Paul Skenes is the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 2000 to lose two starts in a season with these stats: ◽️ 8+ IP ◽️ 1 or 0 R ◽️ 1 or 0 BB ◽️ 8+ K H/T @jayhaykid.bsky.social

Spencer Schwellenbach is the first Braves pitcher since Greg Maddux in 2001 to allow fewer than 10 hits through his first 3 starts of the season (min. 20 IP).

Patrick Corbin is the only pitcher in baseball history to log 4 straight seasons making at least 30 starts with an ERA of 5 or greater. 2021: 5.82 ERA in 31 starts 2022: 6.31 ERA in 31 starts 2023: 5.20 ERA in 32 starts 2024: 5.62 ERA in 32 starts

Roki Sasaki 4-seamers thrown 99+ mph by inning Wednesday: 1st: 8 2nd: 0 3rd: 0 Roki Sasaki’s 4-seamers thrown below 98 mph by inning today: 1st: 0 2nd: 7 3rd: 12

Roki Sasaki is the first pitcher since Ryan Pepiot (May 11, 2022) to have a career debut start featuring 5+ BB but no more than 1 hit.

Mookie Betts isn’t limiting himself when it comes to how many championships he wants. Watch our full interview here: youtu.be/WgoyKJs_5HI

Joey Gallo is the only player in baseball history to produce a season with 200+ K, 100+ BB and a Gold Glove award.

Anthony Rendon’s contract will stand as the Final Boss of bad contracts until the end of time. The Angels paid $245M to get made fun of for 7 years.

The Luka/AD trade in ⚾️ terms: It’s like trading Bobby Witt Jr. for Corbin Burnes and saying afterwards it’s because “pitching wins championships”

We need to talk about how voters across eras don’t know what a Hall of Fame 2B looks like.

This is the first time we’ve had consecutive seasons of 3+ players being elected to the Hall of Fame since 2017-18 (7 players).

This is the first-ever Hall of Fame class featuring a starting pitcher, a relief pitcher and an outfielder.

Today we find out who joins the great Harold Baines in the halls of immortality

Listener questions for tomorrow’s podcast. Offseason, 2025 season, baseball history: it’s all fair game. Send em in.

The tide is turning

A quick peek under the hood of Justin Verlander:

Brent Rooker’s OPS+ in 2024 (165) was the 4th-highest by any A’s player in the Wild Card Era, behind Jason Giambi (2000-01) and Mark McGwire (1996).

There are so many worthy players on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot that you could take an entire offseason to discuss them all. We’ll be talking the ballot on today’s @baseballisdead_ podcast. Gonna create a strawman who voted for McCann and Martin and rip them to shreds.

Corbin Burnes strikeout rate:

Dodgers: won WS, signed Snell, brought back Teoscar, extended Edman, signed Conforto Giants: signed Adames, signed Chapman Padres: won 93 games last season D-Backs: signed Burnes, traded for Naylor Rockies: 🤪

The D-Backs are the 4th team in baseball history to issue multiple $200M+ contracts to pitchers: Yankees: Cole/Fried Dodgers: Yamamoto/Kershaw Nationals: Strasburg/Scherzer D-Backs: Burnes/Greinke

The starting pitching in the NL West is obscene: Corbin Burnes Zac Gallen Blake Snell Yoshinobu Yamamoto Logan Webb Dylan Cease Michael King Merrill Kelly Yu Darvish Tyler Glasnow Shohei Ohtani To name a few.

Merry Christmas to the best baseball podcasts fans in the world @baseballisdead_

Here’s an incomplete list of players who have posted a lower wRC+ across 2022-24 than Joc Pederson (135): Matt Olson José Ramírez Rafael Devers Marcell Ozuna Austin Riley Julio Rodríguez Pete Alonso

Kyle Tucker’s top near-age offensive comps, per ZiPS:

Interesting excerpt from Garrett Crochet on his potential sinker usage in 2025. He threw 0 sinkers from April-July, then 9 in August and 41 in September.

