Issue #473
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! ⚾
Another day, another deal… this time between Boston and Pittsburgh and involving five players. Both teams dealt from their positions of strength, as rumors had been swirling that the Pirates might deal a pitcher with the two names often mentioned being Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo. This deal involves the latter, as Ian Browne at MLB reported:
Red Sox receive: RHP Johan Oviedo, LHP Tyler Samaniego, C Adonys Guzman
Pirates receive: OF Jhostynxon Garcia (MLB's No. 85 prospect), RHP Jesus Travieso
Of these five guys, the only one with significant major league experience is Oviedo, who turns 28 in early March and has pitched parts of five years in the majors. A big RHP (6-6, 275 pounds), he had a full season in 2023 for the Buccos with a 4.31 ERA, and 158 K in 177.2 IP over 32 starts. Tommy John surgery led him to miss the entire 2024 season and then his further recovery allowed only nine games for the Pirates in 2025, posting a 3.57 ERA with 42 K in 40.1 IP. After acquiring Sonny Gray recently, the Red Sox have a lot of starters already, so they might be considering Oviedo as a useful bullpen arm who could spot start if necessary.
Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia will turn 23 years old on December 11, and had a brief stint for Boston in 2025 (1-7 with two walks) after hitting 21 HR with 75 RBI, 7 SB, and a .267 average mostly at AAA Worcester. In 2024 he had 23 HR and 17 SB with a .286 average across three levels of A/AA ball. But the Red Sox had a lot of outfielders, so it was going to be hard for him to get much playing time there in 2026. The Pirates need outfield offense, so assuming Garcia can do well in spring training, he’ll likely see a lot of playing time at LF and DH, and could spell Oneil Cruz in CF and Bryan Reynolds in RF as needed. That is, assuming the Pirates don’t sign a bigger name free agent as an OF or DH.
As for the others involved, Tyler Samaniego is a 26-year old LH reliever who rose up to AA level in 2025; catcher Adonys Guzman is 22 years old and was the Pirates fifth-round draft pick in 2025; and Jesus Travieso is an 18-year old RH starter who pitched in rookie- and A-ball in Boston’s organization in 2025.
Today’s Trivia Question
As noted below, one of today’s Birthday Boys is Brewers’ star Christian Yelich. He has the distinction of being one of only five players (since 1901) to have hit for the cycle three times. How many of other four players can you name?
Holiday gift idea… Baseball Socks!
I usually find colored socks pretty boring. So when I have to wear them, I like to wear baseball-themed ones. If you have baseball fans in your life to buy holiday gifts for… perhaps a set of socks would be a good fit? This is a set of 8 with vibrant colors, baseball imagery, and even baseball messages on the bottom… see them at Amazon!
On this day in baseball history…
Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. Unless otherwise noted, the descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.
📅 On December 5…
1957: Cardinals hold on to Ken Boyer and acquire Curt Flood. “The Cards turn down the Phillies' offer of Richie Ashburn and Harvey Haddix for Ken Boyer, trusting that Boyer will turn into a good third baseman. Then, in one of their best trades ever, the Cardinals acquire outfielders Curt Flood and Joe Taylor from the Redlegs for pitchers Marty Kutyna and Ted Wieand. The 19-year-old Flood, who appeared in eight games for Cincinnati over the past two seasons, will anchor the St. Louis outfield for the next 12 years.”
1978: Pete Rose signs with the Phillies. “After sixteen years with the Cincinnati Reds, Pete Rose signs a four-year, $3.2 million deal with the Phillies. Other teams which pursued "Charlie Hustle" include the Mets, Braves, Pirates and the Royals. The deal temporarily makes Rose the highest-paid athlete in team sports.”
1984: The Yankees acquire Rickey Henderson. “The Oakland A's send base-stealing OF Rickey Henderson and P Bert Bradley to the Yankees in exchange for pitchers Jay Howell and Jose Rijo, OF Stan Javier, and minor leaguers Tim Birtsas and Eric Plunk.”
