Issue #498
The goal with The Baseball Buffet series is to provide the best daily dose of relevant baseball info in a smart-brevity format (mostly short bullets, getting to the point, with quick analysis/insights.) Think of it like what baseball fans of a certain age would look forward to in their morning newspaper’s sports section each day!
⚾ Welcome! ⚾
Yesterday was a pretty quiet holiday-season Sunday in the baseball world, with just one free-agent signing that I noticed:
BAL re-signs SP Zach Eflin. According to an article by Jake Rill at MLB, right-handed starter Zach Eflin is re-signing with the Orioles on a 1-year deal worth a guaranteed $10 million (with a mutual option for 2027). Eflin was a late first-round draft pick by the Padres in 2012, and has pitched ten years in the majors for the Phillies, Rays, and Orioles. His best season came in 2023 while with the Rays when he led the AL in wins with a 16-8 record to go with a 3.50 ERA and 186 K over 177.2 IP. He will turn 34 years old in early April, and looks to bounce back from a 2025 campaign with Baltimore that was marred by injuries and resulted in a 5.93 ERA over 14 starts and 71.1 IP.
At this point it feels like the Orioles have a lot rotation arms available, making their trade of Grayson Rodriguez for slugging OF Taylor Ward all the more sensible. It remains to be seen if Eflin will be ready to go for opening day, but if he is then presumably he’ll join Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, and Dean Kremer in a five-man rotation (in some order to be determined), with other pitchers capable of starting being Tyler Wells, Cade Povich, Brandon Young, and Albert Suárez.
Today’s Trivia Question
Which two players have had 20+ HR and 20+ SB in each of the past five seasons (2021-2025)?
Counting Down the Days to 2026
A temporary new feature here at the Baseball Buffet… players by uniform number!
We are now 3 days away from turning the page on the year. Lots of players have worn the #3 for a year or two, here or there. But here are some of the most prominent to do so for extended periods:
OF Babe Ruth - Yankees (1929-34), Braves (1935)
SS Álex Rodríguez - Mariners (1994-2000), Rangers (2001-03)
1B Jimmie Foxx - Athletics (1931-35), Red Sox (1936-42)
2B/3B Frankie Frisch - Cardinals (1932-37)
3B/1B Harmon Killebrew - Senators/Twins (1957-74), Royals (1975)
SS Alan Trammell - Tigers (1978-96)
1B/OF Bryce Harper - Phillies (2019-25)
OF Earl Averill - Indians (1930-39), Braves (1941)
OF Dale Murphy - Braves (1976-90), Phillies (1990-92), Rockies (1993)
OF/DH Harold Baines - White Sox (1980-1989, 96-97, 2000-01) and three other clubs
OF Willie Davis - Dodgers (1961-73) and two other clubs
3B Evan Longoria - Rays (2008-17), Diamondbacks (2023)
3B Eric Chávez - Athletics (1999-2010)
2B/SS Dick McAuliffe - Tigers (1960-73), Red Sox (1974-75)
On this day in baseball history…
Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. All quoted descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.
📅 On December 29…
1878: The Cuban Winter League gets underway. “The professional Baseball League of Cuba begins play in Havana, making the Cuban Winter League the world's second oldest professional baseball organization, trailing North America's National League in seniority by only two seasons. Havana wins the first game, 21 - 20, over Almendares in a contest featuring ten men to a side (the extra position was "right short"). The inaugural Cuban championship consists of only three clubs - Havana, Matanzas, Almendares - and Havana wins the trophy with a 4-0-1 record behind the leadership of manager and captain Steve Bellan.”
1890: The Players League continues to wind down. “In the Players League, after the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Burghers clubs combine with their National League rivals, Al Spalding buys out Chicago's PL backer, John Addison, for $18,000, some of which goes to pay off unpaid salaries and reimburse players half of their investments. Spalding gets the club's grandstand, equipment, and player contracts.”
1917: The Phillies trade for Cy Williams. “The Philadelphia Phillies pick up slugger Cy Williams from the Chicago Cubs for Dode Paskert. Williams will win three home run titles with Philadelphia to give him four for his career.”
