Greg Genske of VaynerSports, did better than many clubs expected. But how is it possible he signed a contract that guarantees him more than twice as much as Martinez, considering both offer minimal defensive value at this stage of their respective careers?

Martinez’s agent, Scott Boras, pointed to the slugger’s relationship with his former Red Sox teammate, Mookie Betts, and Dodgers hitting instructor Robert Van Scoyoc, who helped Martinez revamp his swing after the 2013 season.

Martinez went for not only less than Turner, but also Josh Bell (two years, $33 million), Michael Brantley (one year, $12 million) and Joey Gallo (one year, $11 million).

“(Dodgers president of baseball operations) Andrew Friedman and Mookie were like college coaches seeking the big recruit,” Boras said. “J.D. was fully aware of the recent signings and took $6 million to $7 million below his value.

“He wanted to win and he wanted to (optimize his ability). He felt the Dodgers were the best team to help him achieve those goals. He made them fully aware he has every intention to play well and seek his true value in the seasons ahead.”

Rays, Jays were in on Brantley
The day the Rays announced their signing of right-hander Zach Eflin, president of baseball operations Erik Neander all but signaled he was interested in free-agent outfielder Michael Brantley.

“I think for us adding another player, that’s a rebound candidate, or a breakthrough candidate, I don’t know how much appeal it has relative to someone that has much more of a consistency to them, and a recent track record of success,” Neander said.

“Because I think that’s what this group probably needs most is someone that has demonstrated that and frankly, for the younger players, can take some of the attention and the expectations off of them.”

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As it turned out, the Rays indeed pursued Brantley, who turns 36 on May 15 and is a .296 hitter in 54 career postseason games. So did the Blue Jays, who also targeted Brantley the last time he was a free agent two years ago.

Brantley returned to the Astros that winter on a two-year, $32 million deal. This time, he agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract with $4 million in incentives. Presumably, the Astros are confident Brantley will pass his physical. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a labrum tear in his right shoulder in August and missed the rest of the season.

Where are the trades?
For the past several years, I’ve been among those complaining that too many teams are rebuilding, damaging the competitive integrity of the sport. Well, we finally can report a measure of progress on that front. Three heads of baseball operations in recent days attributed the slow trade market to the number of clubs shunning veteran-for-prospect deals as they try to build rosters capable of contention.

“That’s the biggest dynamic in play,” one executive said. “We can’t use our prospects to go get players. With a couple of teams we could, but it’s not enough. You need enough teams that have major-league players. That is definitely hanging things up, definitely.”

The new collective-bargaining agreement introduced a draft lottery, but otherwise did not appear to go far enough to boost competition. One aspect of the CBA, however — the expansion of the postseason from 10 to 12 teams — gave clubs perhaps more incentive than expected. Two sub-90 win outfits, the Phillies and Padres, reached the National League Championship Series.

The Reds, Pirates and A’s are the only teams truly in rebuilding mode, according to one executive; the Nationals, he said, are not quite behaving in that manner. The trade market is so quiet, not even Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto, one of the game’s leading deal-makers, could stir activity at the Winter Meetings. Dipoto said the Mariners made a few calls to check on possible matches and got feedback from one club, but outside of that teams seemed focused on free agents.

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The trade market likely will accelerate as the number of free agents dwindles. The biggest deal thus far was the three-team, nine-player extravaganza that sent Sean Murphy from the A’s to the Braves and William Contreras from the Braves to the Brewers.


Jorge Mateo (Tommy Gilligan / USA Today Sports)
Orioles’ Mateo on the move?
The Orioles, according to major-league sources, began receiving inquiries on shortstop Jorge Mateo almost immediately after the Cubs reached agreement with Dansby Swanson, the last of the big four free agents at the position.

The Twins, Braves, Red Sox and Dodgers all lost shortstops on the open market. Mateo, entering his age 28 season, might be an affordable and potentially attractive fit for interested clubs, a player whose value as an athletic defender and stolen-base threat should only increase as the league introduces shift restrictions, larger bases and pickoff rules in 2023.

The Orioles like the idea of pairing their right-handed hitting infielders, Mateo and Ramón Urías, with their left-handed hitting options, Gunnar Henderson and Adam Frazier. The additional depth at second, short and third will enable them not only to mix and match, but also to get each player sufficient rest. Then again, the O’s also will have three middle-infield prospects at Triple A, Jordan Westburg, Joey Ortiz and Connor Norby. The team is bound to move some of its infielders eventually.

