Issue #540

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! ⚾

There were a few offseason moves yesterday, including one trade and a couple free agent signings:

Orioles trade for IF/OF Blaze Alexander. According to an article by Jake Rill at MLB, the Orioles are trading RP Kade Strowd and two minor leaguer players to the Diamondbacks for infielder/outfielder Blaze Alexander.

  • The 26-year old Alexander has played two partial seasons in the majors with Arizona, mostly at 3B, 2B, and SS, though he is capable of playing the OF too.

  • In 2025, Alexander hit .230 with 7 HR and 4 SB in 74 games.

  • 28-year old reliever Kade Strowd, after working his way up through the minors from 2019-2024, made his debut for the Orioles in 2025 and did well with a 1.71 ERA and 24 K in 26.1 IP across 25 appearances.

  • Outlook: For Alexander, given his defensive versatility, the Orioles are presumably expecting him to be a super-utility guy in 2026. For Strowd, assuming he does well during Spring Training, he should break camp as part of the D-Backs’ bullpen.

Pirates sign SP José Urquidy. According to an article by Scott Chiusano at MLB, the Pirates are signing right-handed pitcher José Urquidy to a 1-year deal for $1.5 million.

  • Now 30 years old, Urquidy came up for the Astros for short stints in 2019 and 2020, then had a 3.62 ERA in 20 starts in 2021. He then posted a 13-8 record with a 3.94 ERA across 29 games (28 starts) in 2022. Injuries shortened his 2023 season, and he had Tommy John Surgery in 2024.

  • He brings extensive postseason experience, having pitched in the fall each year from 2019-2023, with an overall 4.08 ERA across 15 appearances (8 starts), with 44 K in 46.1 IP.

  • In 2025, working his way back from the surgery, he only made two relief appearances for the Tigers, but did well in a short stint across A/AAA in the minors with a 2.91 ERA over 21.2 IP. Then in his native Mexico, in the Mexican Winter League, he just pitched to a 1.09 ERA over six starts, with 35 K in 33 IP—so that is promising.

  • Outlook: The Pirates mostly need to continue to improve their offense, but signing Urquidy gives them some added rotation depth. The first four spots will hopefully go to Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, and Jared Jones, though we’ll see how Spring Training goes for Chandler and Jones. Urquidy could compete with Braxton Ashcraft and prospect Hunter Barco for the fifth spot and/or a bullpen role. There is also the possibility that this signing allows the Pirates to more easily trade Keller for more lineup help.

Red Sox sign IF Brendan Rodgers. According to an article by Manny Randhawa at MLB, the Red Sox are signing infielder Brendan Rodgers to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.

  • Rodgers, now 29 years old, is a former first-round draft pick (3rd overall) by the Rockies in 2015. He played for them from 2019-2024, earning a Gold Glove Award at 2B in 2022.

  • He has shown some pop as well, with 13-15 HR and a .260+ average three times. He signed with the Astros as a free agent for the 2025 season, but then didn’t do well, in part due to injuries, with a .191 average and only 2 HR in 43 games.

  • Outlook: This was a little surprising to me, given the news the day before that the Red Sox were also signing utility many Isiah Kiner-Falefa. They now have an abundance of depth in both the infield and the outfield, so I suspect they aren’t done dealing during this busy offseason.

Tarik Skubal award record arbitration sum for a pitcher

I’ve not been reporting out on the results of the players and teams who are in arbitration process this offseason, as that doesn’t involve players changing teams—just how much they get paid for this season. But there is one arbitration result that is pretty newsworthy, as according to an article by Jason Beck at MLB, Tarik Skubal is going to win his case and earn $32 million in in 2026. There was a big gap between his number and what the team had submitted, and $32 million is a record for a pitcher in the arbitration process. It will be interesting to see what happens for him in Detroit this year, both on the field and regarding his upcoming free agency next offseason and the potential he’ll be traded before then.


