#pitching

#pitching

The Tigers agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Dugan Darnell, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction tracker. Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press reports that Darnell will receive a non-roster invite to MLB camp. He'd make a little more than the $780K league minimum if he cracks the big league roster. Although Darnell will be with the club in camp, he's not going to see any game action.

Manager Joe Espada said at Imai's press conference that the club is likely to lean on a six-man rotation frequently throughout the season (link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). That could be the case from day one, as the skipper indicated they may begin the year with an extra starter. Espada pointed to the team's heavy early-season workload. The Astros only have two off days between Opening Day on March 26 and April 22.

Skubal put together another dominant season that culminated with a second consecutive American League Cy Young Award. He went 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 0.89 WHIP and 11.1 strikeouts per nine in 195.1 innings across 31 starts. Miller posted a 2.63 ERA, 2.23 FIP, 0.91 WHIP and 15.2 strikeouts per nine with 22 saves in 60 appearances between the Athletics and Padres.

While it may seem a bit odd, December typically is one of the most exciting months on the baseball calendar. The Winter Meetings is typically the peak of off-season activity, and we are just a week away from the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings starting. This does not mean that moves will stop until then, but the main takeaway is that activity should continue to pick for the Braves and other teams.

Here's all six of Gage Stanifer's strikeouts from this evening. His sinker averaged 95.5 mph, but touched as high as 97.4 mph (max spin rate of 2,515 RPM). Generated 11 whiffs on 30 total swings for a 37 whiff% RJ Schreck just hit his 16th home run of the season, moving into an organization-leading tie with Charles McAdoo and Sean Keys. Double-digit homers for Arjun Nimmala! The @BlueJays' No. 1

Scouts are comparing Imai to Kodai Senga, who signed with the Mets for five years and $75 million prior to the 2023 season. Senga was an All-Star in his first year in MLB but has dealt with injuries on and off for the last two seasons. When he's been healthy, he's been very good, as he's been worth 6.7 bWAR with a 3.00 ERA, 320 strikeouts and 285 innings pitched in 52 games.

UCLA baseball coach John Savage doesn't care where you come from, as long as you have grades, skills and character. That's why he had no problem Wednesday signing a junior college player from Switzerland, right-handed pitcher Fabio Bundi, who has a 95-mph fastball. He was one of nine players to sign to grant-in-aids. Bundi, 22, is in his second season playing for Monterey Peninsula College.

While getting Naylor might have worked out well, they sure dodged a bullet by failing to pull off a deal for the reliever. It sure doesn't look like either pitcher involved in the scandal will play in MLB again, and jail time is a distinct possibility. Luis Ortiz might end up getting the worst of it because Emmanuel may be able to plead his felony down to a Clase misdemeanor.

"I think what I would say is that we need to figure out ways to improve the team and that could take a number of shapes," Breslow said. "Every team gets better if you can bring in a starter or develop a starting pitcher that could pitch at Garrett Crochet's level, right? "There's no running from that and we'll be as aggressive as we can in chasing that down while also ensuring that we're doing everything we can to develop our players internally."

"The perfect pitch doesn't start with money," Zemrak told attendees. "It starts with a person and a mission."

The Pirates may have been abysmal again but have remained appointment viewing thanks to Paul Skenes, whose highlight reels make you question physics. It's not just his raw pace, throwing 100mph+ deep into games, but his mastery of late-moving variations that mean batters can't pick whether it's a sweeper or a splinker until it's already behind them.

"He looks like a different person," Roberts said. "I just think there's a lot more confidence, a lot more conviction and obviously the stuff is up than where it was earlier this year. He's learned a lot from this season."