Mateo, then, would appear expendable in the right deal. He ranked among the top five defenders at short last season in both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average, and is projected to earn a relatively paltry $1.8 million in the first of his three years of arbitration. The downside: His adjusted OPS last season was 19 percent below league average, though he did lead the American League with 35 stolen bases (in 44 attempts) and pop 13 home runs.

Latest on Conforto
Some of the teams considering free-agent outfielder Michael Conforto are concerned about his ability to throw at full strength, citing the surgery he underwent on his right shoulder last April. If Conforto requires time at designated hitter, he might be less attractive to clubs that want more of a full-time outfielder.

Boras, however, said Conforto is throwing at 150 feet, putting him ahead of players who are just starting to get ready for the season. The Rangers, seeking an impact bat in left field, are among the teams with interest, along with the Mets and Blue Jays, major-league sources said.

Another left-handed hitting option for those clubs: David Peralta, who at 35 is more than 5 1/2 years older than Conforto but remains an above-average hitter with a reputation as a winning player.

In general, left-handed hitting outfielders are in less plentiful supply than in the past. Outside of Juan Soto, Peralta and Andrew Benintendi were the best ones traded at the deadline. One executive speculated that the shortage contributed to the Red Sox giving Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida $90 million.

Around the horn
• Padres general manager A.J. Preller acknowledged he has received trade inquiries on infielder Kim Ha-Seong and center fielder Trent Grisham since the team’s addition of free-agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Preller, however, does not sound inclined to make a move.

“With the Bogaerts signing, our intention is to play this position group together,” Preller said. “We like the flexibility and the versatility it gives our team.”

• The Rangers, like the Orioles, boast a surplus of infield prospects, giving them the ability to trade for veteran help at the deadline, if not sooner.

Ezequiel Durán, one of the infielders they acquired from the Yankees in the Joey Gallo trade, is playing a good amount of outfield in the Dominican winter league. Josh Smith, another player in the Gallo trade, could develop into a super-utility type, the Rangers’ version of Chris Taylor.

Also in the system: Second baseman Justin Foscue, 23, the 14th pick in the 2020 draft out of Mississippi State, and Luisangel Acuña, 20, the younger brother of Ronald Acuña Jr. According to MLB.com, Foscue and Luisangel Acuña are the team’s Nos. 5 and 7 prospects, respectively.

• The Brewers sent outfielder Esteury Ruiz to the A’s so they could access William Contreras from the Braves in the three-team Murphy trade. It would not be a surprise to see them move another young outfielder for pitching.

Four of the Brewers’ top five prospects in MLB.com’s rankings are outfielders. Topping the list is Jackson Chourio, an 18-year-old out of Venezuela who is almost certainly untouchable. Right behind him is Sal Frelick, the 15th pick in the 2021 draft and another player the Brewers are unlikely to move.

Interested teams might have a better shot at the Nos. 3 and 5 players on the Brewers’ list: Joey Wiemer, a fourth-rounder out of the University of Cincinnati in 2020, or Garrett Mitchell, the 20th pick that same year.

• And finally, the Diamondbacks are seeking a right-handed hitting infielder in trade discussions involving their left-handed hitting center fielders. They also have been in the mix for a free agent who would fit their desired profile, Brandon Drury.

As always, one phone call could change everything. But no trade is expected before the new year.

so the White Sox lost Abreu and added Benitendi and Clevinger; someone else? Not a major upgrade
Twins lost Correa
KC made some deals?
Tigers maybe too?

Cleveland has not lost ground in the Central this winter.

not sure what happened to his deal with the Giants but Correa like most every free agent is winding up with the Mets. He will play 3rd and Lindor shortstop

They'll now pay a projected $495M for the roster in 2023 alone, obviously the most in MLB history.

Which for the Mets owner is like you or I spending $49.95

 

'It ain't over 'till it's over': Correa, Cohen stun baseball world

What really just happened for Mets fans, like “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” a few nights early, can be traced back through 50 years of Mets history, all the way back to when Yogi Berra was their manager and once said this, famously and for all times in baseball:

“It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.”

So it was with Carlos Correa, Mets owner Steve Cohen, the real star of the craziest baseball offseason of all the baseball offseasons we’ve ever had, and the Giants, who had Correa until they reportedly didn’t like something in his physical, at which point Correa was very much back in play, and so was Cohen.