Today’s Trivia Question

Who had the highest single-season batting average in the history of the New York Yankees franchise? And who had the highest number of runs scored in a single season in their history?


Countdown to Spring Training!

Continuing with this fun series… Spring Training games are now just 14 days away, so here are some top players who had uniform #14 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/1B Ernie Banks - Cubs (1953-71)

  • 2B/3B/OF/1B Pete Rose - Reds (1963-78, 84-86), Phillies (1979-83), Expos (1984)

  • SP Jim Bunning - Tigers (1956-63), Phillies (1964-67, 70-71), Pirates (68-69)

  • OF Larry Doby - Indians (1947-55, 58), White Sox (1956-57)

  • 1B Gil Hodges - Dodgers (1947-61), Mets (1962-63)

  • OF Jim Rice - Red Sox (1974-89)

  • 3B Ken Boyer - Cardinals (1955-65) and two other clubs

  • SP Vida Blue - Athletics (1973-77), Giants (78-81, 85-86), Royals (1983)

  • SP Schoolboy Rowe - Tigers (1934-42)

  • SP David Price - Rays (2008-14) and two other clubs

  • 1B Kent Hrbek - Twins (1982-94)

  • 1B Andrés Galarraga - Expos (1987-91, 2002), Rockies (93-97), and three other clubs

  • OF Del Ennis - Phillies (1946-56)

  • 1B Paul Konerko - White Sox (1999-2014)

  • 1B Bill Skowron - Yankees (1955-62) and three other clubs

  • C Mike Scioscia - Dodgers (1980-92)


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 6…

  • 1958: Ted Williams becomes the highest-paid player. “Ted Williams signs a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox. Reports on the worth of the contract estimate it between $135,000 to $150,000. Either way, Williams becomes the highest-paid player in major league history.”

  • 1998: The Yankees trade for 2B Chuck Knoblauch. “The New York Yankees acquire All-Star second baseman Chuck Knoblauch from the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Eric Milton, shortstop Cristian Guzman and minor leaguers Brian Buchanan and Danny Mota, plus $3 million in cash. Knoblauch will bat .265 with 17 home runs this season and help the Yankees to the World Championship.”

  • 1998: The Mets trade for SP Al Leiter. “The New York Mets obtain pitcher Al Leiter and minor leaguer Ralph Milliard from the Florida Marlins in exchange for pitcher A.J. Burnett and two minor leaguers, Jesús Sánchez and Rob Stratton.”

  • 2014: Ralph Kiner dies at age 91. “Hall of Fame slugger Ralph Kiner dies at age 91; in addition to his on-field exploits, Kiner was a New York Mets broadcaster from the team's inaugural season in 1962, although he had slowed his pace considerably following health issues in recent years.”


🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Row 1: Babe Ruth, Smoky Burgess, Glenn Wright, Bob Wickman
Row 2: Richie Zisk, Dale Long, Pedro Álvarez

Babe Ruth (1895-1948)

  • Hall of Famer

  • 22-year major league career, spanning from 1914-1935, mostly with the Yankees and Red Sox

  • Led the AL in HR an amazing 12 times, RBI four times, runs eight times, and walks 11 times

  • Won the AL batting title with a .378 mark in 1924. Hit .370+ five times, with a career-high of .393 in 1923.

  • Was generally good in the World Series as well, with a .326/.470/.744 slash line and 15 HR in 41 games

  • Started his career as a pitcher and had four really strong seasons, including an 18-8 record and 2.44 ERA in 1915, then an AL-leading 1.75 ERA and 23-12 record in 1916, and a 24-13 record and 2.01 ERA in 1917.

