It’s hard to believe spring training is just over 30 days away.

It feels like yesterday the Dodgers were hoisting the trophy and we were all thinking the same thing:

Okay — baseball’s back.

And it is.

The 2025 season was incredible.
Ratings up.
A World Series for the ages.
Real momentum. Real buzz. Real relevance again.

Which is exactly why I can’t shake this feeling.

Baseball has a long, ugly habit of sabotaging itself at the worst possible time.

On the field, 2026 should be fascinating. How does anyone stop the Dodgers? With their resources — and a front office that doesn’t miss — it’s hard to see someone slowing them down.

Toronto? Baltimore? Atlanta? Seattle?

ABS is finally here — and thank God. We’ve all watched too many games, too many playoff moments, swing on brutal ball-and-strike calls. This fixes a broken system. Long overdue.

And hovering over baseball in 2026.

The gambling trial involving Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, set to begin in May. Allegations of pitch manipulation to influence prop bets — a nightmare scenario for a league still pretending gambling is a side issue.

And of course.

The CBA expires after the 2026 season.

Everyone knows where this is heading.
Owners are looking to rein in the big spenders, like the Dodgers with a cap.

And there’s zero chance the players will accept a salary cap.

So here we go.

Some have referred to it as a “labor year”.
It’ll play out in public.
All season.
While the sport is finally rolling.

And that’s the uncomfortable truth.

Baseball has momentum again.
The game feels strong.

Which raises the only question that really matters:

Are the owners really going to blow it up?

— Box

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Tatsuya Imai didn’t just choose the Houston Astros.

He chose against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

All winter, the Japanese right-hander made his preference clear. He didn’t want the easy path. The spotlight. The safety net. He wanted a chance to beat the Dodgers—not join them.

Now he might just get the chance.

Imai agreed to a three-year, $54 million deal with Houston, complete with opt-outs after 2026 and 2027. No long-term cushion.

Just leverage.

This wasn’t the biggest offer on the table.
It was the smartest one.

Houston gets a big-time arm.
Imai gets flexibility.
And Scott Boras gets exactly what he loves most—another bet on upside.

The Yoshinobu Yamamoto comparison? Boras floated it. Of course he did.

Over the past few seasons in Japan, he’s pitched like an ace—Mid-90s fastball. A devastating slider. A changeup that eats lefties alive.

If it translates—and Houston is very good at making that happen—Imai hits free agency again at 28.

That’s when the real money shows up.

This wasn’t a star chasing comfort.
This was a pitcher choosing pressure.

Dodgers fans won’t lose sleep over it.
Houston just gave him the runway.way.

To the relief of the Los Angeles Angels—and anyone who was pretending otherwise—the Anthony Rendon era in Anaheim is over.

Call it a restructure if you want.

In reality, it’s an admission.
A disaster.

Rendon’s seven-year, $245 million contract was supposed to anchor a contender. Instead, it produced 257 games played—roughly a fourth of what the Angels paid for. That’s not bad luck. That’s absence.

Yes, there were injuries.
And more injuries.
And then everything else.

In 2023, Rendon was suspended five games after confronting a fan. In 2024, he infuriated fans, admitting that baseball had “never been a top priority.”

Quite the thing to say when you’re collecting $38 million a year.

Rather than swallow that $38 million owed in his final season, the Angels chose a softer landing—spreading the remaining money over multiple years. Less pain up front. Fewer reminders. A clean break without calling it one.

This wasn’t a redemption story waiting to happen.
It became a mismatch between commitment, availability, and accountability.

No legacy in Anaheim.
No late-career pivot.
Just an expensive lesson the Angels are finally done learning in real time.

They didn’t erase the mistake.
They stopped letting it define them.

And sometimes, that’s the best ending you get.

Let it go, Bryce.

It started when Phillies president Dave Dombrowski said Bryce Harper didn’t have an “elite” season in 2025.

Statistically, he wasn’t wrong.

Harper’s line — .261, 27 homers, 75 RBIs — were good. But not elite, especially for a two-time MVP and a franchise centerpiece with October expectations.

Harper wasn’t happy with the comment. Clearly his ego was bruised.

This week, he was spotted wearing a T-shirt that read: “Not Elite.”

Motivation? Probably.

Great players don’t need constant validation. They need friction. Something to push against. A sliver of doubt. Harper has always played best with an edge, and this feels less like insecurity and more like self-manufactured fuel.

If that shirt disappears by October — replaced by numbers that end the discussion — then the message worked.

Because the answer to “not elite” isn’t a slogan.

It’s a season that makes the conversation irrelevant.

Finally, a story that makes absolutely no sense — until it does.

Cody Ponce is a pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays. But it hasn’t always been all smooth sailing.

Back in 2021, Ponce went 0–6 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was released. For many players, that’s the end of the road.

Instead, he went overseas looking for an opportunity to pitch — first in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, then to Korea’s KBO League.

By 2025, he wasn’t just hanging on — he was dominating the KBO.

17–1. League MVP. Untouchable.

Naturally, MLB came calling.

But here’s where the story gets interesting.

Back in June, still pitching in Korea, before MLB expressed interest, Ponce and his wife were having a discussion on the future. You know — what if, maybe, who knows stuff.

At one point, she said:

“I’m gonna put our goal for three years and $30 million…”

Ponce shook his head and laughed it off.

She didn’t.

Months later, Ponce signed a three-year, $30 million contract with Toronto.

With a smile, Ponce said, “my wife just manifested this entire contract.”

Manifested it?
What does that even mean?

Apparently, it meant exactly that.

Right on the number. Three years, $30 million.

So for all you free agents still waiting for the phone to ring…

Maybe it’s not about leverage.

Or timing.

Or even Scott Boras.

Maybe you just need someone who can manifest the numbers.

Or just call Mrs. Ponce.

Watch the video

See ya Next Week!

John Boxley
High N Tight