Before it was all over, except for the shouting in San Francisco and all over baseball, we had one last surprise of free agency, and a whopper of a surprise it was. Correa wasn’t on his way to San Francisco to play shortstop for the Giants next season, but instead he appears on his way to Citi Field (pending his physical, of course) to play third base next to Francisco Lindor.

“We needed one more thing,” Cohen told MLB.com's Jon Heyman from Hawaii, “and this is it.”

This was a plot twist from Cohen and the Mets that didn’t come until the closing credits had started to roll. There is a great line in William Goldman’s classic Hollywood book, “Adventures in the Screen Trade,” from the time when Goldman had asked producer Robert Evans if a deal they’d been working on together was set.

“Of course it’s set,” Evans said before adding, “It’s just not set set.”

The deal that agent Scott Boras had brokered with the Giants was set. Just not set set. Just like that, Boras brought the richest owner in sports off the bench as the most expensive pinch-hitter in history and Cohen was swinging for the fences from Hawaii. The Mets had shown real interest in Correa all along. Then Correa took the second-biggest offer of free agency -- just $10 million less than the one Aaron Judge got to return to the Yankees -- from the Giants. Then the Giants balked, and now here we are.

Once George Steinbrenner, on the other side of New York baseball, became the most flamboyant owner in all of sports in the 1970s after he signed Catfish Hunter on New Year’s Eve and signed Reggie Jackson to what felt like the biggest deal in the world before the 1977 season -- $3 million over five years -- and then signed Dave Winfield to a 10-year contract after that. Steinbrenner was the one in the center of the baseball bullseye. Now here comes Cohen, coming off a 101-win season, making another big move in an offseason full of them, roughly 10 weeks after the Mets lost their National League Wild Card series to the Padres. It suddenly feels like 10 years ago because of everything that has happened since.

The Mets kept free agent Edwin Díaz, the electric closer with the electric entrance to match.

They kept Brandon Nimmo, another free agent. Signed Justin Verlander to replace Jacob deGrom. Signed Japanese starter Kodai Senga, having introduced him just this past week. Signed setup man David Robertson away from the Phillies. And re-signed setup man Adam Ottavino.

But it is what happened with Correa early Thursday morning that has rocked the world of Mets fans and rocked the baseball world. Cohen wanted Correa, thought he’d lost him, was clearly not scared off by what scared off the Giants, went back after him hard and appears to have gotten it done.

The Yankees went deeper into the playoffs this past October than the Mets did, making it to the American League Championship Series before being swept by the Astros. The Yankees then spent with both hands and brought back Judge, their big man, on the biggest deal they’ve ever made, and just signed left-hander Carlos Rodón . Even with all that, the Yankees feel like the Other Team in New York, at least for today, because of what just happened with Correa.

So now the Mets have their other $341 million man, Lindor, at short, Correa at third and Pete Alonso, who hit 53 home runs in 2019 and broke the Mets record with 131 RBIs in '22, at first. All they have at second base is the '22 NL batting champion in Jeff McNeil.

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Jeff Passan
@JeffPassan
·
1h
BREAKING: The Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a trade that will send outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Blue Jays for a package that includes top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno, sources tell ESPN.

Giants had doubts about Correa's ankle

The now Mets player underwent surgery for a fracture when he was 19 years old

December 23, 2022

According to reports, Carlos Correa's contract with the Giants fell apart due to an injury suffered by the shortstop eight years ago, the New York Post revealed in its edition yesterday .

An injury to his right ankle, which occurred in 2014 when Correa was 19 years old and was working in the Astros' branch system, led him to surgery to repair a fractured fibula and ligament.

The Giants indicated that they "had concerns" about that injury, according to information published on the NBC Sports Bay Area digital portal .

The San Francisco club was hours away from introducing Correa on Tuesday after agreeing to a 13-year, $350 million contract, but they canceled the scheduled news conference. Mets owner Steve Cohen anticipated it, and Post columnist Jon Heyman reported Wednesday morning that the team has agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract with Correa, who will play third base. Correa's agent, Scott Boras, told Heyman there was a "difference of opinion" about the 28-year-old's medical exams.

"While we are prohibited from releasing confidential medical information, as Scott Boras publicly stated, there was a difference of opinion regarding the results of Carlos' physical examination," Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said in a statement. "We wish Carlos the best."