  • Overall as a pitcher had a 94-46 (.671) record, a 2.28 ERA, and a 122 ERA+

  • Overall as a hitter he had 714 HR, 2,214 RBI, 2,174 runs, a .342/.474/.690 slash line, and a 206 OPS+

Smoky Burgess (1927-1991)

  • 18-year major league career, spanning from 1949-1967, playing for the Cubs, Phillies, Reds, Pirates, and White Sox

  • Was an All-Star in six seasons

  • Was primarily a catcher, but was also used a lot as a pinch hitter (606 games)

  • Hit for a high average but also had some pop with 10+ HR six times including a high of 21 HR in 1955

  • Born Forrest Harrill Burgess, there are varying explanations for his nickname Smoky, including the Smoky Mountains in the area of his birth; a nickname his father had; his lack of speed on the basepaths; and the fact that he did not smoke tobacco (see SABR Bio)

  • Overall had 126 HR, a .295/.362/.446 slash line, and a 116 OPS+

Glenn Wright (1901-1984)

  • 11-year major league career, spanning from 1924-1935, mostly with the Pirates and Dodgers

  • Was a SS with some pop as he hit 18 HR in 1925 and had 22 HR in 1930, with 100+ RBI four times

  • Overall had 94 HR, a .294/.328/.447 slash line, and a 99 OPS+

Bob Wickman (1969)

  • 15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1992-2007, mostly with the Yankees, Brewers, and Indians

  • Two-time All-Star

  • Had 25+ saves six times, including an AL-leading 45 saves in 2005

  • Overall had 267 saves, a 3.57 ERA, and a 126 ERA+

Richie Zisk (1949)

  • 13-year major league career, spanning from 1971-1983, mostly with the Pirates, Rangers, and Mariners

  • Two-time All-Star

  • Had 20+ HR five times, with a high of 30 HR and 101 RBI in 1977

  • Played a mix of LF, RF, and DH

  • Overall had 207 HR, a .287/.353/.466 slash line, and a 127 OPS+

Dale Long (1926-1991)

  • 10-year major league career spanning, spanning from 1951-1963, mostly with the Pirates, Cubs, Yankees, and Senators

  • Played mostly 1B, and was frequently a pinch-hitter

  • Hit 20+ HR three times, with a high of 27 HR in 1956, his one All-Star campaign

  • That year he became the first player to hit a HR in eight consecutive games (later equaled by Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr.)

  • Overall had 132 HR, a .267/.341/.464 slash line, and a 115 OPS+

Pedro Álvarez (1987)

  • First-round draft pick (2nd overall) in 2008 by the Pirates

  • 9-year major league career, spanning from 2010-2018, with the Pirates and Orioles

  • Hit 20+ HR four times, including in 2013 when he led the NL with 36 HR, his one All-Star season

  • Overall had 162 HR, a .236/.310/.447 slash line, and a 107 OPS+

Currently active players who were born on February 6 include BAL Adley Rutschman, ARI Pavin Smith, STL Riley O'Brien, HOU Anthony Maldonado, and Luke Maile (free agent).


Baseball Quote of the Day

Since today is Babe Ruth's birthday, I naturally need to share a sampling of quotes from him:

"As soon as I got out there I felt a strange relationship with the pitcher's mound. It was as if I'd been born out there. Pitching just felt like the most natural thing in the world. Striking out batters was easy."

"All ballplayers should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill."

"Don't ever forget two things I'm going to tell you. One, don't believe everything that's written about you. Two, don't pick up too many checks."

"If I'd just tried for them dinky singles I could've batted around .600."

"If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery."

"I won't be happy until we have every boy in America between the ages of six and sixteen wearing a glove and swinging a bat."

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾


Today’s Trivia Answer

The answer to both questions is one of today's Birthday Boys (see above), Babe Ruth. Although most famous for his homers, Ruth also hit for a high average, including a .393 mark in 1923. And two years earlier, in 1921, he scored 177 runs.


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.

This newsletter was produced with beehiiv.

New to Now Taking the Field? Become a subscriber and get each article in your email inbox so that you don’t miss anything!

Subscribe

Keep Reading

© 2026 Now Taking the Field.
Report abusePrivacy policyTerms of use
beehiivPowered by beehiiv