The long-awaited CBA talks have begun.

Here we go!

Between now and December 2nd, owners and players will work to hammer out a new deal.

On December 2nd?

Lockout time.

The real negotiations begin.

Blah blah blah…

We all know the owners want to cap the Dodgers and the other big spenders.

A move the players will never go for.

So there ya have it.

The talks have begun.

Will they really shut down a sport with growing ratings, revenue, and franchise values?

—

Guess Scott Boras wasn’t completely full of it after all.

Tarik Skubal is already back to playing catch after elbow surgery.

A shocking turnaround for a pitcher we initially heard could miss 8–12 weeks.

They’re calling it the “Skubal Scope” procedure.

A NanoScope tool.
Less invasive surgery.
Less recovery time.

And back much sooner than expected?

Hey, with a $400M contract on the line, no time to waste.

The rest of the league is trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

That’s modern science for ya.

—

Only one MLB team is currently on pace to lose 100 games.

The Mets.

Payroll:
$380M

No comment.

—

Yankee news.

Anthony Volpe is back.

Last week, the shortstop was sent to the minors after returning from shoulder surgery.

This week?

An injury to his replacement opened the door.

And suddenly, Volpe is back in the Bronx.

Not exactly off to a great start, though.

First game?

0-3 and muffed a ground ball for an error.

Baseball careers move fast.

Especially in New York.

—

In Boston…

Fans are wearing paper bags?

Come on!

It’s May.

You’re better than this.

Probably.

—

Finally.

A sad story out of Japan.

NPB umpire Takuto Kawakami remains unconscious a month after being hit in the head with a bat during the game.

The images are horrific.

The league has taken immediate action, now requiring umpires to wear full helmet-style headgear, replacing the traditional mask-and-cap setup.

And additional safety changes are reportedly being explored as well.

Amazing, really.

Until now, many umpires were basically relying on a wired mask and a baseball cap for protection.

Scary.

The floundering teams have gotten most of the attention so far.

You know who you are.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays are quietly crushing it.

Operating on an $87M payroll.
Leading the AL East.

Yeah, yeah…

it’s early.

Still.

The Rays are once again proving you can compete without a $300 million payroll and a luxury-tax therapy session.

Solid scouting.
Player development.
Smart decisions.

Crazy concept.

While some of baseball’s richest teams are setting money on fire in broad daylight.

The Dodgers spend like hedge fund managers.

The Rays spend like a guy checking his grocery receipt in the parking lot.

And somehow…

they still scare everybody.

They’re back at Tropicana Field.
Technically a major league ballpark.

Barely.

The highest-paid player on the roster?

Yandy Díaz at $12M.

At some point, MLB teams need to stop blaming economics.

The Rays are proving the real problem might be competence.

And by the way…

this week the Rays reached a deal with the city of Tampa for a new $2.3B stadium.

Uh oh.

For you baseball purists…

you’ll love this one.

In Louisville this week, the Triple-A Bats turned off all the noise we’ve become accustomed to at games.

No walk-up music.
No scoreboard videos.
No on-field entertainment.

Nothing.

Only the sounds of baseball.

The crack of the bat.
The pop of the glove.
The roar of the crowd.

They called it “Nothing Night.”

The goal was simple:

Create that old-school ballpark experience.

All baseball.

Geez.

Can any of us even remember when there wasn’t music or some kind of distraction happening between innings.

These “Nothing Nights” have actually been happening in Minor League Baseball since 2005.

And yes, there was some live organ music.

You’d think all this would make for a boring game.

Not so much.

Indianapolis’ Jhostynxon Garcia provided the fireworks, blasting three home runs.

But can we as baseball fans really live without all the bells and whistles?

Those mascot races? Or Kiss Cams?

They’ve got us trained at this point.

But for one night this week…

“Nothing Night” gave fans a different perspective on America’s pastime.

Baseball players are crazy.

Last week, Pokémon cards were breaking slumps.

This week?

A shower.

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh entered Tuesday night stuck in an ugly 0-for-38 slump.

So, on the advice of a teammate…

Raleigh showered in full uniform to “wash off the bad mojo.”

Because of course he did.

And naturally?

It worked.

Raleigh snapped out of the slump with two hits against Houston.

Which honestly tells you everything you need to know about baseball.

Analytics departments spend millions searching for answers…

while baseball players continue operating like superstitious pirates from 1887.

Unfortunately, the shower didn’t cure everything.

The Big Dumper landed on the IL Friday.

Is Giants skipper Tony Vitello really up for the job?

Over the weekend, the Giants had a moment that looked less like Major League Baseball…

and more like a fire drill.

Vitello called for a pitching change.

Problem was:

nobody seemed to know which pitcher he actually wanted.

Cue the confusion.

Pitchers waving.
Coaches scrambling.
Broadcast team baffled.

The whole thing felt like a spring training mix-up.

After one winning season in the last decade, Buster Posey wanted a new voice in the dugout.

So he went bold.

Really bold.

Posey reached into the college ranks and hired a national championship-winning coach to manage a clubhouse full of millionaires.

Risky?

Absolutely.

World Series-winning manager Joe Maddon called the move “insulting.”

Harsh?

Maybe.

But you can understand the point.

College baseball is emotion, energy, buses, and development.

Major League Baseball is pressure, politics, media storms, and veterans who’ve already seen five managers come and go.

Very different worlds.

The Giants thought they were hiring the next great baseball mind.

Right now?

They’d settle for getting the right pitcher into the game.

Finally… a story so ridiculous it feels AI-generated.

There’s Max Muncy. Dodgers third baseman.

And there’s Max Muncy. Athletics infielder.

Both major leaguers.

Both were drafted by the Oakland A’s.

Nine years apart.

And here’s where it gets crazy.

Both were born on August 25th.

Twelve years apart.

Same birthday.

And no — they aren’t related.

At one point last season, both Max Muncys had the exact same batting average and OPS.

Then during Spring Training this year…

both homered in the same inning.

On the same day.

The Muncys finally met in 2024.

It’s a story too crazy even for Hollywood.

And honestly?

An A’s-Dodgers World Series suddenly feels necessary.

Have a great weekend.
And if you liked the newsletter, share it with a friend.

— Box

https://subscribe.box-seats.com/hnt