Issue #554

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! ⚾

It feels like teams are taking a breather lately in terms of signing more free agents. The Padres are maybe the exception, having made a flurry of moves pretty recently. But I think most teams are focused now on the talent they have in their camps, and seeing how things develop… ready to make additions as needed if/when some injuries strike.

That said, I did see one signing yesterday of note:

Mariners re-sign C Mitch Garver. According to an article by Daniel Kramer at MLB, the Mariners are re-signing catcher Mitch Garver to a Minor League deal with an invite to Spring Training. Kramer reports that the deal would be worth $2.25 million if Garver makes the team at any time during 2026.

  • The 35-year old Garver has played nine years in the majors for the Twins, Rangers, and Mariners. His best offensive numbers came back in 2019 when he hit .273 with 31 HR in only 93 games. Then in 2023 he hit .270 with 19 HR in 87 games.

  • In 2022, 2024, and 2025 he has hit below .210, including a .209 average with 9 HR in 87 games for the Mariners in 2025.

  • Outlook: Given the nature of the catcher position, it doesn’t hurt to have depth behind the plate during Spring Training. Obviously Cal Raleigh is the starting backstop for the Mariners, and as Kramer notes it would seem Andrew Knizner is the front-runner for the backup spot. But Garver is a solid veteran, and after the Mariners traded catching prospect Harry Ford for reliever Jose A. Ferrer, it is at least an open question who will be the reserve backstop for 2026.

Remaining Free Agents

Yesterday I listed out the remaining free agent position players, so today I’ll do the same for the pitchers. At the beginning of the offseason there were over 100 relievers on the market, and most have been signed by now. But there are still some interesting starters and relievers available should injuries arise in the coming weeks, or if teams aren’t content with what they are seeing from those in camp.

Starting Pitchers

  • Lucas Giolito… 31-year old former first-round draft pick, he went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA over 26 starts for Boston last year. I have to assume someone will sign him and he’ll be pitching come April.

  • Max Scherzer… 41-year future Hall of famer, he struggled with a 5.19 ERA over 17 starts and 85 IP for the Blue Jays last year. I hope someone gives him a shot!

  • Zack Littell… only 30 years old and had a 3.81 ERA over 32 starts for the Rays and Reds in 2025, so here too I think someone will pick him up.

  • Patrick Corbin

  • Nestor Cortes

  • Tyler Anderson

  • Jon Gray

  • Frankie Montas

  • Marcus Stroman

  • Alex Cobb

  • Tony Gonsolin

  • Wade Miley

  • Anthony DeSclafani

Relievers

  • Danny Coulombe

  • Justin Wilson

  • Jalen Beeks

  • José Leclerc

  • Jorge López

  • Michael Kopech

  • Max Kranick

  • T.J. McFarland

  • Jake Cousins

  • Joey Lucchesi

  • Kendall Graveman

  • Tommy Kahnle

  • Luke Jackson

  • Chris Stratton

  • Scott Alexander

  • Erasmo Ramírez

  • Scott McGough

  • Chad Green


Today’s Trivia Question

Complete games by pitchers were one of many statistics that I covered in my special December 15th article “Overall 2025 MLB Stats in Historical Context.” (If you didn’t see that piece, take a look… I think you’ll like it!) Clearly, complete games are a relatively rare occurrence these days. But who are the two pitchers with the most CG since 2020, with totals of 10 and 9, respectively?


Countdown to Spring Training!

Concluding this fun series… Spring Training games are now just 1 day away, so here are some top players who had uniform #1 for extended periods of time (and the teams they wore it with). The following list is an extended version of what I shared in December when I was counting down the last couple of weeks until the end of the year.

  • SS Ozzie Smith - Padres (1978-81), Cardinals (1982-96)

  • 2B Lou Whitaker - Tigers (1978-95)

  • SS Pee Wee Reese - Dodgers (1940-42, 46-58)

  • OF Richie Ashburn - Phillies (1948-59), Cubs (1960-61), Mets (1962)

  • 2B Bobby Doerr - Red Sox (1938-44, 46-51)

  • 2B Buddy Myer - Senators (1931-41)

  • SS Carlos Correa - Astros (2015-21, 25)

  • SS Tony Fernández - Blue Jays (1983-90, 93, 98-99, 2001), and three other clubs

  • OF Earle Combs - Yankees (1929-35)

  • OF Tommy Holmes - Braves (1942-51)

  • SS Elvis Andrus - Rangers (2009-20), White Sox (2022-23)

  • 2B Brian Roberts - Orioles (2001-13)

  • 2B Ozzie Albies - Braves (2017-25)

  • 2B/3B Bobby Ávila - Indians (1949-58)

  • C Del Crandall - Braves (1953-63)


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 February 19…

  • 1953: Ted Williams safely crash-lands. “Ted Williams safely crash-lands his damaged Panther jet after flying a combat mission in Korea. The plane was hit by enemy fire.”

