Mariners Moose Tracks, 12/18/24: Cody Bellinger, Matt Thaiss, and Rate Field

The stove is still hot, though the Mariners have yet to so much as start defrosting.

G’day friends! Let’s check in on the happenings from around baseball.

In Mariners news...

• Ryan Blake dug into the negative effects that T-Mobile Park has on hitters in the batters’ box, and how the sun seems to be a major culprit.
• Seattle’s local Dub Sea Fish Sticks have unveiled their 2025 season schedule.

Around the league...

• The Yankees have acquired their sought-after big bat, netting Cody Bellinger from the Cubs for right-hander Cody Poteet.
• In a cross-town Chicago swap, the White Sox acquired catcher Matt Thaiss from the Cubs.
• The first day of single-game ticket sales for the Mets was a huge one following their recent signing of superstar Juan Soto.
• A new MLB study found that an increase and velocity and “stuff” has led to a sharp rise in injuries for pitchers around the league.
• Jeff Passan at ESPN provided his five biggest takeaways from the landmark pitching study.
• The ESPN crew surveyed managers around the league on rule changes, the expanded playoffs, and more.
• I suppose it flows better than Guaranteed Rate Field?

Anders’ picks...

• Shout out to this guy. He was living his best life.