Correa has previously dealt with back discomfort as well. Heyman announced that he handled information related to the issue and that the matter of the Puerto Rican star player's back was not the problem with the agreement that San Francisco handled.


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Jeff Passan
@JeffPassan
·
44m
Right-hander Corey Kluber and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year contract with a club option for 2024, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN.

Glad to see Corey keeps going. Too bad for him he didn't get one of those 10 year contracts after his stay in Texas, but injuries came before the overlong deal could be signed.

Justin Verlander buttons up for the 2003 baseball season, his first in the National League.

With Players In New Places, Records Will Fall In 2023 Baseball Season

Jan 1, 2023,10:31am EST

After spending more than $1 billion in a wild free-agent frenzy, the 30 teams of Major League Baseball are looking forward to their first uninterrupted season in three years.

With Covid-19 and the lockout in their rear-view mirrors, clubs can concentrate on performance – with an eye on grabbing one of the six available playoff spots in each league.

Now that the calendar has turned to 2023, here’s an educated guess as to the possibilities:

1. Armed with a new $43.3 million contract that matches teammate Max Scherzer as the highest in the game, new Mets signee Justin Verlander will continue his long-shot march toward 300 wins. Though he turns 40 in February, he’s on a contending club that should provide plenty of support. But he needs to average 17 wins a year for the next three seasons even to come within five of the magic number, last reached by Randy Johnson in 2009. It won’t be easy.

2. With his one-year, $30 million contract expiring after the season, two-way star Shohei Ohtani of the Angels will contend for his second MVP award, his first Cy Young, and the first $500 million contract in baseball history. Still just 28, Ohtani will become a free agent after the 2023 season – unless he’s traded and extended in July. After signing nine free agents in December, Mets owner Steve Cohen is sure to be a strong bidder but will have competition from the Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers, and Red Sox.

3. Two players just arriving from the Japanese leagues will be Rookies of the Year, following in the footsteps of Hideo Nomo (1995), Ichiro Suzuki (2001), and Ohtani (2018). The National League winner will be Kodai Senga, a 30-year-old right-hander who signed a five-year, $75 million pact with the free-spending Mets after posting a 2.59 ERA, averaging 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings, and winning six Japan Series titles during his 11-year career. In the Junior Circuit, the Boston Red Sox seek a seismic jolt from outfielder Masataka Yoshida after signing the two-time batting king to a five-year, $90 million pact. A contact hitter who could be the second coming of Ichiro, the 29-year-old Yoshida had a .326 batting average and .419 on-base percentage over seven seasons in Japan. He might not like the spring weather in Boston but he’ll love the Green Monster.

4. Houston’s hope of becoming the first team with back-to-back world championships will be stifled by the San Diego Padres, who will win their first World Series. But it will be the only time the quartet of Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis, Jr., Manny Machado, and Juan Soto play together because Machado is expected to opt out of his 10-year, $300 million contract after the season ends.

5. The Texas Rangers, after six straight losing seasons, will give the Astros a season-long battle in the American League West that comes down to the final weekend. Jacob deGrom will stay healthy all year and lead the league with 20 wins, helping new manager Bruce Bochy pay instant dividends for president of baseball operations Chris Young, who pitched for Bochy in San Diego. With a strong assist from newly-signed Nathan Eovaldi, the Rangers will reach the playoffs, along with the Mariners, but Seattle will remain the only current club without a pennant.

6. The youngest team in the National League will edge the oldest in a fierce divisional title chase. The Atlanta Braves, guided by a philosophy of giving long-term contracts to young stars, will win their sixth straight title – the longest active streak in the majors – by two games over the payroll-heavy New York Mets, who opened the year with a luxury tax payroll of $384,314,506, according to Spotrac.

7. With two-time MVP Bryce Harper out until June after elbow surgery, the Philadelphia Phillies will not retain their unlikely NL pennant of 2022. But newly-signed shortstop Trea Turner will provide much-needed speed at the top of the lineup and lead the league with 78 stolen bases, thanks to bigger bases and newly-mandated limits on pick-off throws.