2002: Cinergy Field, aka Riverfront Stadium, is demolished. “Three blocks away from the blast at Paul Brown Stadium, thousands of spectators cheer as 1,275 pounds of explosives implodes Cinergy Field, which opened in 1970, sending a huge dust cloud down the Ohio River. The structure, formerly known as "Riverfront Stadium", was the site where Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's career 714 home run record on Opening Day in 1974, and Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's all-time 4,189 hits record in 1985. The site will become the western concourse of Great American Ball Park and will include the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame when it opens in the 2004 season.”
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Julio Rodríguez (2000)
So far has played four years in the majors, all with the Seattle Mariners
AL Rookie of the Year in 2022 after hitting .284 with 28 HR and 25 SB
Three-time All-Star and a good defensive CF
Is one of only two players to start career with four consecutive 20/20 HR/SB seasons (Bobby Witt Jr. is the other)
Like many players today, he strikes out a lot with 145-175 K each year
Overall so far has 112 HR, 116 SB, a .274/.331/.469 slash line, and a 130 OPS+
Devon White (1962)
17-year major league career, spanning from 1985-2001, with 11 years with the Angels and Blue Jays, and the rest spread across four other clubs
Three-time All-Star, and won seven Gold Glove Awards in CF
Ran the bases well with 20+ SB in eight seasons, including a high of 44 SB in 1989
Had some pop too, with 15+ HR six times and career highs of 24 HR and 87 RBI in his first full season in 1987
Overall had 208 HR, 346 SB, 1,125 runs, and a .263 average
Richie Sexson (1974)
12-year major league career, spanning from 1997-2008, mostly as a 1B with the Indians, Brewers, and Mariners
Two-time All-Star
Had 25+ HR seven times, with a high of 45 HR in both 2001 and 2003, and had 100+ RBI six times
Overall had 306 HR, 943 RBI, a .261/.344/.507 slash line, and a 120 OPS+
Jack Wilson (1977)
12-year major league career, spanning from 2001-2012, with nine seasons with the Pirates and the rest spread between the Mariners and Braves
Was a very good defensive SS, but a generally light hitter with a career .265 average and .306 OBP.
Was an All-Star in 2004 with 11 HR, 82 runs, 41 doubles, 201 hits, and an NL-leading 12 triples. Most of those were career-high numbers, with the exception of hitting 12 HR in 2007.
Father of Jacob Wilson, SS for the Athletics, who came in second in the AL Rookie of the Year vote in 2025
Currently active players who were born on December 29 include MIA Brian Navarreto and DET Sean Guenther.
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of the new features I’m starting up during the offseason is a baseball-related quote of the day. These will include quotes by players or managers that are insightful or funny, and interesting quotes from others about the game itself. I’ll try to mix it up over time.
The great Negro Leagues slugger and catcher Josh Gibson was highlighted here as a recent Birthday Boy, on December 21. I wanted to circle back and give a few quotes from others about him:
"If you look for his weakness and while you're looking for it, he's liable to hit 45 home runs". - Satchel Paige
“He can do everything. He hits the ball a mile. He catches so easy he might as well be in a rocking chair. Throws like a rifle.” - Walter Johnson
Alonzo Boone: "Anything he touched was hit hard. He could power outside pitches to right field. Shortstops would move to left field when Josh came to the plate.” - Alonso Boone
"If you want to argue Josh Gibson didn't face the best competition, well, neither did Babe Ruth." - Ken Rosenthal
Today’s Trivia Answer
José Ramírez and Randy Arozarena have had 20+ HR and 20+ SB in each of the past five season (2021-2025).
Good Reads
Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.
6 teams whose fortunes are looking up for ’26, by Will Leitch at MLB, 12/28/2025
10 players who will define the 2026 season, by Will Leitch at MLB, 12/28/2025
Ranking 20 fantastic finishes from 2025, by Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru and Jared Greenspan at MLB, 12/28/2025
Prospects who broke out -- 1 for every team -- this season, by Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra at MLB, 12/28/2025
NFL Quarterbacks on the Diamond, by Richard Cuicchi at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 12/29/2025
5 Baseball Cards with Solid New Year's Resolutions, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 12/28/2025
See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!
How did you like this edition of Now Taking the Field?
Did you know? I wrote a 600+ page book with the same title as this newsletter/blog? Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports. It is available at Amazon and most other major booksellers.
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