1990: The Blue Jays and Padres make a big exchange of stars. “In a blockbuster deal, the Blue Jays trade first baseman Fred McGriff and shortstop Tony Fernandez to the Padres for second baseman Roberto Alomar and outfielder Joe Carter.”
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Christian Yelich (1991)
First-round draft pick (23rd overall) of the Florida Marlins in 2010
So far has had a 13-year major league career, starting in 2013 with the first five years for the Marlins, and the rest for the Brewers
Three-time All-Star
Has mostly played LF, with some time in CF and RF
Won the NL MVP Award in 2018 when he led the NL with a .326 average and provided 118 runs, 36 HR, 110 RBI, and 22 SB
Then came in second in the MVP Award vote the following year when he again won the batting title with a .329 mark while slugging 44 HR with 97 RBI and 30 SB
Overall has had 233 HR, 221 SB, a .285/.374/.464 slash line, and a 129 OPS+
Cliff Floyd (1972)
First-round draft pick (14th overall) in 1991 by the Montreal Expos
17-year major league career spanning from 1993-2009, mostly with the Expos, Marlins, and Mets, but with some time spent with four other clubs
Was an All-Star in 2001 with the Marlins hitting .317 that year with 31 HR, 103 RBI, 123 runs, and 18 SB
Was mostly a LF, with some time at RF and 1B
Overall had 233 HR, 148 SB, a .278/.358/.482 slash line, and a 119 OPS+
Soon after retiring he went into broadcasting with Fox Sports, and has also worked with SportsNet New York, MLB Network, and others.
AJ Pollock (1987)
First-round draft pick (17th overall) in 2009 by the Diamondbacks
12-year major league career, spanning from 2012-2023, mostly as a CF for the D-Backs and then later as a LF for the Dodgers and three other clubs
Was an All-Star in 2015 when he hit 20 HR with 111 runs, 39 SB, and took home a Gold Glove Award
Overall had 145 HR, 122 SB, a .273/.328/.464 slash line, and a 111 OPS+
Gus Mancuso (1905-1984)
17-year major league career, spanning from 1928-1945, mostly as a catcher for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals
Two-time All-Star, and received down-ballot MVP votes five times
Was a good defensive catcher and played for five NL pennant-winning teams
Generally a light hitter with only 53 HR in 5,030 PA, he hit .298 in 1935 and .301 in 1996, but only had a .265 career average
In addition to Christian Yelich, other currently active players who were born on December 5 include MIL Trevor Megill, HOU Hayden Wesneski, and WAS Julian Fernández.
New Baseball Books!
The following are some new titles that were published in November / December, 2025.
Here's the Pitch 2026
edited by Dan Schlossberg, with foreword by Jayson Stark
Publisher: ACTA Publications
204 pages
November 15, 2025
Baseball's Most Outrageous Promotions: From Wedlock and Headlock Day to Disco Demolition Night
by Joseph Natalicchio
Publisher: McFarland
254 pages
December 3, 2025
Black Baseball's Heyday: Capturing an Era in Art and Words
by Denny Dressman
Publisher: McFarland
189 pages
December 3, 2025
Baseball Legends
by Scott Reeves
Publisher: Sona Books
144 pages
December 2, 2025
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.
Here is a good one from an all-time great catcher and slugger:
"Slumps are like a soft bed. They’re easy to get into and hard to get out of.” – Johnny Bench
Today’s Trivia Answer
The five players, since 1901, who have hit for The Cycle three times in their careers are:
Christian Yelich
Trea Turner
Adrián Beltré
Babe Herman
Bob Meusel
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.
Top 5 starting pitchers available on free-agent market, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 12/4/2025
Starting pitching remains O's top priority ahead of Winter Meetings, by Jake Rill at MLB, 12/4/2025
Will Sheffield Be First Marlins Hall of Famer?, by Sean Millerick at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 12/5/2025
Winter Meetings Always Wild And Crazy, by Dan Schlossberg at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 12/5/2025
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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