8. For the first time since 2014, three managers will be elected to the Hall of Fame. That will happen during the Nashville Winter Meetings, when the 16-member Contemporary Era Committee meets to consider non-players who made significant contributions to the game after 1980. The likely winners: Bochy, who won three world championships with the Giants; Dusty Baker, who took five teams to the playoffs before winning his first World Series ring as a manager last year; and Davey Johnson, manager of the 1986 world champion Mets.

9. The best pitchers of the year will be Verlander, who will win his fourth Cy Young Award but first as a National Leaguer; Ohtani, who will top his 15-9 record and 2.33 ERA over 28 starts last season; and Atlanta’s Spencer Strider, who will lead the majors in strikeouts and pitch the only complete-game no-hitter of 2023 in his first full season as a starter.

10. The National League will win the Seattle All-Star Game in a 14-11 slugfest, creating records for most runs by one league and most runs in a single Midsummer Classic. Spurred by the Home Run Derby that took place that night before, the leagues will produce two-homer performances by Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, and a fully-healed Ronald Acuna, Jr. The game will mark the end of a nine-year winning streak by the American League.

11. In the first year of his nine-year, $360 million contract extension, Judge will power the Yankees to a commanding American League East victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. But the towering outfielder won’t reach 60 homers again or retain his MVP trophy, which will go back to Ohtani.

12. Long before the 30 teams gather again for the December winter meetings, the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals will have new ownership and the Oakland Athletics should have a new place to play. The A’s will be the first team to represent four different cities (Philadelphia, Kansas City, Oakland, and Las Vegas).

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Japan hopes to win World Baseball Classic 2023

Saturday, Dec. 31, 19:53

After a six-year hiatus, the World Baseball Classic will return this March and Team Japan is hoping to come out on top for the first time in three tournaments.

The WBC was scheduled to be held in 2021, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It last took place in 2017.

Japan won in 2006 and 2009, but finished third in 2013 and 2017.

Team Japan, which is in Pool B, will play against China on March 9, South Korea on March 10, the Czech Republic on March 11 and Australia on March 12. These games will be at Tokyo Dome.

The names of the 30 players on the national team have not been released yet, but Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Angels, Darvish Yu of the San Diego Padres and Suzuki Seiya of the Chicago Cubs have already expressed their wish to play on the team.

Sources tell NHK that Murakami Munetaka of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows has been chosen for the roster.

Murakami hit 56 home runs last season, setting the new record for a Japanese player. He earned the Triple Crown of batting average, runs batted in, and home runs in the Central League.

The national team's manager Kuriyama Hideki plans to announce the members by the end of January and start training camp on February 17.

Ohtani's teammate in the LA Angels, Mike Trout, will be leading Team USA as the captain and many other Major League players are expected to play in the tournament.

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Angels News: Mike Trout was the Key to Getting Players to Commit to Team USA in WBC

The loaded Team USA roster is being captained by the Angels’ superstar.

NOAH CAMRASDEC 18, 2022 6:00 PM EST

Team USA is absolutely stacked in the World Baseball Classic. Tons of the game’s top stars have committed to playing in the Games, and that’s in no small part due to Angels’ superstar Mike Trout.

Back in July, Trout stated his intent to play in the Games. He was named the Team USA captain, and opened the floodgates for the rest of the league's top stars to start making their commitments.

The general manager of Team USA, Tony Reagins, said Trout is the reason the team is so stacked heading into the WBC.

"The fact that he said 'I’m in' very early on, my conversations started to be easier and easier [with other players]," Reagins said. "He was definitely a catalyst to all this."

The team’s manager, former MLB infielder Mark DeRosa, furthered Reagins’ sentiment on the MLB Network.

"In my talks with Mike he made it pretty clear that the clock is ticking on his career," DeRosa said. "He felt like he missed out [on the WBC] in 2017 and he didn’t want to have any regrets. He was one of the first commitments. Tony Reagins did an unbelievable job getting him and there was a trickle-down effect with [Bryce] Harper and Mookie Betts."

Joining Trout on Team USA in the WBC will be superstars Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Trea Turner, Nolan Arenado, Pete Alonso and many, many more. Fans of the game should be very excited about the WBC, which will take place from March 8-21. And apparently, we have Trout to thank for all of it.

Shohei Ohtani will be playing for Team Japan and Patrick Sandoval will be playing for Team Mexico in the Games, among others.

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Past poor performance does not guarantee future lack of success, but of all those projections for 2023 above the one I most doubt is a season long run by the Rangers, whose FA signings of pitchers are so often failures.