I can appreciate and understand that the Guardians front office is extremely savvy and successful within their limitations and also lament the fact this franchise is kind of a joke.

Josh Naylor in 2024: .776 OPS, 118 OPS+, 1.5 bWAR Carlos Santana in 2024: .749 OPS, 109 OPS+, 2.5 bWAR

Rickey Henderson was *the* first poster I ever had in my room as a kid. I couldn’t imagine a more electric introduction to baseball. RIP to one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

The way the Cubs organization has treated Sammy Sosa after his career after reaping all the benefits of his prime is so gross

The Astros trading for Arenado because he’s owed less money than it would take to re-sign Bregman can also just be described as “getting worse” 2024 2023-24

Jeffrey Springs as a SP since 2022 (35 starts): 174 IP 2.59 ERA 194 K That is the lowest ERA in baseball by any pitcher who has made at least 25 starts over that span.

Pitchers with 200+ K in Fewer than 150 IP Single Season - All Time Garrett Crochet (2024) Spencer Strider (2022) Chris Sale (2019)

Highest Strikeout Rate by LHP Single Season — All Time (Min. 30 Starts) Randy Johnson (2001): 37.4% Chris Sale (2017): 36.2% Garrett Crochet (2024): 35.1%

If Luis Gil is the primary asset that allows you to get Kyle Tucker, that feels like a clear yes

There have been 11 qualified MLB batters to post a wRC+ of 150 or better since August 1, 2023. Those players are: Aaron Judge Shohei Ohtani Juan Soto Yordan Alvarez Marcell Ozuna Bobby Witt Jr. Mookie Betts Brent Rooker Bryce Harper Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Seiya Suzuki.

Troubling trends for Nolan Arenado:

Quick check on some of the names surrounding newly-elected Dick Allen on the career OPS+ leaderboard:

Oh, a Sunday AM pod recording? Adames, O’Neill, Bieber, Holmes, latest Soto rumors, latest Fried rumors Don’t mind if I do!

Gary Sanchez and Tyler O’Neill feel like pretty natural targets for a team changing its outfield to help right handed pull power

Pretty cool that the guy who signed Willy Adames to the largest deal in Giants franchise history is the previous owner of the largest contract in Giants history — Buster Posey.

Seasons with 30+ HR, 20+ SB, 100+ RBI Shortstops - MLB History Willy Adames 2024 Bobby Witt Jr. 2024 Trevor Story 2018 Alex Rodriguez 1998-99

Re: Sabathia's workload, his 3,577.1 innings is the most for any pitcher born after 1966. stathead.com/tiny/gHaqQ He was born in 1980.

Excited to see what the Cleveland pitching lab can do for this Shane Bieber guy.

Had 11,000 + minutes of podcast listening and I bet every bit of 10,000+ minutes were baseball is dead! @jayhaykid.bsky.social @jaredcarrabis.bsky.social @dallasbraden209.bsky.social thank you guys for great content!

Mike Trout’s #1 player comp (per ZiPS) in each of the last 10 offseasons: 2016: Mickey Mantle 2017: Mickey Mantle 2018: Willie Mays 2019: Willie Mays 2020: Mickey Mantle 2021: Mickey Mantle 2022: Willie Mays 2023: Mickey Mantle 2024: Pedro Guerrero 2025: Bob Johnson

This is one of the most depressing baseball-related things I’ve ever seen.

Just read in the Marlins ZiPS article that the franchise has had a wRC+ of 100 or better only twice in more than 3 decades of existence. I knew it was bad, but my goodness.

Two things that stood out on Aroldis Chapman’s fit with Boston: 1. Red Sox have desperately needed swing-and-miss from the left side out of the pen. Chapman addresses that. 2. But is there trouble under the hood? Every pitch he throws saw a drop in whiff rate from 23 to 24.

Today’s Jon Heyman report: Everyone is one day closer to signing (or not signing) than they were yesterday.