  • 1954: A young Roberto Clemente signs with the Dodgers. “19-year-old Roberto Clemente signs with the Brooklyn Dodgers for one year at $5,000 with a $10,000 signing bonus. The Dodgers thus beat out a number of other clubs in the Clemente sweepstakes. They've outspent the prior two entrants, their cross-river rivals in Manhattan and the Bronx, and simply beaten the Milwaukee Braves to the punch. By far the biggest spenders of the bunch (by all accounts exceeding Brooklyn's offer by at least 150%), the Braves were just a tad tardy, Clemente having already accepted the Dodgers' terms. The Dodgers may have won the first battle, but they will lose Clemente's services in one year when they fail to protect him in the 1954 Rule V Draft.”

  • 1983: Fernando Valenzuela is the first to win $1 million via arbitration. “Fernando Valenzuela wins his salary arbitration case with the Dodgers and becomes the first player to win a $1 million salary through the process. The Dodgers had offered Valenzuela $750,000 for this season.”


🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Dave Stewart, Josh Reddick, Tim Burke

Dave Stewart (1957)

  • 16-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1978-1995, with the Athletics, Dodgers, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Phillies

  • Began as a mixed starter and reliever, but then became a consistently good starter for the Athletics in 1987, winning 20-22 games in four consecutive seasons. He was in the top-four in the AL Cy Young Award voting in each of those seasons, with a career-high 205 K in 1987 and a career-best 2.56 ERA in 1990.

  • Was a strong postseason performer, with an overall 10-6 record and a 2.84 ERA. He won the World Series MVP in 1989 after posting a 1.69 ERA over 16 IP in two starts, then also won the ALCS MVP in 1990 with the Athletics and the ALCS MVP in 1993 with the Blue Jays.

  • Overall during the regular season he had a 168-129, a 3.95 ERA, and an even 100 ERA+

Josh Reddick (1987)

  • 13-year major league career, spanning from 2009-2021, mostly for the Red Sox, Athletics, and Astros

  • Hit 20+ HR twice, including in 2012 when he had a career-high 32 HR and 85 RBI, while also winning a Gold Glove Award in the OF

  • Overall had 146 HR, a .262/.321/.426 slash line, and a 104 OPS+

Tim Burke (1959)

  • 8-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1985-1992, mostly with the Expos before finishing up with the Mets and Yankees

  • Had 18 saves with an impressive 1.19 ERA in 1987, and then a career-high 28 saves and a 2.55 ERA in 1989, his one All-Star campaign

  • Overall had 102 saves, a 2.72 ERA, and a 136 ERA+

Currently active players who were born on February 19 include TBR Justyn-Henry Malloy, SDP JP Sears, and PIT Carmen Mlodzinski.

New Baseball Books!

The following are some books that are newly published in February, 2026:

Ron Shandler's 2026 Baseball Forecaster: And Encyclopedia of Fanalytics
by Brent Hershey, Brandon Kruse, Ray Murphy, and Ron Shandler
Triumph Books
February 3, 2026
272 pages

Diamond Classics II: The Best Baseball Books Since 1989
by Mike Shannon
McFarland
February 13, 2026
306 pages

Baseball Magic and Mayhem in St. Louis: The 1926 Cardinals, World Series Champions
by Kevin J. Abing
McFarland
February 4, 2026
218 pages

Heyday of Willie, Duke, and Mickey, The: New York City Baseball's Golden Age amid Integration
by Robert C. Cottrell
Bloomsbury Academic
February 5, 2026
344 pages


Baseball Quote of the Day

One of today’s Birthday Boys (see above) is Dave Stewart, so here is a good quote from him:

"The defining qualities of a superstar athlete... I think they are relentless, they have a successful vision and they also have a successful plan. Some people have a successful plan and vision but those who are superstar athletes, they don’t plan for anything other than success. There is no secondary plan."

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾


Today’s Trivia Answer

Sandy Alcantara has 10 complete games since 2020, while Framber Valdez has 9. No one else has more than 6 (Gerrit Cole and Aaron Nola).


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.

See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!

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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