LIDOM | Alexander Gómez: The Dominican Winter League is underway, and the Leones del Escogido appear to be getting a boost to their roster soon. Jasson Domínguez is expected to join the team, though he hasn’t reported just yet, and the team’s general manager Carlos Peña is ready to let him loose in the lineup, saying “He’s an impact player. We know how talented Marciano is. We’re going to give him all the necessary resources to continue developing, because I know he wants to continue that process,
not only to help us here with the Leones, but also to launch his career in the United States, because we’re all waiting for him to do so.”
ESPN | Jeff Passan: The offseason is often a game of waiting around for key free agents to get offers, but one of the perks of the Japanese posting system is that we’ll know exactly how long it takes for Munetaka Murakami to find an MLB home. There will be a 45-day window for teams to bid on the slugger’s rights, ending on December 22nd, and the Yankees are one of several teams reportedly interested in him. Murakami set the Nippon Professional Baseball single-season record for home runs with 56 back in 2022, toppling Sadaharu Oh’s 55 set in 1964. He’s listed as a third baseman, but the Yankees would most likely want him to play first base alongside Ben Rice if they were to sign him.
FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: Speaking of Yankee first baseman, a former great of theirs at the position is getting a second chance at the greatest honor the game has. The Contemporary Era Committee will consider his career alongside several others for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, and Jaffe considers his case taking into consideration his managerial record as well — though he ultimately finds it still lacking. Still, he makes note of the fact that he got 50 percent of the vote his last time up in 2023, and that a similarly weighed Dave Parker made it into the Hall last year, signs that could point to momentum for Donnie Baseball.
